( 20th of October 2014 - this is a work in progress - but should already be of some use to you.
The answers to these questions are hidden ( I've changed the text colour to match the background colour
- but you can hi-light after where it says 'Answer' = > Yes - by dragging your cursor across the place where the answer is written.
- And for more information about each topic, click on the underlined links
- To hi-light everything on this page, press CTRL + A ( select all command )
Which fret is the exact half-way mark along the length of the strings?
Answer => The 12th fret
Across which fret position is the strongest harmonic found on the guitar ?
Answer=> The 12th fret . This is the 'octave' note - which is the 8th note in the major scale.
It is exactly double the frequency ( vibration rate) of the 1st ( tonic ) note
Across which fret position can the second strongest harmonic be played ?
Answer=> The 7th fret, This is the 'dominant note' It is the 5th note in the major scale
Across which fret position can the third strongest harmonic be played ?
Answer=> The 5th fret, This is the 'sub-dominant note' It is the 4th note in the major scale.
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What is the sequence of intervals we use to play a scale along the string ( e..g. - if we start from an open string )
Answer => "two, two, one -two, two, two, one" ( 2, 2,1 - 2, 2, 2,1 )
What's another way to say that ?
Answer => 'whole note > whole note > half note > whole note > whole note > whole note > half note '.
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What's another name for a 'half-note' ?
Answer => 'Semi-tone'
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Which two couples of notes are NOT seperated by a semi-tone?
Answer => 3rd/4th 7th/8th
>2 2 >1 >2 >2 >2 >1
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Chord Construction.
What are the two main groups of chords in any natural key ?
Answer=> Major chords and Minor chords
Generally-what are basic major and minor chords made up of ?
Answer => Groups of 3 alternating notes ( to make up 'tri-tonic' chords )
E .g. The first chord is made up of the first , third and fifth notes ( 1, 3, 5 )
The second chord is made up of the second, fourth and sixth notes ( 2,4, 6 )
The third chord is made up of the third, fifth and seventh notes ( 3, 5, 7 )
The fourth chord is made up of the fourth, sixth and eighth notes ( 4, 6, 8 ) N.B - the 8th is the same note as the 1st note.
The fifth chord is made up of the fifth, seventh and ninth notes ( 5, 7, 9 ) N.B - the 9th is the same note as the 2nd note.
The sixth chord is made up of the sixth, eighth and tenth notes ( 6, 8 , 10 ) N.B - the 10th is the same note as the 3rd note.
The seventh chord is made up of the seventh, ninth and eleventh notes ( 7, 9, 11 ) N.B. the 11th is the same as the 4th note.
What is the difference between a chord and an arpeggio ?
A chord is a group of 3 ( or more notes ) played together.
An arpeggio could be those same notes - but played in succession - one after the other.
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From the top ( bass ) down how are the following chords 'stacked'
E
Answer: ( under the E bass string - 5th , 1st, 3rd
A
Answer =>( under the A bass string - 5th , 1st, 3rd
D
Answer => ( under the D bass string - 5th , 1st, 3rd
C
Answer => the top note of the chord ( the bass note) is the 1st,
the middle note is the 3rd
and the open G string below it is the 5th
G
Answer=> the top note of the chord ( the bass note) is the 1st,
the middle note is the 3rd
and the open D string below it is the 5th
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Added Tone Chords
How would you play the following chords ? :
A major, A add 2 , Amajor , Asus4 , A5
D major, D add 2, D major, Dsus4 , D5
E major , E add 2, E major, Esus 4, E5
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Key construction
How many chords are there in a natural key ?
Answer => There are seven chords ( not counting the 8th - which is the same as the first chord )
What types of chords is a natural key made up of ?
Answer =>
Three major chords ( the first , the fourth and the fifth )
Three minor chords ( the 6th, the 2nd and the 3rd )
One diminished minor chord ( the seventh chord )
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What is the order of chords in a natural key ?
Answer:
1st : MAJOR
2nd minor
3rd minor
4th MAJOR
5th MAJOR
6th minor
7th diminished minor
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th
MAJOR minor minor MAJOR MAJOR minor diminished minor MAJOR
The first chord is also known as the 'tonic' chord .
What are the other chords ?
The second chord is also known as the 'supertonic ' chord.
The third chord is also known as the ' mediant chord.
The fourth chord is also known as the 'subdominant ' chord.
The fifth chord is also known as the ' dominant ' chord.
The sixth chord is also known as the ' submediant ' chord.
The seventh chord is also known as the 'leading note' or the 'secret' or 'sacred' chord.
What is the difference between a majors and minor chords ?
When the 3rd note in a major chord is 'flattened' ( i.e. = moved one fret lower ) , it becomes a minor chord
What is the difference between a major 7th and a Dominant 7th ?
In the major 7th chord we add the 7th note of the scale ( 1,3,5 + 7 ) which is one fret down from the 8th note of the scale,
but in the dominant 7th we take it down one more note ( a whole step / or two frets ) from the 8th note of the scale.
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What is an Augmented Chord ?
When we sharpen the 5th note of the scale in the chord - to make it one note higher - by moving it up one fret. ( 1,3, #5 ) '#' = 'sharp'
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There are two types of Dimished Chords . What are they ?
The half-diminished chord: - When we flatten the 5th note of the scale in the chord - to make it one note lower - by moving it down one fret. ( 1,3, b5 ) 'b' = 'flat'
The full-diminished chord : When we flatten the 5th note of the scale in the chord AND the third note.
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Alan Preston
4 Insley Street , Mangawhai, Northland, New Zealand. 0505
Landline: (09)431 5389
Mobile or txt to : 0212377242