[Dixielandjazz] Re: Music theory

[DWSI at aol.com]

Ken's question is such a good one I can't resist adding my own "beliefs." I  
selected that word on purpose. I don't think anyone will ever be able to  
demonstrate the value of learning theory through their improvisation.  However, I 
also believe that all musical knowledge is basically  useful because it adds 
perspective and options--even if your playing  doesn't adopt it.
 
Years ago I got caught up in the John Mehagan books on jazz because I  
believed he had special knowledge that would show me how to play jazz better. So  I 
tried to memorize all the scales and modes in all 12 keyes, (as played), but I 
 finally wearied of this pointless labor and went back to simply playing 
music I  liked. In the end, I never understood why learning the notes of a 
particular  mode gave you better improvisational notes to play, when using the chord 
based  upon the same root note as the mode. His books never explained why 
either. But  his books insisted that I MUST learn to do this.
 
In the end I think he encouraged me to learn more basics and that helped  
with dexterity, fingering, and the like. Now I learn from myself--the way that  
Chopin did, I've read. In other words, I sit down and play from the gut  until 
I get something I really like. Then I go back and try to capture it, and  hold 
onto it, by "explaining" it in some way. I read that Chopin spent  more time 
trying to capture his piano pieces on paper than in actually creating  them. 
The point is--this method works for me. I've learned a lot that I can  apply to 
different songs and in different keys--from myself.

Maybe Mehagan inspired me in some unknown way. Who knows? 

Dan (backup pianoman) Spink