Music Theory Is Like Cooking Science…

In a Facebook group I’m in, I saw a lot of people sharing their opinions about theory and usually leaning on the negative ‘it’s not necessary’, ‘it explains it, but doesn’t help you write’ kind of side. While explaining something on Reddit, I came up with this analogy that I think anyone can understand, and perhaps it’ll open people’s minds to the benefits of theory…

Music is like cooking….

And there are two types of cooks.

The first kind just loves to cook. They love cooking for themselves and their loved ones. They are always trying out new recipes and making them their own. They love to experiment and just see where they can go with new ingredients. They just love cooking and they love good food.

The second kind is one who digs deeper. The above applies to them too, but they love food and cooking so much that they desire to understand how everything works. They will study ingredients and try to make sense of how they play together to make a meal.

Why do they use baking powder in some dishes and soda in others. How does salt or sugar affect a dish? How does different kinds of yeast work? Why do they leave dough to rest/rise? Why do they put pastries in the fridge before cooking it? When should they use acids like lemon juice in a dish? What flavors counteract what? What temperatures should they use to bake different dishes? What are the protein structures like in meat and how does this affect their cooking? So on and so forth.

Let’s Explore Masterchef

The show has cooks from all walks of life. Some are just parents who loves to cook. Some are quite fancy and love hosting dinner parties for friends. Some have worked as a line chef at a small local restaurant. Some are youth who want to be a famous chef and would use the money to get formal training in college.

In a lot of the challenges, it’s an even playing field. The chefs are asked to make an item everyone should know how to make, like an omelette or a cupcake. What matters is that the dish is cooked properly and is prepared at the highest quality, something the professional judges would serve in their restaurant. If a chef can’t separate an egg or cook a medium-rare steak properly, they shouldn’t be on the show. Thus…

The biggest difference between these chefs appear when they are asked to make an original dish.

The first group of chefs will usually rely on something familiar. They will take inspiration from a recipe they know, maybe combining it with another recipe as a sort of fusion. Or they will simply elevate a dish with other things thy have learned.

They always have to reference something they’ve done before when it comes to baking times and ingredients. They can try to create something new, but it becomes a guessing game. There is no time for trial and error in this competition. It’s a huge risk that could be great or could be a disaster.

In the end, the judges may like their dish and they may not. It may be a winning dish or it may send them home.

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The second group, due to their extensive knowledge of ingredients and how they interact and work with each other, have the ability to create something original out of the blue. They have a vision in their head and they know what they should combine to bring that vision to life.

They know what can create the flavor profiles they are thinking of, and what to add if the dish is missing something. Even if they are given a new ingredient, they can look at it, touch it, taste it, and figure out what seasoning to use, what would pair well with it, and how to cook it to make a decent dish.

In the end, the judges may like their dish and they may not. It may be a winning dish or it may send them home.

Below is a clip from an episode of MasterChef Australia. You can see everyone has a different approach. Some are used to leftovers and that’s where they get their confidence from. Some haven’t used scraps and are struggling to think of a good dish that will taste good and impress the judges. Others can easily make use of the ingredients in front of them due to their creativity and understanding of the ingredients.

What’s The Difference Then?

Food and taste is subjective, and it’s the same with music. Regardless what path you take, some people will like what you put out and other’s won’t. Some like simple traditional dishes that remind them of home, while other’s want something new that blows their mind and their taste buds.

There’s this meme I’ve seen many times about how rock bands play 3 chords for 1000s of people, while jazz guitarists play 1000s of chords for 3 people….and it’s true!

Jazz players have extensive chord, scale, and progression knowledge and can make some very unique and creative music…but the general public isn’t interested in that. They like simple catchy things with words they can relate to.

While Jazz is without a doubt more fancy and melodic than rock, some people still prefer rock. People have different preferences and that’s why every artists can gather a following.

Their Approach To Cooking

The biggest difference between these two groups is not their ability to cook or what dishes they put out. The difference is their approach and understanding of what they are doing.

The first group goes by experience. Feeling and guessing, trial and error, copying, imitating, and elevating. They learn from their mistakes and they will do better next time, slowly learning and growing as they go along.

The second group takes a more logical approach. Because of their extensive knowledge, they have the power to make connections, confidence to figure things out, and the ability do new things right the first time.

One of the best examples of who I believe is a logical thinker is Beccy Stables, winner of MasterChef Canada Season 5. She was only 19, the youngest chef on the show at that time. She said herself that she isn’t ‘stuck in her own ways‘ because she doesn’t have her own ways yet. She considers herself self-taught.

Her understanding of food and ingredients made the competition somewhat easy for her. She’s always calm, even when handling new ingredients or making new dishes, and usually finishes before everyone else. The judges often ask where/when did she learn this, and she said she figured it out on her own. She continues to learn through the season and is able to apply those techniques to her future dishes.

She has enough working knowledge about ingredients that if she just saw a dish or tried it in the past, she could recreate it without a recipe, like Eclairs in the video below. The judges say many spends years perfecting it, but she pretty much nailed it on her first try.

After publishing this article, I visited Beccy’s Instagram which proved my theory. On one of her recent posts, she mentions that “Math & science saves the day for this one!” when she successfully made a custard tart. She failed many times before and couldn’t get it to work, but figured it out logically.

On another post, she wrote that she saw another baker use compound butter in pastry and that ‘it kinda blew her mind’. “It makes so much sense!” She wanted to see what else she could do with that technique and created compound butter scones with it.

She didn’t just copy a recipe that baker used, but learned a tool and technique that she could apply various other places to create her own original recipes.

2023 Update: More recently, a couple Youtube channels have caught my eye with their shorts. The first was @benjaminthebaker. He shows and explains how little differences in ingredients, blending, temperature, and cooking time make a big difference in the final result. Many people in the comments are amazed because they often follow recipes blindly but don’t know why this is better than this or why they do this instead of that.

The next channel that I just came across recently @Sugarologie. She is a real scientist that was on a mission to make the perfect frosting, including bright colours and the perfect texture without dyes and such. It was really cool seeing her explain why emulsyfing brings our the colours in the frosting. This is an amazing discovery that other bakers haven’t been able to figure out on their own.

Theory and science has a lot of benefits for those who don’t want to waste time (or ingredients), but in the end, it’s a choice. You don’t have to learn it to be good at what you do.

“So, Do I NEED To Learn Theory?” That Depends….

In the music world, if you do intend to play with others, you do need to learn the language to communicate with them. You can’t tell others what string and fret you’re pressing or have them listen to you and have them always do the translating for you. Music is a team effort and it’s most fun when people are on a similar level of understanding.

Some musicians have been professionally trained since childhood and will not want to waste their time with those who can’t be bothered to learn basic theory. It’s not about being them being cocky or uptight, but they spent years learning about music and understanding it and reading it, and they may feel like you don’t care or love music enough since you can’t be bothered to learn.

Of course your need of theory will also depend on what you want to do. If you’re playing with an orchestra, being able to read and follow along is mandatory. If you’re in a rock band with others who didn’t learn theory, then you’ll be fine. If you plan to do session work or songwriting, you need to understand professions, composition, and be able to give your own opinions on what sounds good.

Below are a few videos by Rudy Ayoub. He makes realistic (but funny) skits about guitarists and bands. This is based on what real musicians face when dealing with guitarists who are confident enough to put themselves out there, but never bothered learning about theory or timing.

If you plan to be a solo player/producer, or you just want to play casually in your bedroom, then feel free to skip it. You know what works for you. However, many who did learn will tell you there’s only benefits if you learn. Even just the basics could help you create good sounding professions faster and improvise easier.

Conclusion

I hope this article has helped you see theory or non-theorists on a more even playing field. Yes, theory WON’T make you a better “guitar player”. Guitar is a very technical instrument that requires years of training. Even if you knew a lot from playing piano, you still can’t just jump right in and sound good. You need to develop calluses, arm strength, muscle memory, and so on before you even start to sound good.

However, theory can help you learn and remember new things like scales and chords a lot faster. You’ll be able to see patterns, create your own chords and progressions, and connect musical concepts with ease. When you learn a new lick, you’ll be able to break it down and then take parts of that and apply it elsewhere.

If you’re a logical learner, theory is especially important for your growth. If you’re curious why and how, check out this article. And if you’d like to learn more about the benefits of theory, read this article!

And trust me, theory really isn’t that hard. It may seem intimidating if you’re jumping right into chords and modes, but if you start off with single notes and build up like kids do in school, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. I have a super easy to understand beginners series that starts with this article. I highly recommend checking it out if you don’t feel like you have the basics down.

That’s all from me. Nostalgia out!