back in the day when i was learning how to play, i missed a lot of theory.
we learned by doing and that was pretty much it as far as theory went.
never really had the opportunity to learn why things went together,
chords/scales and keys.
never learned why i was playing this scale over that chord progression, type of stuff.
can anybody suggest a good book/cd or book/dvd to help me brush up on some things? any cool websites out there teaching theory for dummies lol?

Google is your friend. There are a gazillion websites dedicated to theory and lessons.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

very true. doing it as we speak. thing is, i dont always have opportunity to
get on the computer for this. a good book and cd or dvd would better fit
into things for me to be honest. can study at work with these as well.

I heard the Berklee Press books are excellent for someone serious.

You might want to check 'em out, I want them myself.

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"Speak the truth, and speak it ever,
cost it what it will
for he who hides the wrong he did
did the wrong thing still."
-Miss Uel

Your not alone. I dont understand scales and tones and semi tones and all that stuff, but, meh.....

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riley

well stick with this thread, i'll come up with something for guys like us.

Several Forum users are well trained and very good at theory. Invidious to name some and miss others - but nobody will mind me mentioning that the gentleman who runs this useful thread is one of 'em:

http://www.fender.com/community/forums/ ... ght=theory

Ask a question there and it shall be answered...

Cheers - C

wow this goran guy has really stepped up and went above and beyond on that link. good job, and thank you.

We've heard some of his playing too. He's excellent!

Cheers - C

Here's a good start at the deep end.
http://jguitar.com/harmonizer/chord2scale?chordlist=A%2CD%2CE

1

If you see the chords A D E, then the song is almost definitely in the key of A Major. The A Major scale includes the notes A, B, C#, D, E, F#, and G#. (A scale is just a series of notes, arranged in order.) The chords of the A Major scale are A Major (or just A), B Minor (Bm for short), C#m, D, E, F#m, and G#dim. (A simplified explanation is this: there are these 7 chords in the key of A Major.) Notice that the 1st, 4th, and 5th chords are identified as Major chords (where you get the ADE 12bar blues progression from). The 2nd, 3rd, and 6th chords are Minor chords. The 7th chord is Diminished. Don't ask me why, it just sounds right. The intervals of the chords match the intervals of the scale.

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No no and no

I used a guitar method book, Hal Leonard, had 3 parts, with cd's to hear the song or play along with. Then moved on to their introduction to blues. I find having the book is very handy, always there to flip back an forth.

These are not just theory books, they teach how to play and read music, along with theory, from a beginner level. Just what I needed, there are books that just cover theory that may be better suited to your needs.

Di have to read it? Is music theory really that important?? Cause i just dont get it

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riley

depends which route you want to take.
you can learn by doing what you hear others doing
and become very good at it. at some point in your
playing, somewhere down the road your gonna want
to learn more. your gonna start to wonder why things
work or how they work. theory will be the answer.
you dont have to become crazy with it, but it helps
to know the basics.

ok lets look at it a little differently here.
imagine yourself in your favorite sports car.
you have the keys and open road ahead of you.
sure your a fantastic driver. you can up shift and down shift
like a formula 1 driver. you got serious skills and you and everybody
else that see you knows it.
at some point you pull your car over to the side of the road and realize something. you realize already that you car drive. you realize that
everybody thinks your good and some folks even want to be you.
you realize that youve been many places and at full throttle.
you and that car are one bro. but you realize something, your going to all the same places over and over again. why you ask? its very simple, youve ran the course with all you know, but you cant read the road signs
to enable you to go to new and very interesting places.
sure your gonna have to slow down a good bit and learn where your going, but when you get there you'll realize you got there by hard work and by KNOWING where your going and HOW ya got there.
only then will you be able to say that the sky is the limit and the road
is all yours and wide open.
its up to you my friend, go 150MPH and blow through town after town, or,
slow it down to 100MPH and enjoy the town, know where youve been and know where your going. by the way, its easier to read the detour and shortcut signs at 100MPH than it is at 150MPH.
do ya follow me on this a lil bit?

interesting lecture you wrote there, well done! Yeah i get what your saying, i think i'll pass for now, until the time comes....

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riley

Music theory helps you communicate with other musicians, it's basically a language. Understanding music theory will not tell you what note to play but it will tell you what your options are.

If you're looking for a good book/CD package I highly recommend the "Blues You Can Use" series by John Ganapes.

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Tune Low, Play Hard & Floor it!