While the author considers it to be "not much" needed, I'd guess most of the musicians I know are lacking in at least one of the 7 suggested areas. I do try to give my students exposure to all the suggested areas, and I find that for the ones who work at it, it has been immensely beneficial. I realize that not everyone is aiming to be a session musician, but I still find Mr. Zabrocki's advice to be a pretty good suggestion.
http://www.guitarworld.com/session-guit ... ion-player
How much theory?
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Gallowglass
- Platinum Member
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- Joined: Sunday Mar 05, 2006
- Location: Hlidskjalf
Just this:
01. Major scales and all related Diatonic Modes and how to use them. This would include the Circle of 5ths and Circle of 4ths.
02. Pentatonic scales and related blues scales and know how to use them ... creatively.
03. A decent sense of the Melodic Minor Scale and all related modes and how to use them. This scale and related modes is primarily used in jazz.
04. A knowledge of the Harmonic Minor scale. I am limiting how much I say about this one. It is used in many forms of music but primarily has a classical tone.
05. All basic chords and inversions and extensions. By basic I am talking about major, minor, dominant, diminished, half diminished and augmented.
06. Speaking of chords, all related arpeggios to those chords.
07. Finally, a great sense of rhythm and all basic rhythmic variations.
Simple.
01. Major scales and all related Diatonic Modes and how to use them. This would include the Circle of 5ths and Circle of 4ths.
02. Pentatonic scales and related blues scales and know how to use them ... creatively.
03. A decent sense of the Melodic Minor Scale and all related modes and how to use them. This scale and related modes is primarily used in jazz.
04. A knowledge of the Harmonic Minor scale. I am limiting how much I say about this one. It is used in many forms of music but primarily has a classical tone.
05. All basic chords and inversions and extensions. By basic I am talking about major, minor, dominant, diminished, half diminished and augmented.
06. Speaking of chords, all related arpeggios to those chords.
07. Finally, a great sense of rhythm and all basic rhythmic variations.
Simple.
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bassist_25
- Senior Member
- Posts: 6815
- Joined: Monday Dec 09, 2002
- Location: Indiana
"02. Pentatonic scales and related blues scales and know how to use them ... creatively."
Ahh, damn it, he's gonna get me on my "The blues scale is not a real scale in tertian harmony" rant.
Ahh, damn it, he's gonna get me on my "The blues scale is not a real scale in tertian harmony" rant.
"He's the electric horseman, you better back off!" - old sKool making a reference to the culturally relevant 1979 film.
nice article. raised a few questions for me, but i will research some stuff and of course have questions.
i think i know parts of most of it. theory is something i really have to work at, it doesn't come easy at all. most of the time i over think it. but it has helped me develop my ear and broadened my playin style.
- kayla.
i think i know parts of most of it. theory is something i really have to work at, it doesn't come easy at all. most of the time i over think it. but it has helped me develop my ear and broadened my playin style.
- kayla.
`( f e n d e r)`
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Gallowglass
- Platinum Member
- Posts: 793
- Joined: Sunday Mar 05, 2006
- Location: Hlidskjalf
While the "Blues Scale" (if we're thinking 1, b3, 4, #4/b5 ,5, b7) is notoriously difficult to harmonize in tertian terms, I often think of it as a minor pentatonic with a passing tone. In fact, I often think of the minor pentatonic as a diatonic mode with certain notes omitted (sort of a modal "summary", if you will). While not correcting the problem, it does help keep things in a certain perspective.bassist_25 wrote:"02. Pentatonic scales and related blues scales and know how to use them ... creatively."
Ahh, damn it, he's gonna get me on my "The blues scale is not a real scale in tertian harmony" rant.
Also, it might not be a bad thing to expand outside of the tertian concept, either (which I'm sure you would advocate as well). In the Middle Ages, quartal harmony was the norm. In more modern times, there has been a resurgence and some quartal pieces are truly fantastic. Having said all that, I still have a habit of reverting to tertian concepts when playing over certain chords, for example, thinking of E,A,D and G together as an Em7add 11, etc.
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bassist_25
- Senior Member
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- Joined: Monday Dec 09, 2002
- Location: Indiana
You pretty much nailed how I view the blues scale, Jason. I've always thought of the #4/b5 as an accidental that really has more melodic than harmonic purpose. Of course, at the end of the day, making interesting music is the most important thing. My argument that the blues scale really isn't a scale is purely academic.
I did mess around with some quartal harmony stuff when I was in my early 20s, but I can't recall ever actually playing or writing a piece based on quartal harmony. I guess that's a bit of a surprise, because I do like 4ths. They are more neutral sounding than 3rds, 6ths, and 7ths, but are outside the norm just enough that they don't sound safe like 5ths.
I hear that on reverting back to mainstream and Western modes of thinking when it comes to music. I think that as both musicians and listeners, we've become accustomed to tertian harmony and half-tone music that its somehow difficult to break out of of those cognitive ways of approaching music. I know at least in my experience, my ear has grown over the years to the point that things that sounded dissonant or like "noise" to me 10 or 15 years ago make perfect musical sense to me now, and I can dig stuff like really progressive jazz, 12-tone serial music, etc. I know that I'll never be that really progressive player who pushes the bounds of music, but I definitely try to keep an open ear to stuff that's a bit out there on the musical side and see if I can at least take a little bit of something from it for myself.
I did mess around with some quartal harmony stuff when I was in my early 20s, but I can't recall ever actually playing or writing a piece based on quartal harmony. I guess that's a bit of a surprise, because I do like 4ths. They are more neutral sounding than 3rds, 6ths, and 7ths, but are outside the norm just enough that they don't sound safe like 5ths.
I hear that on reverting back to mainstream and Western modes of thinking when it comes to music. I think that as both musicians and listeners, we've become accustomed to tertian harmony and half-tone music that its somehow difficult to break out of of those cognitive ways of approaching music. I know at least in my experience, my ear has grown over the years to the point that things that sounded dissonant or like "noise" to me 10 or 15 years ago make perfect musical sense to me now, and I can dig stuff like really progressive jazz, 12-tone serial music, etc. I know that I'll never be that really progressive player who pushes the bounds of music, but I definitely try to keep an open ear to stuff that's a bit out there on the musical side and see if I can at least take a little bit of something from it for myself.
"He's the electric horseman, you better back off!" - old sKool making a reference to the culturally relevant 1979 film.
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f.sciarrillo
- Diamond Member
- Posts: 6990
- Joined: Thursday Oct 28, 2004
- Location: Not here ..
Some people claim they don't want a road map because they like to go "off road" and the map might hinder their "off road" riding experience. What they'll never know is that if they are well versed in map navigation, they will find NEW "off road" places to enjoy. 
The better you understand the map, the more the off road adventures increase...and you won't get lost.
Jason, hope all is well !
The better you understand the map, the more the off road adventures increase...and you won't get lost.
Jason, hope all is well !
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RobTheDrummer
- Diamond Member
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ToonaRockGuy
- Diamond Member
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- Location: Altoona, behind a drumset.
RobTheDrummer wrote:It doesn't hurt to know as much as you can about your instrument.
THIS.
I have always been an advocate of theory and reading, since those are the building blocks of music. I grew up playing violin, and even though I used it to pave my way as a drummer (had to play a string instrument to be able to play drums in my school system), I love the fact that I can read music and understand theory. It's really hard to communicate with the other instruments in the band/group/combo when you don't "speak the language", and knowing some of this stuff makes it easier to get ideas across.
Plus, any pro worth his salt in LA, Nashville, or NYC can read their asses off and knows theory like the back of their hand.
Dood...
+1!!! i've had this argument with one particular person that believes i shouldn't waste time learning scales/modes etc etc. .... eh. i've been playin 4 years and they've been playin quite a few more than me, we are damn near at the same playin level. so ya, scales/modes don't work, do they?ToonaRockGuy wrote: It's really hard to communicate with the other instruments in the band/group/combo when you don't "speak the language", and knowing some of this stuff makes it easier to get ideas across.
- kayla.
`( f e n d e r)`
I'm really lacking as a musician :/. I was in choir for 8 1/2 years in school, but when it comes to playing bass I'm still really far behind. There is a language to it certainly, and most of the time it's greek to me haha, I know where notes are all over my fretboard for the most part, but when it comes to scales and whatnot, i only know the major pattern. I got by and what not, but it didn't really start bothering me until trying to play and write the blues.