Devon Headen Posted May 28, 2005 Report Share Posted May 28, 2005 Consider this encouragement Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psw Posted May 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 Thank's Devon (what ever happened to stone's creed by the way?) Well, I think I'll hit the forum with a new thread on this called The Secret Life of Pentatonics. Before I do, it would be interesting to know how much people know or want to know. Personally I did a University Degree majoring in Music but it was a little different to a normal music degree. Too often music theory is taught with a classical bent that leaves your typical guitar player saying...yeah, yeah...so what! I did a forum search on music theory and there is an anti-theory school out there. I don't blame people for feeling that way...so you can give a chord a name, big deal, we can both play it. Well, I don't play classical, jazz or whatever and it really has no use in what I wan't to do. And here's a fav...People who know theory can't play! Hmmmm....Well, perhaps theory isn't for everyone...and I'll admit that the practical application can seem limited. However there is theory behind the tuning of the guitar, the spacing of the frets, the intonation....and there is theory going on when you select to play em pentatonic, blues scale or whatever over the Emin chord. You can ignore the interlectual part and just play by intuition...no problem...but you can't ignore that there is theory behind the way music works...or doesn't. The problem is that a lot of theory teaching suggests that traditional music theory is a set of rules...to be obeyed...or it's wrong! Traditional music theory goes back to the study of what Bach was doing in the 16th century and seems to be based on what we'd now call the european classical view of what's right and what's wrong. OK...fast forward to the twentieth Century...so along came forms such as jazz with blue notes (minor melodies over major progressions, etc) and the rules seem to be nonsense. "Simpler" forms such as Rock and Blues even more emphisis the seeming uselessness of the classical based theory approach...what is the point. So, a bunch of interlectuals study a whole bunch of this new stuff and come up with some new rules and you get people saying this is the right and wrong way to play it. Of course the theory came second...and the true improvisors came back with forms such as free jazz (where it seemed like anything goes and there's no right and wrong...but it's still jazz) and said cop that fellas!!! And the rock guys just forged ahead and pretty much were ignored...perhaps because of the "screw you" anti-interlectual nature of the beast. So, I'll admit that I find some of this interlectual stuff fascinating, but...not all theory need be retrospective. That is that it need not derive from the study of the past and simply be a way to name chords or to set down rules of what's right and what's wrong based on that...and become stifeling, What I learn't was that you don't find everything in books, that not everything relates to what you may want to do now or where you might want to go from where you're at, and that, you can actually develop your own theoretical frameworks to move forward to different unexplored areas. A perfect example is someone like Allan Holdsworth who has a seriously advanced DIY theory behind what he's doing that, for the life of me...even though I've seen the video where he tries to explain it...I don't really get or can make use of...and I suspect that he's the only one who really get's it. But...even though his music may seem strange and chaotic...there is a wierd beauty and sense to what he does. Now we may not want to sound like Allan Holdsworth but it is an example of how theory can be used to give musical sense to stuff beyond the norm and open up new horizons and break down the stuff that says this is right, this is wrong! So Anyway...If people are interested in seeing an example of this that takes practical guitar based stuff and pushes what you probably already know....somewhere else...then I'd be happy to oblige...I really do enjoy this stuff but it does take a bit of work to explain so I'd want to be sure that there really is an interest and I'm not just writing for myself here. It might also help if I can get an idea of people's familiarity with basic stuff (say how chords are constructed) before I start anything. I think I can explain things that might really expand your mind and your playing...or at least be fun. It will take some mind-bending and to throw out some of the old rules for a bit. So if you're up for a bit of brain twisting...let me know! Know-it-all-not-pete aka psw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Churchyard Posted May 30, 2005 Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 Oh, those fourth-stacking chords are a very modern and "hip" way to play, am I wrong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtommyb Posted May 30, 2005 Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 ok just a couple of my fav sounding chords. x54005 - That shape is really nice to move around too. x57965 - also another nice movable shape. 5746xx Just a few but theres hundreds. BigT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psw Posted May 31, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2005 Great... OK...so here's that theory thread I promised: The Secret Life of Pentatonics So.... ...and... pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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