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A lot of music players like to see themselves as a lone artist. They might sit on an artist piano bench and roll off solos on their own, and so they don’t see a reason for learning how to read music or learning music theory. The time will come, however, when a musician will want to play music with someone else, and start making tunes on a duet piano bench. When this happens, both players will want a common language through which to communicate, and it’s here that having at least some knowledge in music theory and reading music can have a huge advantage.

It’s often believed that if one were to study music theory, it might be like being told the “correct” way to think of music, and that any kind of freedom the musician wanted to have would be gone. This is not the case, of course, as music theory just opens up a range of options to understanding the way music can be played, it’s not a set of rules. The usefulness in studying music theory is that it connects us to the extensive history of music, and shows us what previous musicians have found out to be true when it comes to making and playing tunes. We’re free to disregard all their theories and ideas if we want, but the act of studying and experiencing them is something that can greatly raise the quality of our playing.

Consider that the technique of playing that tends to be thought of as the “freest”, jazz music, actually requires an extensive knowledge of music theory to be practiced well. When the celebrated trumpeter Miles Davis was first starting out in clubs, he was constantly told by jazz veterans to “Learn those chords man, learn those chords”.

So, let us take a look at the basics of music theory. First off, we have the chromatic scale. This is all the notes that can possibly be played on the piano, and the same notes are the only notes playable on a properly tuned guitar. The term “chromatic” means color, and you can notice when each of these tones are sounded that they give off a distinct color, or mood, when they are sounded. What also influences this mood is the sequence in which these tones are played. If you play a middle C then an E, this gives off a much different mood than if you were to play a C and then an F sharp.

Try playing all the white keys on a keyboard, starting from C and playing the six notes above, when you arrive at the B, your ear will be hoping to hear the C that’s coming up next. If you do play it, you’ll notice a release of tension. Western music has always been about utilizing this tension in order to express feelings.

Hopefully this article has made it apparent that music theory can be a help in unlocking deeper meanings in music, and shouldn’t be thought of as a dry, stale way of thinking that’s only thought of as useful by high-school teachers. Training in music theory can make your playing more intense, exciting and enjoyable.