Aftertheascension: Music Theory?

Aftertheascension 05.22.15	oh and finals suck
FlyheadMetal 05.22.15	i took it when i was at University of Texas and it sucked ass. guy hated metal and refused to even listen to the good stuff for 5 seconds. lmao
Jasdevi087 05.22.15	I've done a bit of theory before, hated it but it can be useful.
Jasdevi087 05.22.15	Not as a course but as part of our general curriculum
Torontonian 05.22.15	i havne't taken a coarse or anything but everything i've read about it bores me to tears. I don't really think its useful at all for music appreciation either tbh, but thats just my experience.
Relinquished 05.22.15	took it in high school fucked a girl in that class that's all I remember, the rest I learned before I took the class. it's nice to know, but not necessary if you're not gonna make something with and about it.
Aftertheascension 05.22.15	"took it in high school fucked a girl in that class that's all I remembe" I fucking lost it. I want to take it because my interest in writing music is growing and I'm not getting any better. I'm not happy with my album and I don't know what to do to fix it.
titanslayer 05.22.15	Unless you take it as an elective or something there's for more useful and interesting things to study.
Relinquished 05.22.15	just remember one course isn't gonna make your music much better unless you apply apply apply what you've learned and beyond
titanslayer 05.22.15	I'm more or less learning music theory as I learn to play guitar. Maybe once a week I try to learn a little bit more as part of my practice routine and that's working well for me. I don't think it's worth wasting a lot of money on it in college though
TooManyFriends 05.22.15	music theory is kind of like a puzzle just with notes
TheSonomaDude 05.22.15	I'm currently taking it in high school and it blows. I only signed up to learn how write and count time signatures and we did that in a single day. We'll spend three weeks practicing the exact same stuff over and over again with learning anything new or any new steps. Plus our teacher is extremely prejudice to metal and rap. It's pretty awful when he refuses to play "Fade To Black" by Metallica because he "isn't sure if this is school appropriate" but will then blare "Porch" by Pearl Jam which says 'what the fuck' in the first line.
TooManyFriends 05.22.15	but yeah it's all fun of games until you get to like augmented 6th chords and shit then you wanna cry
Relinquished 05.22.15	man up and say something about it sonoma my teacher back then was a classical/jazz prudehead but was very down with the Sabbath
Aftertheascension 05.22.15	Reading about augmented sixth chords on Wikipedia and I understand almost nothing.
TooManyFriends 05.22.15	luckily for you you'd probably have to take 2+ years of theory to get that far
Relinquished 05.22.15	not if you take an AP one like I did
YakNips 05.22.15	it sucks but its worth it in the end with what you get out of it
TalonsOfFire 05.22.15	I took a full year in senior year of high school, which is apparently equivalent to one semester of college. Parts of it were easy for me, other times was a major slog to get through. It's so broad that I don't see how much it would help with writing metal/rock songs, unless you take years worth of classes. A better route might be to just keep getting better at your instrument and learning songwriting techniques.
zaruyache 05.22.15	"I'm not getting any better." Dude you're like what, 16 or 17? Chill, you have loads of time before the point at which you become an adult and are expected by sput to be able to make good tunes. "Plus our teacher is extremely prejudice to metal " tell 'em it's not metal it's punk. Then make him play goregrind or Meshuggah or something.
Snake. 05.22.15	took it in high school too tried to get into AP but it never fit my schedule
TheSpaceMan 05.22.15	dont take any courses in college that you dont have to. if you're interested in music theory take a class outside of school. the idea of taking a bunch of random electives your first year to help decide on a major is a trap that schools push for to make some extra money. so yeah I'd only advise it if it counts for an elective you have to take then again, im talking about american higher education so idk other countries might pay you to take classes or something
chinesewhispers 05.22.15	"A better route might be to just keep getting better at your instrument and learning songwriting techniques." I'd prolly agree with this. Took a class on it a long time ago and my music didn't really improve in any discernible way, plus nowadays I don't remember a fuckin thing
Sevengill 05.22.15	Just received my B.A. in Music Theory and Composition. The actual theory is a complete bitch but I liked the cultural and historical studies that my program integrated with it. If you really love music, you'll find something to enjoy in it, but expect to be boxed in over and over by tedious rules and stifling traditions before you get to have fun with it in the later stages.
TooManyFriends 05.22.15	tbh music theory classes in college nowadays really seem like an excuse to fill out the curriculum. i'm about to go into theory 3 and it's all analysis of classic pieces. classes like aural skills and ear training are so much more practical and applicable to real life
Sevengill 05.22.15	My last semester was full of aural tests and comprehension. Had to transcribe four-part chamber pieces by ear (at a very slowed-down tempo, of course) and stuff like that...it was very useful but now I instinctively break down intervals in my head just listening to regular music and it's really obnoxious xD
JohnnyoftheWell 05.22.15	just remember one course isn't gonna make your music much better unless you apply apply apply what you've learned and beyond [2] ...but if you do apply it, it can take you places.
Funeralopolis 05.22.15	"Has anyone taken this course in college? I'm just curious about someone's experience with it. I'm a sophomore in high school and looking at my opportunities in college." You could take it as an elective and see how it goes, but jesus christ don't get a diploma and/or degree in music unless you enjoy living the life of a vagabond.
TooManyFriends 05.22.15	a music degree is basically worthless anyways unless you plan on teaching, if you go to music school at all the true usefulness is to make connections and network
Ecnalzen 05.22.15	I have a wasted music degree. I don't recommend it.
minimesmyidol 05.22.15	Knowing music theory cant hurt you. Is it worth the tuition? Not to me. It basically just give you a name for everything. Having an ear for what sounds good is the important thing and 99% of the time there's a reason things sound good, explained through music theory. If you are in a band, most people don't know much theory so half the time you cant use it.
RadicalEd 05.22.15	Music Theory?
Aftertheascension 05.22.15	"If you are in a band, most people don't know much theory so half the time you cant use it." lol I tried that and just got frustrated. I write music alone now so I can work at my own pace and I have breathing room to make weird stuff and experiment.
Valkyrion 05.22.15	I do some music theory as a side for my jazz piano lessons and yes, it makes you understand certain things about music better, but idk if taking a whole course is worth it. maybe just do some research by yourself and then practically experiment on the stuff you're reading...
PortraitsOfDecay 05.22.15	I took a "music exploration" course as an elective last year and it sucked for the most part. I mostly disliked it because we kept having to get into groups and write songs and I ended up doing most of the work and I realized I have no talent for actually making music so I basically gave up on becoming a musician one day. I met some pretty cool people in that class tho, like there was this one guy who was really post punk and metalcore and ran away from home lmao
zakalwe 05.22.15	'Music exploration' music 'theory' fuck me what a load of bullshit.
danielito19 05.22.15	do your own theory research before college. get as much theory in you as possible before you start formally exploring
zakalwe 05.22.15	I'm looking to study 'soul' and 'integrity' I reckon it'll make my pinky plonky tunes sound "kick ass"
Gnome7 05.22.15	Honestly it can help but is it wasting college tuition on, definitely no. I was going to major in music myself but realized its almost useless and not applicable. Like someone else said above, it's all about the application of the knowledge.
joshuahuntkc 05.22.15	I'm a Music Theory/Music performance major. Learning the theory is not a shortcut to being a better musician. If you are a multi instrumentalist and compose and shit like that music theory is worth it but if you don't have the musical talent learning music theory isn't going to help. Also a high school theory class is not going to be very helpful in furthering legitimate knowledge of theory.
danielito19 05.22.15	zakalwe is like the perpetually drunk uncle of the site
Gameofmetal 05.22.15	it's pretty helpful when you wanna write your own music in my experience
Sevengill 05.22.15	Joshua has it right.
Onirium 05.23.15	It depends of the context, I'd say. Personally, it's simply a field I love learning about. But combined to other aspects of musicology (psychology, history, ethnology and sociology, for example), it can contribute to a whole field of concepts that is incredibly richer than the sum of its parts. And even when taken alone, music theory can be very rewarding and interesting for a musician, a songwriter or even a listener, to a certain level.
someguest 05.23.15	my theory is none of you know anything about music
Sevengill 05.23.15	Read my reviews of Deathless and Lugal Ki En. I got theory-happy for a couple reviews there and ended up just confusing most listeners who don't care about the nuts and bolts.
someguest 05.23.15	"confusing most listeners who don't care about the nuts"
Sevengill 05.23.15	It's funny because real life.