The CAGED system

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

I wouldn't. That opinion is partially base on years reading posts on the forum and progress being or not being made. Whatever approach try to keep it fun and not to over mysterize things.

If it is possible that some here would think that learning theory should be separate from learning tunes, then I would have to change my statement to simply that is not what I would ever say.

To me, it is a matter of being curious. Play something and then wanting to know why it works. Then I would discover that this particular thing is common practice and here is how it applies in general.

To me, that is part of the fun of learning. No mystery, just healthy curiosity. Maybe being an engineer in my working life, I am just naturally curious about these things and am therefore "odd man out". I have no idea, which can be a problem posting in forums in a discussion with people I have never met in person and gotten to know. It could well be that others do not share such curiosity and therefore such learning would take the fun out of it.

I probably, on thinking about it, shouldn't be posting about theory around here. So, I will let it rest with this last response. My mistake.

Tony

[rick-slo]

Originally Posted by tbeltrans

If it is possible that some here would think that learning theory should be separate from learning tunes, then I would have to change my statement to simply that is not what I would ever say.

To me, it is a matter of being curious. Play something and then wanting to know why it works. Then I would discover that this particular thing is common practice and here is how it applies in general.

To me, that is part of the fun of learning. No mystery, just healthy curiosity. Maybe being an engineer in my working life, I am just naturally curious about these things and am therefore "odd man out". I have no idea, which can be a problem posting in forums in a discussion with people I have never met in person and gotten to know. It could well be that others do not share such curiosity and therefore such learning would take the fun out of it.

I probably, on thinking about it, shouldn't be posting about theory around here. So, I will let it rest with this last response. My mistake.

Tony

No reason for that. Your posting on topics and curiosity have been just as useful and welcome as that of anyone else and plenty of people agree 100% with you. Various viewpoints are valuable and there can be various valid paths to follow in how to learn to do things.

[Brent Hutto]

Originally Posted by tbeltrans

If it is possible that some here would think that learning theory should be separate from learning tunes, then I would have to change my statement to simply that is not what I would ever say.

To me, it is a matter of being curious. Play something and then wanting to know why it works. Then I would discover that this particular thing is common practice and here is how it applies in general.

To me, that is part of the fun of learning. No mystery, just healthy curiosity. Maybe being an engineer in my working life, I am just naturally curious about these things and am therefore "odd man out". I have no idea, which can be a problem posting in forums in a discussion with people I have never met in person and gotten to know. It could well be that others do not share such curiosity and therefore such learning would take the fun out of it.

I probably, on thinking about it, shouldn't be posting about theory around here. So, I will let it rest with this last response. My mistake.

Tony

I've been around this forum for 15 years, off and on, and you are a long way from "odd man out". Many, many people have the same sort of curiosity and are exploring the same aspects of music as what you're discussing.

But likewise there are plenty who look at things from a very different or even opposite perspective. I have more in common with yourself background-wise than I do with many of the accomplished musicians on this forum. But that hasn't stopped you and me from (as far as I can tell) finding our way down different musical paths. Music is a VERY open-ended thing and we all follow our own dreams within the general realm of "playing guitar".

[AugustWest72]

Originally Posted by tbeltrans

Just to be clear, learning tunes and learning the foundational information don't need to be mutually exclusive (i.e. instead of "this OR that" thinking, try "this AND that" thinking).

Exactly!! I learned to play guitar just by learning to play songs I liked - even in a band as a kid. Theory was boring. It was all about the songs, excitement and and the girls.

It was only when I picked the guitar up again years later that I got interested in theory. Now I find it fascinating as I try to move beyond the intermediate level. If you can hit the right chord on the right beat you can play guitar.

The joy is in the details, imo, of course.

[sprucetophere]

Originally Posted by tbeltrans

If it is possible that some here would think that learning theory should be separate from learning tunes, then I would have to change my statement to simply that is not what I would ever say.

To me, it is a matter of being curious. Play something and then wanting to know why it works. Then I would discover that this particular thing is common practice and here is how it applies in general.

To me, that is part of the fun of learning. No mystery, just healthy curiosity. Maybe being an engineer in my working life, I am just naturally curious about these things and am therefore "odd man out". I have no idea, which can be a problem posting in forums in a discussion with people I have never met in person and gotten to know. It could well be that others do not share such curiosity and therefore such learning would take the fun out of it.

I probably, on thinking about it, shouldn't be posting about theory around here. So, I will let it rest with this last response. My mistake.

Tony

Tony,

Personally, I would love more theory discussion. I’d still like to have a theory section in the forum. I have a lot to learn, and help from people like you would be welcome.

Robert

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

No reason for that. Your posting on topics and curiosity have been just as useful and welcome as that of anyone else and plenty of people agree 100% with you. Various viewpoints are valuable and there can be various valid paths to follow in how to learn to do things.

Thanks rick-slo. It just gets somewhat frustrating at times.

By the way, I have some of your music and really enjoy it.

Tony

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by Brent Hutto

I've been around this forum for 15 years, off and on, and you are a long way from "odd man out". Many, many people have the same sort of curiosity and are exploring the same aspects of music as what you're discussing.

But likewise there are plenty who look at things from a very different or even opposite perspective. I have more in common with yourself background-wise than I do with many of the accomplished musicians on this forum. But that hasn't stopped you and me from (as far as I can tell) finding our way down different musical paths. Music is a VERY open-ended thing and we all follow our own dreams within the general realm of "playing guitar".

Good to know, Brent. I did acknowledge in an earlier post in this thread that I was addressing those folks here who are expressing an interesting in learning one system or another. Many folks can go through their entire guitar journey and be perfectly happy never asking about such things. That is perfectly fine.

Tony

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by AugustWest72

Exactly!! I learned to play guitar just by learning to play songs I liked - even in a band as a kid. Theory was boring. It was all about the songs, excitement and and the girls.

It was only when I picked the guitar up again years later that I got interested in theory. Now I find it fascinating as I try to move beyond the intermediate level. If you can hit the right chord on the right beat you can play guitar.

The joy is in the details, imo, of course.

Robert Conti, in his jazz guitar DVDs talks about this at length - it is by playing it first and then coming to understand the theory through playing and asking questions, rather than theory without the playing, that is the more sensible approach.

Tony

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by sprucetophere

Tony,

Personally, I would love more theory discussion. I’d still like to have a theory section in the forum. I have a lot to learn, and help from people like you would be welcome.

Robert

Thanks Robert. The only concern I would have with a theory section in the forum is that it is all too easy to get off on a tangent into theory that has less and less to do with what we are actually playing. In my personal experience, being self-taught, that is a problem we contend with - getting too far into one thing to the exclusion of other important areas.

So maybe having the discussion in the forums we have might be better. I don't really know, but that is just a thought anyway.

Tony