Is it helpful to learn music theory when you're not a composer?

Well, it doesn't hurt. I've learned it to help my playing. I wouldn't go as far as to say that it has enhanced my listening. It sorta just gives you a better understanding of the music, and what's going on, and the direction the song will take. Just learn some simple stuff, and if you're interested, keep going. If not, just keep listening.

>>69328588
>Is it helpful to learn music theory when you're not a composer?
Yes
Does it really make you listen to music better and not be a pleb?
Yes

>>69328588
yes and yes. the main problem with this board is that 90% of the posters know literally nothing about music.

>>69329673
>listening to music
how pleb can you be

>>69329707
you're right. i should just read p4k bnm's instead and let them do the listening for me.

>>69328588
It actually kind of ruins the magic. You'll start to recognize typical chord progressions and ideas being recycled.

>>69329852
>You'll start to recognize typical chord progressions and ideas being recycled.
yeah. in pop music.

this is when you ascend to the true apex of the art form and start listening to classical/jazz/prog rock/ or other compositionally impressive and original styles of music.

it doesn't ruin the magic, it just helps you to realize that you've been wasting your time with shitty music, and helps redirect you to the good stuff

I wouldn't learn theory if I was just a music listener. To some it can sort of kill "the magic" or mystique of particular music that you like. I'd say it's essential if you plan on making music though.

>>69330041
see
>>69329950

>>69328588
Well, if you like music, why not learn theory? Why not learn more about the thing that you like?

>>69328588
itll just make you more bored, when you realize 90% of songs use the same scale or same notes and shit.

thats what happened to me at least. well you wouldnt need to learn really to hear that, but ya.

Of course

If you learn theory, you can understand what makes the music you love magical. It doesn't have to be something that hinders your creativity, actually quite the opposite, and I never understood why some people think of theory in a restrictive light.

Of course, it is restrictive when you're in a music class doing four part counterpoint, but when it comes to listening to any music or composing your own music, it's simply a guide to use or a reference point, not a strict set of rules.

>>69330074
Seems kinda like a "more technical=better music" trope. The loss of magic isn't due to the trite songwriting methods as much as it is the intellectualizing or inner monologue of "I've heard this before" in the middle of a song. Intellectualizing of any kind puts a damper on my music listening unless I'm studying it for production purposes

>>69330423
i see where you're coming from. i don't think that more technical=better, although i do tend towards more technical styles of music. i just think that more original and forward-thinking=better.

It doesn't really make you more creative it just makes it easier to write songs. It's like, you can still probably build a table if you don't know how to use your tools but you can build a much sturdier one way faster if you know how to use them.