3 answers
Julia
Student
Wernersville, Pennsylvania
1
Question
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What is the hardest thing to learn about Music Theory?
What's the most difficult concept to learn and master when it comes to Music Theory education, whether it be compositional, vocal or aural?
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3 answers
Mark Marshall
Music composer, musician, music producer, music professor
11
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Mark’s Answer
Honestly, the hardest thing is finding common ground or associations between music theory and something you already know. It all seems so alien at first, but if you can find relationships between something you see, it becomes much easier. Music theory confuses a lot of people when they first come in, because they feel it's out of reach, which it isn't. There is also a miscommunication that music theory is rules, which it is not. They're recipes. If you want a specific meal, you follow a recipe. That doesn't mean you can't make changes.
Let's say you want to make a family recipe for chocolate chip cookies. If you want them to taste like they did while you were growing up, you would make the recipe exactly as it is. But you are free to make any changes. It just won't taste exactly as you remember. That's how music theory works,
Music recipes are good because sometimes we need to troubleshoot a part that isn't working. With theory, we can look at our recipe and identify the issue. Also, working fast sometimes requires a knowledge of recipes to pull from.
If you really want to learn music theory, I recommend finding a great teacher who doesn't approach it as rules and can help you make connections to interests you already have and are strong in your life.
I teach private music theory and high-level music theory classes at the college level. Since adapting this technique, I have seen students have much more clarity about what music theory is and how to use it.
The problem is, too many teachers speak information at you without trying to find a way into your understanding.
So the answer is: after studying music theory for years on my own before I started studying with others, having a great mentor can make music theory much more digestible if it's the right teacher. It's a step-by-step process, and if you're guided through the right steps, some of it will be a little hard at first, but a good teacher will keep adapting the way they deliver the information until you make the connection.
For me, the hardest thing was starting on my own, teaching myself, and learning music theory out of order. That made it much harder. I was learning step 10 before step 4.
Let's say you want to make a family recipe for chocolate chip cookies. If you want them to taste like they did while you were growing up, you would make the recipe exactly as it is. But you are free to make any changes. It just won't taste exactly as you remember. That's how music theory works,
Music recipes are good because sometimes we need to troubleshoot a part that isn't working. With theory, we can look at our recipe and identify the issue. Also, working fast sometimes requires a knowledge of recipes to pull from.
If you really want to learn music theory, I recommend finding a great teacher who doesn't approach it as rules and can help you make connections to interests you already have and are strong in your life.
I teach private music theory and high-level music theory classes at the college level. Since adapting this technique, I have seen students have much more clarity about what music theory is and how to use it.
The problem is, too many teachers speak information at you without trying to find a way into your understanding.
So the answer is: after studying music theory for years on my own before I started studying with others, having a great mentor can make music theory much more digestible if it's the right teacher. It's a step-by-step process, and if you're guided through the right steps, some of it will be a little hard at first, but a good teacher will keep adapting the way they deliver the information until you make the connection.
For me, the hardest thing was starting on my own, teaching myself, and learning music theory out of order. That made it much harder. I was learning step 10 before step 4.
John Graham
Music Producer
80
Answers
Bremerton, Washington
Updated
John’s Answer
Hi Julia!
Congratulations on your interest in Music Theory. My background is 1> Classically trained pianist, 2> Played and sang in school and commercial bands, orchestras, choirs, and acapella groups, 3> Learned music theory as part of popular piano, organ, and band training, 4> Independent music producer, arranger, musician, and audio engineer for the past 18 years, and I've written a few original songs.
In my opinion, there is nothing conceptually difficult about music theory - it just has a lot of moving parts that you need to understand, and then choose a lesser number of areas to master and develop your proficiency. For being an instrumentalist, quite a bit of is rote memorization, but the way to make that stick is to use it in practice - and that practice sort of falls into the "10,000 hours" rule, with some provisos:
Quality vs Quantity - Skill practice is for improving physical / mental ability within the discipline - usually with a coach or teacher. But effective practice involves identifying and working on your weaknesses and improving them. And the 10K hour rule does not account for your personal talent level, or getting focused help from a mentor or expert. So mastery isn't just how much time you spend, but also the effectiveness of how you approach things.
Most beginner music theory courses include:
Types of musical notes - (Whole, Half, Quarter, Eighth, 16th, etc.)
Intervals
Keys and Scale Building/What It Means to Be in a Key
Chords and how to build them
How to Read Sheet Music (not really music theory, but usually included) - to answer your question, this might be the "hardest" because it just takes time and practice to get good at it.
Chord progressions, how to recognize and use them
There are a number of online music theory courses, but one that will give you a good overall introduction on the process, the fundamentals, and where to get help is this one: https://girlinbluemusic.com/how-to-start-learning-music-theory/ Amy at Girl in Blue Music also offers some free and paid courses to get you started. (For the record, I don't work for them.)
Summarizing some next steps (Amy uses these also):
Start with an open mind and curiosity
Try to set goals that align with your questions
Decide on your larger purpose behind learning music theory?
What do you already know?
What do you want to learn and why - are you planning to be a vocalist, a songwriter, instrumentalist, or an informed listener?
Set some goals that will take you from where you are to where you want to be
Find resources that align with your curiosity and goals
Good luck on your journey - you're going to do great!
Congratulations on your interest in Music Theory. My background is 1> Classically trained pianist, 2> Played and sang in school and commercial bands, orchestras, choirs, and acapella groups, 3> Learned music theory as part of popular piano, organ, and band training, 4> Independent music producer, arranger, musician, and audio engineer for the past 18 years, and I've written a few original songs.
In my opinion, there is nothing conceptually difficult about music theory - it just has a lot of moving parts that you need to understand, and then choose a lesser number of areas to master and develop your proficiency. For being an instrumentalist, quite a bit of is rote memorization, but the way to make that stick is to use it in practice - and that practice sort of falls into the "10,000 hours" rule, with some provisos:
Quality vs Quantity - Skill practice is for improving physical / mental ability within the discipline - usually with a coach or teacher. But effective practice involves identifying and working on your weaknesses and improving them. And the 10K hour rule does not account for your personal talent level, or getting focused help from a mentor or expert. So mastery isn't just how much time you spend, but also the effectiveness of how you approach things.
Most beginner music theory courses include:
Types of musical notes - (Whole, Half, Quarter, Eighth, 16th, etc.)
Intervals
Keys and Scale Building/What It Means to Be in a Key
Chords and how to build them
How to Read Sheet Music (not really music theory, but usually included) - to answer your question, this might be the "hardest" because it just takes time and practice to get good at it.
Chord progressions, how to recognize and use them
There are a number of online music theory courses, but one that will give you a good overall introduction on the process, the fundamentals, and where to get help is this one: https://girlinbluemusic.com/how-to-start-learning-music-theory/ Amy at Girl in Blue Music also offers some free and paid courses to get you started. (For the record, I don't work for them.)
Summarizing some next steps (Amy uses these also):
Start with an open mind and curiosity
Try to set goals that align with your questions
Decide on your larger purpose behind learning music theory?
What do you already know?
What do you want to learn and why - are you planning to be a vocalist, a songwriter, instrumentalist, or an informed listener?
Set some goals that will take you from where you are to where you want to be
Find resources that align with your curiosity and goals
Good luck on your journey - you're going to do great!
Paul Anthony Rashley
Music Producer/Retired Army
2
Answers
Oregon, Ohio
Updated
Paul Anthony’s Answer
Hi Julia!
The hardest thing about music theory is different for almost everyone, but if I had to pick the ONE thing that trips up the most music majors (and even many pros for life), it’s this:
Hearing and truly internalizing functional harmony in real time – especially post-1900 harmony and chromaticism.
In other words:
You can label every single chord in a Bach chorale or a jazz chart and still struggle to hear the voice leading, the borrowed chords, the modulations, or why a random ♭VI in a pop song feels the way it does.
A lot of people ace written theory and Roman-numeral analysis but freeze when they have to sight-sing a tricky atonal melody, improvise over Giant Steps changes, or figure out what Radiohead is doing by ear.
Close runners-up that torture almost everyone at some point:
Counterpoint (especially 18th-century species – your brain hurts after 30 minutes)
Post-tonal/set theory (hello, pitch-class sets and interval vectors)
Recognizing secondary dominants and modulations by ear in real music
Rhythm: polyrhythms, metric modulation, odd meters that shift constantly (thanks, prog rock and contemporary classical) Vivaldi, my fav.
But here’s the good news: the “hardest” thing usually becomes your superpower once you wrestle with it for a semester or two. I still have former students who text me pictures of their aural skills final like it’s a war medal 😂
Keep asking great questions, Julia – you’re already ahead of the game!
And hey, if you ever need more theory help (or just want to geek out about music), feel free to reach out. I volunteer as a mentor here on CareerVillage, and I’m a Song Writer/Producer. Happy to help anytime! 🎶
Best,
Paul Anthony Rashley
(Yes, this is a shameless plug to come say hi – I love working with motivated students like you!)
Hope that helps!
Keep making music! 🥁🎺🎷
The hardest thing about music theory is different for almost everyone, but if I had to pick the ONE thing that trips up the most music majors (and even many pros for life), it’s this:
Hearing and truly internalizing functional harmony in real time – especially post-1900 harmony and chromaticism.
In other words:
You can label every single chord in a Bach chorale or a jazz chart and still struggle to hear the voice leading, the borrowed chords, the modulations, or why a random ♭VI in a pop song feels the way it does.
A lot of people ace written theory and Roman-numeral analysis but freeze when they have to sight-sing a tricky atonal melody, improvise over Giant Steps changes, or figure out what Radiohead is doing by ear.
Close runners-up that torture almost everyone at some point:
Counterpoint (especially 18th-century species – your brain hurts after 30 minutes)
Post-tonal/set theory (hello, pitch-class sets and interval vectors)
Recognizing secondary dominants and modulations by ear in real music
Rhythm: polyrhythms, metric modulation, odd meters that shift constantly (thanks, prog rock and contemporary classical) Vivaldi, my fav.
But here’s the good news: the “hardest” thing usually becomes your superpower once you wrestle with it for a semester or two. I still have former students who text me pictures of their aural skills final like it’s a war medal 😂
Keep asking great questions, Julia – you’re already ahead of the game!
And hey, if you ever need more theory help (or just want to geek out about music), feel free to reach out. I volunteer as a mentor here on CareerVillage, and I’m a Song Writer/Producer. Happy to help anytime! 🎶
Best,
Paul Anthony Rashley
(Yes, this is a shameless plug to come say hi – I love working with motivated students like you!)
Hope that helps!
Keep making music! 🥁🎺🎷