I agree. But the theory is a way of structuring a system of names and shorthands to help codify what you know about producing music. At what point does your system for structuring the understanding you have about how to organize pitches in a way that you like become theory? Specially if it matches one for one to established concepts in academic music theory?

I’m not sure what you are saying.

Copy and paste “hello, world” ot install sqlite3 looks like computer science?

The argument was that the greatest guitarists didn't know theory so it doesn't equate to that. Hello world equivalent. It's more like building TempleOS or Rollercoaster Tycoon or building SQLite without getting a formal education somehow means you don't understand computer science

My examples are exaggerated or misleading. Other comment covers it I think.

On some level, yes, knowing what shape an G chord is on a guitar is knowing some theory in the exact same way that being able to get hello world functioning in a language is necessary to starting to understand the broader elements of computer science.

Just because something is the Nth lowest first step does not mean it's not a step.

The theory is true, but no theory will make you perform quite like a legendary recording artist.

Yeah, it'd be nice if Berklee funk sounded good.

[delayed]