Music theory for guitar players!
Expand your repertoire &
teach yourself to play the way you want to!
Octaves
The notes on the left are the same, but an octave apart.. and so are the notes on the right. So if your root note is on the A string, the same note (an octave up) is available two frets higher on the G string. If you put your first finger on the 3rd fret of your A string (that is a C note) and your pinkie finger on the 5th fret of the G string, both of those notes are C. The note on the G string is an octave higher than the one on the A string.
It works the same way with E (6) and D (4) strings! Choose a fret on the E string with your first finger, then put your pinkie on the D string, two frets up. Those are the same note but an octave apart. If you wanted to use a C just for consistency, you can put your first finger on the 8th fret of the E string and your pinkie on the 10th fret of the D string… those are Cs too and they are an octave apart as well. Below is audio to help with the “Octaves across the neck” exercise. Set your fingers properly and move up the neck, following the pattern.
1/4/5 exercise
1/4/5 is a common chord change, and easy to hear and play. Modern songs often use the 1-4-5 chord progression—a staple for its energetic, major-key sound found in pop, rock, and country. Examples include TAYLOR SWIFT’s “thanK you alMee“, ONE DIRECTION’s “What Makes You Beautiful“, KATY PERRY’s “Harleys In Hawaii“, and BLUES-ROCK hits like TRACY CHAPMAN’s “Give Me One Reason
Here’s an exercise that can be helpful for getting it under our hand.Use the tab to help you find the correct place to put your fingers. Below is an audio file of the PDF at two speeds; use the one that is most comfortable for you as reference. Play along as you follow the chord changes.
120 BPM
80BPM
Reharmonization
Let’s re-harmonize! Starting with a G and working out chords that sound like the original descending intent. The melody notes are exactly the same and we haven’t changed the key so we will resolve back to the C Major:
The numbers on the chord chart indicate which finger to use
First we need C. C in G is a 4, so we could use Gsus4. Now a B. That’s a 3 in G so a regular old G Major. Now a Bb. In G, that would be a b3. G minor works fine here. Now A. A in F is 3 so you could use an F maj chord here. It sounds nice and seems to have the same intent as the original (and by the way you could also use an F 6/9 here). Now just drop the A to Ab. A is 3 in F, so Ab is b3. That makes this a minor chord: F minor. Our new chord pattern for this melody pattern (which is really just a chromatic drop) is Gsus4, GM, Gm, F, Fm and resolving back to C. We are still in the key of C because that’s where the pattern resolves to. By defining the melody notes with different chords, we make a much more interesting result!
Item
Level 5
Diatonic root notes, pentatonic pattern.
Useful finger placement exercise and it sounds pretty cool too
