“I Can’t Read Music”: Music Theory in Popular Music Discourse with a Focus on Rock Musicians’ Legitimization Practices

Abstract

This article introduces popular musical discourse on music theory with the example of rock music in the Anglo-American and German-speaking realms. First, it sets out the research field and suggests the need to more strongly highlight the discursive role of music theory in relation to the entities that gravitate around it. The specific focus is on rock musicians’ legitimization practices regarding the lack of theoretical knowledge, particularly of music reading and writing skills. The study evidences that the idea of musical theorization can function, both positively and negatively, as a multi-layered reference system to legitimate music-cultural participation.