Learning guitar theory

[imonthestereo]

I went to music school at Berklee for drums (stupidly). However, I learned a ton about music theory, so when I started playing guitar it wasn't hard to learn how chords function, inversions work, which scales work for which chords, etc.

[jfrey]

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/columns/ ... uitar.html
The Ultimate Guide To Guitar. Chapter I: 1 Introduction - The Guitar, by ZeGuitarist (Starts with the super basic of just what a guitar is, good to read in its entirety but you can just skip ahead to sections that you care about)

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/lessons/ ... nning.html
Learning Music Theory. The Beginning, by slash_pwns

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/lessons/ ... es_ii.html
Modes II, by Logz

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/columns/ ... art_i.html
The Crusade. Part I, by JoshUrban

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p ... A2123C71CD
Bitesize Music Theory For Guitarists, by FreepowerUG

[mathias]

Thanks jfrey!

[kbit]

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/columns/the_guide_to/the_ultimate_guide_to_guitar_chapter_i__1_introduction_-_the_guitar.html
The Ultimate Guide To Guitar. Chapter I: 1 Introduction - The Guitar, by ZeGuitarist (Starts with the super basic of just what a guitar is, good to read in its entirety but you can just skip ahead to sections that you care about)

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/lessons/ ... nning.html
Learning Music Theory. The Beginning, by slash_pwns

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/lessons/ ... es_ii.html
Modes II, by Logz

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/columns/ ... art_i.html
The Crusade. Part I, by JoshUrban

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p ... A2123C71CD
Bitesize Music Theory For Guitarists, by FreepowerUG

Thank you for this (especially for the mode article).

[tuffteef]

I went to music school at Berklee for drums (stupidly). However, I learned a ton about music theory, so when I started playing guitar it wasn't hard to learn how chords function, inversions work, which scales work for which chords, etc.

berklee = john mayer

i learnt music theory and still do im only half way in uni
u should learn to sing and get pitch perfect in your head and that will take u miles with guitar

im slow though and my punx attitude doesnt help but its sinking in

[mathias]

Just realized that the major scale is the same thing as the little scale I play to warm up, that I've always thought sounded like it was part of the major scale, but didn't know what it was, technically. Well, it is the major scale.

If you take the WWHWWWH fret pattern and put it in a 4 fret box on strings 3, 2, and 1, you get this little scale that I've always played.

G major scale:

Code: Select all

e|----------------12-14-15------------|
B|-------12-13-15---------------------|
G|-12-14------------------------------|
D|------------------------------------|
A|------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------|

The weird symmetry of it and simplicity of it always appealed to me, so I kept playing that after I discovered it and it stuck in my brain.

Whatever. I feel accomplished.

[matthewson98]

when i am in travel, my pastime is to sing with my acoustic crafter guitar. What is your pastime!

_______________________________________
my crafter guitar electro acoustic is old as me..

[mathias]

when i am in travel, my pastime is to sing with my acoustic crafter guitar. What is your pastime!

_______________________________________
my crafter guitar electro acoustic is old as me..

Actually, you seem to spam as your pastime. Thanks for playing, though!

[Doodahman1969]

I took AP Music Theory and scored an H. Its always helpful to at least study theory, but IME it sucks if you get caught up in it.
That, and I got tired of memorizing chords/scales and then into alternate tunings. (from books by a jazz dude; Joe Charupakorn)
Now I play free improv style as I feel on the fly composition is the most dangerous and rewarding steez.

[madmax1012]

i've never been big on theory. i think it's cool to know some but i fucking hate when people ONLY know theory. i hate jamming with theory snobs who get offended when you do something that doesn't make theoretical sense to them.

[Gearmond]

i've never been big on theory. i think it's cool to know some but i fucking hate when people ONLY know theory. i hate jamming with theory snobs who get offended when you do something that doesn't make theoretical sense to them.

you've heard theory snobs play with other people?!?!?!

[madmax1012]

i've never been big on theory. i think it's cool to know some but i fucking hate when people ONLY know theory. i hate jamming with theory snobs who get offended when you do something that doesn't make theoretical sense to them.

you've heard theory snobs play with other people?!?!?!

better yet i attempted to jam with one. it was me sludge riffing the same thing over and over and him sitting there watching trying to figure out what the fuck to play. first and last jam session.

[kbit]

Haha that's funny. I never want to get too wrapped up into the "constraits" of theory, but it definitely helps in the basics of constructing harmony and knowing intervals is very helpful for me.

[Gearmond]

i want to be able to follow jazz fusion, and still be able to sit down and do sludgy pentatonic minor stuff.


currently successful at doing both

[Pepsihillo]

I'd check out 'The Advancing Guitarist' by Mick Goodrick. At one point he suggests you go out for a walk (or at least he did in my copy!).
He does go for reading the dots though - which is a bit of an issue. Other than that, an inspiring theory book (can you imagine!).

This. Times thousand. In my opinion, The advancing guitarist is THE book for any guitarist wanting to learn theory.

There's also this jazz theory book called Jazzology, which is mostly aimed for pianists, but it really helps you to think harmony from a different perspective.

By the way, in my opinion the ability to read musical notation is a really useful tool to really understand what kind of relations different scales, modes and chords have. Just by learning how they lay out on the fretboard doesn't actually give any insight to the way they actually work.