How Important Is Music Theory For Guitarists?
We’re back in the classroom again, asking some more big questions: Is knowledge power? Or a drain on our creative guitar juices? Yes, indeed, another topic which has divided guitarists since the dawn of the electric guitar. Seen by many as a much needed companion on the road to guitar mastery (if such place exists), but perceived by some as the guitar equivalent of your mother telling you to ‘eat your greens!’. No matter on which side your opinions lie, we can agree that music theory means different things to different people. Is theory important? And should we have listened to those boring grown ups all along?
What falls under the category of Music Theory?
Much like neolithic man and fire, we guitarists generally fear theory; so let’s begin by simply stating that music theory is the practise of giving a name to things you play and hear.
Taking a broad look at theory, as it applies to our guitar playing, here are just 3 areas where a little knowledge goes a long way:
1. Harmony
This, in basic terms, is the means of explaining how chords, scales and compositional trickery all work together, plus a guide to things you may want to avoid. The study of harmony can also provide us with a quick route to creating a mood, feel or vibe to music (plus recognising common ideas in the songs we learn). This is where the Modes start to become relevant.
‘Leave this jazzy wizardry to the nerds! I like rock’ you say! …. Don’t we all, but you’d be surprised where you will hear examples of guitar players who have done their harmony homework. Start by listening to that ubiquitous Hotel California solo - the opening first lick, hear the way it ends on those two magical notes … goosebumps, right? Harmonic minor harmony my friends!
Yeah, but that’s just a quirky exception you say! If only; that big run in Slash’s Sweet Child O’ Mine main noodle - harmonic minor …. The last solo in November Rain, Gary Moore’s magical moments in Still Got The Blues, you got it, harmonic minor theory. And don’t even get me started on Hendrix and Zeppelin!
In these examples our legendary axe men melded their licks to fit chords which moved away from the traditional harmony, and the result; some of the most memorable guitar licks and solos in history! You see, harmony is more than just the sound a scale generates, it is the way a scale or notes move and flow with the chords as they change.
2. Intervals
Considering the complex way in which the notes on our particular instrument are arranged, it is understandable that we tend to think in shapes and ‘which fingers go where’. This thinking is largely a guitar thing, and we shouldn’t apologise for it - this is how we learn and make sense of the tricky wilderness which is our fretboard. We, however, are largely alone in this way of thinking, and many other instrumentalists get their kicks out of ‘intervals’ in favour of mechanical shapes (if you’ve taken piano lessons you’ll know what I mean!).
What’s all that about then? Well, the study of intervals is no more than a look into how individual notes respond to each other to create chords, tension, pleasing melodies and all manner of musical phrases. Notes are given numbers depending on their distance from each other - hence the reason a power chord is often referred to as a 5 chord.
Want an example? Probably the most common, and quoted, uses of intervals within the rock guitar world is the b5 (also known as the Devil’s interval) - that main dark and ominous riff in Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath is created by the uncomfortable relationship between one note and another right below where you would play the upper part of your power chord.
It may be true to say that many of our guitar toting pioneers discovered the power of the interval through a good old fashioned musical ear, however; check out any (musical) interview with BB King - he talks openly about intervals and his thoughts regarding how notes ‘relate’ to one another when soloing.
3. Fretboard Knowledge
Can you take your favourite lick and play it somewhere else on the neck? Can you find more than 4 different places to play the same note or chord? If the answer is no, then a little look at how notes and chords appear all over your guitar neck can make the world of difference and ultimately remove those ‘dusty’ parts of the fretboard where we fear to venture.
Fretboard knowledge comes in many forms - from mapping scales to simply knowing the names of every note on sight. It is this confidence in navigating any area of the fretboard with ease which unifies many of our favourite players from the world of old school blues through to progressive tech metal.
Ultimately this area of theory is nothing more than a vehicle for getting to know your guitar more intimately, when we spend so much time with our guitars, it only makes sense that we get to know their secrets a little better!
Is theory important?
Theory is a great way, and the quickest route, to helping our brains make sense of the music we play. As we discovered in our previous Guitar Scales blog, understanding what’s coming next and the ability to group riffs, licks and solos into keys and recognisable patterns is a great way to remember and learn them more effectively.
Think of any other lifelong pursuit, such as: sport, medicine or even physical art; they all come with a certain amount of theory. You want to paint with watercolours? Then you will need to know which paints to mix to create colours. If you are an athlete, an understanding of how your body functions and recovers from exercise is a must. Consider how comfortable you would feel being treated by a doctor who confidently claimed that ‘medical theory cramps my creative flow man, I just go where the mood takes me!’.
With all this said, none of us ever picked up a guitar to spend our time as bookworms; performing music, creating and learning the stuff which keeps us inspired is number one. The most important aspect of theory is choosing to learn from the areas with which we can aid playing, thus avoiding the common situation of ‘theory’ overtaking the ‘practice’. Nobody wants to be a great guitarist ‘on paper’.
This brings us on to our final big question …..
How much music theory do I need?
The arena of music theory is vast, and where perhaps it gets its bad rap (much like our study of scales) is the rabbit warren in which many guitarists find themselves lost. Images of music colleges, handouts, study assignments etc are enough to send many guitarists running for the nearest power chord riff and holding on for dear life! An in depth analysis of ‘tri-tone substitution’, for example, is not going to serve you well unless you intend to get your feet wet in the world of jazz.
Remember those math lessons at school? When was the last time you calculated the angle of anything? …. Apply the same reasoning here.
If you want to pen great pop and rock songs then a sound knowledge of harmony based theory will help you rely on more than just experimentation. If you want to improve your own guitar solos and write killer licks, then intervals are your friend. And, with regards to fretboard knowledge, it could be said that every guitarist needs to unlock their fretboard; you probably paid good money for that guitar, it would be a shame not to use all of it!
The main focus, again, is learn to what you play. The theory which helps you make sense of the music you enjoy is where your time is best spent.
As always, guitar is an individual thing; digest as much theory as you want. If it doesn’t excite you or find its way into your playing after a short while, then learn something new. But who knows where this may take you? New levels of playing, new songs, or perhaps a completely new direction for your musical journey?!