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G U I T A R A C A D E M Y Music Theory for Guitarists Level 1 Copyright 2010 by Stephen Miller MGA Publications Copying any or all of this publication without permission is forbidden by law Miller Guitar Academy Publications 821 West Jefferson Blvd Mishawaka Indiana 46545 574 255 9343 FIRST EDITION

Music Theory for Guitarists Music Theory for Guitarist s is meant for those who want to have a clearer understanding of music as played on the guitar Although it is a part of the Guitar Academy program it can be used by any guitarist that can read standard notation in first position Guitarists have probably more materials available to them than any other instrument because of the many ways the instrument is played and the many kinds of music guitarist s play Music theory is often included in some methods but is usually unsystematic hodge podge or extraneous and hard to relate to the guitar Guitar Academy Music Theory for Guitarists is designed to be both systematic and interactive with the guitar as a vehicle to experience the concepts and ideas found in the music that guitarists play It is also an integral part of Guitar Academy and is meant for those who have completed at least Part I of Guitar Academy Although the material is designed for a class it can also be used in private lessons or by individuals For those who want to go on to study music in more depth or at a university it is a good idea to become familiar with the piano because the piano is laid out in a way that music theory can be more easily visualized But for those who just want to become a better guitarist this method should go far to accomplish that goal Like the study of math and science music has essential basic fundamentals that are the foundation of everything that comes after A firm grasp of these fundamentals paves the way for understanding the larger concepts of music The study of algebra for instance requires the understanding of basic math addition subtraction multiplication and division Before that one must know numbers and counting Music likewise has some basic symbols one must know such as letter notes durations and time signatures Music also has the aspect of artistic aesthetics and inspirational meaning that moves in time through the experience of sound This makes music a study that is different from any other Understanding the theory of music can help enhance the ability to understand and play music but also to better express the meaning of it s sound In reading English we first learn letters then words sentences and paragraphs When we read a book we are not thinking about each letter or word but we take in phrases and paragraphs as we experience the story or ideas that the author has composed Likewise when we play music once a piece is learned we are not thinking about each note but more so we are expressing phrases and sections of music The more one understands the patterns in music the more clearly it can be performed Those who write music are also not usually thinking consciously about the theory of music but composers that have studied theory have accumulated the tools that help enable the process of composing Musicians engage in music theory studies for a wide variety of reasons some also become music theorists as a specialty dedicating themselves to discovering more about the ways and means of the musical world Our focus will be to better understand the music we play through the guitar

A Section I Preparation for The Study of Music Theory Before we can get into the building blocks of music it is essential to have some basic music skills and make sure we are prepared for carrying out the tasks required in the projects and assignments as laid out in this book Although music is a sound medium it is also a written language Just as in the English language we need to know the letters in music so we will spend some time making sure we can easily identify the notes on the staff To work with the study of music theory we also need to have some handwriting skills so we will be working with the writing of notes on the staff Because music is a sound medium we will work with some general sound principals focusing on the guitar and it s unique qualities

B Writing Notes In order to work with the theory of music it is important to have a basic ability to write notes onto a page to do the assigned material Although most music today is written on computers writing music on a real sheet of paper creates a connection with the process that is invaluable to any student of music A sharpened No 2 pencil should be used for the following exercises Whole Notes Whole notes are the simplest notes to write In two of the empty measures of the staff below write whole notes by first drawing the top of the note above the line and then below as in example 2 so that it looks like example 1 Write two whole notes on the bottom space of the staff in the last two measures as in Example 3 Ex 1 w Ex 2 Ex 3 Half Notes Half notes can be formed by drawing the note head like you did with the whole note then adding the stem as a line drawn from the right side of the note head In each measure make a half note two on the bottom line and two on the bottom space Quarter Notes To write a quarter note place the tip of the pencil either on the line or in the middle of a space and make a circular motion to make the note head

C Notes on Lines and Spaces To remember the lines of the staff use the phrase Every Good Boy Does Fine The spaces form the word FACE B G E F D E A C F Music written for the guitar must use lines that extend above and below the staff to accomidate the full range of the guitar These are called ledger lines To remember the lines below the staff up to the bottom line of the staff use the word FACE To remember the spaces remember Every Good Boy Does F A E C G In the measure below write whole notes on each line of the staff above each blank starting with the lowest line Write in the letter names in the blanks below 1 ___ 2 ___ 3 ___ 4 ___ 5 ___ In this measure write in whole notes on the lines below the staff Write the letter names in the blanks 11 ___ 12 ___ 13 ___ 14 ___ ED B In this measure write whole notes on the spaces beginning with the lowest note of the staff Write in the letter names in the blanks below 6 ___ 7 ___ 8 ___ 9 ___ 10 ___ In this measure write in whole notes on the spaces below the staff Write the letter names in the blanks 15 ___ 16 ___ 17 ___ 18 ___

D Notes Above the Staff We also use ledger lines for notes above the staff These notes can be most easily found on the first string C 8th fret B 7th fret A 5th fret G 3rd fret In the following exercises write in the letter name of each note in the space below each measure w w 1 ___ 2 ___ w 7 ___ w 13 ___ w 19 ___ w 8 ___ w 14 ___ w 20 ___ w w 3 ___ 4 ___ w w 9 ___ 10 ___ w 15 ___ w 21 ___ w w 5 ___ w w 6 ___ 11 ___ 12 ___ w w w 16 ___ 17 ___ 18 ___ w w w 22 ___ 23 ___ 24 ___

E Theory Preparation Exercises Part of being prepared for studying music theory requires simply a working knowledge of the letter notes by themselves in different order The following mental exercises can be done anywhere without an instrument or music paper There are only seven letters of the alphabet used in all of music A B C D E F G We can easily say in our minds letters A through G but in music a melody can begin or end on any note It is helpful therefore to recite to yourself the letter names beginning on any given note Say to yourself the seven letter names starting and ending on each of the seven notes A B C D E F G B C D E F G A C D E F G A B etc It can be helpful to count each note on your fingers to keep track The next step is to count the notes backwards to yourself A G F E G F E D F E D C E D C B D C B A C B A G B A G F etc This is also a good way to visualize scales since they are based on these seven letter names They also include a return to the first letter as in the example below ABCDEFGA

F The Elements of Music Musical sound is made up of four basic elements Pitch Beat Dynamics Timbre Pitch is the element that determines the highness or lowness of a note It is made up of sound waves that produce discernible tones The highness or lowness of a pitch is determined by the frequency of the pattern of sound waves see ex 1 2 below Pitches with a faster frequency of sound waves create higher tones Pitches with slower frequencies create lower tones Frequency is measured by waves per second Project The teacher plays a note two or three times then a different note asking each student which note is higher the first or the second note This test should be repeated with different sets of notes for each student in the class until everyone can tell the difference between high and low pitches Example 1 higher pitch Example 2 lower pitch sound waves Project Ask each class member to vigorously pluck the E sixth string open one time and observe the vibration of the string The movement of the string creates a vibration The vibration results in a sound wave with a frequency of peaks and valleys see ex 1 2 above Now each player plays the E first string open Notice that the vibration is harder to see because it is vibrating faster The first string creates a higher frequency sound wave Because it is vibrating faster the peaks and valleys of the sound waves are more frequent Questions Which example above might best represent the E sixth string one or two _____ Which sound wave might best represent the E first string _____

G Beat is the regular pulse that gives music it s drive and unity as it moves in time Project Students tap a slow even beat pattern on the top of their guitar while the teacher plays a song along with the beat Question What sounds in everyday life create a regular beat Dynamics is simply how loud or soft music can be at any given point The two most common dynamic markings are pianissimo piano and fortissimo forte Project With one finger tap four times softly piano on the top of the guitar and four times loudly forte Repeat this pattern in a regular beat Timbre is the quality of a tone This is what gives each musical instrument it s own distinctive sound For instance tones made on the guitar sound much different than the tones of a trumpet or violin The reason that a guitar has it s unique sound is because of its construction the kind of materials it is made of and the way it is played The violin for instance is constructed somewhat like a guitar It has strings stretched out over a wood body and a fingerboard but it is smaller and is mostly played with a bow instead of being plucked with the right hand fingers Therefore the timbre is quite different between a guitar and a violin The guitar is uniquely suited for a great variety of timbres or sounds By changing the way the string is plucked at what point it is plucked and using other effects a wide range of sounds can be achieved Project 1 The teacher demonstrates different sounds that one note can make on the guitar by plucking at different points 2 Have the students also try this by playing an open note at the following places ponticello halfway between the sound hole and the bridge normal at the back rim of the sound hole tasto over the sound hole Note that even though you are playing the same note the sound changes when moving to these places causing a change in timbre

1 Section 2 The Fundamentals of Music As mentioned earlier a firm grasp of music fundamentals paves the way for understanding the larger concepts of music In Section 2 we will work with these fundamentals and connect these ideas with the guitar through assignments and exercises Think of this section as forming the building blocks that will help us understand the music we play As we learn these building blocks we begin to form the patterns in our minds and how they work and sound on the guitar Also be aware that sometimes the connections with our understanding don t always happen while we learn the material Ah Ha moments often come later when we are playing music or just thinking about something else we have learned The mind is active making connections even when we are away from playing or studying music

2 Components of Music Melody Harmony Rhythm Melody is the most easily recognizable feature of most music It is a single line of pitches that form a complete idea It is usually found in the highest voice of a song or piece Can you name the following melody c Harmony is the use of more than one pitch at a time It is achieved by playing two or more notes simultaneously Groups of pitches that are played in this way are called chords Harmony is also expressed in arrpegios chords broken up into single note patterns see below Assignments 1 Turn to page 15 appendix A In the Duo in G Major which guitar part has the melody one or two ______ 2 Turn to page 15 appendix B In Simple Gifts which guitar part provides the harmony ______ Rhythm is the ordered flow of music through time The basic unit of rhythm is the beat Beats can be grouped into units of 1 2 3 4 or more This melody is grouped in units of four Notice that some notes last for more than one beat Find those notes and circle them Notes of various lengths are what creates rhythm in music 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3

3 Meter Meter is the way in which beats are grouped in a piece of music As mentioned before beats can be grouped in numbers of 1 2 3 4 or more In order to define a meter in a piece of music we use time signatures Time signatures are a type of musical code that tells us two things one how many beats are in a measure and two what kind of note represents the beat For instance 2 4 time means two things 2 4 means two beats per measure see example 1 below is shorthand for quarter notes q see example 2 below A measure is the unit used to contain groups of beats 2 4 Example 1 one measure Example 2 42 four measures of quarter notes 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 How many beats are in each measure above _______ What kind of notes take up each beat _______ What is the time signature _______ 1 2 3 4 1 How many beats are in each measure above _______ What kind of notes take up each beat _______ What is the time signature _______ 2 3 4

4 Note Values Below is a chart that shows the various note values They are organized with the longest value at the top As you look down the chart you see that each value is one half of the previous value so that 1 Whole note 2 Half notes 4 Quarter notes 8 Eighth notes 16 Sixteenth notes w Whole h Half q Quarter q h q q e ee e ee ee Eighth xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx Sixteenth In the empty staves below practice writing the five note values on each line and space Write on the lines first and then the spaces over the whole staff Eighths and Sixteenths can have flags or beams Practice writing both Note The rule for stems is to make them go up if the notes are on the middle line or lower down if below it w w J J R R R R

5 Beams Notes that have flags such as eighth and sixteenth notes can be beamed in groups of two or more This makes reading and writing music easier and more orderly The rule for stem direction up or down is determined by the patterns in a group of notes If there are more notes below the B middle line than above the stems go up as in example 1 If there are more notes above the B then the stems go down as in example 2 This also applies to the quarter notes since they are part of a two note melodic pattern If the number is equal the stems can go either way depending on the general patterns that occur before or after as in example 3 Example 1 2 4 Example 2 Example 3 In the following exercises rewrite the scale in the blank measures using beams instead of flags j j j j J J J J Ex 1 r r r r R R R R Ex 2 Recopy the following melody and replace the flags with one beam 43 43 j j j j Minuet J J J J J S Bach

6 Intervals Intervals are the distance or tonal space between pitches The intervals we will encounter are made of half steps and whole steps Half steps on the guitar are the distance of one fret from one note to the next for instance as in the notes E F on the first string Play the following notes and sing the syllables mi fa mi fa In first position are naturally occuring half steps between E F and B C Play each exercise 3 or 4 times and sing the solfege syllables as you play mi fa ti do mi fa ti do mi fa Whole steps are the equivalent of two half steps therefore on the guitar a whole step is played as a two fret span as in the notes F G Play and sing the following notes fa so Play and sing the following whole steps fa re so re mi do mi do re re la ti so la fa so la ti so la fa so

7 Scales Major and Minor Scales are groups of notes that ascend or descend in a stepwise order An eight note scale that begins and ends on the note C is referred to as a C scale More specifically we call this a C Major scale see example 1 It is a C Major scale for two reasons First because it begins and ends on the note C and secondly because of the location of the half steps Circle the two sets of notes that are a half step apart Example 1 do 1 re 2 mi fa so la ti do 3 4 5 6 7 1 Any Major scale has 7 scale degrees as shown above Between which scale degrees are the half steps ______ ______ and _____ _____ The name of this scale is _____ Major Project Sing the solfege syllables in the C Major scale above then play it The location of the half steps is what gives the Major scale it s quality Another type of scale is the minor scale see example 2 It s quality is also determined by the location of the half steps Circle the two sets of notes that are a half step apart Example 2 la 1 ti 2 do re 3 4 mi fa so la 5 6 7 1 Any minor scale has 7 scale degrees as shown above Between which scale degrees are the half steps ______ ______ and _____ _____ The name of this scale is _____ minor Project Sing the solfege syllables in the A minor scale above and then play it

8 More on Intervals Seven classes of intervals can be found in the Major or minor scale The intervals below are arranged as an ascending C Major scale over the note C which is the first degree of the scale Using solfege sing each interval starting with the C each time and singing up to the higher note To determine an intervals class count each note including the lowest note the notes in between and the highest note For instance below the third interval would include the notes C D E Count C as one D as two and E as three We therefore know it is a third ww ww Unison 2nd ww 3rd 4th w w w w w w ww 5th 6th 7th w w Octave In the spaces below each example write in the name of the interval Note Unisons can be labled Uni and Octaves Oct ww 1 ____ w w 2 ____ ww 3 ____ ww 4 ____ ww 5 ____ ww 6 ____ w w w w 7 ____ 8 ____ w w ww In the spaces below each example write in the name of the interval ww 1 ____ ww 2 ____ ww 3 ____ ww w w w w 4 ____ 5 ____ 6 ____ 7 ____ 8 ____ Project Play each of the intervals in all the exercises above by first playing the notes separately and then together Unisons can be played on the guitar by playing the second note on an adjacent string

9 Interval Types Within the seven classes of intervals there are different types or qualities Major minor diminished and augmented The only exceptions are unisons and octaves because they are always the same note Below are the other six classes and their types SecondsThirdsFourthsFifthsSixthsSevenths Major or minor Major or minor Perfect or Augmented Perfect or diminished Major or minor Major or minor Seconds are the smallest interval between two different notes They encompass one step Earlier we encountered whole and half steps Remember that the whole step is a two fret span on the guitar and a half step is a one fret span Major seconds are the equivalent of a whole step and minor seconds are the same as a half step Example m2 M2 1 In the C Major scale below find the minor seconds Draw a bracket between the two notes and label each one with m2 for minor second as in the example above 2 Find the Major seconds in the C Major scale Bracket and label them M2 3 Diagram the intervals in the A minor scale below in the same way as the C Major scale Project Play each of the scales above Note the placement of the half steps and the fret spacing

10 Thirds are the next largest interval The Major third is a span of three notes that are each a whole step apart Play the Major third in example 1 Play and sing example 2 Example 2 Example 1 do ww re M2 M3 mi M2 M3 The minor third is a span of three notes that are a whole and a half step apart Play the minor third in example 3 Play and sing example 4 Example 4 Example 3 la ww m3 ti M2 do m2 m3 If you arrange thirds in a C Major scale pattern you can see all the possible Major and minor intervals based on the scale In the space below each third write in the quality of the interval M for Major and m for minor 2 3 ww 1 ____ 2 4 ww 2 ____ 0 2 ww 3 ____ 2 3 ww 4 ____ 0 0 ww 5 ____ 1 2 ww 6 ____ 2 4 ww 7 ____ 0 1 ww 8 ____ Project Play the series of thirds above Play each note in each third seperately then together Assignment Turn to page 16 appendix C In the first two measures of Study in G label the intervals in each measure using M3 or m3

11 As mentioned before fourths have the qualities of perfect or augmented The perfect fourth is a span of two Major seconds and one minor second as diagramed below Play the perfect fourth in example 1 Play and sing example 2 Example 1 Example 2 do ww P4 re mi fa m2 M2 M2 P4 The augmented fourth is a span of three Major seconds Play the augmented fourth in example 3 Play and sing example 4 Example 3 Example 4 fa ww A4 so M2 la M2 A4 ti M2 In the spaces below write in the quality of the fourths P for perfect and A for augmented Remember that it is the number of minor seconds within the interval that distinguishes a perfect 4th from an augmented 4 3 ww 1 ____ 0 0 ww 2 ____ 3 2 ww 3 ____ 0 3 ww 4 ____ 1 0 ww 5 ____ 3 2 ww 6 ____ 0 0 ww 7 ____ 1 1 ww 8 ____ Project Play the series of fourths above Play each note in each fourth seperately then together The augmented fourth is also referred to as a tritone In traditional music it is considered dissonant to the ear and unstable thus requiring an immediate resolution to a more consonant interval such as a third Assignment Turn to page 16 appendix E In the Chord Study play the stems up notes then label all the measures that are perfect fourths with P4

12 As mentioned before fifths have the qualities of perfect or diminished The perfect fifth is a span of three Major seconds and one minor second as diagramed below Play the perfect fifth in example 1 Play and sing example 2 Example 2 Example 1 ww do re mi m2 M2 M2 P5 fa so M2 P5 The diminished fifth is a span of two Major seconds and two minor seconds Play the diminished fifth in example 3 Play and sing example 4 Example 4 Example 3 ww d5 ti do m2 re M2 mi M2 fa m2 d5 In the spaces below write in the quality of the fifths P for perfect and d for diminished Remember that it is the number of minor seconds within the interval that distinguishes a perfect 5th from a diminished 0 3 ww 1 ____ 2 0 ww 2 ____ 0 2 ww 3 ____ 1 3 ww 4 ____ 3 0 ww 5 ____ 0 2 ww 6 ____ 1 0 ww 7 ____ 3 1 ww 8 ____ Project Play the series of fifths above Play each note in each fifth seperately then together The diminished fifth is also referred to as a tritone It is qualitatively the same interval as an augmented fourth but is spelled differently Assignment 1 On page 16 appendix C label the measures containing Perfect fifths with P5 Assignment 2 In appendix D label the measures containing diminished fifths with d5

13 Sixths can be either Major or minor The Major sixth is the larger of the two with four Major seconds and one minor second Play the Major sixth in example 1 Play and sing example 2 Example 1 Example 2 do w w re mi fa so la M2 M6 M2 m2 M2 M2 M6 The minor sixth is a span of three Major seconds and two minor seconds Play the minor sixth in example 3 Play and sing example 4 Example 4 Example 3 la ti w M2 w do m2 m6 re M2 m6 mi M2 m2 fa If you arrange sixths above each step of the Major scale you will find four that are Major and three that are minor In the spaces below write in the quality of the sixths M for Major and m for minor Again it is the number of minor seconds within the interval that distinguishes a Major 6th from a minor w w 1 ____ w w 2 ____ w w w w w w w w w w 3 ____ 4 ____ 5 ____ 6 ____ 7 ____ Project Play the series of sixths above Play each note seperately then together Assignment Turn to page 17 appendix F and complete the instructions for sixths

14 Sevenths can be either Major or minor The Major seventh is the larger of the two with five Major seconds and one minor second Play the Major seventh in example 1 Play and sing example 2 Example 2 Example 1 do w w re M2 M7 mi M2 fa m2 M2 so la M2 ti M2 M7 The minor seventh is a span of four Major seconds and two minor seconds Play the minor seventh in example 3 Play and sing example 4 Example 4 Example 3 w w m7 la ti do M2 m2 re M2 mi M2 fa m2 so M2 m7 If you arrange sevenths above each step of the Major scale you will find two that are Major and five that are minor In the following exercise label the sevenths as M Major or m minor The easiest way to tell is by the number of half steps or minor seconds that occur w w 1 ____ w w 2 ____ w w w w w w w w w w 3 ____ 4 ____ 5 ____ 6 ____ 7 ____ Project Play the series of sevenths above Play each note seperately then together Assignment Turn to page 17 appendix G and complete the instructions for sevenths

APPENDICES

15 APPENDIX A Duo in G Major 2 4 24 Simple Gifts APPENDIX B c m i i p i p c m i m i m i m i

16 Study in G APPENDIX C i m c m 4 APPENDIX E 4 4 Study in C APPENDIX D i 4 4 Chord Study in A Minor w w w w w w w w w ww w w w w w w w

17 Blues No 2 APPENDIX F In the example below from Blues No 2 notice that the interval between the lowest and highest note of each chord is a sixth 3 4 4 3 Below the middle note G is removed from each chord to show that the top and bottom note of each chord form a sixth 1 Below each measure identify the quality of each sixth M6 for Major and m6 for minor 2 Play the example above and the exercise below to hear how the sixths form this unique chord progression 4 3 Study in C Major APPENDIX G 1 In this study identify the interval in measure four between the F and G Write in the interval name and quality M or m 2 Find the other measures with the same interval and label the measure below 3 Identify the intervals in all the other measures C c p C C i C G p G C G7 G7 C C C G m C G w i G7 G w G7 C