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Deleted member 5962
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Not disagreeing, but IMO, again, it depends on your objective. If you want to learn to play like Di Meola or Yngwie, then TONS of practice and proper technique are "required." But, you don't need to know theory to play their stuff. You need SKILLS to play their stuff. When people start talking about theory I glaze. Too late for me to learn that and I have no reason to want to at this point. In other words, if I hear something and I want to play it, I figure it's SKILLS that will let me play it. And either I have them, or I don't and if I don't, I can practice it and get it. But it's not "lack of theory or knowledge" that will ever keep me from playing something I want to play. But that is not the case for everyone.
I didn't say this before because I know it's a bit controversial but I think that to a large degree, you are either born with a certain innate musical ability, or you aren't. If you are born with it, I think it all comes easier to you because you know what sounds good, what sounds right, what notes to play... Everyone here knows someone who sings out of tune, and doesn't KNOW that they're signing out of tune. They just don't "hear Jimi."
When I started playing, I had friends who had played for 4-5 years and practiced hours every day and never got very good. One did get good but he was obsessed... and had no other hobbies to distract him. He played for 4-6 hours every day in high school. Yet he'd come to me to show me a new song he'd learned and he'd be playing a couple notes wrong in a solo and he wouldn't know it. I'd hear it immediately. I'd tell him, and then he'd go "oh yeah, that is right." But he'd practiced it HOURS without realizing he was missing those two notes in the solo. I just think some people "have it" and some don't. And, if you have it, you have a big advantage. If you don't, you might end up being a great player, but you might hit a wall well before that. A level where you are "solid" can play the tunes, etc. but you don't really "feel" it the same. I also have a buddy who is like that. I swear if you took his music away in the middle of a song he'd been playing for 5 years, he couldn't finish the song. But leave it there and he'll play the rhythm part perfectly. He NEEDS the music in front of him. This is going to get boring again... LOL When I played with him the first time we were at his house. He was introducing me to a new band I'd never heard. He put the CD on and I grabbed one of his guitars and started playing along. He stopped the CD to say "I thought you had never heard this before." He couldn't fathom hearing the first verse and jumping in by the second. When I showed him how to play it, he couldn't do it! "no, I'll get the tab online." I'm like "no, just play this then this..." couldn't do it. He studied theory. He needed it! When we'd try to have a little "jam" he'd be completely lost. He couldn't just join in and follow someone else. And yet, he can play multiple instruments well. In fact, tell you another thing. He CAN'T play blues. He basically has no "feel" or "soul" or however you want to say it. Yet if I were starting a group today, he could play bass or rhythm guitar no problem. As long as you have all the music written out. So again, there's no "right or wrong" and one way vs. the other doesn't mean some musical superiority (although I certainly think it's a big advantage!), but we all are different in these things. Someone can be a legend and never know any notes, chords, theory at all, but they can play that guitar incredibly well. Others might "know" everything and might even be technically proficient, but can't "feel" the music the same way. And most guys are somewhere along the curve in between the two extremes.
Again, these are my thoughts. Not presented as facts. YMMV.
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