Lesson 3 - tones

At last we talk about semitones and intervals. One important thing, you should remember, is that movement one fret up/down means movement one semitone up/down.

When you press every fret on the low E and play the string, you will hear this tones:

Symbol # means the tone is higher by one semitone (e.g. G# is by one semitone higher than G). Often is used symbol b which means the tone is lower by one semitone. If you use symbol b instead of #, names of the tones in the table would look like this.

Regardless of the labeling, F# and Gb are the same tone. Similarly G# and Ab, A# and Bb, C# and Db, D# and Eb. For simplicity, I decided to use only the symbol #.

Now we take a look at tone names on the next string (string A)

When you compare names of tones on the A string with those on the low E string, you can notice some similarity. When you press the low E string on the 5th fret, you play A – the same tone as the next open string. Folowing tone names on the string low E (6th fret, 7th fret,…) are the same as on the A string (1st fret, 2nd fret,…).

When you know this, it can start the fun :) You can play interval (two tones) together. If you want to hear perfect unisono (1), just press 5th fret on the low E and play it simultaneously with open string A. If you want to know how sounds perfect fifth (5), play open low E together with the string A on the 2nd fret, and so on…

Here are names of tones on all strings. For now, I decide to use only symbol #. Notice, that between most of strings is the interval perfect fourth (five semitones) but between string G and B is the interval major third (four semitones). In the first column (nut) are tone names of open strings.

In future it will be useful to know tone names on the low E and on the A string (last 2 rows).

If you choose E as the root note, you can look at intervals instead of tone names. Often this is much more useful. In first column (nut) are intervals of open strings:

You can easily recompute these intervals from any place (from any root note). And when you know where intervals lies, you can start to create chords from them!

Exercises for this lesson:

Start with the low E. Play it open and then move you finger up over the fretboard and play every tone and say aloud name of the tone (E, F,...). Then do it the same but move your left hand down (from 12.fret).

In the second part of the first exercise, press randomly frets and say aloud names of played tones. When this is not a problem for you, write down a few tones (for example E, C, D, G) and then play it.

In the second exercise do it the same tasks, but now on the string A.

And in the last exercise draw the lower part of the fretboard (6 horizontal lines - strings, 6 vertical lines - frets). Now write the number 1 anywhere and then complete this fretboard with other intervals. The table above should helps you. Beware of movement from string G to string H :) Now look at this fretboard and notice, how the intervals are connected to each other.

Next: Lesson 4 - first chords

Other lessons:

Lesson 1 - first steps

Lesson 2 - intervals

Lesson 4 - first chords

Lesson 5 - seventh chords

Lesson 6 - any-fret chords

Lesson 7 - chord progression I

Lesson 8 - chord progression II

Lesson 9 - arpeggios

Lesson 10 - scales