15 essential scales

C Major (Ionian) WWHWWWH
Type 1
---------------------------------------------------------7---8---
------------------------------------------------8---10-----------
-----------------------------------7---9---10--------------------
----------------------7---9---10---------------------------------
---------7---8---10----------------------------------------------
8---10-----------------------------------------------------------

Type 2
----------------------------------------------------------------------10---
-------------------------------------------------------10---12---13--------
---------------------------------------------10---12-----------------------
------------------------------10---12---14---------------------------------
---------------10---12---14------------------------------------------------
10---12---13---------------------------------------------------------------

Type 3
----------------------------------------------------------------------12---
-------------------------------------------------------12---13---15--------
---------------------------------------------12---14-----------------------
------------------------------12---14---15---------------------------------
---------------12---14---15------------------------------------------------
12---13---15---------------------------------------------------------------

Type 4
----------------------------------------------------1---3---
--------------------------------------------3---5-----------
--------------------------------2---4---5-------------------
--------------------2---3---5-------------------------------
--------2---3---5-------------------------------------------
3---5-------------------------------------------------------

Type 5
--------------------------------------------------------5---     
--------------------------------------------5---6---8-------
------------------------------------5---7-------------------
------------------------5---7---9---------------------------
------------5---7---8---------------------------------------
5---7---8---------------------------------------------------

C Natural Minor (Aeolian) WHWWHWW
Type 1
---------------------------------------------------------------------(8)---
------------------------------------------------------------9---11---------
----------------------------------------------8---10---12------------------
------------------------------8---(10)---12--------------------------------
----------------8---10---11------------------------------------------------
(8)---10---11--------------------------------------------------------------

Type 2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------11-
--------------------------------------------------------------(13)---15------
-----------------------------------------------12---13---15------------------
--------------------------------12---13---15---------------------------------
---------------11---13---(15)------------------------------------------------
11---13---15-----------------------------------------------------------------

Type 3
------------------------------------------------------------1---
----------------------------------------------(1)---3---4-------
--------------------------------------1---3---------------------
--------------------------1---3---5-----------------------------
------------1---(3)---5-----------------------------------------
1---3---4-------------------------------------------------------

Type 4
------------------------------------------------------------3---
------------------------------------------------3---4---6-------
--------------------------------------3---(5)-------------------
--------------------------3---5---6-----------------------------
------------(3)---5---6-----------------------------------------
3---4---6-------------------------------------------------------

Type 5
----------------------------------------------------------------6---
--------------------------------------------------------8---9-------
-------------------------------------------7---8---10---------------
----------------------------6---8---(10)----------------------------
---------------6---8---10-------------------------------------------
6---(8)---10--------------------------------------------------------

C Dorian      WHWWWHW
Type 1
---------------------------------------------------------------------(8)---
-------------------------------------------------------8---10---11---------
----------------------------------------------8---10-----------------------
------------------------------8---(10)---12--------------------------------
----------------8---10---12------------------------------------------------
(8)---10---11--------------------------------------------------------------

Type 2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------11-
--------------------------------------------------------------(13)---15------
-----------------------------------------------12---14---15------------------
--------------------------------12---13---15---------------------------------
---------------12---13---(15)------------------------------------------------
11---13---15-----------------------------------------------------------------

Type 3
------------------------------------------------------------1---
----------------------------------------------------3---4-------
--------------------------------------2---3---(5)---------------
--------------------------1---3---5-----------------------------
------------1---(3)---5-----------------------------------------
1---3---5-------------------------------------------------------

Type 4
------------------------------------------------------------3---
------------------------------------------------3---4---6-------
--------------------------------------3---(5)-------------------
--------------------------3---5---7-----------------------------
------------(3)---5---6-----------------------------------------
3---5---6-------------------------------------------------------

Type 5
--------------------------------------------------------5---6---
------------------------------------------------6---8-----------
----------------------------------(5)---7---8-------------------
----------------------5---7---8---------------------------------
----------5---6---8---------------------------------------------
6---(8)---------------------------------------------------------

C Phrygian      HWWWHWW
Type 1
-------------------------------------------------------------------(8)---
------------------------------------------------------8---9---11---------
---------------------------------------------8---10----------------------
-----------------------------8---(10)---11-------------------------------
---------------8---10---11-----------------------------------------------
(8)---9---11-------------------------------------------------------------

Type 2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------11-
--------------------------------------------------------------(13)---14------
-----------------------------------------------12---13---15------------------
--------------------------------11---13---15---------------------------------
---------------11---13---(15)------------------------------------------------
11---13---15-----------------------------------------------------------------

Type 3
------------------------------------------------------------1---
----------------------------------------------(1)---2---4-------
--------------------------------------1---3---------------------
--------------------------1---3---5-----------------------------
------------1---(3)---4-----------------------------------------
1---3---4-------------------------------------------------------

Type 4
------------------------------------------------------------3---
----------------------------------------------------4---6-------
--------------------------------------3---(5)---6---------------
--------------------------3---5---6-----------------------------
------------(3)---4---6-----------------------------------------
3---4---6-------------------------------------------------------

Type 5
-------------------------------------------------------------6---
-------------------------------------------------6---8---9-------
-----------------------------------------6---8-------------------
--------------------------6---8---(10)---------------------------
--------------6---8---10-----------------------------------------
6---(8)---9------------------------------------------------------

C Lydian    WWWHWWH
Type 1
------------------------------------------------------------7---(8)---
-----------------------------------------------7---8---10-------------
---------------------------------------7---9--------------------------
------------------------7---9---(10)----------------------------------
-----------7---9---10-------------------------------------------------
(8)---10--------------------------------------------------------------

Type 2
----------------------------------------------------------------(8)---10---
------------------------------------------------------10---12--------------
----------------------------------------9---11---12------------------------
------------------------9---(10)---12--------------------------------------
----------9---10---12------------------------------------------------------
10---12--------------------------------------------------------------------

Type 3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------12-
---------------------------------------------------------12---(13)---15------
-----------------------------------------------12---14-----------------------
--------------------------------12---14---16---------------------------------
---------------12---14---(15)------------------------------------------------
12---14---15-----------------------------------------------------------------

Type 4
--------------------------------------------------------2---3---
------------------------------------------------3---5-----------
----------------------------------2---4---(5)-------------------
----------------------2---4---5---------------------------------
--------2---(3)---5---------------------------------------------
3---5-----------------------------------------------------------

Type 5
------------------------------------------------------------5---
------------------------------------------------5---7---8-------
--------------------------------------(5)---7-------------------
--------------------------5---7---9-----------------------------
--------------5---7---9-----------------------------------------
5---7---(8)-----------------------------------------------------

C Mixolydian     WWHWWHW
Type 1
-------------------------------------------------------------6---(8)---
----------------------------------------------------8---10-------------
---------------------------------------7---9---10----------------------
------------------------7---8---(10)-----------------------------------
-----------7---8---10--------------------------------------------------
(8)---10---------------------------------------------------------------

Type 2
-------------------------------------------------------------------------10--
--------------------------------------------------------10---11---(13)-------
----------------------------------------------10---12------------------------
-----------------------------(10)---12---14----------------------------------
--------------10---12---14---------------------------------------------------
10---12---14-----------------------------------------------------------------

Type 3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------12-
--------------------------------------------------------------(13)---15------
-----------------------------------------------12---14---15------------------
--------------------------------12---14---15---------------------------------
---------------12---13---(15)------------------------------------------------
12---13---15-----------------------------------------------------------------

Type 4
------------------------------------------------------------3---
------------------------------------------------3---5---6-------
--------------------------------------3---(5)-------------------
--------------------------3---5---7-----------------------------
------------(3)---5---7-----------------------------------------
3---5---6-------------------------------------------------------

Type 5
------------------------------------------------------------5---
------------------------------------------------5---6---8-------
--------------------------------------(5)---7-------------------
--------------------------5---7---8-----------------------------
--------------5---7---8-----------------------------------------
5---6---(8)-----------------------------------------------------

C Locrian     HWWHWWW
Type 1
-------------------------------------------------------------------(8)---
----------------------------------------------------------9---11---------
--------------------------------------------8---10---11------------------
----------------------------8---(10)---11--------------------------------
---------------8---9---11------------------------------------------------
(8)---9---11-------------------------------------------------------------

Type 2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------11-
---------------------------------------------------------11---(13)---14------
-----------------------------------------------11---13-----------------------
--------------------------------11---13---15---------------------------------
---------------11---13---(15)------------------------------------------------
11---13---14-----------------------------------------------------------------

Type 3
------------------------------------------------------------1---
----------------------------------------------(1)---2---4-------
--------------------------------------1---3---------------------
--------------------------1---3---4-----------------------------
------------1---(3)---4-----------------------------------------
1---2---4-------------------------------------------------------

Type 4
------------------------------------------------------------2---
----------------------------------------------------4---6-------
--------------------------------------3---(5)---6---------------
--------------------------3---4---6-----------------------------
------------(3)---4---6-----------------------------------------
2---4---6-------------------------------------------------------

Type 5
--------------------------------------------------------------6---
------------------------------------------------------7---9-------
-----------------------------------------6---8---10---------------
--------------------------6---8---(10)----------------------------
--------------6---8---9-------------------------------------------
6---(8)---9-------------------------------------------------------

C harmonic minor    WHWWHm3H
Type 1
---------------------------------------------------------------------(8)---
------------------------------------------------------------9---12---------
----------------------------------------------8---10---12------------------
------------------------------9---(10)---12--------------------------------
----------------8---10---11------------------------------------------------
(8)---10---11--------------------------------------------------------------

Type 2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------11-
---------------------------------------------------------12---(13)---15------
-----------------------------------------------12---13-----------------------
--------------------------------12---13---15---------------------------------
---------------11---14---(15)------------------------------------------------
11---13---15-----------------------------------------------------------------

Type 3
------------------------------------------------------------1---
----------------------------------------------(1)---3---4-------
--------------------------------------1---4---------------------
--------------------------1---3---5-----------------------------
------------2---(3)---5-----------------------------------------
1---3---4-------------------------------------------------------

Type 4
------------------------------------------------------------3---
------------------------------------------------3---4---6-------
--------------------------------------3---(5)-------------------
--------------------------3---5---6-----------------------------
------------(3)---5---6-----------------------------------------
3---4---7-------------------------------------------------------

Type 5
----------------------------------------------------------------7---
--------------------------------------------------------8---9-------
-------------------------------------------7---8---10---------------
----------------------------6---9---(10)----------------------------
---------------6---8---10-------------------------------------------
7---(8)---10--------------------------------------------------------

C jazz melodic minor     WHWWWWH
Type 1
---------------------------------------------------------------------(8)---
-------------------------------------------------------8---10---12---------
----------------------------------------------8---10-----------------------
------------------------------9---(10)---12--------------------------------
----------------8---10---12------------------------------------------------
(8)---10---11--------------------------------------------------------------

Type 2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------11-
---------------------------------------------------------12---(13)---15------
-----------------------------------------------12---14-----------------------
--------------------------------12---13---15---------------------------------
---------------12---14---(15)------------------------------------------------
11---13---15-----------------------------------------------------------------

Type 3
------------------------------------------------------------1---
----------------------------------------------------3---4-------
--------------------------------------2---4---(5)---------------
--------------------------1---3---5-----------------------------
------------2---(3)---5-----------------------------------------
1---3---5-------------------------------------------------------

Type 4
------------------------------------------------------------3---
----------------------------------------------------4---6-------
--------------------------------------4---(5)---7---------------
--------------------------3---5---7-----------------------------
------------(3)---5---6-----------------------------------------
3---5---7-------------------------------------------------------

Type 5
-----------------------------------------------------------------7---
--------------------------------------------------------8---10-------
-------------------------------------------7---8---10----------------
----------------------------7---9---(10)-----------------------------
---------------6---8---10--------------------------------------------
7---(8)---10---------------------------------------------------------

C Lydian flat-seven       WWWHWHW
Type 1
------------------------------------------------------------6---(8)---
-----------------------------------------------7---8---10-------------
---------------------------------------7---9--------------------------
------------------------7---8---(10)----------------------------------
-----------7---9---10-------------------------------------------------
(8)---10--------------------------------------------------------------

Type 2
----------------------------------------------------------------(8)---10---
------------------------------------------------------10---12--------------
----------------------------------------9---11---12------------------------
------------------------9---(10)---12--------------------------------------
----------9---10---12------------------------------------------------------
10---12--------------------------------------------------------------------

Type 3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------12-
---------------------------------------------------------12---(13)---15------
-----------------------------------------------12---14-----------------------
--------------------------------12---14---16---------------------------------
---------------12---14---(15)------------------------------------------------
12---14---15-----------------------------------------------------------------

Type 4
--------------------------------------------------------2---3---
------------------------------------------------3---5-----------
----------------------------------2---4---(5)-------------------
----------------------2---4---5---------------------------------
--------2---(3)---5---------------------------------------------
3---5-----------------------------------------------------------

Type 5
------------------------------------------------------------5---
------------------------------------------------5---7---8-------
--------------------------------------(5)---7-------------------
--------------------------5---7---9-----------------------------
--------------5---7---9-----------------------------------------
5---7---(8)-----------------------------------------------------

C whole tone    WWWWWW
Type 1
---------------------------------------------------------8---
------------------------------------------------9---11-------
-----------------------------------7---9---11----------------
------------------------8---(10)-----------------------------
-----------7---9---11----------------------------------------
(8)---10-----------------------------------------------------

Type 2
----------------------------------------------------2---
--------------------------------------------3---5-------
----------------------------------3---(5)---------------
----------------------2---4---6-------------------------
------------(3)---5-------------------------------------
2---4---6-----------------------------------------------

C diminished (whole-half)  WHWHWHWH
Type 1
----------------------------------------------------------------------7---(8)
---------------------------------------------------------7---9---10----------
--------------------------------------------7---8---10-----------------------
-----------------------------7---9---(10)------------------------------------
----------------8---9---11---------------------------------------------------
(8)---10---11----------------------------------------------------------------

Type 2
----------------------------------------------------------------2---4---
----------------------------------------------------3---4---6-----------
--------------------------------------2---4---(5)-----------------------
--------------------------3---4---6-------------------------------------
------------(3)---5---6-------------------------------------------------
4---5---7---------------------------------------------------------------
 
C pentatonic (major)     WWm3Wm3
Type 1
-----------------------------------------------(8)---
--------------------------------------8---10---------
------------------------------7---9------------------
--------------------7---(10)-------------------------
-----------7---10------------------------------------
(8)---10---------------------------------------------

Type 2
----------------------------------------------------10---
-----------------------------------------10---(13)-------
--------------------------------9---12-------------------
--------------------(10)---12----------------------------
----------10---12----------------------------------------
10---12--------------------------------------------------

Type 3
------------------------------------------------------12---
------------------------------------------(13)---15--------
--------------------------------12---14--------------------
----------------------12---14------------------------------
----------12---(15)----------------------------------------
12---15----------------------------------------------------

Type 4
--------------------------------------------3---
------------------------------------3---5-------
--------------------------2---(5)---------------
------------------2---5-------------------------
--------(3)---5---------------------------------
3---5-------------------------------------------

Type 5
--------------------------------------------5---
------------------------------------5---8-------
--------------------------(5)---7---------------
------------------5---7-------------------------
----------5---7---------------------------------
5---(8)-----------------------------------------

C pentatonic (minor)     m3WWm3W
Type 1
-------------------------------------------------8---
----------------------------------------8---11-------
-------------------------------8---10----------------
--------------------8---(10)-------------------------
-----------8---10------------------------------------
(8)---11---------------------------------------------

Type 2
----------------------------------------------------11---
------------------------------------------11---13--------
--------------------------------10---12------------------
--------------------(10)---13----------------------------
----------10---13----------------------------------------
11---13--------------------------------------------------

Type 3
--------------------------------------------1---
----------------------------------(1)---4-------
--------------------------0---3-----------------
------------------1---3-------------------------
--------1---(3)---------------------------------
1---3-------------------------------------------

Type 4
--------------------------------------------3---
------------------------------------4---6-------
--------------------------3---(5)---------------
------------------3---5-------------------------
--------(3)---6---------------------------------
3---6-------------------------------------------

Type 5
--------------------------------------------6---
------------------------------------6---8-------
--------------------------(5)---8---------------
------------------5---8-------------------------
----------6---8---------------------------------
6---(8)-----------------------------------------

C blues scale (with major third and flatted fifth)    m3HHHHm3W
Type 1
----------------------------------------------------------------8---
-------------------------------------------------------8---11-------
-------------------------------------8---9---10---11----------------
----------------------------8---10----------------------------------
-----------7---8---9---10-------------------------------------------
(8)---11------------------------------------------------------------

Type 2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------11-
--------------------------------------------------------------11---(13)------
-----------------------------------------------10---11---12------------------
------------------------------(10)---13---14---------------------------------
--------------------10---13--------------------------------------------------
11---12---13---14------------------------------------------------------------

Type 3
----------------------------------------------------------------11---12---13-
----------------------------------------------------11---(13)----------------
------------------------------------------11---12----------------------------
---------------------------13---14---15--------------------------------------
---------------13---(15)-----------------------------------------------------
13---14---15-----------------------------------------------------------------

Type 4
--------------------------------------------------------2---3---
--------------------------------------------4---5---6-----------
----------------------------------3---(5)-----------------------
------------------2---3---4---5---------------------------------
--------(3)---6-------------------------------------------------
3---6-----------------------------------------------------------

Type 5
------------------------------------------------------------6---
--------------------------------------------5---6---7---8-------
----------------------------------(5)---8-----------------------
--------------------------5---8---------------------------------
----------6---7---8---9-----------------------------------------
6---(8)---------------------------------------------------------

thanks for reading this. this can definetely boost your soloing power

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Minor pentatonic scale

The Minor Pentatonic scale is often the first scale that people learn. This is because it is easy to play, very very useful and is the basis of much blues and rock improvisation.

The Major pentatonic scales have the same fingerings, only the root note is different, usually I just teach the Minor Pentatonic and then just use them in a different way to get the Major variety, but certainly get these ones down first.

Scale Formula

The scale forumula for the major scale must be memorised, as you will use it often to work out chord tones. The formula describes the interval distances between each note of the scale.

TS ^ T ^ T ^ TS ^ T
(T=Tone, TS= Tone+Semitone, or 1.5 Tones, or min 3rd interval)

Comparison With Major Scale

C Major = C D E F G A B C (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1)
C Minor Pentatonic = C Eb F G Bb C (1 b3 4 5 b7 1)

5 shapes

E

D

C

A

G

 

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Harmonising Minor Scales

Description: Minor song construction - a printer friendly explanation of harmonising minor scales to triads.
The A Natural Minor scale comprises the same notes as the C Major scale:

Note that the generic (non-key specific) naming and numbering of the degrees of the scale is similar to that of the major scale, but the Leading Note is renamed 'Subtonic' as it is now the flatted 7th note which does not work in the same way as the natural 7th at all.

Here is the A Natural minor scale Harmonised. Note that the sequence of chords is identical to those produced by harmonising the C Major scale - but starting on the sixth degree. This is why we refer to these keys as relative.

The A Harmonic minor scale restores the Leading note by sharping the G to G#:

When harmonised this produced an altered series of chords including an Augmented chord built on the III degree of the scale, a Major chord on the V and a second diminished triad built on the Leading note:

This set of chords tends to improve the harmonisation of melodies written in minor keys and is generally more widely used for this reason.

 

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Harmonising the Major Scale

Description: How to use chords - a printer friendly explanation of harmonising the major scale to triads.
We have already studied  diatonic chord theory
Taking the C major scale as an example:

The Roman numerals and generic names of each degree of the scale are constant for all keys. These are used, somewhat confusingly, to refer both to the notes on a major scale and to the chords built on those notes:

Here is the scale of D major harmonised. Notice that the key signature ensures the sequence of chord types remains the same, ie. I = major, II = minor, III = minor, IV = major, V = major, VI = minor, VII = diminished, VIII = major. This is true in all keys.

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Diminished and Augmented Chords

We know that diminished chord has formula...
1   3b    5b        diminished   =   minor5 = m5
1    3     5#        augmented
1   3b   5b   7b  dim-7          = minor 5 flat 7 = m5b7
1   3b   5b   7    half diminished  =  minor 5
 

Applying the formula for C chords

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Chord formula and Tonal difference between notes in chord

Chord                                 Notes              
Major                          1   +2T      3      +1.5T      5             
Minor                          1   +1.5T    3      +2T        5           
Dim                             1   +1.5T    3      +1.5T      5             
Aug                             1   +2T      3      +2T        5#              
dim-7                          1   +1.5T     3b    +1.5T     5b    +1.5T    7b
half-dim                      1   +1.5T    3b    +1.5T      5b    +2T      7

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Using the formula of major scale formula to get various scale

Using this formula we can get many scales...eg.

Note      Major Scale

C      C    D    E    F    G    A    B
D      D    E    F#   G    A    B    C#
E      E    F#   G#   A    B    C#   D#
F      F    G    A    Bb   C    D    E
G     G    A    B    C    D    E    F#
A      A    B    C#   D    E    F#   G#
B      B    C#   D#   E    F#   G#   A#
C#    C#   D#   E#   F#   G#   A#   B#
Eb     Eb   F    G    Ab   Bb   C    D
F#     F#   G#   A#   B    C#   D#   E#
Ab    Ab   Bb   C    Db   Eb   F    G
Bb    Bb   C    D    Eb   F    G    A

Order of Sharps and Flats

ORDER OF FLATS F Major = one flat(Bb) Bb Major = two flats Eb Major = three flats Ab Major = four flats Db Major = five flats Gb Major = six flats Cb Major = seven flats

ORDER OF SHARPS: G Major = one sharp(F#)
D Major = two sharps(F#C#)
A Major = three sharps(" G#)

E Major = four sharps(" D#)
B Major = five sharps( " A#)
F# Major = six sharps(" E# )
C# Major = seven sharps(" B#)
Consider circle of 5ths.

Using the Circle of 5ths

To use the Circle of 5ths, you have to figure out what key you are playing in. If you know the key, at the very least, you know you know what chord to go back to. Then the hard part is knowing only what chords are in that key.

Consider Sharps
The circle of fifths helps us identify that key and those chords.

With the Circle of 5ths, you can see how many sharps each key or major scale contains.

1. C = 0 sharps
2. Each key as you go down adds the 7th sharp:
   • G adds F#
   • D keeps F#,adds C# ...
3. Each of these new sharps just happens to be a perfect 5th from the first sharp, F# ... f# g a b c d e

To remember the order of these, remember this quote or make up your own,

“Cool Guitarists Do Absolutely Everything Better ... freak”

Now consider flats


This is basically a continuation from the sharps side. Gb and F# are the same notes, just different names. We switch to flats to make life simpler, because we'd get into double sharps and all that nonsense.
So instead of adding more sharps we take away flats. Let's look at F# and Gb
F# ... F#G#A#BC#D#E#
Gb ... GbAbBbCbDbEbF
See, they're all the same notes.
Now go up a 5th from Gb to Db.
Now we take the flat 7th away, which would be “Cb.”
Next we move up another 5th from Db to Ab and take away the 7th flat, which is Gb
Next we move up another 5th from Ab to Eb and take away the 7th flat, which is Db
Next we move up another 5th from Eb to Bb and take away the 7th flat, which is Ab
Next we move up another 5th from Bb to F and take away the 7th flat, which is Eb. That leaves us with Bb only.
To be honest with you we could analyze the hell out of this thing for hours and hours and still be digging deeper and deeper. We'll look at this a few more times in its entirety and make a few observations.
Now for another cheezy little quote to remember the order of the flats from the c counter-clockwise,

“Cool freakin' BEAD g”

Yeah, I know, but it helps to remember the order of the keys. If not just make something up.

Guitar Theory: Uses of the Circle of 5ths

• Find out how many sharps and flats are in each key: ALWAYS START on the F and REMEMBER THE ORDER OF THE NOTES ON THE CIRCLE
  

  Sharps:

  Take your key and the sharps will be each of the notes leading to that key from F. Include F

  EXAMPLE:

  Key of A (we know that A has 3 sharps) From F we have F, C and G (counting 3 from F) so the sharps = F# , C#, G#

  Flats:

  Take your key and the flats will be the notes leading to that key from F again plus the next note. Don't include F

  EXAMPLE:

  Key of Db (we know that Db has 5 flats) From F we have B, E, A, D, G so those will be the flats Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb SIMPLE RIGHT?



• Find out what chords are in a key and what their flavor is.
  Take the G major key. In that key we know that there is one sharps and that is F#. We know that F# is the 7th of the G because it's the letter that precedes the G alphabetically. So it is diminished.

Finding major and minor keys in the Circle of 5ths

Looking at the Circle of Fifths: the left and right hand man of the key you want are major. After that, the next 3 chords are minor.Then you arrive at the 7th, which we know is diminished. There you go.
So for G = (G C D) (A E B) (F#) are what we get ... G C D are Major, A E B are minor, and F# is diminished.
Put them in order = G a b C D e F#

G	a	b	C	D	e	F#
Major	minor	minor	Major	Major	minor	diminished
I	ii	iii	IV	V	vi	VIIo

remember that the outer circle is major

Guitar Theory: Summary of Circle of Fifths

So now we know that the circle of fifths shows us:

1. the notes in every major scale and minor scale
2. how many flats and sharps are in each key signature
3. what keys share key signatures
4. how to quickly see what relative minor belongs to what key
5. what the dominant and subdominant of every chord / key and consequently where each dominant resolves
6. the more we study it, the more we will understand the movement and relationship between chords and notes

So where do we start?!! That's a ton of info!
1. Let's start with memorizing the notes and where they are on the Circle of Fifths:
MAJOR KEYS: STARTING WITH C
KEYS WITH SHARPS: down the right side CGDAEBF
KEYS WITH FLATS: down the left CFBbEbAbDbGb
2. Memorize how many sharps and flats each gets: 0123456 (respectively)
3. Memorize how to remember what's flat and sharp:
START WITH F ...
Sharps = count the number of sharps your note has clockwise and those are your sharps. Include F as a sharp.
Flats = count the number of flats your note has counterclockwise from F and those are your flats. Don't count F as a flat.
4. Where the relative minor is in relation to the MAJOR keys and consequently what Keys share Key Signatures.

C	G	D	A	E	B	F	MAJOR KEYS and KEY SIGNATURE
a	e	b	f#	c#	g#	d#	minor keys that share key sig. above

5. Where the minor keys lie in the Circle of Fifths:
MINOR KEYS: STARTING WITH Am
KEYS WITH SHARPS:
down the right side: Am ... Em ... Bm ... F#m ... C#m ... G#m ... D#m
KEYS WITH FLATS:
down the left side: Am ... Dm ... Gm ... Cm ... Fm ... Bbm ... Cbm
6. Memorize how many sharps and flats each gets:
0 ... 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... 4 ... 5 ... 6 (respectively)
7. Where the tonic, supertonic, mediant, subdominant, dominant, submediant and leading tones occur on the
circle and what their flavor is for Minor keys and Major keys. (major / minor / diminished)
8. Realize where tonic category chords are, subdominant chords are and dominant chords are on the circle.

CLOCKWISE: every degree separated by 5ths
COUNTERCLOCKWISE: every degree separated by 4ths
OUTSIDE: major scale, major chords forms, major keys, key signatures
INSIDE: minor scale, minor chord forms, relative minor to key chords

OUTSIDE

1 LEFT	4th	sbdominant	Major chord
1 RIGHT	5th	dominant	Major chord
2 RIGHT	2nd	supertonic	minor chord
3 RIGHT	6th	submediant	relative minor chord
4 RIGHT	3rd	mediant	minor chord
5 RIGHT	7th	leading tone	diminished chord
across	b5th	tritone

INSIDE

1 LEFT	4th	sbdominant	minor chord
1 RIGHT	5th	dominant	minor chord
2 RIGHT	2nd	supertonic	diminished chord
3 RIGHT	6th	submediant	Major chord
4 RIGHT	3rd	mediant	minor chord
5 RIGHT	7th	leading tone	Major chord
across	b5th	tritone

This stuff cna be very confusing. Take a look at it. Study the charts. Then walk away and come back to it. It'll take some time to really understand the theory and then be able to apply it. But it is well worth it to have done this. If you want a short cut, I'd suggest going to the chord progressions page and learning the patterns on that page.

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Fretboard map for C scale

E |-o-|---|-o-|---|-o-|---|-o-|-R-|---|-o-|---|-o-|
B |-R-|---|-o-|---|-o-|-o-|---|-o-|---|-o-|---|-o-|
G |---|-o-|---|-o-|-R-|---|-o-|---|-o-|-o-|---|-o-|
D |---|-o-|-o-|---|-o-|---|-o-|---|-o-|-R-|---|-o-|
A |---|-o-|-R-|---|-o-|---|-o-|-o-|---|-o-|---|-o-|
E |-o-|---|-o-|---|-o-|---|-o-|-R-|---|-o-|---|-o-|
0   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12

This map shows you where the notes that make up the scale exist on the fretboard. The R represents the root note of the scale.

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C major Scale

o |-o-|---|-o-|---| o |-R-|---|-o-|---| o |---|-o-|---|---| o |---|-o-|-o-|---| o |---|-o-|-R-|---| o |-o-|---|-o-|---| 1 2 3 4

|------------------------------0-1-3--|     |------------------------0-1-3--------|     |--------------------0-2--------------|     |--------------0-2-3------------------|     |--------0-2-3------------------------|     |--0-1-3------------------------------|

E |-o-|---|-o-|---|-o-| B |-R-|---|-o-|---|-o-| G |---|-o-|---|-o-|---| D |---|-o-|-o-|---|-o-| A |---|-o-|-R-|---|-o-| E |-o-|---|-o-|---|-o-| 1 2 3 4 5

|------------------------------1-3-5--|     |------------------------1-3-5--------|     |--------------------2-4--------------|     |--------------2-3-5------------------|     |--------2-3-5------------------------|     |--1-3-5------------------------------|

E |---|-o-|---|-o-|---| B |---|-o-|---|-o-|-o-| G |-o-|---|-o-|-R-|---| D |-o-|-o-|---|-o-|---| A |-o-|-R-|---|-o-|---| E |---|-o-|---|-o-|---| 2 3 4 5 6

|------------------------------3-5--|     |------------------------3-5-6------|     |------------------2-4-5------------|     |------------2-3-5------------------|     |------2-3-5------------------------|     |--3-5------------------------------|

E |-o-|---|-o-|---|-o-| B |-o-|---|-o-|-o-|---| G |---|-o-|-R-|---|---| D |-o-|---|-o-|---|-o-| A |-R-|---|-o-|---|-o-| E |-o-|---|-o-|---|-o-| 3 4 5 6 7

|------------------------------3-5-7--|     |------------------------3-5-6--------|     |--------------------4-5--------------|     |--------------3-5-7------------------|     |--------3-5-7------------------------|     |--3-5-7------------------------------|

E |---|-o-|---|-o-|-R-| B |---|-o-|-o-|---|-o-| G |-o-|-R-|---|-o-|---| D |---|-o-|---|-o-|---| A |---|-o-|---|-o-|-o-| E |---|-o-|---|-o-|-R-| 4 5 6 7 8

|------------------------------5-7-8--|     |------------------------5-6-8--------|     |------------------4-5-7--------------|     |--------------5-7--------------------|     |--------5-7-8------------------------|     |--5-7-8------------------------------|

E |-o-|---|-o-|-R-|---| B |-o-|-o-|---|-o-|---| G |-R-|---|-o-|---|---| D |-o-|---|-o-|---|-o-| A |-o-|---|-o-|-o-|---| E |-o-|---|-o-|-R-|---| 5 6 7 8 9

|------------------------------5-7-8--|     |------------------------5-6-8--------|     |--------------------5-7--------------|     |--------------5-7-9------------------|     |--------5-7-8------------------------|     |--5-7-8------------------------------|

E |---|-o-|-R-|---|-o-| B |-o-|---|-o-|---|-o-| G |---|-o-|---|-o-|---| D |---|-o-|---|-o-|-R-| A |---|-o-|-o-|---|-o-| E |---|-o-|-R-|---|-o-| 6 7 8 9 10

|----------------------------------7-8-10--|     |---------------------------6-8-10---------|     |-----------------------7-9----------------|     |----------------7-9-10--------------------|     |---------7-8-10---------------------------|     |--7-8-10----------------------------------|

E |-o-|-R-|---|-o-|---| B |---|-o-|---|-o-|---| G |-o-|---|-o-|-o-|---| D |-o-|---|-o-|-R-|---| A |-o-|-o-|---|-o-|---| E |-o-|-R-|---|-o-|---| 7 8 9 10 11

|-----------------------------------7-8-10--|     |------------------------------8-10---------|     |-----------------------7-9-10--------------|     |----------------7-9-10---------------------|     |---------7-8-10----------------------------|     |--7-8-10-----------------------------------|

E |-R-|---|-o-|---|-o-| B |-o-|---|-o-|---|-o-| G |---|-o-|-o-|---|---| D |---|-o-|-R-|---|-o-| A |-o-|---|-o-|---|-o-| E |-R-|---|-o-|---|-o-| 8 9 10 11 12

|---------------------------------------8-10-12--|     |-------------------------------8-10-12----------|     |--------------------------9-10------------------|     |------------------9-10-12-----------------------|     |----------8-10-12-------------------------------|     |--8-10-12---------------------------------------|

E |---|-o-|---|-o-|-o-| B |---|-o-|---|-o-|-R-| G |-o-|-o-|---|-o-|---| D |-o-|-R-|---|-o-|---| A |---|-o-|---|-o-|---| E |---|-o-|---|-o-|-o-| 9 10 11 12 13

|------------------------------------------10-12-13--|     |---------------------------------10-12-13-----------|     |-------------------------9-10-12--------------------|     |-----------------9-10-12----------------------------|     |-----------10-12------------------------------------|     |--10-12-13------------------------------------------|

E |-o-|---|-o-|-o-|---| B |-o-|---|-o-|-R-|---| G |-o-|---|-o-|---|---| D |-R-|---|-o-|---|-o-| A |-o-|---|-o-|---|-o-| E |-o-|---|-o-|-o-|---| 10 11 12 13 14

|--------------------------------------------10-12-13--|     |-----------------------------------10-12-13-----------|     |-----------------------------10-12--------------------|     |--------------------10-12-14--------------------------|     |-----------10-12-14-----------------------------------|     |--10-12-13--------------------------------------------|

E |---|-o-|-o-|---|-o-| B |---|-o-|-R-|---|-o-| G |---|-o-|---|-o-|---| D |---|-o-|---|-o-|-o-| A |---|-o-|---|-o-|-R-| E |---|-o-|-o-|---|-o-| 11 12 13 14 15

|--------------------------------------------12-13-15--|     |-----------------------------------12-13-15-----------|     |-----------------------------12-14--------------------|     |--------------------12-14-15--------------------------|     |-----------12-14-15-----------------------------------|     |--12-13-15--------------------------------------------|

The red R signifies the root note position. See below for all fingerings.

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Why we use modes??

So why do we need modes anyway? Isn't the major scale the same notes, so why would be want to learn new stuff? These were the biggest questions I had when I was learning Modes, and they are the questions that I would like to answer in this lesson...
In the last lesson we learnt about Diatonic Chords and the way that you can use Major Scale over any of the chords in the Diatonic Sequence for that key. So that is all good. But the Major Scale is a little bit "Orwellian" - all notes are equal, but some notes are more equal than others! ;) [this is a quote form George Orwell's fantastic book called "Animal Farm", if you have not read it them please check it out, it's fantastic!]. I can explain this to you but you also need to hear it too!
I'm going to give you an example using modes and chords that come from the C Major Scale.
You NEED to hear these examples and feel them for yourself so you need to get a mate to jam with or a looper pedal, or record yourself into something and then play it back. I highly recommend trying to find someone to learn this stuff with though, makes it way easier! Try and find yourself a "mode buddy" that you will study Modes with together, it will make the journey easier and a load more fun too!
Alternatively you could use this C Ionian track from my Really Useful Play Along Tracks. All those tracks will be very helpful through this course...
Lets start my talking about the C Major Scale played over a C Major Chord. That gives us C Ionian Mode (which I just call C Major, I think calling it C Ionian is a bit silly).
What you need to listen to is the way that each note of the C Major Scale sounds over the chord of C Major.
So lets start with a C Major Chord backing (either your mate playing C, or a looper pedal, or a jam track) and play each note of the scale very slowly and listen to the effect that each note has when played over the chord. Make sure you are aware of the notes as you play, so maybe say the note name out loud as you play the scale (so say C, D, E, F, G etc as you play them). This will help you remember the good and bad notes.
Ok - you done that? so if you did it well you probably noticed that there are some notes that sound a lot better than others. You probably found that the notes C, E and G sound perfect with the chord. You will probably have found the notes D and A a little tense, but kinda nice too. And I hope that you found the notes F and B quite dissonant and kinda wrong sounding. The B is actually quite a cool note in the right circumstance but not one that you would commonly stop on... but the F :( that is a yucky sounding note to stop on. To pass through it sounds great, but to stop a melody line on the note F while a C chord is playing generally sounds pretty horrible.
The reason for that is that it is the 4th degree of the scale - and played over the chord the 4th often clashes with the 3rd of the chord, mainly because they are a semitone apart. Lets look at all the notes in the scale (mode) against the chord to make that very clear... CT means Chord Tone.

	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII
C Major	C	D	E	F	G	A	B
C	ROOT CT	2nd	3rd CT	4th (yuk!)	5th CT	6th	7th

Now go and play the scale again and make sure that you are convinced that the CT notes are all real good and listen to how the 4th (F) sounds... Spend a bit of time with this if you really want to get this concept in your head. Learn to LISTEN not THINK. Your ears should be the judge of what sounds good, not your brain.
OK - hope you are still with me... so important point to remember:

All the notes of the scale are good, but some are better than others.

So now lets look at a mode - and we're going to look at playing a C Major scale over the 5th chord in the Key of C: which is G7. We would call this playing G Mixolydian, but that is not important now... we're just getting into why Modes are useful - worry about the names and all that later.
Now you need a G7 backing track (either your friend playing, or record your own G7, or use my G Mixolydian backing track) and you will again LISTEN to all the notes of the C Major scale being played over the G7 chord. So now you need to try it out (please actually do this - don't just read it) because that is the only way that you will really understand what I mean.
When you do that, you will discover that the notes that sound good over the G7 were very different from the notes that sounded good over the C... they are the same notes but each will have had a very different quality over this different chord.

	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII
G Mixolydian	G	A	B	C	D	E	F
G7	ROOT CT	2nd	3rd CT	4th (yuk!)	5th CT	6th	b7th CT

So if you listened well and played all the notes from the C Major scale over the G7 chord, you would have found that the Chord Tones (CT) G, B, D and F all sound great, A and E sound interesting, and C doesn't sound so good (it's the 4th clashing with the 3rd again). SO in this case the note C (which is the root note of the Parent Major Scale) is not a good note to play - and the note F (which did not sound so good over the C Major Chord) is great to play over a G7.
THIS IS WHY WE NEED MODES!
The notes from a C major scale can be played over a Cmaj7 chord and a G7 chord (if you understand basic diatonic theory you should be cool with this concept) but the RELATIONSHIP between the scale notes and the chords change. The quality of the note changes when the chords change.
Another example... the III chord in the key of C is E minor. Play a C note over that and it sounds well horrible!
Learning modes will help you play over chords, instead of thinking about keys. Which is very important when the keys change a lot, which happens a lot in jazz and modern blues.

Modes help us understand the relationships between scales and chords.

That is all it is. It's understanding why some notes from a scale will work well better over some chords than others. Now we are going to look more how to look at the modal theory (series and parallel) and then look at how you should practice them. Then we are going to look at each mode one at a time and look, practice and listen to what it sounds like and understand why and when we might use it.
I hope that gives you a better understanding of why we use modes.

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Learning your guitar’s fretboard

Now that you know what notes are and how they work (Click here to see the lesson if you don’t), we can apply it to you guitar’s fretboard.
Now that we know the order of the notes, we can figure out what all the notes are on your guitar. Let’s start with the open strings (an open string is a string played open, without your hand fretting it at all. If you pick any one of your guitar strings without touching it, that an open string)

The thickest string on your guitar, the one closest to you, is called the Low E string. Playing that string makes an E note. This string is also referred to as the 6th string. The next string down, the 5th string, is called the A string. Playing this string alone will give you an A note. The 4th string is called the D string. The 3rd string is called the G string. The 2nd string is the B string. And the 1ast string is called the High E string. The low E and the High E make the same note, but the high E string makes and E note one Octave higher than the low E string. So they have the same sound quality, but the high E is at a higher frequency.
Play the low E and high E strings at the same time. If your guitar is in tune, you should notice they sound the same, but one is a higher pitch.
Now that we know the names of all of your guitar strings, lets look at the fretboard and see what all the notes are. Since we know the order of the notes, and we know what not each string is, we can name all the notes on your guitar. Take a look at this diagram. Also, refer to the last lesson on notes if you are confused (click here for the lesson on notes):

Remember that there are only 12 notes, so once the notes reach the 12th fret, they start over as if you are starting from the beginning of that string. I.E. the 13th fret on the 6th strong (or low E string) is an F note, just like the first fret.

Also, remember, the distance between each note is called a half-step. So the distance between each fret also is a half-step (because each fret goes up or down by one note).

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Drop-2 Chord Voicings On Guitar—Freeing Your Fingers

Chances are that if you play any 4 or more note chords on your guitar, you are using a drop 2 guitar voicing—you just may not know it. Drop two guitar voicings are altered chord formations that make it easier to play 4 or more note chords on guitar. Drop 2 chord voicings are used almost all the time for 4+ note chords and their inversions.
So what is a drop 2 chords voicing you ask? Simple. As the name suggest, a drop-2 chord voicing on guitar is when you take the second note of the chord you are playing and drop it to the bottom, so it becomes the last note in the chord.
When you play a standard 4 note chord on piano the chord tones are typically played in order from low to high. So the notes go in order starting from the lower piano keys and move up. So the lowest note in the chord is the 1 (tonic), then the 3, then 5, and the 7.

The problem is that due to the nature of the guitar, you can’t play notes in order on a string because you can only play one note per string (the most notes you’ll ever be able to play on guitar at one time is 6). And your hands aren’t big enough to play the necessary notes in order while skipping guitar strings. In order to play the notes of a 4 note chord in order from low to high your fingers would have to play this (Numbers in dots represent scale degrees):

(notes in red can’t both be played b/c they are on the same guitar string)
So if we take the notes of D major 7: D, F#, A, C# and we take the 2nd note and “drop” it to the end we have : D, A, C#, F# or 1, 5, 7, 3. So now you can easily play the D major 7 chord on guitar:

(Numbers in dots represent finger numbers)
So next time you are trying to spell out a 4+ note chord and you can’t figure out how to apply that chord to the guitar, try using the drop-2 chord voicing, you will find that playing that chord will become a lot easier.
Tip: Drop two chord voicings on guitar can also be applied to chord inversions. I will discuss what chord inversions are and how to use them at a later date so stay tuned!

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Building Chords- Using Scales to Make Major, Minor, and Sus2 and Sus4 chords

See the section on major scale.

A basic chord is built on 3 notes. These 3 note chords are called “triads”. Other notes can be added to a tried to make “extensions”. This lesson will focus just on triads.
There are 6 important types of chords that you need to know: Major chords, minor chords, diminished chords, augmented chords, sus chords, and 5 chords. Major and Minor chords are the most important chords in western music. Diminished chords are also very important. Major chords are said to have a “happy” tone while minor chords are said to have a “sad” tone. Diminished chords are great for building tension. This lesson will explain how to make major, minor, and diminished chords. So lets build some chords.
If you remember from the lesson on the major scale, there are 7 notes in the major scale. By taking certain notes out of this scale we can build a triad. So what notes do we take? Well that depends on what chord we want to build.
Lets name the notes in the scale from 1 to 8(Last note is same as 1st note)....For eg. consider C scale:

The Formula’s for major and minor chords are as follows:
Major: 1-3-5 . So that means you take the 1st, the 3rd note and the 5th note and play them together. That gives you a major triad. In case of C chord we have CEG notes covered.
Minor: 1-3b-5. Minor chords are made by taking the 1st note, the b3rd (this means you “flat” the 3rd note by moving it down one half-step), and the 5th note. In case of Cmin, we have D# instead of E in CEG...So minor chord of C changes to CD#G or CEbG.
Diminished: 1-3b-5b. Diminished chords are made by playing the 1st note and flatting both the 3rd and the 5th notes of a scale. In case of Cdim chord is CEbGb or CD#A#.
So the difference between a major and minor triad is the 3rd note. A minor triad has a flat third note.
You will notice that to build a chord we are stacking either Major 3rd or minor 3rd intervals on top of each other. So chords are made by stacking 3rds. (If you don't know what I'm talking about see my post on intervals).

So if we want to make a C minor chord all we have to do is flat the 3rd. So lets move the E note down one half step. So C minor would be C, Eb, G. Got it? And what would a C diminished chord be?
You got it. C, Eb, Gb. (because we flat the 3rd and 5th notes!)
Now lets look at the guitar chord charts and see how to play these chords.

Some more examples.

Understanding Tone difference in Tone

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Intervals

An interval is the distance between two notes and it is calculated from the lower note. Different intervals have different sound qualities. Learning intervals will help you develop your ear and it is a great ear training exercise. For instance, if you can recognize the sound of a Minor 3rd interval then you will be able to hear when a melody you like uses it, thus you will be able to play it back.

There are two types of Intervals: harmonic intervals and melodic intervals. A harmonic interval is the distance between two notes played in unison. A melodic interval is the distance between two notes played in succession. Here are some tabbed examples:
Harmonic Interval Melodic Interval
-------------------- ----------------------
-------------------- -----------------------
-------------------- ----------------------
-----------2-------- ----------------2------
-----------3--------- -------3----------------
---------------------- -----------------------
There are two characters for every interval: size and quality. Size refers to the distance between the two notes and quality describes the type of sound that interval has.
There are 13 common interval distances (numbers), intervals higher than 13 are rarely used. The first 8 intervals are called “simple intervals” because they are within an octave. Intervals 9-13 are called “compound intervals”. Interval distance is always counted from the 1st note of the scale:

(since that is hard to read, here are the numbers for each interval. the first number is the lower number, the 2nd is the one above it: Unison: 8, 3. 2nd: 3, 0. 3rd: 3, 2. 4th: 3, 3. 5th: 3, 5. 6th: 3, 2. 7th: 3, 4. 8th: 3, 5. 9th: 3, 3. 10th: 3, 5. 11th: 3, 1. 12th: 3, 3. 13th: 3, 5.)
There are 5 terms that describe the quality of intervals: perfect, major, minor, diminished, and augmented. These are the same types of sounds that are used to describe chords. To figure out the quality of intervals we need to look at the interval numbers and qualities in the major scale.
The major scale has two qualities of intervals: perfect and major. The perfect intervals occur on the unison (1st), 4th, 5th, and octave. The major intervals are the 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 7th. The compound intervals are the same as the simple intervals.

 
(since that is hard to read, here are the numbers for each interval. the first number is the lower number, the 2nd is the one above it: Unison: 8, 3. 2nd: 3, 0. 3rd: 3, 2. 4th: 3, 3. 5th: 3, 5. 6th: 3, 2. 7th: 3, 4. 8th: 3, 5. 9th: 3, 3. 10th: 3, 5. 11th: 3, 1. 12th: 3, 3. 13th: 3, 5.)
Minor, Diminished, and Augmented intervals are made by altering a perfect or major interval either by moving the second note a half step sharp or a half step flat (if you do not know what this means see my post on notes). By altering an interval you do not change the number, just the quality.
Whenever a perfect interval is raised a half-step it becomes augmented. So if we raise a P1st (perfect first) one half-step it becomes an A1st (augmented 1st).
Whenever a perfect interval is lowered by one half-step it becomes diminished. So a P5th lowered by a half-step becomes a d5th (diminished 5th).
When a major interval is raised a half-step it becomes augmented (just like a perfect interval). So a M2nd (major 2nd) raised by a half step becomes a P2nd.
When a Major interval is lowered by a half-step it becomes minor. So a M3rd lowered by a half-step becomes a m3rd (minor 3rd. Major gets a capital M miner gets a lower case m).
When a minor interval is lowered a half-step it becomes diminished. So a m3rd lowered a half-step it becomes a d3rd.
I know this is a lot to digest. I would say start with the intervals of the major scale and play those. Get your ear familiar with them. Once you are comfortable, have a friend play and interval from the major scale and try to guess what it is (no peeking). This is a good ear training exercise.

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Understanding the basics : Notes

Before you really start understanding guitar you need to know a little bit about how music works (commonly called Music Theory). I am going to explain what notes are and how they work. This will help you understand later lessons that go deep in into music theory.
Here is the definition of a note from dictionary.com: Note- a sign or character used to represent a tone, its position and form indicating the pitch and duration of the tone.

Notes are the building block of music. They can be played one at a time to form a melody, or they can be played in unison to form a harmony. Melody and harmony are the backbone of any good musical piece. [Melody is a group of notes played one after the other. Harmony is a group of notes played at the same time]. All scales and chords are made out of notes. There are twelve notes in western music (some Asian and African cultures have extra notes in their music, but it is not relevant for our purposes). Those notes are:
The “#” is pronounced “Sharp” and “b” is pronounced flat:

The distance between one not is called a Half-Step. So from A to A# is a half step. The # sign means one half-step up. So A# is one half-step up from A. Thus D# is one half step up from D. But E is WHOLE-STEP up from D. (because two half-steps = a whole-step. So D to D# is a half-step and D# to E is another half-step. That equals one whole step from D to E).
The “b” sign means you go DOWN one half-step. So Gb is one half-step below A. Db is one half-step below D.
The reason I put a red box around some notes is because those notes are the same note, just with a different name. So A# is the same is Bb because A# is one half-step up from A and Bb is one half-step down from B. Thus the notes sound the same. We will get into the reasons later as to why it would be called A# vs. Bb and visa versa. Notes that sound the same but have different names are called enharmonic notes. So Ab and G# are enharmonic.
Don’t worry about it for now.
Also notice that the notes B and C as well as E and F have no sharps or flats between them. This there is no such notes as B# (same note as C), Cb (same note as B), E# (same not as F), and Fb (same not as E)
I know this may seem a little confusing at first. Just make sure you follow along with the graphic of the notes.

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Power chords

These technically aren’t chords because they only consist of two notes (technically they are an interval). These
are mostly used in heavy metal music, so they’re not really applicable to country.

Power chords are typically a rock guitar type thing. However, the term can be used for piano and other chordophonic instruments, & by other styles than rock (such as jazz or pop or folk, etc.)
What are they exactly? This an interesting question. We'll define them with 3 ideas in mind (what we'll call the 3 criteria): voicing, relative strength of the sound, & their application (style usage) - see below. These are subjective lines we draw for ourselves.

E Form Power Chords [R5 = Root & 5th only = EB = E5] 

 

Note Names for 6th String (the Roots) 

 

Another Fingering (larger fragment)

The simplest definition of a power chord may just be: any chord with a root/5th in the bass of the chord. For this definition, full versions or non-fragmented chords, such as your basic E, could be called a power chord (since what we call a power chord - R5 - is within the full version). The full version of an E or A form moving up the fretboard could also be called the same (they have the R5 in the lowest tones).
Relative Strength of Sound: A power chord should stand up to its name. It should be powerful. Yet, where does the line get drawn between power and not power? Typically, for the strength to get the name, it must be in the lower range of the frequency spectrum.
So your question here is, at what pitch level is a chord with a P5 (or P4) no longer a 'power chord'?
Also, to get the strength, does your distortion have to be cranking? Not necessarily. Acoustic guitarists (with or without distortion) utilize these types of chords.
Application (Style Usage): These chords are typically used in rock & punk music. Most Green Day, Scorpion, & Ramones songs use them. Jazz players use R5 chords sparingly.
If a jazz song happens to use a 'power chord', they wouldn't necessarily be called that (they might just be called a voicing). Similar to hammer-ons (hammers) and pull-offs (pulls) in classical guitar, simply being called slurs.
In summary, we use the term power chord, most commonly, to refer to chords with a root and 5th only, where there is a strong strength of sound, & used in rock & punk guitar music.
Every guitar style has particular voicings which define its overall sound.

A Form Power Chords

A Form power chords are Root-5 chords based on the 5th string (the open A). When we think of forms, we are considering the nut as an origin (there are 5 chord forms - CAGED, where 3 of them A, E, & D create R5 type chords).

A Form Power Chords [R5 = Root & 5th only = AB = A5]

Note Names for 5th String (the Roots)

 

 

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