D chord and fretboard notes

just after wrinting this i found this fretboard map by david hodge https://www.guitarnoise.com/faq.php?id=129 and there are no strings with two note all just one ! whats going on ?

The answer to the D chord is this:

A major triad takes the root/tonic of the scale and adds the 3rd and 5th degrees (positions in the scale, 1 being the root). A major scale follows the sequence WWHWWWH, so for D - D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#, D. So it won't be Gb, because we already have a G as the 4th and a letter only appears once in any key.

To call it Gb, you would have to be playing in Db, Gb or Cb, as they are the only keys, containing that note,

http://people.freenet.de/greybeard/CycleOfFifths.htm

Greybeard

That was great. I never knew that rule. I guess you can teach an old dog a new trick.

Thanks

Wes

:oops:

Answering your question about Davids fretboard map.
It only shows the sharps but the sharps are indead also flats for the next note.
Greybeard explained it but to simplify the explination in general terms.
ALL scales use each letter of the musical alphabet (A through G) only once then repeats.
So if you are going up a scale and you use C then the scale patterns calls for 1/2 step (one fret) the next note would be Db not C# because you already have a C.
Chords are formed from scales. The basic chord takes the 1st 3rd and 5th notes of that scale.
D chord then uses 1st D 3rd F# (because Fs are sharp in the D scale) and 5th A.
One step farther, songs are written to be played in a ceratin key. The key dictates what notes are to be either sharp or flat.

So if you are going up a scale and you use C then the scale patterns calls for 1/2 step (one fret) the next note would be Db not C# because you already have a C.

This theory stuff is going to be the death of me. I'm looking at david's page on theory and I just don't get it. Any other links you might have to help me understand this? I haven't click the upper link yet.

Edit: I see the pattern of how the sharps and flats relate to whole step and half step notes. I think I understand now, just had to stare at it for a few more minutes :oops:

You don't need to get too heavy into theory to undertsand scales and simple chords.
Call it a formula if you will. The major scale formula.
WWHWWWH
W= whole step or 2 frets on your fingerboard, H= half step or 1 fret.
Take the Key of C and the C major scale. No sharps or flats.
CDEFGABC C to D is a whole step (or 2 half steps) D to E is also a whole step E to F is only a half step (there is no E#/Fb on your finger board) and so on.
Use the same WWHWWWH formula for any major scale by starting with the Root note (G is root for G major , A is root for A major)
By counting the steps in the formula you will find that you end up with an F# in the G scale.
Try some other scales and see what you get.
When you build a chord you use the scale for that chord.
A chord uses the A major scale.
That is about as hard as it gets so far.
You will get other formulas (known as progressions) for other types of scales like minor, different pentatonics ect..
But learn your majors first. WWHWWWH :D

I didn't make myself clear. I knew what you posted already. What I can't get through my thick skull is, what make a note sharp or flat? For example, what makes and F# an F# and not a Gb?

Context. Plain and simple.
In standard notation there is no second guessing wiether it is F# or Gb because it is written out exactly what you are playing.
Secondly is what key you are playing in. If you are playing in the key of G it is F# if you are playing in Db then it is Gb.
Using the above major scale progression you know right off if it is F# or Gb just because you use each letter once and you don't skip a letter.
G scale with progression in brackets.
G(W)A(W)B(H)C(W)D(W)E(W)F#(H)G (notice how the whole step after the E takes us to F#/Gb but since F is the next note we needed it had to be F#
Now lets do a flat scale of F
F(W)G(W)A(H)Bb(W)C(W)D(W)E(H)F notice the half step after A took us to A#/Bb but since we already used A and need B next it was used as Bb.
There will only be all sharp note or all flat notes in anmy given key. Sharps and flats are never mixed, unless a specific note is marked that way.
Circle of Fifths is a way of keeping key signatures and what notes are sharp or flat in order, Helps with the memory. here is a link
http://www.zentao.com/guitar/theory/circle.html

It depends on what scale you are using or where you are coming from on the neck.

A chord always 'skips' letters. So if your chord is based on D, you'll have D, F something, A something. It doesn't matter what the chord is - changing chords just means changing the letter designations. So from D, you've got:

D-F#-A = D major
D-F-A = D minor
D-F-Ab = D diminished
D-F#-A# = D augmented

Greybeard's trick is fine with natural notes, but you'll often have accidentals in a piece of music... D+ followed by D major, for instance. When that happens, the note in the D+ should be A#, not Bb.

Hi deanobeano,

If you're having trouble getting your head around the stuff about sharp and flats, I wouldn't worry too much about it at this stage.

As beginners, we really don't have to call the note anything - we just have to be able to find it and play it.

Usually somebody else will have named it. Probably the sheet of music you're following. But sometimes a teacher might say something like "play that C# again".

As you already know that a C sharp (C#) mean the note above C and a D flat (Db) means the note below D, you should be able to find them without much trouble.

It's interesting (and useful later) to know the theory, and the history behind it all, but it's not essential at the start. Music notation is not too difficult when you break it all down, but it can be totally overwhelming at the beginning. :shock:

So if the reasons why a position is sometimes called C# and sometimes Db are a bit mid-blowing - don't fret about it (sorry about the pun....). You know where to find it when necessary, and that's what matters most. :D