How Guitars Work

In lesson 8, we looked at the C shape on the fretboard, which can be used to play any major chord. In this lesson, you are going to build on this knowledge and learn how to: solo with the C shape if your root note is on the 5th string identify the C chord and the D chord within the C shape find the other interval notes within the major scale This is called the C shape pattern because if played in the first position, our root note (in the major scale) would be on the note C. But, remember, our root note could be any note on this fifth string. Because the root is on the fifth string, you're going to play it with our little finger. It's important that you do that when using this shape because the other notes you'll play are going to be to the left of it. So you need the other fingers on the left of our little finger available for play. At first, these full scale shapes can seem a bit intimidating, so let’s just take a moment to look at the C shape and review what we already k

In this lesson we’re going to be looking at the musical alphabet. The alphabet is one of the first things you do when you learn any new language, and the same is true for the language of music.  Before we learn anything new, I think it’s really important to understand why we’re learning it. So let me tell you why the musical alphabet deserves its own lesson. Why the musical alphabet is important Any song you’ve ever heard, or learned to play, was written using the musical alphabet. It’s the building block for musical scales and keys. Understanding it, and its rules, will help you to work out melodies by ear as we move through this course. During this lesson, I’m going to be referring to the piano because it will really help you to visualize the theory. But, don’t worry, you don’t need any prior knowledge of the piano at all in order to be able to follow along.  You’re not going to be playing your guitar for the first couple of lessons because they're about understanding the rules o