I am writing this paper to explain where I am at and what I need to improve on.

I feel

weird about Music Theory because I understand it, but I feel like something is missing. I know

that you use key signatures to show what scale your music is based on. When you change keys in

the middle of a song it’s called modulating to another key. You are not limited to which key you

can use because you can modulate to any key. A scale is a combination of eight successive notes

but once you get past the major and minor scales, all the other eight note combinations are called

modes.

I understand that the major scale is the mirror image of the minor scale. Major scale

sound happy while minor scales sound a little more depressing. The reason minor scales sound

less up partly because the third note of the minor scale is a minor interval, but the third note of

the major scale is a major interval. That small half step makes a big difference. All major scales

have the same intervals between different notes, no matter what note they start on. I remember

you talking briefly that modes are derived from the church and can be thought of as starting on

different degrees of the related major scale

The issue that I am having is actually playing the things on the piano that I am learning. I

have never played the piano before and even though I am learning how to do so it makes the

class even more difficult. When we get assignments where we have to play what we just learned

I feel stuck and freeze up. I really wish that we were being taught all of these music theory

concepts in a DAW on a piano roll.

 I feel this is where most of us as producers will be using this information. We are

expected to play stuff on the piano but have no training in playing the piano at all at least I don’t.

I think that those people who have been classically trained in piano have an advantage in the

class. I have started to supplement my learning with piano lessons and also reading multiple

books on music theory so that I can make the information my own and master it.

I believe that I just need to keep studying and eventually it will start to gel completely for

me. Music Theory is a subject that needs to be updated for the 21st century. There has to be a

better way to teach the information in my opinion. For me it just doesn’t fit together, and I

wonder why does it seem difficult? I also think that learning an instrument like the piano would

be valuable in helping to reinforce the music theory concepts.

I hope this is what you were looking for and none of the thing that I discussed reflect

directly on you or your teaching. I do think that you are doing a good job teaching our class.