This article is the first of many to come that focus on music theory. For musicians with no formal training, music theory can be an intimidating topic, but it doesn’t have to be.

Think of it in comparison to learning to read and write in our native tongue, which comes from a place of familiarity because we’ve been hearing it and speaking it for years prior to formally learning to read and write. The written word is our attempt to capture the majesty of the spoken word and document it in a way that’s transferrable over time and space. Written language allows us to indicate emphasis (think CAPS or bold) and provide extra context, like writing “he said angrily” after a line of dialogue. In turn, we see and hear the written word come to life in plays, movies, or stories read aloud.

Music theory is much the same. It’s the mechanism that captures the rhythm, pitch, dynamics, and soul of music and puts it on paper so that others can understand and replicate it. Music is a language, and music theory is a key piece of how we write that language. While there are rules, musicians are free to bend or break them as needed.

The importance of understanding music theory

If you grew up listening to or playing music, you may instinctively understand a lot of it — just as you do your native tongue — even if you don’t know the ins and outs of reading and writing it. Many musicians play for years without really learning theory. Some may even think they don’t need to learn theory, without realizing that music theory already lives in their hands and voices and hearts. Like it or not, theory is in and around everything you play — and the more theory you know, the better you understand what’s happening in the music. That gives you more options for what you play or sing, plus increases your ability to communicate musically.

Think of music theory as building blocks, like Legos. Dump out a bucket of basic bricks, and anyone can create something using their imagination. But turning an initial idea into a fully realized creation requires more than just the most basic bricks. In music theory, the basic bricks might be a couple of scales, a few written chords where you immediately know the correct shapes, and some strum patterns on guitar. More specialized bricks are things like suspended chords, vibrato, triplets, and dynamics. If you want something truly unique, you need the specialized bricks that only show up once in a while and help a piece of music stand out.

The more we understand about music theory, the more empowered we feel to explore the boundaries. Plus, better understanding leads to better collaboration in an ensemble setting. If we all speak the same language, we can be off and running making more and better music together.

What’s ahead in our music theory series

Some of you see the words “music theory” and immediately think, “Nope, not for me.” But here’s the thing: You’re already using theory even if you don’t know how to put it into words. If nouns and verbs weren’t your thing in school, fear not. In our upcoming music theory series, we’re going to break everything down to the smallest building blocks so that you can fill your bucket with the blocks you need to better understand music. Music theory isn’t just for people who want to write music — it’s for everyone who plays or sings music. The better we understand the music put in front of us, the faster we can pick it up and make it ours.

Join us on this journey as we seek to build a deeper understanding of music theory for liturgical musicians. While this series will start with some basics that you may or may not already know, it won’t be a completely linear journey. Upcoming content will explore a range of music theory topics, sometimes skipping around in experience level, so you can grab the blocks you need to keep creating. We’ll also keep sharing some CLEF Life content on other relevant topics in between articles and videos on music theory.

Written by Matthew Wesley, chair of the CLEF Life committee and volunteer choir member and cantor at Epiphany of the Lord Catholic Church in Oklahoma City.

Copyright © 2026 Catholic Liturgical Ensemble Formation

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