4 Music Theory Fundamentals
The 4/4 time signature tells a performer to play four crotchet beats in each bar and will be heard in the majority of popular songs. 3/4, also known as Waltz time, is similar but refers to using three crotches per bar instead. Texture in music is effectively created through the different layers of instruments and what they’re all doing at any given time. This means a thick texture will typically include many instruments or fewer instruments playing more hectic, full lines. A thin texture will typically include less instruments or more sparse performances from more instruments.
A set of quaver triplets, for example, would tell you to play three equally spaced notes within the rhythmic period that would normally be filled by two normal quavers. Technically, tempo and metre are encompassed by rhythm, but rhythm also has its own distinctive action. For example, a semibreve rhythm implies that its note should be a held for four beats. You should familiarise yourself with these terms as well as semiquaver, minim and crotchet, as they all give length to notes. The ideas of tonality and harmony often overlap as harmony is created from notes that exist within a tonality.
You don’t want this, and it could potentially be a waste of money. With that in mind, he gives you solid methods that allow you to apply what you are learning practically and effectively. Like the previous book, this one also includes online audio examples to assist you with learning, plus an ear training section to help develop your listening skills. Almost every great guitar solo you’ve heard comes from these scales. Knowing the meat and potatoes of how chords are made will open up a whole new world of possibilities on the guitar for you.
This meant I got really good at music theory, and when I ended up studying music at university, I found the theory papers easy. I’d do a class test in 20 minutes knowing I’d aced it, and leave my classmates for another hour, drawing piano keyboards and Guitar charts on their test paper, struggling to finish in time. I didn’t have to work out the answers to the questions by using a chart or drawing a piano keyboard on the page. I’d been doing music for over 10 years, and during that time I’d become familiar with the language to the point where I didn’t have to think about it. Aside from passing tests at uni, the other advantage of knowing music theory this thoroughly is that you can actually begin to use it in your playing.
They are put into layman’s terms and have excellent examples to reinforce what they say about each concept. As mentioned before in this article, the way the information is presented is crucial – it must be accessible to people wanting to learn the theory for the first time ever. Will always teach you what you need to know but also show you how these concepts are specifically applied to the fretboard.
When it comes to music theory, it's crucial to understand how the notes are placed on the fingerboard, and the tutorial will help you master all the secrets of the fretboard. This section is a quick preview of what’s to come in this article. These are some of the guitar books I recommend to anyone looking to get into music theory. While I highly recommend beginners to start learning theory early on, it’s never too late for advanced players.
So if we start on a C note and apply the pattern, we’ll get a C major scale. There are indeed other areas of music theory any guitarist serious about upgrading their skills should learn, from modes to modulations. From understanding chord construction to intervals in the Major Scale, if you play guitar you can't afford not to read this...