Posted on

Is E# a chord?

E# Esharp

E# – Maybe not so Sharp?

Got a question, here is my answer. The short answer is, well sort of: musicians would know what to do when encountering an E# triad, but a knowledgable musician would not use this naming and there are some great reasons for that. These reasons all go back to

  • understanding intervals
  • understanding the cycle of fifths

My off-the-wall awesome wall chart definitely shows you all the pieces of theory behind this at one glance 🙂

It really does pay off to know how to name your chords and scales correctly. It makes your life much easier! 

Read Ariane Cap’s answer to Is E# a chord? on Quora

Read the article and then tell me – is there an E# minor triad? Hint: not on the first scale degree, but maybe, looking at the cycle of fifths, you can find a key that it might be part of? Remember, minor scale degrees are on the second, third and sixth scale degrees… If you treat this question like a Sudoku, meaning using the process of elimination – you can find it 🙂

Posted on

If D minor and F major contain all the same notes, do they have all the same chords? (Yes, but watch Chord Functions!)

Tapping Chord functions

Well, yes, BUT: there is a crucial difference to understand….

and that difference lies in chord functions. It is all in how notes relate to what is perceived as “home”. In this article I lay out all the reasons why it is very important to distinguish between major and minor key signatures, even though the notes are technically the same. If you play music, compose music or like to understand what you listen to better: understanding that distinction is a must! Plus, all the beautiful sounds that come from it… they sound so familiar, don’t they?

Enjoy the read and practice your diatonic cycles. I know no better practice to wrap your mind around music theory than shedding the diatonic cycle. It is on the wall chart, it is in your favorite songs, it’s been used since Bach’s time, and if you crack it, your confidence in terms of listening and playing will soar! The most important pieces are right there in this article. To practice it with the wall chart, follow the steps in this video.  In my 20-unit Music Theory course, we do the diatonic cycle in the most important keys all over the fretboard! We follow a simple formula that opens this up for you. Participants tell us they love these exercises.

If your browser does not correctly display the text box below, please use this link to access my article.

Read Ariane Cap‘s answer to If D minor and F major contain all the same notes, do they have all the same chords? on Quora

Posted on

Distinction between a #11 and b5 chord?

b5 or #11?

Enharmonically Speaking a #11 and a b5 are the same…

What this means is that a #11 and a b5 lead you to the same note:

  • The #11 from C is F#.
  • The b5 from C is Gb.

Same difference, different naming. Why is it important?

Bit of an advanced theory answer below – it involves modes of melodic and harmonic minor and chord scale harmony. If this is new to you stick with the gist of this idea: that a chord can be a short cut for a scale – and that scale, then, is a possible approach for improvising. A chord symbol involving a b5 or #11 points me to different scales – because the scale with the b5 in it has that as its fifth scale degree. And the scale with the #11 in it has that as its fourth scale degree. So the scale is looking very different, as the scale with the #11 will have some sort of a 5th (augmented or perfect).

And why does it not say #4, but #11, rather? Technically you can play that 4 or 11 anywhere in the chord, but when we talk about 4 we typically mean a sus chord (substitute the 4 for the 3), and when we talk about the #11 we point to the fact that it is an extension, higher up in the chord somewhere.

Enjoy the read and let me know if you have any questions. What is cool is that harmonic minor and melodic minor also have modes and they provide beautifully colorful sounds

In my answer I address the min7b5 chord versus the min7#11 chord, which was the original question.

Read Ariane Cap‘s answer to What is the distinction between using a flat five chord and a sharp eleven, besides the octave? on Quora

Posted on

What is the list order of sharps in the key signature of Cb major?

Ari's Beef

My Beef…

Many theory books teach the cycle of fifths without the crucial explanations of Why?, and then they list the “order of flats and sharps”, again without the Why? Okay I got a bit of a beef with that. My pet peeve. A pet beef…

What we are really doing here, is building major scales, getting to the keys and keys ignatures. And while we of course can do that using the good old time tested Cycle, I prefer to:

  • use a much easier and faster method to figure out the make up of a scale and how to name it without driving yourself crazy with sharps and flats and double flats! —> see the article.
  • and, instead use the cycle of fifths for much more exciting things such as
    • using it as a practice tool
    • using it to analyze songs
    • have some super jammy fun with it
    • make pretty mandalas to understand how note relationships work.

And since we are talking beef…

that whole “WWHWWWH” thing is lost on me just the same. I prefer knowing the relationships (ie intervals!) of every single note within the scale to the root.

Why?

  • Less counting!
  • Less miscounting!
  • Thinking relationally rather than linearly
  • You know how the notes will sound within the scale context
  • It’s closely related to chord naming -> useful!
  • Helps to understand how the scale and chords are put together!

But I digress with my beefs and pet peeves here! The question reveals confusion that we can clear up easily. This will make your life much easier. Hope this helps! Check it out! If you cannot see the Quora Box below, click here

Read Ariane Cap‘s answer to What is the list order of sharps in the key signature of Cb major? on Quora

 

Posted on

How are Chromatic and Whole-tone Scales differing from major scales?

WHole Tone Scale on the Piano, differing, Ariane Cap

Got a request to answer how symmetric scales and major scales are differing

Fun one, with sound samples!

For bass players in particular, symmetric scales are awesome to play with!

  • They help understand the fretboard and how notes relate between strings
  • These symmetric scales sound great
  • They are symmetric, so you can move cool licks around by the interval they are symmetric in – so move up and down strings and betwen strings to your heart’s content for some fresh sounds
  • They help understand how notes relate in general. The piano is a great visual aide here – look, color-coded!

Read Ariane Cap‘s answer to How do chromatic and whole-tone scales differ from major scales? on Quora

Posted on

Quora Question: Does the Major Scale Formula Work with Sharp Notes?

scales from sharps music theory

When I see questions like this I love to jump in. There is someone trying to piece it together on their own, typically using some bits of music theory that help somewhat but are not the complete picture. Probably this person had heard of WWHWWWH. But then, yes, the question arises – how to name the notes? With sharps? With flats?

Read my reply. This is why we have the cycle of fifths, by the way. It takes all that guess work out for you.

Does the major scale formula work with sharp notes?

I’ve tried this with A# and the scale I get is: A#, C, D, D#, F, G, A, and A# Is this right or wrong? If so, how? Any help would be much appreciated.

Read Ariane Cap‘s answer to Does the major scale formula work with sharp notes? on Quora

Posted on

The Natural Minor Scale – the Ultimate Shortcut!

minor scales ultimate shortcut arisbassblog

The Natural Minor Scale

Now that we have looked at my ultimate shortcuts for the major scale, look at the minor scale.

Make sure to check out this blog post on notes as well as this one on the major scale, in case you missed these posts.

Major and minor scales are related! Start a major scale on the sixth scale degree and declare that note the root – there is the relative minor. Relative scales share the same key signature (ie accidentals, ie notes, the same seven notes!), but they start on different notes. Take a look at the info guide below for a super useful shortcut on the bass – how major and minor scales are related!

My shortcut methods are much preferable to the usual WHWWHWW (which is the formula for minor. If you are looking for major go here). Points I made for the major scale hold true for the minor as well. Here they are:

Knowing scales is super useful for

  • reading sheetmusic (it is much easier if you know scales and know how to play them on the fretboard! Learn theory first, then reading)
  • memorization
  • song analysis
  • communication
  • your creativity (bass line creation)

Here again is why I don’t promote WHWWHWW.

  • Miscounting is prevalent
  • You need the notes under your fingers immediately, not after cumbersome counting
  • With this method of counting it is necessary to start from the top of the scale each time to know if a note is part of a scale or not
  • Counting whole steps and half steps will not tell you anything about the names of notes
  • Half step counting is not very effective when descending in the scale or improvising within it
  • W and H does not tell you anything about how individual notes will sound within the context of a scale

My Recommendation is…

  • to think of the notes in the scale as intervals with the root.
    • That way you arrive at a usable pattern on the fretboard – a shape you are playing with your fingers. (This is why knowing intervals is so useful!)
    • Each note is now accessible to you for improvisation – in the context of the scale!
    • Knowing a scale that way also allows you to make judgments about the sound of each note within it before you even hear the note.
  • to name notes correctly according to the formulas on the graph, because…
    • it helps communication
    • it shows you the inherent logic of the 7-note minor scale
    • it ensures that you don’t end up creating more accidentals than necessary (Avoiding double sharps and double flats)
    • it is almost faster than having the cycle of fifths under your belt (which – while important – does not click for some people while they could use scales very effectively)

Without further ado: enjoy my famous short cuts to minor scale mastery. I am also adding a few sample scales below the helpful graph. Then you try a few!

Apply the rules 1 – 2 – 3 and you can never go wrong. 
minor scales shortcut arisbassblog

To download the above image, pull it into your downloads folder or right-click and save! 


To get more shortcuts and in-depth materials – 

please check out my book, Music Theory for the Bass Player

Sample Scale:
D minor: D – E – F – G – A – Bb – C – D – (Relative major scale F major)
G# minor: G# – A# – B – C# – D# – E – F# – G# (Relative major scale is B major)
Can you build:
A minor, G minor, C# minor
 
Posted on

Pitch versus Note – Time to Note the Pitch!

Pitch

Nomenclature: The Difference between Note and Pitch

Important to be clear on important basics.

What is a Note?

The term note refers to a name of a note. As in, the note A. That could be any A… high, low, in the middle… An A is an A. If the chord chart says A, and you hit an A somewhere, you are good.

Also see: What is a Note Name?

What is Pitch?

Pitch, on the other hand, is a very specific note (played in a certain octave). This is sometimes specified with numbers: C4 is the famous middle C of the piano for example. If you are reading sheet music and the E in the sheet music is E1 (for us bassists written on a ledger line below the staff), then that specific E is asked for: Hit the open E on your four string!

This is one reason string instruments can be confusing…

An instrument such as the piano contains each pitch only once.

The bass? It depends. Take the low E for example. If you have a four string you have it only once. If you have a five string you could also play that low E on the fifth fret of the B string. It sounds exactly the same (same octave!) but it is played in a different location. The difference is slight. Only string instruments have that “feature” of having the same pitches occur in various locations.

There are also a few wind instruments that allow you to play the same pitch using different fingerings. So we are not alone with this feature. (It actually really comes in handy when you play chords or do some tapping. Very cool for figuring out great fingerings for grooves, fills, solos, too. Hey, we got options!

Now I said the open E and the fifth-fret low B sound exactly the same. That statement does not take into account “timbre”.

Timbre?

The timbre of an open E versus the timbre of an E played on the fifth fret of the B string actually is slightly different, because the B string is a bit thicker and the location on the neck of the bass has an effect of the sound. This difference – same note, same pitch, even, but a different sound quality. Timbre is the sound quality of a pitch. The timbre of the bass is different than that of the piano or the guitar. If the pitch and intensity of two sounds are the same and you hear a difference, then that is timbre you are identifying.

Music Theory for the Bass Player has lots more on the above, including fun quizzes to check if it all clicked for you. And, we are test driving it on the bass fretboard!

Happy Practicing!

 

Posted on

Major Scales – the Ultimate Shortcut!

ultimate shortcut to major scales arisbassblog

Shortcut to Major Scales

Cycle of fifths, key signatures, WWHWWWH got you confused?  Check my super simple shortcut method for naming major scales correctly.

Huh? Why would you even want that?

Because it makes it way easier to think of scales if you are naturally (!) sharp with your accidentals (and not just flat out oblivious).

(And I hope you see what I just did there…)

If notes don’t mean much to you and you are a player who goes by patterns, it can be very confusing to sort out that note names, scales, theory can actually be super helpful and make you a better player. That’s so when it’s taught right – from a bassist’s view, without teaching it from sheetmusic but rather from the fretboard with patterns and diagrams. (This is why I wrote the book, because I couldn’t find one to point to that does this.)

Grasping scales helps with:

  • reading sheetmusic (learn theory first, then reading! Easier that way!)
  • memorizing tunes
  • understanding what it is you are playing
  • communicating with your band mates
  • coming up with your own bass lines
  • and: it is a great and easy way to get your feet wet exploring this 🙂

Maybe you have heard of the formula WWHWWWH.

While certainly a workable model, I often cringe when I see students use this method to build a scale.

  • It is really easy to miscount
  • Just because you can count out the scale does not necessarily mean you can actually play it on the bass
  • You always have to start counting from the very beginning to figure out if any given note is within the scale or not
  • This method does not tell you anything about note names
  • It really doesn’t work well if you want to descend the scale or improvise within it
  • And the sound? You will not know anything about the sound of these notes

Instead, I recommend…

  • to learn the intervals the scale degrees form with the root, because…
    • that gives you a usable pattern on the fretboard (must know your intervals and fretboard, though!)
    • instant access to those notes, including for improvising
    • tells you something about what each note will sound like
  • to use my formulas on the graph to name notes correctly, because…
    • that will help you communicate
    • it will show you the inherent logic of a 7-note major scale
    • it will make sure that you don’t build scales with more accidentals than necessary (why? Trust me, double sharps, double flats… they are no fun!)
    • it is even faster than knowing the cycle of fifths (which is very important, though. But in case you are (as of yet) confused by it, this is the ticket!)

So here are my famous short cuts to major scales. Below the graph I am writing out a few sample scales, but then it is your turn.

Apply the rules 1 – 2 – 3 and you can never go wrong.

Next week I will post the one for minor.

To get more like it and the full scoop – check out my book, Music Theory for the Bass Player

#A3

major scale shortcut arisbassblog

To download the above image, pull it into your downloads folder or right click and “save-as”.

Example:

F major: F – G – A – Bb (not A#, because then you would go against rule 1, no doubles) – C – D – E – F
Imagine this scale as F – G – A – A# – C – D – E – F. You have to think of A twice and B not at all. It makes sense to call it Bb, then every letter is represented once and it is easier to build and play the scale.

Now it is your turn:

G major? Db major? A major?

Happy grooving!