Guitar.com - A place for guitarists to call home

Forums > Music Theory > First Lesson

Jump:

Forums > Music Theory > First Lesson

Code of Conduct Search

Original message:12 days 4 hours 9 minutes ago

+ 1

Member: Steve Aguilar

319
WebCred

Well earlier I told you guys I was getting lessons and I went today, and I already learned something :D I was rather pissed at myself little over 3 years and I didn't figure this out( I knew the modes with every note of the major scale starting it own scale and ending on that note), I know the major scale but he helped show how I can build solos of it like the relative minor, like the C major scale since it was easy no sharps/flats he wrote down like this

I C
ii D
iii E
IV F
V G
vi A
vii B

So if Iam playing C major I could play an Am pentatonic/minor scale but is this the same as like the blues deal like shifting from C maj. pentatonic, A minor pentatonic and can I add flat 5ths to both of these to add a bluesy sound right or it that only with the minor pentatonic?

also we did'nt get into a lesson that much as he was trying to figure more of schedule and what to teach, the 30 mins flew by
O-O

My music recommendations:

My gear recommendations:

Just wanting to get better and wiser

Reply:12 days 3 hours 41 minutes ago
Member: sallan

+ 1

419
WebCred

Thats great Steve! Honestly, you should probably put modes somehwere on the backburner while you are learning with your teacher. The modes wont be an issue once you get the basics down.

The cool part about what he is showing you is the chord scale, in this case of C. I would go a little further than what you wrote and view the chord qualities associated with the roman numerals:

I CMaj7
ii Dmi7
iii Emi7
IV FMaj7
V G7
vi Ami7
vii Bmi7b5

This way you can build progressions out of these chords, and solo over them with the CMajor scale (or relative minor, A minor....it is the same notes).

Some ideals to help you. The Roman numerals are helpful to see how chords function in a progression. Some standard sequences are:

the basic blues:

I-IV-V7-I

The Sequence:

I-iii-vi-IV-ii-V-I

Non functional (parallel)

I-ii-iii-IV-iii-ii-I

Certain chords have certain tendancies:

I-can go to any chord, and in theory, any chord can go to I
ii-Goes to I-iii-V (V being the Strongest)
iii-Goes to I-IV-vi (vi being the strongest)
IV-Goes to I-ii-V-viio (IV-ii is very strong. IV to one is cadential, called a plagel cadence used in church music. IV-V is extremely common)
V-Goes to I, also goes to vi (deceptive cadence)
vi-Goes to I-IV-ii-V
vii-Goes to I-V-IV (maybe iii too, can't recall exactly, and don't have an instrument on me).

Hopefully that gives you some ideas to play with. Remember there is a LOT of music in a single scale, and chord scale!!!

Congrats again on hitting some lessons, you will move a lot faster I hope.

-sallan

My music recommendations:

My gear recommendations:

I hate your music and/or band

Reply:12 days 2 hours 33 minutes ago
Member: pinsone

+ 2

440
WebCred

im to dumb for this stuff

My music recommendations:

My gear recommendations:

“music is not the meaning of life life is the meaning of music”-Joshuah Pinson

Reply:12 days 3 hours 35 minutes ago
Member: Steve Aguilar

+ 1

319
WebCred

Sweet, but I thought blues was just I IV V its the V7 like a 7th jazz chord thing?

Also on the chord sequences I like metal and I use regular power chords can I still get that feel?

My music recommendations:

My gear recommendations:

Just wanting to get better and wiser

Reply:12 days 3 hours 28 minutes ago
Member: sallan

+ 1

419
WebCred

No, the V7 is an all music thing, very tonal and basic. Thats where the tritone comes into play, you can learn about that later. But as you stack chords they can go higher (this is all the chords in the chord scale BTW)...

V is G-B-D
V7 is G-B-D-F
V9 is G-B-D-F-A

and I'll just stop there...the V7 and V9 are EXCELLENT for blues

Now a Jazz chord would be:

V7b5=G-B-Db-F
or
V7b9-G-B-D-F-Ab

or the "Hendrix chord"
V7#9=G-B-D-F-A#

I think you can do anything you want. Metal is a fairly open genre. I know metal acts like Sicmonic and Slipknot that use chords much more complex than the power chord. BUT, even using power chords (which are root 5th relationships) you will still here the effect of function. Throw on some distortion and play some of the sequences...maybe you will please your ear?

My music recommendations:

My gear recommendations:

I hate your music and/or band

Reply:12 days 3 hours 24 minutes ago
Member: Steve Aguilar

+ 1

319
WebCred

Oh ok I see and the vii is augmented right? which is the major 7th of the key construction?

Yes I figured out the power chord thing going to the 5th then 7th for octave one thing I ve been playing with was droping the 5 and leaving the 7 so is that a 4/7 power chord?

Sorry dont mean to ask so many questions

My music recommendations:

My gear recommendations:

Just wanting to get better and wiser

Reply:12 days 3 hours 6 minutes ago
Member: sallan

+ 1

419
WebCred

No, the vii is diminished. Diminished and augmented refer to the fifth of a chord primarily (if we are talking chords specifically)

I'll use a C chord to demonstrate:

C-E-G Cmaj

C-E-G# Caug

C-Eb-Gb Cdim (Diminished chords contain a minor third. Or are a minor chord with a lowered fifth, if that helps).

Power chords are strictly root 5th (& octave). C-G-(C) for example. I'm not sure what you are trying to describe with the 4th/7th thing, but if you can identify the specific notes you are playing I could tell you.

No worries on the questions. Remember to take it slow though...you don't want to try to learn all of this stuff in a single day...information overload can be a bad thing. ;)

My music recommendations:

My gear recommendations:

I hate your music and/or band

Reply:12 days 2 hours 58 minutes ago
Member: Steve Aguilar

+ 1

319
WebCred

4/7 thing which I am sure I said wrong lol
but in a chord chart it looks like this

Ex
E A D G B E
3 3 5 X X X I like the octave to help it not sound so harsh

My music recommendations:

My gear recommendations:

Just wanting to get better and wiser

Reply:12 days 2 hours 44 minutes ago
Member: sallan

+ 1

419
WebCred

Yes, I thought I understood you, this is pretty clear. Your playing what could be called a power 4th chord? You are using 4ths instead of 5ths...but what is interesting is 4ths are intervalically inverted 5ths!

So in your example you are playing G-C-G.

G-C being the interval of a perfect 4th and then the octave.

invert that, and you have C-G intervalically a perfect 5th! So the chord you are playing is really a C chord, not a G, since chords (normally) do not contain perfect 4ths.

Interestingly, like you, I gravitated to this sound natuurally as a kid. I learned all my early songs by ear and transcribed all the p5ths as inverted 4ths. I discovered my error because I just couldn't understand why my sounds weren't exactly like the artists I was copying.

But when you play that chord you can say, "check this out, I'm playing an inverted C power chord" It would actually be called a second inversion,C/G !

My music recommendations:

My gear recommendations:

I hate your music and/or band

Reply:12 days 2 hours 42 minutes ago
Member: Steve Aguilar

+ 1

319
WebCred

Oh wow thats crazy thanks very much man! maybe this enough for one day :D are you a teacher or do you just know all this stuff by heart?

My music recommendations:

My gear recommendations:

Just wanting to get better and wiser

Reply:12 days 2 hours 34 minutes ago
Member: sallan

+ 1

419
WebCred

After 26 years of playing, and two music degrees I know most of it by heart, but not all of it. Need to check myself with an instrument from time to time. ; ) I do teach, but not much music anymore...but am always happy to answer theory questions!

My music recommendations:

My gear recommendations:

I hate your music and/or band

Reply:12 days 2 hours 33 minutes ago
Member: Steve Aguilar

319
WebCred

Wow nice, well till next Thursday I suppose :)

My music recommendations:

My gear recommendations:

Just wanting to get better and wiser

Jump: