RE: Looking for a real band

Raleigh NC

Description

Your post is really confusing. Music theory is not just knowing a few chords but examines musical qualities such as timbre, tone, pitch, and texture, as well as compositional elements such as rhythm, dynamics, tempo, and more. Music theory gives us a deeper understanding of the music we already know. But you don't need theory to play music, just like kids don't need to be aware of grammar to speak their native language. A "real band" produces good music. How you get there is different for everyone. I've played with people who can quote all things theory but couldn't play in a band with others if their life depended on it and it took weeks to fine tune one song. Ask for a key change and they spend time writing it out. On the flip side I've played with people who play completely by ear, they quickly learn songs note for note in any key, 10-15 songs a week, play impromptu in any key, always in time, sing harmonies to boot. They know tons of theory but just don't have the technical terms for what they're doing. I'll take the later person any day of the week. I believe Chet Adkins was credited with responding when asked could he read music, he replied "not enough to mess me up." I've also watched interviews with BB King who said he really didn't know how to play chords. Even if blues is not your thing, I'm pretty sure you've heard of him. Speaking theory is not the catalyst for a real band IMO. If someone simply tells/shows you they are playing D shape in a drop tuning, deal with it. That's why you know theory. If they stink at playing music, move on.