This is a great thread for me. I am exactly where the player who started this thread is. However, the initial responses agreed with each other, learn songs, lots of songs, and the requirements in those songs, will force you to learn and build a tool box of valuable techniques and skills. Then, later responses started to emphasize learning theory and scales and read music, "you won't regret it". It's kind of like politics or religion or economics or romance issues, if you ask a question, you get a wide variety of responses, so you decide to struggle thru and learn by trial and failure and successes.
I like the idea of learning songs, this also provides quick motivation to continue and practice more and allows one to perform sooner, more motivation. I'm going to focus on preparing songs for performance in a local cafe, where performers play for 15 minutes per set. With this process, I think you begin to "sense" music theory, and then, when you decide to learn more theory, you are convinced of the value of theory, you can feel it's function and application and value and thus, are motivated to learn and apply theroy.
I say you have to either be very motivated or forced (by parents) to spend a lot of time on music theory.Years ago, there was a popular piano instruction method (Suzuki Method?) where absolute beginners learned songs from the first day, not extremely easy songs) and theory was introduced later, once the student had some "momentum" and confidence.
Last edited by calstang66; 02-10-2019 at 12:38 PM.
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