How much theory do you know?

[Vintage_Burster]

Like All the notes on the fretboard ect, scales ect.

Just wondering how much I should know.

[pfrischmann]

I know a bunch. I have a performance degree from Berklee. I use very little these days. It took me a long time to realize theory etc is just a tool to help translate what your ears are telling you.

It's cool but it can get in the way if you allow it to.

Playing with people is the best teacher. IMHO

Just my .02
Learning the notes on the fretboard is really a good thing though.

[Vintage_Burster]

Yeah Im trying. I know most but the B string. Its just when it comes to actual playing, you dont have time to think where say the G note is on the B sting. I guess if I keep at it I will get it.

Any good execises to do to help?

[pfrischmann]

The best excercise I know can also bring on insanity...so you know it's got to be good.

sit down with a metronome at about 80 bpm possibly slower. Then play all of the e's on the guitar. start with the low e on the 6th string, then play the 12th 24th, then go to the 7th fret of the A string, then the 19th etc......

each note get's one beat...if you miss one, you have to start over. Make sure you find the note before you do.

This helps you learn the notes with the pressure of a beat behind you. You have to think on your feet. More precisely, you don't think. It becomes second nature like a Karate Kata or something.

It's very unmusical but if you work at it, the results will pay off.

Mick Goodrick has a book called the advancing guitarist, it's really good and suggests doing things like improvising on one string only. This simplify's things and allows you to focus on melody not chord scales etc...

My best teachers at school, the one's I really admired always said, "just play tunes, man". In their case they were talking about learning the stuff in the real book, Jazz stuff. It is true, learning to improvise over these tunes will open most guitarists ears.

FWIW,
I've found learning songs on piano has helped my playing a great deal. Everything just makes more sense on piano. I'm not ready to play Chopin or anything but because of the linear nature of the instrument, I get a great deal more of the harmony concepts some of the great tunes are known for.

I think most people would agree when your on stage and the addrenalin (sp) is pumping, you tend to go with what is most comfortable which is probably 20-30% of the stuff you practiced. I read an article where Allan Holdsworth said something similar to this...Imagine what his other 70-80% must sound like

I guess what I'm saying is there is not shortcut but hard practice. I knew a lot of guys,myself included that got so caught up in practice, we never really had a good outlet to apply this stuff. The practice is simply a means to a better (really a more free) performance.

In my mind, the goal is to get past the technical oddities of your instrument of choice until you don't think about it anymore. Like Landau, Henderson, or even tiger woods.

The best practice is to play.

BTW,
If you play with a band (or jam with some buddies) tape your performances, you will see drastic improvement by listening back to what you do when your out of the moment.

Oh yeah,
and don't use tab. It's the worst stuff in the world if you want to learn your instrument.

FWIW, IMHO....

[pfrischmann]

One more thing,
Frank Gambale has a great set of instructional books on modes etc...with examples.

[armann]

A lot I think....

Whatever every rock guitar hero says knowing theory is really good and helps.

G.I.T here...

[arcanis494]

I know a good amount

It really helps, it kind of shrinks the fretboard in a way when you know your intervals and scales and chords

It also makes jamming alot easier because you can communicate easier and you will feel much better playing in different keys and over weird progressions

[JasonC]

I know almost zero myself.. but I'm not totally against it... But I think it's important to play with both sides of your brain, not just your Left brain... unless you want to sound just like Satch or Vai... which is just a bit too mathematical and robotronic to me.

[808]

I use to study theory but now I just jam blues and swamp pop on Wednesdays with these old kats. I found when I first started jamming with them I use to think too much about theory and not what I wanted to say on the guitar. It has taken a while for me to get use to playing to the music instead of.... "Look at how fast I can play! "

Those old kats don't know theory but they know patterns and what sounds good to their ears. A lot of the time, they will just play around a chord when they solo. The best advice one of them ever gave me was, just hear it in your head and play it on your guitar. When I sit down to practice, I'll use the blues scale and try to find what I'm hearing in my head.

[armann]

Like me teacher said, learn theory and when you play throw it out the window.
It does help me the most when writing chord progressions and solos that are not improvised.

[lp_junkie]

I studied music all through out school years, I know tons of theory and sometimes even use some of it.................. technical ability seems to have a negative effect on musicality. There are theoretical geniuses that know everything there is to know about it but their playing is boring mechanical and unispiring.

It's a tool to help you not hard set rules to strictly worship.