Music is elusive.

[Derek]

Sometimes I try to think really hard about theory, however often I find the best music i've written usually uses deceptively simple theoretical devices.

The "amount" of music theory tricks one shovels into a composition or into improvisation does not seem to be directly proportional to the quality of the music---in fact it seems to have almost nothing to do with it.

Real musical knowledge---how everything is TIMED, can only be a purely intuitive sort of knowledge the likes of which theory could never possibly describe.


So, I would ask anyone who reads this to question yourself whenever you find yourself thinking: "Aha! That was a I V I progression. Therefore, I understand what makes this passage good." Not for that reason you don't.  You may well *understand* what makes it good---but if you really think about it you won't be able to verbalize precisely what it is.

Qualification: By theory I mean anything beyond just chords and scale knowledge.

[tompilk]

yeah... music is elusive... it always runs away whenever I almost see it... never lasts...
I dont know whether that was me taking the mic or something very deeply philosophical...
Tom