Hello to everyone!
I know that folks are going to be busy over the holidays and might not have all the time they'd like for practicing and such, so I thought that the time might be right for a little bit of a "reading" lesson.
And since a lot of the things we're going to start covering will need us to know a little bit of terminology (if not necessarily theory), I was thinking we should take a little time to get some basics down.
This is pretty light reading and I've broken it into nice, bite-sized chunks.
The Musical Genome Project
https://www.guitarnoise.com/article.php?id=33
The Power of Three
https://www.guitarnoise.com/article.php?id=34
Building Additions (and Suspensions)
https://www.guitarnoise.com/article.php?id=35
I invite you to use this thread to post questions, confirm suspicions, or simply get whatever's in your head about theory out onto the page.
The main thing I want to stress is that music theory is not some scary monster lurking in the shadows. Taken in small doses, it can make your learning much more fun and it will certainly make your playing better. For example, remember the alternating bass stuff we did in Margaritaville? Well, theory can help you figure out how to use that technique in any song you'd like to strum that way. Okay, that's a lame example. But true...
See you on the boards.
Peace
I'd just like to echo what David has to say about theory. It needn't be akin to quantum physics, you can take it in small doses.
For anyone who has been to my web site, you may think that it is a reflection of the theory that I have learnt. The truth is, the creation of that site was HOW I learnt music theory.
I started with nothing - and I've still got most of it left.
Did you know that the word "gullible" is not in any dictionary?
Greybeard's Pages
My Articles & Reviews on GN
David, thank you for starting this thread, I shall probably use it well lol. I'll start and read the articles and see what pops up. I want to say thanks for sharing all this stuff with us too.
Denise
Remember if the world didn't suck we'd all fall off
I'm reading.
Anyone else?
Bueller!Bueller!! Yes I'm alive and reading. No questions yet.
Me too. I'm reading.
The Easy Song Database: http://www2.shore.net/~maryesme/bin/easy.cgi
Take part in its creation: https://www.guitarnoise.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=7
Yes, I'm reading too, it's a bit hectic at the moment eh, I'll have more time over the next few days.
Happy Christmas everyone. Â :)
Hi, so far I've read the first two articles and done the homework for the first article, writing them all out and working the keys out the long way - using TTSTTTS etc - and it's been well worth the effort, thanks.
So far no questions, doing the last article and homework today and tomorrow :)
Hi, when someone gets a minute or five can they help me with this, I started to read the theory David had set and realised I needed to go back a few steps and I've come to a big halt on the Theory without Tears article.
This is the bit that has me flumoxed ???
<Now, even if you'd never played a particular chord before, you should be able to figure it out pretty handily. Let's try a D minor 7th, okay? First, we construct our D scale. From this we'll see that for this chord we'll need D (I), F (minor III), A (V) and C (minor VII). D is sounded with, of all things, the open D string. Covering the second fret of the G string will give us the A note and if we place a finger on the first fret of the high E and B strings, then we'll have the F and C as well. Ta da!
E A D G B E
X 0 0 2 1 1>
I understand how to make a chord etc. but how do I know that if I cover the second fret of the G string it will give me the A note and if I place a finger on the first fret of the high E and B strings, then it gives me the F and C. Is there a chart I can use, or a method of determining how to make any note on the guitar.
Thanks
Denise
Remember if the world didn't suck we'd all fall off
A fretboard map? You need to start memorizing  :)
There's one here, not the easiest to read
https://www.guitarnoise.com/faq.php?id=129
found another http://www.visualguitar.com/
"Things may get a whole lot worse/ Before suddenly falling apart"
Steely Dan
"Look at me coyote, don't let a little road dust put you off" Knopfler
Each fret is a half step.
And you know the scale works like this
A A#/Bb B C C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab
So if you move any string you go up the scale by half steps.
You can figure out any note. Here's the map (and remember, at the twelfth fret everything starts over):
And here's a link to a free download that helps you memorize the fretboard:
http://www.avatra.com/fretboardwarrior/
It's a cool learning device that makes it all into a game.
Hope that helps.
Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon
Thanks for the help, it finally sunk in when I imagined the fretboard as a keyboard. The fretboard map is great, thanks again
Denise
Remember if the world didn't suck we'd all fall off
also has a fretboard trainer.
The Easy Song Database: http://www2.shore.net/~maryesme/bin/easy.cgi
Take part in its creation: https://www.guitarnoise.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=7
Every few months I seem to come across MusicTheory.net and play around with stuff when I get there. Neat stuff.
"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."
Not sure if this question is basic theory, but there is something I don't understand.
I have started jamming with a guy who has been playing for 10 years whereas I am a relative beginner. I can play a few chords OK and he will improvise. This week ha asked me to improvise and he play the chords but I haven't a clue how to start.
I know it has something to do with scales and keys and pentatonic stuff and I have tried the lessons but can't find the right lesson to help me get started. I read about patterns and then keys but it is still a mystery.
For example if the chords are D, Em, G, A7 repeated (Love is all around) what scales etc. should I be looking at? It seems in the key of D - correct? Do I look for the 'pattern' for D Major or find another pattern but move it into the key of D - see how confused I am??
:roll:
