Originally Posted By: eddie1261

I have discovered that trying to explain theory to people with no music background is similar to having some little green alien drop to the earth from Mars and try to teach him about football or baseball. There is SO MUCH implied knowledge involved. You and I and whoever else is in this thread KNOW 1-4-5. (We even know about 6 minor!)

I think this is very important. As someone who, at 60, started learning to play piano I often struggled to make sense of things, partly because there is so much that's not just new and unfamiliar; quite a bit does sound alien.

It's one of the givens in music education, that the educators already know this stuff and even simplifying some to the very basic indeed can still go over the head.

I remember watching videos where something simple like 1-4-5 was being shown, but I didn't know where to look, so I'd miss it. Rewind, try again, miss it again. It's better with a keyboard graphic, but even then, in the early stages, recognising what was the note would be hard. But this is really easy stuff and I'm far from dumb. If I can struggle, then so can almost anyone.

I know there are people who can just hear a tune and they can play it, but very often those people grew in childhood with musicians around them. They learned music theory like they learned to speak. Some of us never had that early stimulus. Music is another language and it's unlike any other language I know.

Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful.
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