Having a good grasp of music theory will make a considerable difference in the way you play and write music. After all, isn’t music about the experience and the way it makes you feel?

While the ability to convey emotion through music is certainly an important part of every performance, it is actually the result of a well-constructed piece. Although learning music theory is a lot of work, it is worth the time invested.

If you are wondering why it’s worth it to buckle down and study music theory, then you’ve come to the right place. Here we’ll discuss the benefits you will receive when you take the time to fully understand music theory from a trained teacher.

What is Music Theory?

When you study music theory, you are studying the fundamentals of how music works. That means understanding the different components of music like beats, notes, and rests, and the ways they all work together.

While listening to music, you can intuitively tell why a song sounds “good or bad.” By studying the different components of music as well as variable forms and compositions, your music theory lessons will teach you why some notes sound great together and some don’t.

Learning music theory is a lot like understanding grammar and the way language works. Both grammar and music theory offer you the foundations of somethings structure and give you better understanding of how it works.

Having a solid grasp of music theory will help you better appreciate the music you listen to as well as make a considerable difference in the way you play and write music.

How Music Theory Helps Musicians

You’ll enjoy music more. Music theory allows you to create better music and can help you to fully enjoy other musicians work.

Part of the joy of learning music theory is having the ability to unpack and break down all the different parts of a piece and how they work together to make something great (or good, or not so good). It’s a little bit like doing a puzzle. And that can be a lot of fun!

When you commit to learning music theory, you’ll find that you have a much deeper understanding of the music you are listening to and even creating.

Plus, it gives you the terminology for things that you may have known subconsciously, but that you weren’t able to articulate until now. For example, when two notes don’t sound right together, music theory will provide you with an understanding of it and a name for it like dissonant pairing for example.

Your Own Music Will Improve

Having the guidance of an instructor and structured lessons will certainly be beneficial for all who are trying to learn music, but the ultimate goal is for you to be able to create and play music on your own.

Learning music theory will help you do exactly this. Just like understanding grammar allows you to understand the building blocks of language, music theory lets you understand the building blocks of music.

Once you know what these building blocks are, you will then be able to utilize them and get much more creative with your music writing.

Having a good grasp of music theory will allow you to experiment with different musical components to create a song of your own. You may also want to try giving yourself constraints like using a syncopated rhythm, which means using multiple rhythms at once. You will get to see how challenging yourself with limitations makes you that much more creative while writing music.

You’ll Communicate Better with Other Musicians

Having a community is important for any type of study. Being able to speak to others about the content you’re studying allows you to learn from each other and consider ideas and concepts that you may not have thought of otherwise.

Being able to talk about music theory with other musicians will help you considerably as you work on your music. You will be able to share your ideas much more effectively and have greater understanding of what other musicians are talking about when they discuss theory.

Having the right language you need to participate in conversions about music with your peers and instructors will greatly benefit you.

Who Does Music Theory Help?

The answer is anyone studying music. Whether you are learning classical music or have dreams of becoming a pop legend, knowing music theory will help you improve your skills.

This is largely in part because so much of performance involves memorizing and reading music. Knowing music theory will make that significantly easier!

No matter what type of music you are interested in or what your goals are, learning music theory will allow your own music to improve by leaps and bounds.

Learning music theory may seem like a lot of work and a little intimidating but the results will show in your beautiful music, so stick to it!