Music Theory: The 12 Notes...

Geeks Note: The information in this page is not necessary for you to be able to play the guitar.
However, it will help you understand how we tune guitars, it will help you understand why there
are only 12 notes and it will help you understand why the notes repeat where they repeat.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, here is what you should have learned:
1. Why there are twelve notes in the musical scale.
2. What a Chromatic Scale is.
3. What "Standard Tuning" or "A440" tuning is.
4. The mathematical and physical difference between notes in different Octaves.
5. Why it is imperative you put your finger as close to the Fret as possible.

No matter what musical instrument you play, there are only twelve (12) notes that you can
choose from. It is the combination and relations of these notes that make "music". These twelve
notes, in order, are called the Chromatic Scale and if you play the notes or any portion of the
scale in order (i.e. playing C,D,E,F) then you are said to be playing aChromatic Progression.
When man first experimented with and started playing music, the system was called "Just
Intonation". While this sufficed for simple intruments as music became more complex, the
disonance became more pronounced and music just sounded bad. In the late 1500's, the "Equal
Temperment" system came into being. It is the Equal Temperment system that you and I play
with today. Most western music, the stuff you and I play on the guitar utilize the "12 Tone Equal
Temperment" scale.
What makes the notes we play sound good is the consonance of those notes (as opposed to the
dissonance). The 12 Tone Equal Temperment scale is the only Equal Temperment scale that
contains all seven intervals and more consonant intervals than disonant intervals.
What makes the notes what they are? It is the ratio of the notes pitch to the first note of the scale.
In our case, A is the first note.
Before I go on, you will have heard the term "tuned to 440" or "tuned to A440". What this means
is that the A note we play is tuned to 440Hz (speed at which the note vibrates or oscillates). It is a
fact that Human perception of pitch is logarithmic. This means that humans perceive equivalent
pitches when they are separated by a factor of two. Therefore, humans would recognize the
resonance of sound pitches oscillating at 220Hz, 440Hz and 880Hz (as an example).
# Semi Tones
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

12 Note Chromatic Scale Relative Ratios

Interval Name
2Ratio
Equal Temperment
Unison
20/12
=1.000
Minor 2nd
21/12
=1.059
Major 2nd
22/12
=1.122
Minor 3rd
23/12
=1.189
Major 3rd
24/12
=1.260
Perfect 4th
25/12
=1.335
Tritone
26/12
=1.414
Perfect 5th
27/12
=1.498
Minor 6th
28/12
=1.587
Major 6th
29/12
=1.682
Minor 7th
210/12
=1.782
Major 7th
211/12
=1.888
Octave
212/12
=2.000

Now what I said about western tuning standard being A440 because we tune A to 440Hz. Look at
your guitar. Play the open A string. That is 440 Hz. If you play the low E string 5th fret, that is the
exact same note or the same Octave as the open A string. They both oscillate at 440Hz. If you
play the twelfth fret of the A string, also an A note, that is an Octave higher and is vibrating at 880
Hz. Play the A note on the D string (7th fret) and it is oscillating at 1760 Hz (a factor of 2 above
the preceeding octave).
Okay, so in the Equal Temperment scale the first note is a logarithmic progression (up or down)
from 440Hz and we can move up and down octaves from that position based on ratios. Yes, the
notes of the Chromatic scale are based on ratios that are relative to the first note. The exact
formulas are shown in the table above.
For example, the 7th tone, the perfect 5th is obtained by multiplying the 12th root of 2 by itself,
seven times. This gives us a ratio of 1.498. This means that a perfect fifth above A (the E note) is
vibrating/oscilating at 659Hz. If you looked at the A note an Octave BELOW A440, then that A
notes perfect 5th (also the E note) would be vibrating/oscilating at 330Hz.
Now, remember people (music teachers mostly) whining and complaining that you aren't playing
the note close enough to the fret? If you play the note with your finger on the string right against
the fret, you are applying the tension needed for that string to resonate at the proper frequency to
form the note relative to it's ratio of vibration compared to the Unison. If you fret a string way
back from the fret, you will change how fast that string vibrates (albeit slightly) and you won't be
playing the exact note (not to mention the string buzz).

Music Theory: Scales #1 Major & Minor Scale Construction...

Geeks Note: The information in this page is not necessary for you to be able to play the guitar.
However, it WILL help you play the guitar BETTER, especially when you start soloing or
freestyling. There is a LOT to understand with scales, however, it is easy to learn because, well,
we'd rather just be playing. Right? Don't worry. I've made it easy at the end to bring it all together.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, here is what you should have learned:
1. Know the difference between a Chromatic Scale and a Major Scale and a Minor Scale.
2. Understand the relationship between Major and Minor Scales.
3. Know what a Tone, Semi-Tone, Whole Step and Half-Step is.
4. Know how to construct any Major Scale or Minor Scale in your head.
If you remember from the lesson on Notes, these are the Twelve Notes of the Equal Temperment
musical scale (the Chromatic Scale):

A - A# - B - C - C# - D - D# - E - F - F# - G - G#
Now, before we go any further in this lesson, I have something for you to do. You must memorize
the following line. It will be with you for as long as you play whatever instrument you are playing.
Memorize it now. I'm serious. Do it. Memorize it:

Whole Step - Whole Step - Half Step - Whole Step - Whole Step - Whole Step Half Step
( W-W-H-W-W-W-H )
Seriously, memorize it. If you prefer, the exact same thing may be expressed like this (memorize
either one, it doesn't matter, just memorize at least ONE of them):

Tone - Tone - Semi Tone - Tone - Tone - Tone - Semi Tone

( W-W-H-W-W-W-H )
Got it memorized? Good. You now know everything you need to know to create any Major or
Minor scale, on the spot, in your head. Voila.
Okay, okay. I'll explain it.
What are "Steps" and "Tones":
A Step is a reference to an Interval. A Tone is a reference to a difference in Pitch. However, for
the guitar player, these mean basically the same thing.
For the guitar player, a WHOLE STEP is the distance between the first fret and two frets above it.
Therefore moving from the 3rd fret (up two) to the 5th fret, is a Whole Step.
A Tone is the same thing. A full Tone to the guitar player, is two notes (frets) above the first Tone.
Therefore, starting at the G note (3rd fret, Low E string) and moving up a full tone would put you
on the A note (5th fret, Low E string).
So we can see that moving from G to G# to A is a whole tone difference and is ALSO a Whole
Step difference. Got it? Read it twice more if not, have a Coke. It will make sense.

Now you are asking, so what is the difference between a G and a G# then? I'm glad you asked.
Moving from G to G# is moving one Semi Tone or Half Tone or one Fret, to put a fine point on it,
a Half Step.
Got it? It's important.
Moving from A to A# is moving one Semi Tone/Half Step
Moving from A# to B is moving one Semi Tone/Half Step
Moving from B to C is moving one Semi Tone/Half Step
Moving from A to B is moving one Tone/Whole Step
Moving from B to C# is moving one Tone/Whole Step
Moving from C# to D# is moving one Tone/Whole Step
Make sure you understand Steps and Tones before you move on to Major scale construction.

Major Scale Construction

That thing I made you memorize above? That is the order you use to find the notes to construct a
Major Scale. As our first example we will use the C Major Scale. The reason I am using the C
Major Scale is because it is the most commonly used scale used in music in the Western world.
It is also the only Major scale that has all whole notes, no sharps or flats.
This is the C Major Scale:

C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C
Actually, the last C is simply the Octave of the Root note (or more accurately, the Octave of the
Unison), it's just included to show how the Scale is circular (well, more spiral shaped than
circular, but I digress...).
Constructing the C Major Scale
This is the way we construct the C Major scale. You will use this EXACT SAME METHOD to
contruct the other scales, you just use a different starting point.
The first thing we need is the Chromatic Scale (which is a no brainer, right?):

A - A# - B - C - C# - D - D# - E - F - F# - G - G#
Then we need the thing I made you memorize:

( W-W-H-W-W-W-H )
So to create the C Major Scale we start with the note: C
(W): Now we move up the Chromatic Scale one WHOLE step/TONE (or two half steps, two semitones or TWO FRETS) and arrive at: D
(W): Now we move up the Chromatic Scale one WHOLE step/TONE (or two half steps, two semitones or TWO FRETS) and arrive at: E
(H): Now we move up the Chromatic Scale one HALF step/SEMI-tone (ONE FRET) and arrive
at: F

(W): Now we move up the Chromatic Scale one WHOLE step/TONE (or two half steps, two semitones or TWO FRETS) and arrive at: G
(W): Now we move up the Chromatic Scale one WHOLE step/TONE (or two half steps, two semitones or TWO FRETS) and arrive at: A
(W): Now we move up the Chromatic Scale one WHOLE step/TONE (or two half steps, two semitones or TWO FRETS) and arrive at: B
(H): Now we move up the Chromatic Scale one HALF step/SEMI-tone (ONE FRET) and arrive
at: C
Our C Major scale is complete. We applied the Major Scale Construction order of W-W-H-W-WW-H to the Chromatic Scale from the starting point of the C note.
Let's Creat the E Major Scale Using everything we have above:

A - A# - B - C - C# - D - D# - E - F - F# - G - G#
( W-W-H-W-W-W-H )
We can see exactly what we must do to create the E Major Scale:
One WHOLE step from E is F#
1. One WHOLE step from F# is G#
2. One HALF step from G# is A
3. One WHOLE step from A is B
4. One WHOLE step from B is C#
5. One WHOLE step from C# is D#
6. One HALF step from D# is E

Minor Scale Construction

I am NOT going to delve deeply into Minor Scale construction right now. There are, however, two
relationships between Minor scales and Major scales that I want to bring to your attention at this
point as they will become more important down the road.
#1: Relative Minor Scale
The RELATIVE MINOR SCALE to any Major Scale starts at the 6th note of the Major Scale.
Always. Period.
#2: Minor Scale Intervals
The Minor Scale Interval pattern is exactly the same as the Major Scale Interval pattern,
however, it starts at the 6th position of the Major Scale Interval pattern.
I will give two examples, the E Major Scale and the C Major Scale:
E Major Scale
E - F# - G# - A - B - C# - D# - E
Counting E as the first note, the 6th note of the E Major Scale is C#. Therefore the Relative Minor

Scale of the E Major Scale is the C# Minor Scale.

The Interval pattern for the E Major Scale is W-W-H-W-W-W-H. Therefore, the Interval pattern for
the Relative Minor scale is exactly the same but starts at the 6th position. Therefore the Interval
Pattern for the C# Minor Scale is W-H-W-W-H-W-W.
If we look again at the Chromatic Scale:

A - A# - B - C - C# - D - D# - E - F - F# - G - G#
The E Major Scale is built using the Major Scale Interval pattern (W-W-H-W-W-W-H) as:
E - F# - G# - A - B - C# - D# - E
The C# MInor Scale is built using the Minor Scale Interval pattern (W-H-W-W-H-W-W) as:
C# - D# - E - F# - G# - A - B - C#

Going directly from this example and looking at the C Major Scale then...
The C Major Scale is built using the Major Scale Interval pattern (W-W-H-W-W-W-H) as:
C - D - E - F - G - A- B - C
The 6th position is A so the Relative Minor Scale to the C Major Scale is the A Minor Scale.
The A Minor Scale is built using the Minor Scale Interval pattern (W-H-W-W-H-W-W) as:
A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A
So what does that mean to you? Suppose Talky McSaysalot is playing something Bluesy and
Sad in the key of D. They would be playing the chords D, G, Bm (another lesson in itself).
Suddenly they look up at you and say "Hey, Axe Grinder, Solo with me". No problem. You know
they are playing in D so you know the Relative Minor is B (because B is the 6th note of the D
Major Scale). So you fret hand falls to 7th position (frets 7, 8, 9, 10 : 7th fret of the Low E string
being the note B...) and you start soloing in the B Minor Pentatonic, using Blues Notes (more on
Blues notes & the Minor Pentatonic later).

Now THIS is important... and it's why I brought up Minor Scales...

You will note that the E Major Scales relative Minor Scale (C#) has the exact same sharp notes
as the E Major Scale.
You will note that the C Major Scale relative Minor Scale (A) has all whole notes, just like the
Major Scale (when in fact the A Major scale has C#, F#, G#).
This will be made clearer for you to figure out in our upcoming lesson on the Circle of 5ths...

Music Theory: Intervals...

Geeks Note: Intervals form the backbone of the language of musicians. If you are going to do
ANYTHING with your guitar other than let it collect dust in the corner, you need to have a rock
solid understanding of intervals. If you have any hope or dream of writing your own stuff, intervals
will be your oxygen. Luckily, intervals are easy to understand, once you understand them....
AND ... the next lessons will compound on Intervals so you understand them better. Finally, since
I'm lazy, there IS a cheat sheet....
For this section I STRONGLY RECOMMEND you have your guitar in hand so that you can
finger the frets and play the Intervals while I am explaining them.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, here is what you should have learned:
1. Understand why Scales are "spiral" and not "circular".
2. Understand what an Octave is and be able to find an Octave on your Fretboard.
3. Understand how Intervals are "relative" and not "fixed" and how to interpret them.
4. Learn how to interpret what Interval names mean to what you are playing on your
Fretboard.
5. Understand what an Interval is called is important to be able to communicate clearly and
effectively with other musicians.
6. Understand what Flats and Sharpes are and how to find them on your Fretboard.
So far we've talked about notes and scales and have hinted at Intervals (whole step, half step,
tone, semi-tone, fret). Now we will delve into Intervals and start understanding the heck out of
them. Don't worry, this won't be painful. My Kung-Fu is strong....
This is the Chromatic Scale:

A - A# - B - C - C# - D - D# - E - F - F# - G - G#
Now, we add the A note to the end, so that we are spiraling back to where we start, still have the
Chromatic Scale (and use this one for the rest of the lesson):

A - A# - B - C - C# - D - D# - E - F - F# - G - G# - A
There are twelve notes in the Chromatic Scale plus the Root note, an octave higher. A few times I
have said the Chromatic Scale "spirals" back to the Root Note, an octave higher. I hope this
simple graphic helps illustrate it. Do not EVER think that a scale is "circular". Scales are not
circular, scales "Spiral". Each time you encounter the Root note, you are an Octave higher or
lower, depending on which way you travelled.
Understanding the Octave is important. If I said to
you, "Play an A note". You would play the open 5th
string, the A string. If I said to you, play an Octave
lower, you would play the 6th string (E) 5th fret. If I
had said instead, play an Octave higher, you could
have played the 5th string (A) twelfth fret OR the 4th
string 7th fret. More on WHY you could do that later. I
just want you to understand that when I refer to "THE
Octave" I am refering to a note twelve intervals higher.
When I talk about "AN Octave", I am talking about a
range of twelve intervals.

Now, back to the Chromatic scale with the "Octave" added. This scale has twelve (12) Intervals.
There "Intervals" are the "Spaces Between The Notes" for want of a better definition. More
precisely, an Interval is the MOVEMENT ACROSS THE SPACE BETWEEN THE NOTES
When we move from A to A# we moved across the one space between two adjacent notes. That
is to say, we moved one interval. Moving that one interval has a name. It is called a Minor 2nd,
more on that later.
So, moving from A to A# is one interval. Moving from C# to D and moving
from E toF is one interval. Capice? Moving from one note to the next adjacent note is one
interval.
Therefore, building on some astounding principles of mathematics, moving from one note to the
second note away is moving two intervals. So, moving from A to Bis moving two intervals.
Moving from B to C# is moving two intervals. Got it? Move one note adjacent is one interval and
move two notes adjacent is two intervals. Yes, moving two intervals has a name. It is a Major
2nd. More on that later.
Here is the full list of intervals:
12 Note Chromatic Scale Intervals
# Semi Tones

Interval Name

# of Steps

# of Frets

Unison

Minor 2nd

Major 2nd

Minor 3rd

Major 3rd

Perfect 4th

Tritone

Perfect 5th

Minor 6th

Major 6th

10

Minor 7th

10

10

11

Major 7th

11

11

12

Octave

12

12

You do NOT need to know the names of the intervals to be a good musician. However, if you
plan to talk to OTHER musicians about your music or their music, knowing the names will help.
'Nuff said.
Unison:

The Unison needs a little bit of explaining. When you are use the term "Unison" you are refering
to the first note in the scale. For example, in the C Major Scale, the FIRST "C" note you play is
he Unison for the C Major Scale. The SECOND C you play (on the spiral) is the Octave.
However, for the guitar player, there is a SMALL monkey wrench in the works.
For this example, we will refer to the A Major Scale. The Unison of the A Major scale can be the
open 5th string, the A string.
If we play the 6th string 5th fret OR the 4th string 7th fret then we are playing the Lower Octave
OR the Octave OF the Unison. The 6th string 5th fret is the LOWER OCTAVE of the Unison and
the 4th string 7th fret is the OCTAVE of the Unison. Read that a couple times. Got it? Good.
The monkey wrench comes in when you play the 6th string 17th fret. The reason is that this is
also the Unison. You see, both the open A string and the low E string 17th fret oscillate at 440Hz.
Therefore playing A string open of low E string 17th fret is the exact same note musically and
mathematically. So just keep in mind that in almost all cases on the guitar, you can play the
Unison OF the Unison for any scale.
Making sense of the names
So I'm in the garage the other night, having a coke, playing my guitar with some friends. Talky
McSaysalot has been trying to work out a riff for his next "best song everrrrrr". He needs some
help so he says to me, "Hey man, Give me a D flat". So I do. I play the 9th fret of the low E
string. Talky says, "Nah thats not it, give me a Major 3rd above". Because I know my Chromatic
Scale and I know that a Major 3rd is four intervals, I play the 4th string 3rd fret which is F. He
says, "Thats almost it, make it a Perfect 4th man.". So I do. One more interval above the Major
3rd is a Perfect 4th. I move my hand one fret and play an F# on the 4th string 4th fret.
Okay, okay. I might have thrown you off a bit. When Talky McSaysalot asked for the D flat (Db)
you probably said, WAIT a minute. There are no flat D's on the Chromatic Scale!
You can sharpe and flat most notes in the Chromatic scale by moving one HALF step (one fret)
in the required direction. Therefore, to make D sharp (D#), I move down a fret and get D#. To
make D flat (Db) I move up a fret and I get Db. HOWEVER, what you see when you look at the
Chromatic Scale above is that one fret down (one half step, one semi-tone) is actually C#.
You see, the note BETWEEN the note C and the note D is both C# and Db. The only exceptions
to this are that there is no Cb and there is no Fb. That is because one half step down from C is
the note B and one half step down from the note F is the note E.
Moving right along.....
Refering back to my conversation with ol' McSaysalot in the garage...
He asked me for a Db and I gave it to him. He then asked for a Major 3rd. What he actually said
was "play the note four intervals higher than the note I asked you to play before". I know from my
studies of Music Theory and application of said theory to the guitar fretboard that four intervals
equals four frets AND equals four notes. Playing either the Low E string 13th fret OR the A string
3rd fret are four intervals ABOVE the original note, the DB (remember what I said about the
Unison of the Unison? Thats why I got to choose HOW I was going to play the Major 2nd).
When he said to me make it a Perfect 4th, I knew from my blah blah blah that he was actually
asking me to play "the fifth interval above the note I originally asked you to play". Because I was
now playing a Perfect 4th instead of a Major 3rd I knew that in simpler terms I was playing FIVE
semi-tones (frets) instead of FOUR semi-tones (frets) above what I had originally played.
Therefore, through the astounding powers of my deductive reasoning, I subtracted 4 (Major 3rd)
from 5 (Perfect 4th) and wound up with 1 (Minor 2nd). So what I had done was deduced that I

only needed to move ONE MORE FRET (semi-tone) to turn that Major 3rd into a Perfect 4th. So
thats what I did, I moved one fret or more geeky speaking, I increased the Major 3rd by a Minor
2nd.

Making MORE sense of the names

12 Note Chromatic Scale Intervals
# Semi Tones

Interval Name

# of Steps

# of Frets

Unison

Minor 2nd

Major 2nd

Minor 3rd

Major 3rd

Perfect 4th

Tritone

Perfect 5th

Minor 6th

Major 6th

10

Minor 7th

10

10

11

Major 7th

11

11

12

Octave

12

12

Let's look at the G Major Scale:

G - A - B - C - D - E - F# - G
The Unison is "G". Right? Okay.
The next note in the G Major scale is "A". However, the note "A" is TWO INTERVALS (a tone, a
whole step, two frets) from the Unison. Since it is TWO INTERVALS from the Unison I know that
in the G Major Scale the next note, the A, is a Major 2nd.

The note AFTER the A is the B note. The B note is FOUR INTERVALS away from the Unison. (G
to G#, G# to A, A to A#, A# to B). Therefore, I know the name for FOUR INTERVALS (2+2) from
the Unison and can say that in the G Major Scale the note B is a Major 3rd.
The note AFTER the B is the C note. We will remember from the Intervals of the Major Scale
(WWHWWWH) that the next note, the "C" note is a HALF STEP above "B". Therefore since it is
FIVE INTERVALS (2+2+1) from the Unison I can say that in the G Major Scale the note C is a
Perfect 4th.
The note AFTER the C is the D note. We will remember from the Intervals of the Major Scale
(WWHWWWH) that the next note, the "D" note is a WHOLE STEP above "C". Therefore since it
is SEVEN INTERVALS (2+2+1+2) from the Unison I can say that in the G Major Scale the note D
is a Perfect 5th.
The note AFTER the D is the E note. We will remember from the Intervals of the Major Scale
(WWHWWWH) that the next note, the "E" note is a WHOLE STEP above "D". Therefore since it
is NINE INTERVALS (2+2+1+2+2) from the Unison I can say that in the G Major Scale the note E
is a Major 6th.
The note AFTER the E is the F# note. We will remember from the Intervals of the Major Scale
(WWHWWWH) that the next note, the "F#" note is a WHOLE STEP above "E". Therefore since it
is ELEVEN INTERVALS (2+2+1+2+2+2) from the Unison I can say that in the G Major Scale the
note F# is a Major 7th.
The note AFTER the F# is the G note. We will remember from the Intervals of the Major Scale
(WWHWWWH) that the next note, the "G" note is a HALF STEP above "F#". Therefore since it is
TWELVE INTERVALS (2+2+1+2+2+2+1) from the Unison I can say that in the G Major Scale the
NEXT note G is an Octave.
Hey, how we coming with that Fresca?
Showing Intervals on the guitar
It's all relative
It is DARN important that when you are talking about Intervals, you know what note you are
talking FROM in reference to the Intervals, or more specifically, what note the Interval is in
reference to.
The reason being, looking above, we know that the note D in the G Major Scale is a Perfect 5th
above the Unison or more simply, a Perfect 5th. HOWEVER....
In the G Major Scale, the note "E" is a Perfect 5th above the note A. This is because there are
SEVEN INTERVALS between A and E:

A A#,
1 Interval

A# B,
2 Intervals

B C,
3 Intervals

C C#,
4 Intervals

C# D,
5 Intervals

D D#,
6 Intervals

D# E
7 Intervals

You need to keep in mind the CHROMATIC scale when you are talking about INTERVALS and
not the MAJOR SCALE.
The most common mistake you will make at this point is to look at the Major Scale and count the
notes as one interval each. You need to keep in mind that the Chromatic Scale has ALL the notes
and ALL the Intervals where the Major Scale has SOME of the notes AND ALL OF THE

INTERVALS.
Always have the CHROMATIC scale in your mind when you are talking ABOUT Intervals and use
the Major Scale as the reference to the Unison
I'm almost done with this section. I just want to summarize some important points for you to
remember (in no particular order):
1. ONE Interval is ONE Fret
2. ONE Interval is a HALF Step
3. ONE Interval is a SEMI-Tone
4. TWO INTERVALS is TWO Frets
5. TWO INTERVALS is a WHOLE Step
6. TWO INTERVALS is a TONE
7. There are TWELVE Intervals in the CHROMATIC Scale.
8. There are TWELVE Intervals in the Major Scale (you just don't talk about all of them).
9. The Interval can ONLY be expressed RELATIVE TO A STARTING Note.
If I said to Tony Iommi, without reference to anything else, "Hey Tony, play a Perfect 5th"
he would slap me and Ozzy would hurt himself laughing. However, if I said to Tony, "Hey
Tony, I'm playing in G, can you give me a Perfect 5th?", then we'd be rocking and rolling.
10. Knowing what intervals are and what they do is FAR more important than knowing the
names of the Intervals.
11. Do yourself a favour, learn the names of the Intervals NOW. You will use them forever.
12. A two note Power Chord is the Root note and a Perfect 5th. (More on that soon)
13. A three note Power Chord is the Root note, a Perfect 5th and a Perfect 4th above the 5th
(which is to say, an Octave above the Unison). (More on that soon.... see how important
understanding Intervals is?)

Music Theory: Power Chords...

Geeks Note: Power chords will bring together what we have learned about notes, scales and
intervals. I'll also briefly touch on chord construction but only BRIEFLY. Thats another lesson or
six on it's own. But for now, from Tony Iommi to Gene Simmons to BIllie Joe Armstrong....
everyones playing power chords!! Woo Hoo!! Hey, even Chuck Berry played power chords!
For this section I STRONGLY RECOMMEND you have your guitar in hand so that you can
ROCK HARD while going through this lesson. Come on... crank the amp, turn up the
overdrive ... lets kick it.....
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, here is what you should have learned:
1. Know what a power chord is.
2. Know how to construct two note or three note Power Chords from the notes OR from
finger positions.
3. Understand what Octave Doubling is and why it works so well.
4. Will understand how the intervals Perfect 4th and Perfect 5th are directly related to
Power Chords.
5. Know what an Inverted Power Chord is and how to create one.

As I said, Chuck Berry even played power chords. Only he didn't originally call them power
chords. No, he called them 5ths or 5-Chords.
A power chord, by definition, is any triad (three note chord) that drops the 3rd (leaving only the
1st and the fifth).
This is where I BRIEFLY touch on chord construction. A typical chord is called a Triad because it
is composed of the 1st note, 3rd note and 5th note of the Major Scale you are playing in.
For example, in the G Major Scale (G-A-B-C-D-E-F#-G) you combine the notes G, B and D to
create the G-Chord (aka the G Major Chord). However, to make a G Power Chord, you drop the
third, the B. That means that the G Power Chord is composed of the Root plus 5th note of the
major scale (incidentally, the 5th note of the Major Scale is a Perfect 5th above the Root).
These are ALSO called 5-Chords and the G Major Scale power chord would be written as: G5
So we can see that ANY chord written like this is a Power Chord. Some examples:
A5, B5, C5, D#5, Eb5, F5, G#5
When you are listening to a band play, especially if it's heavy and hard, it will typically be the
Bass Player that comes in hard and heavy with the Power Chords. Not to say that Rhythm or
Lead can't play them as well.
Showing Power Chords on the guitar

An example of EXCELLENT use of Power Chords is Tonny Iommi's (Black Sabbath) intro to
"Crazy Train":
|-----------------|--------------------------|---------------------------|
|-----------------|--------------------------|---------------------------|
|-----------------|--------------------------|---------------------------|
|-----------------|--------------------------|---7---7-------------------|

|--4--4-----------|--7---7---2---2---4---4---|---5---5---2---2---4---4---|
|--2--2-----------|--5---5---0---0---2---2---|-----------0---0---2---2---|
F#5 F#5

A5

A5

E5

E5

F#5

F#5

D5

D5

E5

E5

F#5 F#5

The Crazy Train Riff

Three Note Power Chords

You have undoubtedly seen Three Note Power Chords tabbed in some songs you have been
learning to play. The reason we have a Three Note Power Chord is due to Octave Doubling.
When you play the Unison and the Octave, you have in effect, doubled the Unison (if you
don't understand what I just said, you need to do the lesson onIntervals).
Now remember back in the lesson on Musical Notes, I talked about how humans perceive
equivalent pitches when they are separated by a factor of two? This is where the magic of
Music Theory comes in and we know that Octaving the Unison is a good thing. This is how we
arrive at a Three Note Power Chord.
Just touching back on intervals a bit, the 5th note is, as said, a Perfect 5th above the Root.
The third note is the Octave of the Root. However, the Octave of the root is ALSO the Perfect
4th of the 5th.
So what you say? This means that we know if you want to find the perfect 5th of any note on
the E,A,D,B strings, you move down one string (towards the Low E) and down the Fretboard
two frets (towards the body). Always.
The exception to this rule is the B string, because it is a half tone off the other strings. On the
G string you would move down THREE frets. Going from the B to the E string would be back
to the two Fret rule.
If you want to find a Perfect 4th it's always the SAME FRET - ONE STRING DOWN... except
on the G String, it's one string down and ONE FRET down (because of the B string thing).
Inverted Power Chords - The Power of Perfect 4ths
Now you will learn why I've been harping on Perfect 4ths when I was talking about FiveChords. The Power Chord Inversion.
Generally, you will only invert a two note Power Chord. How do you do that? Lift the lower
finger.
The definition of an Inverted Power Chord is when you play the 1st note (Root Note) ABOVE
the 5th note (play it in the next Octave).
An example of this would be the G5 Power Chord. In this chord you play E string 3rd fret (G)
and A string 5th fret (D) because G is the first note of the G Major Scale and the D is the 5th
note of the G Major Scale (the Perfect 5th).
However, to INVERT this Power Chord, you would play the A string 5th fret (D) and the D
string 5th fret (G - an Octave higher). Remember too, that while D is the Perfect 5th of G, G is
the Perfect 4th of D.
Using Inverted Power Chords

You'll be surprised how much you use Inverted Power Chords if Rock N' Roll is your thang.
Take, for example, the song "Smoke On The Water" by Deep Purple.
Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore plays this songs recognizeable riff using Three Note
Power Chords and Inverted Power Chords. The chords he plays are G5, Bb5 and C5. It is the
Bb5 and the C5 that he inverts:
|----------------|---------------------|------------|-------------|
|----------------|---------------------|------------|-------------|
|------3---5-----|------3---6---5------|------3--5--|---3---------|
|--5---3---5-----|--5---3---6---5------|--5---3--5--|---3---5-----|
|--5-------------|--5------------------|--5---------|-------5-----|
|--3-------------|--3------------------|--3---------|-------3-----|

(If you are going to play this riff, remember, timing is EVERYTHING! - In the vide below, the
timing is on but I'm playing it at about half speed.)

Music Theory: Circle of 5ths...

Geeks Note: If you have not studied the previous lessons in this series, please do so BEFORE
you study this lesson. This lesson will draw on the previous lessons for knowledge and
examples. If you do not have a basic understanding of Major Scales, Minor Scales, Intervals and
the notes of the Equal Temperment Chromatic Scale then this lesson will not make much sense
to you.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, here is what you should have learned:
1. Find any Perfect 5th in your head (Remember Power Chords?).
2. Have a BETTER understanding of how to create any musical Major Scale in your head.
3. Understand and know the Order of Flats and Sharps.
4. Will know all the Minor relative scales in your head.
5. Will know how to find a Minor 2nd, Major 2nd, Minor 3rd, Major 3rd, Tritone, Minor 6th,
Major 6th, Minor 7th and Major 7th in your head.
6. Have the fundamentals of Western music Major/Minor scales and chords locked in your
head for access anytime, anyplace.
What is the Circle of 5ths?
The Circle of 5ths is a diagram that represents the consistent and unique relationship
between the 12 Notes of the Chromatic Scale. It reveals how these notes relate to each
other in Minor Scales, Major Scales and the Intervals of the 12 Tone Chromatic Scale. It
is an easy to memorize diagram that will carry you through over half the musical theory
you need to know in creating, understanding and communicating about music. The Circle
of 5ths can be overwhelming when you first look at it but study this lesson carefully. We
will break it down and by the time you are done, you will understand it easily.
The Circle of 5ths you will print out actually contains the Circle of 4ths as well (covered in
the next lesson) along with information at your finger tips on Intervals, the order of flats
and sharps and some basic Chord Construction (another lesson later).
I recommend you print out the smaller version and post on the wall/door/cat where you
consistently practice your music. Print out another copy and put it in your gig bag ;-)
Some Basics...
There are some basic things you need to know for this lesson to make sense, aside from
what you have already been taught.
First is the fact that it is a given practice that every Major Scale will always have every
letter in the Major Scale (A-B-C-D-E-F-G). We will Sharpen or Flatten a note to remain
true to this rule of thumb.
Because of this, some scales will have Sharps (#) and some scales will have Flats (b).
There is no Cb Major scale and no Fb Major Scale.
All whole note Major Scales contain Sharps, not flats, except for F Major Scale.
The F Major Scale is made up of flats, not sharps.
No Major or Minor Scale will ever have BOTH Flats and Sharps.

There is a unique and consistent relationship between the notes in all Major and Minor
Scales. The Circle of 5ths and Circle of 4ths will reveal the power of these relationships.

Without further delay, The Circle of 5ths...

What it means when we call this circle the Circle of 5ths is that every note displayed, in a
CLOCKWISE direction, is a Perfect 5th above the note preceeding it.
The Circle of 5ths starts at the C note at the twelve o'clock position.
The note following C is the note G. The note G is a Perfect 5th (seven intervals) above the letter
C.
Lets look at the Chromatic Scale:

A - A# - B - C - C# - D - D# - E - F - F# - G - G#
In this Chromatic Scale, starting at the note C, count seven intervals to the right. You will see that
the seventh interval lands you on the G note. Just like in the diagram.
Continuing on from G in the Circle of fifths is the note D. If you count the intervals from G toD in
the Chromatic Scale, you will see that this also is seven intervals or a Perfect 5th.
This continues on clockwise around the scale. In this diagram above, some notes are missing as

they will be introduced in the next section, however, once included, they are always a Perfect 5th
(seven intervals) above the preceeding note when moving in a CLOCKWISE direction. Always.
Do some calculations on the remaining notes in the diagram and you will see, indeed, they are
all Perfect 5ths each clockwise step.
Now one thing to bring to your attention in case you get a little confused looking at the diagram
(without having worked things out first). Near the bottom of the diagram you will seeC# and F#.
Lets do the math.
The note B in the Circle of 5th is followed by the note F#. Let's look at the Chromatic Scale
again:

A - A# - B - C - C# - D - D# - E - F - F# - G - G#
If you count seven intervals from B you will get F#. Simple enough? Continuing along, seven
intervals from F# is....drum roll please.... C#!

Circle of 5ths: Relative Minor Scales

On the INSIDE of the Circle of 5ths, you will see notes in lower case. The lower case note on the
INSIDE of the Circle of 5ths is the Relative Minor Scale to the Major Scale the note on the
OUTSIDE of the circle represents. For example, the relative Minor Scale to the C Major Scale is

the A Minor Scale. On the Circle of 5ths, the lower case a which represents the A Minor Scale is
on the inside of the circle adjacent to the C note.
What else does this tell us? It also tells us that the note on the INSIDE of the Circle of 5ths is
a Major 6th above the note on the OUTSIDE of the Circle. The A note is indeed a Major 6th
above the C note because it is nine intervals above the C note. This is how we define the
Relative Minor Scale. The Relative Minor Scale is the 6th degree of a Major Scale. That is to say,
the Relative Minor Scale is the Major 6th Scale of the Major Scales Root Note.
As well, the Relative Minor Scale references also follow the rule of Perfect 5ths going
CLOCKWISE around the circle.
What the EASY way to remember the Relative Minor Scale? The Relative Minor Scale is a Major
6th above Root. Count three notes to the right in the Circle of 5ths and that is a Major 6th above
Root AND it is also the Relative Minor Scale.
Circle of 5ths: Major Scale Construction from the Circle of 5ths
You can use the Circle of 5ths to construct any Major Scale with one additional piece of
information. That is the Order of Flats and Sharps. The Order of Flats and Sharps follows a
specific order that corresponds to the above Circle of 5ths. This will be explored momentarily.
First the orders:
Order of Sharps

F# - C# - G# - D# - A# - E# - B#
Order of Flats

Bb - Eb - Ab - Db - Gb - Cb - Fb
We can see above that the Order of Flats is exactly the same as the Order of Sharps but it is
REVERSED.
If you have a hard time memorizing those Orders, here are a couple mnemonics for you to try:
Sharps: Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle
Flats: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles' Father
Sharps Fit Charlie Gets Dinner After Exercising Body
Flats Body Exercising After Dinner Gets Charlie Fit
Using the Circle of 5ths and the Order of Sharps
First thing to remember, Circle of 5ths (CLOCKWISE) = Order of Sharps
We start our Major Scale construction at the twelve o'clock position. The C note.
In our lesson on Scales we covered the fact that the C Major Scale is all whole notes. There are
no Flats or Sharps in the C Major Scale. So we can think of the C note position as the ZERO
position on the Circle of 5ths. Lets move ONE position Clockwise.
Moving ONE position clockwise on the Circle of 5ths is the G note. Moving to the first note
means that we also use the first note in the Order of Sharps (remember, we are going

CLOCKWISE). This means to us that the G Major Scale has ONE sharp note, the first note of
the Order of Sharps, the F note. This means that the G Major Scale is composed entirely of
whole notes EXCEPT for the F note which we must make Sharp. Therefore, from the Circle of
5ths, I see that G note is one note from the ZERO POSITIONS (C) therefore the G Major Scale
is:

G - A - B - C - D - E - F# - G
Look at the Chromatic Scale, count the intervals for the Major Scale (W-W-H-W-W-W-H) and you
will see that this is correct.
Moving right along.... the second note from the ZERO position is the D note. Since it
is twopositions CLOCKWISE from the ZERO position, this means that when constructing the D
Major Scale we use the first two notes of the Order of Sharps: F#, C#.
Therefore, simply by calling up the Circle of 5ths in our head we know that the D Major Scale is:

D - E - F# - G - A - B - C# - D
Remember what I said way back at the start of this lesson?
"... it is a given practice that every
Major Scale will always have every letter in the
Major Scale (A-B-C-D-E-F-G). We will Sharpen or Flatten a note
to remain true to this rule of thumb."
Continue doing this around the Circle of 5ths through to the F# and C# Major Scales. Do the
math on the Chromatic Scale for these Major Scales and you will see that these match the order
of Sharps. The C# Major Scale has only the B note whole and in the F# Major ScaleALL of the
notes Sharp.
Wait a minute... Did you notice something?
Did you notice something about the Order of Sharps and the Circle of 5ths? Have a look at the
Order of Sharps, then look at the Circle of 5ths. Do you understand now why I started the Circle
of 5ths with the F note?
Scrap the mnemonics. The order of Sharps is also embeded in the Circle of 5ths. This thing
keeps getting cooler and cooler eh?
Wait a minute... Did you notice something ELSE?
How many of you have looked at a sheet of music in Standard Notation and just crossed your
eyes at the Flat and Sharp symbols? NO MORE!!
By using the Order of Flats and Sharps the mystery of Standard Notation is history. From now
on you can look at the Key Signature (all those pesky Sharps and Flats) and tell IMMEDIATELY
what Key the music is written in.
How?
Easy Peasy. Count them. Yes, thats it. Count the Sharps or count the Flats (standard notation will
should never have both). Then count the notes in the Order of Sharps (or the Order of Flats),
then count from the Zero positon on the Circle of 5ths (or the Circle of 4ths .. this portion will be
explained for the Circle of 4ths and Order of Flats in the next lesson, on the Circle of 4ths). Here

are some examples to illustrate:

This is the Key of A (A Major Scale). Looking at this standard notation I count THREESharps.
Now I refer to the Circle of 5ths and I count THREE POSITIONS CLOCKWISE FROM THE
ZERO POSITION. This takes me from C to G to D to A. Therefore I know that Standard Notation
with THREE SHARPS is the A Major Scale.

This is the Key of G (G Major Scale). Looking at this standard notation I count ONE Sharp. Now
I refer to the Circle of 5ths and I count ONE POSITION CLOCKWISE FROM THE ZERO
POSITION. This takes me from C to G. Therefore I know that Standard Notation with ONE
SHARP is the G Major Scale.

This is the Key of C# (C# Major Scale). Looking at this standard notation I count SEVENSharps.
Now I refer to the Circle of 5ths and I count SEVEN POSITIONS CLOCKWISE FROM THE
ZERO POSITION. This take me from C to G to D to A to E to B to F# to C#. Therefore I know
that Standard Notation with SEVEN SHARPS is the C# Major Scale.

Circle of 5ths: Additional Secrets

Before we move on to the lesson on the Circle of 4ths, here are some additional secrets held in
the Circle of 5ths. Shown below is the combined Circle of 5ths and Circle of 4ths. You will need it
to fully appreciate these tidbits. For these tidbits, you don't need to start at the ZERO position,
you can start with ANY NOTE on the CIRCLE, Major Scale OR Relative Minor Scales:

Count TWO positions CLOCKWISE, that is a Major 2nd above your starting position
(remember, you can start ANYWHERE on the Circle).
For example, if you count TWO positions CLOCKWISE from the D note, you land on
the E note. If you look at the Chromatic Scale you will see that E is two
intervalsabove D or to say more musically, E is a Major 2nd above D.
Count FOUR Positions CLOCKWISE, that is a Major 3rd above your starting position.
For example, if you count FOUR positions CLOCKWISE from the F note, you land on
the A note. If you look at the Chromatic Scale you will see that A is four
intervalsabove F or to say more musically, A is a Major 3rd above F.
Count SIX Positions Clockwise (visually, the note OPPOSITE your starting note on the
Circle of 5ths OR 4ths), that is a Tritone above your starting position.
Count it out on the Chromatic Scale. The Tritone, from our lesson on Intervals, is SIX
INTERVALS from the starting position.

Count EIGHT Positions Clockwise (four to the left), that is a Minor 6th above your starting
position.
Count it out on the Chromatic Scale. The Minor 6th, from our lesson on Intervals, is
EIGHT INTERVALS from the starting position. The think you have to keep in mind when
you are doing these steps around the circle is that you need to Sharpen your
Flats. Remember, the MAJOR 6th is three positions Clockwise AND is the Relative
Minor.
Count TEN Positions Clockwise (two to the left), that is a Minor 7th above your starting
position.
Count it out on the Chromatic Scale. The Minor 7th, from our lesson on Intervals, is TEN
INTERVALS from the starting position. Remember, Sharpen your Flats. That why the two
flags on the left side show # in the Clockwise direction.Remember, the MAJOR 7th is
eleven intervals so it is ALWAYS the note preceeding the starting note IN THE
CHROMATIC SCALE, not on the Circle of 5ths.
The corresponding Relative Minor Scale, noted by the small note letter on the inside of the
Circle of 5ths is ALSO a Major 6th above the starting note.
Count FIVE Positions Clockwise, that is a Major 7th above your starting position.
Learning Achievements
So long as you memorize the Circle of 5ths & the Chromatic Scale, you will be able to do the
following:
1. Find any Perfect 5th in your head
2. Create any non-Flat Major Musical Scale in your head
3. Find any Relative Minor Scale in your head
4. Find all intervals in your head for ANY starting note (Minor 2nd, Major 2nd, Minor 3rd,
Major 3rd, Perfect 4th, Tritone, Perfect 5th, Minor 6th, Major 6th, Minor 7th, Major 7th)
5. Determine a musical key from the Key Signature in Standard notation, simply by counting
the number of Sharps or Flats.

Music Theory: Circle of 4ths...

Geeks Note: If you have not studied the lesson on the Circle of 5ths, please do so now. If you do
not have that lesson under your neck strap then this lesson will be mindless gibberish to you.
This section provides the information on the Circle of 4ths, reviews the Circle of 4ths and 5ths
(herein just called the Circle of 5ths) and provides you with a quick and easy study sheet that
summarizes everything succinctly.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, here is what you should have learned:
1. Find any Perfect 4th in your head (Remember Octaved Power Chords?).
2. Understand and know the Order of Flats and Sharps.
3. Know how to create the F Major Scale and any Flat Major Scale (i.e.: Cb Major Scale) in
your head.
4. Have a full working knowledge of how to use the Circle of 4ths and Circle of 5ths with
your music.
5. Be able to impress your friends and jam-mates to no end with how much musical
knowledge is at your fingertips without ever opening a book.
What is the Circle of 4ths?
The Circle of 4ths is a diagram that represents a specific consistent and unique
relationship between the 12 Notes of the Chromatic Scale. The Circle of 4ths can be
overwhelming when you first look at it but study this lesson carefully. We will break it
down and by the time you are done, you will understand it easily.
The Circle of 5ths you will print out actually contains the Circle of 4ths as well along with
information at your finger tips on Intervals, the order of flats and sharps and some basic
Chord Construction (another lesson later).
I recommend you print out the smaller version and post on the wall/door/cat where you
consistently practice your music. Print out another copy and put it in your gig bag ;-)
Some Basics...(yes, from the Circle of 5ths lesson, still relevant for the Circle of
4ths)
There are some basic things you need to know for this lesson to make sense, aside from
what you have already been taught.
First is the fact that it is a given practice that every Major Scale will always have every
letter in the Major Scale (A-B-C-D-E-F-G). We will Sharpen or Flatten a note to remain
true to this rule of thumb.
Because of this, some scales will have Sharps (#) and some scales will have Flats (b).
There is no Cb Major scale and no Fb Major Scale.
All whole note Major Scales contain Sharps, not flats, except for F Major Scale.
The F Major Scale is made up of flats, not sharps.
No Major or Minor Scale will ever have BOTH Flats and Sharps.
There is a unique and consistent relationship between the notes in all Major and Minor

Scales. The Circle of 5ths and Circle of 4ths will reveal the power of these relationships.
The Circle of 4ths is identical to the Circle of 5ths, you just go in the opposite direction
(COUNTER-Clockwise).

COUNTERCLOCKWISE = Circle of 4ths

CLOCKWISE = Circle of 5ths
Without further delay, The Circle of 4ths...

What it means when we call this circle the Circle of 5ths is that every note displayed, in a
COUNTERCLOCKWISE direction, is a Perfect 4th above the note preceeding it.
The Circle of 4ths starts at the C note at the twelve o'clock position.
The note following C is the note F. The note F is a Perfect 4th (five intervals) above the Cnote.
Lets look at the Chromatic Scale:

A - A# - B - C - C# - D - D# - E - F - F# - G - G#
In this Chromatic Scale, starting at the note C, count five intervals to the left. You will see that the
fifth interval lands you on the F note. Just like in the diagram.
Continuing on from F in the Circle of 4ths is the note Bb. If you count the intervals from F toBb

(aka A#) in the Chromatic Scale, you will see that this also is five intervals or a Perfect 4th.
This continues on COUNTERCLOCKWISE around the scale. In this diagram above, some notes
are missing as they were introduced in the last lesson, however, once included, they are always
a Perfect 4th (five intervals) above the preceeding note when moving in a
COUNTERCLOCKWISE direction. Always.
Do some calculations on the remaining notes in the diagram and you will see, indeed, they are
all Perfect 4ths each counter-clockwise step.
Now one thing to bring to your attention in case you get a little confused looking at the diagram
(without having worked things out first). Near the bottom of the diagram you will seeDb and Gb.
Lets do the math.
The note Ab in the Circle of 4ths is followed by the note Db. Let's look at the Chromatic Scale
again:

A - A#(Bb) - B - C - C#(Db) - D - D#(Eb) - E - F - F#(Gb) - G - G#(Ab)

If you count five intervals from Ab you will get Db. Simple enough? Continuing along, five
intervals from Db is....drum roll please.... Gb!

Circle of 4ths: Major Scale Construction from the Circle of 4ths

In the Circle of 5ths, we created the SHARPED Major Scales. We use the Circle of 4ths to
created the FLATED Major Scales.

Again, we need to know the Order of Flats and Sharps. To refine this a bit though, simply
remember that the Order of Sharps belong to the Circle of 5ths. The Order of Flats belongs to the
Circle of 4ths.
Order of Sharps

F# - C# - G# - D# - A# - E# - B#
Order of Flats

Bb - Eb - Ab - Db - Gb - Cb - Fb
We can see above that the Order of Flats is exactly the same as the Order of Sharps but it is
REVERSED.
Using the Circle of 4ths and the Order of Flats
First thing to remember, Circle of 4ths (COUNTERCLOCKWISE) = Order of Flats
We start our Major Scale construction at the twelve o'clock position. The C note.
In our lesson on Scales we covered the fact that the C Major Scale is all whole notes. There are
no Flats or Sharps in the C Major Scale. So we can think of the C note position as the ZERO
position on the Circle of 4ths. Lets move ONE position COUNTER Clockwise.
Moving ONE position COUNTER clockwise on the Circle of 4ths is the F note. Moving to the first
note means that we also use the first note in the Order of Flats (remember, we are going
COUNTER CLOCKWISE). This means to us that the F Major Scale has ONE FLAT note, the
first note of the Order of Flats, the B note. This means that the F Major Scale is composed
entirely of whole notes EXCEPT for the B note which we must make Flat. Therefore, from the
Circle of 4ths, I see that F note is one note from the ZERO POSITIONS(C) therefore the F Major
Scale is:

F - G - A - Bb - C - D - E - F
Look at the Chromatic Scale, count the intervals for the Major Scale (W-W-H-W-W-W-H) and you
will see that this is correct.
This is usually the point were someone sticks up their hand, snorts through their nose and says,
"Man, why don't you just call it A#?".
I take you back to what I said earlier...
"... it is a given practice that every Major Scale will always have every letter in the Major Scale
(A-B-C-D-E-F-G). We will Sharpen or Flatten a note to remain true to this rule of thumb."
It is the accepted practice and standard that you never name the same note twice in the Major or
Minor musical scales. Therefore, in the case of the F Major Scale both the A and the next interval
are part of the Major Scale. However, because of this accepted standard, we do not say it
has A and A#. Instead, we say it has Aand Bb. Don't try and argue around it. Thats just the way
it is. Let it go. Accept it. Move on.

The second note from the ZERO position is the Bb note. Since it is two positions COUNTER
CLOCKWISE from the ZERO position, this means that when constructing the Bb Major

Scale we use the first two notes of the Order of Flats: Bb, Eb.
Therefore, simply by calling up the Circle of 4ths in our head we know that the Bb Major
Scale is:

Bb - C - D - Eb - F - G - A - Bb
Again, the standard of naming each note comes into play for the Eb. Whole Step - Whole Step Half Step from Bb brings you to a Minor 2nd above D. Normally you would call this D Sharp,
however, because of the fact we already have D in the scale AND because of thisstandard way
of writing scales, we know that we must call the Minor 2nd above D the note Eb and not D#.
Continue doing this around the Circle of 4ths through to the Gb and Cb Major Scales. Do the
math on the Chromatic Scale for these Major Scales and you will see that these match the order
of Flats. These two actually caused me a lot of confusion initially, I hadn't wrapped my head
around flattening notes, including flattening sharp notes. Here are more visual representations to
illustrate the creation of the Gb and Cb Major Scales. Still, however, knowing the Circle of 4ths
and the Order of Flats, we can still confidently create these Major Scales in our heads (the
illustrations here are what will allow you to do it confidently).
The Gb Major Scale has only the F note whole:

F#

Gb

G#

A#

C#

Ab

Bb

Cb

Db

D#

F#

Eb

Gb

A#

In the Cb Major Scale ALL of the notes are Flat:

B
Cb

C#

D#

F#

G#

Db

Eb

Fb

Gb

Ab

Bb

Cb

How many of you have looked at a sheet of music in Standard Notation and just crossed your
eyes at the Flat and Sharp symbols? NO MORE!!
By using the Order of Flats and Sharps the mystery of Standard Notation is history. From now
on you can look at the Key Signature (all those pesky Sharps and Flats) and tell IMMEDIATELY
what Key the music is written in.
Easy Peasy. Count them. Yes, thats it. Count the Sharps on the Standard Notation, then count
from the Zero positon on the Circle of 4ths. Here are some examples to illustrate:

This is the Key of F (F Major Scale). Looking at this standard notation I count ONE Flat. Now I
refer to the Circle of 4ths and I count ONE POSITION COUNTERCLOCKWISE FROM THE
ZERO POSITION. This takes me from C to F. Therefore I know that Standard Notation with ONE
FLAT is the F Major Scale.

This is the Key of Eb (Eb Major Scale). Looking at this standard notation I count THREEFlats.
Now I refer to the Circle of 4ths and I count THREE POSITIONS COUNTERCLOCKWISE FROM
THE ZERO POSITION. This takes me from C to F to Bb toEb. Therefore I know that Standard
Notation with THREE FLATS is the G Major Scale.

This is the Key of Cb (Cb Major Scale). Looking at this standard notation I count SEVENFLATS.
Now I refer to the Circle of 4ths and I count SEVEN POSITIONS COUNTERCLOCKWISE FROM
THE ZERO POSITION. This take me from C to F to Bb toEb to Ab to Db to Gb to Cb. Therefore
I know that Standard Notation with SEVEN FLATS is the Cb Major Scale.
NOTE: Sharps on Standard Notation and the Circle of 5ths were explained in the previous
lesson, on the Circle of 5ths
Learning Achievements
So long as you memorize the Circle of 5ths & the Chromatic Scale, you will be able to do the
following:
1. Find any Perfect 5th in your head
2. Find any Perfect 4th in your head
3. Create any Whole Note Musical Scale, Sharp Note Musical Scale or Flat Note Major
Musical Scale in your head
4. Find any Relative Minor Scale in your head for Whole Note, Sharp Note and Flat Note
Musical Scales
5. Find all intervals in your head for ANY starting note (Minor 2nd, Major 2nd, Minor 3rd,
Major 3rd, Perfect 4th, Tritone, Perfect 5th, Minor 6th, Major 6th, Minor 7th, Major 7th)
6. Determine a musical key from the Key Signature in Standard notation, simply by counting
the number of Sharps or Flats.

Music Theory: Fretboard Magic...

Geeks Note: The secet to learning the Fretboard is learning the position of Root notes on the 5th
and 6th strings, then learn the patterns that will let you find everything else. Patterns, patterns,
patterns. Everything else will come with time!

Let's Get Our Directions Straight

It is important you understand what directions mean. You can get confused easily, especially if
you play right handed.
Moving towards the HEAD STOCK is moving DOWN the fretboard because you are moving
DOWN to lower notes. Moving towards the BODY is moving UP the fretboard because you are
moving UP to higher notes.
Same rule applies to strings. Moving form Low E to High E is moving UP the strings as you are
moving UP to higher notes. Vice Versa for Down.
Cool? Good.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, here is what you should have learned:
1. To relate the lesson on Intervals directly to the Fretboard
of your guitar.
2. To understand the repetitive relationship of Interval
PATTERNS on the Fretboard of your guitar.
3. How to "back trace" to find out what any note any finger
position is.
4. How to find any note in all of it's locations on the
Fretboard, in your head.
5. Necessary information that is going to make a whole lot of
sense when you start learning the different shapes of
Chords, Chord Progressions and Chord Harmonics.

The Fretboard of a guitar is LARGE and there are a LOT of notes

on it. Well, actually there are only TWELVE notes but they keep
repeating over and over. There is a simple way of learning all
those notes and finding them with a minimum amount of actual
study. That is what this lesson is about.
A word to the wise, you don't have to learn ALL of these at one
sitting. I would recommend you come back to this page frequently,
pick an interval and practice it all over the fretboard to make sure
you learn the PATTERN.
Yes, that what this lesson is about, PATTERNS. To have the
patterns be applied to something though, that means you need to
have a starting point. Ergo Sum, the graphic on the left. This
graphic shows the whole notes on the low E and A string in the
first twelve frets. You need to memorize these notes and where
they are located. There is no way around it.
The easy way to memorize it though is during your warm up.
Come to the page, fret then pick anote than say it out LOUD. Next
note, same thing. Keep doing this over and over. Within a few
days you will have this brief set of notes memorized in their
locations.
As you look at the diagram on the left, remember that the unnamed spaces are actually notes as well. I didn't put them on
there because if you know the whole notes, the Sharps and Flats
are no brainers. For example, the space between the note C and
the note D is either C# or Db (depending on what you are talking
about or what scale you are using).
Again, to help you memorize this and put it in perspective, here
are the 12 notes of the 12 Tone Chromatic Scale:

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

Fretboard Golden Rule

There is a hard and fast rule that will make these patterns and
other "music figgering" much easier on you:
LAND ON THE "B" STRING or CROSS THE B STRING and
the landing note in the PATTERN moves ONE FRET towards
the body
This will become more and more important as the lesson
progresses.

In the diagram at the right is the second most important of all the
diagrams you will study on this page (the first diagram being the
most important one). This diagram shows the PATTERN
relationship to repetitions of Whole Notes (Octaves).
This is a MOVEABLE pattern (just like Barre Chords). This
pattern holds true for every note on the Fretboard on the 6th
and 5th strings. All other strings are found by refering to the
5th or 6th string note. You will also notice that the 5th string
pattern is ALMOST identical to the 6th string pattern.
This disgram tells us:
To find a whole note from the 6th string (low E) you can:
Move up one string and seven frets towards the
body. (1 + 7)
Move up one string and move five frets towards
the head stock. (1 - 5)
Move up three strings and move three frets
towards the head stock. (3 - 3)
Move up two strings and two frets towards the
body. (2 + 2)
Move up four strings and five frets towards the
body. (4 + 5)
Same fret on the high E string. (5 + 0)
To find a whole note from the 5th string (A) you can:
Move up one string and seven frets towards the
body. (1 + 7 : SAME AS THE 6TH STRING)
Move up one string and move five frets towards
the head stock. (1 - 5 SAME AS THE 6th
STRING)
Move up three strings and move two frets towards the head stock. (3 - 2 :
Remember the Golden Rule about landing on B)
Move up two strings and two frets towards the body. (2 + 2)

Move up four strings and five frets towards the body. (4 + 5) (The only pattern on
this page that breaks the Golden Rule)

Summarize These Patterns Memorize THESE:

UP one string, UP seven frets.

UP one string, BACK five frets.

UP three strings, BACK three frets (Remember, if landing on B string we move one fret
closer to the body, so it's only back two frets)
UP two strings, UP two frets.

UP four strings, UP five frets.

Low E and High E strings, same fret.

Take the time to finger them on your fretboard. Do it once a day for a couple minutes initially to
learn them and then whenever you need a reminder after that.
You can choose to sit and memorize every note on every fret. Power to you if you do. You will be
faster at finding the notes. However, if you memorize these patterns and spend time applying
them on a regular basis, you will become just as fast. Remember that once you have learned the
six patterns above, you will have actually learned (12 notes x 6 patterns) a whopping 72
patterns.
Wait a minute.... do you remember the three note Power Chord?
One thing I will point out that will help with ONE of the patterns. Remember the lesson on Power
Chords and the part about Octave Doubling? In this diagram we see that we are going from Root
to 5th and then another perfect 4th to reach the Octave of the Root. This pattern is also UP TWO
STRINGS, UP TWO FRETS which is one of the patterns above. See? You already know one of
the patterns!!

Interval Patterns
The following are INTERVAL patterns. You can use these
anywhere on the fretboard. Remember, once you have learned the pattern ONCE you have
learned the pattern TWELVE times and can apply it from MULTIPLE positions. Here we go:.

Unison/Octave
I have no diagram for the Unison or Octave. Use the relationship diagram at the beginning of the
lesson to find a corresponding Root Note. Your ear will tell you if it is a Unison or an Octave.
Summary...
You don't need to memorize all of these. Just a few of them. From those you can build off them in
your mind. As you scroll through the Interval fingerings you will see there is a pattern to their
progression. Keep that progression in mind with the patterns. If you memorize the Perfect 4th,
Perfect 5th, Minor and Major 7th then you all the others you will be able to calculate in your head
by doing the Interval Math (half steps for each Interval).

Music Theory: Scales #2 Degrees & Chord Progressions...

Geeks Note: This lesson is not about chord progressions within a song but rather, chord
progressions within a "Key" for a song. This lesson is what will help you sit down with your
friends and jam without to much angst or confusion. That said, this topic is the building blocks
that lays the foundation for your understanding of putting chords together to form songs.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, here is what you should have learned:
1. Understand how to construct chord progressions from a major scale.
2. Know what chords to use when jamming on the fly.
3. Understand why others are playing different chords.
4. Understand how to change the Key of a Song through the understanding of Scale
Degrees
5. Learn how to determine the Key of a song by knowing what chords are in it.

We need to start by undestanding what "Scale Degrees" are. There is a very specific formula for
creating chords from a Major Scale that is at the basics of most Western (civilization) music. This
is the Scale Degrees. For this purposes of this basic lesson, we will be using the Ionian Mode
(Ionian mode is the Major Scale we studied in lesson 2, just think of it as the regular
WWHWWWH scale).
Please understand, there are MANY chord progression theories. What I am presenting here is
the Major/Minor theory and is the fundamental theory most of the others are, as I said, built off of
or derived from.
The Scale Degrees of a Major Scale are:

Major - Minor - Minor - Major - Major - Minor - Diminished

What this means is that instead of playing whole tone chords for each note in a scale, you modify
them. An example of this would be the C Major Scale:

C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C

Instead of playing the chords C, D, E, F, G, A, B you would intead play the chords:

C - Dm - Em - F - G - Am - Bdim - C
You will have possibly heard people talking about their music or maybe music instructors
referring to the Five-Chord or the Three-Chord, etc. What they are refering to is the Degree of the
Scale in question. So this means that if you were talking about the Key of C, then the Five-Chord
would be "G" and the Three-Chord would be "E".
Progressions...
The actual PROGRESSION of chords that you will play depends on the musical style, influence
and choices of the composer. For example, a typical chord progression you will see is the 1-45 progression, more accurately written as the I-IV-V progression.
It is standard practice to refer to the degrees of a Music Scale with Roman Numerals. Upper
case denote Whole Tone chords and lower case represent minor or diminished chords. This
means the degrees of the scale above would be referred to by musicians as:

I - ii - iii - IV - V - vi - vii
A typical progression you will often see is the I-IV-V progression. Because the numerals are all
upper case, we know these are all going to be Whole Tone chords or Major Chords. An example
of this would be the Creedance Clearwater Revival classic of "Down On The Corner". In this
song the Key is C and they use the I-IV-V to make up the song, that is to say, they play the
chords C, F, G:
(First Verse)
C
G
C
Early in the evenin', just about supper time
C
G
C
over by the courthouse,they're starting to un-wind,
F
C
four kids on the corner, trying to bring you up,
C
G
C
Willy picks a tune out and he blows it on the harp.
This could also have been written using the degrees of the Scale, like this:
(First Verse)
I
V
I
Early in the evenin', just about supper time
I
V
I
over by the courthouse,they're starting to un-wind,
IV
I
four kids on the corner, trying to bring you up,
I
V
I
Willy picks a tune out and he blows it on the harp.

C-D-E-F-G-A-B
I - ii - iii - IV - V - vi - vii

Using Johnny Cash as another example, in the song "Ring Of Fire", which is the Key of G, he
uses the I-IV-V also:
(Chorus:)
D
C
G
I fell into a burnin' ring of fire
D
C
G
I went down down down, and the flames went higher
G
And it burns burns burns
C
G
C
G
The ring of fire, the ring of fire
This could also have been written using the degrees of the Scale, like this:
(Chorus:)
V
IV
I
I fell into a burnin' ring of fire
V
IV
I
I went down down down, and the flames went higher
I
And it burns burns burns
IV
I
IV
I
The ring of fire, the ring of fire
Waaaaaiiiiiitttttt a minute......
Have you noticed something here about these examples? When written using the chord names
(C, G, etc) changing keys seems like a daunting and difficult task. HOWEVER, when you think of
the music as DEGREES of the scale... then changing keys becomes a breeze.
Looking at above, we know that the song "Ring of Fire" is in G. However, jammin' in the garage
one night, Talky McSaysalot tells us he wants to play it in C instead (we've learned not to ask
why, just nod and do it). So how do we change the key from G to C? By using the DEGREES of
the scale!
Degree

ii

iii

IV

vi

vii

Key of G

Am

Bm

Em

F#dim (F#)

Key of C

Dm

Em

Am

Bdim (B)

This means we will now play "Ring of Fire" in the key of C with these chords:
(Chorus:)

G
F
C
I fell into a burnin' ring of fire
G
F
C
I went down down down, and the flames went higher
C
And it burns burns burns
F
C
F
C
The ring of fire, the ring of fire
See how amazingly easy that was?
Figuring out the key...
Up above I blithely noted that "Down On The Corner" was in the Key of C and that "Ring of Fire"
was in the key of G. How did I know that? Did I go look at some Standard Notation and count the
sharps (or lack thereof)? No. I just looked at the chords.
Knowing that "Down On The Corner" has the chords C, F, G is also knowing a pattern. I know
that the C Major Scale is the ONLY Major Scale that has a I-IV-V pattern of C-F-G. Therefore,
this song must be in the key of C.
Knowing that "Ring of Fire" has the chords G, C, D is seeing the I-IV-V pattern again with the "G"
being the Tonic, the "I"
By knowing the notes in a Major scale AND the chords that are constructed by the Degrees of a
Major Scale allows us to determine the Key of the Major Scale.
Capice?
Ummmm... you said "Tonic" up above...
1

Tonic

ii

Sueprtonic

iii

Mediant

IV

Subdominant

Dominant

vi

Submediant

vii

Leading Tone

Yes I did. No, I wasn't thinking of GIN AND...

The degrees of a Major Scale have names. They are not just the One Chord, Four Chord, Five
Chord etc.. While you don't NEED to memorize these, knowing the names will help you
communicate better with other musicians.

Okay, thats enough for now. Our next lesson is on Chord Construction and will directly build off of

what you learned in this lesson.

So you will have something to play around with, here are some other Major/Minor Chord
Progressions you will encounter... try them out... mess around with them....

I - IV - I - V
I - IV - V
I - IV - V - IV
I - V - vi - IV
I - V - IV - V
I - vi - ii - V
I - vi - IV - V