Originally Posted By: Mark Hayes
Originally Posted By: MarioD
As I have told my students learn music theory but don't let it get in the way of your playing. If you ain't playing from the heart then what good is it?


Nothing wrong with playing from your head.

If I look at that chord as a polychord comprising a C Major and a Bb Major, it may give me ideas. If I'm playing a guitar solo, I may play along with it as if it were a plain Bb Major instead of a crazy C Something. If I'm writing parts, I may break it up into a C Major for the piano and a Bb Major for the horns.

That kind of idea comes straight out of my cognitive head, in response to the acquisition of an interesting piece of abstract theoretical knowledge. Some might find this cold and cerebral – it sure isn't watching a sunset from the door of a moving freight train – but it warms my own heart, and I'm sure someone could put it to good musical use.


I agree with you in that there is nothing wrong with your approach and in fact I do the same thing. My point to my students was when learning theory it is OK to practice it but don't let it get in the way. For instance if they learn a C Dorian mode or an Am Pentatonic scale don't just run the scales while playing a song. IMHO there is nothing worse then having a musician rapidly playing a bunch of scales or arpeggios and not having any melody or feeling (heart) in the lead.
YMMV

I get most of my exercise these days from shaking my head in disbelief.


64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware