Is Learning Music Theory Necessary to Play the Piano?

​What do you think? 

When the word 'theory' is used as a noun, one of the synonyms for it - is the word 'foundation'. 

Let's try that...Music Foundation. That's better. Now...

Is learning Music Foundation necessary to play the piano? 

If you look at it that way, yes it is! 

This isn't to say that you can't play the piano without being able to read music...thousands of players play, without being able to read a single note. 

But...is Music Theory just note reading? Not at all. So what is it? 

It's an explanation of what musical sound is and a system of how to organize that sound so that it makes  "sense" to the human ear. 

There are several different areas of music theory. The 4 main ones are:

• Note Names - they give specific names to each unique sound
• Rhythm - organizes sound into patterns of beats 
• Key Signatures - organize series of pitches to fit together using sharps and flats
• Time Signatures - organize notes through a specific number of counts for each group of notes; or measure.

Along with these 3 main ones, we also learn through Music Theory:

• chord structures and progressions
• the difference in major and minor keys
• complex rhythmic and chord patterns

Beyond these, one of the biggest benefits of learning music theory, is that it enables us to communicate with other musicians about what is being played.

Music Theory, or Music Foundation, is the language of music, and knowing how to write and speak it, is how we come to be able to 'speak music' fluently.

It is literally the foundational roots for all of music, and for knowing music. 

It's a little like moving somewhere where you don't know the language. At first, you can get around OK by figuring things out on your own, but you can't really communicate with people very well. That can get discouraging quickly! 

As you learn the language more though, and are able to carry on longer conversations with people, things start looking up, and you're back in the world of connecting with others. 

It's similar with learning Music Theory. How great is it, or will it be...for someone to say, "Hey, let's play an augmented 7th here"...and you know what they're talking about. Or, a musician says, "let's play this blues chord progression here", and you know exactly what they're talking about and can play it with ease. 

This is the beauty of learning the language of music. The foundational information and knowledge that you gain from learning Music Theory allows you to communicate with basically any musician, anywhere in the world...not matter what kind of musician they or you are. 

If you want to be a composer, learning music theory now will only improve your compositions and your writing abilities. 

Some people feel intimidated about learning the in-depth in's and out's of music theory, but it's a lot easier than you may imagine to learn!  

Most musicians actually start learning music by studying the piano above all other instruments. This is because the piano actually covers every range of notes, such as the Treble, Alto and Bass Clefs, and teaches the most comprehensive understanding of all music, not just for one group.

The piano keyboard serves as an excellent visual tool for literally seeing notes and the many different ways that they can be played. 

Learning Music Theory is not only easy, it's fun! If you take one step at a time, just like you do with learning the piano, you will learn something new everyday, and will see the benefits of your knowledge in your piano playing.

You'll also be able to understand what other musicians are talking about easier, and feel like you're more a part of this wonderful world of music. 

If you're ready to get started with some free and easy Music Theory lessons for the Piano, head on over to my YouTube channel where I have a dedicated play list just for Music Theory!  You'll find 24 free videos that cover basic counting, note recognition, key signatures & time signatures, and even how to write your own song. 

Stay Tuned to LessonsOnTheWeb to learn much more!