Is learning music theory necessary? No, it’s not essential. Wait! It’s very important. Wait! It’s a waste of time. Wait! You can’t write music without knowing it. Wait! Look at all the great musicians who know nothing about it. The question of whether you need to know music theory is rather pointless. Let me ask you this question instead: do you need a hammer or a screwdriver? The answer to that question depends on what you want to do.
I know there are great performing musicians with little or no theory knowledge. Still, because of their well-developed ears, talent, and musical instinct, they are very successful in what they do. Those same musicians would probably not be asked to arrange and transcribe a song to sheet music. Those same musicians probably couldn’t teach theory at a university or teach theory privately. Those same musicians probably could not prepare or proofread an orchestral score for a music publisher.
Students often wonder how vital learning theory is, and my answer is always, do you need a hammer or screwdriver? Simply put, I don’t ever believe learning something is a waste of time, but whether you need to know theory or not merely depends on what you plan on doing in music and if you want to open up additional opportunities that having a solid understanding of theory can provide.
Learning theory may or may not help you with what you want to accomplish. Still, I found it helpful in my career, and knowing more about the theory behind music opened up countless opportunities for me that otherwise would not have presented themselves. Each artist plots their course, and what works for one person may not work for another.
If you’re thinking about learning music theory, consider signing up for music theory lessons at my studio. If you’re looking to get high school credit for taking piano and theory, you may want to check out the certificate programs of The Royal Conservatory of Music, of which I’m a certified music teacher and can answer any questions you may have.
Whether you speed off from reading this post and immediately enroll in a music theory course, head over to your instrument, or start watching cat videos on YouTube, I wish you all the best in your music creativity.
