As you know, there is only one different note in G Major:  F sharp (or F#).  “E”, being the sixth scale degree in G Major, is the relative minor key.  Notice the key signature has a sharp symbol over the F note.  This implies that ALL F’s are now F sharps.

Below are the two scales with this key signature:  G Major and E minor.  There are two different fingerings presented for the major scale.  The second will be more difficult but try to practice it.  Mastering this pattern will make two octave scales easier to play.

Chords in the key of G Major

With one note sharpened, F#, and since F# appears three times in chords in G Major (after all, there are 3 tones in a triad), there are three new chords to learn.  Actually, there’s good news:  There’s only two chords to learn:  B minor and D major.  What about the chord built on F#?  Notice that this is the leading tone of G Major.  Triads built on leading tones are diminished triads and we’re not going to worry about these yet.

Here are the chords in G Major.  Compare these to C Major and notice how F sharp and F natural affect the chords:

Things to do:

1. Work on new scales, though they should be pretty easy.  Try working on the second fingering for G Major…this will be tough on the fingers.  Practice the scales as written above:  From G Major to E minor and with the same rhythm (note the quarter note on beat 4).
2. Work on new chords.  Practice strumming new chords.
3. Study how C Major and G Major relate to each other.
4. Be able to identify IV and V automatically in G major.  Be able to identify the relative minor automatically.

Cadence – a system, through chords, to bring resolution to a musical phrase.  OK, that’s my definition and I think that’s pretty close.  In other words, a cadence is a natural feeling of release or resolution that you hear throughout music, especially at the end of a phrase or verse, and especially at the end of a song.  Cadences can be expressed as a succession of two chords, with the first chord culminating in tension and the last chord resolving or releasing the tension.

Here are some classic cadences:

• Authentic Cadence:  V to I, or dominant to tonic
• Plagal Cadence:  IV to I, or subdominant to tonic
• Deceptive Cadence:  V to anything other than I, but usually V to vi
• Half Cadence:  A cadence consisting of a harmonic progression that ends on the dominant, or V.  Typically ii to V, but also I to V and IV to V.

Recall the familiar C Major scale (right).  Also recall the C Major triad consisting of three tones:  C, E, and G.  Now, let’s extend our knowledge of triads out to every note of the C Major scale.  In other words, we’ll create a triad based on each note of the C Major scale.

This yields the chart below.  Notice how each triad is correctly built upon a note of each tone in the scale and each consists of two thirds stacked on top of each other.  For reference, the guitar chords are listed above each chords (except for vii, which we’ll leave alone for now; while it’s a legitimate chord, it’s best to save it for later).  Also, be sure to realize that the guitar chords do not exactly correspond note-for-note to the triads.  However, have a look at the tab below.  You can finger the triads exactly as written.  Try it out and notice how the two 3rd intervals are formed:

What do the Roman Numerals mean?  Well, this is the traditional way to notate chords during harmonic analysis, which we’ll talk about in a future lesson.  The great thing about this style of notation, which is not common in guitar music, is that it’s a convenient way to see how the chords are working together.  Here’s how to interpret the Roman numeral symbols:

• Uppercase Roman Numerals:  Indicated major triads.  I, IV, and V are major triads.  Major triads consist of the root, plus a major third above the root, and a minor third above the major third.
• Lowercase Roman Numerals:  Indicates minor triads.  ii, iii, vi are minor triads.  Minor triads consist of the root, plus a minor third above the root, and a major third above the minor third.
• Lowercase Roman Numerals with a dot:  Indicates diminished triads.  vii° is a diminished triads.  Diminished triads consist of the root, plus a minor third above the root, and a minor third above the first minor third.
• Uppercase Roman Numerals with a +:  Indicates an augmented triad.  There is no example in a natural scale tone triad.  But, an example might be: “III+”.  Augmented triads consist of the root, plus a major third above the root, and a major third above the first major third.   These triads tend to be rare in guitar and popular music.  A very popular example of hearing an augmented triad is in Wagner’s Overture to the third act of Die Walkure, aka “Ride of the Valkries”.  You know, the music that famously appears in Apocalypse Now.

The best way to remember which triads of the scale tones are major is just to remember I-IV-V.  Pronounced:  “One-Four-Five”.  The “One-Four-Five” chord progression is one of the most popular in popular music.  Learn and don’t forget.

Things to Do:

1) Make sure you know these chords:  D minor, E minor, F major (do not play the lower E and A strings as indicated in the graph above), G major, A minor.  Here are the fingerings:

Remember, this is a theory lesson, so learning these chords in the context of playing the chords isn’t so important for this exercise.  It’s important to learn these chords and how they relate to each other within the key of C Major.  Look forward to more detail on this in future lessons.

2) As a sociological musical experiment, ask fellow guitarists the difference between an A major and an A minor chord.  What is the typical answer that you get?  You’re practically guaranteed that someone will describe the chord to you.  Something like, “Oh, for a minor, you hold your hand a little different and put this finger here on the first fret.”  The simple answer, for someone trained in music theory:  “You just fret a C# for A Major and a C natural for A minor.”