guitar keys

Ok, first, "key" doesn't belong to your guitar, it belongs to a piece of music.

A piece of music will be in 1 or more keys.

There are 15 named keys, but 3 pairs of them are enharmonic (that is, there are two keys with two different names that sound identical) so usually only 12 are used in practice.

They keys are usually learned in a particular order called "the circle of 5ths" or the "cycle of 4ths." The circle and the cycle are the same order, one is just going one way around the ring the other is going around the other way.

Now the reason for this order is the way keys are defined.

A "key" for music actually has a fair number of different definitions, but for beginners, the most important one is "The major scale defined by the key signature."

"Key signature" is a part of the music "header" that tells you which notes are sharp or flat.

For example, the key of F has one flat in it, Bb. So the key signature shows a single b on the B note.

The circle/cycle is always adding 1 flat (going around the 4ths) or adding 1 sharp (going around the 5ths) to the key signature.

Each major key (which is what you'll be interested in at first) is also defined by a major scale. The major scale starts on the same note as the name of the key from the key signature.

Thus, the key of F which has a Bb in it, starts on the note F.

Now, major scales have a particular pattern of intervals. That pattern is the same for all major scales. The pattern is:

Whole Step, Whole Step, Half Step, Whole Step, Whole, Step, Whole Step, Half Step.

A "half step" is the distance of 1 fret on the guitar. A "whole step" is the distance of two frets."

So for the Key of F we start on F:

we move up a whole step: Gb G . . .so the next note is G.

Now we have F, G and another whole step is Ab...A ... so the next note is A.

Now we have F G A and we need to move a half step . . so Bb.

Next we have 3 more whole steps: F G A Bb C D E and a half step to get back to where we started: F

The rest of the scales are built the same way.

Now, any guitar can play any of those scales.

Just pick a starting note and learn where your options for playing the next note in the same octave are.

music keys.....im comin to a point now where i need to learn the 'keys' of my guitar....i aint got a clue...can somone help me????

Hi Andy,

If KP's long and accurate explanation fried your brain a bit at first read, it might help to think of 'keys' and 'scales' as basically just tools for picking smaller teams of notes that sound OK together. They can be used to pick bunches of notes that will work well in a solo, or blend in known ways to make chords.

It's not compulsory to use only the notes in the chosen key or scale, but it gives you a reliable and predictable starting point. It also helps blend with other players if you're all using the same bunch of notes.

There are set formulae for working out scales, and sorting out which chords work best with others. If you read through KP's post a few times, it's chock full of useful things, but some of it might not instantly come to life for you if it's all new stuff. Maybe save it and refer back as you go along?

Good luck, it's a fascinating and useful area to explore. 8)

Cheers,

Chris

KP's explanation worked well for me - made me realise I don't know a single scale, except for C D E F G A B C - and that only because I was working on a song that needed a keyboard part. Oh yes - I can work out any scale from that starting point, given that each scale is 2 steps/ 2 steps/ 1/2 step/ 2 steps/ 2 steps/ 2 steps/ 1/2 step......but I have to refer to the scale I have written down and sellotaped to the wall.

Most of the time I just kind of improvise around the blues scale.....but here comes a time when you really want to know why you're playing what you're playing. I haven't got anywhere near that stage yet. Although I can hold my own if it's just straight chords - I can play rhythm to almost anything now. For the moment I'm happy playing rhythm - I think i wass BORN to play chords.....but I hate like hell not being able to put a useful solo to my MP3's.

Maybe someday I'll learn some scales - for now I'll just keep rockin' away with the same old chords. One day, I SWEAR I'll learn to read music.....

:D :D :D

Vic

Oh yes - I can work out any scale from that starting point, given that each scale is 2 steps/ 2 steps/ 1/2 step/ 2 steps/ 2 steps/ 2 steps/ 1/2 step......but I have to refer to the scale I have written down and sellotaped to the wall.

That magic formula - W W H W W W H (or T T S T T T S for Tone and Semitone) seems to underpin a huge amount about music. Along a single string it boils down to "2 Big Jumps, 1 Small Jump, 3 big Jumps, 1 Small Jump. Easy stuff.

I've always vaguely wondered about all that fancy Mode stuff too - Mixolydian and so on. So I looked it up the other day, and guess what... they all seem to relate back to that same sequence. :)

T= Big Jump (2 frets) S = Small Jump (to the next fret)

Ionian Mode:
T T S T T T S (Yes, it's the Major Scale)

Dorian Mode:
T S T T T S T (Yep, exactly the same sequence. The starting point just moves along the line one step though. So it now starts on the 2nd note of the Major scale).

Phrygian Mode:
S T T T S T T (Same deal. Starts on 3rd note Major scale)

Lydian Mode:
T T T S T T S (Starts 4th note of the Major Scale.)

Mixolydian Mode:
T T S T T S T (5th)

Aeolian Mode:
T S T T S T T
(This is the Natural Minor Scale. Shows why Aminor is 'natural minor' of the C major scale, and has the same notes. A is the 6th note of the Cmajor scale, and it uses the same formula or sequence, just starting further down the line).

Locrian:
S T T S T T T (Starts on the 7th note of the Major scale).

Seems less offputting to me now. It's just a simple bunch of Big Jumps and Small Jumps. :) Nothing to it... although learning how to apply all the combinations across the strings looks like it can take the rest of your life to master. :P

I'm pretty comfortable with Major and minor keys and scales and how to generate chords by reference to the Major scale (thanks partly to some great tips and reading posts here from KP, NoteBoat, Fretsource etc.) I might have to start learning how to use those Mode things now.... :roll:

Cheers,

Chris

thanks for the replies....they seem to be usefull....im gona book mark this page for reference if i get stuck