TB-006 • How To Understand Tones And Semitones

[justinguitar]

Questions...

[servello]

Greetings,

Can anyone please explain how to use the Note Circle?

I believe it is supposed to help in understanding scale and chord formations.

Thanks.

[Xaromir]

Dumb question maybe a little bit oftopic:

This is the Note Circle. It shows all the 12 notes that exist in Western music.

It goes from A to G,
but why do we refer sometimes to the 2. string as the H string not the B string? O.o

€dit:
Cool, my 111. post!

[mike42]

Xaromir-

I believe the H note is used by people in some parts of the world as a substitute for B.

Here is the wikipedia definition on music notes (go to the history of note names for info on the H note)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Note

hope this helps

[Xaromir]

Indeed it did.
Thanks. 

[younessmeb]

Please i'm a newer HERE and i d'like to know how to get my Guitar cords as right first
then to know Evry nots(do, ri ,fa,...) in guitar

thank you
 

[collins]

Now im confused, i kind of get the whole idea of the circle but i feel i need it explained in more detail or through justin speeking it through on a video, i find it is easier if you show me how to do it, not that im lazy but then at least i cant put my own interpritation on what i think is write and justin can show me the proper way. i hate theory but really want to learn it because i know it is fundimental, i just find it hard to understand it without someone explaining it in person or through a video.

[Cannibal Bob]

Hi all, just a couple of questions from a person with all the musical talent of a brain dead seahorse. I hated music in school so I never learnt anything from it, so please forgive me if I'm asking questions that are obvious or stupid.

First of all, I don't know how to put this, is the fact that this is a circle mean that you can keep going around the circle to find higher pitched versions of the same note. I know this sounds stupid but is that why there is a low E string and high E string; they're the same note at a different pitch?

Second question; like most mid twenties guitar hacks I'd love to be able to play the intro to Sweet Child of Mine, even if I would make it sound like a cat in blender, but I have no idea what tuning down half a semi-tone is, let alone how to do it. Looking at that little part that shows a semi-tone, would that mean that to tune a guitar down a semi-tone you would tune each string one note to the right on the wheel? For example the E strings would be tuned to D#, the B string would be tuned to A#, G would be tuned to F# etc? If that is the case how would you tune down half a semi-tone?

Sorry again if these are dumb questions, and please be patient with this thicky.

Thanks. Great site BTW.

[Tourniquet]

See if this helps.

Pluck the open E bass string and find E on the note circle.
move round one position clockwise on the circle and up one fret on the board. You have gone up one semi-tone to F
do it again. You have gone up another semi-tone to F#
do it again. You have gone up another semi-tone to G (notice that this is the root for the open G chord)
Each fret and each step round the circle is a semitone

do it again twice. You have gone up two semi-tones or a tone to A (notice that this is the same pitch as the open A string)
A tone is just two semi-tones.

You have gone up five semi-tones so far. Go up another five semi-tones to D on the 10th fret (notice that this is the same pitch as the open D string).
Go up another two semi-tones to the 12th fret. You have gone round the circle once and are back at note E where you started but now one octave higher.


Tuning down a semi-tone:
Assuming you are starting at standard tuning and are familiar with a few tuning methods.
Downtune the low E until its 6th fret matches the open A string. The low E string is now tuned to Eb, use this reference point to retune the other strings.
You can also use an online tuning reference such as http://www.howtotuneaguitar.org/ which has options for alternate tunings.
Other than that I recommend a chromatic tuner if you wish to experiment with alternate tunings often.

[Cannibal Bob]

Thanks Tourniquet. It's happening very slowly, but I think I may be starting to actually understand all these music theory concepts that have always confused and scared me so.

[Aussieaussieaussie]

Just checking, to tune a step down as in Sweet Child o' Mine all the strings are tuned down to Eb,Ab,Db,Gb,Bb,Eb right?

Thanks

[Tourniquet]

Just checking, to tune a step down as in Sweet Child o' Mine all the strings are tuned down to Eb,Ab,Db,Gb,Bb,Eb right?

Thanks

Right.

[aging_bimbo]

Wouldn't that be half a step?

[Tourniquet]

True enough, Think that's what Aussie meant.

[Dazzur]

Im just posting to help people understand the note circle.

In the Note Circle there are 12 Notes.
IF you start on A and go round clock wise on the note circle you get to A again.

but If you do this on your guitar For example.
Play A on The 5th fret low E string.
then go down 12 frets, You'll come down another A note.
gettit? Youve just gone round the note circle, everytime you go round the note circle 12 notes you end up where you started, you end up on the same note, but that same note, is either just higher or lower sounded on the Same A note that you started on.

It really isnt that complicated, I Only used it to memorise notes on the fret board if im honest, just let the common sense take over and you'll soon get it