by Chris De Warenne
How does Music Theory work? What’s a third? Or a fifth? Let us get to the root of this question.
Take one pitch, any pitch. Consider that pitch a “one”, or “Root”.
Get really comfortable with that idea, then think of a number line.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 = CDEFGABC
8 is the Octave, (a higher pitch) of 1.
Remember that inversions are going to add up to 9.
1 = 8, 8 = 1; 2 = 7, 7 = 2; 3 = 6, 6 = 3.
So, if you haven’t guessed it already, the “3” is the “Third”.
Now, take that and apply letters (of your choice) to it.
Keep in mind, the only letters in music are A through G.
This includes “Sharps” and “Flats”. Eg., A# is the same pitch as Bb and referred to as “Enharmonic”.
For reference, using letters, A Major is: A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, A.
MaJoR : 1/2 step (one fret) between 3 & 4, 7 & 8.
In the above example A is the Root, C# is the 3rd, and E is the 5th.
Remember. The choice of Alpha/Letter is entirely up to YOU. KEY OF A-G.
* A reminder, learn the notes on the fingerboard as soon as possible, it pays off bigtime!
Next up: Chords and Scales! All spelled out!!
Music Theory explains the building blocks of music as each pitch is assigned a number, with 8 being the octave of 1. Inversions add up to 9, such as 1=8, 2=7, and 3=6. The “3” is the “Third”, which when combined with letters becomes a musical note. Letters A-G, including sharps and flats, are used in music. A# is equivalent to Bb, known as “Enharmonic”. A Major consists of specific notes with defined steps between them. It is essential to learn the notes on the fingerboard early on. The next step involves learning about chords and scales.
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