This is the C major scale. We will be using this to work out the modes for the C major home key:

C D E F G A B C

C Ionian

Ionian is the simplest mode. It is just a fancy name for Major. So, The Ionian mode for C major is just C major:

C D E F G A B C

C Lydian

This Scale is basically the Harmonic minor starting on the Relative major. In other words, A harmonic Minor Starting on a C note. This means you have to move everything up 3 notes, which means that instead of having a sharp 7th, you would have a sharp 4th. This has a distinctive sound that is hard to describe. It's not quite minor and it's not quite major. It sounds as if it is half way in between. The notes in the scale are:

C D E F# G A B C

C Mixolydian

This scale is the same as the major scale, only it has a flattened 7th. This means that it is no longer the harmonized major scale, but is now the melodic major scale, or the Mixolydian mode. This scale sounds major until the 7th (which is now minor) ascending, and descending it sounds minor until the 2nd. This gives it a strange feel:

C D E F G A Bb C

C Dorian

This scale is the same as the Mixolydian scale, only it has a flat 3rd. This makes it sound again even more minor than before, but it isn't quite there yet. This is a very nice sounding mode and is used often by professional musicians:

C D Eb F G A Bb C

C Aeolian

The Aeolian mode is the first scale to reach minor. In fact, it is exactly that. The relative minor. It has a flat 3rd, 6th and 7th which is the formula for the natural minor. This is one of the basic scales and is easy to pick out when heard, as it is quite a natural sounding collection, hence the name:

C D Eb F G Ab Bb C

C Phrygian

The Phrygian scale is the next step up form minor, and sounds Spanish. This scale has four flats - the 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th. This scale is used a lot in classical music.

C Db Eb F G Ab Bb C

C Locrian

The Locrian scale Is the final mode, and is also the most unusual of them all. Since it is the mode for the 7th degree of the scale, it is based on a half diminished chord, unlike the rest which are based on either major or minor chords. To make the half diminished element of the scale, we need to add in a flat 5th, which gives the scale a total of 5 flattened notes - the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th and 7th.

C Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C

Modal Formulae

sharps flats

Lydian - 4th

Mixolydian - 7th

Dorian - 3rd, 7th

Aeolian - 3rd, 6th, 7th

Phrygian - 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th

Locrian - 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th

Ionian -

The first time signature I will explain is 4/4. This is the most common time signature, and is also the easiest to understand, as it is synchronized with our natural rhythm.

This is a selection of simple rhythms that can be used in the 4/4 time signature. The first is simple, one Crochet on each beat of the bar. This would be played as a simple 1, 2, 3, 4, in succession. You just count, in equal increments, from 1 to 4, then back to 1 again to start the next bar!

'1, 2, 3, 4'

The second is two Minim beats on the first and third of the bar, which would be played as, "1 & 2 &". The & is in there because Minims are twice the length of a crotchet, so we have to count the first two beats of the bar as one beat.

'1, &, 2, &',

'1, 2, 3, 4'

The third rhythm is a mixture of both the above, starting with two crochets on the first two beats, then one minim holding over the final two beats of the bar.

'1, 2, 3, &'

'1, 2, 3, 4'

In the fourth rhythm I have introduced Quavers. These last only half a crotchet, and so the & will act as the second half of the beat.

'1, 2 & 3, 4 &'

'1, 2--, 3, 4--'

The fifth rhythm notated here is more difficult to count in 4/4, as it has a quaver Tied Across One of the Beats. This would be counted as

'1 & 2 &, & 4 &'.

'1--, 2-, 3--, 4--'

A little bit confusing, but easy when you get the hang of it. You just need to pause where the tie-line connects the notes, making them into one Crotchet.

There are also more complicated ways to notate rhythms in 4/4, including using Triplets and Swing time.

The first rhythm here is a Triplet Rhythm, notated using triplet Brackets over quavers. These work by taking One Third from the note, leaving it only 2/3 the length it would normally be. The two thirds lost from two of the notes can be added on at the end using one more triplet note, creating three triplet notes that fill the space of two full length notes. This would be written as:

'123, 1--, 1--, 123'

'1---, 2--, 3--, 4---'

The 123 here should be counted Within the Time Space of One Crotchet. This can take a while to get the hang of, so to help I'll say this. Think of pirate music.

There is an easier way to write triplets without using triplet brackets. I will show how this is done later using Compound Time.

The second rhythm is a Swing time rhythm. This is created by using one elongated note followed by a shortened note, creating a relaxed triplet style rhythm.

'1&2, 1&2, 1&2, 1&2'

'1---, 2--, 3--, 4--'

The 1, the & and the 2 are all of the same length in this example. As you can see from the notation above, I have introduced two new concepts. One is Dotted Notes and the other is Semi Quavers. These are the building blocks of Swing! A dot after a note means that the note needs to be extended by one half of its length, meaning that a dotted quaver is as long as one quaver and one semi quaver. A semi quaver is half the length of one quaver. This is the same as triplet quavers, but the middle note is extended as part of the first, and the third is left as it is. Triplets and dotted notes make slightly different time variations, but the effect remains the same.

Some more common simple time signatures include 3/4 and 5/4.

3/4 is much like 4/4, except that it has one less crochet beat per bar. "1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3".

5/4 is also similar, but instead of missing one crochet beat it has one added on top.

'1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5'. An easier way to count this is "1, 2, 3, 1, 2,/ 1, 2, 3, 1, 2".

As mentioned before, all the above time signatures are all common time. There is also another type of time signature, known as compound time. It is called compound time because it can be counted as a combination of two or more simple time signatures, as if they have just been compounded together. Here is an example:

123, 123, 123, 123.

1---, 2---, 3---, 4---.

This is an example of 12/8, meaning 12 Quavers Per Bar. If it were notated in a 4/4 bar it would be written as 4 sets of triplet quavers, but in compound time it is written simply as 12 quavers, like this:

There is no need for the triplet markers, as they are already given this effect from the 12/8 time signature. This makes it easier to notate music in triplet forms.

Another advantage of compound time signatures is that you can write in more odd timings than in simple time, as you can make smaller changes to the length of the bar using smaller note differences. These note differences could not be notated in simple time, as there are not enough variations to accommodate the strange note patterns.

In the above example, you can see I have used 13/8, 7/8 and 15/16. These are all compound time signatures that have an Odd Number of Notes. In a compound time signature, if there is an odd number on the top of the signature then it cannot be broken down into a more simple time signature.

For example, in 13/8 there are 13 quavers per bar. If I wanted to write this in a simple time signature, I would have to write it as 6 and a half/4. As you can see this doesn't really work and makes the time signature more difficult to understand, and that is why we need more complicated compound time signatures in order to notate more difficult and odd timed rhythms.

In 15/16, it is even impossible to break it down into other compound time signatures, as you would be cutting the quavers into halves!

Here are some examples of rhythms you could use in some odd timed compound time signatures.

Don't try this at home, kids!

And now finally, this is one of my favourite time signatures. It is a compound time signature that sounds similar to 5/4, but it is one semi-quaver longer. It is written as 21/16, and I have written many melodies to this time signature. Here is one of the rhythms I use when writing in this time signature.

This is a very complicated rhythm as it involves triplets in an odd compound time signature. It is difficult to count out without hearing it first, as it is unusual and doesn't seem like a natural rhythm. It takes practice to become fluent in these kinds of time signatures, and it is something I have been practicing for a long time. Experimentation is the best way to discover more rhythms and time signatures, and most of the fun comes from trying to work out what you just played!

Music theory is exactly how it sounds like. It’s the theory behind music. How it works and what is the point of it. We will look at a piano to discuss theory because it is the most simple.

The piano is set up with white keys and black keys. A white to a black key is considered a half step and a white to a white key is a whole step. The only exception is from B to C and E to F. These are 2 sets white keys that are always together. This is because B sharp is C flat. They are the same thing. A black key is always a sharp and a flat. It isn’t either/or because one note’s sharp is another’s flat. For example A sharp is the same as B flat. To get to a sharp you go up one half step or to the next key. To get to a sharp you go back one half step, or to the next key.

Notes are Everything in Music. Without a Note there is no Sound. Our Notes go From A - G

The notes ranging from A - G with sharps. A, A sharp, B, C, C sharp, D, D sharp, E, F, F sharp, G, G sharp.

The notes ranging from A - G with flats. A, B flat, B, C, D flat, D, E flat, E, F, G flat, G, A flat.

Scales:

Scales are the single most important part of theory. You need to know how to make a scale and how to play them on the instrument you own. A major scale is 8 notes and the first and last note are always the same. The formula for a scale is whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step. We will take the C major scale for example. The C scale is this:

C D E F G A B C

Take a look at the scale. Do you see the pattern?

• C to D is a whole step.
• D to E is a whole step.
• E to F is a half step.
• F to G is a whole step.
• G to A is a whole step.
• A to B is a whole step.
• B to C is a half step.

C is the only major scale to have no sharps or flats in it. This pattern can be down with any note. At the very end of this article I will have all the major scales for you. The next type of scale I will explain is a minor scale. To make a minor scale all you have to do is flat the third. This is very simple. For C the E would be E flat and that’s it. There are many other scales you need to learn. These include Dorian, pentatonic, and many others. There just isn’t enough time for me to go through and explain every single one. One other thing you must know is an octave. An octave is from one note down the scale to the same note. So in the C scale that would be going from C to C. In the A scale it’s A to A.

Chords:

Chords are the next step in theory. Chords are more than one note played together. To make a chord you play the first, third, and fifth note of the scale. For a C chord that would mean C, E, and G. At the end I will put all the major chords with their scales. There are many different chords. Major chords, minor chords, 7th chords, 6th chords, and many other different notes. It some are very complicated and others are very simple. For example to make a 7th chord you add the 7th note of the scale. A minor chord has a flatted 3rd. Things such as 6/9th chords and minor 7th flat 5 are much more complicated. One thing that is very useful about chords and scales is that with this knowledge you can more easily figure out the chords in a song. Songs generally have the 1st , 4th, and 5th chord in it. So if you figure out that the song has a C chord in it, then you can try to play an F and a G chord to see if the song is in the key of C. So this is why theory is important. It helps you find the key of songs. You can also use this knowledge to help improvise. You can play the C scale during a part of the song that’s in the key of C. With all these little bits of knowledge about theory you can improve your playing skills, your improvising skills, and you will be able to figure songs out quicker and easier.

Scales and Chords:

C

• Scale - C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C
• Chord - C, E, G

C sharp/D flat

• Scale - C sharp, D sharp, F, F sharp, G sharp, A sharp, C, sharp
• Chord - C sharp, F, G sharp

D

• Scale - D, E, F sharp, G, A, B, C sharp, D
• Chord - D, F sharp, A

D sharp/ E flat

• Scale - D sharp, F, G, G sharp, A sharp, C, D, D sharp
• Chord - D sharp, G, A sharp

E

• Scale - E, F sharp, G sharp, A, B, C sharp, D sharp, E
• Chord - E, G sharp, B

F

• Scale - F, G, A, A sharp, C, D, E, F
• Chord - F, A, C

F sharp/G flat

• Scale - F sharp, G sharp, A sharp, B, C sharp, D sharp, F, F sharp
• Chord - F sharp, A sharp, C sharp

G

• Scale - G, A, B, C, D, E, F sharp, G
• Chord - G, B, D

G sharp/A flat

• Scale - G sharp, A sharp, C, C sharp, D sharp, F, G, G sharp
• Chord - G sharp, C, D sharp

A

• Scale - A, B, C sharp, D, E, F sharp, G sharp, A
• Chord - A, C sharp, E

A sharp/B flat

• Scale - A sharp, C, D, D sharp, F, G, A, A sharp
• Chord - A sharp, D, F

B

• Scale - B, C sharp, D sharp, E, F sharp, G sharp, A sharp, B
• Chord - B, D sharp, F sharp

I wrote an article on Triond not too long ago about how to improvise. The instrument you play doesn't matter, as music is a constant. There are rules, and certain things work, and others won't. Of course that also depends on your perception of what sounds good. For instance if you were to play a chord on a bass guitar, you might find it more pleasing to your ear if you play it in the higher range.(If you have a bass try it, you'll know what I mean). If you play a chord on the lower pitched strings, you may find it sounds more like thunder instead of music. Again, that depends. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

I always had an appreciation for the blues, so I'll cover the basics. You will find that a lot of simple blues theory works in other styles, like rock, country, and even classical. Yes even the great composer Bach, was actually a jazz composer. He just didn't know it. If you like to look things up, just take a listen to his "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." It should be easy to find, and there are a lot of different versions of it. (Most are played WAY too fast). I would play it and put it on loudio, but it's not my own composition. (But I love playing it).

For starters, most typical blues songs have a pattern commonly referred to as "12 bar blues." I am talking basics here. I have an example here.