Music Theory 101 – The Major Scale – Lesson 12

After 2 or 3 years of learning guitar you might start to notice patterns in music. The same chord order happening over and over? Other musicians talking about keys, scales or arpeggios?

 

All of these things are related to music theory. It’s not essential to know music theory, but it certainly can’t hinder your progress as a guitarist. I wish I’d started learning music theory sooner than I did.

 

Understanding the mechanics of theory can be great for your own jamming or songwriting, working songs out by ear, communicating with other musicians and for your own “a ha” moments with how songs are put together. It’s an incredibly empowering thing to learn so let’s get started.

 

STEP 1:

If you haven’t done so already please commit the musical alphabet to memory:

A – A# – B – C – C# – D – D# – E – F – F# – G – G#

Every space in the alphabet has a sharp (#) except between B and C and E and F.

Every one fret movement going up the neck (towards the sound hole) is a one step movement up the musical alphabet.

 

STEP 2:

The guitar strings are tuned (from the thickest strings to the thinnest string) to  E – A – D – G – B – E

Every time you move up or down a fret on a string you are moving a space in the alphabet. So if you’re pressing down the 3rd fret on the E string you have moved through F, (fret 1) F# (fret 2) and then onto G (fret 3). This same rule can be applied to any fret on any string.

 

When you move one space up the musical alphabet this is called a 1/2 (half) step interval.

When you move up two spaces up the musical alphabet this is called a whole step interval.

You can abbreviate the intervals to H (half step) or W (whole step).

 

STEP 3:

We’re going to learn the C major scale.

The notes of this scale are C – D – E – F – G – A – B – C

We’re now going to learn the intervals of the major scale (see 10.10 in the video for more details)

The major scale intervals are W – W – H – W – W – W – H

Remember a W is a whole (2 steps in the alphabet or 2 frets) and a H is a half step (1 step in the alphabet or one fret)

 

HOMEWORK:

1) Please memorise the major scale formula!

W – W – H – W – W – W – H

You can then apply that formula to any key (starting point). We used it with C, but you could start at any other note.

 

2) Work out the notes of the major scale in the key of G. Use the formula above to do this. Please use the contact form in the bottom right to send me your answer or email drue@learnguitarinlondon.com 

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