Learn to Shred part nine : basic music theory

Basic Music Theory

Music theory is an essential part of songwriting;
without it all you can really do to write songs is
mess about with chords and hope you strike lucky.
With theory you can choose a key, then write a riff using a scale
in the same key thenmess with the iming of your riff to make it unique

There are many methos of songwriting using theory, so lets go over the basics

The Major Scale

A scale consists of a series of pitches arranged in ascending order,
spanning an octave.
The major scale follows a strict pattern of tones and semi-tones
(tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone)


In the key of C there are seven notes in the scale; these are (in ascending order of pitch)

CDEFGAB

these notes are referred to by numbers

C is the root note (someimes called the 1st)
The conventional music term for this is the Tonic

D is the Second
The conventional music term for this is the Supertonic

E is the Third
The conventional music term for this is the Mediant
(this is becaus it is halfway between the tonic and dominant notes)

F would be the Fourth
The conventional music term for this is the Subdominant

G is the Fifth
The conventional music term for this is the Dominant

A is the Sixth
The conventional music term for this is the Submediant

B is the Seventh
The conventional music term for this is the Leading Tone
(this leads back to the tonic/root note)


Harmony guitar

You can play a guitar harmony
by having another guitar part playing in unison with you in Perfect Harmony

Perfect intervals are the unison(same note),
fourth, fifth, and octave.

Perfect intervals are formed in the major scale
when the lower note is the tonic(root note)