Learning Guitar: The Importance of Music Theory

What separates a great musician from a mediocre one? What separates someone who can write their own music from someone that can only play other people's songs? What allows a musician to sit down and play with other musicians competently? The answer to all three of these questions is music theory. Music theory is basically the study of how notes fit together. The basis for music theory is musical scales, though music theory can be a very intricate and daunting subject when you first begin.

Musical scales are important because they allow a musician to play notes that will work together in a particular sound. They also allow musicians to play together cohesively. All guitar players should be familiar with the C Major scale, whether they know it or not. This is because the vast majority of popular music is written in this scale. It is seen in rock music, heavy metal, pop, soft rock, etc. The C major scale is made up of all natural notes (i.e. no sharps or flats), making it a good scale to start with. Also, if you have been playing other people's songs, you will most likely recognize some of the finger positions and patterns. The first note in a scale is called the key. From the first note you will simply need to know the intervals of the scale, and you can play it in any key.

So, what's an interval? An interval is the measurement of distance between two notes in a scale. Each note is separated by either a half step, or a whole step. A half step is simply a movement from a whole note to a sharp or flat of an adjacent note. It can also come from a sharp or flat moving to an adjacent whole note( i.e. G sharp to A or A to B flat ). A whole step is simply a movement from a whole note to another whole note, or a sharp or flat to an adjacent sharp or flat ( i.e. C to D or C sharp to D sharp ). A scale can be defined through half steps and whole steps. The major scale can be defined in this way as follows:

Root Note (Key) - Whole Step - Whole Step - Half Step - Whole Step - Whole Step - Whole step - Half Step.

If we apply the Key of C to this formula, we get the following scale: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C

These principles can be applied to any instrument ( excluding percussion ). Now that you have some idea of music theory, you are probably asking yourself why you should take the time to learn any of this. I will be the first to tell you that educating yourself in musical theory is a lifelong process. To master ALL of music theory would be nearly impossible as there are so many different aspects and intricacies to it. A background in music theory, however, can be obtained with a little bit of practice and dedication. This is important because those guitarists who simply play other people's songs will reach a point where they hit a wall. Sure, you can learn to play more and more complicated pieces, but you still lack the understanding of how the notes you are playing relate to each other. How many guitarists can play " Stairway to Heaven " perfectly, but are lost if you ask them to solo to it. This is the difference between a good musician, and a mediocre one. There are many free resources on the Internet that will teach you about music theory. A simple Google search will yield a few thousand pages. Be sure to take your time and practice each scale until you know exactly where the notes are. Try different patterns of the notes in a scale. Most importantly, have fun. If you enjoy learning about music, you will progress faster. If you look at it as a chore, you might not progress at all.