Theory beginner needs help!

[vaifan777]

Hi gang!

I have been a member of this community for some time now and although I don't post much I really enjoy reading YOUR posts.

Here is my predicament.

I have been playing the guitar for 20+ years, released 3 albums/CD's, made a living playing for numerous bands and have always held my own for the most part. The embarrasing part of this story is that I never took any theory or lessons. I couldn't tell you the difference between a major scale and a hole in the ground. I feel that this has really held me back in becoming a well rounded musician. I have feeling, groove and a basic knowledge of where certain notes sound good, but if someone yells out, "Let's jam this tune in D minor" I'm a dead man.

So now that I have my sob story out of the way I will get to my point.

What would you guys (or gals) recommend as a good program, book, CD, DVD, etc, for someone who wants to learn theory and scales from the ground up? I have scoured the internet and there is so much stuff out there. If I am going to lay out the money I want it to be worth it.

Thanks in advance!

Vai Fan

[tishidad]

The Guitar Scale Guru is the best book I have seen on this stuff.

[greybeard]

As you say, there is plenty on the internet. I learnt most of what I know off the net.

There is a good explanation of the basics of theory on
http://www.12bar.de

This site also has some very good articles on theory, from the first steps through to "pretty hairy for most people".

There are also a lot of folks on this forum more than willing to share their knowledge, if you have any questions.

[Laz]

If you scroll to the bottom of this screen, you will find a small link to "Site Map" and there you will find a list of articles on Theory.  For myself, I found the first ones easy to follow, but the later ones gave me  headache, so it seems like they cover most of the material.

-Laz

[Alan Green]

The Right Way to Read Music

Published by Elliott Right Way Books

GBP 4.99 or something like USD 7.99, depending on where you are. 190-something pages, A5 size.

IMHO - you don't need any more than this.

Best,


A

[Musenfreund]

Doesn't NoteBoat have a newly published book?  Music Theory for Guitarists or a similar title?  Isn't there soon to be a review of it on the site? If I'm not hallucinating again, that might be a great place to start.

[vaifan777]

What about http://www.guitarbreakthrough.com/? I read some really good reviews on it.

[Nick]

Noteboat's book is really good.


Fretboard logic is another winner.

[vaifan777]

I am more of a visual learner. Books don't really do it for me. Has anyone ever triedhttp://www.guitarbreakthrough.com/ or know of anyone who did? It got some really great reviews and it is not too expensive.

Vai Fan

[hbriem]

Did you write it or something?

Most guitar books are very visually oriented.

[vaifan777]

Did I write it? You mean the reviews?

Oh yes I reviewed a product that I never used. My question is very simple. Has anyone ever used or know anyone who has used this product.

I own a few theory books and they are about as visually interesting as a piece of wood.

Vai Fan

[dhodge]

I own Guitar Breakthrough and did a review of it here on this site:

http://www.guitarnoise.com/review.php?id=178

It's a good software for beginners. If you've read any of Len's articles here on Guitar Noise, you'll have a pretty good idea of what the style is like. For someone starting from the ground up, it will do you well. Being a CD-Rom, it's much more into visual than text and even has some simple and fun interactive pages. The only drawback I can think of is that you might find it too easy.

But I've got to caution you on something, and this is based on my own experiences with my students who are in similar situations (lots of experience, little to no theory). There's a tendency, when in this situation, to find almost everything about theory boring. Doesn't matter how artfully or entertainingly it's presented.

You might find it easier to simply take a chunk of theory at a time (and it doesn't really matter much what source you use) and then mix that up as much as possible with what you already know.

With most guitarists in your situation, it's not that they don't know theory - rather it's that they don't know what they know! What you may actually need from theory is not the theory itself but rather the ability to interpret what you know the same way other musicians do.

And you might find this best done with a teacher. You wouldn't need a lot of lessons and could probably even do something on a once a month basis or so.

These are just, of course, my thoughts on the subject. I'd be more than happy to chat with you more concerning this, either here or you can email me directly.

Peace

[sjt1316]

Personally, I found http://www.cyberfret.com to be an invaluable resource.  Between it and this website, there is not much that isn't covered.  And both places have forums with knowledgable folks willing to answer questions as well.