Before you understand the keys on the guitar, you should understand: what is the key in general? Music literacy courses and solfeggio lessons taught in special institutions help to study this issue more deeply. However, certain knowledge can also be obtained at home schooling.
The general definition says that tonality is a special position of a fret (most often major or minor), fixed at certain heights.
Key
The center of tonality is tonic - the basis of the gamut and the first step of the fret. When it comes to tonal notation, it acts as its main representative (for example, if I stage is “do”, this will mean tonality in C major or C minor).
Keys can be divided into 3 separate groups:
- 2 simple keys that can be easily demonstrated on the piano keyboard. They are exclusively on white keys.
- 14 sharp keys, divided into two poles - major (7) and minor (7).
- 14 flat keys, also subdivided into 2 groups - major (7) and minor (7).
Fifth circle
The fifth circle is the main assistant in determining the signs of all keys. It is worth noting that the keys on the guitar are no different from any other on other instruments. The construction and sound are similar, only a different sound extraction technique and the inherent timbre characteristic of the instrument.
Understanding the need for signs of alteration (sharps and flats) is the most important point that can greatly simplify the task of studying the keys on the guitar and chords in songs.
So, below is the fifth circle of all the keys in music.
As you can see, with each subsequent step one sign is added. And this is no accident. The appearance of these signs is associated with a clear construction of a major or minor scale:
- For major: tone - tone - semitone - tone - tone - semitone.
- For minor: tone - semitone - tone - tone - semitone - tone - tone.
Following these patterns, signs either increase the steps or lower them. This information is covered in particular in the gamma section of the solfeggio course.
Key and chords on the guitar
After a full theoretical familiarization with gammas using the piano keyboard, it is allowed to switch to the desired instrument. Here, most often, the first chord that sounds on the guitar sets the tone of the piece.
Please note that the chord is the simultaneous sounding of 3 or more sounds.
Seen from the side of harmony, it will be a tonic triad. And tonic triad - these are 3 stable steps of tonality, played simultaneously (in C major these are notes “do-mi-sol”).
The chord, which appears on the tab with the inscription Am, is the most popular among the chords in the circles of instrumentalists:
The sound of this chord at the very beginning means that we have the key in a minor.
The study of gammas should begin with simple keys - the a-moll described above or its parallel - c-dur (C major). Freely guiding them, the student will be able to easily find sharps and flats that are part of the structure of other keys.
An interesting and useful fact: the scales included in the major ones have a parallel in the minor with the same alteration signs, therefore you need to memorize not 24 tones, but half as much - 12.
Before playing
You can play a scale of a certain tonality on a guitar both on one string and on different ones.
Before you take up the tool, you need to study its neck well. The numbering of frets comes from the head of the guitar. The points on the side make it easier to navigate the system.
For reference in all sounds you need to know the notes on open strings, from which everything comes from: mi (the thinnest string), si, salt, re, la, mi (the thickest string).
For both the first and the second method, it is necessary, first of all, to learn all the notes on the guitar neck. It is worth remembering a simple pattern: the distance between two neighboring frets is equal to a semitone.
You need to have a free understanding of the notes of gamma. They consist of VII steps, and the eighth, forming an octave, repeats the first.
It is very important to understand the difference between the tone and the midtones and their clear sequence in the gamut. Remember that tones are indicated above and halftones below.
Start to play
First you need to decide - what gamut to play? After the final selection, you need to find the note from which the process will go. If the choice fell on the scale in C major, this means that on the fretboard, your fingers will clamp the string on the note to. This can be done on any fret that attracts you.
Remember the scheme of major scale (tone - tone - semitone - tone - tone - semitone). Based on this structure, start your movement. Remember the principle by which tones and midtones are arranged. Tone - 1 fret + 1 fret, semitone - 1 fret (next from the current pressed fret). If the note c is clamped, then re will not be on the next fret, but after one fret, since the distance between these two steps is equal to a whole tone.
Learn and remember fingering - a pattern of finger movement. After mastering the gamma on one string, you can move on to the more complex version - guitar boxes.
Memorizing scales should be both upward and downward movement.
Total
After fully and freely understanding the keys on the guitar, the transition to chords will become quite an easy process for you. It will be enough to determine the three main stable stages of the gamma you need and clamp them at the same time.
Of course, there are many chord schemes for beginners and amateurs who do not dive deep into the theory of music. But if you want to master the tool on a more professional level, the tips described above will help you with this.