Charleston Classical Guitar

Tag: Theory

  • The Basics of Music Theory – Part 6 (Diatonic Triad)

    The Basics of Music Theory – Part 6 (Diatonic Triad)

    In The Basics of Music Theory – Part 5 (Triads and Inversions) the concept of chords built upon a base triad was discussed. That is to say, the initial triad was derived from the major key and then each note other than the root was mutated to give the other triads available. In this installment,…

  • The Basics of Music Theory – Part 5 (Triads and Inversions)

    The Basics of Music Theory – Part 5 (Triads and Inversions)

    In the last installment of The Basics of Music Theory – Part 4, I covered the cycle of 4ths/5ths. This installment will begin the journey into the harmonic foundation of chords. The basic foundation of chord theory is the triad. That is to say three (tri-) notes (-ads).  The Building of Triads A triad is…

  • The Basics of Music Theory – Part 4 (Cycle Of 4ths)

    The Basics of Music Theory – Part 4 (Cycle Of 4ths)

    Now that we have looked at key signatures (see The Basics of Music Theory – Part 3 (Key Signatures)), we are going to delve into the mysterious cycle of 4ths or 5ths depending on which way you see it. It is important and useful to be able to recognize each key and the notes that…

  • The Basics of Music Theory – Part 3 (Key Signatures)

    The Basics of Music Theory – Part 3 (Key Signatures)

    In our last installment (The Basics of Music Theory – Part 2 (Intervals & the Major Scale)) we covered the major scale. With the scale comes the identification of keys. That brings us to today’s subject, key signatures. Defining A Key Signature The key signature is found at the beginning of every line of music…

  • The Basics of Music Theory – Part 2 (Intervals & the Major Scale)

    The Basics of Music Theory – Part 2 (Intervals & the Major Scale)

    Last time (in The Basics of Music Theory – Part 1 (The Chromatic Scale)) we discussed the chromatic scale. Therefore, we will take the chromatic scale and create intervals. These intervals, in turn, will create scales–specifically the major scale. These two components are the building blocks of almost every single song you have ever heard…

  • The Basics of Music Theory – Part 1 (The Chromatic Scale)

    The Basics of Music Theory – Part 1 (The Chromatic Scale)

    No matter what level you attain at any skill, the basics always seem to need review. Therefore, whether you are new to the guitar or not, this series will hopefully help you understand or remind you of the importance of theory. As this is a guitar-focused blog, the theory will obviously have a bent toward…