Tommy_G said:
Anyways - in the vein of the OP, I can hold my own in a gig situation, but quite frankly when I'm at home I noodle around basically doing exercises rather than learning other artists stuff. I studiously avoid listening to the radio because I don't want my creativity to be influenced by it. Most of my songwriting is on acoustic guitar and piano anyways. The fancy guitar sh!t is mostly about showing off, not musically necessity,
Gosh, I avoid the radio like the plague, mostly because there is hardly ever anything interesting on it. That being said, it is always good to listen to music as part of learning the craft. Studying music you find 'interesting' can always open up unexplored avenues for creativity i.e. it can expand your musical language. To use the analogy of cooking, a lot of songwriters learn how to make a damn good chili by seasoning to taste but they really cannot do much else other than that. By contrast, a trained chef can make a gourmet meal from just about any combination of ingredients. It is all what you want to do.
The 'interesting' thing about learning someone elses music is that they think about the instrument in a different way. It can be easy to fall into the trap of using the same licks every day while playing. While it is good to build up your own individual musical vocabulary, it can also be detrimental when you only know 10 or 20 words.
I spend a hell of a lot of time screwing with my amps and cabs, etc. (trying to find the tone that will inspire me back to my youth). My picking/fretting coordination is finally getting better. I'm almost as good as my ex-bandmate buddy was when he was 18 years old. He quit as a virtuoso 20 year old, and i'm still playing, and playing LIVE, 20 years later. So, turtoise and the hare thing.
Yes, there is more to playing music than a prodigious growth in technique / facility.
So, if you got chops, but can't play the latest drop D version of white noise, who cares. Learn the guitar the way you want to, and when you're on stage, take risks and let it all hang out. Truth is, we all want to be better than we are, and we can always find someone better than we are.
Yup. The Beatles were not the greatest players.
Some of the most creative and musically interesting pieces I've ever heard were from guys who didn't know anything about music theory and they just followed their ears.
While this can be true, I find that more often than not, the most facile music is written by people who eschew the rigors of music study in lieu of following their ears. This argument is like saying "some of the most brilliant minds were not schooled so I don't need education to be successful in life." It is flawed and I don't buy it. Yes, one should always use one's ear to write music just as one should use taste as a guiding principle when cooking. But, it is errant to presume that being enriched with knowledge on how music can be structured will automatically rob one of the spark of creativity.
Furthermore, it is also incorrect to assume that people who have studied music theory do NOT follow their ears. I find that more often than not, I use my training to tell me
why my ear doesn't like something I wrote. It's useful to solve problems when one encounters a road block.
Anyway, bringing up the 'theory' word is a huge can of worms. I think guitarists usually think theory refers to knowing where the notes are on the guitar, knowing one's scales, chords, arpeggios, etc. This is helpful since the more scales and modes you know, the more spices you have to cook with. BUT, this is not all of what music theory is.
There is also
rudiments: The basics. Where the notes are on a staff, the names of chords, intervals, key signatures, meters, rhythms, etc.
Harmony: The relationship between notes. Basically, looking at how music is organized vertically and horizontally. This is what I believe more guitarists need to learn. If this was the case, we wouldn't have to many bands pounding out the same four chords over and over again.
Counterpoint: This is tricky to explain to non music majors but basically, it involves studying the harmonic relationships within a musical line and between multiple musical lines. Definitely an interesting skill and VERY useful for working with large instrumental forces. It's a great way to exercise one's music writing chops.
Analysis: This is another skill that is useful for guitarists / songwriters to learn. Basically, it involves studying how music is put together. You not only can tell if you like something or not, but also what it is exactly you like about it.
So, what's the takeaway message here?
1) Learn everything you can about music and keep an open mind. Remaining willfully obstinate about studying an integral part of your craft will only hamper your growth in the long run.
2) Study as many different types of music as you possibly can. Expand your listening experience will give you more ideas which will help with being a unique and original creative entity.
3) Theory is a tool. Learning music theory will only make you a better musician.
Everyone, please be aware that the word 'theory' is misleading in this application. It is more like 'grammar' than physics. For some reason, guitarists get the impression that learning music theory will be learning about the 'right' and 'wrong' of music. There is no such thing. The sooner this myth is put to rest the better, but somehow I doubt it ever well be.
and that I should really love it for why I fell in love with it in the first place. I love how I feel when I play it. When I'm sick or not feeling well, playing makes me feel ten times better! I love the all-around sound of the guitar. My music theory is complete ****, and my former guitar teacher gave me a lot of grief about it, but I really don't care. I'm going to follow my ears like I have for the past 8 years, and learn theory second. Thank you, guys. 
