Music Theroy Question.

[AlpineX2]

Sorry if i'm asking in the wrong place but I didn't know any other fourms to go to.

I've been learning lot's of chords learning to play for about 6 months now. But I want to learn about chord progression and scales etc... like learning to create music.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Music-Theory-Guitarists-Everything-Wanted/dp/063406651X/ref=pd_sim_b_1

 

I saw this book but is there anything else out there, I just want to know all I need to know about guitar theory and creating riffs etc.

 

Thanks.

[altair]

http://www.learnandmasterguitar.com/

 

Or get a teacher

[theDeuce]

Looks like a good book, you might also consider a book on songwriting to be more in line with your goal? Note the second book in this search is for guitar songwriting. Amazon songwriting search.

[rafaelh]

Not familiar with that book, but IMO I would check the web first.....lots of FREE info out there. I've found that most books or info on the web pretty much cover the same things....just sugar coated differently.

 

Here is a good site to start, or get your feet wet any ways....got pleny mo' too.

 

http://www.zentao.com/guitar/theory/

[layboomo]

Not familiar with that book' date=' but IMO I would check the web first.....lots of FREE info out there. I've found that most books or info on the web pretty much cover the same things....just sugar coated differently.

 

Here is a good site to start, or get your feet wet any ways....got pleny mo' too.

 

http://www.zentao.com/guitar/theory/[/quote']

 

+1 Raf....any of the Berklee video lessons on youtube are very good as well.....and FREE!

[Whitmore Willy]

Alpine,

 

I have not read Tom Kolb's book but the reviews show promise. There are many good guitar theory books out there and I have learned something from every one I have ever read. A decent book for learning scales is "Monster Scales and Modes" by David Celentano. In spite of its "trendy" appearance, it covers many of the basic scales in a fairly understandable format. However, it does not cover chord structure.

 

If you are interested in music theory itself...and then...applying it to the guitar;

Consider this:

Buy an inexpensive keyboard. It doesn't mean you have to become an accomplished keys guy...but...

The keyboard is sooooo much more visual than any other instrument making it easier to understand scale and chord structure. A used Yamaha with full size keys can cost as little as $50 - $100. I've seen used Yamaha psr E403's go for $150.

Also, as you progress you may want to try your hand at home recording. Even a basic keyboard can provide beats, bass guitar, and a myriad of instrumentation.

 

One last point. Rafael is right....there is a huge amount of free information on the internet if you take the time to sift through it. I wish computers were around when I was first learning to play.....(back in the stone age)

[Steven Lister]

I wish computers were around when I was first learning to play.....(back in the stone age)

 

Come on now WW -- we all know it was the stoned age. LOL

Willy and others are right about the FREE internet material now... WOW!! How do instructors manage to make a living anymore?

 

Hit every BLUE NOTE baaaby..., I'm going to play on:-"

[Dennis G]

http://www.learnandmasterguitar.com/

 

Or get a teacher

 

+1 on learn and master guitar. Very comprehensive, teaches theory, reading music, etc. and is about the cost of a half dozen private lessons.

 

For online freebies, try www.justinguitar.com

[AlpineX2]

Is this basicly a music theory book also this one looks better it says it goes over scales, modes, Triads etc..

 

http://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Fretboard-Workbook-Barrett-Tagliarino/dp/0634049011

[IbbysB4Epis]

Try this link. The video clip pretty much explains what you want to know. There are a few very good free lesson clips at this website.

 

http://www.guitartricks.com/freelesson.php?input=M2FgPjFmZD8wOQ==

[tonedeaf1281734100]

A book that includes a CD is helpful since you can train your ear along with your brain. I agree that you can learn much of the basics free on the web. A couple of books (with CDs) that I have found helpful are David Harp's Music Theory Made Easy (Deluxe), and a Hal Leonard Guitar Method book: Music Theory by Tom Kolb. The Kolb book is specifically geared towards guitarists.

 

I absolutely second the Yamaha keyboard idea. I have one. The piano keyboard gives an instantaneous visual appreciation of the relationship of the notes in the scales and chords. It is a lot more interesting to play against a rhythm track programmed on an electronic keyboard than a metronome, and the tempo can be adjusted just like a metronome.

 

Most folk music is great for learning simple chord progressions and keys, especially if you can sing (I can't) and accompany yourself on the guitar. Most folk songs have only three chords (sometimes only two). Blues progressions are a great place to start also, sound good even if you can't sing, and are built around a simple 3 chord progression in a regular repeating pattern. You can start with the simplest forms of the 3 chords, then introduce fancier alternate chords, then turnarounds, and build progressively.

[Dave]

There are lots of good books on music theory as applied to the guitar. MY recommendation is to go to Barnes and Nobles and look through what they have on the shelf. The library is also a possibility. I bought a good one called "Total Guitar" that was on the B & N sale shelf for under $10 that, I guess, was replaced by a new version. Music theory hasn't changed since Bach, so you really don't have to buy the latest and greatest, just the one that teaches it in a way that you find the most enlightening.