Learn the Notes on the Guitar

Instead of just popping up a chart with all of the notes on it, I am going to explain how you can find all of the notes on your own.  It is more interesting this way and will actually help you burn the notes into your memory better.

The Basics

First let us talk about the basics. There are 12 notes and they are represented by the first seven letters of the alphabet with the addition of certain symbols that denote a flat or sharp note:

As you can see from the image above, the notes start to repeat themselves after the G#/Ab, back to the A again.  The distance between the first A and the last A is called an octave. The notes A B C D E F G are called natural notes.  The rest of the notes that have the # or b symbol are called flats and sharps or accidentals.

On the guitar, the notes are played by either striking a string or pressing down on a fret.  The diagram below illustrates  the notes of the strings of your guitar:

The distance between any two notes is called an Interval. There are various kinds of intervals in music, but lets keep things simple and talk about the most widely discussed intervals for beginner guitarists called Half Steps and Whole Steps.

Let’s take a look at the notes again:

If we start at A and want to find the note that is a half step away, it would be A#/Bb.   To find the note that is a whole step away from A, we would jump two spots up to the B.

Let’s take this same concept and apply it to the frets of the guitar.   Grab your guitar and hold it like you are getting ready to play.  Let’s start at the Low E String. That is the thickest string on your guitar. When you play that string without pressing down on any frets, you are playing an E note.

Now to go a half step up on your guitar to the F note, we would press down on the first fret of the low E string. Now press down on the second fret of the low E string (a half step from F) and you are playing an F#/Gb.  To go a whole step from F to G on your guitar, you would go up two frets and press down on the third fret of the Low E String. So, a half step on your guitar is one fret, while a whole step on your guitar is two frets.

Let’s do another example on the A string and then I am leaving the rest for you to do.

The next string down from the Low E String is the A string.  This means when you strum this string without pressing down on any frets, you are playing an A note.  Now to go a half step up on your guitar to the A#/Bb note, we would press down on the first fret of the A string.  Now press down on the second fret of the A string ( a half step up from A#/Bb) and you are playing a B note.

Is this making sense yet?    Hopefully I have explained this well enough.  You should now be able to name every note on your guitar using the exact same process for all of the strings.  Do this at least once a day during your practice session and you will memorize every note on the guitar before you know it.

Enjoy and Happy Guitar Playing!

By Ricky Sharples
If you want to play the guitar or write songs you will need to know something, at least, about guitar music theory. You could break down guitar theory down to the study of three elements: chords, scales and arpeggios.

Scales come easily to some people but others find them difficult to learn and difficult to understand. You can, in fact, relate scales to chord shapes. Understanding chords and scales is a matter of exploring the relationships between the notes on the guitar fretboard, but it is not necessary to learn to read music, just find the patterns on the guitar neck.

When you look at scales you will see a symbol like: # or b. The # is the sharp symbol which indicates when a note is played one fret above where it would normally be played. The b symbol is called a flat which is when the note is played a fret lower. One fret on the guitar is called a half step as opposed to a whole step or whole note. In the musical scale there is only a half step between the notes B and C and the notes E and F. The notes that don’t have a sharp or flat symbol are called “naturals”.

The complete set of notes in the octave are, in alphabetical order, A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G#. So these notes as they are played in the C scale are C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B. The notes on the guitar begin with the open sixth string which sounds the note E, then going up the frets, F G A B C finishing the first octave on the open fourth string D. The octaves continue for twenty-one frets on most electric guitars and nineteen frets for acoustic guitars that don’t have a cutaway body.

Chords contain three or more notes. These notes form part of a scale that has the same name as the chord. The E major chord, for example, has three notes from the E major scale. Not all notes are created equal. The most important notes in a chord are the third and the seventh. They tell us whether the chord is major, minor or dominant.

When you play chords in a particulat order it is called a progression. Most chord progressions in popular music are based on the first, fourth and fifth notes of a scale. The twelve bar blues progression is one of the most popular chord progressions. Here is a how it works out in the key of C: you are using the first note – C, the fourth, F and the fifth, G. You play four bars using the C chord, two using F, the next two bars you play C again and the next two are G and F, finishing with two bars of the C chord. The most obvious example of this progression put into practice is the instrumental piece called Guitar Boogie.

Do you want to learn to play the guitar? Learn How To Play A Guitar For Free is a constantly updated blog which contains all the resources you need for: learning to play solo guitar, how to learn guitar chords, how to learn to read and play easy acoustic guitar tabs, finding a free online guitar tuner, looking for free guitar lessons online, and how to learn guitar scales.

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By Mike Beatham

Learning guitar can be split into two main categories – the physical and the theoretical. The physical aspects of learning guitar are the finger exercises and techniques you use to manifest your theoretical knowledge on the fretboard. As you can probably see, one cannot exist without the other. Once you’ve learned those first few chords, basic strumming/picking patterns and scale fingerings, and you begin to focus more closely on things like harmony and tonality, there is often an overwhelming feeling that there is much more to learning guitar than just “where to put your fingers”.

The first thing to note is that music theory can get very deep and complex. It takes years to fully grasp many theoretical elements. Therefore, right from day 1, you need patience! You also need to be prepared to get your head down to read and study diagrams with the same rigor as you would if studying at college/university. This is what puts off a lot of guitarists with a “quick-fix” mentality. Devote practise time to both physical and theoretical elements every day and the two will marry naturally over time. You’ll see!

So, where to begin?

1) Know what intervals are and how they work on guitar

You may have already learned a few scale fingerings, but do you know how specific intervals make up the unique tonal structure of that scale? Scale intervals, the spaces between each of the scale’s tones, are measured in “half steps/semitones” and “whole steps/whole tones”, and a sequence of whole steps and half steps in different combinations creates different scales. Intervals are, quite literally then, the building blocks of scales. For example, the major scale’s intervals are (where W = whole step and H = half step):

1 W 2 W 3 H 4 W 5 W 6 W 7 H 1… (repeat from 1 again)

So, first you need to learn how whole step and half step intervals work on the fretboard, both on a single string and in the relationship between two strings. For example, a major 3rd interval is made up of two notes, two whole steps apart. You could either map this interval out across one string (half step = 1 fret space, whole step = 2 fret space) or across two strings. Mastering intervals prepares you for knowing your way around scales like the back of your hand.

2) Know the major scale right across the guitar fretboard

The major scale is seen as the elementary scale western music is referenced against. Even minor scales are notated against the major scale’s note positions. For example, a minor third is symbolised as “b3 (flat 3rd)” because the 3rd has been flattened/lowered a half step from its original, major scale position. If you come across the symbol “#5 (sharp 5th)” that refers to the tone being sharpened/raised a half step from its original major scale position.

When learning the major scale, it’s important to get used to seeing the 1st tone – 1 – as the “root note”. The note of this root note defines the key center of the scale. To change key, simply move the root note and the interval structure with it. This is why scale patterns can simply be shifted up and down the fretboard to change key without changing their form/fingering. You can apply this root note/key concept to all other scales you learn.

Once you’re comfortable with how intervals work, using the major scale as your foundation, you have a few choices for that next logical step – you can either use your major scale knowledge to build chords or start looking at modal theory, which itself expands into several areas. Let’s look at chords first…

3) Chord theory and scale equivalents

The major scale is the foundation scale from which we build and notate/symbolise chords. Starting with that all important root note, we can stack up tones from, and modified from, the major scale. This creates a chord shape on the fretboard – where several tones of the scale are fingered/played at once, across several strings. So, if you know the major scale right across the guitar’s fretboard, you can identify a root note in several positions and build the chord from each, depending on the type of voicing you want (e.g. high or low?)

Chords can be built in the following core forms:

Major triad – root, 3rd, 5th
Minor triad – root, flat 3rd, 5th
Diminished triad – root, flat 3rd, flat 5th
Augmented triad – root, 3rd, sharp 5th
Suspended triad – where the 3rd of the major or minor triad is replaced with another tone, usually the 2nd or 4th.

Once you’ve mastered building those 3-note chords, you can move onto “7th chords” (4 note chords) and then “extended chords” (more than 4 notes), both of which simply add to those existing core triads.

What’s great about learning how to build chords from scratch is how that same knowledge can then be applied to building scales. When harmonising over a chord as a lead guitarist, it’s helpful to know which tones make up the chord you’re playing over so you can then draw those same tones for use in your lead harmony/solo. Chords and scales are drawn from the same source – intervals.

When you begin to see chords and scales as essentially the same thing, that’s when the big picture begins to reveal itself and you start to see how music works much more clearly.

4) Modal theory

Modes are often misunderstood and are actually, I believe, made to sound more complex than they actually are. After following steps 1-3, you should be ready to explore modal “systems”.

Modes are referred to as “modes of the …. scale”, for example “modes of the major scale”. This immediately tells us that we need to first know that core scale from which its modes are derived.

Let’s briefly introduce the modes of the major scale. Each note of the major scale – 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 – represents the root of a new mode. You can find out why they have weird names later, but it’s more cultural/geographic/historical than musical:

1 – Ionian
2 – Dorian
3 – Phrygian
4 – Lydian
5 – Mixolydian
6 – Aeolian
7 – Locrian

So, to play any of the modes from 2 – 7 (since 1 is the same root as the major scale) it’s like starting the major scale from a note other than its root, meaning you’re still essentially playing the notes of the major scale, but because the root has been moved up the scale to a new position, it adopts a new key center and it takes on a new sound and form/pattern on the fretboard.

Each of those modes, like scales, is built from a sequence of intervals that give them unique flavours and moods. However, they have another function which classifies them as modes. They work over particular chord sequences within that same scale (the major scale in this case). So, once you’ve learned the modes individually, as scales, it’s time to see how certain chord movements naturally complement them.

5) Modal chord progressions

Again, working with the major scale, we learned that each note represents the root of a new mode. Well, since each mode is essentially its own scale with its own sequence of intervals, we can also build chords around those same intervals, using the tones of the mode. For example, Mixolydian is a major mode/scale and uses a flat 7th (b7), so its chord equivalent would be major (see major triad from earlier) with a flat 7th. Think of it like superimposing the chord shape over the scale shape.

So there’s a task right there – learn the chord equivalents of each mode.

Ionian – major
Dorian – minor
Phrygian – minor
Lydian – major
Mixolydian – major
Aeolian – minor
Locrian – diminished

As we have 7 modes, we also have 7 equivalent chords, creating a chord scale, which will therefore use the same major scale intervals as its modes! It’s all connected. From this chord scale we can pull different chord sequences to create modal chord progressions.

For example, one chord progression could be: I ii V, or 1 2 5, which means we are using the equivalent chords of Ionian, Dorian and Mixolydian.

The big picture…

This is a lot to take in at once, I know, and this is why it’s essential to progress logically, using the 5 steps in this article. I hope you will continue to reference this “check list” as you progress.

Once you’ve accomplished “stage 5″, you’ll be ready to explore more freely, relying more on your musical intuition, that will have developed through those early stages. It’s all about building stable foundation knowledge which you can continue to build upon as your playing develops.

I hope this article has at least left you feeling more confident about the path you can take to mastering guitar/music theory. Then, finger placement will be less of a guessing game and more of an informed creative process, which is especially what the art of improvisation requires, when you come to it.

Enjoy the journey!

Mike Beatham runs a free, easy to follow guitar lessons site with backing tracks, tools and exercises to help you develop your own unique playing style. To learn more about the techniques discussed in this article, visit http://www.fretjam.com

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By Desi Serna

Becoming a good guitar player requires a strong knowledge of music theory and chord progressions. Recognizing chord movement and playing by numbers can help guitarists:

” Chart, learn and remember songs better

” Apply and use scales correctly

” Play by ear

” Compose music and improvise jams

” Apply guitar theory to the fretboard

Triads of the Major Scale

guitar chord progressions are critical to guitar theory and stem from major scale patterns. Each of the major scale’s seven notes can be played as a chord. To build guitar chords, each note is combined with others three and five degrees ahead in the scale. Hence the terms root, third and fifth (or 1 3 5). These three chord tones are called a “triad”.

1-3-5, Root, Third, Fifth
Not all triads, or chords, in the major scale are the same. This is because some triads have major thirds (two whole-steps or four frets above the root) while others have minor thirds (one and a half-steps or three frets above the root). This occurs because the distance between major scale tones varies (some notes are a whole-step apart while others are a half-step apart). Coincidentally, the fifth intervals are all the same with the only exception being the chord built on the very last scale tone.

Play By Numbers

The major and minor chords in the major scale create the sequence major, minor, minor, major, major, minor, minor (flat 5). Often referred to as the “Nashville Number System,” the theory behind this sequence is one of the most important elements of music. Major scale chords are best represented by Roman numerals with major chords written in upper case and minor chords written in lower case as follows: I ii iii IV V vi vii

Learn Chords and Keys By Pattern

Different keys have different key signatures (sharps and flats), different notes, and different chords. But the major/minor number sequence remains the same regardless of key. The number system can be visualized on the guitar as a chord pattern so that guitar players needn’t be concerned with key signatures and notes. When this pattern is shifted around the neck, guitarists can instantly see all the chords for each key. Guitar players have a music theory advantage because of this ability to move patterns on the fret board.

Learn and Remember New Songs
Playing chord progressions and playing by numbers go hand in hand and the concept is easier on the guitar than many other instruments. Good players know the right way to map things out on the guitar neck. Visualizing chord patterns on the fretboard will help players group songs by number instead of trying to keep track of movement in other ways. No more minds cluttered with confusing chord information because everything can be simplified with numbers. This really helps guitarists learn and remember new songs.

Learn Guitar Music Theory

Charting chord progressions has more advantages than just playing songs. Progressions play a role in learning guitar theory including using pentatonic and major scale patterns properly, recognizing modes and modal scales, playing intervals and adding extensions to chords.

Hear and Play By Ear

How do some musicians seem to know what’s coming next in a song the first time through? Apparently, knowing where to look is half the battle. When a player maps out all the chords of a key, it’s possible to assume the chord change or even anticipate the chord movement before it happens. Many songs are based on typical progressions, and experienced musicians become very familiar with common changes. Often times numbers are called out on the stage. Many guitarists want to be able to understand these queues, not to mention sit around and talk theory with real musicians without feeling like an idiot.

Composing Music and Improvising
Mapping out keys, determining chord movement, applying scales and playing by ear are all necessary for song-writing and jamming. Guitarists don’t need to leave spontaneity to chance. When technical details are worked out before hand, improvising and composing becomes much easier (and better).

Play Until Your Fingers Bleed!

Mr. Desi Serna (Google Me!)

Author of Fretboard Theory

http://www.Guitar-Music-Theory.com

Scales, Chords, Progressions, Modes

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Guitar For Beginners – Basic Music Theory – Key Signatures
By Michael Fletcher

Sooner or later, almost every beginning guitarist develops the desire to progress. Many are confused with regard to direction. In other words, many ponder their educational path. With so much information available, it’s no wonder that the world of guitar playing begins to seem more like a giant puzzle rather than a well defined musical highway.

Here’s a question to ponder. When is a beginner no longer a beginner? Is there some secret ceremony that is conducted by the guitar spirits thus, presenting one with a certificate proclaiming that an intermediate guitar player has now entered the room? Is there a local college professor who proclaims one an intermediate player due to his/her subjective view on levels of musicianship? Perhaps there is. Perhaps there is not. Are there actually levels of musicianship? In short, yes. However, this concept is nothing to be concerned with at this stage of the game. Let’s just drop the labels and progress.

More than likely, many guitarists are left to progress on their own. Many cannot attend college or an institute geared for the guitarist. However, progressing doesn’t mean that one has to enroll in the local university. Today, there are great guitarists who have never set foot in a music classroom. By the way, many of them are generating millions and millions of dollars as a result of their own personal progress on the guitar. This is great news. Just think for a moment, personal progress without judgment, labels, or a time frame. This is a winning proposition for all.

For purposes of this article, it is presumed that you have already learned and are playing a few guitar scales, some simple guitar chords (perhaps some difficult guitar chords), and have been learning some of your favorite songs. In other words, you’re relatively satisfied with your progress thus far. Further, you’ve developed some good facility and mechanical strength. You’re no longer clumsy on the guitar. You’re ready to truly progress.

Educating one’s self regarding key signatures is a great place to start. Knowledge of key signatures is essential to one’s understanding of tonality (tonal centers, etc.). Think of it this way, without knowing what notes, tones, or chords actually belong to any particular tonality, how can one play the guitar freely without creating a musical train wreck? Guessing is a fool’s game. Knowing is a winner’s game.

Can millions be made without knowledge of key signatures or music theory? The answer is yes. However, one would have to surround him/herself with very knowledgeable musicians in the recording studio and in creative sessions. The rich and famous can afford this type of luxury. I’m betting that most cannot. Education is a beautiful thing folks. Why risk an entire career based on a roll of the dice? Don’t guess at music, know it.

For those who are not willing to bank on fame and fortune, let’s get started on some explanations regarding key signatures. First, there are fifteen major key signatures. Certain key signatures employ sharp signs (#), and some employ flat signs (b). Now, I have no intention at this juncture to itemize every key signature for you in this article. However, I will give you a few tips on tonality and recognition of key signatures. The rest will be an assignment for you to complete.

The first example we’ll study is the key of C major, also referred to as the key of no sharps, no flats. The key of C major does not contain any sharp signs or flat signs. All of the notes are natural. Taking this one step further, each and every major scale represents its own respective major key signature. For example, by reciting the notes contained in the C major scale (C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C), we discover all of the notes contained in the key of C major. Any other note, is considered chromatic (does not belong) to the key of C major. For those who are interested, any major scale (Ionian) contains half steps between the 3^rd and 4^th degrees and also between the 7^th and 8^th degrees of the major scale. This is the specific criteria for a major scale.

There is a specific order in which sharps or flats are entered into a key signature. In short, there is an order of sharps and an order of flats. The order of sharps is F-C-G-D-A-E, and B. The order of flats is B-E-A-D-G-C, and F. The order for each is always from left to right. For example, the key of G major is also referred to as the key of one sharp. In other words, we know that the key of G major contains one sharp sign. What note is going to be sharp? Look at the order of sharps. We match the number of letters (notes) from the order of sharps to the number of symbols contained in the key signature.

Since the key of G major contains one sharp sign, only one note will be sharp (look at the order of sharps). Because we always enter the order of sharps from left to right, what is the first letter (note) that we run in to? F is the answer. Therefore all F’s will be sharp in the key of G major. Therefore, the diatonic notes (notes that belong) contained in the G major scale are G-A-B-C-D-E-F#-G. Notice that the F note is sharp. Hence, we now know exactly what notes belong to the key of G major.

The key of D major is also known as the key of two sharps. What two notes will be sharp in the key of two sharps (D major)? Look to the order of sharps. What are the first two letters (notes) in the order of sharps? Looking from left to right at the order of sharps, we discover that all F’s and C’s will be sharp in the key of D major (key of two sharps). We matched the number of notes in the order of sharps to the number of symbols (sharp signs) contained in the key signature. Two sharp signs, two notes from the order. Therefore, the D major scale is D-E-F#-G-A-B-C#-D. Once again, we’ve discovered all of the diatonic notes for the key of D major.

Do key signatures that employ flat signs work any differently? The answer is no. The same principle applies. For example, the key of F major is also referred to as the key of one flat. Look at the order of flats. Which note, in the key of F major is flat? That’s right, B. Therefore, the F major scale contains the notes F-G-A-Bb-C-D-E-F. All B’s are flat. Now, let me explain why key signatures will play such an important role in your career as a guitarist.

Imagine walking on to a stage with some other very talented musicians. Suddenly, you’re in formed that you’re to solo in the key of six sharps. The next thing you hear is the drummer clicking off the tempo.

As a guitarist, it’s your job to know where every single note, diatonic to the key of six sharps, is on the ENTIRE fingerboard. What if this was your big opportunity to audition for the band of your dreams? At this point, all of the fancy guitar videos, that just teach a few licks and tricks, will not help you. A good and solid foundation in guitar theory (music theory) will.

The necessity for knowing (not guessing) just gets deeper and deeper, depending upon your goals as a guitarist. Whether your goal is to perform, record, arrange, produce, release CD’s, or to play backyard BBQ’s. The more you know about the guitar and music theory, the better you’ll become as a guitarist. Once again, this is a winning proposition.

The real challenge for most guitarists, is locating a guitar curriculum that really puts it all together. Once one locates the means to the end, the journey will be as it should be; enjoyable.

© 2008 Michael E. Fletcher. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

http://www.ultraguitarmethod.com/

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Make no mistake about it; if your goal is to understand the entire guitar fingerboard and experience an incredible new mechanical and theoretical freedom as a guitar player, then Ultra Guitar Method is an absolute must.

While others are losing valuable time on the standard old books of C, F and G, this is your opportunity to step directly into the future with a guitar method that is as flexible as your own personality and as vast as your imagination will allow.

Visit the Ultra Guitar Method website today. Your future is now.

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