I'm new to this board but looked at some of your posts and find it interesting. Especially the post a few weeks back on Music theory being overated.
Here is my back ground and my thoughts:
I am a 35 year old bass player who plays Upright and electric bass and have been playing for over 20 years. I play mostly jazz (I make my living playing bass) but love to play anything in church as I feel it is my whole purpose for learning to play at all. I must sight read music because we play arrangements, Big Band, Jazz Combo and some light pop stuff. Anyway, I know alot of theory, jazz and classical.
First, A person could know all the theory in the world but not be able to groove his way out of a paper bag. A degree in music doesn't mean squat unless you can really play.
Second, Unless you know what came before YOU how can you communicate your music with other musicians today. Music has been around a while and styles develop from past styles into something fresh for today. Knowing what others have done and learning from them is the key.
Third, Music that doesn't have a structure, form , harmony, rhythm and melody isn't music. It's noise. Styles of music have basic foundations that can be identified. Drum beat, Bass lines, Guitar , Piano etc. and can be repeated. Not a mystery but a history.
Fourth, How you go about learning what others have already sweated and worked at to learn will determine how quickly you can grow as a musician. Some only need a limited knowledge and others MUST know more about their craft. Playing the same basic way you did after one year and saying you've played for 20 is not true. You only repeated 1 year 20 times. Plus or minus experience gained.
Fifth, Music is an aural language with a known vocabulary. Scales, Chords, Rhythm,etc. However, communicating that language and the development of that language is what Music Theory, Music History, Private Lessons,etc breaks down for all of us to take yesterday and take it into tomorrow. Airplanes of today didn't just happen. People built on ideas and knowledge. They didn't reinvent the wheel. They learned about aerodynamics and studies from the past. As musicians, do we figure out as we go all by our selves or do we seek knowledge from others. If you are reading this then you are already seeking out all kinds of thing and learning thing you didn't know was out there.
Sixth, Your ear and brain are connected. Your hands and eyes(or minds eye if blind-like touching your nose in the dark kind of thing) are making what you hear come out on your instrument. What you feed into you ear, mind, eyes and hands are what will come out.With practice and training.
But your ability starts at one level and progresses to another gradually.
Seventh, Music theory is only a chronology of past lessons learned about an aural art form known as music. However, simple your understanding of music and all it's complexities you can make music today. Even as a beginner you can enjoy making music and there are only two kinds; good and bad. But as Christians we are blessed to be able to offer it to Jesus and He knows music theory better than anyone and could outplay Mozart,
Charlie and Dizzy, Kirk W. , and out funk James Brown but he created you to love Him. He can teach you to play. He could instantly give you a gift of ability that could only be miraculous but doesn't in most cases. He helps you learn. Don't let your brain get bigger than your ears ability to put it to practice. Grow them together.
I came to this site to learn from you. Who and what songs and albums best show what gospel music is yesterday and today. so I can learn from what they did.
Never hire someone to build your house if he says "I'll figure it out as I go along" Hire someone who spent time with a carpenter that knows how to build a house. Two messages in one. Thanks, Brad