debrice wrote:botstein wrote:I've used it. It would be super useful for an absolute beginner.
Thanks for the reply. Can I ask a couple of questions?
Were you at the beginner level when you took it?
How has it helped you with making music?
Can I ask a couple of questions?
Yes!
Were you at the beginner level when you took it?
No way! I really knew my stuff, even when I first bought it, but had a few obscure holes in my knowledge. A good example of this is that I messed up some of the beaming exercises in Musition, because I wrote by hand relatively rarely, and when I did, I evidently beamed carelessly.
How has it helped you with making music?
I think that theory is far, far more important than most performers, and even some composers, treat it. When we play, we don't just reproduce what's on the page but interpret it, using out wealth in experience and context (everything we have ever performed, everything we have ever heard, everything we have ever learned). Music theory study is one of the best ways to enrich that.
Being able to sightread is more than just playing what's on the page - it's imperative to know what exactly is going on.
When I picked up music theory software, I was in my second year of conservatory (music school) and had placed out of every theory class. (Yes, at a music school/conservatory). My conducting mentor demanded a level of proficiency in theory and aural skills that was absolutely beyond my training at that point and what the school could offer me. For example, he wanted me to conduct a 4 pattern in one hand and 5+7 in the other, which was beyond my polyrhythm/eurythmic ability at the time. The software helped me get some of those polyrhythms rock-solid.
Also, I always liked music theory. It's sort of academic and even science-like, though without any real math, and with a creative flavour.