Posted in Composition, Music Theory, Scales and Modes on Jul 1st, 2007
Understanding modes
Understanding how to apply modes is one of the tougher concepts for guitarists new to music theory. Before you even try and understand how to apply modes on guitar you have to first make sure you understand what modes are and how they are created. If you are not crystal clear on those […]
Posted in Music Theory on Jun 6th, 2007
Many things about playing guitar are glamorous. Knowing the circle of fifth’s is not one of those things. Maybe that’s why so many guitar players overlook it. But the circle of 5th’s can provide you with a wealth of information that will help your playing in so many places. Before we take a look […]
Posted in Music Theory, Scales and Modes on May 6th, 2007
This is a post I have been hesitating on for a long time. Since the theory behind a mode is somewhat hard to grasp at first, I was not sure how to break it down modes in a way that you could easily understand. But due to the importance of modes I decided I […]
Posted in Chords, Composition, Music Theory on Apr 17th, 2007
(Before you read this lesson you should make sure you understand Diatonic Harmony and Buliding 7th chords)
Good composition is about creating music that has movement. Music that has peaks and valleys. If your chord progressions don’t go anywhere, they are just boring. The best way to create music with strong movement is to create […]
Posted in Chords, Music Theory on Apr 8th, 2007
Now that you know how to build a chord and use it in a diatonic progression, we can take a look at making more complex harmonies and interesting sounding chords by using 7th chords.
A 7th chord is called an “extension” b/c you are adding additional notes to the 1-3-5 notes that compose a common […]
Posted in Composition, Music Theory on Mar 25th, 2007
Note: Before you read this post it would help you if you read my post on notes, the major scale, and building chords.
As discussed previously a diatonic scale is a scale consisting only of the 7 notes which fit within a givins scale’s formula. The most famous and useful (at least in western music) […]
Posted in Ear Training, Music Theory on Mar 23rd, 2007
An interval is the distance between two notes and it is calculated from the lower note. Different intervals have different sound qualities. Learning intervals will help you develop your ear and it is a great ear training exercise. For instance, if you can recognize the sound of a Minor 3rd interval then you will […]
Posted in Chords, Music Theory on Mar 18th, 2007
This lesson will focus on how chords are made. Just like we had a formula of steps that we could use to make a scale (click here to see the lesson on building scales), we can also use a formula to make chords.
A basic chord is built on 3 notes. These 3 note chords […]
Posted in Music Theory, Scales and Modes on Mar 15th, 2007
Today we will take a look at how to build a scale using certain notes on your guitar (or any other melodic instrument you play). Just like notes are the building blocks for scales, scales are the building block for composition. All chords are derived from scales. And in western music there is one […]
Posted in Guitar Hardware, Music Theory on Mar 13th, 2007
Now that you know what notes are and how they work (Click here to see the last lesson if you don’t), we can apply it to you guitar’s fretboard.
Now that we know the order of the notes, we can figure out what all the notes are on your guitar. Let’s start with the open […]
