Music Theory

On this page you will find some basic music theory, everyday music terminology and some extra information courtesy of Don't Fret Productions™. Please visit our "Guitar Classroom" page for more on how to play guitar.

Basic Music Notation

Graphic of basic music notation and terminology

Music Staff: The Staff is five lines with four spaces between the lines. The lines and space correspond with the note names. Both the lines and spaces are counted from the bottom up. A good trick for memorizing the names of the spaces is, they spell FACE from the bottom up. The trick for lines is an old saying that goes, "Every Guitar Body Deserves Finesse", again from the bottom up. With the use of our Don't Fret Note Map™, you will easily learn the location of the notes on your instrument as you learn to memorize the note positions on the music staff.

Ledger Lines: These lines extend the music staff so notes that are higher or lower in pitch, than the ones on the staff lines, can be shown.

Treble Clef Sign: The treble clef sign shows where the musical piece begins. You will always see the sign at the beginning of a piece of music.

Key Signature: The key signature tells you in what key the song is written. Every song is composed in a particular key that corresponds with the "main" or root note of the song. The root note will dictate the chord progressions and scale patterns used in the song. If no key signature is shown, the song is in the key of C major. This example shows the key of D major.

Rhythm: Rhythm indicates which notes receive accents and which do not, and contributes to a song's feeling or mood. Rhythmically, a song can be broken down into easily understood segments, called measures, or bars. Measures have a designated number of beats-usually three or four. Listening to a song you want to play is a good way to grasp the rhythm of the song.

Time Signature: The Time signature is shown at the beginning of the song to tell the musician how many beats are in a measure. This is represented by the top number. The bottom number indicates the duration of each beat. For example:

*A 2/4 signature gets 2 beats per measure (each quarter note receives 1 beat).
*A 3/4 signature gets 3 beats per measure (each quarter note receives 1 beat).
*A 4/4 signature gets 4 beats per measure (each quarter note receives 1 beat).

Combinations of rests and notes must equal the time value of the number of beats in the measure. Timing is everything. Listen to the song you want to play. It will help you tune into the timing, rhythm and feeling of the song.

Measures and Bar Lines: Bar lines create measures. A tempo can be broken down into easily understood segments. These segments have a designated number of beats, which comprise a measure. Beats are usually played in groups of three and four. This group of beats is a measure. The time signature tells you how many beats are supposed to be in one measure.

Repeat Signs: When you see this sign go back toward the beginning of the piece until you see a similar repeat sign, then play that section again.

Rest: A span of time in which there is silence; a notation symbol specifying a silence of some duration. The music notation symbols for a rest are numerous. Common symbols are small rectangles that reside above or below a staff line in the place of a note. Rest symbols represent the same time values as notes, i.e. a rest can have the time value of a whole note, half note, quarter note, eighth note, Etc. Rests are an important component of music.

graphic showing the time values for various musical notes

The information provided below is directed to the beginning player and works well with the Don't Fret Note Map™.

graphic showing how to find notes on a guitar in open position

For What It's Worth

At first the best way to get results from your guitar practice is to set aside at least 20 minutes per day, at the same time of day, for your study. Repetition is the key to improvement! As you progress your skills and hand strength you can easily increase the duration of your practice sessions. Start slowly, let your hand strength develop and avoid progressing too fast. Your ability to remember what you just learned will improve with time and repetition.

  • Start with warm limber hands. Gently stretching your fingers and wrists can help.
  • Check the tuning of your guitar and retune, if necessary, using our free online guitar tuner
  • Practice sitting down, with the guitar resting on your leg.
  • Don't let the neck of the guitar point down, try to keep it horizontal to the floor or in a slightly upward pointing profile.
  • Make friends with our metronome, it will help you develop good timing.
  • If you are learning a 4/4 song tap out four beats then start on the next (one) beat. If you are learning a 3/4 song, tap out three beats then start on the next (one) beat.
  • Tap your foot in time with the song to help develop your own internal rhythm. This is an important one. You will notice that most serious musicians use this technique.

We recommend a healthy dose of our Don't Fret Note Map™ or our Don't Fret Chord Map™ (to help overcome Novice Player Anxiety Syndrome), a good guitar teacher, online guitar teacher or guitar instruction book. If you can get a routine going, same time of day and length of time every day, you will progress quickly. Remember to have fun with your practice sessions and playing. Try to always end your practice sessions with a positive feeling by playing something familiar and fun.

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