So I don't have any music training background and this is essentially my first shot at really learning the guitar. Been at the lessons with Anders for a bit now and loving it. Watching the progression is fun, though there have been a few tough spots where it felt the progression between lessons was a little too much. But besides that I wanted to delve into some music theory to hopefully just expand my knowledge of everything. The desire is there but watching just the intro to it (https://www.guitartricks.com/lesson/11518 ) felt like I was drinking from a firehose. I'm guessing the answer is "yes", but does it get easier? Is there a point where all this shit just clicks and you say "ah ha!!!!"?
I'm no stranger to hard work and progression, but I'm curious to hear from others that had the same feeling watching that lesson how they felt as time went on. Just curious if I should actually lean on some private lessons to help with this so I don't get stuck. That or should I kick theory to the side for the time being so I'm not trying to take on too much at once
Don't let the intro scare you. One of the most important aspects of theory is intervals. Guess what the first series of theory lessons are? Intervals. No doubt that since Chris assembled this set and his attention to theory, if you spend a good amount of time understand intervals, the remainder is much, much easier.
My wife has been, very off and on, slowly learning some guitar. Even though she didn't really need to know at the moment she asked, we were watching something on TV where a guitar player said something about a song being a 'I-IV-V' type of song. So she asked...I said those were intervals. She's a person that to connect info, needs to know and usually right then and there. So I show her the major scale and explain the distance between notes. She still had the confused puppy look. Don't ask me why it popped in to do this, but I fretted the major scale and sang 'doe-rae-mi-fa-so-la-ti-doe' along with it. My wife is a rather skilled singer but no deep theory training. But the 'doe-rae' thing connected. Then I played the major scale and instead of 'singing' the 'doe-rae', I counted of as '1-2-3-4-5-6-7-1'. DING! DING! DING!
Anyway, that interval stuff is critical. It underlies all else that follows. It helps you connect the other elements of theory that might seem more complex. I am by no means a theory master. Far from it. I avoided it for lo many decades and going back to learn it when I kinda already have a 'by ear' understanding seems like a pain but there's a point where you are limiting yourself.
That is to say, theory expands your ability to grow your playing. It makes learning things easier and makes creating easier too as you now have a understanding of how the lego blocks click together. Otherwise you fall in to the same old things and your playing stagnates.
