I wrote the article posted and until I had the experiences I wrote about in it, I would have agreed with you 100%.
I believe that doing always beats theory. If, however, one is open to injecting a small amount of theory into their doing, it can be quite powerful.
My goal with the article, and in general, is to reduce the barrier of entry on topics like 'music theory' that seem hard but really aren't.
I've gotten a few friends on the piano and said "Here, just mess around on these notes and see how it sounds." When it didn't sound like garbage, it felt like magic to them, but it was just scales. This simple example made them significantly more interested in piano and the fundamentals of music. Why do we obfuscate these topics and hold them back from otherwise capable people?
If we can find a way to integrate a small and specifically relevant amount of theory into our 'just doing', I think it only adds to the experience.
I believe that doing always beats theory. If, however, one is open to injecting a small amount of theory into their doing, it can be quite powerful.
My goal with the article, and in general, is to reduce the barrier of entry on topics like 'music theory' that seem hard but really aren't.
I've gotten a few friends on the piano and said "Here, just mess around on these notes and see how it sounds." When it didn't sound like garbage, it felt like magic to them, but it was just scales. This simple example made them significantly more interested in piano and the fundamentals of music. Why do we obfuscate these topics and hold them back from otherwise capable people?
If we can find a way to integrate a small and specifically relevant amount of theory into our 'just doing', I think it only adds to the experience.