Angine De Poitrine’s Khn on the importance of music theory: “Value terminology. Worship terminology. Or be a monkey”

Angine De Poitrine‘s Khn has argued for the importance of music theory, saying musicians should embrace the terminology behind their work. The anonymous Quebec duo – completed by percussionist Klek De Poitrine – are known for performing complex microtonal rock music from inside giant papier-mâché masks and black-and-white polka dot costumes. Speaking in a new interview with Guitar World, Khn was asked whether he thinks in terms of scales when he is playing on stage. “I think in terms of scales all the time,” he said. “Or rather, intervals in a context. But it’s just a harmless piece of information that sits there in the consciousness. A lot of people get this idea of someone playing robotically with a straight face, thinking, ‘Now I should play this note, for this reason’.” He continued: “Even among musicians, there is this myth of how knowledge might somehow end up hurting your creativity. If I say, ‘I think in terms of scales all the time’, it does not mean, ‘the things that should be done according to a given set of rules will dictate all of my choices’. It’s not like I will only act creatively in a sterile and conscious effort to create only using these tools.” Khn went on to a...