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Contents:
• Whole Step and Half Step Patterns
• Correct and Incorrect Notation
• Scale Degrees
• Intervals
• Keys - Creating Chords from the Major Scale
• Conclusion


I find it very helpful to work music theory out on a keyboard, it is quick and easy to see everything “visually” because all the notes are are all laid out right in front of you... Theory can be figured out on the guitar, but it requires a bit more thought process to figure out which notes you are playing (unless you have the entire fretboard memorized). When first learning theory, it is usually best to keep things as simple as possible so you can focus on what is being taught. So if you happen to have a keyboard or a piano handy I highly recommend using it when learning theory to help you understand it better, then transfer it over to the guitar.

For those that do not have a piano, you also can use the picture below to help visualize what notes you are playing. You won't be able to hear it, but at least you will be able to see changes in intervals and notes very easily...... Just be sure to "play" it when nobody else is looking.
Virtual Keyboard


Whole Step and Half Step Patterns:

Every scale and mode is made up of a combination of Whole Steps and Half Steps.
Half Step = 1 Interval (or 1 fret on your guitar)
Whole Step = 2 Intervals (or 2 frets on your guitar)

If you look on a keyboard the distance between notes B and C is a Half Step, because the notes are right next to each other. However, the distance between C and D is a Whole Step, because there is a black key in between C and D. That note between C and D can either be called C Sharp (C#) or D Flat (Db), depending on what key you are playing in. These are called enharmonic tones and we’ll go into detail later in this lesson.

The whole step/half step pattern for a major scale is: W W H W W W H

Using C Major as an example, we come up with:
C D E F G A B C (octave)

C to D = Whole Step
D to E = Whole Step
E to F = Half Step
F to G = Whole Step
G to A = Whole Step
A to B = Whole Step
B to C (octave) = Half Step



You can use this pattern of whole steps and half steps to build a major scale starting on any note.
The G major scale for example, would be:
G A B C D E F# G

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Correct and Incorrect Notation:

In the above example for the G major scale, notice that the F# could also be called Gb. These are called enharmonic tones because the two letters both represent the exact same note. The key to knowing which enharmonic tone to use is you need to use every note from A to G one time in the major scale. So you wouldn’t want to have two G notes (Gb and G) and no F notes.

An example of Incorrect Notation:
G A B C D E Gb G - Using two different G notes (Gb and G) and no F notes is incorrect notation.

Correct Notation:
G A B C D E F# G - Uses each letter of the musical alphabet one time.

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Scale Degrees:

Each note of the major scale is given a number called a scale degree. Using C major as an example, with the scale degrees under each note.
C D E F G A B C (Octave)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 (1)

Note: Because the 1 and the 8 both represent the same note (but an octave apart) you may see the octave written as either an "8" or a "1".

These scale degrees are also given names:

The 1st scale degree is called the Tonic
The 2st scale degree is called the Supertonic
The 3rd scale degree is called the Mediant
The 4th scale degree is called the Subdominant
The 5th scale degree is called the Dominant
The 6th scale degree is called the Submediant
The 7th scale degree is called the Leading Tone
The 8th scale degree is the repeat of the Tonic (1st scale degree) one octave up

Out of this list the two most important ones to know are "Tonic" and "Dominant" as these are very commonly used terms. You may have already heard these terms in use (such as a "dominant 7 chord")... If not, you will soon.

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Intervals:

An Interval is the distance from one note to the next. I will use C as the starting point and relate the distance of all the other notes to C.

First we will start with the intervals in the C major scale shown above. For simplicity sake, I will use show the distance in half steps (instead of whole steps), but keep in mind that two half steps equals one whole step.

The distance from C to D is a Major 2nd and it is equal to the distance of 2 half steps.
The distance from C to E is a Major 3rd and it is equal to the distance of 4 half steps.
The distance from C to F is a Perfect 4th and it is equal to the distance of 5 half steps.
The reason for the different name of “perfect” has to do with the pitch of the interval and the equal tempered scale, and it is beyond to scope of this lesson, so for now just remember that the name is different!
The distance from C to G is a Perfect 5th and it is equal to the distance of 7 half steps.
The distance from C to A is a Major 6th and it is equal to the distance of 9 half steps.
The distance form C to B is a Major 7th and it is equal to the distance of 11 half steps.
The distance from C to the next C (one octave up) is called a Perfect Octave and it is equal to the distance of 12 half steps.

Anytime you flat a Major interval (move it down one half step) it becomes a Minor interval. For example, C to Db, is a Minor 2nd. This is the same with the 3rd, 6th, and 7th, intervals.

When you flat a Perfect interval it becomes a Diminished interval. For example, C to Gb is a Diminished 5th. However, you can’t really flat the Perfect 4th or the Perfect Octave, because the 4th would become a 3rd (since there’s no in-between note) and the octave would become a 7th (there is also no note in-between). So the Perfect 5th is probably the only one you will see this applied to. But ya never know sometimes! lol

When you sharp a Perfect interval (move it up one half step) it becomes an Augmented interval. The 4th and the 5th are usually the only ones this will apply to, since you probably won’t ever see an augmented octave. It would more likely be seen as a minor 2nd.

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Keys - Creating Chords from the Major Scale:

The theory behind figuring out chords that can be played in major keys is based off the major scale (likewise chords that can be played for minor keys are based off the minor scale). Basic Triads (chords with three notes) like major, minor, and diminished chords, are made up for the 1st, 3rd, and 5th scale degrees. The method for building these triads using the major scale is known as Stacking 3rds because each note is a 3rd apart.

The following examples will use the C major scale.
C D E F G A B
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (scale degrees)

Starting with C, the 1 3 5 scale degrees would be C E G. This is a C major chord. These three notes are the only notes in a C major chord, but they can repeat as many times as you want.

To build more chords off of the C major scale, go to the next note in the scale, which is D. Starting on D, build the D chord using the 1 3 5 scale degrees counting D as the 1 scale degree and making sure to use the notes given in the C major scale. This D chord would be D F A, which is a D minor chord. Note: D major would have an F# for the 3rd scale degree and this chord has an F (try building a D major scale using the WWHWWWH step combination and you’ll see that the 3rd scale degree is an F#).

Repeat this process for all the notes in the C major scale....

C E G = C major
D F A = D minor
E G B = E minor
F A C = F major
G B D = G major
A C E = A minor
B D F = B diminished

Notice that all of the chords mentioned above only have notes from the C major scale. (This is very important!)

This is the idea behind keys. A key is essentially a group of cords that are built from the same scale... (For now we won’t worry about chords containing notes “outside” of the key.) In this example, the chords above were built using the notes from the C major scale so these are the chords that you could play in the key of C major.

Roman Numeral Numbers are used to indicate the chords in the key. Uppercase numbers are major chords and lower case numbers are minor chords.

Using C major as an example again:
C major = I
D minor = ii
E minor = iii
F major = IV
G major = V
A minor = vi
B diminished = viio

You will usually see an “o” after the Roman numeral to indicate that it is a diminished chord.

** This method can be applied to any key, but C major is the easiest to demonstrate, because it has no sharps or flats.

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Conclusion:

At this point you should have a solid understanding of the chords you can play in any given key, and the theory behind "how and why" these chords came about. Understanding this is a vital key to improvising and writing your own songs. Of course, you don't "have" to have any theory knowledge to write your own songs, but knowing this stuff will take a lot of the guess work out of writing.

But as always, use your ears and they will tell you what sounds good and what doesn't. All this theory stuff is just guidelines, you don't have to "stay in key at all times".... You don't even have to stay in key at all. However, it does help to know the rules before you break them.



* Next Lesson: Harmonic Conjugations