How I'd Learn Music Theory (If I Had To Start Over)

If I could start again, a million miles away...
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I've spent over a decade of my life learning music theory, and it hasn't always gone smoothly, but I've got so much out of that journey. But what if I could start over? Was there a better way? Knowing what I know now, how would I advise the old 2009 Cory on how to do things better? Or, perhaps more relevantly, how would I advise people who, in 2021, are just starting their own journeys into music theory? I'm not entirely sure, but hopefully this list will help.
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Also, thanks to Jareth Arnold and Sofia Sangiorgio for proofreading the script to make sure this all makes sense hopefully!

[@12tone]

I didn't know this when I filmed but CuriosityStream is having a Father's Day sale this weekend so you can actually get 41% off right now (and still get the free Nebula account too!): www.curiositystream.com/12tone and use promo code "12tone" Some additional thoughts/corrections: 1) I should note that I do have some experience with external pitched instruments, specifically bass and piano, so if I'd gone the "learn an instrument" route, the takeaway would've been practice those more, not learn them at all. 2) On the suggestion to listen to music from other cultures, I'd add that while that should include traditional practices, it shouldn't _only_ include traditional practices. Many of these cultures are still alive and well, and checking out modern popular styles from around the world can be an eye-opening experience.

[@marqgoldberg7454]

It would be AWESOME if you could do a video about how songs are actually written. For example, I dont think about all these relationships between chords and such. I just bang on my guitar till I hit it a way I never did before that sounds good. Then I try to figure out what would sound good next. But maybe not everyone does that. Maybe someone more knowledgeable works it out based on the intervalic math or formulas. Maybe my work ends up being less creative, or technically wrong, because I'm working within my limits. Id like to know how you would see this topic.

[@antoningilbert1615]

@@marqgoldberg7454 i dont think there's a right way to create music, nor a more creative one. I think music theory just give you hints, basically, not paths.

[@AntHenson]

@@marqgoldberg7454 I think most people would bang on the guitar with one set of fingers on the fretboard and the other doing something to the strings... This might sound trivial but that's an example of an intuition that come from having learned some aspect of theory, which then goes on to suggest the kind of things that might end up sounding good. If we had to try everything from scratch we'd probably not get much of a sound out of any instrument, but with a little intuition from knowledge comes guided explorations. Imho creativity comes from balancing the leveraging of existing intuitions (built over time through both theory and practice) and the creation of new ones. Every creative person in history has had to straddle that line.

[@TAP7a]

@@marqgoldberg7454 classical/jazz theory gives insight into the structures that tend to occur in the music from which they were derived. With that in mind, you can apply them backwards to generate options that are stylistically appropriate to classical/jazz/whatever, but if you only use theory to generate your music then it isn’t going to sound great. I use classical and jazz theory regularly when I’m writing because these days I choose to write in the styles to which they apply and it helps me to keep the focussed while emphasising divergences essentially for free, but the process is never ever ever divorced from the fundamental “does it sound good”. I don’t write strict Bach chorales or fugue counterpoints, but I do enjoy the flexible but specific options that parallel mode borrowing gives, I like the tension/release pattern of traditional cadences and suspensions, and I like being able to make deliberate choices about modulations and colourful notes and all that rather than improvising until I land on a good one (although I’ve done plenty of that). Maybe my creativity is being limited by those frameworks, but I choose when to work in them and when to break out of them, and I enjoy the process of using them to make music that I like the sound of. Swings and roundabouts.

[@Roses_R_redeR]

....🥀

[@zapptuff5186]

This video couldn't have come out at a better time for me. I'm disabled and despite a strong love for music, I've never been able to play any due to my chronic joint pain and weakness. Fortunately this summer I will have some time to try my hand at using a DAW and attempt some production. However, I am starting entirely from scratch with no clue what I am doing. This video provides some great starting points and though it's daunting, I can't wait to try my best at this. Thank you!!

[@zapptuff5186]

@@jack.a.driscoll thanks so much for taking the time to send me this!!

[@jack.a.driscoll]

@@zapptuff5186 no worries! I'm dyspraxic and electronic music and daw production is so much more accesible than learning an instrument. which DAW are you thinking to use?

[@zapptuff5186]

@@jack.a.driscoll I'm glad to hear you have found this route more accessable! I'm a Windows user so I am planning to use Ableton, I got the lite version with a midi keyboard I purchased.

[@jack.a.driscoll]

@@zapptuff5186 cool! Ableton is decent! also worth trying out Studio One as it works on PC and is a similiar workflow to Logic and Cubase etc,and it's not that expensive :)

[@zapptuff5186]

@@jack.a.driscoll Thanks for the reccomendation, I shall give it a look!

[@furious444]

Drawing zubat for “they’re everywhere” and yes, yes they are

[@avielp]

My fav Poke'boy

[@kleinesfilmroellchen]

That's one of the standard things he does and it's great

[@RudeSnipe]

HAHAHA I came to say this. I saw that, and hit subscribe.

[@evo2542]

also cliffracers from morrowind

[@juandavidguerrero7947]

i was going to write about that thing too, zubats are everywhere¡

[@DC_Prox]

A little piece of trivia revealed by orchestral listening: the opening theme of Avengers: Endgame is the same as the opening theme of Infinity War, but with only half of the instruments.

[@albertvankrieg5548]

Didn't know that, it's an amazing detail!

[@MrScrofulous]

And the latest Greta van Fleet song is These Days by Powderfinger. And La Grange is Shake These Hips by the Stones. I could go on.

[@keymaster430]

Nice work, Ducky!

[@GhostPartiesMusic]

@@MrScrofulous Bit different though as the Avengers example is self-referential.

[@apuji7555]

wow, I did not realize that! thats pretty smart actually

[@isabelleliu995]

1. 0:38 Analyzing songs 2. 2:32 Transcribing songs you analyze 3. 4:08 Read journal articles/other forms of scholarship 4. 8:05 Learn about music production 5. 9:19 Listen to a lot more music - go out of your comfort zone

[@euphoria.yunjin]

thank you for timestamps!

[@kenizl86]

And teach. Teach what you know.

[@elizabetharias6989]

Thanks

[@robertdahlstrom]

bonus. 6:16 Parker square :)

[@quanathan]

you the icon in these comments

[@emmbeesea]

I'm very, _very_ grateful that my musical beginnings are in piano, despite my dislike for most of my lessons. Reading two different staves helped me instinctively learn how two different voices (hands) work in tandem and set me off for learning so much more, not just about theory, but also how a whole bunch of instruments play. All these years later, I'm now learning the basics of production and I wouldn't be anywhere near the musician I am without the piano because it inherently teaches you a lot. Keep on rockin'!

[@freesk8]

I'm a guitar player, and this is totally true. Piano is much better for learning music theory. All three of my kids are taking piano lessons. But I will always love guitar! :)

[@tobins6800]

Not to mention the fact that is one of the easiest instruments to compose on. You take a complex chord, break it up into slices where you want the other instruments. Granted, it may take more than 2 hands, or a lot of copy and paste. But, altering some of those slices will ultimately make the whole more interesting.

[@valentinovigovv]

True. But i did it backwards, i started production and sound design first and then learned piano, and still studying.

[@RioRock7]

I learned a lot of music theory by playing piano without even knowing

[@Aurora-oe2qp]

Wait, I've read this exact comment somewhere else too, maybe somewhere on Twitter?

[@taxevasioniskool]

i’ve been a violinist for nine years but my music theory knowledge is basically nonexistent beyond what i use every day so this is UNBELIEVABLY helpful

[@Ruid-YT]

Haha I'm a violinist and pianist but for some reason I only think more about theory when playing the piano...when playing violin I could barely think of the theory until I sat down and had to analyze the music. so dont worry it will come with time im sure

[@leaveitorsinkit242]

Mixing/Mastering has been huge for me. It’s one thing to have a good song, it’s another to have it SOUND good.

[@mantaanafm]

True! Still haven’t release my first song yet due to me being too versatile so it’s been hard to release a song and go with one style and stay in one genre because I can go on a beat in EVERY genre and it’s struggling to choose🤦🏽‍♂️

[@jooheonshoneybal]

Trxvis Montana being versatile is a really good thing actually. And you don't need to stick to just one genre. That's what makes your art "yours" after all.

[@wistfuloptimist1238]

@@jooheonshoneybal ^^

[@Brisbae]

I'm jealous of you. I've been somewhat slack in improving my mixing and (especially) mastering skills since I've started producing. I simply find it incredibly dull. I also genuinely have trouble differentiating good and badly mixed songs, so when I go to mix my own stuff I think it sounds... okay(unconfidently)? Of course I know the basics of mixing, did a pretty detailed online course, and learned about it in uni as well, but I think it's a difficult thing to progress with. Do you have any tips for improving your skills in these areas. Any resources that helped you? Any advice for not falling asleep while mixing?

[@AxemanMessiah]

In summary: learn theory but take it easy. Learn your favorite songs and analyze how they came up with them. Listen to multiple genres to how they work.

[@Superlotuswaves]

Thank you

[@garfield4863]

My bloody valentine: “tuned two strings together and bent the whammy bar”

[@mantaanafm]

I’ve been listening to almost every genres now I can’t choose the right style for myself because I can go on a beat in every genre. It’s getting depressing cause I’ve been doing tons of different music styles and I just feel odd

[@mags3906]

@@mantaanafm sometimes i feel the samee. I write best in sad songs but my voice is pop then its rock and im so into pop/rock my whole personality is like that as well. Creative.

[@vivsavagex]

I wouldnt say he said “take it easy” quite the opposite honestly. Its more like “apply concepts to the real world and to things you actually like”…i wouldnt say theres anything taking easy about what he suggested learning. Stuff will take you a lifetime.

[@deviationblue]

Blessed be 12tone in the almighty algorithm.

[@kitkatsci8700]

🎶 Hallelujah 🎶

[@deviationblue]

@@kitkatsci8700 🥰

[@ryla22]

All hail the algorithm

[@luci1st43]

void Bless(){ return Amen }

[@dedenunes5187]

Still trying to understand 12tone's obsession about elephants

[@kitkatsci8700]

They've got great big ol' ears. And big ol' *clompy clomp-clomp to the beat* feet

[@tiyenin]

He's stated previously that they're the earliest animal for him to draw.

[@emanuellandeholm5657]

Asking the real questions!

[@MythicSuns]

@@tiyenin Plus they're known for having really good memory

[@AntHenson]

@@kitkatsci8700 and their noses are basically wobbly trumpets. What more could an animal need?

[@aliquidcow]

I am very glad that I had guitar lessons, unlike a lot of people I've met who are self-taught. My teacher's approach was pretty much this - we'd learn a song that would generally be something at least in the zone of what I like, then we'd look at what was going on theory-wise in it. So you started with the 'fun' part of being able to play something cool, then used something you actually liked and were familiar with to learn the 'academic' stuff. Plus he taught a lot about active listening and really encouraged me to work songs out by ear, which has been a massive help. It's why I've never understood the thing you hear people say about how 'learning theory will make my music bland', because I've always just seen it as something that's just as much a part of learning music as learning to play the instrument.

[@jamesmccloud7535]

Wait this is exactly what my teacher does to me too. He lets me pick whatever song I like so it will serve as my assignment to transcribe the song by ear, learning the key and all the chords. After 1 week I play to my teacher the song regardless if I make a mistake or not. Then he will correct me on some mistakes and explain to me how all the notes, chords, melody, key changes, work together.

[@the-engneer]

You explained this so well! I have been giving guitar lessons for year's, and I learned the hard way if you start by saying "Okay you must learn a G chord, a D chord etc. You always bore that person and scare them away", instead say " What kind of music do you like? We are going to learn a simple song in that genre of music or a song you know and like", and once you teach someone one song they tend to want to learn another! I taught one kid to play 2 songs, and now he is almost a better guitarist then me

[@echomee4190]

i feel you, im not a teacher but i taught my friend how to play. i taught him his favorite songs instead of telling him he has to know X and Y. badabing badaboom he now knows more than me. i would be lying if i said i wasnt jealous but as the person that taught him how to play he's my pride and joy. i know he'll make it far someday.

[@flameindigo8035]

absolutely. i taught saxophone for a bit and when my students had trouble with the first five notes i taught them the wii sports theme opening. bam. they got it.

[@dimitri877]

I'm (re)learning music theory at 45, and it has opened a view upon myself I always thought I did not posses; understanding music. A very strange feeling, like driving a car for years and only recently learning traffic rules for the fist time and they immediately make sense because you have known how to drive for so long without knowing why. It has helped me to understand instruments, because someone gifted me a guitar (which I did not know how to play properly #dontjustlearntabs), and I remember vividly how much I sucked at playing the only instrument I was allowed to play by my parents: the electric organ.. Music theory is like 'drivers ed(ucation)', learning the rules of a complex system and understanding why these rules make sense..

[@georgebrown1807]

As far as things I wish I had done studying music theory, you hit most of them. But here are some things I did while studying music theory that weren't part of the official music theory courses that provided some extra insights: 1. Writing music that deliberately sought to break the rules you were taught. A big problem with how music theory is presented is that the rules are presented as simple cases of right vs. wrong. But really it's that the rules are guides to how to present a certain kind of sound. By deliberately trying to write music full of perfect fifths, or with a whole bunch of dissonant intervals, you can both get a good appreciation for what the actual purpose of those rules is, and for when it's justified to break them. 2. Reading about the history of the various composers we would study. The Ben Shapiro school likes to present some form of purely objective music detached from its social context. Learning about how the Odhecaton brought printed music to a wider audience in the 16th century, or about Wagner's anti-Semitic attacks on Mendelssohn, or about Janáček composing his "Sonata from the Street" in response to police violence, you get a better feel for the significance of the music than you would just from a pure music theory analysis. 3. Learning the mathematics of sound. On the other end of things, I was a math/music double major, so I also got exposed to the actual mathematics of harmonic analysis. When you learn about Fourier series, it's not typically presented as being about music. But it helps understand why the overtone series exists. And what accounts for differences in timbre (music theory classes usually don't talk about timbre).

[@KalebPeters99]

Thank you! These are some fantastic additions to the list. Are there any particular history books/sources you recommend?

[@elmo44449999]

Agreed! I was lucky enough to take a class on the physics of music, and it was fascinating. Learning about the mathematical basis of concepts like consonance/dissonance, timbre, why the 12-semitone scale is so handy... it blew my mind. And made me VERY obnoxious to actual musicians, like "oh, you think you know about harmony? BUCKLE UP"

[@Aurora-oe2qp]

Ooooh, these are all great. Especially 1. As someone interested in maths and physics I've been thinking about 3 a lot already, though, especially exactly what makes notes sound consonant or dissonant. It's actually a really hard problem.

[@KillswitchStreamer]

I fully support #1.

[@voidtremors5814]

@@elmo44449999 I am legitimately afraid of you

[@drybrusheverything3034]

I'm a musician of 19 years, 7 of those i would say were "professional" and I've always had a good theoretical knowledge. Learning music throughout school helped me with the foundational concepts but i was never much of an instrument player. I would say its only in the last 10 years that I've really started mastering my main instrument and i remember the moment that everything i had learned prior (which was almost everything theoretical) just started unravelling itself over the fretboard and it all just made sense in 1 day, after a VERY long time of not making sense. It was almost like these 2 separate worlds aligned all of a sudden. I suggest implementing everything you learn in theory class on your main instrument because having your practical knowledge and theory knowledge at the same level is the most rewarding thing I've experienced with music.

[@imalamboman12]

Progress is not always linear and intellectual!

[@lema1337]

I'm a producer and theory is so fun and helping but sometimes I distance myself from my knowledge because I sometimes I like to experiment and my knowledge at times works like a wall

[@tsukkikei571]

That means your knowledge is not enough. Once Rick Beato answered "Knowledge never makes you hit the wall. It even expands your creativity." No offense😁😅

[@lema1337]

@@tsukkikei571 might be very true actually

[@snowblind8572]

@@tsukkikei571 if you're taking advice from Rick Beato, you're doing it wrong. the way people create music is extremely subjective, something that might catapult one person's creativity may very well block someone else's. No offence.

[@dionysus9873]

@@lema1337 if you’re producing from what i’ve seen, theory does help on a base level for production but after a while what makes you make better songs, beats or whatever is your own creativity and your own experience. music is an art and theory is a stepping stone that helps you improve but you wouldn’t say that taking 1000 art classes will make you an amazing painter or drawer because the knowledge isn’t what gives you the ability to express yourself and create something beautiful.

[@teamyordle23]

That's what I mostly do. I learn the theory but when it comes to writing music I don't rely on it for creativity unless I'm stuck. Someone once said that theory is descriptive not prescriptive. You use it to understand music and not for writing with it. It's mostly true from what I've seen. In the end the ears never lie. If a song is bad it's bad.

[@RoselynTate]

The pre-rigorous, rigorous, and post-rigorous phases apply to SO MUCH about music education. In my experience, most branches of music education at the college level focus so much on bringing students through the rigorous phase that students don’t really learn to step past it until after they’re out of school for a while - which, at least for performers, is how you move from being a student to a professional. Yet many young artist are basically pigeonholed into staying in the rigorous phase - because school is supposedly about learning to be better - when in the arts that’s often counterintuitive because how are you supposed to find your own voice as an artist without moving beyond what your teachers say is right or wrong?

[@MrScrofulous]

I agree, but it's not just music, it's pretty much any discipline. I have never heard of this concept before, but it explains so much about what's wrong with education and training in stuff in general. Most people get hung up in the rigorous phase without even knowing it and their teachers don't realise they are supposed to be leading the students through it, not locking them into it.

[@RoselynTate]

@@MrScrofulous Yes, definitely, it’s a universal issue, particularly in university education. I’ve just found it can especially problematic in the arts.

[@ghoti221]

It’s hard to teach period. Unfortunately, I’ve encountered the other problem way too often - everybody is used to doing their own thing, and when you try to get them to work together, it’s extremely difficult because nobody is singing from the same hymn book. The real answer is somewhere in between, which is hard, because there are very few people who can follow the rules, yet also know when it’s time to break them, and then they also have to be able to teach that too.

[@MrScrofulous]

@@RoselynTate Exceptmfor guitar player. Guitar is the instrument of chaos, thank goodness. Most guitar players despise the idea of academic rigour. The few that don't take it the opposite extreme.

[@RoselynTate]

I’ve found that jazz players and early music specialists are actually the best at this? The improvisation inherent to those styles of music tends to make them more flexible performers, and so they’re often better at learning the rules and then going past that to learning when it’s okay to bend or break them.

[@m.davidallen1203]

I've been learning a lot of theory but don't necessarily know how to direct efforts within the huge territory. It's like you said in the video, there are so many branches and sub-branches. I think sometimes that rather than doing music theory just for pure interest, it's good to "have work", and to need to perform some task, to focus the learning and force the mind to learn the branches necessary to do the task, rather than just sample the entire space endlessly.

[@macalmy6750]

I love that you drew the Parker Square to accompany the remark about "giving it a go"!

[@JGMeador444]

That absolutely sent me when I saw it, and I came to the comments looking for someone else who called it out :D

[@nicemorphism8529]

@@JGMeador444 Same. Jumped to the comments to make sure I wasn't the only one

[@sculean]

"I'd begin transcribing music" great I wish I knew how to do that lmao

[@orphaneduk5672]

You can learn- it involves listening to a piece and trying to play or notate what you hear, and it's very good for sharpening your ear and general musical understanding. You could start by looking up the basics on KZbin. 12 tone might even have a video on it?

[@evan7618]

It's like production but paper.

[@peanutgallery4]

Try making a song on Minecraft note blocks. Worked out pretty well for me.

[@cristianjuarez1086]

you dont wish to know, you learn to know

[@pordzio]

Just apply the "Parker square" paradigm: just give it a do. If You have an instrument try playing what You hear. When You succeed, then congrats! You just transcribed Your first music!

[@radiobe4179]

I've been into music production for a while, and it have done wonders for my general knowledge of music. One thing that I think is pretty cool is that you're basically forced to transcribe, if you're working with samples. And you want to be! Samples force you to take musical ideas that are out of your comfort zone. Another thing is: you get a knack of how instruments combine, pretty much because you can't have a single loop playing over and over again, cause that would be boring. So you want to add variation. And this makes you think about types of sounds ("I want a rising thingy to open this measure here!", "Oh a pad would be nice here to make the music thick for the chorus!"). And about breaking repetition by means of pitch and rhythm. And about establishing familiarity before breaking it, etc. The mix proccess makes you consider frequency range, and I think this is so good for developing orchestral hearing. Also, how frequency correlates with "forward into your face", musically, in a way. The craziest thing, for me, was that I intuitively developed, over the course of time, the capacity for so many things. Like, basses. I can "see" basslines, I can audiate way more. It's like, you're initially blind, touching your way around, but things eventually start to make sense, kind of like muscles grow, if you play enough with your musicality.

[@myketison9770]

I love these "if i had to start over" videos. they really help guide newbies like myself in the right direction, so i really appreciate this. i have one question though: how much of the fundamentals should we learn (scales, chords, etc.) before we start attempting to analyze and transcribe?

[@felixmarques]

Before you learn scales or chords, you should learn basic acoustic/psychoacoustic concepts. The harmonic series, and how they make timbre exist, is a crucial starting point.

[@Mr_Kirk_]

This is SO right on time for me. I've produced music for years intuitively and I'm now learning theory. Literally starting with the book Idiot's Guide to Music Theory (which is great) and I'll be following it up with Idiot's Guide to Music Composition. After getting half way through the book, I'm rewatching some of yours and Adam's videos with new understanding. So much more fun when you know some theory. Like now I know WHY I love Sting and The Police and Earth Wind and Fire, etc. I'm also starting to understand how to take my music in interesting directions ON PURPOSE rather than feeling my way through the dark like before theory. Thanks!

[@Dominik-K]

Thanks a lot, this was super interesting and it's amazing how I already know the others you shouted out on YT. The journal was new to me, so thanks a lot for that.

[@shadowscott9910]

I got into theory backwards. Pentatonic to add two notes, the difference between “key” and tonal center, V to I,.... and it keeps piling up from the bottom. The playing did more for me than the transcribing... but ya gotta transcribe, so... And playing did more than listening... but then again you gotta listen to transcribe... That’s why I am here is to learn/understand more. The advanced topics you discuss often exceeds my ability. Great videos.

[@icedpony]

12 tone man. So inspirational! To me your channel has consistently been the best at opening ways to understand music as an evolving concept rather then that fixed point my great gramps is always raving about. Keep it up!

[@irvingmartinezanguiano9774]

I have found that sharing and building knowledge with someone else who's also interested in music theory is a great way to stay motivated and curious. As a beginner in music theory I appreciate the great content, man!

[@miraclePoints]

8:13 You just articulated a frustration I've dealt with in learning music that I've always struggled with but have never been able to describe. Likewise, all of the music teaching I received as a kid was vocal training, with little understanding of theory. When music theory channels talk about chords and intervals, I would not be able to keep up at all and my eyes would glaze over. It finally makes sense to me. Since my training was vocal, my pitch matching comes automatically and by ear, and thus I didn't need to develop those skills as a kid. I've tried learning piano a few times but bounced off of it for this reason. Maybe I'll give it another shot in the near future.

[@argenteus8314]

I can really second the idea of just reading stuff on the subject that seems interesting, even if you don't have the knowledge to understand it fully yet. Not just specifically with music theory, but with any subject you don't understand, _especially_ if you find the subject confusing. Even if you're not consciously understanding the concepts involved, your brain is still patiently cataloguing the pieces until it can figure out what they're saying, and things gradually start to make more and more sense, until suddenly you've fully wrapped your mind around the subject, at which point progress at 'digesting' it is much faster and the brain fog that previously occurred when you tried to think deeply about the subject disappears. As you may be able to see from the specificity of that description, though, I think this is heavily dependent on how your individual mind works; I suspect my style of learning is rather atypical, and as such I don't think this method will work for everyone. For those with brains similar to my own, however, it's quite useful.

[@leomiller2291]

This is why when I realize I’d like to someday know how to do that thing, I immediately begin that thing instead of learning it that distant day. It takes TIME for the brain, or should I say my brain, to digest and make sense of information. For example, if I know that in two years I’ll have to take an organic chemistry course, I start involving myself in the world of organic chemistry TODAY so that my brain can every day piece the subject together little by little.

[@krystawisner6043]

Thank you for this video! I am in my second year of my songwriting and production bachelors and I am working on building a daily music theory/ production/ songwriting practice! This was a perfect video to highlight what I should be working on!

[@TNGfan8794]

Having access to channels like yours has really helped me to grow my understanding of music theory, especially when it comes to chord progressions and the use of modes. I wish I had taken more music classes in college, but deeply appreciate the sheer number of musicians on KZbin who are generously sharing their knowledge in creative and entertaining ways. Thank you for everything you do!

[@lemmasim98]

Man, explaining things to others has changed literally everything for me I had this opportunity this spring to have weekly lessons with a friend of mine, and this really cemented what I knew, made everything a lot clearer in my mind, made me want to fill all the gaps in my knowledge and expand to new topics. And now it feels weird to look back at the lack of confidence that I had till the start of these lessons. It felt like music, and especially music theory, was something outside of me, just something that I used to do. Now it feels like something characterizing of myself. And I say it changed literally everything because this affected not just my approach to music. Now that I recognized the importance of this practice I want to do it for many more things. There are so many topics that I started to study but never felt interiorized cause I dropped them after reading some books, never talking about them with anyone. The difficult part is to find someone really interested in this kind of talk ahaha That said, I still have to improve in a looot of the things you talked about in this video. I've analyzed so few songs, transcribed nothing, hadn't read anything academical, I don't know anything about producing (and even as a performer on my instrument I'm kinda bad). And I absolutely agree with you on the importance of all these things, that already were on my list of next skills to develop. It's great to me to hear this kind of experience from you, and it would be nice of other youtubers in music theory replied to this video.

[@OGLoko-ed1ys]

Wanna teach someone else over discord maybe? I'd love to learn.

[@celestindupilon2773]

Thank you so much for encouraging me to keep learning music theory. Btw: Drawing your icons while explaining the things you wnat to, seems to me like you are composing, writing a score, while I am watching. Thank you!

[@tomwasnotfounddc143c8]

Finding this video has revealed to me a world I always convinced myself was not comprehensible to the ones that have not been into it since they were young, I am really hoping to get better in music, and I want to mark this as the start of this journey, will see how this goes down the road. Thank you for making this video!!

[@MegaBeeYT]

I absolutely love the way you draw what you speak... I'm not exactly troubled, but i have bad memory and bad focus, so the ability to look at the screen whilst you write and correlate words to drawings, then being able to quite literally look back and SEE what you said before when my mind blanked is just... amazing... like- awesome, thank you so much!

[@late_arvie]

Me: Breaking down Deep purple riff to play on my guitar. 12tone: this is the way!

[@KalebPeters99]

Hell yeah! Keep going 😁

[@tapeexperiments]

One trick I like to do when analyzing music is to take a song I know on guitar and with the guitar still around my neck sit down at a keyboard and play it on a keyboard or vice versa. This helps my brain see the theoretical connections in two different formats. It’s similar to what you were saying about transcribing. It helps cement it in my brain in a unique way. You don’t have to start with anything complicated- just take a C major Triad, look at one on the guitar and then look at one on your keyboard etc. In this example, it can really help you understand what it is you’re doing with those three notes.

[@AmareLunaMusic]

Music has been my passion my entire life, but I never knew what to do with it. 2 years ago, I picked up a bass and started playing. I found your Comfortably Numb theory video by pure chance and from that point, I dove into theory and never stopped. Now I'm writing my own music and starting a music degree in the fall. You're an inspiration, 12tone! Keep it up! :D

[@zachmikovitz5616]

This might be the most valuable music theory lesson I have ever seen for someone in the early stages of learning theory. Outstanding work here

[@paulcifer9016]

The three stages of rigor. What a concept, and how true is it when applied(applied mathematics) to music and the ear!

[@Jus10Giraffney]

Pink Floyd was the band that really got me into separating all the things I was hearing and seeing how they came together to make such fantastic music. Even as far back as the first album there's so much going on, so much experimentation, you really have to know how to listen to pick up on more than just the surface

[@gavinvalladares]

i've been working for the last few years as a session/touring drummer-in addition, i play a number of other instruments, but this video was great in finding direction for pursuing a better understanding of music theory. looking forward to reading more scholarly articles and watching as new knowledge influences how my writing style for my own projects in addition to the projects of others. thank you!

[@mattkaz9604]

Very interesting, and your cartooning out the conversation is genius level. Nice.

[@KianCortada-Covarrubias]

I literally just searched 'music theory' to start learning. Great timing🤙🏼

[@martinortiz5298]

As a musician trying to learn latin genres the best way to differentiate them has been making playlists. It gets me thinking about wether a song is chacarera or gato and having to justify my decisions using lyrics, instrumentation, groove and many other things. I'm wrong more often than I'm right but it helped me learn the core aspects of many latin american genres and what makes them sound the way they do.

[@clvr51]

Great video, I'd really like to study some theory but I always get super anxious at the idea of starting something new cause I don't know where to begin, so thank you, this helps a lot!

[@AdamRast]

There is so much great advice in this video, and it really can be applied to any field of study (or just life in general). Branch out, hone your tools, stay curious; I love it.

[@BlueMeeple]

I wish I had learnt about tuning theory and how it connects to "normal" music theory (and some basic microtonal stuff). Also, I wish that both theory teachers AND instrument/orchestra teachers would have helped to see how the understanding of theory and solfage helps in performing music.

[@WizardOfArc]

You drew a storm trooper for “useless” lol

[@salildeshpande7]

They just need some more practice

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

@@salildeshpande7 Nah, they did a great job drawing their Stormtrooper.

[@salildeshpande7]

@@skaldlouiscyphre2453 I was talking about the storm troopers

[@jrpipik]

Great video. Everybody is a music theorist in some way or another, but it's so valuable to give yourself a vocabulary for it.

[@portal3ld330]

Man, I hope I get to have a conversation with you later in my career. Absolutely love your videos, both on analysis and all those on different subjects such as microtonality. As a fellow neurodivergent, a lot of your system and the way you explain things really makes sense to me in a way neurotypical explanations just cant. That, and seeing another person with autism find so much success is a huge inspiration! It feels like I find my niche in this field and your videos have been a great motivator and foundation/tool! Thank you for your work man.

[@Inddesign]

I wish i had this Information when i Was a little bit Younger, sincerely it feels as if there is an avalanche of theory that one must Master,still, is not too late right? By no means i am a Good musician (i am an industrial designer) but music is fascinating to me, despite all the negative remarks of music teachers in my area and their "ageism" of not wanting to teach me. so thank you so much for All of your videos!

[@benjaminstiles]

Oh wait... I’m an idiot.🤦‍♂️ The reason he draws from right to left is because he’s a lefty.

[@Inddesign]

Sometimes the use of both hands is encouraged in drawing or writting, just in case, some People use both, you know the drill. To me you are not an idiot, Best wishes!

[@amandahammond2691]

*they

[@charlesmwolf]

id argue that its just how he does things, not every lefty would draw right to left like 12tone does

[@benjaminstiles]

@@charlesmwolfwhat I mean is that he is drawing right to left because he uses his left hand.

[@charlesmwolf]

@@benjaminstiles yeah, and as I said, its not necessarily because of his handedness. a lot of lefties would do it left to right regardless. and i know some right handed people who go right to left because of their native tounge being written that way. (its far more the direction taught then the handedness in my experience)

[@rayres1074]

Also, your tip on looking at scholar papers is HUGE! I was able to found analysis of niches I was interested but couldn't find on youtube (dream theater's ENTIRE discography, for instance).

[@brendenvaldez419]

Hey man , I’ve been dabbling around with music theory for a few years and am just starting to take it seriously. Thanks for your perspective it has me starting to think already 💪🏼

[@KillswitchStreamer]

The dangerous side of music theory is knowing enough to think you're right.. but not knowing enough to realize you're wrong.

[@SteveReaves]

I did finish my degree in Music Theory. At the time, I was transferring from a school with a traditional band/orchestra program and a football team. The school I was transferring to, not so much. I didn't want to give up my accumulated credit, and had already finished my piano proficiency exam. So, the school I was looking at had a smaller Music Program, but what it had that my current program didn't was a Music Studio program, and a Songwriting class. I decided to give it a semester, and talked to the Songwriting instructor after class, and asked how I could finish my Music Degree in Songwriting, so he created a program for me. I write 6 songs, finish a 6 hour Theory Capstone and all my other requirements, and the rest is history. And yeah, I'm working on a channel right now myself. It's not much, but I did go to a lot of Jason Blume Workshops at BMI, and was being mentored by a writer for MercyMe before I decided not to go that route. I'm trying it the rough, indy way. 😂😂😂

[@purple_cat7836]

i’m so grateful that i have a tutor now that’s teaching me this way. having adhd it’s always been SO hard for me to learn theory; in school i failed on my music test worse than my math (and im no mathematician)…my brain just breaks when it gets to learning concepts like theory, especially when it’s not relevant to my interests. i’ve always had a strong love for music but my inability to transcribe what i create and have the vocabulary to describe what i like…the frustration has always been there and i feel like my growth as a musician has been stunted because of it. but now it really feels like i’m making progress!

[@AtomizedSound]

I started my music theory journey in college and you’ve covered really most of the main points in your video. One is never done learning about theory. There’s always more to learn and something new or fresh to be discovered about it I believe. I think writing your own songs or attempting to on some instrument while learning theory in addition to analyzing other songs helps significantly. I mean really learning all the relationships of the notes and branches that theory involves, one step at a time so burn out and fatigue doesn’t happen. It’s easy to be discouraged and cram too much in a short amount of time that one can lose focus of their goal. So starting with free resources one step at a time in digesting theory can really take you far for you figure out what to do with the rest

[@katelensworld]

First day of summer vacation and I thought I'd finally teach myself some music 😌

[@user-hornyforadventure]

How's it going

[@corygumminger6349]

How'd I go all this time without knowing we had the same name? I've been watching your videos for I don't even know how long

[@Mjuliemichelle]

Great video! This is especially helpful since I am beginning my double major in music theory alongside my primary track of Vocal Performance/Opera at my conservatory!

[@vibesmom]

Great video. You made a great comment that encapsulates the whole process of learning for me. Taking the concepts you were being taught, applying it to music that excited you so you could see what those concepts looked like in action, and which ones you weren’t being taught. We need to give ourselves that gift more often, with everything we learn. As parents and teachers we need to mindfully allow for that gift . After all, life long learning is the greatest joy there is, at least for me.

[@kitkatsci8700]

5:59 I just found an article called "Rhythmic Techniques in Deaf Hip Hop" by Anabel Maler and Robert Komaniecki (Vol 27, Number 1, March 2021) that I'm excited about reading!

[@mateusbez2669]

Guys like you, Adam Neely, Rick Beato and David Bennet made me want to learn music theory 20 years after been playing guitar. People tried to teach me. It never interested me. But when I started seeing and understanding how theoretical concepts influenced and explained how my favourite songs sounded and made me feel, got me hooked. Then I started to try to make my own analysis and discuss with my (also guitar player) brother. For that, I had to learn a bunch of things. And reading articles is a great way to learn things. I usually try to understand something, only to see I am short on knowledge to understand. Then I study the base knowledge until the complicated concept I wanted to grasp makes sense.

[@Christopherjazzcat]

I'm playing solo gigs and writing arrangements of jazz and pop tunes. I occasionally gig with a jazz quartet as well. I studied music theory at uni and the chordal analysis in particular really helped me a lot.

[@LocalCryptidGhostdoll]

This perspective has really helped me

[@supertroubledude7376]

I've been changing how I think about music by watching Rick Beato videos

[@KnzoVortex]

Be careful about his takes on todays music though, they're pretty out there... 10:04 This quote here describes it really well. Rick Beato is pretty disconnected from where the pop music world has gone, and therefore ends up saying some really strange and ridiculous sounding stuff because of this.

[@KalebPeters99]

@@KnzoVortex agreed, he does have some great jazz and theory videos though!

[@triad5766]

@@KnzoVortex - example? He compliments pop music when it deserves it and trashes it when it deserves it.

[@roblosh8417]

Spoiler: Rick’s “out there and *ridiculous* takes” is actually just him saying that the songs he doesn’t like aren’t as exciting to him as pop music as a whole from a couple decades ago. That other comment was a little sensational and vague, so hopefully this gives another perspective. Both Rick and 12tone have great videos, it’s just that recently 12tone made a video called “Why Rick Beato is wrong about today’s music”, referring to Beato’s personal taste as a musician/teacher/producer. I don’t think that it’s anything you have to “be careful of” personally lol.

[@triad5766]

@@roblosh8417 the average 12tones watcher seems to have an IQ of 75 tbh. This comment section is so dramatic.

[@wiesorix]

Corey: "Just give it a go" *draws a Parker square* "What's the worst that could happen?" Well, it seems that the worst that could happen is that your experiments haunt you for the rest of your life, and that the internet keeps mocking you for them. That seems quite bad to me...

[@Markle2k]

And here I find myself in the comments looking for someone else who noticed that.

[@FelixWheatfield]

6:48 100%. I became a full-time guitar teacher at a local music school recently, and teaching a variety of different ages and skill levels as well as coming up with lesson plans for my students has absolutely bettered my understanding of music for my own self. I find myself using techniques that I just showed my students in my own playing and it's vastly improved my vocabulary as of recent.

[@caploch]

This helped tremendously! Thank you so much! Looking forward to chasing some new and more streamlined direction within music production :)

[@pluflop]

How I wish I learned music theory: Step 1: know music theory

[@erz6306]

me 2 ;)

[@AnInterestingStory]

I imagine 12tone writing class notes this way 💀

[@jaredc8281]

Lol I literally am going through all of this right now... I just started playing guitar again, but also picked up an arturia microfreak and several studio pieces... I've been studying the guitar Grimoires, learning about synthesis, pianos, and music production for a few hours every day and it's paying off. I can take what I'm learning and read the authentic sheet music while listening to the song and understand what dynamics brought me there to begin with. It's usually not _just_ the notes (or words as you stated) that capture our attention; but rather the overall dynamics and messaging.

[@reaganjohnson8950]

I really enjoyed. Thank you for posting.

[@samuel3807]

I like that for the visualization of "break through it" he drew kool aid

[@AntHero18]

"give it a go" *draws Parker square* LMAO

[@flazefeeds381]

A man of fine taste

[@charsiuwu8084]

I'm learning lots of theory from your channel! I'm also a singer from practical experience, and I'm desperately trying to rapidly expand my horizons and your channel does world's for it.

[@ellaj3699]

Such a great video! I've loved music all my life, but I'm looking greatly forward to gaining a deeper understanding of how it works. I really agree with you on the part about listening to different music styles and music from different cultures. It's incredibly essential and helps you gain a wider understanding, also just of the world in general. Thank you :)

[@lucidmoses]

Have you ever looked at the way parody songs change the original music in small ways.

[@corwin32]

Well, I didn’t know your name was Cory (sp?). That was new information.

[@frigginjerk]

Nah, it's 12tone. "Cory" is a stage name.

[@imadlebiar1546]

Thank you, for everything, you're great

[@CharlesAustin]

This is exciting: helpful in so many ways. Thank you !!

[@theactorjohnlarroquette]

gonna tell everyone i was just waiting to start learning theory until this video came out and not that im a lazy hound of a musician

[@darkacademiavanessa]

oh... i thought this was for beginners 😭😭😭😭

[@Dudenwhiterussians]

I've been a musician since I was a kid. I didn't finish college (music), but I've learned a lot from the classes, and I've always been a curious guy. You are one of the great examples of great content on KZbin. I love your videos. Thank you so much for what you do!

[@lilycarone5116]

Thanks for posting this helpful video!!

[@realcareers]

Don't waste your time with this video. No practical info on how to do what he advises, "analyzing songs", wtf does that even mean and how to do it? No answers. How much actual music theory is required to do that? No answers. This is all theoretical advice that's all context and no content. What a waste of time.

[@prod.slowjoe6639]

Better to just buy a music theory book, take your time and let the book guide you.

[@user-jz9zr1hm7z]

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[@kylemary5742]

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[@casperegims4618]

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[@davidjesse8988]

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[@ogolthorp]

You make some amazing points about the relevancy of theory in different genres and how it might apply in different ways. For me, I think the hardest part to beginning to learn about theory is changing the way you think about music. In a lot of ways and a lot of genres, there’s essentially a math equation going on. Whether it’s with the structure, the harmony, the melody, or the rhythm, theres some aspect of it that is following some sort of formula that has already been established. Once we realize what parts fit into what formulas, we can begin to break down pieces more easily, and find the really interesting nuggets within those pieces. I know analysis became so much easier for me when I could look at some sheet music and tell fairly quickly what the structure was and where each different section began. Because you also know there are some “rules” to be followed for each of those sections so you know what to expect when analyzing it more thoroughly, and know when to dig deeper if something seems out of place. So yeah, I think the best way to start learning about theory is to start with those overarching formulas and where they might apply.

[@kaitlyn__L]

I’m so glad that I’ve figured out to do 4 of these in my own autodidactic journey! It’s very validating that my gravitation towards transcribing, analysing, and covering songs (learning production for the last) is stuff you wished you’d done haha. Funnily enough, I started with instruments and have found learning to use my voice extremely instructive. I could always whistle pretty good due to playing sax, but feeling the changes in my vocal chords gives me a deeper understanding of intervals compared to the various fingerings on various instruments. I can directly feel the difference, rather than just pressing different buttons. A guitar is sort of in the middle of that for me, since it’s more direct but the fret guides are also guardrails. Singing, especially consciously-controlled repeatable microtonality have really helped me to understand when to bend notes on other instruments. I used to just vibe the wiggles on a pitch wheel or trem arm, usually in integer numbers of semitones. Now I’m consciously choosing every aspect of the bends down to a cent or two. I suppose that’s just a testament to how one specialty is limiting though. If I started on voice I’m sure I’d have learned a bunch from instruments like you lay out! Definitely going to have to look into that free theory journal…

[@anecho7010]

Fantastic points and everyone learning theory should watch this. Thanks a mil for a great video (as always)

[@thesoundboardstudio]

Best video ever!! I really liked the fact that you mentioned that there is still a lot of things to learn even if you have already learned a lot! That's one of the things I love about music! There is always something new to learn!

[@rodrigosampaio1313]

This video is inspiring, thank you!

[@StudentOfGod]

This is a fantastic video. There are pieces of advice that can be applied to many other areas of study as well.

[@JamJockey]

All your great advice aside, I’m new here, and your little drawings you do along side what your are saying are flipping adorable.

[@jonsid1545]

Ahhh this is what i need right now, thank you so much😍

[@hudsondunbar7853]

This is an amazing video. I'm learning music theory, trying to push it past just the understanding of the European tools in the past 4 semesters of classes. Through this exploration I've gotten really interested. Like REALLY interested. And I'm now in a phase where I'm trying to analyze and transcribe some of my favorite music to understand it better. It's a really exciting process and I love explaining theory concepts as well, especially as they relate to music I'm interested in. I used to be just a drumline guy who grew up playing classical piano, but now I'm planning to start some kind of music analysis channel :) Definitely going to check out Nebula and those other creators. I'm already a huge Charles Cornell and Adam Neely fan. Great video again, dude.

[@anthonybeach9823]

I love your mind to picture thoughts!