“I don’t know the names of the modes or whatever. I just don’t care about that stuff”: Why Michael Schenker isn’t interested in becoming an expert in music theory
How important is it as a guitarist to be versed in music theory? While knowing your way around the fretboard from a technical standpoint no doubt gives you a stronger roadmap in terms of understanding why certain note choices and chord progressions work together, many high-profile guitarists have made successful careers without knowing lots of theory.
Former All That Remains guitarist Jason Richardson – known for his jaw-dropping shred chops – said last year that knowing music theory is not essential: “I know plenty of players who write the craziest-sounding stuff, and some of them don’t know anything about theory.”
Indeed, some players have been able to mark their stamp on the world of guitar with somewhat limited theory knowledge. Take former Scorpions and UFO guitarist Michael Schenker for example, who tells Guitar World in a new interview that he “doesn’t care about that stuff”.
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“I’ve never known about anything technical,” says the guitarist, who released his 13th album with the Michael Schenker Group in October last year.
“When I put a musical sketch together for a song, I can’t say if it’s major or minor. People say I switch between the two, but I don’t know.”
He goes on: “Maybe I play parts of scales, but I don’t know the names of them or the modes or whatever. I just don’t care about that stuff.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Schenker reveals how he comes up with guitar riffs, and how they’re not always with a specific song in mind.
“It’s interesting because when I write riffs, I don’t know what songs they’re for,” he says. “And then I start randomly putting them together. I don’t even look for the best piece of gold, I just start playing something in my collection, and if it works I use it. If it doesn’t, I reach for something else.”
Earlier this year, Michael Schenker revealed why he chose not to join Ozzy Obsourne’s band upon being invited to, following the death of Randy Rhoads in 1982.
“I’ve always believed in doing exactly what I feel like. That’s freedom of expression. If I did something just because it was what people expected, or if I stopped what I was doing because I was blinded by fame and money, that would be selling my soul,” said the guitarist, whose latest MSG album is fittingly called Don’t Sell Your Soul.
In other news, Michael Schenker’s famed 1971 Flying V was recreated earlier this year by the Gibson Custom Shop, and reportedly sold out in a single day.
Listen to Don’t Sell Your Soul below:
The post “I don’t know the names of the modes or whatever. I just don’t care about that stuff”: Why Michael Schenker isn’t interested in becoming an expert in music theory appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
