Once a key is established every note within that key has an effect on the listener. Some sound sweet and pleasing, others sound harsh and conflicting. Here's why.....
Before you start
Makes sure that you've spent at least 10 or 15 minutes trying to commit the names of all 12 notes to memory. Play them down the G string like I did in the previous video, listen to them and try to find them elswehere on the fretboard.
The Lesson
The example from the previous lesson had two scales, or modes, that had the same notes in them but they started from different points so their step patterns were different. The first and second notes were the same distance apart, a whole step, but the distance from the first to the third notes in each scale was different. In the major scale it was two whole steps (four frets) while in the Pythagorean scale it was one and a half steps (three frets). In both cases we call this distance a third because it spans the gap between the first and third notes. The first one however we now call a major third and the distance, or interval, of one and a half steps we call a minor third. Any scale in which the third note is major is a major scale and if the third note is minor third from the tonic it's a minor or diminished scale (of course there are exceptions to this but we'll leave that to the jazz guys).
Play the open G string on your guitar and then the note on the fourth fret (red), there's your major third. Now play the note on the third fret (blue), there's your minor third. You can hear how these two notes have a different function. In school we refer to the major as a happy sound and the minor as a sad sound, it's not quite that simple but it gets the message across. The second note (green) can be used in both major and minor scales but has a very different effect. Play the minor third, then the two, then the open string. Compare that to the major third, two, open string.
A scale is simply a selection of notes from the twelve we have available to us. Each of the twelve notes in the chromatic scale (all 12 frets) has a different flavour when played along side the open string tonic. Rather than learn a whole stack of combinations you're infinitely better off to make yourself familar with the twelve notes as individuals, call them by name, and use them because you know in advance what they will do! Listen to them for yourself but the table below summarises the function of each.
| Note name | Commonly Used Name | Fret number | Function |
| Tonic | 1 | open | The tonic centre, all the other notes function in connection with this note. Melodies usually resolve to this note. |
| minor 2nd | b2 or b9 | 1 | Creates a lot of tension, usually used in 7th chords and resolves to the tonic. |
| major 2nd | 2 or 9 | 2 | In a 7th chord we also call it the 9. It adds flavour, usually in a major context but can work on a blues as well. |
| minor 3rd | b3 or #9 | 3 | Defines the scale or chord as minor or diminished. A strong note with some tension |
| major 3rd | 3 | 4 | Defines the scale or chord as major or one of a number of different 7th chords/scales. A strong note with little tension. |
| perfect 4th | 4 or 11 | 5 | Neither a particularly strong or weak note, important in the blues as a passing note but jazz guys hate it. |
| diminished 5th | b5 | 6 | The tritone is a crucial note in the blues, it's exactly in the middle of the 12 note chromatic scale and provides maximum tension with the tonic. In the blues it often moves up or down one fret, it is also an important part of the diminished chord/scale. |
| perfect 5th | 5 | 7 | Present in just about every scale/chord you'll use we already know how strong it is. It has a similar function to the tonic. Zero tension, we resolve here a lot. |
| Augmented 5th/minor 6th | #5/b6 or b13 | 8 | If it replaces the 5 we call it an augmented 5th and is used in 7th chords. If it replaces the 6 it's called a minor 6th and is used in minor chords. Has a Spanish flavour and creates a lot of tension. |
| major 6th | 6 or 13 | 9 | Similar to the 2, called the 13th when it's in a 7th chord. Adds flavour to major scales/chords and a common passing note. |
| minor 7th | b7 | 10 | An important note in blues and jazz harmony. Defines the sound of the 7th chord. |
| major 7th | 7 | 11 | Usually used in Jazz, uncommon in blues or folk music. Left out of both the major and minor pentatonic scales. |
If a note has a number higher than 7 then it's been added on top of a 7th chord. They are used in Jazz and Blues and give extra flavour and tension to the chord.
Take Home
Where a note sits in the key is more important than it's actual pitch. It tells you what the note will do before you even hear it!
The video lesson
In this video I run through the function of each of the 12 notes, firstly via the major scale and then the minor pentatonic scale. If you haven't already spent some time familiarising yourself with the notes by learning their note names this will likely be a little overwhelming in parts because I run through it pretty quickly, there's a lot to cover.
You can download the video here.
Learning the fretboard
Repeat riffs in different parts of the fretboard.
- Find the tonic note on any string you like.
- Play a simple riff using one or two more notes that starts and finishes on that tonic note.
- Find the tonic in another position and play the same riff
- Repeat in as many parts of the guitar as you can.
There are 2 Comments
Note function lesson correction
Hello!
Up above, the following snippet "Now play the note on the third fret (green), " needs to be changed to "Now play the note on the third fret (blue), ". Thank you for this theory course, it's really clearing some things up!
Thank You
Thanks for that, sorted. And I'm glad it's helping.