Music Theory Essentials
All links are to high quality pdf files. Feel free to print and use in your studies. If you share these with anyone, please credit MusiclessonsFL. We will be adding more to these pages over the coming year.
 |
E major form (root on 6th and 1st strings)
Major Arppegios beginning on Tonic, Third and Fifth
E minor form (root on 6th and 1st strings)
First Chords I: Essential chords (with fingering) for many folk and popular songs.
Common ii - V - I progressions
Chords derived from the Major scale
Chord qualitiy........Major
............................Minor
............................Diminished
............................Augmented
On the fretboard: Major to Minor
.........................Major to Dominant 7
.........................Minor to Minor 7
The Treble Clef and Note Names
Major
C Major scale: fingering and note names for the first position C major scale on the guitar.
Major scale construction: Whole-step half-step formula for the major scale using the C major scale as an example
Major Scale construction exercises: No.1 and No.2
First Position Major Scales, all 12 keys
1st position scales: F#(Gb), Db, Ab
1st position scales: Eb, Bb, F
Major scales with no open strings (transposable)
Minor
Natural Minor scale construction
Harmonic Minor scale construction
A minor natural and harmonic minor in 2 octaves
Melodic Minor scale construction
Pentatonics
1st scales for improvising: minor pentatonics
Some 1st position pentatonic scales
A closer look at the minor pentatonic I
A closer look at the minor pentatonic II
A closer look at the minor pentatonic III
Blues Scale: the minor pentatonic with an added #4(b5)
Relating the Blues scale to the minor pentatonic
Adding the major pentatonic scale for improvising
A closer look at the major pentatonics I
A closer look at the major pentatonics II
A closer look at the major pentatonics III
Learning the major pentatonics with the song Shortnin' Bread
Triads derived from the major scale
Natural Note scales on each of the six strings
Modes
Synthetic Scales
Singing the major scale in thirds
Singing intervals: A handy tune to help memorize and internalize the most commonly sung intervals.
Singing Intervals PDF Singing Intervals.mp3
Relating the study of melodic intervals to songs you may know is a great way to help in ear training. To that end, here are intervals through an octave and some tunes to help you begin that association. Another idea is for you to associate melodic intervals wilth songs you may know that are not on this list. The order of the list goes first through the intervals of a major scale, and then finishes with the remaining five.
Interval |
Song |
Major 2nd |
|
Ascending |
Frere Jacques |
Descending |
Eight Days A Week (Beatles) |
Major 3rd |
|
Ascending |
Anchors Away |
Descending |
Good Night Ladies |
Perfect 4th |
|
Ascending |
Amazing Grace |
Descending |
Adeste Fideles |
Perfect 5th |
|
Ascending |
ABC Song |
Descending |
Erie Canal |
Major 6th |
|
Ascending |
Dashing Through the Snow |
Descending |
Ain’t Gonna Fight War No More |
Major 7th |
|
Ascending |
Bali Hai (South Pacific) |
Descending |
I Love You (Cole Porter) |
Octave |
|
Ascending |
Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting) |
Descending |
There’s No Business Like Show Business |
Minor 2nd |
|
Ascending |
I Left My Heart In San Fransisco |
Descending |
Bolero (Ravel) |
Minor 3rd |
|
Ascending |
Georgia On My Mind |
Descending |
Frosty the Snowman |
Tritone |
|
Ascending |
Maria (West Side Story) |
Descending |
Blue Seven (Jazz standard – Sonny Rollins) |
Minor 6th |
|
Ascending |
Go Down Moses |
Descending |
Love Story movie theme |
Minor 7th |
|
Ascending |
There’s A Place for Us (West Side Story) |
Descending |
An American In Paris movie theme |
...C scale and C major shape 1
...Common Ukulele Chords (pdf)
...First Chords
...Let It Be
Knowing music theory to the musician is like a painter knowing the color palate. Music theory is sort of like eating your veggies. Not always the tastiest dish on the plate, but one of the most important to a strong mind and body. |