Are you ready for some more theory?  I thought you might be.  In this lesson I want to cover the theory of sharps and flats.  This is not going to be easy, so take a deep breath, relax, and say to yourself, "I can do this."  Of course, you can.  It's really not that hard.

Takin' the Steps

I want you to visualize a picture in your head.  Close  your eyes.  I want you to see a staircase.  The staircase has many steps.  But I want you to think about the steps in a special way.  On this staircase, two steps is really one whole step.  One step is really one half of a step.  Can you do it?  Two steps equals one, one step equals one half.  OK?

The Steps in a Major Scale

The scales--any scale--are built on the concept of steps.  Each major scale, no matter where it begins follows the same pattern of steps.  Some of the steps are whole steps (two steps on your imaginary staircase) and some of them are half steps (one step on your imaginary staircase).  On your guitar, a whole step represents a distance of two frets (the two steps on your imaginary staircase) and a half step represents a distance of one fret (one step on your imaginary staircase).

Now, let's take a simple scale, the C scale, which contains no sharps or flats, but which sets out the pattern of steps that all major scales follow.

A "C" scale, like any scale, consists of eight notes and  begins on the note "C" and ends on the note "C". (Remember, in music, there is no alphabetical note beyond "G."  After "G" you go right back to "A.")  So, a "C" scale would be:

C D E F G A B C

The distance between the two "Cs" is eight notes, or an octave.  The only difference between the two "Cs" is that the second "C" is an octave higher.  See if you can hum a note, any note, and then hum the same note one octave higher.  If you have trouble doing this, try the "Do re mi" method.  Sing "do re mi fa sol la ti do."  When you get to the second "Do" you will be singing the same note as the first "DO" but one octave higher.  See?  It's really not that hard.

Now, let's get back to the "C" scale and the pattern of steps.  I want you to hum any note and pretend it's the note "C."  Now hum the very next note above it.  Can you hum a note between the two?  Try it again.  Hum any note and call it "DO."  Now the next note and call it "Re."  Is there a note in between?  I think you'll find that there is.  The "Do" and the "Re" are so-called natural notes.  The note in between is a sharp or a flat, depending on the way you look at it.

The "Do, Re, ME" Thing

OK, let's sing a major scale, using do, re, me, fa, sol, la, ti, do. (Remember that song from The Sound of Music that goes, Do, a deer, a female deer, etc.?) The distance between Do and Re is a whole step (two steps on your imaginary staircase, and two frets on your guitar.  There is a note between Do and Re, a sharp or a flat).  The distance between Re and Mi is also a whole step.  The distance between Mi and Fa is only a half step (one step on your imaginary staircase, and one fret on your guitar.  There is no other note between Mi and Fa.) The difference between Fa and Sol is a whole step, between Sol and La is a whole step, between La and Ti is a whole step, and between Ti and Do is a half step.

So, let's review.  A major scale consists of eight notes, which can be sung as Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do.  Any major scale, starts on a note, and ends on the same note.  There are no notes in music beyond the note "G."  Therefore, a "C" major scale would start on "C" and end on "C."  The ending "C" would sound the same as the starting "C" except it would be an octave (eight notes) higher.  And the pattern of steps in the scale would be as follows:

C to D (whole step), D to E (whole step), E to F (half step), F to G (whole step), G to A (whole step), A to B (whole step), B to C (half step.)

So, the step pattern of any major scale would be two whole steps followed by a half step, another whole step, and two whole steps followed by a half step.

Checking This Out on Your Guitar

So now, you're totally confused, right?  Let's look at how this works on the guitar, and maybe it will become a bit clearer.  (It's much easier to see this on a piano keyboard, but guitar players never look for the easy way out, right?)

Now, make sure you are in standard tuning, or this explanation won't make any sense.  Let's take a look at the note C on the first fret of the second string.  You will see that the note D, the second note of the C major scale, is on the third fret of the second string.  There is a fret between the two notes. This is a whole step (the two steps on your imaginary staircase).  OK.  Now let's try going from D to E.  The fourth string open is D.  But E is on the second fret of the fourth string.  There is a fret between the open D and the note E.  Another whole step.  E to F?  E is on the second fret of the fourth string.  F is on the third fret.  There are no frets in between.  The distance between E and F is a half step.  F and G?  Let's go to the first string.  F is on the first fret, and G is on the third.  There is a fret between the two notes, a whole step.  G and A?  The third string open is G.  A is on the second fret of the third string.  There is a fret in between the two notes, a whole step.  A and B?  Go down to the fifth string.  A is open; B is on the second fret.  There is a fret in between the two notes, a whole step.  B and C?  Stay on the fifth string.  B is on the second fret, C is on the third.  There is no fret in between the two notes.  They are a half step apart.

Can you see this?  Is it clear?  Because every major scale follows this pattern, and, outside of the Key of C, the half steps and whole steps determine the sharps and the flats.

Sharps (#) and Flats (b):  What the Heck Do They Mean?

In music, there are two kinds of notes.  Natural notes are those notes that just have a letter name:  C, D, E, F, G, A, and B.  Notes that are sharp, are one half step higher than the natural note, and notes that are flat are one half step lower.  So, a C sharp (C#) is one half step, or one fret, higher than a natural C.  Going back to your guitar, if C is on the first fret of the second string, C# is one half step, or one fret higher.  In other words, C# would be on the second fret.  If E, for example, is on the second fret of your fourth string (and it is!), E flat (Eb) would be one half , or one fret, lower.  In other words, Eb would be on the first fret of your fourth string.

(Note that that there is no such thing as an E# or an Fb, or, for that matter, a B# or a Cb.  An E# would be one fret higher than an E. An Fb would be one fret lower than an F.  In the first case, the note would actually be an F.  In the second case, the note would actually be an E.  A B# would be on fret higher than an a B, and a Cb would be one fret lower that a C.  In the first case, the note would actually be a C.  In the second case, the note would acutally be a B.)

Sharps, Flats, and the "Keys" of Songs

Every song you play is in a certain "key."  The key of a song refers to the scale (major or minor, but we'll stick here to major scales) upon which the notes of the song are based.  So, a song in the Key of C is based on the C major scale.  A song in the key of G is based on the the G major scale, etc.  Standard notation tells you the key of a song in the the Key signature--the presence or absence of sharps and flats at the very beginning of the score.  Now, I showed you that the Key of C, or the C scale, has no sharps or flats.  So, if you see no sharps or flats at the beginning of the score, the song is in the key of C, or based on the C scale.  But, what if a song is based on some other scale, say, the G scale for example?

Well, let's take a look.  Let's say a song is based on the G scale.  Like any other scale, the G scale would begin on G, and end on G.  All the notes in between would be alphabetical from G.  The scale would consist of eight notes.  So, let's block it out:

G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G

But that's not the whole story.  Remember the pattern of whole steps and half steps?  The G scale, like any scale, has to conform to that pattern.  Let's review it again.  Any major scale must follow the following pattern:

Whole step, whole step, half step--whole step, whole step, half step, with a whole step in between.

Now, let's see how the G scale, as outlined above, stacks up.  The distance between G and A?  Whole step.  No problem. (Check it out on your guitar in standard tuning.  G is the third string open, and A is on the second fret.  There is a fret in between the two notes, thus, a whole step).  A and B? Also, OK. (A is the fifth string open, B is on the second fret of the fifth string.  Again, there is fret in between the two notes, a whole step.)  B and C?  Yep, a half step. (B is the second string open, C is on the first fret.  There are no frets in between, a half step).  C and D are a whole step apart. (Check it by looking at C on the first fret of the second string, and D on the third fret.  There is a fret in between the two notes, a whole step.)  D and E are a whole step (check out D and E on the fourth string.)  

OK,  HEADS UP!  According to the pattern, E and F in the G scale need to be a whole step apart.  But, as natural notes, E and F are not a whole step apart.  Don't believe me?  Go to the fourth string.  E is on the second fret, F is on the third.  There are no frets in between.  Therefore, E and F, as natural notes are only a half step apart.  But in order to have a G major scale, they have to be a whole step apart.  What do we do?  Easy.  MAKE THE NATURAL F AN F SHARP.  In other words, play the F one fret higher than than the natural F.  This makes the G major scale sound right, because it is now conforming to the whole step/half step pattern than determines the major scales.

But there is more! Sharping the F automatically creates the half step between the F# and G needed to create the scale.  Let's go to the guitar.  The last step in the pattern of the scale requires a half step.  The last two notes of the G scale are F and G.  Now, as natural notes, the F and G are a whole step apart.  Check it out on your guitar.  F is on the first fret of the first string.  G is on the third fret.  There is a fret in between the two notes.  Therefore, they are a whole step apart.  However, by sharping the F, that is, by moving it from the first fret to the second fret of the first string, you are automatically creating the the half step (F# is on the second fret, G is on the third, no frets exist between the two notes) required to complete the pattern for the scale.

So, to boil this all down, the G scale requires an F sharp in order to conform to the major scale pattern of half steps and whole steps.  So, when you are looking at a piece in standard notation, and that piece is in the key of G, you will see the a sharp (#) indicated on the fifth line of the staff (EGBDF) in the key signature.  This tells you that the song is in the key of G, and that the all the Fs in song are played as F sharps, because that sharp is needed in order for the the G scale to conform to the pattern of whole steps and half steps that determine every major scale.

Whew!!!!!

I know that's really a lot to absorb in one lesson.  But take it one step at a time, and I'm sure you'll get it. I know you'll have questions.  As always, don't hesitate to email me at:

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