Title: Music As A Language
Tags: music reading theory
Blog Entry: I think that we can all agree on the fact that music is indeed a language. A language with grammar, syntax, symbolism, and of course style. When I get confused while trying to answer a musical question, I immediately think back to the fact that music is a language. Then I ask myself, "what language am I the best at?" For me, the answer is, without question, the English language. The next step is to then turn the music question into an English language question. If I can do that, the answer is usually obvious to see. Oh, who is that with their hand up in the back? You want examples? Sure. OK. Here's one. Let's say that the question is, "do I need to be able to read and write music in order to be able to play it?" We'll let's see here. Let's turn this into a language question. "Do I need to be able to read and write English in order to speak it?" The answer is obviously, NO! Some of the greatest minds in our history came from people who were illiterate. In fact until the 19 th Century most people were illiterate. That doesn’t mean you should strive to be illiterate though now does it? Just think about it. We speak English comfortably for 5 or 6 years before we learn how to read and write it. We can actually live a very productive life being illiterate. BUT, think of the advantages that you have just because of the simple fact that you can read and write. You are reading this blog aren't you? The same goes with music. It is possible to have a highly successful musical career without ever learning to read or write it. Believe it or not, many of our favorite musicians do not read or write one bit of music. One of my favorite drummers, Dennis Chambers, does not read a note of music. But he makes up for it in other ways. Dennis can hear a song once and play it back better than many of us could if we were reading the chart. As with any language, think of the advantages you have if you can read and write music. Your opportunities in both aspects will probably more than double. I don't think that I need to outline all of the advantages here so let's move on to the next question. "Do I have to know music theory to be a good musician?" "Victor-san, Victor-san, I know the answer to this one. The answer is NO!" "Very good grasshopper. You are catching on." One can speak fluently without ever having heard of a noun, pronoun, verb, adjective etc. Actually, even if you have heard of these things, you rarely ever think of them while you are speaking. Many of the top musicians in the industry do not know any music theory and still play it very well. But once again, you can see the advantages of knowing your theory. It can aid you in your growth and get you out of jams that your ears can't get you out of. But remember, theory is a tool. As with any set of tools, you don't carry them with you all of the time. You take them out when you need them. The better the tools and your knowledge of how to use them, the easier the situation will be to fix or amend. Thinking of the tool/rules/theory all of the time may make it harder for you when trying to honestly and purely express yourself. Just think of trying to talk to someone while thinking (verb) of (preposition) the (article) big (adjective) rulebook (compound word, noun). Get the point? "Are you tired of this yet? NO? OK! One more." "You in the back there, You have a question?" " What about me? I'm a beginner. What is the best way for me to learn to play?" What would be the best way for a person to learn to speak French? Buy a book? Get a teacher? Eat some fries? (Steve Bailey says to get a French girlfriend). Although all of these may be good ways to learn, I think that Steve would agree that they may not be the best (or safest) way to learn French. The best way would probably be to go to France and surround yourself with French speaking people everyday. Eat, sleep and drink French (no comment Steve). French children don't have a problem learning French because they are in it all of the time. Music can be learned the same way but cheaper. Going to a Jazz club and surrounding yourself with that music may be a little less expensive than going to France to learn French. To learn Jazz or any other style of music quickly and thoroughly, you must surround yourself with it. Find a good teacher if you can but also go to the music clubs, sit in with the other musicians if you can even if you think that you are not good enough. Listen to the music even while you sleep. If you learn a style of music only from a teacher or a book, like with French, you will probably end up playing it with an accent. Comprenday ameego? Listening and practicing is the key to getting better as a musician but how you think about what you listen to and practice is just important. Think about this. The English language has 26 letters in its alphabet. Our Music language only has 12. What are you going to say with those 12 letters in the question........
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