An important aspect of the learning process related not only to the guitar, but to any instrument in general, is theory. When we talk about theory we don’t mean only the theoretical aspects related to harmony, scales and music in general, but we mean even all the aspects concerning the structure and anatomy of the instrument. A good knowledge about the structure and the reasons behind the structure of the instrument it is essential to the guitarist in order to be able to exploit at most the possibilities of the guitar itself. Moreover the guitar is an incredibly versatile and technical instrument and it can literally take years and years of study befor being able to exploit completely what the instrument has to offer.
Talking about years of practice and study it is important to underline some important aspects of the teaching process itself. There are actually two different main approaches about how to learn music theory along the study of the instrument. In the very old days there was the strong conviction that before attempting to play an accomplished tune on the instrument, the musician should have gained complete knowledge about music rules and instrument technicality in advance. This translated in years of exercises and theoretical study at the expense of the enjoyment of the instrument.
Luckily in the last decades we are progressively going towards the modern idea that learning how to play the instrument shouldn’ t be postponed to the study of theory. In effect it is much more fruitful the exact opposite. Considering that music should mainly express the beauty and enjoyment a musician is able to produce by the combination of several notes, even the learning process should tend to exalt all the positive feelings and experiences of the student himself.
This is the reason why here at Guitar Lessons Perth – Fingerstyle and Classical Guitar Studio we immediately teach how to play the instrument with the minimum amount of theory and exercises necessary to start properly the learning process. In this way the student can immediately enjoy the instrument playing melodies since the first lessons, learning little by little and lesson by lesson all the aspect related to the theory. This approach is for sure the most productive one, too many potential musicians have abandoned the instrument simply because they have been overwhelmed by endless boring exercise sequences or unbearable and abstract theory lessons. In order to really understand and put into practice all the rules we can get from the study of theory, it is essential to be able to play the instrument first. It can seem so easy to understand now, but it is a quite new concept in the music environment, particularly the classical one.
Having said that, it is undeniable that being able to play the instrument without at least a general theory knowledge, it is going to limit immensely the possibilities of expression of the musician. In other words the creativity of the guitarist can be completely unleashed only by the knowledge of music theory. Acoording to this perspective the practice on the instrument and the study of theory are the two different faces of the same coin.
Contact Guitar Lessons Perth today about guitar theory.
Guitar Lessons Perth
Fingerstyle & Classical Guitar Studio
58 Marchamley st.
Carlisle 6101 WA
Phone: 0421 529 651
Email: info@guitarlessonsperth.com.au