Posted by MG on March 20, 2003 at 02:20:51:
In Reply to: theory and tuba posted by lisa on March 18, 2003 at 20:53:56:
A lot has been said already, most of which I agree with. I fall decisively in the "instinct" camp myself. I have always hated analysis (musical, literary, the list goes on) despite being rather good at it. Perhaps it is possessing this ability that frees me from the obligation to perform it explicitly; I'm actually not old enough yet that I can give you a definitive answer. Either way, I think that today's garden variety public university music theory curriculum is misguided, and in fact, I am working independently on a thesis- type project myself which will discuss this as well as many other aspects of public university music education.
For anyone who has some spare time to burn, here is an exceprt from something I wrote a few months ago. I'd be interested to know who agrees with me and who thinks I'm off my rocker:
There is something intangible about the way our brains process incoming musical stimuli. Things you learn can be smoothly incorporated into your musical pursuits, or they can sound forced and out of place (this duality stands on it’s own apart from the discussion of intellectual understanding versus emotional realization, although they are obviously related). What the academics are saying is that one should learn the “right” way to do something, thus preparing one for the task of creating music that exceeds some boundaries of the framework. Going directly to this end result is prohibited on the grounds that music created in this manner will be inherently inferior due to a lack of grounding in tradition (or something to this effect).
It is commendable that they have so accurately recognized how our brains work. Given time to properly absorb a given amount of information, one becomes unaware of how exactly it is manifesting itself in the activity at hand. Unfortunately, the recommended academic approach to creative activities functions more effectively as a means of propagating the musical preferences and biases of the professors than it does to foster creativity. By insisting that one go through a certain sequence of training, they exercise their power over students’ developing minds. However, even they cannot quantify EXACTLY how this training is intended to and will effect one’s creative output. The rule is that the only thing that goes in is their ingredients, and what comes out happens by some miracle of nature.
I myself am no more qualified than they are to attempt to quantify how incoming musical stimuli is processed by the brain and how EXACTLY this effects creativity. But I approach my study of music with only my own musical preferences and biases in mind; there is no need for me to justify to myself why it’s alright to think these things. On the other hand, when a student has a teacher feeding them these thoughts (as I have described), it is absolutely necessary to have justification for it. Why? Musical academia is all about quantification and rules. In a field based so heavily on this literal adherence to certain concepts, being able to explain to a student EXACTLY how what they are being fed affects them is perhaps the most important thing to be quantified if the student is to have any kind of legitimate control over their creative impulses. Unfortunately, the academics have trapped themselves; they may have a name and a rule to describe everything else, but they, by their own implicit admission, know that this one cannot be done, and they continue to hide behind this problematic aspect of human nature to justify their methods. For the adherents to a school of thought which is based on extensive quantification to be unable quantify the most important aspect of their method is laughable.
Composition Professor X will never be able to tell me EXACTLY how learning to write a fugue will effect my compositional output if I never intended to write one. Jazz Professor Y will never be able to tell me EXACTLY how learning to play chord tones on strong rhythmic pulses will effect my jazz improvisation if I never intend to play in this style. As a largely self-taught musician in the creative areas of music, I know EXACTLY why I study what I do. The academics will never be able to answer this question, and thus, I will never study music their way.