By Oshin Hephzibah James

Through the evolution of music, we have been lucky enough to be able to witness a transformative shift in how it’s consumed, interpreted, and personalized to tell a story, even create one.

During the early ’60s, ’70s and the classic ’80s — from the mass hysteria of the Beatles, the Clapton Blues, and the theatrical experience of Jimi Hendrix’s work, the period flourished in its musical creativity. It was no longer confined to classical or romantic eras where music sheets and formal performances were expected; rather it became a medium for artists to express themselves authentically, reflecting the culture, ideals, and experiences of their surroundings.

During this era, a remarkable number of successful artists (lower, middle-class) emerged without any formal education in music. They honed their musicality by relying on their instinct, ears, and the sounds around them. The only thing on their mind was actively learning and playing their instruments — the one thing that’s consistent within musicians regardless of their music theory knowledge.

Musicians’ knowledge on theory varied over time; many were aware of common terms such as major and minor chords and accepted them on a ‘need-to-know’ basis but might not have understood chordal relationships or the stacking of chords. They played by ear to determine which chords they like and are able to play, creating unique sounds during a non-digitized period when resources were scarce, and knowledge was often gathered by asking around.

Traditionally, a strong foundation in music theory has always been emphasized for success in the industry. However, it’s interesting to look into the musical journeys of some unconventional maestros whose success wasn’t contingent upon knowing music theory, and ended up creating some of the most influential music of their time. Moreover, it’s likely that these self-taught musicians might not have known any theory earlier on but could have inevitably picked up basic principles of music theory as their careers progressed.

As we get a peek at the lives of some influential musicians who had no formal education in music, it begs the question of how they achieved musical accuracy and structure in their own unique ways.

The Beatles: Musical Innovators?

Hands down one of the most influential bands in music history, evident by the ‘Beatlemania’ phenomenon that rattled the world. They tore down genre barriers with groundbreaking and amalgamated sounds. And yet, neither John, Paul, George, nor Ringo knew any music theory at the outset of their careers.

John’s musicality began with his aunt’s classical influence, yet he was drawn towards Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley, among other Rock ’n’ Rollers. His mom, a fan of pop, rock, and skiffle, gifted him a banjo which significantly shaped his guitar playing, characterized by distinctive banjo voicings. In contrast, Paul, inspired by his father’s jazz background and performers such as Little Richard and Buddy Holly, taught himself piano, guitar, and songwriting. Over time, he spread his sounds through varied and complex genres, creating what one can only describe as Paul’s sound.

For their formal training, John learned guitar from Paul, who, amusingly, had no theoretical knowledge and played by ear. George furthered John’s education, with both him and Paul running around town seeking musical knowledge (chords, shapes) from anyone who could help.

Remarkably, Ringo became infatuated with the drums when he fell ill with tuberculosis in 1953 and discovered the instrument during his hospital stay. In an interview with NME, he mentioned, “I was lucky because when I started, if you had the instrument, you were in the band,” which explains how he got more opportunities to get better at drums.

What does it mean to know or not know music theory?

The above video incredibly and accurately explains what it means to know or not know music theory. It breaks down their progress through their career and emphasizes on how they emulated theory through their feel and intuition for music. It had more to do with their willingness to learn more and identifying everything they had heard through their childhood and associating them with the appropriate terms. It’s also important to note how George Martin was a crucial bridge between them and music theory, as he educated them further on the fundamental terms and functions within musical ideas.

And here we are — nearly fifty years later, remembering them as some of the most iconic musicians who transcended various genres and barriers within music.

Michael Jackson: Beyond Notation

Despite growing up in a family of musicians, Michael couldn’t read or write music at all and only played musical instruments to a certain extent. Although his father vigorously trained him, he lacked formal compositional training. Jackson often expressed that he “fully realized his songs before they were put down on paper”.

In the 1994 ‘Dangerous’ court case, he described how “The lyrics, the strings, the chords, everything comes at the moment like a gift that is put right into your head and that’s how I hear it.”

Jackson’s extraordinary approach involved building each element of a track with his own voice. As evident in the early demo of ‘Beat It’, he would sing out “every note of every chord, harmony, melody, bass and even the rhythm through beat-boxing.”

Rob Hoffman and other producers were amazed by Jackson’s capabilities with Hoffman saying, “One morning MJ came in with a new song he had written overnight. We called in a guitar player, and Michael sang every note of every chord to him. ‘Here’s the first chord, first note, second note, third note. Here’s the second chord, first note, second note, third note’, etc. etc. We then witnessed him giving the most heartfelt and profound vocal performance, live in the control room through an SM57, he would sing an entire string arrangement, every part. He had it all in his head…harmony and everything.’

There is a whole history on how he perceived music theory and regardless of his awareness of terminology, his musicality was a testament to his ear training and his love for music.

The School of Experiencing and Learning in the Digital Age

As we reflect on how such artists found success, it’s crucial to acknowledge the seismic shift that has been brought about by digitization. The digital age has democratized music education making it highly accessible today…a YouTube video away. It’s remarkable noting the constraints that musicians weathered back in the day compared to the plethora of online platforms, tutorials, and virtual resources available for artists to harness and improve their craft today. Not just that — there are incredible breakdowns lying a click away and there is no way one could go without knowing or becoming aware of musical elements today.

Music education has gone beyond geographical barriers and reshaped musical collaboration and learning. Today, music theory is used as a tool for analysis, communication, and creation. The Beatles video (linked earlier) concludes with David Bennet referring to music theory as a language — a set of terms and concepts that let musicians communicate with each other about what they are hearing. They had an understanding of the working of theory but not the terms which resulted in them not being able to use it as a language in their former years.

This is incredibly important to understand how past and current musicians are making a wave in the music industry with new ideas that fundamentally follow music theory whether they are aware of it or not, while relaying the same effect.

A Brief Look at Today’s Modern Artists

Tim Henson: Making his Own Path

Tim Henson, a prominent figure in contemporary prog-rock guitar with a substantial following of nearly 1.12 million, co-founded the renowned band ‘Polyphia’ in 2017 alongside Scott LePage and Clay Gober. Tim is a guitar virtuoso and performer who is making waves in the music industry; his journey is emblematic for musicians in the digital age. Check out how he is ‘Redefining the Boundaries of Guitar Playing” here:

In a 2021 interview with AAPI Musicians, Tim Henson shared insights into his musical journey influenced by his parents’ musicality. Despite early violin attempts and school orchestra involvement, he eventually dropped out, choosing skateboarding and guitar, “in an attempt to fit in more with my white friends.” Grounded during high school, he dived deeper into understanding and learning the guitar.

However, he emphasized how he never went to music school, and even tried applying for Berklee but was denied. He went on to do an undeclared major for a semester and eventually lied to his parents so he could just play with his local band. His self-taught guitar skills relied on online resources like Ultimate Guitar and YouTube tutorials. With Polyphia leveraging the digitization in the music industry and platforms such as YouTube, the band has managed to garner the attention of a huge audience, thereby gaining a massive platform to share their music while breaking down their creative processes from time to time.

Post Malone: Guitar Hero to Billboard Hits

Post Malone, a multi-faceted musician (rapper, singer, producer, and self-taught guitarist) has an incredibly interesting…and unconventional story that led him into music. As a teen, he grew up in the mid-2000s when video games were soaring in demand and new innovations were hitting the market every single day. Post started playing guitar because of Guitar Hero, a highly popular game that simulated the experience of playing a real guitar using a guitar-shaped controller.

As his parents were never musical, he realized he just wanted to rock out and mastered the highest modes of Guitar Hero. With minimal formal training, Post dived into diverse musical genres once his mom bought him a real guitar, learning songs from YouTube tutorials and listening to bands, such as AC/DC and Metallica. He taught himself songs on the guitar and learnt how to produce by sitting on FL Studio for hours on end. In an interview with FADER, he said, “I started off making crazy, weird techno. I had no clue what I was doing. Then my dad liked some stuff so I kept doing it.”

Though most people know him for ‘White Iverson’ and more sought-out songs, such as ‘Rockstar’, he mentions how his real interest lies in the old country singers, ‘At 40 years old, I am gonna be a country singer.’

Read more about his musical journey here.

The Ideal Path to Musical Success

We have taken a look at considerable artists (among countless others) who have forged their own unique paths to musical success. While all of them had considerably distinct backgrounds, they relied on their ears, experience, and sounds that surrounded them during their early years. Moreover, the unwavering commitment and relentlessness to keep learning and playing with other musicians is integral to creating your own musical language.

While it’s evident that music education is fundamental and crucial to further musical conversations, the essence and success of one’s creation stems from internalizing and understanding elements of music in one’s own way with an unyielding determination that could very well redefine you as the next artist on an unconventional path to success.

*For further insights on the purpose in music theory, check out this interesting academic study:

The Question of Purpose in Music Theory: Description, Suggestion, and Explanation | Academic Commons