The Standard Harmony Rule
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Guitar Theory Cheat Sheet (PDF)All of the things we've talked about in this series in a nice handy 2 page PDF for you. Print it out, hang it by your music place and you'll be referring to it often.
9 Comments
Myles Garber
March 6, 2016Hi so I have been playing since I Was 15 IM 59 and have mental issues with understanding theory for most of my life. I think that your videos will help me I HOPE VERY MUCH AS I FEEL STUCK and very much struggling with this. When you have a feeling you wish to convey in music with my guitar and cant it becomes very much disheartening anyrate I will study your course and hope for the best Thanks Myles
Dave Sinclair
April 1, 2016As most people I have been theory e literate all my life and have been to scared of trying to learn this other language, Wet my appetite, yes you did, I am loving the fact that you can put it across so easy to understand, I can not thank you enough, i just wish i could have learnt this 30 years ago, keep up the great work. Thanks David
Causmo
May 25, 2016Ive been playing since I was 7 and am 41. I spent my whole highschool career studying theory. You sir made it all make sence. Great googly moogly! (Zappa refference) Thank you!! You have a gift for making sence of theory while presenting the common confusion questions. You also are candid ith your feelings about it. Thats priceless! Rock on my fellow blues brother!
PT Poprock
September 19, 2016I’m a working guitarist and know a fair amount of theory but I am thoroughly enjoying your videos. Please keep them coming. Thanks
SherriMcgehe
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Anton Boehm
December 18, 2018Great explaination! And a good foundation of how western music is put together. As for the diminished vii chord, I think I hear it in “Friends in Low Places”.
Thank you!
Jane Rush
January 1, 2019Hi Griff,
Im 72 years old and have been playing guitar off and on since I was in my teens. a year ago I picked up the guitar again and decided I wanted to learn to play the blues. found you on the internet and have been learning from you since. your teaching method is far above anyone else I have listened to. learned soo much from you and especially these last few lessons on how to build a major scale and the harmony rule. love the theory. you give us the why to everything. I like to understand why I’m playing what I’m playing. would love to have your whole course on Guitar Unleashed but live on social security. I will continue daily to learn from you on what you send me by email. thank you so much for teaching. Jane
Ian Richardson
September 30, 2020Hi Jane.
I get that if money’s tight buying courses is probably not affordable.
But, I don’t know how far into the basic theory Griff plans to go, but he’s started so I’m guessing he’ll cover the basic theory.
So I’d stick with him on this for two reasons.
One being he does know his stuff very well indeed.
And secondly because he has started right at the beginning,with the Chromatic scale (All 12 notes in the musical alphabet).
And the exercise asking how many steps from one note to the next is what’s called intervals..the distance between any 2 notes. In Whole and half steps.
In other words music theory 101..Intervals are everything because everything is intervals.
Next up the Natural C Major scale..From C being the only way to build a Major scale with NO # or b notes. The C Major scale being the Mother of all scales. And things like your 1 4 5 Major chord progression, numbering system, how to find the chords in any scale,keys, modes etc.
And he makes it understandable,many don’t so much.
One of the best reasons for at least learning the basics is because that’s what the majority of players use
And also because all the theory exists on your fret board,it would be unplayable otherwise.
And it’s there in a particular way,otherwise it wouldn’t work.
Standard tuning is what it is for a particular reason.
5 open string notes out of a particular 7 note scale which you now know (with 2 E strings) and the other 2 notes on a couple of 1st frets.
Keep that in mind as you go and do not ignore those 4ths and 5ths when you get to them..
You now have the big key to “unlocking” your fret board and understanding what a guitar is and how and why it works.
Theory.
Alan
November 9, 2019If you listen closely the chord progression plays a part of “Let it Be” by the Beatles.