Paramount Music Academy

“Why study music theory?”

I'm sure that every guitar instructor has been asked this question many times over. It seems that it is a common belief, among those that have not studied it, that studying and applying music theory will make you less expressive as a guitarist or song writer. The thought is that music theory is a set of rules that one must follow.

This misconception has led many players down a frustrating path. Music theory should never be viewed as a set of rules that must be followed without question. It should instead be viewed as an in depth and evolving observation of how music works and the relationships between rhythm, structure, melody, harmony, etc. A good understanding of music theory can be a powerful tool for any guitarist or songwriter. The benefits grow exponentially as the guitarist becomes more advanced and moves from the bedroom to the big stage. The following are just a few of those benefits for a handful of examples of guitarist with different goals:

Beginner:

The early stage of guitar development can be very frustrating. A vast majority of guitar players fall into the beginner category simply because they cannot find ways to overcome this frustration and easily become burned out with their practice time. However, even the simplest music theory understanding can help the beginner grasp the concepts that they are trying to learn more quickly and easily. These successes can be all the beginner needs to keep working while avoiding the burnout. The end result is the guitarist advances more quickly beyond this early stage.

Hobbyist:

The hobbyist is a player who enjoys learning a few songs here and there. Playing his or her favorite songs around the campfire or with friends. At first glance, it would seem that music theory wouldn't be a benefit to a person like this who only needs the ability to read guitar tab. However, with the application of music theory, this person would be able to recognize progressions and patterns that would allow him to learn songs more quickly and have fuller understanding of the songs that he is learning and playing. The hobbyist with a good ear would be able to play melodies, harmonies, and more easily improvise when jamming with friends.

Cover band guitarist:

The cover band guitarist, whether in the garage or on stage, would enjoy all of the same benefits of the hobbyist. He or she would also, with the application of music theory, be able to change the key of a song to match a vocalists range. This is greatly helpful when a vocalist unexpectedly loses their voice or otherwise becomes ill and cannot perform at their normal range. The guitarist could even completely change the feel of a song simply by changing it's tonality.

Professional guitarist/songwriter:

This is the category where the application music theory really begins to show it's great potential. Music theory becomes a fluent language for the songwriter to convey moods and emotions to his or her listener. The songwriter gains great understanding when seeking a certain feel or mood of a song. He will understand how to build tension and release in a song with the application dissonance and consonance, meter and tempo changes, key and mode changes, among other things. The songwriter is able to compose for more instruments and work with a more diverse group of musicians, which leads to a wider variety of work. He is more effective and efficient. This allows him to take on more projects in less time and, consequently, earn a better living.

“But there are songwriters and musicians that have never needed music theory!”

This is somewhat true. It would be more accurate to say that there are songwriters and musicians that have a very limited knowledge of music theory. However, chord names, keys, note names are all the very foundation of theory and you would be hard pressed to find a professional songwriter/musician that doesn't have this basic understanding.

But to continue on the above statement, it is true that there are songwriters that have a limited application of music theory, and that the task of writing a song can be done without music theory. However, o dismiss it completely in the songwriting process would be similar to digging a hole with a spoon instead of a shovel. Combined with solid aural training, an in-depth understanding of music theory is possibly the most powerful tool in a guitarist and songwriter's arsenal.

© Seth Morris. All Rights Reserved. Used with Permission.

At some point we all ask ourselves: "Okay, I'm playing the same notes as this guitar player, BUT WHY DOES HE SOUND SO MUCH BETTER THAN ME?!" Well, most people I think would assume that he sounds better because of all his expensive equipment, but the truth is, the reason why he sounds better is probably because of his superior vibrato technique.

I am sure you have heard the phrase "the tone is in the fingers" right? Well that is what we are going over here. Vibrato is the art of pulsating the pitch of a note to make it sound more dramatic. In guitar terms, that would be bending the note back in forth in order to make it sound more expressive. So why is this important? Simply put, most guitar players do not understand the importance of having a good vibrato.

I have seen tons of players that can sweep up and down the neck, but when they bend that last note at the end, it sounds like a cat dying. You want to be in control of your instrument because you want to sound GOOD. No matter how fast you can shred, if you cannot make that last note scream, you are not in control. If you do not have control of the notes, no matter how insane your chops are, your playing will still come across as "amateur-ish." Having a good vibrato technique is what seperates good players from the great players.

Before we go further, lets examine some of the technical aspects of performing vibrato. Many people have asked me which direction you should bend the strings. Generally you’ll want to bend the string 'down' (toward the floor) on the low E, A, and D strings, and to bend the string 'up' (away from the floor) on the B and high e strings. The G string you would bend either direction depending on the playing situation. The reason why you'd want to bend the B and high e strings 'up' is because you won’t have to worry about pulling the strings off of the fretboard. Another thing to keep in mind, is that the vibrato motion should be done with the wrist, not the fingers. This will give you more control of the motion.

Another commonly asked question is how far should you bend the note during vibrato. Up until I was first asked this I never really though about this, I just let my ears guide me. After close examination though, I have generally found that most the time I bend the notes a half step. However, you will want to vary the pitch and speed of the vibrato depending on how you want your phrases to speak. For example, if you want to show a lot of aggression and intensity you could do a full-step vibrato (or in some cases maybe even more). If you’re playing a slow melodic passage, you may want to use ¼ vibrato on some notes. I would recommend listening to other players with a good vibrato while paying careful attention to the nuances of their technique.

Now let’s look at the right way to do vibrato, and the ways people do it wrong. I have found that vibrato sounds best when it is done slow and wide, especially if you’re into rock and metal music. The most common error players make when performing vibrato is that they do it way to narrow, and way to fast. When people do vibrato that way it sounds incredibly annoying. You don’t want weak, wimpy sounding vibrato, you want to be able to blow people away with one note from a mile away. Some less experienced players may not be able to notice the difference as much, but more advanced players definitely will. Also, when you’re bending a note, make sure you bend it at an even pitch and an even rate. On top of that, you need make sure to return to the original pitch of the note after each bend, or else it will sound out of tune. This can be especially difficult when performing Bend-Vibratos (That is when you bend the note, say a full step, and then apply vibrato with the note still bent), but with enough practice and dedication, it will become second nature.

© Jeff Treadwell. All Rights Reserved. Used with Permission.

How to Read Chord Charts

How to Read Scale Charts

© Kole and Zack Uidl. All Rights Reserved. Used with Permission.

Tablature is a system of notation that is used to notate music for instruments with frets. While most popularly used for the guitar, any instrument with frets can be written in tablature. Keep in mind, however, that all these examples are written for guitar. Rather than having note names and pitches of five staff lines, there are numbers on six lines. Each line represents one string of the guitar while the numbers represent what fret is to be played on that particular fret. Looking at the image below, notice how the 0 represent the open string and how the strings are in order on the tablature from the low E string (left) to the high E string (right).

When the numbers appear individually, one after the other, they will be played separately. The example below uses a G major scale and each note is played one note at a time.

However, if the numbers appear on top of each other, they will be played at the same time. The example below is a G Major chord and each note of that chord is to be played at the same time as the others.

Frequently, tablature will not have note durations notated as tablature was designed to accompany you with a song or piece of music that you are already familiar with. While it can be done, commonly, you will see standard notation and tablature together. When this method is present, you can do any of the following:

1. Use just the standard notation
2. Use the standard notation for the rhythms of the music, and the tablature for the notes
3. Only use the tablature, but use your ear to match the rhythms to the song or piece

Option 1 and 2 are the best choices.

Just like in standard notation, tablature has a series of symbols that are used to notate a particular sound, ornamentation, or articulation. Below is a key that notes and explains each of these symbols. (This list merely shows the tablature specific symbols. Many things such as triplets, ties, and slurs are the same in standard notation and tablature.)

Fretting Hand Fingerings

These numbers simply represent what finger to use in order to be most efficient or to play it correctly. Index finger = 1, Middle finger = 2, Ring finger = 3. Pinkie = 4. Occasionally you may see a T which represents your fretting hands thumb.

Picking Hand Fingerings

These numbers simply represent what finger to use in order to be most efficient or to play it correctly. P = Thumb, I = Index finger, M = Middle finger, A = Ring finger. Occasionally, the pickings hands pinkie can be used as well.

Picking Strokes

Down Stroke (towards the ground):

Up Stroke (towards the sky):

Tremolo Picking

When tremolo picking, each note that is to be tremolo picked will be alternate picked rapidly. (Alternate picking is simply down, up, down, up, etc.)

Palm Muting

Palm muting is used to create a dynamic difference between the accented notes/beats and those that are not. To palm mute, one must rest their picking hand's palm slightly on the strings very close to the bridge. The abbreviation for the palm muting symbol is P.M.

Fret-Hand Muting

Fret-handed muting is done by resting the fingers of your fretting hand slightly on the strings and picking the strings notated with and X. This gives a very percussive sound.

Let Ring

This symbol represents that after playing a note, you want it to continue to sound and not stop as the next note starts. By the end of the section, you want all the notes, or as many as possible, to still be sounding.

Arpeggiate Chord

When arpeggiating a chord, you will strum the chord one note at a time, in the direction of where the arrow is pointing towards. If the arrow is pointing down, you will play the notes of the chord from highest string to lowest string. If the arrow is pointing upwards, you will do the opposite.

Hammer-On

When playing a hammer-on, the first note will be picked while the next note(s) will not. They will be sounded by a quick motion by your fretting hand to the appropriate fret.

Pull-Off

When playing a pull-off, the first note will be picked while the next note(s) will not. They will be sounded by a quick flicking motion off of the string by your fretting hand to the appropriate fret.

Trills

A trill is an ornamentation that is alternating between two notes quickly. They can be written like the first staff or more like the ending of the second staff. Trills can also be notated with a combination of both methods.

Slides

A slide is when you pick the first note and either slide your finger up or down to the appropriate fret without allowing it to come off of the fret board.

1/2 Bend

A 1/2 bend is when a note is played and then the string is bent in a pushing or pulling motion to raise the pitch of that note 1/2 step higher, which is the equivalent of 1 fret being higher.

Full Bend

A full bend is when a note is played and then the string is bent in a pushing or pulling motion to raise the pitch of that note 1 step higher, which is the equivalent of 2 fret being higher.

1/4 Bend

A 1/4 bend is when a note is played and then the string is bent in a pushing or pulling motion to raise the pitch of that note 1/4 step higher.

Bend and Release

A bend and release is when a note is bent to particular pitch and then returns to the original pitch.

Pre-Bend

A pre-bend is when the string or pitch is already bent up to the particular interval and then the string is slowly straightened to return to a desired note.

Hold Bend

A held bend will keep the string bent to the proper note before dropping the pitch back to the original when it is released.

Vibrato

Vibrato is when a note is held and the fretting hand/finger vibrates in order to fluctuate the pitch higher and lower.

Rake (Pick Rake)

A rake, or pick rake, is when strings are muted with your fretting hand as the pick hits the notes in order before reaching the desires string and note.

Pick-Scrape

While holding the pick in you picking hand, slide the pick on the strings towards the headstock of the guitar or away from the headstock of the guitar.

Natural Harmonic

Pick the note while lightly touching the string directly over the fret indicated. Frets 12, 9, 7 and 5 are considered natural harmonics. Notes that are harmonics can also be indicated by shapes such as a circle around the fret number.

Artificial Harmonic

Fret the note as shown. Then lightly touch the string with your fretting hand's index finger twelve frets above and pick with your thumb. Notes that are harmonics can also be indicated by shapes such as a circle around the fret number.

Pick/Pinch Harmonic

Fret the note as shown, but dig into the string with the side of your thumb as you sound the note with the pick. Notes that are harmonics can also be indicated by shapes such as a circle around the fret number.

Picking Hand Tapping

Tapping is executed with your fretting hands fingers. Notes will be indicated as tapped when a “T” appears above the note. Sometimes, the note will also have a shape such as a circle surrounding it. The fingers from your fretting hand that you will be tapping with will be indicated as: Index finger = T1 — Middle finger = T2 — Ring finger = T3 — Pinkie = T4

© Kole and Zack Uidl. All Rights Reserved. Used with Permission.