8,720
edits
Changes
m
fig. 1
Figure 1 shows Here are all the notes in the C major scale on the first string up to the 12th fret. In the C major scale, E is the third note. Remember the C major scale is comprised of the following whole-half tone pattern: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half (w w h w w w h). The 1st string begins with the semitone between the 3rd and 4th note - that's the -0--1- sequence. Now we're on the 4th note, F. From here there are 3 whole tones: -1--3--5--7-, which represent the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th notes of the scale; in this case, F G A B. The 8th fret gets us back to C. C D E (-8--10--12-) shows the first two whole steps of the C major scale. And this gets us back to our original note, E.
fig. 2
Figure 2 This has you playing 3 notes per position ascending in the C major scale. The position is written under the tab, and each group of notes is spread out for clarity. Let's analyze how to play each position:
fig. 3
fig. 4
fig. 5
fig. 6
fig. 7
eE-4---2---0--(0)-|4---2---0------|0-0-0-0-2-2-2-2|4---2---0------|
Figure 7 This is a tab representation of "Hot Cross Buns", possibly the worst song ever. However, it will help us be able to read tab, understand rhythm, count time, and familiarize us with the major scale.
no edit summary
e--0--1--3--5--7--8--10-12--
E F G A B C D E
'''Notice that the 12th fret is the octave of the open string. All the patterns for the fretboard from open position to the 12th fret will repeat from the 12th fret to the 24th.''' Remember that each fret's pitch is a half step higher than the last fret. There are 12 notes in the chromatic scale, represented by frets 0 - 11. The 13th note, or 12th fret, is the octave.
Let's do a little exercise:
e--0-1-3----1-3-5----3-5-7----5-7-8----7-8-10----8-10-12----10-12-13--
open first third fifth seventh eighth tenth
=== Open Position ===
|}
whole/semi |-h|--w--|--w--|--w--|-h|--w--|--w--|
note name E F G A B C D E
|}
whole/half |--w--|--w--|-h|--w--|--w--|--w--|-h|
note name C D E F G A B C
In terms of music, not a whole lot. And '''right now, it seems like unnecessary complexity. However, over time, it actually helps to understand scales and memorize fretboard maps for all over the fretboard for any scale.''' For example, if I told you to play a 3-note per string C major scale in 8th position (this is hypothetical - don't attmept this yet!), then the same scale in 5th position, both fretboard maps are below:
|-|-|o|-|o|o| w/h - ring
|-|-|o|-|o|x| w/h - ring
8
|-|-|o|x|-|o| h/w - middle
|-|o|-|o|-|o| w/w - stretch
5
In figure 5the first chart, we have 2 stretch, 2 middle, and 2 ring patterns, going from the 6th to 1st string. In figure 6the 2nd, we have 2 rings, 3 stretches, and 1 middle. If you know where any root note is for that position, you can derive the scale. Using the 3-note per string patterns, you can quickly build it out. This is far easier to implement than trying to step through the scale as whole and semitones, and far easier to memorize than every note in every map.
Here's the same table from above, but this time ordered so the notes keep ascending the scale in sequence. So the first (C D E) notes are <tt>-8-10-12-</tt>. The next row is for the notes (F G A), which is <tt>-13-15-17-</tt> or, shifting down one octave, <tt>-1-3-5-</tt>. Since we have 3 notes per string, each row in the table is basically moving up a 4th (C to F is a fourth). Since the guitar is tuned in 4ths, this basically tells us what pattern to play on the next string to keep ascending the scale.
Ready for your first song?
1 2 3 4 |1 2 3 4 |1 n 2 n 3 n 4 n|1 2 3 4 |
q q h |q q h |e e e e e e e e|q q h |
r i o |r i o |o o o o i i i i|r i o |
The vertical bars indicate the end of a measure.
Notice the 'n's on the first line in the 3rd measure. This is the way to count eighth notes. "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and " ('n' = "and"). When counting this, make sure your 1,2,3,4 line up directly on the beat, with the "and"s falling directly in between each beat.
The 3rd line is the common tablature. The 'eE' in front indicates we are using the E string. This is the only string we need for this tune. Notice the (0) in the first measure - this indicates to sustain the 0 from the third beat. This is more common for tab that has more than one string, where one note is intended to be sustained on one string while a new note is intended to be plucked on a different string. I include it here just to develop familiarity. However, it is also implied by the "h" above for half note, which spans 2 beats. It may be a little confusing to see only one line of tab. Here's what it would look like with all the strings...look at all that wasted space: 1 2 3 4 |1 2 3 4 |1 n 2 n 3 n 4 n|1 2 3 4 | q q h |q q h |e e e e e e e e|q q h | E-4---2---0--(0)-|4---2---0------|0-0-0-0-2-2-2-2|4---2---0------| B----------------|---------------|---------------|---------------| G----------------|---------------|---------------|---------------| D----------------|---------------|---------------|---------------| A----------------|---------------|---------------|---------------| E----------------|---------------|---------------|---------------| r i o |r i o |o o o o i i i i|r i o |
The last line is the left-hand fingering to use. The whole song can be played with the ring and index fingers, in addition to the open E.
Notice, we are using the 2nd and 4th frets on the 1st string - these are not notes inside the key of C! So what key are we in? Strictly given the notes being played: E, F#{{s}}, G#{{s}}, we could be in A, E, or B major - all these scales have those notes. However, since the direction of the melody tends towards E, and A and B aren't even in the melody, it is safe to conclude this tune is in the key of E major. I hate to start moving into other keys this early, but we need to play some actual music! And Hot Cross Buns is so simple, it's not really confusing.
== Homework ==
Practice playing all the figure 2 exercise C Major notes in groups of 3 by position ascending and descending. Play without a metronome at first. Focus on the most difficult parts, but never strain yourself to the point of pain. This will most likely be using the pinky, stretching the index and middle fingers, and stretching the middle finger and pinky. Try to hold the stretches, fretting both notes simultaneously. Try to maintain good technique, using the tips of your fingers to fret and most importantly fretting right behind each fret. Work on synchronizing your right and left hands, plucking the string at the same time as you fret. Try to sustain each note until you play the next one.
Learn the 3 fingering patterns of whole/whole, whole/half, and half/whole (or stretch, ring, and middle). Don't worry about learning all the information in the tables above yet, but be aware that the major scale always contains 2 of each pattern, plus an extra whole/whole. Try to keep the understanding of tetrachords in the back of your head and how they relate to fingering patterns as you learn the instrument.