Key? I still don't know dif between Amajor and Aminor

mpaq

Canfield, Ontario, Canada
@Strick it certainly does sound like you have the theory bug so I think the theory course would scratch that itch for you.

There many great guitar players who "don't know theory" but somehow know intuitively through experience how to construct songs, solo in the right key, and many other things that we often attribute to having a theory background.

So while you may be new to theory, that doesn't make you less of a guitar player - but with the theory you may feel more of a musician overall. It's great to be able to sit down at a piano and play some chords and even a simple solo because I know how music works, not because I'm a piano player.

Now THAT is music to my ears !! (y)
 

AlanT

Blues Newbie
Jim

I have just watched this...it was great and well worth the time spent......thanks for sharing.

(y)

Alan
 

Griff

Vice Assistant General Manager
Staff member
If you want the super quick and dirty version of Jim's video it's a little something like this:


Covers the standard harmony rule and basic chord progressions (that don't change keys.) So if you apply this in reverse you can kind of see how Louie Louie can't be in G.
 

Strick

Blues Newbie
The second time I went through the scale presentation, I had my guitar in hand to hear what these different scales sounded like. This is very informative. Now that I understood the logic he presented, I will proceed onto his next video of harmony, etc. This is cool.
 
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Strick

Blues Newbie
The light bulb is starting to get brighter. :D In Griff's video post (#63), he mentioned that Louie, Louie can't be in the key of G because of the V chord being Dminor. So, with the 3 chords of G, C, Dminor, what key is it in? Would I have to go back and write out the scales until I found a match of the I chord (G), the IV chord (C) and the V chord (Dminor)? Would that be the key of C? My reasoning is: C D E F G A B C where C F G are major and D E A are minor. So I pick chords G C (which are major) and D (which would be minor) . Is my reasoning correct?
 
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mpaq

Canfield, Ontario, Canada
There is no other scale that matches a D to the V chord other than G. So it has to be in C
 

Steve G

St. Simons Island, GA
My reasoning is: C D E F G A B C where C F G are major and D E A are minor. So I pick chords G C (which are major) and D (which would be minor) . Is my reasoning correct?

Yup, you've got the right idea Strick. Applying the Standard Harmony Rule to that particular chord progression you come up with Key of C, with C being the I chord, G the V and Dm the ii.
 

PapaRaptor

Father Vyvian O'Blivion
Staff member
The light bulb is starting to get brighter. :D In Griff's video post (#63), he mentioned that Louie, Louie can't be in the key of G because of the V chord being Dminor. So, with the 3 chords of G, C, Dminor, what key is it in? Would I have to go back and write out the scales until I found a match of the I chord (G), the IV chord (C) and the V chord (Dminor)?

You're just going to make your head hurt. It should be in C, as there are no flats or sharps present. B natural and F natural are both present. With B being the first note flatted in any flat key signature and F being the first note sharped in any sharp key signature.

It could also have been a very astute student of music who actually wrote in in the key of G, but placed an accidental natural at every appearance of F#.

Then again, it could have just been a college frat band with a Farfisa organ who had no idea of musical theory at all and wrote it in the key of Budweiser.
 

Strick

Blues Newbie
You guys hit it. Our little band back in college was formed just to pay at frat parties so we could drink for free. We also had parties at our apartment above the local bakery which always made us hungry. Papa, I like your short cut. No sharps or flats and it is in C.

My next thing I want to understand a little better is the pentatonic scale and which box goes with which chord or key. In my example, Louie, Louie, it sounds right when I apply box 1 with a root on G. Academically, is this correct? Or is there a better choice? Being new to applying boxes and trying to solo, I have a few very elementary questions. !) In most cases when playing a standard 12 barre blues song with the I, IV, V progression, are you supposed to change boxes when the chords are changed? For example, you are playing in A and your chords are I=A7, IV=D7, and V= E7. I'm a barre chord guy so I usually start out on the 5th fret (A7). Is it correct to use box 1 with the root on the A (or 5th fret on the E string) on all 3 chords?
 

mpaq

Canfield, Ontario, Canada
You guys hit it. Our little band back in college was formed just to pay at frat parties so we could drink for free. We also had parties at our apartment above the local bakery which always made us hungry. Papa, I like your short cut. No sharps or flats and it is in C.

My next thing I want to understand a little better is the pentatonic scale and which box goes with which chord or key. In my example, Louie, Louie, it sounds right when I apply box 1 with a root on G. Academically, is this correct? Or is there a better choice? Being new to applying boxes and trying to solo, I have a few very elementary questions. !) In most cases when playing a standard 12 barre blues song with the I, IV, V progression, are you supposed to change boxes when the chords are changed? For example, you are playing in A and your chords are I=A7, IV=D7, and V= E7. I'm a barre chord guy so I usually start out on the 5th fret (A7). Is it correct to use box 1 with the root on the A (or 5th fret on the E string) on all 3 chords?

You can if you want to, and a lot of players do, but you don't have to. I rarely use just box 1 as box 2 is so easy to connect, it helps me to slide up and the fingering becomes easier so I can play faster. But you can also stay in the same position (at the 5th fret) and play box 2 on the I chord, which will give you the major sound and then finish the other two chords with box 1 which will give you the minor sound.
And of course you can play anywhere on the fretboard around the A roots...once your ear is accustomed to the sound of the box 1 scale, you will instinctively know which box/pattern you give you that scale.
 

giayank

Just another day in paradise
To chime in to this lesson what I am presently working on is to change to the root note of the chord that is being played not necessarily changing boxes . The I the IV and the V root notes are in each box shape . So what I'm focusing on is to find the spot on the fretboard that sounds like a good fit with the tone of the backing track and practice landing on the note of the chord change just a touch before the change happens . The box one and two shapes have two sets of these notes all on the upper four strings al within six frets of each other .one reason there so popular .
 

mpaq

Canfield, Ontario, Canada
To chime in to this lesson what I am presently working on is to change to the root note of the chord that is being played not necessarily changing boxes . The I the IV and the V root notes are in each box shape . So what I'm focusing on is to find the spot on the fretboard that sounds like a good fit with the tone of the backing track and practice landing on the note of the chord change just a touch before the change happens . The box one and two shapes have two sets of these notes all on the upper four strings al within six frets of each other .one reason there so popular .

I think that's referred to as Chord Tone Soloing. I think this whole process (for me anyway) is evolutionary in that the boxes are a good foundation and make it easier to see the other perspectives like what you are doing, and blues shapes etc. Griff doesn't play boxes per sey either, but he teaches them, I think for good reason....they're a lot easier to get your head around, then you can expand on that as you progress.
 
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