Author: Music

If you choose to dig into music theory (which can be very helpful but not required to play or write music) then you’re going to be searching out ways to learn.
You can choose a school, books, websites, teachers and so forth. There are tons of resources out there for you so I am not going to go into it in depth.

However I would like to touch on really the most important part which you MUST understand since it’s a foundational understanding that all the theory will be built upon.

Once you get it down, and it’s actually pretty simple, but a lot of books and courses tend to assume you’ll get it and they seem to forget there was a time they didn’t understand it, so they (some of them) speak in a language that doesn’t make it crystal clear and that’s why I am posting this.

The thing that everything rests upon is:

THE DEGREES OF THE SCALE.

The degrees of the scale are merely numbers assigned to the notes instead of letters and symbols (such as A which means it’s an A, A# which means it’s an A sharp or a Bb meaning it’s a B flat)

BUT… while an A or A# or any other NOTE NAME always stays the same (an A is an A is an A and only an A), the DEGREE it is given depends on which note (an A or C or whatever) the scale you are talking starts on.
Read that again.
The C Major Scale starts on the note C.
The A# (A Sharp) Major Scale starts on the note A#.
The Fb (F Flat) Major Scale starts on the note Fb.

And so forth.

The note the scale you are talking of is the letter (and maybe the # or b symbol).

Now, please NOTE, we are talking the Major Scale which will then be how we apply degree numbers to the notes and then all other scales, chord progressions etc.

So, if we are talking the C Major Scale, the scale starts on the note letter C.

Therefor the note C is the 1st degree.

It is only the 1st degree for the C Major Scale, if we were talking another Major Scale (say the A Major Scale), the A would be the 1st degree, and the note C would NOT be the first degree.

It’s like if were talking your house and the houses relative to your house. If your house (call it C) is where home base is, (the 1, home, key, or scale), then we’ll call C #1 or the 1st degree.

But if I live up the street a couple houses and we are talking my house as relative to your house… I am NOT #1, my house would be a number RELATIVE TO YOURS BY HOW MANY HOUSES AWAY.

If, on the other hand, we are talking about how everything relates to MY house and MY house (call it F) is where home base is, (the 1, home, key, or scale), then we’ll call F #1 or the 1st degree.

If someone just says “the scale” they have not told you enough info for you to know what “home” they are talking.
You not only need to know WHAT type scale (Major, minor, etc), but you need to know what the “root, key, 1st degree” is (C, A#, FB, etc).
(I am using different words to the 1st degree because you will find people using different terms, but root, key, the 1st degree, the 1, all mean the note the scale starts on)

Hopefully you’re clear on what I said above.

And a quick aside… scales are specific notes that tend to sound good together especially over specific chord progressions, when played you can start on any note and even stretch outside the scale but that’s a different issue but needed to be said.

The 1st degree of the scale is the 1st note, the note the scale has the letter of (which could be A, Bb, F# etc)

So, if you want to know the notes of the C Major Scale for example and how to assign them numbers (Degrees), then you already know the 1st degree or the 1 which is…

C.

You got it.

It might seem as if I am laboring this, but if you don’t get this, NONE of the rest of theory will make any sense at all.

So, we know how the scale needs to be identified to then know how to assign numbers to the note letter names.

The C Major Scale has C as the one.

The complete C Major Scale is:

C D E F G A B and then an octave higher in pitch is the same note name C again.

C is the 1st degree, or the 1.
D is the 2nd degree (of the C Major Scale, NOT any other Major scale,  remember since it’s all relative to the 1)
E is the 3
F is the 4
G is the 5
A is the 6
B is the 7
C (an octave higher than where we started) is called 1 (not 8, it’s the same note name, therefor the same number. Higher notes than that can be called higher numbers but let’s just stick to what we’re on now)

If looking at a piano keyboard, it’s all the white keys for the C Major scale and is the ONLY Major Scale that is only white keys.

They are a specific “distance” from other piano keys or frets on a guitar. Some are right next to each other, some skip a key or fret.
The “distance” is always the same from the 1st degree to the 2nd degree and so forth and the color of the piano keys (white or black) doesn’t change that.

So, what if we are looking at the C# (C Sharp) Major Scale?

Well, now C# is the 1.
D# is the 2 (remember, it’s relative to the 1, you have to know the 1 just like knowing your house is home base)
F is the 3
F# is the 4
G# is the 5
A# is the 6
C is the 7
C# is the 1

You can do that with any Major Scale, be is A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G or G#.

BTW, “#” notes (Sharp) can also be called “b” notes (Flat)
And A# is the same as a Bb.
It’s the same piano key or guitar fret, but called sharp or flat.

Also, a HALF STEP is notes, piano keys, frets right next to each other, a WHOLE STEP is notes with a note, piano key, fret between the 2 you are looking at and that does not matter if the piano keys are black or white.

The “distance” meaning how many piano keys, frets away from each other for the Major Scale is:

You have to determine the 1st degree scale you are figuring out, then go UP in pitch a whole step (2 keys, or 2 frets) to get to the 2nd degree.
If we are talking the C Major Scale, C is the 1, D (two frets or piano keys up in pitch) is the 2nd degree.
Another whole step to find the 3.
A half step (one piano key or fret) to find the 4.
A whole step to the 5.
A whole step to the 6.
A whole step to the 7.
And a half step to the octave higher pitch 1.

W = Whole Step
H = Half Step

A way to remember those distances is:

FROM the 1st degree..

W-W-H-W-W-W-H

put another way:

1 then W to 2
2 W to 3
3 H to 4
4 W to 5
5 W to 6
6 W to 7
7 H to 1

Two Wholes and a Half, Three Wholes and a Half FROM the 1 or first degree.

You will find people calling some notes sharps and flats when you wouldn’t think they are called that.
You’ll also find people saying it’s a flat and specifically not calling it a sharp and on and on and on with the language and that’s beyond the intended scope of this post.

You’ll also notice I didn’t name the notes by a degree number such as the note between the 2 and 3 (which are a Whole Step from each other), that can be called a b3 or a minor 3rd, again that’s not the focus of this post.
You can build knowledge on your own or with others,

I just want to make sure you know that you have to know what note is the 1 (root, key, home base, whatever you want to call it) before you can determine what the other degrees are and then beyond that.

There are scales with different “formulas” of distance between notes than the Major Scale, but the Major Scale is how we name the degrees.

If you get into theory it can be very helpful IF you remember the distance between the notes is relative to the 1 which can be whatever you or someone who wrote a piece chooses.

Chord names based on degrees of the scale, notes in chords, chord progressions will all depend on you knowing the 1 of the scale you are talking and the relative distance between notes to determine the degrees of the scale.

That may seem obvious especially once you’re used to knowing even basic theory, but the 1st book I bought on theory, even though they said it was for beginners, didn’t explain it very well at all and I actually thought because of the lack of explanation that they guy was saying “The Major Seventh Chord) was always a type of B chord while in reality it ONLY is The Major Seventh Chord in the key of C Major.
That messed me up big time, and it would have helped if he had maybe talked more on the degrees and how everything is relative to WHICH NOTE is the root, the 1 or whatever you want to call it.

So that’s why this loooong post on something most people just say real quick.

THEN once you have this down you can apply the degrees to formulas or take a formula and figure out chord progressions, notes in chords, different scales etc, and the scale you’re talking may change if you’re talking chord progressions, as opposed to how to determine what notes are in a chord but this post is just so that you name the degrees correctly (for example the key you are in uses the numbers you assigned but the chords themselves will use the degrees of the chord note name (say an E Major or B minor) to determine what notes are in that chord.
I thought I should add that but for now just now know how to determine the proper degrees of the scale, I’m not digging into how to apply degrees or when you look at degrees of something that is not the key.

Hope it helps, if not look for other ways of learning.

Enjoy you music if you apply theory or not!

Drop me a line if you have any question.

Thanks and Peace.

---

To visit the home page with the links, etc please click here.

To see the full list of posts, look for where it says “Recent Posts”

---

Question:

Do I need to know music theory and how to read music to make music?

Answer:

NO !

You do not NEED to know theory or how to read. It can help but is NOT required.

I have known and met so many people who were pushed away from music and/or were made to look at it as all work and no fun because they were pushed by someone or people to learn how to read and heard people keep saying “That’s not right” so they moved away from it and never played since then and that’s sad and wrong.

Now, I am not pointing my finger and saying those that want people to know how to read and know theory are bad, no, not at all, those skills are or can be very helpful. What I am saying is for those that avoid music thinking it will take forever to learn, stop putting it off even if you tried in the past, quit putting it off and start up.

The keys may be quickest at making something that sounds musical, or at least quicker than a guitar or horn or drums, but just choose something like keys and don’t feel like you have to learn both hands at once. If you want to go far with it then you may want a more focused approach, but if you’d just like to make something musical keys can be best. Actually an autoharp is real easy, look those up.

I’ll expand a bit on this some in the future, offer ideas and suggestions but the main thing is decide to start… and start!

2 important things to keep in mind are:
1) Don’t compare yourself to others. If you want to play and want to copy songs do not be so focused on how you sound different from the recording of the original song and make sure to listen to how much it DOES sound like the song.
I have known people that sound great and they grumble how it doesn’t sound like this or that person or song and they are just putting their playing under the microscope and not sitting back and seeing it’s way closer than they think, so… don’t compare yourself to others.
and
2) Listen to what you play or record for what it is, not what you thought you’d play or record.
It may be great but you were thinking of a different type of song and are not living the moment, not listening to it as if you were a listener who doesn’t even know what you the player were thinking of.
Listen to yourself for what it is, not some imaginary plan.

Please note I am NOT saying theory and reading is useless, no, I am saying it’s not necessary to get started.

The only other thing I should add is while you want to play freely, it will serve you best if you (at least some of the time) to try to focus on efficiency and accuracy.
Don’t lift your fingers more than you need to (or whatever fits that instrument) and don’t keep accepting that you hit notes you weren’t aiming for. Habits can be formed that can be waaaay harder to fix once you’re used to it (sometimes called “muscle memory”) instead of “programming” in the proper efficient movements.
A good teacher can help on those things, but if you’re going this alone, think efficiency, accuracy, posture, etc.

Ok, now that’s it for now.

Don’t think about being a musician, BE ONE!

Starting asap.

Drop me a line if you have questions or want to talk.

Peace.

---

To visit the home page with the links, etc please click here.

To see the full list of posts, look for where it says “Recent Posts”

---