This is a common fear that people have before they begin the path to learning composition. Will learning music theory, ruin your creativity? Will it somehow make you less creative, stuffy, and unable to compose anything original or genuinely fresh.

Let me relate a story, and I’ll let you come to your own conclusions.

I recently had the opportunity to disconnect from the world, in a way that I’ve been unable to disconnect. We all face the reality of the world around us. Constant notifications, needs of others, problems with the world, news stories. It never seems to end. And so when you are given the opportunity to disconnect, truly disconnect, I would recommend taking it.

The place I was offered to disconnect, was the Amazonian Jungle, and there was no cell service, and the minimum of modern conveniences. We had electricity, running water, toilets, and each other. But that was great. That is what I craved.

After a few days and nights there, I happened to be sitting with a friend of mine. I haven’t known him long, but we are good friends by this point. As we’re sitting there, he notices a handpan, a large metal saucer looking thing, that has special divots hammered in, so that the entire instrument is in tune with a pentatonic scale. He grabs it. And he begins to play.

This is where I come in. And where knowing music comes in. Just by me, happens to be a guitar. I play guitar. I have since I was a child. I get the urge to grab it and play it. I can hear that the handpan is tuned to a pentatonic scale. And so I begin to searching for a note that resonates, but not just any note, the tonic, the root of the scale. I find one, and then I begin to play around. I know that I can play any note in that scale and it will sound good. But I know other things I can do, sequences that I can play, chords that will resonate with tension and eventual release.

I can play with the music.

This requires several things. It requires a good ear, which means you can hear a tone, and match the tone. It requires some kind of system that the music can fit, a music theory, and it takes listening. Being there, in the moment.

I didn’t even realize it at the time, how much of an impact I had, but when I was talking to my friend a few weeks later, he really enjoyed playing, and brought it up. It was only then, that I made the connection. It was my hard work, and desire to understand music and learn it, that I was able to bring him into it, in a way that he couldn’t do on his own.

It’s a feeling that you get when you get to jam with someone who is really skilled at music. I don’t even want to label it as better or worse, because it’s not about that kind of value judgement. It’s about connection and giving. And when you work hard to collect abilities in music, you can bring others into those abilities. It’s a great feeling.

Music theory is about having a system that the music lives in. There are many ways to conceive of music, and for the most part, they are all great, and equally powerful, but you have to commit yourself to learning from them. It takes time, and it takes patience.

Training your ear, comes with the right kinds of exercises, and time as well. All of this can be learned.

But creativity is to me, a driving force inside of us. And learning to listen to that is something that we all must do. We are human beings, and so we are creative. We have been for hundreds of thousands of years. But we can very easily drown out this creative instinct. This ability to listen.

I do have a course that teaches the fundamental aspects of western music. And I think the course is pretty good. Others seem to think so as well. And I am beginning a sale starting today, so that you can get it for $50. This feels like a great bargain, as I’ve put my heart and soul into the course.

The coupon code is justlisten, but clicking the links in the email will apply it automatically.

Will it teach you everything you need to know? Of course not. Music is endless. It is infinite.

Will it give you a system to place music within? Yes. This gives you a grounding in understanding what is happening musically that is hard to describe.

But I would be honored for you to purchase it, and learn. If you've already purchased it, and you are receiving this, I thank you. I am a one man show, and I don't have a marketing team. But I do need to get my message out there. The coupon also applies to my other course on sonata form, as well as the membership.

I’ve had many teachers along the way, so I won’t be your last, but I promise that I care about you, your music, and your ability to create.

​https://courses.artofcomposing.com/courses/music-composition-101?coupon=justlisten​

Thanks,

Jon