Quote:
Originally Posted by Plankton
One of the drawbacks of being self taught, with years of experience, is that I really couldn't tell you a lot about theory, modes, or anything technical music-wise. I can tell you what key something is in, or what chords are being played, but when it comes to theory, and the nitty gritty (as described above), I'm clueless. Not because I'm against injecting that knowledge into anyone's musical arsenal, but because I've never felt the need to have to learn any of it. I'm the type of person that likes simple, and steer far away from over analyzing anything, unless it's a necessary evil. I've given lessons, but I can only take the kids I teach so far in the technical side of it.
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Even having taken lessons for many years and having endured the rather boring technical depths to some extent, for me at least, it doesn't stick around for very long. I've been out of lessons for probably about 4 years now, consistently writing music and playing in groups, yet most of the technical knowledge has vanished from my mind, only the muscle memory remains. I think for the vast majority of musicians, especially in rock and blues, all of that theory is more of an exercise in control and precision, it serves to train your brain to always be in key, and to be able to gracefully recover when your fingers do drift elsewhere, the vocabulary of musical theory only ever seemed useful in a teacher / student scenario. I've never come across a situation where I've been writing music with some other people and felt the urge to go "Okay fellas, I think this section of the bridge should be contained within the Phrygian mode". I could see that being useful or practical in maybe a jazz band with a dozen or more members, but in most areas of music I think musicians are making a conscious effort to avoid boxing themselves into rigid theoretical structures, concerning yourself primarily with theory when writing music seems to harm creativity more than bolster it. So I don't think you missed much, besides maybe something to bull**** about with pretentious music students over a glass of wine at a jazz concerto (no offense to genuinely brilliant jazz musicians), you seem to be doing just fine without the tedious nomenclature.