To start off, every song is divided into measures. Measures are small segments separated by bar lines, or vertical slashes. Different types of bar lines mean different things. A single vertical slash simply means the measure is complete, while a double bar line indicaes the section of measures is at an end. Lastly, a terminal bar line indicates the end of a piece of music.

Measures are composed of beats, or counts per measure. Right next to the treble clef is a pair of numbers, which looks like a fraction. The most common is 4/4 time, which simply means there are 4 beats per measure, and each quarter note is a whole beat. This is also seen sparingly as the capital C, which means common time, or 4/4 time. Other timing signatures that are less common may be somewhat harder to play. Essentially, the top number determinesthe beats per measure, and the bottom number indicates the type of note receiving each beat. ¾ timing is defined by 3 beats per measure, with Quarter notes receiving each beat. Likewise, a 6/8 time signature means that each measure is 6 beats, and that the Eighth note receives each beat.

A guitar player will notice that each bottom number can indicate a different duration- but do not be discouraged there are only 5 basic durations to remember. A Whole note is 4 beats, a Half note is 2 beats, a Quarter note is 1 beat, an Eighth note is ½ a beat, and a Sixteenth note is ¼ of a beat. Notice that each step, the timing is halved. This makes learning the systm very easy. Practicing each note with a metronome will give a guitar player the skills necessary to play each note’s duration correctly. In 4/4 time, 4 quarter notes will each take a second to play- this is a nice exercise to practice to get perfect timing.

Of course, guitar players won’t always be pumping out notes and sounds- rests are needed too. The common 5 rests are just like the common note durations, only with different symbols. One thing that can complicate things is the dotted note. A dot placed immediately after the note head increases the duration of th note or rest by one half. Why complicate things? The answer lies in accurate timing. If every note was 1, 2, or 4 beats long, there would be nothing in between each note’s duration. A note with a duration of 3 beats may be needed- and to get this, you add a Half note with a dot (2 beats + one half of two beats = 3 beats).

Ever wonder why some groups of notes have big black beams across them? This is to make reading music much more legible. For instance, say that eight ¼ notes were in succession with each other. It would be tough reading each note, while playing, and keeping track of which note you were on, wouldn’t it? Thi is why notes that are alike or similar are grouped together. These same eight ½ notes can be combines into a group of 4 beamed notes. This can also be done with similar notes, such as one Quarter note and two Eighth notes.

At the end of this lesson, it’s time to bust out the metronome and get to work. Practice timing until it comes as second nature to tell the difference between a whole note and half note is. When timing is perfected, a piece of sheet music can be gazed at, and recreating the song’s exact timing should be no trouble at all. If timing isn’t a strong point in a guitar player’s qualities, then a good metronome will do a world of good.

• An Introduction to Music Theory 

Figure 1 - It might not look like a fretboard, but it is! Don’t worry if it looks confusing- it’s actually quite simple. Learning music theory is vital to the avid guitarist!

To start off, the guitar is almost always a six string instrument, divided into 21 or 22 &ldqo;frets.”  The guitar is tuned low from high, represented by the letters E-A-D-G-B-E. Each letter represents a different string, with the first E being the thickest gauge wire, and the last E being the thinnest. The first E string is commonly referred to as the “low E string”, and the last one is referred to as the “high E string.”

You will notice that each letter, from A to G, has a seemingly complex ordering system. The notes are arranged by pitch up to the twelfth fret, and then the octave starts over. Anything twelve frets apart from one note can be said to be an octave higher or lower. Octaves are simply the same note in a separate pitch. See the below example:

Figure 2 - Notice how the highlighted “A” nte appears more than once! (Also keep in mind that the open “A” string counts too!) These are the same notes, just octaves apart!

The arrangement of pitch makes it easy to produce pleasing sounds in standard tuning with little effort. Separate tunings, such as Drop D tuning, reduce the low E string by a full octave. Can you guess what this would do to the fingerings of a simple chord in standard tuning? It would make it as easy as holding down the top three strings to form a chord! This is the standard for many rhythm guitarists, as it makes it even easier shift chords, not to mention doing so much faster.

Since all frets are arranged according to octaves, each fret is technically a half step increment, and is part of the chromatic scale. You may have become familiar with some music theory terms, and heard the term “flat” or “sharp.” This is simply a note that is a half step closer to the next note, but isn&rsquot quite either note. You could replace all the “#” symbols in Figure 1 with the “flat” symbol of the next letter. On the first string, the “F#” (F sharp) is also a “Gb” (G flat).

That concludes your first lesson in Music Theory! Now for some homework; you need to be able to memorize every note on the fretboard! Don’t worry, it isn’t as impossible as it seems, and knowing every pitch on the fretboard will payout in the long run many times over. Practice this same-note training exercise to train yourself, at least once a day with different notes until the entire fretboard is memorized:

Figure 3 - Notice that this is the same note, the “A” note. Just different octaves! You can download the GuitarPro 5 file here: Pitch Practice 

• Music Theory – The Importance of Rhythm