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Music TheoryTo not know music theory is okay and there's nothing wrong with that. Many successful musicians don't know what a Major is or an eighth note is. However, you better be realistic and understand that a musician that doesn't understand music theory is like a carpenter that doesn't understand building codes and techniques. You can still play using patterns. Usually though, you can get into a rut that you just can't seem to get around. Music theory makes it easier to figure out and understand your opportunities within a song. It also helps to figure out what somebody else is playing and be able to know what to play with them. When trying to learn a song, you can anticipate where that song will go simply because you understand the rules that guide us all. Don't look at music theory as a boring exercise that can limit you. Don't think that by learning and knowing music theory, it will turn you into a generic player without a unique sound. Think of it as the key that can set you free. A key that opens the door to a vast tool chest of ideas that you build from to develop your own unique sound. Music theory helps in the communication of a musical idea. Telling the drummer the part goes, "Boom, ba, da, boom, boom...(lots of hand gestures)" or the guitar player "Neer, schwam, eeerrr, doo, doo...(lots of pointing)" . Communication like that is all subjective and rarely accurate in describing the part. IntervalsIntervals are the relative distance between two notes. There are basically four types of intervals. They all have to deal with how many semitones up or down the neck you move. They are called Major, Minor, Augmented, and Diminished. A semitone is one fret movement on the neck. From fret 1 to fret 2 is a semitone. This is also known as a half step. From fret 1 to fret 3 is a tone or whole step. Major Intervals
A Major interval is where you move up the neck two semitones. This is also known as a whole step. So if you are in the key of C Major, the next note up from "C" is "D" and "D" is a Major interval up from "C". Minor Intervals
A Minor interval is where you move up the neck by one semitone. A semitone can also be called a "Half Step". So if you are in the key of C Major, and you are at the note "E", the next note "F" is a Minor interval away from "E". Augmented IntervalsAn Augmented interval is where you move up by one semitone. You typically only ever augment the 4th interval although, you can augment the 6th and 8th intervals. This can be seen when playing the 4th interval of the Locrian Mode. Diminished IntervalsA Diminished interval is where you move down by one semitone. You only ever augment the 5th interval. This can be seen when playing the 5th interval of the Lydian Mode. ScalesScales are a pattern of notes that can be defined by the notes themselves and the semitones and tones between each note. Chromatic ScalesA chromatic scale consists of 12 notes and basically consists of all the notes from A through to G#. A chromatic climb from the 1st to the 4th or 5th intervals sounds cool. Try as an experiment, have the guitar player start a chromatic scale descending from A on the 3rd string 12th fret to open A. Starting in time with the guitar player, you play the open A and ascend to the 12th fret. The guitar will be descending while you ascend. Try reversing roles.
Diatonic ScalesA diatonic scale is where you use each note only once. Therefore if you play C, you can't also play C# within the same scale. You would have to play it as Db. You also don't have sharps and flats within the same scale. You would have all sharps or all flats. Major ScalesA major scale is a diatonic scale that is composed of the following major and minor intervals:
This is a C Major scale. It is composed of the notes, C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and C.
Minor ScalesThe A Minor scale uses the same notes as the C Major scale, however, you start at the "A" note. If you played the A Minor scale like you did above with the C Major scale, it would look like this: A - Tone - B - Semi - Tone - C - Tone - D - Tone - E - Semi-Tone - F - Tone - G - Tone - A
The A Minor scale is made up of the notes A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and A.
Minor Pentatonic
Major PentatonicCircle of FifthsThe circle of fifths was another one of those Gregorian Monk things. Basically what is says is there is a pattern of scales that sound good going from one to the next and if you keep going, eventually you wind up back where you started. When moving in a clock wise motion, you will move in major fifth intervals from one major scale to the next. For instance from the 12 o'clock position of C Major, you move a major 5th to G Major. So from the root note of any major scale, if you move to the major 5th, you will be at the next clock wise scale of the the Circle of Fifths. 
Moving in a counter clock wise motion, you will move in fourths. For instance in the case of G Major, the 4th interval is the note C. The Circle of Fifths works for minor scales as well. Each major interval has a relative minor interval. The relative minor is a 6th interval from the major root note. For instance, the 6th interval of C Major is the note A. Therefore the relative minor of C Major is A Minor. Both scales have the exact same notes you are just starting at two different places in the scale while using the same notes. Starting from C Major moving clockwise, you will add a new sharp note to each subsequent scale. That new sharp note will always be at the 7th interval. For instance in G major the only sharp is the F# at the 7th interval. The next scale D Major has two sharps, F# and the 7th of D Major which is the note C#. This continues to the 6 o'clock position of the cycle of fifths, F# Major, where there are 6 sharps or Gb Major where there are 6 flats. From the 1 o'clock position, G Major, to the 5 o'clock position, B Major, all the scales will have sharps in them. From the 7 o'clock position, Db Major, to the 11 o'clock position, F Major, all the scales have flats. The 12 o'clock position, C Major has no sharps or flats and the 6 o'clock position, F# Major and Gb Major, has both sharps and flats. ModesOnce again those Gregorian Monks are busy at work. Another thing they developed are the eight modes. These guys really had a lot of time on their hands, much to our benefit. When you play modes, you will hear certain modes that scream a particular style of music. Some will sound like rock others will sound Spanish and so on. A mode is a name given for a scale played at each interval of one particular scale. It really comes down to seven patterns that can be played at each interval and stay in key. Modes are helpful in guiding you to the "legal" notes for a given key. If you are in the key of "C Major" and the guitarist moves to the fourth internal "F", you know you can play the Lydian mode and be in key. The following are the seven different modes. Ionian - C - RootC - Tone - D - Tone - E - Semi-Tone - F - Tone - G - Tone - A - Tone - B - Semi-Tone - C Dorian - D - 2nd IntervalD - Tone - E - Semi-Tone - F - Tone - G - Tone - A - Tone - B - Semi-Tone - C - Tone - D Phrygian - E - 3rd IntervalE - Semi-Tone - F - Tone - G - Tone - A - Tone - B - Semi-Tone - C - Tone - D - Tone - E Lydian - F - 4th IntervalF - Tone - G - Tone - A - Tone - B - Semi-Tone - C - Tone - D - Tone - E - Semi-Tone - F Mixolydian - G - 5th IntervalG - Tone - A - Tone - B - Semi-Tone - C - Tone - D - Tone - E - Semi-Tone - F - Tone - G Aeolian - A - 6th Interval - Relative MinorA - Tone - B - Semi-Tone - C - Tone - D - Tone - E - Semi-Tone - F - Tone - G - Tone - A Locrian - B - 7th IntervalB - Semi-Tone - C - Tone - D - Tone - E - Semi-Tone - F - Tone - G - Tone - A - Tone - B
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