Know Your Notes

The Basics Notes are named after the first seven letters in the alphabet. In order, they are: A-B-C-D-E-F-G Between any two notes, except B - C and E - F, we also have a sharp and/or flat note. These are the symbols that are used to denote sharp and flat:

= sharp = flat If we list the notes, again, and include the sharps and flats, we get: A - A#/Bb - B - C - C#/Db - D - D#/Eb - E - F - F#/Gb - G - G#/Ab - A One important thing to notice is that X#/Xb is one note that has two names (The term used to describe this is ENHARMONIC). For example, A# is the exact same note as Bb. Sometimes, one name will be used, and sometimes the other name will be used. We will cover this in much greater detail in a later lesson. For now, it's only important that you know the names of the notes. Another thing to notice is that after G#/Ab We arrive at A again. This second A vibrates exactly twice as fast as the first A, and therefore, the ear tends to hear it as another version of the same note. The second A is called the OCTAVE of the first A. If we continue after the second A, we get A#/Bb an OCTAVE higher than the first, B an OCTAVE higher, C an OCTAVE higher etc., etc., until we get to A again. This A is two OCTAVES higher than the first A. If we keep going, the whole pattern just repeats over and over until we can't get any higher on the instrument. (If you didn't run out of notes, you could keep right on going until the notes were so high that only a dog could hear them!) The same is true if you travel in the opposite direction. The pattern repeats until you run out of notes, or the neighbors call the cops (whichever comes first).

Here's something to help you remember the sharps and flats. If you sharpen a pencil, you raise a point on it. Therefore, if you play A and then play the next higher note, you would call the second note A#. If you flatten a pop can, you mash it down. Likewise, if you play B and then play the next lower note, you would call the second note Bb. Remember that A# and Bb are the exact same note or ENHARMONIC. This may be a bit confusing but, you'el get used to it. All you have to remember is A through G of the alphabet and a #/b note in between every two notes except B - C and E - F (There's no such note as B# or Cb, likewise, E# or Fb. There is an exception to this but, that's way down the road!). The Fingerboard Here's what the notes look like covering the fingerboard:

I've left the sharps and flats off to make the chart easier to read, but that doesn't mean that you should ignore sharps and flats. 1. The open strings and the 12th fret are identical:

2. The low E-string and the high E-string are identical:

3. Octaves:

4. Adjacent notes:

The Practice Go to this page, and print about 2 billion copies. Now, every time that you think you don't have anything to do, grab one of the sheets you just printed out and fill in the names of the notes on each neck diagram. It really doesn't matter if you write in the notes one string at a time or across the strings or in any other manner you can come up with. Writing those notes out on the diagrams is gonna help you to start seeing them. That is the whole point of doing the exercise.

Another good practice is to pick a note per day, and for that day, you practice locating that note on your guitar neck. The next day, pick a different note. This exercise can be extended to include practicing chords, scales, modes, arpeggios (you name it) from your selected note. A third exercise is for when you don't have your guitar near you (maybe you are waiting at the bus stop or riding the subway). Pick a chord or a scale or even a lead lick that you know and visualize exactly where you would play it on the guitar neck. Then try to figure out what notes you would be playing. The more clear you are in your mind about what frets and strings you would be playing, the greater the benefit you will receive from this exercise. Lastly, anytime while playing the guitar that you can remember to do this, stop and ask yourself what notes you are playing. If you don't know what notes you are playing, figure it out. There's no real short-cut to learning to see the notes up and down the fingerboard. It simply takes a desire and willingness to learn and practice. It also helps if you can see a potential value in acquiring the skill.

The Major Scale

The Basics

Although it might seem strange, (given the fact that the notes are named A through G) music theory actually begins with the key of C. Below is the CHROMATIC SCALE starting with C: C - C#/Db - D - D#/Eb - E - F - F#/Gb - G - G#/Ab - A - A#/Bb - B - C A SCALE is nothing more than a clever way to travel from octave to octave. The word CHROMATIC comes from chroma or color. Think of the chromatic scale (because it contains every note) as one that includes all the colors. Every other scale (there are hundreds of them) is constructed by selecting only certain notes from the chromatic scale.

The chromatic scale is the model used for the concept of WHOLE-STEPS and HALF-STEPS (sometimes referred to as WHOLE TONE and SEMI TONE). A HALF-STEP is the distance between any two notes along the chromatic scale. If you play any note of the chromatic scale and then play the next higher note OR the next lower note, that is considered a HALF-STEP. A WHOLE-STEP is equal to the distance of two HALF-STEPS. Therefore, if you play any note of the chromatic scale and then play, not the next note, but, the note after that, you are executing a WHOLE-STEP. (C to C# is a halfstep, C to D is a whole-step etc...) When applied to the guitar, half-step translates to the distance of one fret and whole-step to the distance of two frets. It makes no difference what the names of the notes are. The only thing that matters, is how far apart those notes are. (Understand that B and C are one fret apart as are E and F. these two pair of notes are therefore a half-step and not a whole-step. This is a common misunderstanding that beginning students have when first learning this concept. They assume that because there is no sharp or flat between those notes that they are a whole-step apart.) Now, before we continue, another definition: A note that is neither sharp nor flat is considered NATURAL. The symbol used to denote NATURAL looks like this:

NATURAL is understood rather than written most of the time. In other words, unless you see a # or b attached to a note, that note is assumed to be NATURAL and therefore, does not require the use of it's symbol. (When dealing with standard music notation however, you will encounter the NATURAL SIGN quite frequently.) If you start on C and play only the NATURAL notes until you reach the octave, you will arrive at the notes of the C MAJOR SCALE: C-D-E-F-G-A-BC

Now, if we look at the whole-steps and half-steps between each note of the C MAJOR SCALE, we find this pattern: W-W-H-W-W-W-H This pattern of whole-steps and half-steps is the single most important part of understanding music theory. Every major scale in every key follows this w/h pattern. For example, if we start on G and apply the pattern, we get the notes of the G Major scale: G - A - B - C - D - E - F# - G The note that you start with is called the ROOT NOTE. The root note defines what is called KEY. When someone asks, "What key is this song in?", they are asking about the root note of the scale that the song is based upon. So, the major scale in the key of F is constructed by starting on F and following the w/h pattern: F - G - A - Bb - C - D - E - F That's all there is to it! Start on a root note and follow the w/h pattern. You are now the proud owner of a major scale. Any note from the chromatic scale can (and will) function as the root note. So long as the rest of the notes follow the w/h pattern, the scale will be a Major scale in the key of that root note.
The Fingerboard

Up and down the individual strings (key of C, square is the root note):

Across the strings (key of C, square is the root note):

Combining the two (key of C, square is the root note):

Covering the entire fingerboard (key of C, square is the root note):

The Practice

When it comes to scales, the most important thing is to be able to turn the "pattern" into "music". There's really no point to mindlessly running up and down the scale for hours on end. As soon as you acquire a basic understanding of how the notes lay out across the fingerboard, it's important to start "messing around" with the scale. You need to start searching out the melodic possibilities of the scale. Here are two MIDI files that will help you to get the Major scale under your finger tips. Both are in the key of C. Pedal tone is a static C chord. While the chord is playing, you can play up and down the C Major scale and familiarize yourself with the sound of the various tones in the scale. Pedal Tone Chord progression, as the name implies, is a chord progression in the key of C. While the chord progression is playing, you can practice improvising lead lines out of the C major scale. Chord Progression You need to know the Major scale in every key, not just C. The best way to accomplish this is to practice a different key every day. For that day's practice, stick to that key only. If you find yourself getting bored with the key you are practicing, it means that you are not digging into your practice deep enough. Instead of switching to a new key, make yourself come up with something interesting. That is how you will really learn to play!!

Circle Of Fifths - keys signatures explained

The Basics

The circle of fifths is a handy tool for organizing the 12 possible Major scales into what is called KEY SIGNATURE. In the Major Scale Lesson, we learned that "key" refers to the starting note (root) of the scale. "Key signature" simply refers to the number of sharps or flats that occur in each key. No two major scales will contain the same number of sharps or flats, so scales can be easily organized by key signature. Let's take a look. As we learned in the Major Scale Lesson, the C Major scale contains no sharp or flat notes - C D E F G A B. This is the only Major scale with only natural notes. All other keys will have a varying number of sharp or flat notes. Each key has a unique key signature. If we build our next scale starting with the 5th note of the C major scale, we get the G Major scale - G A B C D E F#. Notice that the G Major scale has one note that is sharp (F#). Now, lets build a third scale starting from the 5th note of the G Major scale. That will give us the D major scale - D E F# G A B C#. Notice that we now have two notes that are sharp (F# and C#). If we build a fourth scale from the 5th note of the D Major scale, we get the A Major scale - A B C# D E F# G#. As you've probably guessed, the A Major scale has one more sharp than the D Major scale. That's how it works. If you build a Major scale from the 5th note of another Major scale, the new scale will have one more sharp than the scale you started with. That's where the "5ths" in the circle of 5ths comes from, but what about the "circle" part? The circle comes from the fact that if you continue to build a scale from the 5th note of the previous scale, you will eventually wind up right back at the beginning, C Major:

G is the 5th note of C Major. D is the 5th note of G Major. A is the 5th note of D Major. E is the 5th note of A Major. B is the 5th note of E Major. F# is the 5th note of B Major. C# is the 5th note of F# Major. G# is the 5th note of C# Major. D# is the 5th note of G# Major. A# is the 5th note of D# Major. F is the 5th note of A# Major. C is the 5th note of F Major. We're right back where we started, as if we traveled in a circle. Now, one of the conventions of key signatures is that a proper key signature does not mix sharps and flats. You have one or the other, not both. Another convention is that the letter name for each note can only be used once. These two conventions present us with a problem. Once you get to a certain point within the circle, it becomes impossible to observe these two conventions without considering the note F to be E# and the note C to be B# or resorting to the awkward designation of DOUBLE SHARP. (Denoted by x, a double sharp note is equivalent to the note one whole-step higher than the letter name being used. Cx is the same pitch as D.) Let's look at the key of F#: F# G# A# B C# D# E#(F) In order to avoid using both F and F# in the key signature, we have to "bend" the rules and name F as E#.

The convention of not using the same letter name twice is a hold-over from written music notation. See this lesson for an introduction to written notation. As you can see from that lesson, each letter name is given a line or a space on the staff. It would be very awkward trying to write both F and F# into the same key signature. Now, once you get to the key G# in the circle of fifths, the dreaded double sharp appears: G# A# B#(C) C# D# E#(F) Fx(G) At this point, things are getting out of hand. So, what would happen if, instead of trying to use a G# scale, we were to use Ab instead? (Remember that G# and Ab are the same note.) Let's try it: Ab Bb C Db Eb F G Hey, that's a lot better than that G# monstrosity! So, let's take a look at key signatures with flats instead of sharps. If we go back to the C Major scale (C D E F G A B), but instead of going to the 5th note, we go to the 4th note to construct our next scale, we get the F Major scale- F G A Bb C D E. Notice that the key of F Major has one flat. If we build our next scale from the 4th note of the F Major scale, we get the Bb major - Bb C D Eb F G A. Notice that we now have two flats. It's the same pattern all over again. If you build a Major scale from the 4th note of another Major scale, the new scale will have one more flat than the scale you started with. And once again, if you keep going, you're going to end up right back at C: C F Bb E b A b D b G b B E A D G C Let's reverse the order of those notes: C G D A E B Gb(F#).....

Hey! Wait a damn minute! Isn't that the same order we had before, when we were working the sharps? (Go back and take a look.) It sure is. If we take our original circle of 5ths and change each sharp to its flat equivalent we get this: C G D A E B F#/Gb Db Ab Eb Bb F C Now, since we're calling this a circle, let's look at it that way:

C is at the 12:00 position, because the key of C has no sharps or flats. If you travel clockwise around the circle to the 6:00 position, each successive key has one more sharp than the preceding key. If you travel counterclockwise to the 6:00 position, each successive key has one more flat than the preceding key. Moving counterclockwise around the circle is sometimes referred to as the circle of 4ths and also referred to as "backcycling" through the circle of 5ths. Now, let's take a look at F#/Gb: F# G# A# B C# D# E#(F) Gb Ab Bb Cb(B) Db Eb F It makes no difference whether you use sharps of flats with this key. Both give you the same result. If you use sharps, you end up having to refer to F as E#. If

you use flats, you end up having to refer to B as Cb. It's pretty screwy, but there's nothing to be done about it. Here's a handy sing-song for remembering which notes are sharp or flat in each key: Sharps = Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle. Flats = Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles' Father. Each successive key not only adds a new sharp or flat, but keeps the sharps or flats that were present in the preceding key. Moving around the circle clockwise yields G (Father), D (Father Charles), A (Father Charles Goes) etc... The key of G has one sharp, which is F. The key of D has two sharps, which are F and C. The key of A has three sharps, which are F, C and G etc... Moving around the circle counterclockwise yields F (Battle), Bb (Battle Ends), Eb (Battle Ends And) etc... The key of F has one flat, which is B. The key of Bb has two flats, which are B and E. The key of Eb has three flats, which are B, E, and A etc...
The fingerboard

The circle of 5ths is very easy to visualize on the fingerboard:

The circle of 4ths is just as simple:

In each case, you start with C, and add a sharp or flat for each successive key. It doesn't get much easier, folks.
The practice

The circle of fifths falls into the category of "something handy to know but not something that you can really practice"... that is, until you begin analyzing songs and/or writing your own songs. Many common chord progressions follow the circle of 5ths. The more familiar you are with this device, the easier you will be able to spot it's use within a song. One use for the circle of 5ths in a compositional sense is as a key changing device. Changing the key signature in the middle of a piece of music is called MODULATION. The smoothest modulation occurs between keys that have only one note difference between the two keys. If you've been paying attention, you should realize that this is exactly how the keys are organized with the circle of fifths. A good way to practice modulation, utilizing the "circle", is to pick a position on the guitar neck and "run the scales" through the circle. Without moving up or down the fingerboard more than one fret, you should be able to pick out each successive sharp or flat key and play that Major scale. If you are soloing over a chord progression that suddenly shifts to a new key, the ability to quickly change to the appropriate scale is a must. You won't always have the luxury of shifting your hand position in order to change to a new scale. Learn your scales.Learn your fingerboard.That's the only way.

Intervals
The Basics Intervals are the units by which music can be measured. You could say that intervals are to music what inches (or centimeters) are to carpentry. If a carpenter wants to know how "things" fit together, he needs to understand how to measure those "things". If a musician wants to know how music is put together, that musician needs to understand intervals. Intervals are defined by the Major scale. In other words, every aspect of music is compared to the major scale to see how "things line up". Simply put, an interval is the distance between two notes and the distances between the notes of the major scale provide us with a reference point. Let's look at the C major Scale: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C The C note functions as the root or 1, and the rest of the notes are numbered 2 through 8. In other words, D = 2, E = 3, F = 4, G =5, A = 6, B = 7 and the octave C = 8. (This is where the name octave comes from. Octo = 8, as in octopus.) Before we continue, you need to fully understand a couple of points about the major scale: 1 - The major scale is derived by following the whole-step half-step pattern: w w - h - w - w - w - h. This w/h-step pattern is what "really" dictates where the intervals lit on the fingerboard. 2 - The major scale can start on any note of the chromatic scale. I'm only using the key of C as an example. Everything that applies to the C major scale applies to any and all other major scales. If you are not clear on how major scales are built and how they cover the fretboard in every key, you need to check out the Major Scale before continuing with this lesson.

The major scale is the only musical element that has the intervals 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 5 - 6 - 7 - 8. Everything else has a different interval structure. You see, intervals are just like notes in that they can be sharp or flat. For example, you will run into such things as b3, #5 and b7. This numbering of the notes is called the FORMULA. Scales, chords, chord progressions, and even entire songs can analyzed by their underlying formula. All other musical structures can be learned on the guitar by understanding the formula ie., how that structure is different from the major scale. Let's take a look at the Harmonic Minor Scale. The harmonic minor scale, when compared to the major scale, has the intervals: 1 - 2 - b3 - 4 - 5 - b6 - 7 8. This means that the harmonic minor scale is exactly like the major scale except that the 3rd and 6th intervals are flattened (lowered by one fret). C Major: C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C C Harmonic Minor:C - D - Eb - F - G - Ab - B - C Now, understand that the notes and the intervals are one and the same, but just because a note is sharp or flat, that doesn't mean that the interval is sharp or flat and vice versa. You have to know the major scale absolutely well in order to understand how this interval stuff works. Once and for all, the intervals are dictated by the major scale. Depending on what key the major scale is in, you will have sharp or flat notes in the scale. Take the E major scale for example: E - F# - G# - A - B - C# - D# - E. In this case, E =1, F# = 2, G# = 3 etc... You have to know the notes that are already in the key before you can determine what the b3 (or any other interval) might be. In the key of E, the b3 would be G (3 = G#). Intervals are the distance (how many frets) between the notes. If you put your index finger on any note on any string, and call that note the root (or 1), 2 will ALWAYS be a whole-step higher, no matter the name of the note you are playing. That is how intervals work. They follow the w/h-step pattern without exception. So, the harmonic minor scale (1 - 2 - b3 - 4 - 5 - b6 - 7 - 8) starting on E would look like this: E Major: E - F# - G# - A - B - C# - D# - E

E Harmonic Minor:

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

Every aspect of music theory is discussed in terms of this interval formula. This is why I often say that the major scale is the single most important element of music theory - every thing else is compared to the major scale. Now, for the sake of clarity, I usually just refer to intervals by number and throw in sharp or flat if it's needed, but there is an old system for naming intervals that a lot of overly educated people insist on using. I figure I better go over this with you, so you won't think I ripped you off or I don't know what I am talking about. If you haven't already, you are bound to run into people saying things like minor 3rd, perfect 5th and major 7th. The reason that I don't use these names in conjunction with intervals is that these names are also used to name chords. Most people that I have taught just find it confusing. I say, "If there is a simpler way to understand something, why not use the simpler way?" So here goes: The 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th are considered major intervals. If you lower (flat) a major interval it becomes minor. So 3 = major 3rd, and b3 = minor third etc... When this system was invented (back in the days when you had to wear a powdered wig if you wanted to be taken as a serious rock star), there was no such thing as sharping the 2, 3, 6 or 7. More on this in a moment. The unison (playing the same note), 4th, 5th and octave are considered perfect intervals. If you lower a perfect interval, it becomes diminished. So 5 = perfect 5th, and b5 = diminished 5th. If you raise (sharp) a perfect interval it becomes augmented. So 4 = perfect 4th, and #4 = augmented 4th. (I hope your getting all this.) In more recent times, it has become necessary to account for raising (sharping) the major intervals. Rather than come up with a unique name for this, the powers that be decided to just call these intervals augmented as well. So, a person is stuck trying to remember which names fit which intervals and when to use a unique name for the interval as opposed to the same name.... "no...wait...don't tell me... that must be the augmented 3rd from the perfect 5th.... or was that a diminished 5th?"

As far as I'm concerned, it's much easier to call 'em by number and say sharp or flat. The Fingerboard: Up and down the strings: Major Scale

Harmonic Minor Scale

Across the strings: Major Scale

Harmonic Minor Scale

The Practice: Learning intervals is just like learning the notes on the fingerboard. All it really takes is the willingness to stop yourself once in a while and ask a couple of questions. "What key am I in?" "What interval am I playing relative to the root note of the key?" Ask those questions a few times and you will start getting the hang of this stuff. Here are a couple of exercises to work on:

Both exercises are based on the same idea: moving the 3rd interval through the scale. Notice that as you move the interval through the scale that sometimes the interval is normal and other times the interval is flat. Study this carefully, it is very important to understanding how chord progressions work. Also, you need to work these exercises out in all possible positions on the fingerboard for all keys. Lots of work to do there :-) Then you need to do the same thing starting with each of the other possible intervals. Work them through the scale and pay close attention to the spots where the interval changes from normal to sharp or flat. Have fun.

Triads
The Basics: Chords are the basis for western harmony. Other cultures may take a different approach, but in the west, the chord is king. The most basic chord is called a TRIAD. There are four possible triads: major: R - 3 - 5 minor: R - b3 - 5 augmented: R - 3 - #5 diminished R - b3 - b5 :

Triads derive their name from the fact that each one contains only three intervals and the fact that the intervals in each are a 3rd apart: major: 3 + b3 minor: b3 + 3 diminished b3 + b3 : augmented: 3 + 3

What this 3 + b3 stuff means is that if you were to start on a root note (C for example), and build a major triad, the second note in the triad (E) would be a 3rd higher than the root, and the third note of the triad (G) would be a b3rd higher than the second note (E). This "stacking thirds" concept is very important when it comes to chords, so make sure you understand this part. When it comes to playing triads on the guitar, you will encounter what is called CLOSE VOICING, and OPEN VOICING.

Close voicing means that all three notes of the triad are within the same octave. Open voicing (not the same thing as open position) means that one or more notes of the triad are outside of an octave. It is also common practice to double one or more of the notes in a triad. This produces a fuller sounding chord. The Fingerboard: Close voicing: major

minor

diminished

augmented

Open voicing: major

minor

diminished

augmented

Octave doubled (close voicing): major

minor

diminished

augmented

The practice: Triads form the basis for all other chords (except for sus chords which are covered in another lesson). No matter what the chord is, you will find a triad hiding inside of it. Take every chord that you know, and identify the triad that the chord is built upon. Another good practice is to pick a root note and build each of the four triads off of that root note. You should also take a each triad and search out every possible location that the triad can be played on your guitar.

Triad Inversions
The Basics: An important aspect of chordal understanding is what is called VOICING. Voicing simply means how the notes of the chord are arranged from low to high. In the Triad lesson, I cover two important voicings, open and close. In this lesson, we are going to look at three other ways that a triad may be voiced. This is called INVERSIONS. A chord is inverted when any note other than the root of the chord is used as the lowest note. That sounds pretty heavy duty, but it is really quite simple. Most people, when first learning about chords, tend to think that the lowest note in the chord MUST be the root note of the chord. This is not always the case. Very often, a note other than the root will be used as the lowest note of a chord. There are several reasons for this including but not limited to ease of playing and the particular sound quality that is produced by inverting a chord. There are three possible inversions of any triad: Root position: The root of the chord is the lowest note. 1st inversion: The 3rd of the chord is the lowest note. 2nd inversion: The 5th of the chord is the lowest note.

That's all there is to it. I told you it was easy! The only hard part about inversions is not getting them mixed up on the fingerboard. That just takes a little practice. (as if you didn't already know that was
coming.)

The Fingerboard: Close voiced major chords:

Root Position

1st Inversion

2nd Inversion

Open voiced major chords: Root Position

1st Inversion

2nd Inversion

The Practice:

Plot out the inversions for close voiced major triads on each set of three strings: E-A-D, A-D-G, D-G-B, G-B-E. Be careful with the third and fourth sets. The B-string changes the shape of everything. Now, do the same thing for minor, augmented and diminished.

Make learning these inversions a priority in your own practice. They really are the "secret" to great playing. Once you are thoroughly familiar with close voicing, start working on open voiced inversions. You will find that the better you know the close voiced triads, the easier it is to see the open voiced variety. Don't just memorize these chords, internalize them. In other words, you have to get to know them. Each inversion has a personality of its own. You need to get to know that personality. One way of doing that is to try using the different inversions in chord progressions. Another way to get familiar with the inversions is to listen for them in songs that your know. You might be surprised to learn that the reason "that one chord in the middle of the chorus" of your favorite song doesn't sound right when you try to play it on your guitar, is because you are not using the correct inversion.

Harmonizing the Major Scale

The Basics: Most chord progressions that you will come across are based on a formula. That formula is the harmonized major scale, or what I call the CHORD SCALE. There are exceptions to this statement, but usually, those exceptions can be traced back to the harmonized major scale as well.

If we take the major scale:

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

And we build a triad off of each note of the scale using only notes found within the scale, we get this:

I ii iii IV V vi vii VII I

C-E-G 1-3-5 D-F-A 1-b3-5 E-G-B 1-b3-5 F-A-C 1-3-5 G-B-D 1-3-5 A-C-E 1-b3-5 B-D-F 1-b3-b5 C-E-G 1-3-5

Cmaj Dmin Emin Fmaj Gmaj Amin Bdim Cmaj

Study the chart closely. It's important that you understand how each of these triads are taken right out of the C major scale. (Go to the Triads lesson if you are not absolutely clear an how triads are built.)

Now, it's important that you understand that we could have used any major scale for our demonstration. I use the C major scale for examples so I don't have to type sharps and flats. But, remember, what works for the major scale in one key works for the major scale in ALL keys. (Go to the Major Scale lesson if you are not absolutely clear on how major scales are constructed.) This is where the Roman numerals come into play. By referring to the Roman numerals, we can talk about chord progressions without having to dictate the

key. For example, a very common chord progression is I-IV-V-I. This progression is used in a lot of songs. Let's look at the chart again:

I ii iii IV V vi vii VII I

C-E-G 1-3-5 D-F-A 1-b3-5 E-G-B 1-b3-5 F-A-C 1-3-5 G-B-D 1-3-5 A-C-E 1-b3-5 B-D-F 1-b3-b5 C-E-G 1-3-5

Cmaj Dmin Emin Fmaj Gmaj Amin Bdim Cmaj

I-IV-V-I means to play the chord built off of the first degree (note) of the scale followed by the chord built from the 4th degree, the chord built off of the 5th degree and back to the chord built off of the 1st degree. In the key of C, that would be C-F-G-C. To play the progression in another key, you need to know the chord scale for the key you want to play in. That sounds like you have to know a different chord scale for every key, but it is much easier than that.

Let's look at the key of G:

I ii iii IV V vi vii VII I

G-B-D 1-3-5 A-C-E 1-b3-5 B-D-F# 1-b3-5 C-E-G 1-3-5 D-F#-A 1-3-5 E-G-B 1-b3-5 F#-A-C 1-b3-b5 G-B-D 1-3-5

Gmaj Amin Bmin Cmaj Dmaj Emin F#dim Gmaj

Notice that we get the same TYPES of chords in the EXACT SAME ORDER as before. The only thing that changes is the root notes of each chord and the notes in each chord follow the G scale instead of the C scale. No matter what key we choose, the chord types will occur in the exact same order so long as we follow the major scale in that key. (if we use a different scale, then the chords will be different.) What this means to you, is that all you have to learn is which number = which chord type and how far apart the chords are from one another. It's really easy! The major scale follows this whole-step/half-step pattern:

w-w-h-w-w-w-h

The chord scale follows the same pattern:

I w

ii w

iii h

I V w

V W

vi w

vii h

VIII

Now, all you have to do is remember which type of chord each number represents.

I w maj

ii w min

iii h min

IV w maj

V w maj

vi w min

vii h dim

VIII maj

Notice that upper case numerals are used for major chords and lower case for minor and diminished. This is to help you keep the chord types straight.

There is an old system for naming each chord within the chord scale, and some people insist on using it. I figure that I better show it to you, so you won't feel left out: I ii Tonic Supertonic

iii Mediant

IV Subdominant V Dominant

vi Submediant vii Leading Tone

You will here the word "dominant" thrown around quite often. The others you may never run into, but you never know.

The Fingerboard: Key of F, using barre chords:

I - Major

ii - minor

iii - minor

IV - Major

V - Major

vi - minor

vii - diminished

VIII - Major

Key of C, using "cowboy" chords:

I - Major

ii - minor

iii - minor

IV - Major

V - Major

vi - minor

vii - diminished

VIII - Major

The Practice: The first thing you need to do is play up and down the chord scale in EVERY key. There is no substitute for this practice. You gotta be able to see the chord types and the w/h-steps no matter where the chords land on the fingerboard. The more chord shapes and inversions that you know, the more you need to play through the chord scale using those shapes. Next, take every chord progression that you know (and every one that you learn from now on) and see if the chords fit the chord scale. A few of points to keep in mind: 1 - A lot of progressions are based around chord I, but any chord in the scale can be the main chord of a song. For example, V-IV-I-V and vi-IV-V-vi are two very popular rock progressions. ii-V is a popular jazz progression. These three progressions don't even use the I chord! 2 - very few songs use the entire chord scale. They usually just use part of the chord scale. 3 - A song doesn't have to stay in one key. If you run into a progression that doesn't seem to fit the scale, you might be looking at chords for more than one key mixed together. 4 - There are a lot of variations on this chord scale that are common practice. Some progressions will substitute major chords for minor chords or vice-versa. Some progressions will borrow chords from other scales or keys and throw those into the mix. Always look for what I call handles (something you can grab ahold of) in chord progressions. For example, if you see two major chords a whole step

apart, there is a damn good chance that those chords are IV and V. That is the only place within the chord scale that two major chords appear that way. Study the chart some more and look for those handles :-) Now, it's a good idea to work this stuff out on paper. Write the chords down and arrange them from low to high (it doesn't matter what order they occur in the song). This will help you to see the w/h-steps between the chords. It's also good practice to fill in the missing chords. Sometimes one or more of those chords will pop up later in the song. Next, you should try to come up with a few of your own progressions using the chord scale. That will teach you a lot!

Relative Major and Minor

The basics: For every major scale there is a related minor scale. These two scales are built from the same notes:

Major Scale: Relative Minor Scale:

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

The only difference between the two scales is which note you start with. The minor scale starts from the sixth note of the major scale. The scales are called RELATIVE because they share the exact same notes. Let's look at a couple more keys, and I'm sure you will get the hang of this one:

Major Scale:

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

Relative Minor Scale:

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

Major Scale: Relative Minor Scale:

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

Now, the relative minor scale is more often called "the" minor scale and treated as its own separate scale. As such, it's important to understand how the minor scale is constructed. In order to see how the minor scale is constructed, we have to compare it to the major scale starting from the same root note as the minor scale:

A major scale: Intervals:

A 1

B 2

C# 3

D 4

E 5

F# 6

G# 7

A 8

A minor scale: Intervals:

A 1

B 2

C
b3

D 4

E 5

F
b6

G
b7

A 8

Compared to the major scale, the minor scale has a flattened 3, 6 and 7, so the minor scale yields this formula:

1 - 2 - b3 - 4 - 5 - b6 - b7 - 8

Once you know the formula, you can build the minor scale from any root note without having to concern yourself with the relative major scale. This is called PARALLEL. Both methods for arriving at the minor scale are important. Know them well.

The Fingerboard: Major scale - key of C:

Relative minor scale (key of A minor):

Major scale - key of C:

Parallel minor scale (key of C minor):

The Practice: Draw up a chart with the notes of every major scale and relative minor scale. Do it again. Keep doing it until you don't need a stupid chart to know your scales. Next, work out the parallel minor scale in every key over the entire fingerboard. Then, take a break.

Pentatonic scales
The Basics: Pentatonic scales are the staple of rock guitar. They are also widely used in jazz, blues, country and bluegrass music. This fact makes pentatonic scales a very important part of learning to play. So, what are pentatonic scales? Technically speaking, any scale composed of five notes can be called a pentatonic scale (penta = five and tonic = notes). In the real world, however, learning only two different pentatonic scales will cover 99.9% of the playing situations that you will encounter. These two scales are referred to as the MAJOR PENTATONIC and the MINOR PENTATONIC.

The major pentatonic is built from these intervals:

R-2-3-5-6

In the key of C, that would be:

C-D-E-G-A

This scale works very well over chord progressions that are based primarily on major chords. Try it over I-IV-V-I, V-IV-I-V or I-iv-IV-V-I. (Check out the Chord Scale lesson if you have no idea what those Roman numerals mean.)

The minor pentatonic is built from these intervals:

R - b3 - 4 - 5 - b7

In the key of C, that would give us:

C - Eb - F - G - Bb

This scale works well for chord progressions based on minor chords. Try it over iv-ii-iii-iv or ii-iii-IV-ii. You can also use minor pentatonic over certain major chord progressions if you want a "bluesy" sound. Try it over I-IV-V-I or V-IV-I-V. Be careful with the b3 when you try it this way. The b3 can sound horribly out of place over a major chord. One way to avoid this is to play the b3, bend, slide or hammer into the 3 and then land on the root. That is a classic blues lick. (Check out the Intervals lesson if you are unclear on intervals.) When it comes to progressions that are based on power chords, the easiest way to figure out whether to use major pentatonic or minor pentatonic is "by ear". Try one. If it doesn't work, try the other one. 9 times out of 10, one or the other pentatonic scale will work perfectly. Often times, both will work, and you can mix and match in the same solo.

The Fingerboard: Relative:

C major

A minor

Parallel:

C major

C minor:

The Practice: Learn the major and minor pentatonic in every key over the entire fingerboard. Pay particular attention to the difference in sound between the two scales. The major pentatonic has a sweet, almost country flavor to it. The minor pentatonic has a darker, more blues sound to it. Knowing this difference in sound will help you to match your playing to the flavor of the chord progression. Also, if you already know the major and minor scale well, you can learn to see the pentatonic scales by leaving out the appropriate intervals (4 and 7 for major, 2 and b6 for minor). Once you know the scales pretty well, turn on the radio and try improvising lead lines along with whatever tune is playing. You can do this with any CD you own as well. The trick is to try and home in on the key of the song. once you determine the key, try either major or minor pentatonic in that key. Remember, if one doesn't work, the other one probably will. It doesn't get much easier folks. Now, impress your friends and neighbors by playing some blues licks in A.

7th Chords
The Basics: 7th Chords are used in a lot of different styles of music, but nowhere are these chords as prominent as they are in blues and jazz music. The theory behind 7th

chords is pretty simple, but a lot of guitar players seem to get all flustered by them. If you know the triads (go to the Triads Lesson if you don't know your triads), you should have no problem learning the 7th chords. 7th chords, as the name implies, are built by adding a 7th interval to the four possible triads:

Major: 1357 CEGB 1 3 5 b7 C E G Bb Major 7 written CMaj7, CM7 Dominant 7 written C7

Minor: 1 b3 5 7 C Eb G B 1 b3 5 b7 C Eb G B b minor/Major 7 written Cmin/Maj7, Cm/M7 minor 7 written Cmin7, Cm7

Diminished: 1 b3 b5 b7 C Eb G b B b 1 b3 b5 bb7(6) minor 7b5 or half diminished 7 written Cmin7b5, Cm7b5, C Diminished 7

C Eb Gb Bbb(A) written Cdim7, C 7

Augmented: 1 3 #5 7 Augmented 7

C E G# B

written CAug7, C+7, CM7#5

There are some things you need to understand about 7th chords. In the Triads Lesson, I explain how chords are built by stacking 3rds. This formula holds true for adding the 7th to the chord. That is why you don't find an augmented chord with a b7 (G# to Bb is a 2nd interval) or a diminished chord with a natural 7. (Gb to B is a 4th interval. Check out the Intervals Lesson if you don't know intervals.) Both of these chords are still possible to play, they just have a different name. This is covered in the Extended, Altered and Other Types of chords Lesson(not posted yet). Dominant chords cause a lot of confusion. This is due to the fact that the "dominant" part is understood rather than written. You will hear a lot of players refer to the majors, minors and "sevens" when they talk about chords. What they are really referring to is major triads, minor triads and "dominant" 7th chords. These three chord types are used in a billion songs, and these players have never learned to distinguish between the good old "7" chord (G7, D7, E7 etc...) and all the other possibilities. Don't make the same mistake. Diminished chords are weird because you have to distinguish between half diminished and full diminished 7th chords. Not only that, but the full diminished 7th chord has that bb7(called double-flat seven). The bb7 is arrived at by flatting the 7 and then flatting it again. This gives you the same interval as the 6. The bb7 is covered in the Symmetrical Scales Lesson(not posted yet). The hardest part of learning and using 7th chords (as well as extended and altered chords) is the fact that there is no standard way to write them. In the chart above, I give you a couple of common ways that you might see the chord written in a song book or chord dictionary, but every author seems intent on inventing a new system for naming chords. One guy thinks that major chords should be notated using a triangle, another guy thinks that a plus sign is the way to go, and the third guy uses some Egyptian hieroglyph. The only way around this mess is to know your chords well enough that you can pretty much figure out for yourself which chord is needed.

Now, let's see what happens when we plug 7th chords into the chord scale. (Go to the Chord Scale Lesson if you don't know what the chord scale is.)

Degree Note Triad I C CEG 135 ii D DFA 1 b3 5 iii E EGB 1 b3 5 IV F FAC 135 V G

7th Chord Name CEGB 1357 DFAC 1 b3 5 b7 EGBD 1 b3 5 b7 FACE 1357 Dominant Subdominant Mediant Supertonic Tonic

GBD GBDF 135 1 3 5 b7 ACEG 1 b3 5 b7 BDFA

vi

ACE 1 b3 5

Submediant

vii

BDF

Leading Tone

1 b3 b5 1 b3 b5 b7

Compare the intervals in each of these chords to the 7th chord chart I gave you above. You will see that the I and IV are Maj7, the ii, iii and vi are min7, the V is Dom7, and the vii is min7b5 (half diminished). These are the most commonly used 7th chords. You need to know them very well, and you need to know where they sit within the chord scale. Also, notice that the V chord (Dominant) is the only place that we find the intervals 1 3 5 b7. That is why that particular arrangement of intervals has been given the name Dominant 7.

The Fingerboard: Here is a common fingering for each of the possible 7th chords:

For each of these chords, you don't want to play the A-string or the high Estring. The high E-string is easy to leave out. You just have to make sure you don't hit it when you strum the chord. The A-srting is a little harder to leave out. What you have to do is dampen that string with the finger that is playing the low E-string. Do this by angling that finger so that it lightly touches the Asrting and keeps that string from ringing. This is easier to do than you may be thinking, so don't be shy. Give it a try. Also, the correct fingering is given below each chord. Though some of the fingerings may seem a little awkward, I strongly recommend that you learn to finger the chords this way. How you finger a chord is very important when it comes to using the chord within a chord progression. These are the fingerings that have proven themselves every time.

The Practice: Learn each of the various 7th chords in the diagrams above. Don't just memorize them. You gotta know this stuff inside and out. That includes knowing which note is functioning as which interval. practice switching back and forth between every possible combination of 7th chord. This will either tie your fingers in knots or increase your dexterity ten-fold. Once you have the fingerings that I have shown you down cold, practice moving 7th chords through the chord scale like this:

If you can play through that without fumbling, you're doing pretty well.

Next, you need to start figuring out other possible fingerings for each of the 7th chords in all keys. I strongly suggest that you get yourself a couple of good chord books. These are also called chord dictionaries. There are so many possible ways to play 7th chords (as well as extended and altered chords) that a person can easily get lost or overwhelmed. A good chord book will help you to cut through the confusion and learn the tried and true fingerings used by most players. The two books that I personally recommend are: Chord Chemistry by Ted Greene - This book is the most comprehensive chord reference I have ever seen. The author goes to the trouble of showing you every fingering imaginable for each chord. Lucky for us regular folks, he

also breaks them into one section of essential fingerings and another section of "other fingerings". This book also covers how to use these chords in a thorough and logical manner, unlike most chord books I have seen. A Guide to Chords, Scales & Arpeggios by Al Di Meola - This book is nowhere near as comprehensive as Chord Chemestry, but the manner in which the chords are organized will help you to learn the essential fingerings faster. There is also a section on scales and arpeggios and a section where Al provides excerpts from his own tunes to show you how to use and improvise over the chords you have learned. These two books compliment each other perfectly, and will provide you with the resources you need to really learn your chords.

The next step is to plug these chords into a few standard chord progressions: Formula ii V I I ii iii ii I ii iii ii V I iii vi ii V I I IV ii vii I Example Dm7 G7 CM7 CM7 Dm7 Em7 Dm7 CM7 Dm7 Em7 Dm7 G7 CM7 Em7 Am7 Dm7 G7 CM7 CM7 FM7 Dm7 Bm7b5 CM7

As you may have noticed from the examples, 7th chords are used most often in jazz music. But they also form the basis for blues music. The standard blues progression doesn't just follow the chord scale though. It utilizes a unique variation.

The standard blues progression is based off of the I, IV and V chords from the chord scale, but each chord is treated as a Dominant 7 chord. In the key of C, the progression looks like this:

C7

//// //// //// ////

F7 C7

//// //// //// ////

G7 F7 C7 G7

//// //// //// ////

If you've never seen this way of writing a chord progression, it's pretty basic. The slash marks represent strums of the guitar strings. Each group of four strums is equal to a measure or bar. There are 12 bars. You've probably heard people talk about playing a 12-bar blues. Now you get to find out what it means. The basic formula for a 12-bar blues is 4 bars of the I chord (C7), 2 bars of the IV chord (F7) and then back to the I chord for 2 bars. This is followed by what is called the "turn-around" because the sequence of chords in the final four measures sets you up to play the whole thing over again. The turn-around consists of one bar for each for the the V chord (G7), IV chord, I chord and V chord in that order.

Now, you are not relegated to playing jazz or blues if you decide to whip out some 7th chords. A lot of rock, country and folk tunes throw in the occasional 7th chord to spice up a progression. The best thing you can do is grab some song books and look over the chord progressions. You can learn a lot that way. Also, don't be afraid to experiment. I have used various 7th chords in a lot of stuff I have written, even some really heavy rock progressions.
You never know 'till you try.

Modes Part I - Introduction

Modes are the cornerstone of great guitar playing. A thorough understanding of the theory and application of modes will not only enhance your ability to improvise lead solos, this understanding will enhance your knowledge of all aspects of musical organization. In order to begin working with the concept of modes, you must have a firm grasp of all the materials covered in previous theory lessons. It is especially important that you are completely familiar with the major scale and how the major scale translates into intervals. Furthermore, it is important that you understand triads and 7th chords and how these chords are arranged within the chord scale.

This lesson is divided into four parts:

Modes Part I - Introduction Modes Part II - Derivative Modes Part III - Parallel Modes Part IV - Application

Introduction Modal theory is very simple once you understand it, and yet, this simple concept has been the cause of more confusion than any other musical principle in existence. For most musicians, the terms scale and mode are interchangeable. While there is a certain amount of truth to this perception, understanding the difference between a scale and a mode is essential. A scale can be defined as a series of notes, arranged by order of pitch, between a root and the octave. Theoretically, any combination of notes between the root

and octave could be considered a scale. On the more practical side, there are a finite number of note combinations that have gained acceptance in western music. Eastern music, on the other hand, tends to be more open-ended as far as the note combinations that are considered acceptable. A mode can be thought of as a way of manipulating the notes of a scale in order to generate a greater variety of sounds. The focus of this lesson is on the modes of the major scale. Modal manipulation of scales other than the major scale is covered elsewhere.

The major scale in the key of C consists of the notes: C D E F G A B C The major scale is also composed of the intervals: R 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Any combination of notes that deviate from the major scale will yield a different interval structure. The interval structure is what gives the scale its characteristic sound quality or mood. Now, when you play a scale from the root up to the octave, the ear arranges the sound of the scale according to the note you started on and the resolution of the notes at the octave. The same thing happens when you descend from the octave to the root. If you change the pitch of the root note to D and keep the interval structure intact, the ear hears that you played the same scale but from a higher pitch. Thus, so long as you do not deviate from the interval structure, you can transpose the scale higher or lower, and the sound quality of the scale remains easily recognizable. But if you change the interval structure, the resulting scale will have a different sound quality or mood. This is where modes come into play. Modes allow us to generate an interval structure that is different than that of the major scale and therefore, produce a unique sound quality. Modes are derived by taking a scale and starting and stopping on a note within the scale other than the root note. For example, if we take the C major scale (C D E F G A B C) and start and stop on the D note instead of the C note we get:

DEFGABCD We are still playing the notes of the C major scale, but starting and stopping on the D note makes it sound as though D is the root note. You may have to play the scale several times this way before you will begin to hear D as the tonal center. It's imperative that you do not play any wrong notes at this point, or the effect will be lost. Now, once the tonal center is established as D, we arrive at a new scale sound. The scale no longer sounds like C major, because our ear is hearing resolution to D. If we compare this new scale to D major, we find that it is different from that scale as well. The notes of the D major scale are: D E F# G A B C# D Our new scale contains F natural and C natural which are two very important tones in the scale. Altering the 3rd and 7th tone of the scale changes the sound dramatically. This new scale is called D Dorian mode. D is the root note, Dorian is the classification for this new sound and mode means that we start and stop on a note other than the root of a parent scale. The important thing to understand at this point is that this new scale is a "D" scale and not a "C" scale. Most people, when they first learn this stuff, assume that they should use D Dorian as a substitute for C major. This is not exactly how it works. Instead of thinking of this new scale as having anything to do with C, think of it as having only to do with D. This will get you understanding the theory behind modes much faster. Now if we compare the D Dorian mode to the D major scale we find that Dorian has this interval structure: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7 8 The interval structure of a scale is very important. This is what defines the sound characteristics of the scale. The interval structure also dictates how and when a scale can be used.

Try this experiment: Play one octave of the D major scale, at the 10th fret, starting off your index finger, like this:

Now, flat the 3rd and 7th intervals to make the scale D Dorian mode, like this:

The two scales sound completely different. (Again, you may have to play the Dorian scale several times to get used to the new sound.) Now, play this MIDI file and practice switching back and forth from D major to D Dorian. D pedal tone

At this point, there are two things to remember: 1 - D Dorian (D E F G A B C D) has the exact same notes as C major (C D E F G A B C). The only difference is which note within the scale you use as the root. 2 - D Dorian (1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7 8) has a different interval structure than D major (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8). These two scales have a completely different sound. If these two points are not clear, go back and read through this lesson again. Now, to get the Dorian mode, we took the major scale and used the second note within that scale as the root and thereby created an entirely new scale. That is the concept of modes in a nutshell. If we do the same thing with the third note of the C major scale, we get the E Phrygian mode (E F G A B C D E). Compared to the E major scale (E F# G# A B C# D# E), E Phrygian has this interval structure: 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 8. Notice that we compared the E Phrygian mode to the E major scale just as we compared the D Dorian mode to the D major scale. Any new scale must be compared to the major scale starting from the same root as the new scale in order to understand the interval structure of that new scale. E Phrygian mode, played off the index finger, at the 12th fret looks like this:

Play this MIDI file and practice switching between E major and E Phrygian mode:

E pedal tone

The remaining four modes of the major scale are extrapolated in the same manner as we have already seen. Therefore, I am simply going to list each from their respective root notes along with the resultant interval structure and leave it to you to work out the fingerings:

F Lydian mode - 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7 8 G Mixolydian mode - 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7 8 A Aeolian mode - 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 8 B Locrian mode - 1 b2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7 8

Organizing Music On The Guitar Fingerboard

Having an organized approach to triads, 7th chords, pentatonic scales and modes will help you to better utilize these structures in your own playing. All of the theory that you could possibly learn will never so you a bit of good, unless you can turn that theory into music. Music is what it is really all about.

Introduction: My own approach to organizing the fingerboard is based on the triad. I consider the triad to be the most fundamental musical element, because it is the triad that defines tonality, especially in popular music. Let's take a look at the four possible triads:

major: R - 3 - 5 minor: R - b3 - 5 augmented: R - 3 - #5

diminished R - b3 - b5 :

Most people view these as four unrelated entities, but each of these chords belongs to only one of two different categories - major or minor. This is determined by the 3rd interval: 3 = major, b3 = minor. The 3rd interval has so much personality that it overshadows any alterations or additions made to a chord. Alterations and additions help to influence the character of a chord, but the chords true nature is dictated by the 3rd. Seen in this light, practically any piece of music can be said to be a simple matter of playing major things, minor things, or a combination of the two. I used the word practically, because there are things that some people play that do not fit easily within this structure. I'll leave it up to you to decide whether you think that sort of thing qualifies as "music" or not. So, the first stop on our journey across the fingerboard is to take a look at triads.

Melodic Patterns
Practicing melodic patterns (sometimes called sequences) is one of the best methods available for learning scale fingerings. Their practice will also aid in learning the sounds of the various scales, as well as, help you to improvise lead lines from different scales. The concept is very simple, the variations endless.

So, what are melodic patterns? A melodic pattern is a short melody or sequence of intervals that you play off of each successive tone of a scale, both ascending and descending. For example, let's look at a popular sequence:

This simple pattern has been used in one form or another for hundreds of years. You can hear it in a lot of classical compositions. The important thing to look at is the concept. The melody is really only two notes, the first tone of the scale followed by the third tone of the scale. Then you play the same idea off of the second tone (this time followed by the fourth tone) etc... Now, if you continue all the way across the scale pattern it would look like this:

Descending, the sequence looks like this:

Notice that we didn't change the order of the notes within the sequence itself. In other words, if our sequence ascends like this:

It descends like this:

Don't reverse the order of the notes within the sequence like this:

That variation will be covered by a different sequence.

What follows is a collection of 112 sequences. All examples are shown using the C Major scale, but you should practice any sequences that you learn in all 12 keys and through all 7 modes, as well as any other scales that you are working on, in all possible fingerboard positions. I have only shown each sequence from the first two notes of the scale. It's up to you to work out the pattern and apply it to the rest of the notes of the scale. The easiest way to do this is to look at each note and determine which degree of the scale it functions as (think intervals), and then move the whole thing up to the next note of the scale.

The double bar-lines in the standard notation and TAB seperate one sequence from the next. Each pattern is also numbered for your convenience.