Music Theory – The Absolute Basics

Finding the Notes

Our starting point is the open strings:

1st string(s) – E
2nd string(s) – A
3rd string(s) – D
4th string(s) – G

In the last several paragraphs you’ve learned:

• the names of all the 12 notes in Western music.
• that each consecutive note is a half step apart.
• the frets on your mandolin are a half step apart.
• there’s only a half step between B and C, and a half step between E and F.
• The notes repeat after 12 frets (an octave).

Knowing what you now know, you should be able to work your way up the mandolin neck on any string and name the note at each fret.

Lets Try It

Following along in diagram 8 below, let’s look at the G-string :

• We know the open 4th string is tuned to G
• 1st fret – A half step up from G (one fret) is G# (or Ab) – so when you fret the G-string (the thickest string) at the first fret, you’ll get a G#.
• 2nd fret – Move a half step up from G# and we get an A – so when you fret the G-string at the second fret you get an “A-note”.
• 3rd fret – Another half step up from A is A# – so the third fret is A# (or Bb).
• 4th fret – A half step up from A# is B – so the fourth fret is B.
• 5th fret – The next half step up from B is C – so the fifth fret is C (there is only a single half step between B and C).
• 6th fret – Moving up a half step from C is C# (or Db), so if you fret the 4th string at the 6th fret, the note is C# (or Db).
  And so on…

When we keep going, we find that the twelfth fret produces another G note (an octave higher than the open string).

Now it’s your turn

Grab your mandolin and figure that neck out. Start with the D-String and  try to name the notes at each fret (first fret will be D#, second fret E, etc).

Then do the other 2 strings. Each time you get to the twelfth fret, you should be naming the same note you started with (same as the open string). It’s just an octave higher.

So now, with just a tiny bit of theory, you can name every single note on the fingerboard of your mandolin.

Give this a try

Put your finger on any string, at any fret, and then figure out what note you’re fretting. It is  going to seem like work at first. It does take some thinking (and some counting) to figure it out, but it will get easier as you continue to learn your instrument. For practice, try doing this a few times each day and see how much easier it is after just a week.

You need to memorize the notes for each open string. Once again, your 4th string (the thickest course of strings) is a G. The next is D, then A, then E. This is a “must know”. After all, you need to be able to tune your instrument.

However, it can be quicker to determine notes further up the neck when you don’t have to count from the first fret. So, for a start, try to memorize the notes at the 5th fret – C G D A. You already know the notes at the twelfth fret. They’re the same as the open strings, only an octave higher – G D A E.

So that’s the basics. I hope I was able to explain things clearly. For many, I’m sure it was just a simple review. However, if it’s all new to you, then it could take some time to sink in. Read it over again if you need to, then go through the review below.

Review

1. The semitone, or half tone, is the smallest interval in Western music. Two semitones = whole tone. A semitone, half tone, and half step are the same thing.
2. Each consecutive note is a semitone (or half step) up from the previous note.
3. Each fret on a mandolin is a semitone (or half step).
4. In Western music there are only 12 notes.
5. In music theory, natural notes refer to the notes without sharps or flats . These notes are – A B C D E F G.
6. The notes in between the natural notes are sharps or flats, and can have two names, but they are the same note and same sound (enharmonic).
7. There is only a half step between the notes B and C. There is only a half step between E and F.
8. To make a note sharp you raise it a half step, to make it flat you lower it a half step.
9. The Chromatic Scale involves moving through all the notes in order.
10. Any note can be made flat, and any note can be made sharp.
11. Each note is repeated every twelve semitones. The interval of 12 half steps is called an octave.

So, if you had no problems with the review, then you understand the absolute basics of music theory.

Your next step would be to take a look at one of the most important concepts in music – the Major Scale!