Right now, I’m headlong into teaching a Music Theory for Producers class. My students are struggling with the reasons behind having to learn music theory and read music. They question, for example, why they have to know the difference between a simple triple meter and a compound duple meter. What relevance does this knowledge serve? Does knowing make my music better?

If you get right down to it, the answer is no. Many musicians strictly play by ear, and a large portion of musicians in general don’t know the mechanics and theory behind what they’re playing. So, understanding music theory or being able to read music is not an absolute necessity when producing or being a musician. But what it does do is help you communicate with your musicians and session players. Oftentimes, we’ll get an idea in our heads, but we won’t quite be able to convey that idea in a way that others can understand. Learning at least basic music theory will give you a knowledge base that will help you be able to formulate your ideas so you can articulate them. When you’re able to speak to musicians on their level, you are more likely to get exactly what you want out of them. Also, if you’re asked a question, you’ll likely have a better answer. However, if you don’t understand the theory behind the question, you may not have an answer at all!

A second consideration is sequencing. My students are pretty much split equally among three categories: rockers, rappers, and non-musicians (audio engineers or producers only). Understanding music theory, particularly when it deals with rhythm, is of particular importance to those who want to produce hip-hop beats. Not that you can’t “feel” the beat and go by instinct, but understanding rhythm and meter do help a great deal with setting up your tracks and sequencer. For example, if you’re setting up your metronome on your sequencer to record a track, you might question whether to the meter of your song to 3/4 or 6/8 (which is, by the way, an example of a simple triple meter and a compound duple meter). They both contain the same number of eighth notes, but they group the notes differently. Understanding the difference between the two, and being able to hear them both in your head, will lead you to the right solution for your track.

You don’t have to be a master of music theory to make great music. However, understanding how music works can help ease the process, save time, and alleviate frustration.

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