Guitar Music Theory. Music Theory for Guitar in a Nutshell.

Guitar Music Theory...
"rocket fuel" for guitarists

Have you been trying to solve the riddle of guitar music theory? These guitar lessons are practical and easy to understand. Don't waste any more time learning theory that won't improve your guitar playing.

Most music theory is presented in a manner that is dry. And nobody tells you how to actually apply it. It's usually been put together by a classical "conservatory" or a jazz school.

There's nothing wrong with that, except that it doesn't usually help most guitarists. Nowadays there are so many styles of music that can be fun to play. Whether it's rock, blues or world beat influences, we need something that "cuts to the chase". Theory we can use to get better as guitar players.

Another obstacle is that a lot of guitar players don't read music notation. This is understandable because of how we learn guitar. We basically see shapes and patterns on the fretboard. Plus, TAB is so "cheap and easy" ;-)

That being said, I personally feel that if you really want to improve as a guitarist you need to buckle down at some point and learn the names of the notes on the various strings. That will really help you to apply the guitar music theory you learn here.

Is Guitar Music Theory for You?

Are you truly ready for theory? If you consider yourself to be an "intermediate" or even "early advanced" guitar player and some of the following statements apply to you, you're ready!

You're tired of playing the same licks and chord progressions.

You feel frustrated with not really knowing what you're playing.

You're overwhelmed and intimidated by all the theoretical jargon you hear when you try to learn something new on guitar.

You've studied a traditional form of theory in the past but don't know how to apply it to your guitar playing.

You're passionate and willing to buckle down right now.

It Takes Some Work...but it's not that hard. The lessons are presented in logical order. Some of it may seem different to what you've heard. But that's only because so many music teachers end up repeating the "party line". Remember... this is guitar music theory. It's designed for you to use with your guitar playing.

I strongly suggest going through the lessons in the order they're presented. If you already know some of the material, at least "skim" through those sections. You can never know it too well :-)

Some Tools You'll Need

KeyboardGuitarPencil and paperOpen mind

As far as the keyboard goes, don't panic. If you don't have one, try and find an inexpensive one. Keyboards are extremely useful with understanding music. Especially when it comes to music theory for guitar.

If you can't get one, don't worry. Some of the guitar lesson videos have a keyboard in them. It will help you in at least being able to "visualize" the keyboard.

This is important because most of the music you'll ever deal with is organized from a keyboard's perspective. You'll see this when you get to those guitar theory lessons that use a keyboard in the video. Oh...and one more thing. As far as we're concerned, chords and lead guitar are the same thing at the end of the day.

The Lessons

Guitar Fretboard
When it comes to the guitar fretboard you need a solid grasp of these 3 concepts