APPENDIX A SOME MUSIC INFORMATION

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1 APPENDIX A SOME MUSIC INFORMATION This appendix has some general information on music. This includes: 1. Musical notes 2. Musical scale formation and the relationship of notes to the scale; 3. Chord formation; 4. Location of notes on the guitar strings. 5. Guitar notes on the musical staff. It is here for general information. MUSICAL SCALE FORMATION Western music is made up of 12 notes. Each note has a name. The names of notes are shown below. There is one "half step" between each note. Some notes have alternate names (A# is Bb). Note that A# means A sharp, and Bb means B flat. The notes are: A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G# (A A# B...) (Bb) (Db) (Eb) (Gb) (Ab) (repeats...) The most familiar scale is the Major scale which is made up of 7 of the 12 notes. 5 notes are left out, or only used for variety. The scale is also called "Ionian". We refer to these 7 notes as Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La and Ti. In Major mode, there is a half step between the 3rd and 4th (Mi and Fa) of the seven notes and between the 7th and high 1st (8th) notes (Ti and high Do). Between all other notes there is a whole step due to the 5 left out notes. This is shown below: steps between -v------v v v------v------v v v (Do) 1 (Re) 1 (Mi) 1/2 (Fa) 1 (So) 1 (La) 1 (Ti) 1/2 (Do) 1 (Re) number -> 1 2b 2 3b 3 4 5b 5 6b 6 7b 7 8 9b 9 (1#) (2#) (4#) (5#) (6#) (8#) left out -----^------^ ^------^------^ ^ The numbering convention above will be used to construct scales in Major and other modes. Specifically, in Major mode, there is always a half step between the notes called 3 and 4 and between the notes called 7 and 8 (or 1). There are whole steps between (1 and 2), (2 and 3), (4 and 5), (5 and 6) and (6 and 7). The missing notes are referred to as flat or sharp versions of the 7 used notes. Note that when we get back to Do at the high end of the scale, we can refer to the notes as 8 (or high 1), 9b (or high 2b), 9 (or high 2), etc. If a Major scale is formed in some key (say F#), the name of the key is Do The Greatest Guitar Course in the World A-1 Copyright 1983 by Raymond P. Voith

2 in the scale (Do is F#). This is the base note (not BASS). Subsequent notes of the scale are formed by moving the required number of steps, as shown above. For example: KEY OF C: steps--v------v v v------v------v v (Do) 1 (Re) 1 (Mi) 1/2 (Fa) 1 (So) 1 (La) 1 (Ti) 1/2 (Do) C D E F G A B C <- notes <- number KEY OF F#: steps--v------v v v------v------v v (Do) 1 (Re) 1 (Mi) 1/2 (Fa) 1 (So) 1 (La) 1 (Ti) 1/2 (Do) F# G# A# B C# D# F F# <- notes <- number With the above information, we can form all of the scales in Major mode. The result is: The Greatest Guitar Course in the World A-2 Copyright 1983 by Raymond P. Voith

3 SCALES AND MODES The sequence (do re mi fa sol la ti do) is well known. If the notes are numbered ( ), there are full steps between (1,2), (2,3), (4,5), (5,6), and (6,7). There are half steps between (3,4) and (7,8). A typical song might start on "do", progress through different notes and almost always finish on "do". A song that does this is said to be in "Ionian" mode. This mode has a certain "feel" to it. There are other modes that have a different "feel". One such mode is "Aoelian". This mode starts on "la", progresses through different notes and almost always finish on "la". This mode has a "sad" feel to it. The modes are characterized by the location of half steps in the progression from 1->8 (Note 8 is a repetition of 1). In all there are seven modes. Here is a table showing the modes, and the notes used for each key. do re mi fa so la ti do < Ionian < Phrygian < Dorian < Lydian < Mixolydian <---- Aeolian <- Locrian C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C# D# F F# G# A# C C# D# F F# G# A# C Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C D E F# G A B C# D E F# G A B C# D# F G G# A# C D D# F G G# A# C D Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb F G Ab Bb C D E F# G# A B C# D# E F# G# A B C# D# F G A Bb C D E F G A Bb C D E F# G# A# B C# D# F F# G# A# B C# D# F Gb Ab Bb B Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb B Db Eb F G A B C D E F# G A B C D E F# G# A# C C# D# F G G# A# C C# D# F G Ab Bb C Db Eb F G Ab Bb C Db Eb F G A B C# D E F# G# A B C# D E F# G# A# C D D# F G A A# C D D# F G A Bb C D Eb F G A Bb C D Eb F G A B C# D# E F# G# A# B C# D# E F# G# A# C D E F G A B C D E F G A B The Greatest Guitar Course in the World A-3 Copyright 1983 by Raymond P. Voith

4 PLAYING SCALES Learn major scales in the keys of C, G, D, A, E, and maybe, the relative minors of these major keys. Learn movable scale patterns beginning with: nd finger on the 6th string - 2nd finger on the 5th string --- -ti -R re *fa --- sol --- -la sol --- -la re --- -mi *fa re --- -mi -fa la --- -ti -R la --- -ti -R mi -fa --- sol mi -fa --- sol ti (R) --- -re (R) --- -re sol --- -la \ / \***\ /***/ second finger second finger sixth string fifth string nd finger on the 6th string - 4nd finger on the 5th string la --- -ti -R mi -fa --- sol mi -fa --- sol ti --R --- -re *ti --R --- -re sol --- -la sol --- -la --- *ti re --- -mi -fa re --- -mi -fa la --- -ti (R) la --- -ti (R) mi -fa --- sol --- \***\ /***/ \ / fourth finger fourth finger sixth string fifth string st finger on the 6th string - 1st finger on the 5th string --- -ti -R re --- -mi sol --- -la sol --- -la --- -ti re --- -mi -fa re --- -mi -fa *la --- -ti -R- --- *re la --- -ti -R re *mi -fa --- sol --- *la mi -fa --- sol --- -la *ti (R) --- -re --- *mi ti (R) --- -re --- -mi la --- *ti --- \***\ /***/ \***\ /***/ first finger first finger sixth string fifth string The Greatest Guitar Course in the World A-4 Copyright 1983 by Raymond P. Voith

5 Playing Pentatonic Scales (useful for blues and rock) /vvvvv-2-vvvvv\ /vvvvv-4-vvvvv\ /vvvvv-1-vvvvv\ --- -R B R B R B R B R B R B R B R B R B R \^^^^^-1-^^^^^/ \^^^^^^^-3-^^^^^^^/ \^^^^^-5-^^^^^/ \^^^^^-2-^^^^^/ -R B R B R \^^^^^-1-^^^^^/ /vvvvv-4-vvvvv\ -B B R B R B /vvvvv-2-vvvvv\ B R R B B R R B B B B R- --- \^^^^^-5-^^^^^/ --- -B R B R B- --- \^^^^^^^-3-^^^^^^^/ The Greatest Guitar Course in the World A-5 Copyright 1983 by Raymond P. Voith

6 MUSICAL NOTES ON GUITAR STRINGS The next diagram shows where the notes are on the guitar strings. The notes on open strings are shown also. The first diagram shows the basic notes, starting on the sixth string and progressing up the strings. No sharped or flatted notes are shown. B C D G A D E F A B C E F G Notes on open strings The next diagram shows notes found at other positions on the guitar. B C D E F G A B C D E F G G A B C D E F G A B C D D E F G A B C D E F G A A B C D E F G A B C D E F (extra notes on this side of line) Notes on open strings NOTES ON SCALE RELATED TO TABLATURE The next diagram shows where the notes in the key of C are on the tablature. D E F G A B e B G D A E The Greatest Guitar Course in the World A-6 Copyright 1983 by Raymond P. Voith

7 NOTES ON THE STAFF The next two pages show these same notes on a normal music staff for each string. Note that the basic notes of the figure above are in italics in the following figures and are underlined. FRET STRING 1 B C D E F G A B C D E F G FRET STRING 2 G A B C D E F G A B C D FRET STRING 3 D E F G A B C D E F G A FRET STRING 4 The Greatest Guitar Course in the World A-7 Copyright 1983 by Raymond P. Voith

In a piano keyboard that has 88 keys, there are only 12 notes that get repeated over and over in octaves.

In a piano keyboard that has 88 keys, there are only 12 notes that get repeated over and over in octaves. INTRODUCTION This course will deal with the ins and outs of the diatonic scale called modes and their relationships to the music that we play. Modes have been a very confusing topic for many guitar students