The Benefits Of Learning Music Theory

That's music to my ear is a common phrase used to express a person's emotional response to how a particular tune can make them feel. Some people listen to music all the time. Some study the art of playing an instrument. It's therapeutic; it's enriching; it's a way of creating moods in any environmental setting. If you are interested in music for more than the pure enjoyment people get out of listening to it, then learning about music theory is an ideal mode for you.

Music theory can be an important attribute in a person's life, for many reasons. People often ask, "Is music theory necessary?" "Why do we need it?"

First of all, even though you don't have to understand how to read sheet music to perform as a musician, you will need an understanding of music theory. It opens so many other doors for you in the world of music. Music theory will not show you how to understand music, but with music theory you will be able to communicate musical ideas, explore music in whole new ways, and redefine the tremendous scope that entails the magical world of music.

Music theory allows you to voice your opinion with others in the field, expand your musical horizon. Give a little input to a fellow musician and you'll get something in return.

Notations And Communicating With Other Musicians

Music lovers all develop a keen sense of awareness, musically speaking. Sometimes, musicians explain that if they study music theory, then it'll stunt their creativity. Wrong! The world's greatest composers were all masters of music theory: Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, J.S. Bach. These experts composed a keen understanding of the theoretical concepts. Years were spent studying the concept, down to some of the smallest details.

Music can be played by ear, picking out tunes without the aid of written music. Your ears can be your guide. The reason this is brought to light is that some musicians with strong theoretical training often disregard the art of playing by ear.

Think of playing music by ear this way: We're all born as non-verbal creations. Communication begins with crying, making sounds, displaying body language. Parents quickly become experts on baby talk. It's an innate sense. Over time, language develops by mimicking sounds. Toddlers don't learn nouns and verbs; they learn to speak by example. Music can be the same way. Hence, the reason so many people pay top dollar for live performances. It's invigorating, magical.

Understanding Harmony And Chord Progression

Chord progression and harmony, two features of music theory, help broaden any musician, regardless of their genre of study. Chord progression is a series of chords that are used to harmonize music. All compositions use chord progression. Those that improvise - which, as already mentioned, adds charm and magic to the environment of music - invent brand new melodies that blend in with an existing chord. It's a musical transition, something that must be practiced, repeatedly. The great composers and musicians develop chord progressions and transitions until it becomes natural, a second-natured maneuver.

If a musician improvises in a more interconnected manner, these new melodies show the musician the progression as one whole unit, and not a series of bumpy transitions. The more practice that goes into this aspect of music learning theory, the more interesting substitutions they will develop along the way. Once the concept of chord progression and its structure is understood, it will be easier to remember. Jazz musicians, therefore, show a keen interest in the study and analysis of chord progression.

The study of music theory will show musicians and musical scholars that the objective, initially, is not to consider an entire composition in one sitting. Instead, musicians, students and teachers alike, view a chord progression in segments, or units. These units correspond to musical sections known as stanzas.

A stanza is the complete statement and development of a single musical idea. It's a fairly simple act of dividing pieces into small manageable sections, with the melody itself forming, or suggesting the boundaries for sound.

Tonality, another element of chord progression, means different things to different people. Some would consider it to be this: any piece of music with a well-defined key center. Others envision any music that uses the conventional chords as tonal.

Music without the use of chords in a functional manner to reinforce a tonal center is not tonal. It is referred to as non-tonal music. The names of these styles are not always agreed upon between musical connoisseurs. But expressing difference is one key element that makes music such a beautiful art form, with countless possibilities.

How to Find Production Music for Any Project

If you are a producer, director or project coordinator for any type of film, television or video project, you know how challenging it can be to find production music that encapsulates fully the important themes and the message of your project. Not only is production music and background music for film and television often incredibly expensive, but the time required to shop around to the multitude of music providers or composers is also extensive. And since musical originality is often a concern, typically producers with limited budgets that can't afford to pay a composer to create a score of music specifically for their film, television show or video project, but can buy popular music or previously used film scores run the risk of hearing the very same production music and background music they paid so dearly for in another film weeks or months later.

Many film and television professionals that do not have multi-million dollar budgets wonder what to look for in high quality production music. Because the market for background music of all varieties, particularly those that claim to be "affordable" and "original" can be so inundated with poor-sounding, purely imitative scores and individual musical pieces, weeding through the rocks to find the gems can be a painstaking process for which no one has the time or energy.

The following are four important elements to look for when shopping for the right production music and background music for your film, television or video project:

1. Excellent sound quality. This may seem like an obvious element, because it is often the most immediately noticeable when listening to good music, but many don't think about sound quality unless it is very bad. If you are a producer or director, you probably have an understanding of sound quality in film or television, but may be less certain of your ability to gauge it in production music and background music. If you don't have the benefit of having a musical expert on staff, you can certainly gauge the quality of the music yourself by thinking about a few important aspects. If the music has been recorded under the best conditions, you will hear a perfect balance between bass and treble, as well as consistent sound and textures regardless of the volume at which you are listening to the music. You will be able to pick out the individual sounds of different instruments and not just a muddle of sounds, some fairly indistinguishable.

2. Vivid, true instrumentation. Some production music that claims to be "affordable" sounds more like bad elevator music or music that has been recorded in a dark room by someone's younger brother using a cheap synthesizer from the 1980's. Even if the music is synthesized (and as a professional with a limited budget, you should understand that sometimes it has to be in order to keep costs down), it does not have to sound fake and hollow. Synthesizers are capable of producing instrument sounds that are true-to-life, and the best production music and background music will have depth and approach if not fully embody the richness and intricacies of real violins, cellos, brass, woodwinds, electric guitars and percussion. If you can tell the instruments are merely simulated, your audience will know as well.

3. Originality. This one seems like something obvious to look for in great production music, but is actually much more complicated than at first thought. If you can't afford popular music, or don't want to risk hearing the music you've selected in other films or television programs that have nothing to do with your unique project, you want to find background music that is exciting and innovative, but also makes some musical sense and has continuity, and most importantly, fits the overall feeling of your production. First-rate production music will have technical accuracy and stylistic importance, but will be special and able to stand alone as a piece of good music. Still, as a producer, director or project coordinator you will want something original that still invokes the attitude and style of your film and perhaps even reminds audiences of the popular pieces of music you could not afford.

4. Well-written and -performed music by artists with real and verifiable credentials. Production music providers, even the smaller ones, that are legitimate and of the finest quality will provide credentials for the artists and composers they enlist, and will have full and confirmable information about all aspects of their production music. Film and television professionals should be prepared to ask specific questions of these providers if this history is not readily available, because sometimes a very new production music provider will have talented musicians involved, but not necessarily yet have the resume to prove it. If the provider's music has been used in other films and projects, you should ask for a list and make sure the projects are similar or at least remotely relevant in style and quality to your production.

Everyone has had the experience of buying popular music, even at cheaper prices, only to hear it in every film that comes out in the same year. Many producers and directors are thinking about alleviating the struggle of searching for production music by turning to providers of royalty free music and royalty free production music to fulfill their complex needs. Royalty free music and buyout music offers an excellent alternative to the hassle of searching for the right production music that fits a tight budget. Clients of royalty free production music companies pay a one-time, low fee and gain unlimited use of the pieces of music.

The Top 5 Myths About Making It In The Music Business

Are you searching for ways to make it in the music industry? In order to break into the music business and develop a long-lasting, successful career, it is important to (first) eliminate all of the misinformation you have heard about becoming a pro musician. Truth is, believing in music industry 'myths' will cause you to waste time, energy and money while never getting any closer to your music career goals.

People in the music industry are sent tons of mail each day containing recordings and other materials from talented musicians. Most of these musicians have spent their whole life working on their musical skills in order to get signed to a recording contract. Unfortunately, 99% of these musicians will not get signed, nor will they even hear back from the companies they send their music to. In many cases, music companies throw away a lot of the materials they receive from random musicians. This results in a lot of frustration for most musicians and leaves them wondering why they work hard on their musical skills but can't seem to break into the music industry.

On the other hand, there are plenty of musicians who DO become successful in the music industry. Building a fulfilling and profitable music career is actually not as difficult as it may seem. However, the majority of musicians do not succeed because they believe in false 'conventional wisdom' about the music industry that ruins their chances of achieving their musical dreams. To break into the music industry and become successful, you must avoid the following music career building approaches that most people consider 'common sense':

1. Pursuing A Music Degree In Order To Become Successful In The Music Business

One of the most common music career myths is thinking that a music degree is the key to becoming a successful professional musician. It's true that you can learn a lot about 'music' by going to university to get a music degree. However

In reality, very few professional musicians have music degrees because they simply never needed them. They made it in the music business by working together with a mentor who trained them in all the skills they needed to build value for others and earn a great living in music.

2. Taking Music Career Advice From Others Who Have Never Succeeded In The Music Industry

Chances are, you have already received a lot of advice from the people in your life about what you should do to become successful in your music career. Most people will be happy to give out 'expert' tips or conventional wisdom even when they really have no authority to do so. Generally speaking, these people are sincere in wanting to help you, but since they have never achieved anything significant in the music industry, their advice is more likely to send you down the wrong path than to lead you toward success.

Consider this: Asking people for music career advice (when they have never actually succeeded in the music business) is like training for a marathon with a trainer who hasn't run a mile in his life or asking your dentist for legal advice. Additionally, asking advice from musicians who attempted to succeed in music (and failed) is equally as dangerous for your music career. Although these people are perfectly willing to tell you how you should build your music career, they do not really have the authority to do so - they will only lead you down the same path they took (which ended in failure).

Truly successful musicians do not build their careers from the 'conventional wisdom' of people they know or amateur musicians who never made it. They work together with a mentor who has already achieved great success and can use his experience to help them effectively reach their music career goals.

3. 'Playing It Safe' By Working A Full Time Job And Doing Music On The Side

Most musicians think that the only way to break into the music industry is to work at a safe and secure job while pursuing music on the side. In many cases, they are lead to believe that they can only attempt to get into the music industry once they have saved up enough money (many years down the road). Unfortunately, when people use this approach they end up getting stuck working 40 hours per week and never find the time to work on music. After training many musicians around the world to succeed in the music industry, I have seen this happen countless times. The reality is, you only have a finite amount of energy to spend during your day. When you spend it primarily working at a job that is unrelated to music, you will not have any left to go toward making progress to become a successful professional musician. The worst part is, musicians who take this approach fail to become successful in music and feel a lot of regret and resentment later on in life. There is nothing worse than this.

To build a successful long-term career in the music industry, you make your music career your #1 focus and plan for it accordingly. If you work a lot of hours at your job and have little time to pursue your musical goals, there is a problem. In fact, many musicians have been in this same situation and gone on to become professional musicians. You too, can overcome this. The best way to break into the music industry while working a full time job is to create a backup plan centered around your main music career goals. This plan should gradually help you transition away from your job in a safe and secure manner while giving you more time to work on music AND keeping you financially stable along the way.

4. Trying To Make It In Music On Your Own

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when trying to make it in the music industry is attempting to build your music career by yourself. This is the approach that leads countless musicians to failure. Why? Because when you try to build your music career alone you are forced to either 'guess' about which actions you should take next or copy what someone else is doing (and 'hope' that it works). Without the expert guidance of a mentor who has already gained many years of experience as a highly successful musician, it is nearly impossible to 'guess' the correct course of action you must take to further your music career.

5. Hoping To 'Get Discovered' By Uploading Your Music Online

When it comes to breaking into the music industry, most musicians immediately wonder how they can put themselves out there to new fans, record labels and music companies. In an effort to do this, they upload their music to as many websites as possible thinking that this is what you are supposed to do to get noticed. The truth is, this approach will rarely get you even a handful of listeners, will not help you earn a good living as a musician and will 'never' get you heard by the right people in the music industry (who can help you move your career forward). Here are the reasons why most people who take this approach will fail:

• They do not understand how to effectively promote themselves and their music.
• They don't have thousands of enthusiastic fans waiting for the release of their new album.
• They have no strategy for attracting new fans while simultaneously transforming their current fans into true FANATICS.
• They do not have a strategy to help them earn a living through multiple sources of income at once.

Musicians who achieve the greatest success in their music careers do NOT merely upload their music online and wait around to get discovered. They create a strategy for working toward their musical goals while raising their personal value in the eyes of other in the music industry (by expanding their fan base and building other important music business skills). After doing this, they simply approach the companies they want to do business with and negotiate a partnership that will bring the most benefit to both sides of the deal.

If you are serious about breaking into the music industry and becoming a successful professional musician, it is imperative that you work together with a mentor as soon as possible. By doing this, you will reach your musical goals in much less time and finally be able to make a good living as a musician.