Music theory sometimes gets a bad press, and some people have been persuaded that music theory is ‘just maths’ or that it is ‘really difficult to learn’. I have even heard music theory described as a subject best avoided, because it can interfere with your natural musical ability! I don’t think any of these views offer a reasonable evaluation, and I suspect they reflect the individual experience some people have had in their music-learning.
A traditional approach to music-teaching might be summarised in three steps – First, an explanation of a theoretical concept or technique is given, second, examples are used to demonstrate a typical context, and third, exercises or tasks are set for students to navigate on their own, and the results are assessed by the teacher.
Broadly speaking, there is nothing wrong with this model, however the way a teacher goes about each step makes all the difference and one key component that is sometimes missing, is the practical application of a theory, concept or technique. This is problematic, because if your music theory understanding is purely theoretical, with no practical application, then it only exists in the abstract.
Turning music theory into music practice, breathes life into an idea and enables the student to experience both the physicality of performance and the sound produced as a result. Even complete beginners can quickly learn to read simple rhythmic notation that can be clapped, spoken, sung, or played on an instrument. The way a rhythmic idea is performed is not important, it is the act of performing and hearing how the notation actually sounds that counts.
You may not think that reading music is a priority for you, but what you are really learning through the process of becoming music-literate, is how music works and in book 1 of the series, specifically, how rhythm works. Rhythm is a fundamentally important aspect in all music so understanding how rhythmic ideas are notated will not only enable you to play from notation but bring a new clarity to your musical thinking.
It is of course possible to learn music theory from what might be described as a ‘standard theory book’ which is aimed at a broader readership. The benefit of working from the unique format in this series, is that the concepts explained are always followed with related examples and practice tasks. These are presented in standard drum notation to give a drummer-focused context.
I have taken this approach to ensure as far as possible, theoretical information can be more meaningfully understood through playing. Provided the student commits to reading the information with care, works through the practice tasks as directed, and checks in periodically with a teacher, it is possible to make a lot of progress in establishing a solid grounding in the fundamental aspects of music theory.
Each book in the Music theory for drummers series is focused on a specific topic and sets out essential music theory facts, explains concepts, and offers carefully thought through examples and practice tasks. Book 1 is centred round rhythm and covers everything you need to know, to read, write, and count rhythmic notation.