SCALES AND NOTES The main scale is the Chromatic scale. scale. It is from this scale that all other scales are derived. You can think of the chromatic scale as the alphabet of the musical language. The main thing to remember is that a note is just a note and has its function defined when it is related to or grouped with other notes. no tes. For example a C can be the root of a C chord or scale, sca le, the major 3rd of an Ab, the 5th of an F, F, etc. The student should sho uld listen to and learn the th e sound of every note as it relates to every other note or chord. This is a monumental task, but can be broken into smaller chunks by beginning with commonly used keys. keys. The student should also be able to go from any any note to every scale that contains contain s that note. For example: begin on a C and move up or down through the notes of the C scales, Ab scales, F scales, etc. This can also help the student stud ent break out of patterns, learn the notes of the fingerboard, and learn to improvise freely. Two Octave Chromatic Scale Bb
Db
Eb
Gb
Ab
Bb
Db
Eb
Gb
Ab
A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G# A
The distance between between notes in the chromatic scale is a half step. On the guitar this equates to one fret. Notice that the sharp (#) notes and the flat (b) notes occupy the same space. space. These note share the same pitch but have different different names. This is called a Enharmonic. The reason for this will become explained later. Also notice the naturally occuring occur ing half step at B C and E F. Every other note has a #/b note between it. On a piano this is where the white keys have not black keys between them. The Major Scale The major scale is a sub-set of the chromatic scale. The pattern for the major scale is 2212221, which means 2 half steps, 2 half steps, 1 step, 2 half steps, 2 half steps, 2 half steps, 1 half step. For example if we begin on a C note and follow the pattern Bb
Db
Eb
Gb
Ab
Bb
Db
Eb
Gb
Ab
A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G# A
we would wind up with the following notes CDEFGABC
if we begin on a G we would wind up with the notes G A B C D E F# G
if we begin on F, we would arrive at the notes F G A Bb C D E F
Notice that the contains the pitch named Bb and not A#. This is where the enharmonic equivalents are used. When naming the pitches of the scales, the note names are sequential. This means that after every A there is some kind of B, and after every B there is some kind of C, etc. This rule is true for all of the major and minor scales. Some scales such as the Blues or Minor Pentatonic break this rule because notes are skipped to create the scale. The next example shows the C, G and D major scales. This is only one fingering for the scales. (Remember that one of the features of string instruments is that a pich can be played in more than one spot on the fingerboard. This can pose problems when learning to read standard notation; however, this also offers many useful choices that enable the guitarist to create a unique voice.)
G
C
3
0
2
3
0
2
0
D
1
3
0
2
3
0
2
4
0 5
2
4
5
2
4
2
3
Here are the notes for the C, G, and D scales. Using the formula, complete the remaining major scales. After completing the scales, use the attached fingerboard diagram and find all of the fingerings for the scales. Don’t limit yourself to only closed notes. Use open strings and harmonics to create “floaty” scale patterns.
CDEFGABC G A B C D E F# G D E F# G A B C# D A E B F# F Bb Eb Ab
Intervals and Degrees of the Scale We can assign a number to each note in the scale to arrive at what is referred to as degrees of the scale or interval distances from the root or key note.
1 2 345 67 8 CDEFGABC The 1 is called the tonic The 2 is called the second The 3 is called the third The 4 is the fouth The 5 is the fifth The 6 is the sixth The 7 is the seventh The 8 is the octave If we add 7 to any of the above degrees, we arrive at what is called the upper extensions. For example, adding 7 to the 1 gives us the octave. Adding 7 to the 2nd gives us the 9th, and adding 7 to the 6th gives us the 13th. This becomes usefull when creating chords and describing other notes when analyzing a tones relationship to the other notes. Remember there are only seven different note names. When we add the sharp or flat symbol, this creates 12 tones. Also remember that any tone can be altered with a sharp or flat symbol. For example you can have E# or Cb. Intervals are distances between notes. The following are intervals as related to the guitar and are listed on the same string. Remember the pitches can be played in more than one spot. This will be discussed later.
Unison 1-1 same pitch Minor 2nd = 1 fret between the notes Major 2nd = 2 frets between the notes Minor 3rd = 3 frets between the notes Major 3nd = 4 frets between the notes Perfect 4th = 5 frets between the notes Augmented 4th = 6 frets between the notes Dimished 5th = 6 frets between the notes Perfect 5th = 7 frets between the notes Augmented 5th = 8 frets between the notes Minor 6th = 8 frets between the notes Major 6th = 9 frets between the notes Minor 7th = 10 frets between the notes Major 7th = 11 frets between the notes Octave = 12 frets between the notes
Intervals of a 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th are described as major or minor. To make an interval minor, it is lowered by a half step. Intervals of a 4th, 5th, and 8th are described as perfect. The 4th can also be augmented. The 5th can be augmented or diminished. An augmented interval is raised by a half step. A diminished interval is lowered by a half step. If we take our scale and choose every other note, we are building thirds. Western harmony is what is called tertian harmony, which means the chords are built by stacking major and minor thirds. Begininning on each note of the scale we will build intervals first. Two notes played together are called harmonic intervals and separately are called melodic intervals. Intervals of a third are created by begininng on a note and skipping a note to arrive at the next note. For example. Using only the notes in the scale is called diatonic harmony. The following is Diatonic Thirds. The major/minor or perfect/augmented/diminished quality of the interval is determined by the distance between the notes as described by the earlier chart. The music shows a fingering for the C, G and D major scales harmonized in thirds.
CE DF EG FA GB AC BD
= major 3rd = minor 3rd = minor 3rd = major 3rd = major 3rd = minor 3rd = minor 3rd
2 3
0 2
3 5
0 0
2 3
1 2
0 1
3 4
2 3
0 2
3 5
2 3
0 2
4 5
0 0
2 4
0 2
4 5
0 0
2 4
2 2
0 2
3 4
2 3
Another commonly used interval by guitarist is the 6th. A 6th is created by stacking a note a 6th away.
C A = major 6th D B = major 6th E C = minor 6th F D = major 6th G E = major 6th A F = minor 6th B G = minor 6th
C
2 3
0
1
3
0
2
3
0
1
3
5
0
2
3
5
7
0
2
4
5
0
2
4
6
7
G
D
2
4
3
5
0
2
2
3
0
1
3
0
2
4
0 0
0
2
3
0
2
4
The following are interval shapes as they are laid out on the guitar. Because of the way the guitar is tuned, shapes that make use of the second string have a different fingering. Learning these shapes will go a long way in helping understand arpeggios and chords. Most of the chords in western harmony are built from stacked major and minor thirds. The student should also endeavor to learn the intervals of the octave, major and minor seventh, as well as major and minor second. There are also other possible fingerings for these interval shapes, when you involve the other strings. Practice these interval shapes as both harmonic (played at the same time) and melodic. The following are three major scales harmonized in fifths. Major Scales harmonize in fifths
C
G
0
2 0
3
0
1
2
3
0
3 0
1 0
2
D
3 1
2 0
5 3
Major 3rd
Minor 3rd
4 2
2 0
5 3
Perfect 5th
4 2
3 0
5 4
2 0
0
2
2
4
Diminished 5th
0
3 0
2 0
2
Perfect 4th
3 2
5 3
Major 6th
This is the same three major scales harmonized in fourth s. Major Scales harmonize in fourths
C
3 3
G
0 0
2 2
0 3
1 0
3 2
0 0
D
1 1
3 3
0 0
2 2
4 3
0 0
2 2
4 4
1 0
0 0
2 2
0 4
2 0
3 2
0 0
2 2
Minor 6th
The previous page showed the three scales harmonized in 3rds and 6ths. The student should harmonize the remainding scales, not only using these intervals, but the others as well. Also the student should harmonize the scales with mixed intervals.
3 3
Triads This will be the first group of notes that can be called chords. A Chord consists of three or more notes played together. Playing the notes of a chord individually is called an arpeggio. As mentioned previously, western harmony is mostly constructed with thirds and is called tertian harmony. There is Diatonic (based on the notes of the scale) and chromatic harmony. We will first discuss diatonic harmony. If we take a two octave major scale and harmonize it in thirds we will get the following. Here is a two octave C major scale. Harmonized in thirds yields the following chords. Every major scale follows this pattern.
CDEFGABCDEFGABC CEG = Major Triad DFA = Minor Triad EGB = Minor Triad FAC = Major Triad GBD = Major Triad ACE = Minor Triad BDF = Diminished Triad You may be wondering what makes the triads major, minor or diminished. If you’ve written out all of your major scales, you will notice that the F in a D major scale is F#, and the G in an E scale is G#, etc. There are several ways to determine; however, I find the easiest way is based on alterations to the major scales and using formulas. Here are the formulas for the Major, Minor, and Diminished Triads.
Major Triad = R 3 5 Minor Triad = R b3 5 Diminished Triad = R b3 b5 This means that we take the Root (key note or 1) of the major scale, third of the major scale, and 5th of the major scale and make the necessary alterations to create the desired chord quality. For example, if we wanted a C minor triad, we would take the root, b3, and 5th of the C major scale. This would yield the notes C Eb G. Playing these notes on any instrument would create the sound of a C minor triad. The student should harmonize the remainder of the scales. Also, when playing a chord, the guitarist should know which degree of the chord or scale is being played at every position on the fingerboard. Also, note that the 3rd of the scale or chord is the pitch that determines whether a scale or chord is major or minor. When we harmonize the scale or chord further to 7ths and further, the 7th will determine whether or not the chord is dominant. These two facts make the 3rd and 7th the most important of the harmony notes in chords. The following is a C major scale harmonized using triads. The scale is played using chords played as chords and arpeggios. The attached chord formula charts will give you the information needed to create any chord type.
Several differnt fingerings are given for the following harmonized C major scale. The guitarist should also explore other options using non-adjacent strings, harmonics, etc. Use the attached fingerboard chart if you have yet to learn the notes on the fingerboard. If you are not yet aware, knowing the notes on the fingerboard will greatly increase your ability to play harmonic and melodic material at will.
Triads
0 1 2
1 3 4
3 5 5
3 5 5
5 6 7
7 8 9
8 10 10
10 12 12
12 13 14
13 15 16
15 17 17
7 8 9
8 10 10
0 2 3
2 3 5
0 0 2
1 2 3
3 4 5
5 7 8
C
8
10 12 12
12 13 14
13 15 16
7 8 10
4 5 7
5 7 8
Dm
15 17 17
5 5 7
7 9 10
6 7 9
8 9 10
Em
F
8 9 10
G
10 10 12
Am
0
0
0
2
2
2
0
3
0
3
1
0
0
2
2
2
3
0
1
0
1
2
3
3
15
Bº
C
1
0
3
0
3
3
0
1
2
2
5
2
3
4
3
3
2
5
5
5
20
3
2
3
5
2
4
5
5
4
2
5
3
5
4
6
3
5
5
8
5
Chord Formulas ( ) = OPTIONAL NOTE
MAJOR Chord Type
Symbol
Formula
Major
M, Maj
1-3-5
Added Fourth
add4
1-3-4-5
Sixth
6
1-3-5-6
Six Nine
6/9
1-3-5-6-9
Major 7th
Maj7
1-3-5-7
Major Ninth
Maj9
1-3-5-7-9
Major Eleventh
Maj11
1-3-5-7- (9)-11
Major Thirteenth Maj13 1-3-5-7-(9)-(11)-13 Major seven Maj7#11 sharp eleventh Major Flat Five
1-3-5-7- #11
-
1-3-b5
MINOR Chord Type
Symbol
Formula
Minor
m
1-b3-5
Minor added fourth
madd4
1-b3-4-5
Minor sixth
m6
1-b3-5-6
Minor seventh
m7
1-b3-5-b7
Minor added ninth
madd9
1-b3-5-9
Minor six add nine
m6/9
1-b3-5-6-9
Minor ninth
m9
1-b3-5-b7-9
Minor eleventh
m11
1-b3-5-b7-(9)-11
Minor thirteenth
m13
1-b3-5-b7-(9)-(11)-13
Minor/Major seventh
m/Maj7
1-b3-5-7
Minor/Major ninth
m/Maj9
1-b3-5-7-9
Minor/Major eleventh m/Maj11
1-b3-5-7-(9)-11
Minor/Major thirteenth m/Maj13 1-b3-5-7-(9)-(11)-13 Minor seven flat fifth m7-5 or ø
1-b3-b5-b7
DOMINANT Chord Type
Symbol
Formula
Seventh
7
1-3-5-b7
Ninth
9
1-3-5-b7-9
Eleventh
11
1-(3)-5-b7-(9)-11
Thirteenth
13
1-3-5-b7-(9)-(11)-13
Seven sharp five
7#5
1-3-#5-b7
Seven flat five
7b5
1-3-b5-b7
Seven flat ninth
7b9
1-3-5-b7-b9
Seven sharp ninth
7#9
1-3-5-b7-#9
Nine sharp five
9#5
1-3-#5-b7-9
Nine flat five
9b5
1-3-b5-b7-9
Seven sharp five sharp nine 7#5#9
1-3-#5-b7-#9
Seven sharp five flat nine
7#5b9
1-3-#5-b7-b9
Seven flat five sharp nine
7b5#9
1-3-b5-b7-#9
Seven flat five flat nine
7b5b9
1-3-b5-b7-b9
Seven sharp eleven
7#11
1-3-5-b7-#11
Symmetrical Diminished
dim (° )
1-b3-b5
Diminished Seventh dim7 (°7) 1-b3-b5-bb7 Augmented
aug (+)
1-3-#5
Miscellaneous This section contains diadic "fifth" (2 note 'chords'), the "Sus" chords, and the #11. A #11 contains a perfect fifth as well as a sharp eleven, (which is the same note as a flat five but an octave higher). These chords do not have a Major or Minor tonality, since there is no 3rd. However the #11 chord does have a Lydian sound. Chord Type
Symbol Formula
Fifth
5
1-5
Flat Fifth
-5
1-b5
Suspended Fourth
sus4
1-4-5
Suspended Second
sus2
1-2(9)-5
Sharp Eleven
#11
1-5-#11
