Popular Music Theory

[sneekymum]

I'm seriously considering these exams -http://www.popularmusictheory.org/

- I've got all the books up to Grade 8 - though I might go in at 5.

It's very unlike classical theory.

[stevel]

Originally Posted by sneekymum

I'm seriously considering these exams -http://www.popularmusictheory.org/

- I've got all the books up to Grade 8 - though I might go in at 5.

It's very unlike classical theory.

Not really. It's pretty much like classical theory from what I can see (in terms of topics covered). I don't know if symbology is different (i.e. using pop symbols instead of Roman numerals, etc.)


My question to you is, why would you take these exams? What will they do for you?

Steve?

[sneekymum]

It's not quite the same as Classical theory - and much more involved than our regular ABRSM grade 5...

- At Popular Grade 5 there's:

1. Scales and Keys
-major and natural & harmonic minor scales and pentatonic, and blues scales, dorian and mixolydian scales. Blues scales key signatures. Scale spelling (which uses numbers and is a whole new world)

2. Chords
- major, minor, dininished sus2, sus4, 5th power chords, Major 7th, minor 7th, dominant 7th, minor 7thb5, major & minor 6th, harmonic dominant 7ths, and dininished 7ths. (fortunately I know all these - but they're not to be found in ABRSM Classical theory) Then there's Chord Spellings - which uses numbers again

3. Rhythm Notation
just like ABRSM

4.Popular Music
- write a short essay on a popular musician of band (from list A,B,C,or D - which each have 10, e.g. Abba, Queen, Elvis) - so there's four to learn about.
Then questions about pop instruments - eg the range of a saxophone, or what notes to tune the strings of a bass guitar to.

5. Harmony - constructing chord progressions and cadences

6.Transposition - transposing chord progressions with letter notation

My question to you is, why would you take these exams? What will they do for you?

I hope one day to teach keyboard and composition. Most of my potential customers will be interested in popular music. It seems useful to get a qualifiaction in this field - and I know much of it already. And it interests me.

[stevel]

Originally Posted by sneekymum

I hope one day to teach keyboard and composition. Most of my potential customers will be interested in popular music. It seems useful to get a qualifiaction in this field - and I know much of it already. And it interests me.

Actually, it is like Classical theory - just expanded to incorporate all of those pop things lie "power chords" and so on. Most theory texts (modern ones anyway) do address these subjects, though they don't spend as much time on them. This looks like it's more obviously specifically geared towards pop music.

I have to say though, a "qualification" in pop music is like taking a course to cook Hamburgers! A Classicly trained French Chef is going to more qualified, and can still cook hamburgers. The REAL Qualification in pop music would be to be a famous pop star! If you know much of it already, you're probably much more qualified than a lot of people out there. I don't know if hanging a plaque on your wall from this place would mean anything to your potential students. If you had "studied with Rod Argent of The Zombies and Argent fame" on your phone book ad, you might get more respect. Of course, you might even got more respect if you studied with someone more contemporary that people had heard of (Billy Joel, Ben Folds??). Likewise, if you were out gigging, you'd be much more respected.

I taught guitar at a chain music store. There were all of these cats in the store playing their butts off. All of them could do these amazing things that I couldn't do (though admittedly, there were things I could do they couldn't). But, because I had a college degree, I got the job.

I think you would be better off to have either practical experience (gigging, known around town as a musician, etc.), or to have studied with someone who is relatively well-known, or to study at a well-known/respected institution such as a college or univeristy.

Since popular music accreditation is just starting to be taught in universities, practical experience still seems to be the better qualifier.

And I taught (and played, and still play) popular music. But I have a Master's Degree in music. In other words, A French Chef can make French Cuisine and Hamburgers, a Fry Cook can make Hamburgers.

As for your interest in the subject, again, I don't think you have to have a degree or qualification to "prove" that. There are plenty of books and the actual music you can study for what you'r interested in, which I think you'll get more out of in the future.

Good Luck,
Steve

[reith]

It's that it isn't like the classic music theory training advocated by the ABRSM.

And I must admit this popular theory does seem very tied to keys for some reason....I've met it before in a couple of guitarists who had to learn the modes and their wyrd scales in "all the different keys"... there's an internal logic, no doubt, possibly allied to the fact that many excellent pop musicians cannot read music.
I ask myself, frinstance, why learn to write out so many scales....when there's a pattern to each mode - you learn the pattern, you can reproduce it in any key.

Quite aside from the fact that I haven't a clue what a pentatonic is... sounds like an indigestion medicine or something to do with bagpipes? Oh well, I got by so far without it.

It's also a fact that the ABRSM theory isn't the be-and-end-all, tied mainly to classical and baroque eras. It deals with the lush chords of later periods but only glancingly. And it does seem to be changing. For those less interested in traditional theoretics it has started a new line of study - practical musicianship. But the wheels of change do grind rather slowly in our music scene.

[Ron Ofir]

I ask myself, frinstance, why learn to write out so many scales....when there's a pattern to each mode - you learn the pattern, you can reproduce it in any key.

I don't know that many guitar players and teachers, but almost all of those I do know, just learn the patterns and then use them for whatever key they want. Same with chords, arpeggios and pretty much anything! However, you do need to practice all of the scales if you want to get a decent technique and speed (right now, I think the scale I feel most easy improvising and playing is G major). That said, I can play in whatever key I want, or the others require me to.

[Boneman]

Originally Posted by stevel

I think you would be better off to have either practical experience (gigging, known around town as a musician, etc.), or to have studied with someone who is relatively well-known, or to study at a well-known/respected institution such as a college or univeristy.

Since popular music accreditation is just starting to be taught in universities, practical experience still seems to be the better qualifier.
Steve

To some extent this has been my journey in music. I teach now but have no paper qualifications. I studied at the feet of better musicians until I joined their club! It once concerned me about my lack of qualifications till a parent told me,"You are over-qualified for this job!" My life experiences in music are something that a degree cannot provide you with. Many is the time that I have had to re-arrange a piece that had been done by someone with a BMus that did not understand what was playable, by a particular musician, and what was not. Most of my music has been written with each player in mind.

[stevel]

Originally Posted by Boneman

To some extent this has been my journey in music. I teach now but have no paper qualifications. I studied at the feet of better musicians until I joined their club! It once concerned me about my lack of qualifications till a parent told me,"You are over-qualified for this job!" My life experiences in music are something that a degree cannot provide you with. Many is the time that I have had to re-arrange a piece that had been done by someone with a BMus that did not understand what was playable, by a particular musician, and what was not. Most of my music has been written with each player in mind.

I would just add, not that a degree is useless - it's something people should still pursue as well (or at least the same type of education through other means). It is no substitute for actual experience, and degrees are supposed to be designed to work in conjunction with practical experience. Unfortunately, to many people view a degree as an end in itself. Both supplement the other - knowledge and experience. Each without the other leads to a lot of potential errors like Boneman's Bmus friend who couldn't score!

Happy New Year,
Steve

[reith]

Originally Posted by Boneman

To some extent this has been my journey in music. I teach now but have no paper qualifications. I studied at the feet of better musicians until I joined their club! It once concerned me about my lack of qualifications till a parent told me,"You are over-qualified for this job!" My life experiences in music are something that a degree cannot provide you with. Many is the time that I have had to re-arrange a piece that had been done by someone with a BMus that did not understand what was playable, by a particular musician, and what was not. Most of my music has been written with each player in mind.

Inclined to agree, though in my case I was never single-minded enough to give my life up to music. I really can't see myself as a teacher except 1:1. A diploma has proved relatively redundant. Almost all the music I've written in any capacity came from the earliest harmony and counterpoint lessons, and being i/c scoring for the school orchestra which meant writing for the people rather than the instruments. Contacts I made as I went along. And there was the harmony I learned from classic popular songs.

Even so, I see nothing wrong in pursuing qualifications if one so chooses. Sneekymum hasn't talked of her musical activities generally but if she's a mum with kiddies, then it's an excellent way to pace herself and keep up music. The one good thing about exams was being made to write music to order (to use sneekymum's words).

[high_school_bassoonist]

heres the deal. I've only ever done popular music theory, and have tried to learn classical theory over a very short time, and was always learning it in choppy sections. and they are not the same. but they definately have their uses