Does It Matter?

[baloo]

Sooo when ever i write a song and start makin the guitar line. i dont really use the whole root third fifth thing or somethin like that i just play random chords til i find some that go good together.

the question is: does it REALLY matter if i dont go with certain chord runs or whatever? or is it fine just to use random chords?

and im sure i didnt really get my terminology right ;P

[Retrosaurus Rex]

Hell no it doesn't matter! If it sounds good, it is good. Having said that, it would be helpful if you learn the standard terminology for chord names and scales, because eventually you'll want to communicate your ideas to other musicians, and a common language speeds up that process for sure. I would also suggest digging deeper into music theory, seeing where the chords and scales come from. It can only be an impediment to creativity if you let it; in fact, it should expand your horizons.

[baloo]

thanks for the help i thought it was fine but one of my friends, while we were jammin was like "woah! just chill bro. is there no scale behind all that? thats so wierd!" hes like the terminology bookworm so i thought i was in the wrong but now i know thanks i really do need to brush upp on terminology too ;P

[baloo]

no no no nooo u sorta did misunderstand BUT its cool. i understand alot of what what youre sayin. ive been involved in "musicland" (love that) since elementary school (band and such) so i got the whole scale is central note stuff and its not really okay to play anythin with anythin. what he meant was do i even know what in the world im playing. its alll technicallities with him so he spazzed. but today i did my research and found out i was pretty much doin chord progressions. i told him (apparently his vast knowledge did not include that HA) so now that its all clear!,, u sorta did help

-Micah

[MikeRobinson]

When you're "just playin' ... just foolin' around ..." at some point in time, pure serendipity will kick in and "something will just happen" that will catch all of you off-guard.

After you have properly enjoyed the moment, you might find yourself wanting to know how it happened. You want to be able to do it again ... "on purpose, this time."

And that is where "music theory" quietly slips into the back of the bar and orders a drink, sticking around for a bit just in case you want to learn more about what he might have to say. You see, "music" is all about "mathematics," if you care to get as deeply involved in that sort of thing as, say, J. S. Bach once did. There is as much "depth" to the study of music as you care to find.

"Okay, so does it have any practical benefit?" Uh huh, actually it does. The more you care to learn about how music works, the more conscious, deliberate choices you have as you try to develop "that germ of an idea" into a song.

If you want to get "deeply" into that, I strongly recommend the book, Tunesmith, by Jimmy Webb. (He of "Up, Up and Away," "MacArthur Park," and many others...) I must warn you, though, that the middle chapters are a freakin' textbook, of which I am now in my fourth very slow reading. It's just a question of what you like. Since I am an unabashed "computer geek," I am fascinated (as Jimmy himself obviously is...) at taking non-physical things completely apart to figure out how they tick. You might be likewise; or, you might not. As for me, I find it extremely engaging. It's like watching a magic show when you know a little bit about how the trick is done. You stop doing quite so much "incredulous wonder," and you switch to a whole lot more of admiring skill and craft.

Edited July 18, 2011 by MikeRobinson