Generally speaking, knowing theory makes you a more proficient musician, and helps you understand why certain chord progressions, note sequences and arrangements work with one another.
But is a deep understanding of theory absolutely necessary to be a successful songwriter? One YouTuber certainly doesn’t think so.
In a recent conversation with Rick Rubin on his Tetragrammaton podcast, Rick Beato touched on the often intangible nature of composition, and how there’s a gap between knowing theory and having the instincts to construct a solid melody.
Now, in his own video commenting on the conversation, Become The Knight agrees with Beato.
“Knowing theory isn’t actually necessary for making a compelling piece of art,” he says. “Music education – whether it’s formal conservatory education or courses you purchase from an influencer – kind of sells you this expectation in its undertones, that if you just learn this hidden knowledge from those with the nosis, you too can garner the fame and glory of the musicians you love.
“Now they never say directly that you’ll actually write better – or at least they rarely do – but it’s implied that this will help you accomplish your dreams of becoming a successful artist.”
He says that in reality, music theory is great at helping you become a “good analyst or technician”, but not necessarily a good songwriter.
“Being an artist can include both of these things. These attributes can be incredibly helpful for providing you context on how to make great, compelling art, so I’m certainly not deriding them. But you can have all of these tools in your tool belt and still make pretty mediocre art. That’s because these lessons are trying to quantify the unquantifiable. They’re trying to introduce semantics to a world of semantic ambiguity.”
Also in Rick Beato’s original conversation with Rick Rubin, the pair discussed the impact streaming services have had on music, noting that the availability of having anything at our fingertips has “devalued music”.
Rick Beato also spoke about his theory that all babies “can develop perfect pitch up to nine months”.
See more from Become The Knight via his official YouTube channel.
