Music Theory 101

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Music Theory 101

One of the most important things to understand about how music "works" is to learn about the NOTES, CHORDS, and KEYS. 

NOTES

• Notes Are Like Letters: Music notes are like letters in the alphabet. Just like we use 26 letters to make words, there are 8 basic or “natural” notes to make music, starting with middle C: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. These are the white keys on a piano keyboard (in the Key of C). That pattern is one octave (from the Latin “octo” meaning “eight,” like an octopus that has eight legs.). You can see one octave (in the Key of C) on a piano by finding two black keys followed by 3 black keys. The C note is the first white note to the LEFT of the set of two black keys and then ends at the next C note (see the picture). A standard piano has seven full octaves, plus 3 lower notes for a total of 88 keys or notes.

• Although there are 8 basic notes, there are actually 5 “in-between notes” (sharps # or flats ♭) that make up the 13 notes or piano keys in the picture. Each of these 13 notes is called a 1/2 step (C to C# is a half step but C to D is two half steps or 1 whole step). We only play 8 (the natural notes) of the 13 notes in the musical key that follow a pattern (see below). That’s confusing. Piano keys and the key of a song are different.

  • Piano Keys: Think of the piano like a big row of buttons. Each button makes a different sound when you press it, and we call those buttons 'piano keys.' They are the notes we play on the guitar. So when you play the piano, you're pressing these keys to make music!

  • The Key of a Song: Now, the key of a song is like picking a starting point. Imagine you’re playing a game, and the key of a song tells you which button on the piano you start with, and how the other buttons will sound together. It makes sure the music sounds nice and works together, just like a team!

  • The Pattern: When playing a song, we don’t play all 13 notes or all of the 1/2 step notes (on the piano or the guitar). It just won’t sound right. We follow a specific pattern. It’s easier to see on a piano with the white and black keys, but the same pattern applies to the guitar. If we start on the C note (see the piano picture). The major scale formula looks like a staircase with each note higher in pitch is called step. There are 13 1/2 steps, and if you skip a step, it's called a whole step jump. The pattern for a major scale is Whole step, Whole step, Half step, Whole step, Whole step, Whole step, and Half step. For the key of C, those notes or steps in the C scale just happen to be all white keys from middle C to the next C, on octave higher. It’s the same on the guitar. We’ll talk about that in a minute. For now, just remember the step pattern of W step, W step, H step, W step, W step, W step, and H step. or C to D to E to F to G to A to B to C. In the examples below, you will see what makes a C and a G scale based on a piano keyboard.

But since this is just an overview, let’s go on for now.
CHORDS

• Chords Are Like Friends: A chord is a group of notes played together, like friends who get along well. They follow the W step, W step, H step, W step, W step, W step, and H step pattern. The most basic chord is called a major triad, which is made up of three notes following the pattern.. When we play a major chord (the three notes together) they sound happy and bright! We have to use the WWhWWWh pattern to find the chord triad.

  • C chord - Following the WWhWWWh pattern, to play a C chord, you play the 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes in that pattern, which are C, E, and G. Look at the keyboard above or the stairsteps.

  • D chord (D, F#, A)

  • E chord (E, G#, B)

  • F chord (F, A, C)

  • G chord (G, B, D)

  • A chord (A, C#, E)

• Making a Major Chord: When we place our fingers on the guitar fretboard or play an open string (when we don’t place our fingers), we make a triad chord. Examine the three chord structures below. Each illustrates WHY we place our fingers where we place them to make the chord. To make variations of each chord like C minor, Csus, or C7, it’s a matter of placing our fingers in different positions. More on that later.

KEYS or CHORD FAMILIES

• Chord Families: Just like families have members who hang together and get along well, triad chords (made up of 3 notes) have families too. Some chords just go together (sound right). For example, the C major chord (C, E, G) belongs to the Key or family of C, which consists of the following 3-note chords: C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, Bdim, and C. (The Bdmin, in this case, is the 7th chord in this family. The 7th chord in any of the chord families doesn’t often come together for family reunions, so we don’t often have to play them.)

• Major and Minors: In each chord family or K, there are the more prominent members as well as the less prominent ones. We call the prominent chords Major chords and the less prominent Minor chords. In the Key of C (or family of chords), it looks like this:

  • C (MAJOR), Dm (minor), Em (minor), F (MAJOR), G (MAJOR), Am (minor). They are often marked with Roman numerals. The MAJOR chords are marked with capital Roman numerals and the minor chords are marked with lowercase Roman numerals., like this:

  • C (I), Dm (II), Em (iii), F (IV), G (V), Am (vi).

  • The MAJOR chords in the Key of C are C, F, and G. The major chords in the Key of G are G, C, D or I, IV, V. Once you know the order of MAJOR, minor, minor, MAJOR, MAJOR, minor, (or I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi) you could play any song in a different key. Just follow the pattern.

  • Here is a Guitar Chart of the most popular guitar keys for beginner guitarists: G, C, D, and A. Notice the I, IV, V chord in each Key. (Sometimes, people will just say we are going to play this song in the key of G, and they will say, it’s a 1, 5, 4, 1, 6 pattern for the chorus.

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