Do We Need to Understand Music to Enjoy It?

June 29, 2022

Music is a fair and glorious gift from God.  Do you agree?  Whether we’re on the giving end as we play, or the receiving end as we listen, an environment is created where there’s an exchange. Someone plays the music, and someone listens.

Now, as guitarists, we have the opportunity to play music in a variety of settings from practice room, to living room, to worship platform, to stage, to studio.

And depending on how far we want to go with our music, it’s important to ask the question – do we need to understand music to enjoy it?

I think the basic answer to this is a simple no.

There are many people out there who listen to music and have no idea how it’s constructed, what the theoretical elements are, or what the key signature or time signature is.  And that’s ok.  Think about watching a movie.  Unless you’ve gone to film school, or are involved with cinematography or video editing, you’re not aware of things like jump cuts, shot composition, or camera angles.  You just enjoy being absorbed in the story of the film as it draws you in.

As one who has led worship in multiple settings, I try hard to craft song sets that move well together, using closely-related keys, appropriate tempos for the context of the service, and above all, singable vocal ranges.  I want the congregation (who is predominantly made up of vocalists – as opposed to drummers) to be equipped to sing. 

This sometimes means that certain worship songs with large vocal ranges don’t make the cut.  Those are worship songs that are best enjoyed as we listen to them, but not as we sing them.

So, when I led worship as a guest at one church several years ago, I employed these intentional strategies.  After the service, I was delighted when a sweet couple came up to me with their appreciation for what I had done.  They said, “Thank you for singing in our key.”

Now, I had played in multiple keys that morning, but I knew what they meant.  I had chosen and transposed songs with ranges that were singable, so that the people could sing.  The very words this couple said to me showed me that they didn’t understand what was going on musically, but had enjoyed and been blessed by it, regardless.

Now, because I had an understanding of music, I could enjoy serving them well.  So, the flipside is that understanding music can lead to a deeper level of enjoying it.

Another memory I look back fondly on is my father’s 60th birthday.  He has always been a fan of the late Harry Chapin, who is best known for the song “Cat’s in the Cradle.”  Harry died too young at the age of 38…but not before my father had the opportunity to see him live in concert.  That Harry Chapin concert impacted my father deeply, because Harry captivated that audience with just a single guitar, as he sat on a stool, presenting a rich evening filled with stories and songs.  My father watched and listened, enthralled, from less than 20 feet away.

Well, for my father’s 60th birthday, I decided to learn 11 of Harry’s songs and to perform them in a house concert for him.  In a way, I was sort of reenacting that memorable concert he had enjoyed decades before.  I played one song on the banjo, and one on the piano, but the other nine songs were all played on the guitar, including “Cat’s in the Cradle,” which was the final song of the show.

My father was so deeply moved by that concert that he wept.

So, did my father enjoy that music?  To say “yes” would be an understatement.  He told me that the Harry Chapin house concert I played for him was the best birthday present he had ever received.

Does my father understand music?  No, not really.  But he loves to listen to it. 

And as I learned and memorized those Harry Chapin songs, my level of musical understanding of his progressions and complex song forms led to some seriously fun enjoyment of Harry’s music.  I got to know Harry by learning to play and sing his songs in a way that only a listener of his music would not.

As someone who has recorded multiple albums of original music, I know what’s involved with crafting songs, and revising them until they’re just where I need them to be.  Writing music is a process, and for some, it involves just experimenting with chords and melodies until they feel right. 

We all begin there, and frankly, some of the most impactful songs out there have come from musicians who have only a basic understanding of music, but who surround themselves with others who can help empower them…whether bandmates, fellow songwriters, or producers. 

Some fellow guitarists I’ve met would rather leave music mostly as a mystery.  They avoid theory because they’re afraid of the idea that unpacking and understanding how the music works will take away some of that mystery.

But if music is a fair and glorious gift from God, don’t you think that there will be transcendent mystery woven into it?  I say, when possible, it’s good to develop our understanding of music so that we can make intentional choices…and allow the songs to reach their full potential.

A chef can cook without a recipe, but there are certain ingredients that work better together than others.

A biologist can discover the inner workings of a flower, but can still simply behold the flower’s outer beauty, to say nothing of its beauty on a microscopic level.

So, do we need to understand music to enjoy it?  No.  But does a greater understanding of music lead to a deeper enjoyment of it?  I would say yes.  As an appreciator of music as well as a creator of music, this is the serious fun side of discovering all that music has to offer.  And the more we discover, the more we can thank God for this fair and glorious gift.

Do you think we need to understand music to enjoy it?  I’d love to know.