How to Learn Guitar Theory
Music theory can be applied to any instrument. The focus shifts to specific areas depending on the role of an instrument within an ensemble. Most guitar theory tends to emphasize chord progressions and lead playing because that is the role of many guitarists. Learning to use guitar theory effectively can vastly improve the quality of a guitarist's songwriting.
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Instructions
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Learning Music Theory as a Guitarist
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1
Learn the names of the 12 simple intervals and how they are spread up and down and across the guitar neck. Practice these intervals to get a feel for how each one sounds.
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2
Learn the major and minor scales in the natural keys (A, B, C, D, E, F and G). Listen to how the scale sounds compared to the same scale in a different key.
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3
Learn the major scale and all of its modes in the key of A. Listen to how each different mode and scale sounds in the same key.
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4
Learn the triads used in chords. There are the major (1-3-5), minor (1-b3-5), diminished (1-b3-b5) and augmented (1-3-#5) triads. These triads form the basis of most chord construction.
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5
Learn the intervals used to form the different chord types and practice the chord shapes from the chord diagrams. Focus initially on sustained and seventh chords, since these are the most common chords in addition to the basic major and minor ones.
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6
Practice writing chord progressions by selecting chords that only have notes within a particular scale or mode. Once you have a progression, overlay a melody in that scale or mode.
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Tips & Warnings
Music theory is the same for any instrument. Some instruments use some aspects of music theory more than others, but no portion of music theory is completely worthless to learn.
Resources
- Photo Credit Sancho Papa, http://www.flickr.com/photos/idreamoutloud/
