The world’s greatest musicians know that there is a difference between playing the notes that someone else wrote down, and creating unique, expressive music. When you learn music theory, you learn how to put together melodies that flow. This can help you arrange interesting and fun solos on the fly because you’ll have an understanding of why some riffs sound better than others. An interesting study of successful contemporary musicians recently showed how important music composition is. Of the successful musicians studied, 85% wrote their own songs. This common theme among successful musicians is a clue that a young musician can use. To take your music to the next level, begin to understand music theory so that you, too, can write your songs.