The question of the necessity of a diploma for a rock musician is one of the most controversial and debated issues in rock circles. It’s one thing if a student has decided to become a chemist in the future, then a chemistry tutor works with him, up to the desired results. On the one hand, it is no secret that the key to professionalism in absolutely any industry is long and hard work and development, on the other hand, the question is not so clear. To answer the question, we need to turn to the history of rock.
The historical background
Originally, rock music was created not by professionals with a conservatorium education, but by common guys, amateurs. And the birth of rock, ironically enough, took place in the absence of knowledge of musical theory, or the lack of opportunities to create music “according to all the rules. It was an impulse, a tremendous desire to create and, above all, to make a name for oneself. Many great rock guitarists came from self-taught guitarists, among them: Jimi Hendrix (studying in music school he would have had to think who would do my essay, because he absolutely did not know music notation), Eric Clapton (studied since the age of 14 on his own, following the performances of great bluesmen), Chuck Berry (studied since the age of 15 on 4-string tenor guitar), Angus McKinnon Young (studied using self-tutorials and ” filming” bluesmen playing), etc. Among the well-known self-taught keyboardists, one of the founders of the Beatles – Paul McCartney.
Music education these days
However, it has been a long time since rock music emerged, and in today’s rock industry, having a music education will be rather an advantage than a disadvantage. For a person who wants to convert music into his professional line of work, the question of the need for some knowledge of musical literacy and harmony soon arises, at least at the level of music school.
In addition, such knowledge greatly facilitates the work in the team, as it allows you to easily prescribe and adjust the parts to different musical instruments.
In turn, many fans of rock, and the musicians themselves, speak of the disadvantages of classical music education: less attention is paid to the sense of rhythm (the basis of rock), any improvisation is suppressed, people are programmed for a certain perception of sound combinations and it is more difficult for them to experiment with sound.
Anyway, there is no exact recipe for “how to become a star”.
Historical experience shows that at all times good musicians have come out of educational institutions as well as from ” backyards”. There is some combination of knowledge, talent, determination, ambition, experience, skill, and, of course, diligence and constant work that eventually produces great musicians. There are no general rules for anyone. But it is worth noting that most world-class rockers have no musical education. This paradox is explained by the fact that in rock music such qualities as innovation, sincerity, improvisation are important, but these qualities do not benefit from the study of theory, monotonous playing of simplifications.
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