”Beauty”, by the rules - music theory

   I used to wonder how Mozart could compose music that sounded happy and sad at the same time. My little theory is that he simply mixed Major and Minor notes and served them gently stirred but not shaken .Maybe not a rule but at least some genuine organisation . No rules becomes a cloud . Happiness --every cloud has a silver lining . Sadness--At the end of the day a cloud is still a cloud .

Thank you Pianoteqenthusiast! Always heartfelt.

It's up to you - whether or not you want to study theory. I'll bet The Beatles knew very little - likely an advantage in their case - although their manager knew some.

I think that theory can go on and on ... and on ... with nothing artistically meaningful being done. I would expect that very few "music theorists" have composed much of lasting impact. On the other hand, to progress to the next level, it's another tool that possibly can be used to your advantage. For example, the two greatest artists, Mozart and Bach, understood theory at the deepest level (the same can be said of many of the great composers). Part of their genius, it was child's play to them. They did not have to extensively "study" it in a formal way  - they mainly discovered it for themselves. I think that as long as you enjoy learning something, it's probably going to pay back dividends. Personally, the formal study of theory - from textbooks - is not for me!