Sound advice. (no pun intended)

[Marz_guitarz]

I am reading all of these posts and find myself amazed at how often and how much theory knowledge everyone knows. I know it but I have played a long time and am surprised that people who only have played a short while know so much. It’s great.

The problem is when reading these posts it seems that a lot of you are OVER using theory. Trust your ear first. I quote the Wild axe Man "Just follow your ears". That’s the best advice going. Use theory every now and again if you are stuck on a part.

I have played pro guitar for years and have had to compose many solos for different types of music and I seldom use conscious theory. I am doing some quick theory in my head from time to time. Also after I will go over what I have wrote and I am amazed at how many different scales and modes I naturally choose. I have talked to some of the biggest rockers out there and when I ask them about theory I usually (not always) get "I don't use much theory".

Don't get me wrong use theory to change things every now and again but don't rely on it. Play from the heart.


Cheers
Marz

[Malcolm]

..... eats into my practice time. It's like Amway, somewhere down the road those Amway people have to go sell some soap.

Somewhere down the road we have to practice our guitar. :D

[wild_axeman]

Yes it's true. :D

Theory is very helpful but it shouldn't eat
into your practice time.

The theory really does go out the window eventually.

At some point (through practice and using your ears) ;)
it becomes natural to you and you just play.It's kind of
like playing with a manual for awhile until you finally
just understand it and throw the manual out the window.:rolleyes:

[Marz_guitarz]

Originally posted by wild_axeman
Yes it's true. :D

Theory is very helpful but it shouldn't eat
into your practice time.

The theory really does go out the window eventually.

At some point (through practice and using your ears) ;)
it becomes natural to you and you just play.It's kind of
like playing with a manual for awhile until you finally
just understand it and throw the manual out the window.:rolleyes:

Wild that was very well put. That describes it perfectly.

Cheers to you

Marz

[WildBill]

I've always been told that the theory your learning isn't a set of rules but a set of guide lines.... maybe, rules that are made to be broken.
My first guitar teacher once told me that he used to study theory everyday, he learned more and more and then one day he realized that all the "rules" that he once thought we're the basis for everything didn't exsist anymore..

It's like study Biology for 4 years in university, and the teachers pounding in to your head,, this is the way this is and this is the way it goes. Then on go to your first job and you think you know everything, but then eveyone laughs at you and says.. "yeah thats not the way it works".... yeah but,,


something like that,,it sounded better in my head