The Basics
Although it might
seem strange, (given the fact that the notes are named A through G) music theory actually
begins with the key of C.
Below is the
CHROMATIC SCALE starting with C:
C - C#/Db - D -
D#/Eb - E - F - F#/Gb - G - G#/Ab - A - A#/Bb - B - C
A SCALE is nothing
more than a clever way to travel from octave to octave. The word CHROMATIC comes from
chroma or color. Think of the chromatic scale (because it contains every note) as one that
includes all the colors.
Every other scale
(there are hundreds of them) is constructed by selecting only certain notes from the
chromatic scale.
The chromatic scale
is the model used for the concept of WHOLE-STEPS and HALF-STEPS (sometimes referred to as
WHOLE TONE and SEMI TONE).
A HALF-STEP is the
distance between any two notes along the chromatic scale. If you play any note of the
chromatic scale and then play the next higher note OR the next lower note, that is
considered a HALF-STEP.
A WHOLE-STEP is
equal to the distance of two HALF-STEPS. Therefore, if you play any note of the chromatic
scale and then play, not the next note, but, the note after that, you are executing a
WHOLE-STEP. (C to C# is a half-step, C to D is a whole-step etc...)
When applied to the
guitar, half-step translates to the distance of one fret and whole-step to the distance of
two frets. It makes no difference what the names of the notes are. The only thing that
matters, is how far apart those notes are. (Understand that B and C are one fret apart as
are E and F. these two pair of notes are therefore a half-step and not a whole-step. This
is a common misunderstanding that beginning students have when first learning this
concept. They assume that because there is no sharp or flat between those notes that they
are a whole-step apart.)
Now, before we
continue, another definition:
A note that is
neither sharp nor flat is considered NATURAL. The symbol used to denote NATURAL looks like
this:
NATURAL is
understood rather than written most of the time. In other words, unless you see a # or b
attached to a note, that note is assumed to be NATURAL and therefore, does not require the
use of it's symbol. (When dealing with standard music notation however, you will encounter
the NATURAL SIGN quite frequently.)
If you start on C
and play only the NATURAL notes until you reach the octave, you will arrive at the notes
of the C MAJOR SCALE:
C - D - E - F - G
- A - B - C
Now, if we look at
the whole-steps and half-steps between each note of the C MAJOR SCALE, we find this
pattern:
W - W - H - W - W
- W - H
This pattern of
whole-steps and half-steps is the single most important part of understanding music
theory.
Every major scale in
every key follows this w/h pattern.
For example, if we
start on G and apply the pattern, we get the notes of the G Major scale:
G - A - B - C - D
- E - F# - G
The note that you
start with is called the ROOT NOTE. The root note defines what is called KEY. When someone
asks, "What key is this song in?", they are asking about the root note of the
scale that the song is based upon.
So, the major scale
in the key of F is constructed by starting on F and following the w/h pattern:
F - G - A - Bb - C
- D - E - F
That's all there is
to it! Start on a root note and follow the w/h pattern. You are now the proud owner of a
major scale.
Any note from the
chromatic scale can (and will) function as the root note. So long as the rest of the notes
follow the w/h pattern, the scale will be a Major scale in the key of that root note.
The Fingerboard
Up and down the
individual strings (key of C, square is the root note):
etc...
Across the strings
(key of C, square is the root note):
etc...
Combining the two
(key of C, square is the root note):
Covering the entire
fingerboard (key of C, square is the root note):
When it comes to
scales, the most important thing is to be able to turn the "pattern" into
"music". There's really no point to mindlessly running up and down the scale for
hours on end. As soon as you acquire a basic understanding of how the notes lay out across
the fingerboard, it's important to start searching out the melodic possibilities of the
scale. Eventually, you need to know the major scale in every key, not just C.
CALL
973-785-0896
tom@newjerseyguitarlessons.com
