This is something I have known for years, but I have just started implementing with great results. It works wonders if you are having a hard time making a start on things and you are, like myself, a procrastinator. After all we are creatures of habit and all we have to do is allow the time for a new habit to be formed, until it becomes part of our routine.
It takes 21 consecutive days to form a habit, and about 30 to make it become part of your routine. Start with something generic, like ‘I will practice for the next 30 days every day’, to go to something more detailed like: ‘ I will practice every day for and hour the next 30 days’, or ‘I will practice transposing one tune a day for the next 30 days’ or ‘I will practice to learn major scales for one hour for the next 30 days’.
Just do it, do not be to harsh about it, and you’ll see great results. Make sure you stick to it, don’t give yourself a choice! This is great also to remove negative habits, like ‘I will not judge my playing negatively for the next 30 days’ or ‘I will not ‘noodle’ for the next 30 days’ or ‘I will stretch and correct my posture before I play for the next 30 days’
Watch this great video from Ted.com, you can apply this concept to everyday life.
All you have to do is to make a 30 day calendar to to keep track of your progress, and tick a box once you have achieved the result. I use this great little template from this page (the article is definitely worth a read):
I like to print a few an a A4 page and mark the starting date on each 30 day calendar. Most times, I find myself continuing with the new habit after the 30 days without having to keep track.
In this short post I want to spend a few words on the importance of knowing tunes, either written by other musicians or by yourself. ‘Repertoire’ is often a fancy word we use to identify ‘all the tunes we know’.
In my experience as teacher I have found to be a divide between the guitarist that is obsessed by theory and scales and that who is just interested in learning songs with no real interest in knowing how this songs are created. I always wondered why the second category were happier about their playing…
We spend as musicians most of our time learning theory, techniques and we often wonder how these fit in with ‘real life’….a lot of times we forget that tunes and musical pieces/compositions should be the goal of what we do. All these exercises and music theory studies should be a way to better perform and understand the tunes we know and write.
I always suggest to all my students to always keep an updated list of all the tunes they know (or they can busk), and a folder with all their original material, from the completed tunes to the ‘work in progress’ type material.
Keep writing and learning new tunes: this will give you a sense of purpose in your studies and also it will be a test for all the techniques and theory you have learnt…
We have seen in the previous lesson al the major triads in close (or closed) position. As already stated if these notes of the triad (or ‘voices’) are contained within an octave we call it in ‘close’ or ‘closed’ position, as opposite as ‘spread’ position (more than an octave). Just watch the video where I go through all the most popular shapes for the latter.
OTHER TRIADS
Just like for the close position, it is really simple to find other (minor, augmented, diminished) triads from the major triad.
Major triad – R,3,5 – C,E,G
Minor triad – R,m3,5 – C,Eb,G (Lower the 3rd one 1/2 step)
Augmented triad – R, 3, #5 – C,E,G# (Raise the 5th one 1/2 step)
Diminished triad – R,m3,dim5 – C,Eb,Gb (Lower both the 3rd and 5th one 1/2 step)
Download –here– the page with all the triad inversions on a printable PDF file or click the image below (2 pages, both close and spread voicings).
In this lesson I go through all inversions for the most popular major triad ‘shapes’ on guitar.
The theory behind triads is quite simple: a major triad is basically the 1st, 3rd and 5th note of a major scale. If analysed in intervals: from the root I will have a first note that is a major 3rd apart and a second note that is a perfect 5th apart. As an example, for the key of C major (C,D,E,F,G,A,B) my C major triad will be C,E,G (C-E major 3rd, C-G perfect 5th).
If these notes (or ‘voices’) are contained within an octave we call this ‘close’ or ‘closed’ position, as opposite as ‘spread’ position (more than an octave). We will see the triads in Spread Position in another lesson.
INVERSIONS
When the triad is in its Root-3rd-5th configuration we call it ‘root position’ – C,E,G
If we move the root up an octave we have the first inversion – 3rd, 5th, Root – E,G,C
If we then move the 3rd up an octave we have the second inversion – 5th, Root, 3rd – G,C,E
OTHER TRIADS
It is really simple to find other (minor, augmented, diminished) triads from the major triad.
Major triad – R,3,5 – C,E,G
Minor triad – R,m3,5 – C,Eb,G (Lower the 3rd one 1/2 step)
Augmented triad – R, 3, #5 – C,E,G# (Raise the 5th one 1/2 step)
Diminished triad – R,m3,dim5 – C,Eb,Gb (Lower both the 3rd and 5th one 1/2 step)
Download –here– the page with all the inversions on a printable PDF file or click the image below.
Let’s now go back to the basic theory post (quite successful over 10k views just the day I posted!) , and let’s see how things apply to guitar…just read the explanatins in red and watch the videos!
Let’s start again:
The natural sounds are:
English
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
You might also find in some books the name of these notes in Italian (nothing to do with ‘solfege’!) Do,Re,Mi,Fa,Sol,La,Si and in German C,D,E,F,G,A,H.
Sharps and flats.
# = sharp: raises the given note of a half step.
One half-step on guitar is a fret, easy. When you move up a fret (from the headstock to the body of the guitar) you are playing two notes that are a semitone/half-step apart from each other. From G natural to G# you would move up one fret.
## = double sharp: raises the given note of two half steps (also noted ‘x’).
From G natural to G## you would move up two frets.
b = flat: lowers the given note of a half step.
From G natural to Gb you would move down one fret.
bb = double flat: lowers the given note of two half steps.
From G natural to Gbb you would move down two frets.
= natural: cancels sharps and flats (double natural cancels double sharps and flats).
The Chromatic scale.
In this first video I start from the chromatic scale and show you how to build a major scale:
The chromatic scale contains all 12 natural and altered sound (using sharps and flats).
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
C
C#/Db
D
D#/Eb
E
F
F#/Gb
G
G#/Ab
A
A#/Bb
B
Notes called with a different name, but identifying the same sound, are called enharmonic (i.e.: C# e Db). The shortest distance between two sound of the chromatic scale is a Half Step, the distance of a fret on the guitar.
Intervals.
An interval is the distance between two notes.
Intervals of a second, third, sixths and seventh are called major. If a major interval is raised by an half step it is calledaugmented. If a major interval is lowered by an half step it is called minor. If lowered by two half steps, diminuished.
Intervals of a fourth, fifth and octave are called perfect. If a perfect interval is raised by an half step it is calledaugmented. If a perfect interval is lowered by an half step it is called diminuished (note the difference).
All the intervals from the tonic of a major scale to any other note of tha scale are major or perfect (i.e. between C and D=major 2nd, C e E=major 3rd, C e F=perfect 4th, and so on…)
Intervals can also be calculated summing up half steps: one half-step on guitar is a fret, easy. When you move a fret up (from the headstock to the body of the guitar) you are playing two notes that are a semitone/half-step apart from each other.
N.of htps
1
2
3
4
5
6
6
7
8
8
9
10
10
11
12
Interval
m2
M2
m3
M3
P4
4aug
5dim
P5
5aug
m6
M6
6aug
m7
M7
P8
where m=minor, M=major, P=perfect, dim=diminuished, aug=augmented.
How to build a major scale.
Read the theory and watch the video below:
The spacing of the notes in a major scales follow this rule:
WWHWWWH
Where W = Whole step (a major second) H= Half step
Example : C major
To build major sales in other keys use exclusively either sharps or flats choosing the notes so that a note with the same name is never repeated. In doing so you will only use Diatonic half steps (given by two notes with different name, i.e. C-Db, opposite to Chromatic half steps given by two notes with the same name, as in D –D#).
ON GUITAR:
Major scale – fixed position patterns
These are the famous 5 ‘box’ movable patterns for the major scale. Of course you can
play all the major scales with these, as long as the tonic, aka the note that gives the name
to the scale, sits in the red circles. The example is in G major, like in the video, but as I
said, these patterns can be transposed to all major scales. The roman numeral stands for
the fret number.
The Major scale template above is from TrueGuitarist.com’s ‘The Guitar Kit’, a free collection of guitar templates.
This is a list of all the major scales in all keys. The order follows the amount of sharps and flats in the key.
Keys with flats.
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
F
G
A
Bb
C
D
E
Bb
C
D
Eb
F
G
A
Eb
F
G
Ab
Bb
C
D
Ab
Bb
C
Db
Eb
F
G
Db
Eb
F
Gb
Ab
Bb
C
Gb
Ab
Bb
Cb
Db
Eb
F
Cb
Db
Eb
Fb
Gb
Ab
Bb
Keys with sharps.
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
G
A
B
C
D
E
F#
D
E
F#
G
A
B
C#
A
B
C#
D
E
F#
G#
E
F#
G#
A
B
C#
D#
B
C#
D#
E
F#
G#
A#
F#
G#
A#
B
C#
D#
E#
C#
D#
E#
F#
G#
A#
B#
Relative minor (key)
Every major key has one relative minor which is made of the same notes, but starting from the sixth note. In other words, starting a minor third below (or a major sixth above) the root of the major scale. For example if we take C major its relative minor is A minor, spelled A B C D E F G.
On guitar: To play the relative minor, just start two notes before the note in the red circle.
Circle of fifths.
The circle of fifths one of the most used ways to summarize all I explained so far. It is very useful to memorize how many and which alterations a specific key has.
I find very useful to memorize FCGDAEB and the same sequence backwards BEADGCF. The first is the order of sharps the second, of flats. So if a key has, for example, 3 sharps (A major) they will be the first 3 notes in the first seqence (F# C# G#).
Harmonized major scale – How to build chords.
A practical application on guitar:
In the example below every note of a major scale identifies a ‘degree’ of the scale. In the example I have used C major, but this is valid for every other major scale in any key.
If I stack on every degree two more notes a diatonic third apart (basically every other one) I end up with different kinds of triads (triad=group of three notes). These triads are shown in the example below. If we analyse the intervals between notes:
a Major Triad has a Maj 3rd and a Perf 5th (Eg. C-E-G: C-E=maj 3rd , C-G Perf 5th).
a Minor Triad has a min 3rd and a Perf 5th.
a Diminuished Triad has a min 3rd and a diminuished 5th.
You will have the same series of chords in all the other keys Eg: F major: F, Gm, Am, Bb, C, Dm, Em.
Already with this knowledge we can understand how to Analyze simple songs or how to write pop songs:
If we stack another note a diatonic third apart from the last note of the above triads we will have Seventh chords.
This again is valid for all the 12 keys. This concept is vital to understand how songs are built and how to pick the correct scale for a solo.
On Guitar this note choice for 7th chords might not work…let’s see some more popular choices to play this on guitar:
With this we can now analyse more complex songs like a simple jazz standard…watch the video:
This is something I have known for years, but I have just started implementing with great results. It works wonders if you are having a hard time making a start on things and you are, like myself, a procrastinator. After all we are creatures of habit and all we have to do is allow the time for a new habit to be formed, until it becomes part of our routine.
In this short post I want to spend a few words on the importance of knowing tunes, either written by other musicians or by yourself. ‘Repertoire’ is often a fancy word we use to identify ‘all the tunes we know’.
