The brightest of all diatonic modes is the Lydian mode. Its best to learn Lydian mode as a modified Major scale which has a raised fourth. For example the key of C is C D E F G A B where…
7 modes of the major scale and their applications (Part 1)
The first two columns of the following table provides the names of all 7 modes of the major scale and their tonal characteristics. The third column gives a ranking of the modes based on how they sound. This is the first…
The circle of fifths and its applications for a guitarist (part 1)
The circle of fifths was first invented by Nikolai Diletskii back in 1670. The root of the circle, divided into 12 segments comes from the ideas of Pythagoras (Pythagorean circle). The application of the circle of fifths is limitless and…
Songwriting hack
This is one simple method you can use to write beautiful chord progressions. It is easy to remember and it always works! To learn this hack, you need to understand the scale degree (read this to know more). The rule of…
Treble clef, bass clef and grand clef
The arrangement of notes on The Staff depends on for what instrument the music has been written. In the context of guitar, we often use the Treble clef, which is also known as the G clef. Music written on G clef…
Difference between beat, meter, tempo and pulse
Beat, tempo, meter and pulse, four of the terms used almost interchangeably in music but are they the same? In some ways they do share similar characteristics but they do have distinct definitions and therefore should be looked at differently. Following…
The difference between Tonal and Atonal music
Tonal music is something that revolves around a certain tone or a key. Most of the Western music and music of popular genre are tonal music and very pleasing to our ears. All the discussions we have had about keys and…
12 bar blues
Blues is considered as the backbone of modern western contemporary music. Understanding blues requires understanding several aspects but the best place to start is to start with the 12 bar blues. As the name suggests, this is a structure comprising of…
The difference between simple meter and compound meter
Simple meter: The simplest way to explain a simple meter is that each beat in a simple meter is felt separately. The most common ones are 4/4, 3/4 and 2/4. On 4/4 we have 4 counts per bar and each count…
Basics of time signature and the difference between 4/4 and 2/2
Time signature, often also referred to as ‘meter’ sets the groove of the song. The common as well the simplest one of all is the 4/4 timing. The first number or the numerator refers to how many counts or beats there…