{"id":600,"date":"2021-11-12T13:25:44","date_gmt":"2021-11-12T21:25:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.guitareo.com\/riff\/?p=600"},"modified":"2023-03-23T16:54:23","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T23:54:23","slug":"theory-crash-course","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.guitareo.com\/riff\/theory-crash-course\/","title":{"rendered":"Guitar Music Theory Crash Course"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Have you ever wanted to understand why some guitar chords sound good together while others don\u2019t? Well, you\u2019ll find the answer with just a little bit of music theory. In this guide, we\u2019ll be looking at the essential music theory concepts for guitar players.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Music theory happens to be a bit of a controversial topic within the guitar community because a few famous players have been able to get by without it. However, using guitar TABs and copying your guitar heroes will only get you so far. But when you\u2019re done with this crash course, you\u2019ll understand how guitar chords are made, how different chords fit together in a song, how guitar scales are made and why they\u2019re important, how to write your own songs, and how to journey down just about any other creative avenue you choose.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And if you\u2019re brand new to theory, don\u2019t worry! We\u2019ll assume you have no prior music theory knowledge and cover all the essential music theory concepts every guitar player needs to know.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>8 Steps To Understand Music Theory<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"8 Steps To Understand Music Theory | Guitar Lesson\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DxSKfnk0D18?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pitch Within An Octave<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first thing you need to know about music theory is that notes move in a repeating circle. Every time the circle completes, you complete an octave. An octave is the same note, just higher or lower.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since we\u2019re all guitar players here, we can see an example of this by looking at our E strings. Your lowest and highest strings on the guitar are both the same note, just two octaves apart. Make sure your guitar is in tune and play them at the same time. You\u2019ll hear that the notes don\u2019t clash at all. They are in perfect unison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To better illustrate this concept, let\u2019s pull up a piano. Notice how the E notes repeat as you go up or down the keyboard.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"353\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/28114203\/piano-e-notes-1024x353.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-602\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/28114203\/piano-e-notes-1024x353.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/28114203\/piano-e-notes-300x103.png 300w, https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/28114203\/piano-e-notes-768x265.png 768w, https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/28114203\/piano-e-notes-1536x529.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/28114203\/piano-e-notes-2048x706.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Divide The Octave<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our next step is to divide up our octave into 12 even spaces. Each of these pitches represents a different note in western music. All the music we listen to is made up of different combinations of these 12 notes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Whole Steps &amp; Half Steps<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To describe the spaces between notes we use the terms \u201cWhole Step\u201d and \u201cHalf Step\u201d. A whole step is a distance of two notes. A half step is a distance of one note.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you look at the piano, any two keys right next to one another (either white or black) would be considered a half step apart. If you skip a key (white or black) in between two notes, then they are a whole step apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/guitarlessons-com.s3.amazonaws.com\/media\/blog\/4-theory-piano.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Piano players have to deal with white and black keys, but as a guitar player, it\u2019s much easier to see whole and half steps. A half step is just one fret up or down. A whole step is two frets up or down.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Natural Musical Alphabet<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At this point, you\u2019ll have noticed that we\u2019ve used letters to name our notes. These letters are part of something called the Natural Musical Alphabet. This alphabet starts with A (surprise, surprise!) and ends with G. After the G, you come back to the beginning and have an A.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/guitarlessons-com.s3.amazonaws.com\/media\/blog\/4-theory-alphabet.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sharp &amp; Flat Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To understand sharps and flats, there are a few symbols you\u2019ll need to know:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/guitarlessons-com.s3.amazonaws.com\/media\/blog\/4-theory-signs.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Between the letters of the natural musical alphabet, we have sharp and flat notes. Sharps and flats are interchangeable, meaning that an A sharp is the exact same note as a B flat. In the same vein, a D flat is the exact same note as a C sharp.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Natural refers to one of the notes from the natural musical alphabet. It\u2019s pretty rare that you\u2019ll see a natural symbol since no symbol at all will imply the note is natural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If we look at our piano again, we\u2019ll see that the black keys represent the sharp\/flat notes between our natural notes (white keys).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"353\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/28114335\/piano-general-1024x353.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-603\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/28114335\/piano-general-1024x353.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/28114335\/piano-general-300x103.png 300w, https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/28114335\/piano-general-768x265.png 768w, https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/28114335\/piano-general-1536x529.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/28114335\/piano-general-2048x706.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>BC &amp; EF Rule<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the most challenging beginner music theory concepts to remember is the BC and EF rule. This rule dictates that there is only a half step between B and C notes and E and F notes. Meaning there is no such thing as a B sharp, C flat, E sharp, or F flat note.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is something you probably noticed when looking at the piano since there is no black key between B\/C and E\/F.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/guitarlessons-com.s3.amazonaws.com\/media\/blog\/4-theory-piano-bcef.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Major Scale Formula<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now it\u2019s time to take a look at how the keys of music are made. As we learned earlier in this article, music is made up of twelve notes. But you can probably guess that just throwing all twelve of these notes around isn\u2019t going to result in anything too musical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s where the Major Scale Formula comes in. It\u2019s a simple pattern made up of whole steps and half steps to reduce our twelve notes to seven. These seven notes make up a musical key. Here\u2019s the pattern:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"168\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/27151606\/major-scale-formula-1024x168.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-496\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/27151606\/major-scale-formula-1024x168.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/27151606\/major-scale-formula-300x49.png 300w, https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/27151606\/major-scale-formula-768x126.png 768w, https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/27151606\/major-scale-formula-1536x252.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/27151606\/major-scale-formula-2048x336.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s try applying this formula to our piano. Whichever note we start on gives us the name of our major scale. So if we start on a C note and apply the pattern, we\u2019ll get a C major scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"422\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/28114432\/piano-c-major-1024x422.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-604\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/28114432\/piano-c-major-1024x422.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/28114432\/piano-c-major-300x124.png 300w, https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/28114432\/piano-c-major-768x317.png 768w, https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/28114432\/piano-c-major-1536x633.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/28114432\/piano-c-major-2048x844.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s do it again, but this time we\u2019ll start on a G note to make a G major scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"422\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/28114445\/piano-g-major-1024x422.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-605\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/28114445\/piano-g-major-1024x422.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/28114445\/piano-g-major-300x124.png 300w, https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/28114445\/piano-g-major-768x317.png 768w, https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/28114445\/piano-g-major-1536x633.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/28114445\/piano-g-major-2048x844.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Try this out yourself with a few different scales. Start on any note you like and apply the formula. You can even start on a sharp or flat note!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Major &amp; Minor Chords In A Key<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The final guitar music theory concept in this lesson video has to do with finding the major and minor chords within a key. The scale that you make using the major scale formula is more than just a scale, it also tells you all the chords you can use in the key. That means that playing any of the chords together from that key will sound good and technically \u201cwork\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We use a different formula for this that\u2019s just as important to memorize. This one doesn\u2019t have a catchy name but is very straightforward. To start, you\u2019ll number each note in the scale. If we are using a C major scale, then C will be 1, D will be 2, E will be 3, and so on.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then each number will be either major, minor, or diminished. Once you\u2019ve matched each note with its corresponding number, you\u2019ll know all the chords within a key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Major<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">Minor<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3 &#8211;<span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\"> Minor<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>4 &#8211; <strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Major<\/span><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>5 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Major<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>6 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">Minor<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>7 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-green-cyan-color\">Diminished<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So in the key of C major, our chords would be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">C Major<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">D Minor<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">E Minor<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>4 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">F Major<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>5 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">G Major<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>6 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">A Minor<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>7 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-green-cyan-color\">B Diminished<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the most part, you won\u2019t use the diminished chord. We\u2019re only adding it here so you have a complete understanding and you won\u2019t use it in the vast majority of chord progressions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s do the key of G major. We start with a G major scale that we\u2019ll make using the major scale formula. This gives us the notes G, A, B, C, D, E, F#. Number each note and you\u2019ll know which chords are major and which are minor in the key of G major.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">G Major<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2 &#8211;<span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\"> A Minor<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">B Minor<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>4 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">C Major<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>5 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">D Major<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>6 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">E Minor<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>7 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-green-cyan-color\">F# Diminished<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that you\u2019ve got the process down you can practice it with other keys. Some other popular keys for the guitar are A major, D major, and E major. If you want to challenge yourself you can even try it with a sharp or flat key!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s it for the concepts from this video lesson. To wrap up this crash course, we\u2019ll take a look at one more important musical system that will help you learn songs, write your own songs, and collaborate with other musicians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Number System<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Number System - in Under 10 minutes!\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/x0cn2PAplmI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Number System, sometimes called the Nashville Number System, is the way most musicians communicate chords within a key. You\u2019ve already started learning it in the last lesson. It just involves giving each chord in the key a number.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thankfully, those numbers are the numbers you\u2019ve already been using to find out which chords are major and which chords are minor.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This system is particularly good if you\u2019re working with a singer (or you\u2019re a singer yourself) and you need to make a song higher or lower to better fit your voice. It allows you to quickly find the corresponding chords in the new key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s look at some examples. We already know the chords in the key of C major and their corresponding numbers. One of the most common chord progressions is a 1 &#8211; 4 &#8211; 5. Here\u2019s our list of chords in C major:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">C Major<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">D Minor<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">E Minor<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>4 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">F Major<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>5 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">G Major<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>6 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">A Minor<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>7 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-green-cyan-color\">B Diminished<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now we\u2019ll pull out the 1, 4, and 5 chords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">C Major<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>4 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">F Major<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>5 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">G Major<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So a 1 &#8211; 4 &#8211; 5 progression in the key of C major would be a C major chord, F major chord, and a G major chord.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s find a 1 &#8211; 4 &#8211; 5 progression in the key of G major next. Here are our chords:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">G Major<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">A Minor<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">B Minor<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>4 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">C Major<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>5 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">D Major<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>6 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">E Minor<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>7 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-green-cyan-color\">F# Diminished<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pull out the 1, 4, and 5 and we have the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">G Major<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>4 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">C Major<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>5 &#8211; <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">D Major<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll notice that C major and G major are in both chord progressions, however, they play two very different roles within the chord progression because of the key we\u2019re in.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that\u2019s really all there is to the Nashville Number System. Be sure to watch the above video to get an even more in-depth explanation of the system. Once you start thinking about music this way you\u2019ll open up a whole new world and find it easier to play in a band, play songs by ear, and write your own music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What\u2019s Next?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are a few lessons we think you\u2019ll like!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.guitareo.com\/riff\/music-theory-is-not-scary\/\"><strong>Music Theory Is NOT Scary!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nate Savage and Chelsea Amber use popular songs you already know to learn more music theory concepts. Check it out if you\u2019d like to continue diving deeper into guitar music theory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.guitareo.com\/riff\/navigating-the-fretboard\/\"><strong>Navigating The Fretboard For Beginners<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fretboard navigation goes hand in hand with music theory for guitar players! In this lesson, Ayla Tesler-Mabe will teach you how she approaches learning the fretboard. There\u2019s even a downloadable PDF Fretboard Chart!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.guitareo.com\/toolbox\"><strong>The Guitarist\u2019s Toolbox<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re looking for a collection of high-end video lessons covering a wide range of topics, look no further than Nate Savage\u2019s Guitarist\u2019s Toolbox! It covers playing your first song, playing guitar solos, chord changes, reading sheet music, and more. Plus, it\u2019s completely FREE! Just enter your email address and you\u2019ll unlock the video lessons instantly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Understand how guitar chords are made, how different chords fit together in a song, how guitar scales are made and why they\u2019re important!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":361,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[84,11,79,81,34,74,77,78,80,82,138,47],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.guitareo.com\/riff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/600"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.guitareo.com\/riff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.guitareo.com\/riff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.guitareo.com\/riff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.guitareo.com\/riff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=600"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.guitareo.com\/riff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/600\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1183,"href":"https:\/\/www.guitareo.com\/riff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/600\/revisions\/1183"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.guitareo.com\/riff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.guitareo.com\/riff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.guitareo.com\/riff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.guitareo.com\/riff\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}