In this lesson we will make a start on learning Key Signatures.???

Throughout a piece of music it is sometimes necessary to play some melody notes as SHARPS and others as FLATS.? To save the trouble of writing sharps and flats continuously right throughout a piece, a Key Signature is indicated at the Beginning of each stave to tell you that any notes occurring in the key signature are to be played flat or sharp right through the whole piece, even though the sharp or flat sign is not written against the actual notes effected in each bar.?

Without exception, key signatures consist of one or more sharps or one or more flats.? There is no such thing as a key signature made up of some sharps and some flats.? A key signature must have either sharps or flats, not both.?

The key signature should be written at the beginning of each stave throughout a piece in the Treble Clef and Bass Clef.? The key signature of every piece is always written directly after the Treble and Bass Clef signs, just before the TIME SIGNATURE.?

The effect of a key signature applies right through a piece unless it is changed by a different one being introduced, which is unusual.? You will remember that the same applied to the time signature.? In popular music it is the usual thing for one key signature to apply to the entire piece.? Notwithstanding, Some very nice variations are introduced in some pieces when the composer changes the key signature part of the way through a piece, so, in order to be able to cope with these, it is a good idea to get a good understanding of key signatures.?

The function of a key signature is to tell you what 'key' a piece is written in. (not making much sense yet is it?)? stick with it!!?

Once you know what 'key' a piece is written in you will know what notes in the piece are to be played as sharps or flats.? You will know this automatically without having to look for sharp or flat signs as you go along.?

There are twelve different key signatures, - but don't panic, - many are only ever found in classical pieces.? Popular music is usually written in one of the most favored five key signatures.? You will learn these in easy stages starting with the easiest.

The first key signature for us to consider is the one that we have been using thus far.? The key of C.? There is nothing difficult about this one as there are no sharps or flats in it.? It follows, therefore, that there is no mark at the beginning indicating which notes are sharp or flat.?

The key of C is indicating by leaving out all sharp and flat signs after the Clef.? Any piece written in the key of C can be identified by the absence of sharp or flat signs before the time signature,? like this:?

THE KEY OF C?

Although there are no sharps or flats in this key signature, an occasional note in a piece may still be sharpened or flattened and if that is the case the sharp or flat sign would be written in the bar concerned before the note effected.? It is then treated as discussed in lesson 4.? In this case only the notes in that bar are effected.?

If you now look back over your first piece you will tell at a glance that it has been written in the key of C because there is no key signature after the Clef sign.

SCALES.?

Now, before you screw your nose up, let's find out how scales can be very helpful in understanding key signatures.?

As you learn the various new key signatures I will give you a diagram indicating the notes involved in each particular key.? Now, you are not going to get involved in monotonous and boring scale sequences so relax.? It is, however, essential for you to understand the scales associated with each key signature.? The explanations will be interesting and instructive.? You need not study them at length if you are satisfied with your progress.?

If you know the sequence of the notes involved in each scale it will be easy for you to play any piece of music in any? key.? Knowledge of the scales also helps when learning new chords and is a great aid in adding the extra little twiddly bits that makes your music so much more interesting.

The Meaning Of The Word 'Scale'.?

The word is taken from a Latin word meaning 'a ladder'.? It is a ladder of musical sound on which you progress from one sound to the next in a fixed sequence.?

Are you familiar with the phrase 'Tonic Sol Fah'?? I bet you have heard this before!?

DOH,?? RAY,?? ME,?? FAR,?? SO,?? LA,?? TE,?? DOH.?

If you watched 'A Sound of Music' (and who didn't) you will remember the song:?

??????????????????????????????????? DOH, a deer, a female deer.
??????????????????????????????????? RAY, a drop of golden sun
??????????????????????????????????? ME, a name I call myself
???????????????????????????????????FAR, a long, long way to run
???????????????????????????????????SO, a needle pulling thread
??????????????????????????????????? LA, a note to follow so.
???????????????????????????????? TE, a drink with jam and bread.
???????????????????????????????? That will bring us back to DOH

??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? (Or something like that)

This is Tonic Sol Far.? By singing from low Doh to high Doh a scale is formed and this is what we are going to do but instead of calling the notes Doh Ray Me etc. you will be playing them on your guitar in various keys and giving the notes their correct musical name A, B, C, etc.

The next diagram sets out the scale of C.? All the notes are naturals or whole notes as there are no sharps or flats indicated by the key signature.

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C is the TONIC or starting note.??

Nothing strange about this as you have seen it before.

There are 8 notes in the scale.? The last note is C the same as the first or Tonic note so the top one completes the? OCTAVE (meaning 8).?

As a reminder, observe that the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes in the scale of C are C, E, G.? These 3 notes when played together form the chord of C Major.? You will hear people talk about the 3rd and the 5th of a chord and might wonder how you can have a fifth when there are only 3 notes in the major chord.? Well, this is what is meant, it is the 5th note of the scale.

Other chords can be worked out easily on the scale basis when you come to learn them later on so knowledge of scales is a big help in learning chords and will be a big help to your future progress.

Later on as you play your scales you can also play the corresponding chord to compare the similarity of notes.

Suggested fingering is written along the top for guidance.?
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Once you have tried that a few times try going in reverse.?

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Try this for a few times until you can do it over smoothly.?

Once you have got this working to your satisfaction try combining the ascending and descending scale so that you play up and down with no pause in between.? In this case you can drop off the 2nd C at the top of the scale. Once you know the routine for this one scale, you know it for most of the others.

I know you have done this before but repetition never hurt anybody.

It has been mentioned before that there is no sharp or flat between the B and C or E and F.? That is because the gap between these notes is only a half step anyway.? In any scale of any key there are always two half steps within the scale.? If we consider the scale as a row of 8 number 1 to 8 it would look like this:

1?? 2?? 34? 5?? 6?? 78

It does not matter what the tonic note of the scale is, A to G.? If you count the notes as number you will always find the the steps between 3 and 4 and 7 and 8 are half steps.

Well I have always called them 'reduced scales' but if you want to be absolutely correct they are called pentatonic from the Greek work penta meaning 5 - as in pentagon.

Please do not gloss over pentatonic scales as an understanding of pentatonic scales will improve your playing out of sight particularly when it comes to 'fill ins', embellishments or ad libs.? Most of the popular music today is built on pentatonic scales.

this scale is exactly the same as the normal scale with 2 notes removed.? Those two notes, in the major scale, are always the 4th and the 7th notes.? So your scale of C, instead of being CDEFGABC, becomes CDEGA for the 5 notes plus the C repeated one octave higher.? We will be discussing these in more depth as we progress and you will come to understand their importance but for now why not use this knowledge to add a bit of a flourish to you Home Sweet Home piece.? As it ends in the chord of C try out a little touch of pentatonic scale like this:

e-------------------------------------|----------------------------------------0---|------

b-------------------------------------|----------------1------1---3---1---3------|---1--

g-------------------------0------0---|----2---0---2------2-----------------------|---0--

d--------0---2---0---2------2-------|--------------------------------------------|---2--

a----3-------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|---3--

E------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|------

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I will leave you to work out the tempo but obviously you want it to fit in with your three four timing so think about it in sections of 3 notes plus the chord at the end for a 3 note count.? If you can fit this into the space of 2 bars plus the chord at the end you are doing very well.? If not, don't worry about it, just treat it as practice and a bit of fun.? Remember to practice slowly and aim for accuracy rather than speed.? It will speed up naturally.

This is a common signature in popular music and popular with beginners because it is easy to play so read the explanation carefully so that you will always know how to interpret it in future and note how it differs from the key of C.?

This key signature contains one sharp.? This is always indicated at the beginning of the piece right after the Treble Clef.? The sharp sign is placed on the top line of the stave, which you know is F, indicating that every melody note F must be played as F sharp

The only exception to this rule is if a natural sign precedes the note F in any particular bar.? The natural sign only effects the F notes in that bar and all F notes after that bar must be automatically sharpened because of the influence of the key signature.

In a piece having the key signature of G, notes other than F might be sharpened or flattened in occasional bars according to the composer's wish.? Such notes would be marked accordingly in the particular bar effected.? The indication that ALL F's are to be sharpened is only given in the key signature, at the beginning.? It is necessary for you to take careful notice of the key signature before you start to play.?

Even after taking careful notice it is so very easy to forget as you proceed through the piece, particularly with any new piece you are learning, because you are concentrating hard on reading? the music and there is no sharp sign beside each F to remind you.? You will know you have made a mistake instantly because it will just not sound right.? To avoid this, while learning, why not read through the entire piece and mark each note that must be sharpened with a pencil, put a little plus sign above it so that every time you come across F you will be reminded that it must be sharpened because you are playing in the key of G.

Although the sharp sign is only written on the 5th line it also effects ALL other F notes.? The F note is sharpened whether it was on the 5th line of the stave or in the first space of the stave or on ledger lines above or below the stave.? Every F is sharpened.

Playing the scale of G will help you remember that in the Key of G, note F must be sharpened because if the note is not sharpened the scale sounds very wrong.? Try it without the sharp F and you will be convinced.?? Sing along with your Tonic Sol Far, Doh Ray Me etc. as you play and the significance of the F sharp will really sink in.?

The Scale of G

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?G is the TONIC or starting note.?

Note the appearance of the sharp sign on the 5th line.? This is the key signature of G.?

You will notice that the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of this scale make up the chord of G Major, G, B, D.

The 8th note G is an octave (higher) than the 1st note G
Note where F# is on your fret board (refer to your chart if necessary).? You are going to play GABCDEF#G

The fingering for this scale is not the same as the scale of C so it will be necessary for you to practice it but remember that the F note must be sharpened because of the influence of the key signature.? Once you have got the ascending scale off pat try descending, then put them both together as in the previous example.?

The pentatonic scale is GABDEG.? You notice that the pentatonic always includes the triad notes being GBD in this case.? You can play the scale across the whole 6 strings, over 2 octaves and, in fact, you should as it is a good finger exercise but so much more when you begin to see how chords and scales fit together to add exceptional style to your playing.? Here is a tab for the pentatonic of G.

e-------------------------------------------0---3---

b-----------------------------------0---3-----------

g---------------------------0---2-------------------

d------------------0---2---------------------------

a----------0---2-----------------------------------

E------3------------------------------------------

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In this example the scale is played in what in known as the 'open' position.? When scales or chords take advantage of the open strings (in other words played close to the nut) they are said to be in the open position.? You can tell by the 0s above how many open strings are used in this scale.

Points to remember.?

The key signature only effects the notes written.? It does not effect the harmony notes which you may wish to add below a melody note nor does it change the name of notes in any chord.?

If you were playing in the key of G and had an A melody note with the F chord symbol for example, you know that you could add note F below the melody note as a harmony note.? In this case you must not sharpen the F note as there is no F sharp in the chord of F.? You would sound a discord.? Remember that sharps or flats in a key signature do not effect harmony notes and only makes a change to the written note.

Sharp or flat signs in every key signature change ALL the notes effected no matter where they are written in the stave.? The sharp in the G key signature is written on the 5th line of the stave which is F but it also effects any note F elsewhere on the stave.

In certain pieces, notes made sharp or flat by the key signature may be changed back to naturals in certain bars.? In such cases, the natural sign would be used (see lesson 4) to cancel the key signature temporarily.

How are you getting on with your latest piece?? If you know how to play it correctly that is the main thing even though you may make an occasional mistake.? On the other hand, if there are points that you have still not grasped please give more time to them before you proceed.?

It is amazing how one can try a thing several times without success, then leave it for a while, go back and then understand it much better.? If at any time you come to something connected with playing that you cannot improve on after you have given it reasonable practice, leave it temporarily and try again a few days later.? This break will clear the matter up for you so much so that you will wonder why it ever caused you trouble in the first place.?

Don't be disappointed about mistakes made, after all you are still comparatively new to playing and so cannot expect to play without some mistakes.? All players, no matter how good, make mistakes and having made them - learn from them.? You can expect to make your share of mistakes so when it happens correct them as you go along and you will be surprised at your progress.?

Try to overcome any feelings that you don't like it or are a bit bored with it and treat it as a learning tool.? Once you have grasped the basic concepts there will be plenty of time to get into more exciting stuff and you will play new pieces much better because you invested the time learning the basics.?

In learning the basics for one piece you will gain the knowledge necessary to be able to apply this skill to other pieces of your own accord and thus improve you playing tremendously.? It is entirely up to you how you apply the new things you learn.? This process of self improvement can result in you soon having a good repertoire of pieces which you can play in a most pleasing manner.??

If you would like to work on improving your piece "Home Sweet Home"? by adding chord notes and extending the melody, you can get your updated "Finale" copy by opening HomeSweetHome.MUS

Here is a description for playing "Home Sweet Home" with chord notes added:

Bar 1.? The melody note is E.? As the chord for the bar is C, notes of that chord can be added below the melody note.? You select harmony notes from the chord notes, C, E, or G.? E is already the melody note so you are left with C and G.? In this case we have chosen to add C below the melody note and play the 2 note chord E & C.? Use finger 1 on E and 2 on C and play both together.

Bar 2.? Leave fingers 1 and 2 where they are.? The melody note is F, played with 3 and as this is not one of the notes in the G chord, you do not add harmony notes.? The 2nd note is G, open and as it is a crotchet note, chord notes are not added.

Bar 3.? G is the melody note and the chord is C.? The chord notes available to add are E & C.? To make a 2 note chord, E is selected because finger 1 is already on it..? Play?E with finger 1 and G open.

Bar 4.? The chord is still C and the melody is E.? C is selected because your finger 2 is already on it so play C & E together as you count 1 and keep the notes sounding for the 2nd count.? On the 3rd count play G as a single note as it is a crotchet.

Bar 5 & 6.? Chord notes are not added as the melody notes are either crotchets or not part of the G chord. Play F with 3.?? Then open D

Bar 7.? Same as Bar 4 and hold them for the extra beat as you are now playing a dotted minim worth 3 counts.

Bar 8.? For the 1st beat notes E & C are tied over from the previous bar.? Chord notes are not added to the crotchet notes C and D.

Bar 9.? Same as bar 1.? Bar 10.? Same as bar 2.? Bar 11.? Same as bar 3.? Bar 12.? Same as bar 4.? Bar 13.? Same as bar 5.? Bar 14.? Same as bar 6.??

Bar 15.? Chord notes are not added.

Bar 16.? Make sure? you understand the meaning of the tie sign which was explained in a previous lesson.? Note C is kept sounding over from bar 15 for 2 beats then play G on the 3rd Beat.

Bar 17.? 3 note chords are now introduced.? The melody note is C with F chord.? The notes of the chord are FAC.? As C is the melody note you add A & F.? Remember, never add chord notes above the melody note.? The melody note must always be the highest sounding note.? Play the F with 3, the A with 2 and the C melody with 1.? Strum the 3 slowly but within the timing for a nice sound.

Bar 18.? Chord notes are not added because the first melody note B, open, is not a part of the F chord and the 2nd note is a crotchet, A played with 2..

Bar 19.? The melody note is G and the chord is C.? C chord comprises of CEG.? You are already using G as the melody so you add E & C to obtain the 3 note chord.? Using fingers 1 and 2 as you did before. and hold them in position

Bar 20.? E is the melody note and C is the chord.? Note C is added below the melody note to obtain a 2 note chord.? You played these notes as part of the chord in bar 19 so all you have to do is omit the G and make a separate sound of E & C.? The second melody note is G and as it is a crotchet chord notes are not added.

Bar 21.? & 22.? Same as bars 13 & 14.

Bar 23.? Same as bar 7.

Bar 24.? The chord notes from bar 23 are tied over and continued for the 1st and 2nd counts.? On the 3rd count play note G.

Bar 25.? Same as bar 17.

Bar 26. Same as bar 18

Bar 27.? Same as bar 19.? If you wish try a spaced harmony 2 note chord instead.? Simply omit the middle note E.

Bar 28.? Same as bar 20.

Bar 29. & 30.? Same as bars 13 & 14.

Bar 31.? To make the finish more pronounced the usual melody note has been given the same treatment as before.? Play C as you count 1, E as you count 2 and G as you count 3.? Usually the melody note in the bar is C,? a dotted minim.? As it is leading up to the finish the other notes of the C chord have been selected to make up a fill in.? By knowing your chords well and understanding the notes involved you can use fill ins to add improvements to your future pieces.

Bar 32.? Same as you normally play it.

This little tune is excellent for teaching you to keep your fingers out of the way of other strings so as to produce a clear, ringing sound.? It also teaches you how to minimize finger movement.? You will notice how, in some places you do not even have to move your fingers.? Give it some attention and turn it into a delightful tune which is a pleasure to listen to.

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General Rules For Adding Chord Notes.?

It will be helpful to put you in the picture by explaining some general rules that will enable you to improve other pieces on your own.

1.? For the time being you do not add chord notes if the melody note is not one of the notes in the chord.? If the chord was G and the melody note A, Chord notes would not be added because the notes in the G chord are GBD.? Obviously A is not one of these 3 notes so no harmony notes are added.

2.? Until your fingers become more accustomed to playing more than one note at a time in the treble, chord notes should only be added to melody notes that occur as semibreve, dotted minims or minims.? Chord notes can be added to crotchets etc. as you become more proficient.? The thing to remember in this regard is that the adding of chord notes is optional.? You do not have to add them to each and every note in a piece.

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3.? Variety can be obtained by using chords in some sections of a piece and single notes in other sections.? Several alternatives are open to you.? They are
???????????????? a.? Single notes for the 1st 16 bars
????????????????????? Chord notes added to the next 8 bars
????????????????????? Single notes for the final 8 bars.
???????????????? b.? Chord notes added for the 1st 16 bars

????????????????????? Single notes for the next 8 bars

????????????????????? Chord notes added for the final 8 bars

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???????????????? c.? Single notes for the 1st 16 bars

????????????????????? One chord note added for the next 8 bars

????????????????????? 2 chord notes added for the final 8 bars.?

Chord fingering.?

The best fingering to use will become evident to you with playing experience.? No hard and fast rules can be laid down as each individual player has their own preferences.? generally any fingering combination is correct provided it makes for easy movement from one note to the next.? The most important thing is to always make sure you play correct notes.? Here are some hints which might help.?

1.? If the melody notes are going higher in the stave it means your fingers have to travel to the higher notes.? Therefore, if you are playing a 2 note chord, start off using those fingers which will allow allow other fingers to move up the fret board as the melody gets higher

2. If the melody notes are going lower it means your fingers have to move to the lower notes so leave fingers free to get to the lower notes

A repeat note chord, which is what is usually played on guitar, is a 4, 5 or 6 note chord.? It involves repeating the top melody note one octave lower. When playing the 3 note chord C, A and F.? If the C melody note was also added one octave down you would be playing C, A, F, C.? This is a 4 note chord using the same notes as found in the chord of F with one note added.?

If you played C, G and E.?with a C melody note, repeat C one octave down and you have the four note chord C, G, E, C which is the C chord with one note added.?

Play repeat note chords just mentioned and compare them with the three note chord.? Which do you prefer?? Repeat note chords are optional at the players discretion.? As a rule repeat note chords are preferred on guitar but you may wish to eliminate a repeat note in some bars for variation

You now have the knowledge to improve some previous pieces so go through them at leisure adding some two and three note chords.? This is excellent practice and will? imprint indelibly on your mind the procedure for adding chord notes to melody notes.?<?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O /><O:P> </O:P>

Do not be afraid to attempt to improve pieces of your own accord just because you may find that at first it requires a little bit of thinking and concentration.? The steps to follow are clearly outlined in this lesson and you will gain maximum benefit by working out your own improvements for various pieces.?<O:P> </O:P>

If you are having trouble because you don't know the built up chords, slow down and devote just 5 minutes to the bars that give trouble and you will be amazed at how quickly you will get the hang of it.? Remember to practice slowly and carefully - the tempo will pick up once you know the piece.?<O:P> </O:P>

Thoroughly acquaint yourself with the KEY SIGNATURES so that you will avoid errors in future pieces.