How much music theory did The Beatles know?
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Doesn’t matter whether the Beatles know any formalized music theory. They wrote good music that people like, so even if there are things in their music that do not “fit” existing theories, new music theories will be formalized by learning from the Beatles.
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Popular music doesn't necessarily need music theory. If one has heard enough pieces, talented composers can do enough with intuition.
But there's a reason why music that is remarkable enough that it outlives centuries is typically composed by people who are or were masters of music theory.
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@larry said in How much music theory did The Beatles know?:
Music theory is an academic attempt to teach people who don't have music in them to figure out how those who do write music....
I've heard people who can't read music say that about reading music.
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@larry said in How much music theory did The Beatles know?:
Music theory is an academic attempt to teach people who don't have music in them to figure out how those who do write music....
More truth to that than most would admit. The ability to play a variety of instruments well, the ability to sing well and the ability to compose are God-given gifts.
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@klaus said in How much music theory did The Beatles know?:
Popular music doesn't necessarily need music theory. If one has heard enough pieces, talented composers can do enough with intuition.
But there's a reason why music that is remarkable enough that it outlives centuries is typically composed by people who are or were masters of music theory.
What's remarkable about 300 year old music over the best popular music, other than snobbery?
I have a master's degree in piano performance. I've studied music theory out the wazoo. I had to play that crap until I thought I'd puke - Not necessarily because the music was bad, but because of the nose in the air snobs associated with it. I never heard a single piece that I felt the composer had worked it all out with a pencil like it was a math problem. Music theory is an after the fact analysis of what a composer wrote. Always has been.
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@larry said in How much music theory did The Beatles know?:
What's remarkable about 300 year old music over the best popular music, other than snobbery?
Very simple: That it's still being played 300 years later.
Everything that survives over such long periods - that is used, analyzed, admired, and passed on by many different generations - is remarkable, regardless of whether it's literature, art, music, or anything else. Time is a filter. 99% of the music that has been produced in the last 50 years will be forgotten in 300 years, just as we have forgotten 99% of the music from 300 years ago (an occasional RickRolling by distant future generations notwithstanding).
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@klaus said in How much music theory did The Beatles know?:
@larry said in How much music theory did The Beatles know?:
What's remarkable about 300 year old music over the best popular music, other than snobbery?
Very simple: That it's still being played 300 years later.
Everything that survives over such long periods - that is used, analyzed, admired, and passed on by many different generations - is remarkable, regardless of whether it's literature, art, music, or anything else. Time is a filter. 99% of the music that has been produced in the last 50 years will be forgotten in 300 years, just as we have forgotten 99% of the music from 300 years ago (an occasional RickRolling by distant future generations notwithstanding).
I disagree. 300 years from now there will be nose in the air snobs pontificating on the musical merits of today's popular music, its evolution will be the music history of the day, and the music you so highly revere will be as relevant as a Gregorian chant is niw.
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Greensleeves has been around since the 1500's. As with many other folk songs or music based upon old folk songs, much of it is played today. I daresay music theory entered into the production of none of it.
The sheer volume of today's music means that most of it will be thrown on the ash heap of history, but some will survive.
It always does.
