A successful songwriter doesn’t have to make the Dean’s list of some ritzy conservatory.
Because you’re a songwriter first, guitarist second, and music theorist a distant third or 30th. In other words, guitar music theory isn’t your priority. But, in the back of your mind, you know that you should know more of it. At least more than you know now. You understand that it will help your guitar playing, which will make you a better songwriter and a more capable musician. But what parts of music theory do songwriters actually need? Which topics are relevant?
In this article, I’ll show you exactly what is relevant to know about music theory and the guitar in order to help your songwriting. We’ll figure out how to “connect the dots” so to speak.
What’s more, we’ll avoid the theory topics that aren’t relevant to you. This is your comprehensive guide to guitar music theory for songwriters.
Enjoy.

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While a lot of this content fits together, I think it’s better learned in segments so you can retain as much as possible. Remember, I’m not trying to make you into a theory expert. I’m simply covering the aspects of music theory that are relevant to your guitar playing and songwriting.
Take your time and really understand what you’re learning.
Section 1: How to “Know What You’re Playing”
This can be one of the single biggest frustrations for those who know some guitar, but little or nothing about what they’re actually playing.
Typically, you can strum and chord well enough, yet have no real idea of how it all fits together.
In all likelihood, this is what you’ve done as you learned the instrument:
You’ve memorized patterns and repeated what you’ve seen other people doing.
Now, it should first be pointed out that this isn’t a bad thing.
In fact, memorization and simply doing what we see other people doing on the guitar are both valid methods of learning.
The problem is that we often fail to supplement those tactics with our own understanding of what we’re actually playing.
We never take the time to look under the hood of the car we’re driving.
Correcting that problem means understanding the theory to allow us to identify and understand the movement on the fretboard beyond basic memorization. Let’s start with a simple, but important, distinction. We need to know the difference between playing lead and rhythm guitar.
Am I playing lead or rhythm?
Even if you’re familiar with this concept, it’s worth a quick review to solidify your understanding. Lead and rhythm are the two primary roles of the guitar and can be defined in this way:
- Lead Guitar: Melodic or harmonic note sequences (solos, fills, etc.)
- Rhythm Guitar: Structural chord patterns (chord progressions, root notes, etc.)
In other words, lead guitar adds flavor and melodic accent while rhythm guitar is a structural or foundational discipline that layers or highlights the bass line. That’s not to say that the two don’t cross paths. However, this distinction is, more or less, consistent across most musical disciplines.
As a songwriter, the roll in which you’ll most typically find yourself is that of a rhythm guitarist.
This has a few implications:
- Your focus should be on chords and chord progressions.
- You will share some responsibility when it comes to the timing and structure of the songs you play.
- Melody will more often be a concern of your voice and not your guitar.
Certainly, these are generalized assumptions.
However, it’s helpful to know these conventions, so you can understand that in most cases your primary responsibility is to supplement a bass line with an acoustic guitar chord progression.
Composition of a Song
Elements of a song include things like chord progressions, scales, and other theoretical constructs.
We need to know those elements and how they fit together within a piece of music.
Let’s start by ordering a few elements:
Songs have a key - which has a seven-note scale - which gives us seven chords of that particular key
From this list of chords we get our chord progressions. For example, let’s say you’re playing a song in the key of G. A quick Google search tells us that the G major scale contains the following seven notes:
G, A, B, C, D, E, and F♯
If we then look at the chords in the key of G, it’s easy to spot some of the common chord progressions that we use all the time:
I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii |
Gmaj | Amin | Bmin | Cmaj | Dmaj | Emin | F#dim |
Gmaj7 | Amin7 | Bmin7 | Cmaj7 | D7 | Emin7 | F#m7b5 |
Common chord progressions in G major | |
I - IV - V | G - C - D |
I - vi - IV - V | G - Em - C - D |
ii - V - I | Am - D7 - GM7 |
The Roman numerals given to each chord are to help match up your chord with the corresponding scale degree. Going from left to right, your scale degrees for the G major scale look like this:
I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii |
G | A | B | C | D | E | F# |
What the diagram demonstrates, is that you can know what you’re playing simply by knowing the key and being aware of the scale that your chord progression fits into.
It all will connect.
This construct is a particularly helpful way for songwriters to look at their chords, since they’re often using common chord progressions based on a key and scale, whether or not they realize it.
Here are a few resources where you can look up scales and chord progressions for different keys:
In short, you could say that you’re playing chords, in a progression, based on a scale that comes from a key. We’ll get into all of this more as we progress through the other topics.
Section 2: Root Notes and Memorizing the Fretboard
While memorizing the guitar fretboard isn’t the most exciting discipline, it doesn’t take as long as you might think. Furthermore, once you’ve gone through the trouble of memorizing it, the patterns stick with you and don’t have to be re-memorized.
First, let’s get familiar with the theory involved.
What is a root note?
We learn the fretboard notes so we can identify root notes.
If you don’t know what a root note is, think of it as the note that gives a chord its letter value.
Thus, the G major chord is a “G chord” because of the root G note.
Once you know where the G notes exist on the fretboard, you can then easily identify (or build) G chords in those spots.
The root note is almost always the bass note of the chord or the lowest note in the grouping.

The root note of a chord is almost always identified easily by finding the lowest note in the grouping
Since songwriters focusing on rhythm guitar don’t often deviate from the basic chords, this is as far as I would advise going when it comes to root notes.
You can get into things like inversions and more technical topics surrounding root notes, but it’s probably not necessary considering your focus and role as a guitar player.
All we really need to do here is understand how root notes identify chords and then how we can use them to mark and identify the fretboard.
Root Notes and the Fretboard
Now, as I said before, these root notes mark every single fret on the fretboard.
This means they all have to be memorized.
That’s the bad news.
Because no one wants to do that.
The good news is that the sequence of notes doesn’t actually change. The only thing that changes is where the notes start.
For example, you probably know that a standard guitar tuning contains the following open (strings played without any frets) notes:
E - A - D - G - B - E
Since the low and high E string start at the same note, we can memorize the sequence going from E to E (a difference of one octave) and then just start at different points of that sequence depending on which string we’re referring to.
If you’re confused, just start with memorizing the sequence for the low E.
Memorizing the Frets on the Low E String
Start with open E, then go to the first fret, second, third, etc., all the way up to the 12th fret:
E (open) - F - F♯ - G - A♭ - A - B♭ - B - C - C♯ - D - E♭ - E
Since the high E strings and low E string start on the same note, we’ve now memorized two of the six strings.
But, what about the rest?
Take the low A string for example.
Memorizing the Frets on the A String
Remember, the sequence is still the same, so for the A string we just start in the middle of the sequence at the A note:
A (open) - B♭ - B - C - C♯ - D - E♭ - E - F - F♯ - G - A♭ - A
I won’t go through each string line-by-line as you can do that on your own with this information.
Identifying Root Notes of Chords
For example, let’s say you were playing the following barre chord shape:
E|-----
B|-----
G|--7--
D|--8--
A|--8--
E|--6--
What would be the root of this chord?
We’d look at the lowest note, seen on the sixth string at the sixth fret, and go back to our E string notes to see that we’re dealing with a B♭.
In the same manner, you can identify chords and root notes anywhere on the fretboard, assuming you have the fretboard notes memorized.
My advice would be to focus on the two lowest strings, E and A (which will net you the high E string by default) then go through the D, G, and B strings at least a few times each.
If you don’t memorize those last three it’s fine.
But, I’d at least go through them.
It’ll help you get used to the note sequence, if nothing else.
Section 3: How Chords Fit Together
What about chords by themselves?
Outside of progressions, keys, and all that fuss, what is a chord exactly?
Since songwriters spend so much time strumming through chords, it’s helpful for them to know exactly what those chords are and how they’re constructed.
Let’s start with a definition:

A chord is a collection of at least two (usually three) notes played simultaneously.
Ottó Károlyi, a senior lecturer at the University of Stirling in Scotland, is credited with informally expanding the definition of a chord to include two or more notes, as opposed to the more widely accepted definition of three or more.
For our purposes, this is simply extra credit and a worthy side-note.
The more important part of the definition to understand is that a chord is any grouping of notes sounded simultaneously, or at least side-by-side, as in the case of an arpeggio (chord picked one note at a time).
But what about composition?
What is a chord made up of?
Parts of a Chord
The parts of a chord can be broken down into two different segments:
- Root note
- Intervals
First, you establish your root note and then build the rest of the chord based on that root.
A root note is sort of like the nucleus of your chord.
Intervals are all the notes in a chord that correspond to a chord’s root.
Take this power chord, for example:
E|-----
B|-----
G|-----
D|--5--
A|--5--
E|--3--
We can see that the root note is positioned at the third fret on the sixth string (the low E string), which means the other two notes are intervals of that low G.
Intervals are simply ways to designate the distance between two notes.
Here’s an interval cheat sheet, if you want a quick reference and memory aid.
For more background info on intervals, you can checkout our post, Guitar Intervals Explained.

Intervals are used to mark the distance between two notes
For now, I’ll just give you the intervals for each note in the chord from the previous tab:
- 5th
- Octave
The first note (fifth string and fifth fret) is a fifth or “perfect fifth” interval.
The second is an octave up from the root, meaning they’re both G notes.
For any chord, you can figure out the intervals of each note by simply counting the distance in frets between that note and the chord’s root.

An intervals cheat sheet.
Once you’re able to do this, every note in a chord becomes identifiable in relation to its own root.
Now, in most cases, you won’t need to do this.
However, it is an important part of being able to know what you’re playing and why a grouping of notes might make up a certain chord.
Section 4: The Theory of Fingerstyle
One of the hallmarks of acoustic guitar playing is the fingerstyle picking technique.
Since songwriters will often use this technique, I wanted to devote a chapter to it as a follow up to the information I provided on chord composition in section three.
If you happened to skip that section, I’d recommend back-tracking and reading it first.
How Fingerpicking Relates to Chord Composition
Fingerpicking is a technique that takes advantage of the fact that a chord’s root note is almost always on the lower strings.
If you’ve used this style often, you’ll notice that it’s usually handled in this manner:
- Pick the lower root notes with your thumb
- Grab the higher intervals with your other fingers
For example, you might fingerpick an E chord this way:
E|-----------0--
B|-----------0--
G|--------1-----
D|-----2--------
A|--2-----------
E|--0-----------
Fingerpicking is often a hybrid of simultaneous note fragments (highlighted in red) and single notes.
In this case, the root note is going to be played first, while your other fingers will pick up the intervals on the four higher strings.
Changing the Root Note and Leaving Everything Else the Same
One of the most effective ways this theoretical principle can be applied is by moving the root note of a chord while continuing to pick the same intervals.
If you can stay in the same key, those intervals will still resolve with other root notes.

Jonny Lang changing up the root notes. Flickr commons image courtesy of Christophe Losberger
Let’s start with something really easy.
We’ll bring back our G major scale:
G, A, B, C, D, E, and F♯
Start by picking the low G note on the third fret with your thumb and then plucking the open G and B string like this:
E|--------
B|-----3--
G|-----0--
D|--------
A|--------
E|--3-----
From there, we can move the root note to F♯, A , B and C quite easily:
E|--------------------------------
B|-----3-----3-----3-----3-----3--
G|-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0--
D|--------------------------------
A|--------------0-----2-----3-----
E|--3-----2-----------------------
Now, this pattern won’t necessarily challenge you, but it should allow you to more clearly see what’s happening when you move the root notes around in a fingerpicking pattern.
The root notes change while the intervals stay the same.
As long as the root notes are all a member of the same scale (in this case, the G major scale), it will sound consistent and will resolve without too much tension.
Understanding Time Signatures: 4/4 Time
I’m throwing time signatures in with the fingerpicking section because of how directly applicable it is to the technique.
Before we get into specific time signatures and how they manifest in acoustic fingerpicking, let’s try and understand the concept broadly.
First, the term “time signature” is a notational convention used in sheet music.
You can spot them directly after the treble clef:

Time signatures are displayed in sheet music as two numerals, one stacked on top of the other.
What do these two numbers mean?
- The lower number represents the note value or what type of note (quarter, half, etc.) is being played in the bar.
- The higher note tells us how many of those beats will occur within a single bar.
For example, the most common time signature, 4/4, can be understood as four quarter notes.
Additionally, 3/4 as three quarter notes, 3/8 as three eighth notes and so on in the same manner.
In most cases, a time signature is maintained throughout a song.
All this means is that to fingerpick in 4/4 time, we would be picking four quarter notes per measure, like this:

Four-four time means four quarter notes per measure
Here’s how I would attack this arpeggio:
- Play the root note with your thumb
- The two open notes with your index and middle finger
- Then the high interval with your ring finger
By far, 4/4 is the most common time signature.
In fact, you’ve probably spent most of your time playing in it, whether you realized it or not.
That said, there’s another common time signature that’s worth taking a look at.
Fingerpicking in Time: 3/4
This means we’ll be playing three quarter notes per measure, which will give off a kind of waltz feel and rhythm.
Let’s use the same C chord since it’s an easy pattern to remember.
We’ve included three quarter notes (the last two are chorded) in the bar:

Three quarter notes in one bar
From here, we can plot our fingerpicking pattern in a similar manner:
- Thumb plays the root note
- Index plays the first interval (on the second fret)
- Middle and ring grab the last two chorded notes
Combining Root Notes with Dyads and Triads
To finish up the theory behind fingerpicking, I’ll show you how to combine root notes with dyadic and triadic chord shapes.
We’ve already shown that in fingerpicking it’s common for the root note of a chord to change while the higher intervals stay the same. For this concept, we’ll separate the root notes from the intervals again but, this time we’ll be more specific about how we group the intervals.
When you’re fingerpicking through a root note/interval pattern, you have essentially three different ways you can group those higher intervals together:
- As single notes
- Dyads (groups of two)
- Triads (groups of three)
Now, be aware, the formal definition of a triad is a chord that is stacked in third intervals.
You don’t have to worry about that here, because the term “triad” can also be used to describe any grouping of three notes that resolve with the root.
Just be aware that a more focused definition exists.
Let’s start with dyads.
Here’s an example where we’ve broken an E chord up between the root note and three other dyadic groupings, played in 4/4 time:

E chord root with dyadic groupings, played in four-four time
If you were to break the shape up by triadic grouping, it might look like this:

E roots with triadic groupings, played in four-four time
Again, you can change your root note while using the same combination(s) of intervals.
How you arrange them is up to you. Just make sure you have a handle on how these notes correlate with the bass line and give structure to your fingerpicking:
Section 5: The Guts of Chord Progressions
Incidentally, we’ve already covered a lot of what would be considered chord progression theory.
Without being redundant, I want to reinforce some of these ideas while also taking a closer look at some of the most common chord progressions you’re likely to use as a songwriter.
So, let’s briefly review what we already know:
- Chord progressions always have a key.
- Chord progressions are therefore based on a scale within that key.
- These scales give way to commonly used chord progressions.
Also, note that chord progressions drawn directly from a scale will share the numeral of their corresponding scale degrees, giving you progressions written like this:
I - IV - V
Assuming you’re in the key of G, this would indicate a G, C and D progression since G, C and D are the first, fourth and fifth degrees in that scale.
You could then take that sequence of numerals and apply it to any scale, thereby giving you a workable progression directly from that scale.
Now, that doesn’t mean that you must write chord progressions this way.
I still write them out without the numerals, in favor of their letter note values.
At the same time, it’s helpful to know how to use the numerals of scale degrees to easily move chord progressions from one key to another and to know what they are when you see them. Because that’s essentially what a chord progression is; a collection of scale degrees.
From here, let’s move into a closer look of some specific chord progressions.
Focusing on the G, C, and D Progression
One of the most common chord progressions is G, C, and D.
While the order can change, we know now that we’re working in the key of G with the first, fourth, and fifth scale degrees: I - IV - V.
Let’s take a look at the root notes we’re utilizing:
E|-----------
B|-----------
G|-----------
D|--------0--
A|-----3-----
E|--3--------
We have our low G and C, positioned on the sixth and fifth strings respectively, while our root D note is the open fourth string.
If we fill out the chords, the tab usually looks something like this:
E|--1-----2--
B|--0--3--3--
G|--0--0--2--
D|--0--2--0--
A|--2--3-----
E|--3--------
Now, based on our root notes, what else can we do with this progression?
In an article I wrote for Guitar World, I covered how to mod this progression and sort of “clean it up” a bit.
I kept the root notes and didn’t add any minor intervals.
Here’s what I came up with:
E|-----------
B|--3--3--3--
G|--0--0--2--
D|--0--x--0--
A|--x--3-----
E|--3--------
Basically, we minimize the chord and set it up so that all we have to do is move the root note from G to C and then the open D.
It makes the progression much easier.
I would also contend that it sounds better.
It has a nice, consistent ring when arpeggiated and also makes for a clean strumming tone without unwanted pick scraping.
But, what if we wanted to barre the shape or use power chords?
The same theory applies.
Start with the same G and C root notes, then move the D root to the fifth fret on the fifth string:
E|-----------
B|-----------
G|-----------
D|-----------
A|-----3--5--
E|--3--------
Now, we can add our perfect fifth interval to create power chords:
E|-----------
B|-----------
G|-----------
D|-----5--7--
A|--5--3--5--
E|--3--------
If you want to create a progression of barre chords, we’ll need to add at least two more intervals.
Here, we add the octave and major third to each chord:
E|-----------
B|-----5--7--
G|--4--5--7--
D|--5--5--7--
A|--5--3--5--
E|--3--------
There are a lot of different ways to handle the G, C, and D progression, so I’d recommend figuring out which one works best for you.
And that’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with the formal “chord book versions,” but just know that there are a number of ways to handle any one grouping of chords.
Focusing on the E, A and B Progression
If we take our scale sequence (I - IV - V) and move it from the key of G to the key of E we get another common progression that you’ve likely used quite a bit; E, A and B
We’ll run through at a few different ways to play it and handle the root notes.
Let’s first look at the formal, open version:
E|--0--0--0--
B|--0--2--0--
G|--1--2--4--
D|--2--2--4--
A|--2--0--2--
E|--0--------
My only suggestion here is to omit the last interval on the second fret for the A chord, which allows you to play the progression more open:
E|--0--0--0--
B|--0--0--0--
G|--1--2--4--
D|--2--2--4--
A|--2--0--2--
E|--0--------
If you want to build the power version of this progression, simply omit the lower notes from each chord until you have only the root and 5th of the chord remaining:
E|-----------
B|-----------
G|-----------
D|-----2--4--
A|--2--0--2--
E|--0--------
Another super easy way to play this progression is to move the power chord shape to a position at the seventh fret:
E|-----------
B|-----------
G|-----------
D|-----7--9--
A|--7--0--7--
E|--0--------
Just as in our other examples, we can continue adding intervals that thicken the harmony of the chord:
E|-----------
B|-----------
G|-----6--9--
D|--9--7--9--
A|--7--0--7--
E|--0--------
Note that the E, A, and B progression is more structurally suited for power and barre chord progressions than an open arrangement, though it can be effectively used for either.
6. Scales for Songwriters
What do songwriters need to know about scales?
Should you know a lot of them by heart or have them memorized?
Which ones matter the most?
We’ve talked a lot about scales already and have even seen how scales (the major scale) can give us a framework for chord progressions and playing in a key.
If you understand the more conceptual side of scales, it will serve you better than if you just memorize a handful of them and don’t really know what they mean.
So first, let’s try and solidify our understanding of guitar scale music theory before we attempt any memorization.
What is a scale?
A scale is a sequence of notes that is ordered by pitch.
For example, the C major scale includes the following notes:
C - D - E - F - G - A - B
On the guitar, you could tab it out like this:
E|--------------------------
B|--------------------------
G|-----------------2--4--5--
D|--------2--3--5-----------
A|--3--5--------------------
E|--------------------------
That last note (at the fifth fret) is a C, an octave higher from the root C that begins the sequence on the third fret. At that point, the seven note sequence simply repeats.
On a scale diagram, you’d write the pattern this way:

The diagram version of the C major scale with the root positioned at the third fret.
Theoretically, this shape can repeat itself anywhere on the fretboard where a C note exists, since the sequence of notes doesn't change.
What does it mean?
Now that we’ve seen a scale and plotted the notes, what does it mean? What implications does it have for our guitar playing and songwriting?
Primarily, a scale provides a grid for two important musical components:
- Melody
- Harmony
When you sing a melody or harmony with your voice, you’re almost always utilizing a group of notes from within a particular scale or melding a few different scales together.
It’s no different with your guitar.
And notes that resolve together in a given key are always going to share a common scale or collection of modes (variations of a given scale).
In other words, harmony and melody are governed by scales and modes.
How to Use Scales as a Reference
To that end, scales can be useful for the following purposes:
- Developing chord progressions
- Identifying notes within a key
- Identifying chords within a key
- Building lead melodies and harmonies to cover chord progressions
- Creating resolve (an auditory feeling of relaxation) or tension (creating a need to feel relaxed or “released” from a note)
Scales can be used as a reference point for all these things.
For example, let’s say you know you’re playing in the key of G and you want to develop a new chord progression in that key.
We’ve already seen how we could use the G major scale to cobble together chords that already exist within that key.
Further, we can use that same scale to build lead sequences and melodies to go over those same chords.
They’re the skeleton and backbone that holds music together.
Do I need to memorize scales and modes?
My personal opinion is that it’s not necessary to memorize a lot of scales as they are.
Why?
Because you won’t ever really need to play them straight through, at least not as a songwriter.
…most songwriters, who lean more on chords and the acoustic style, do not need to spend a lot of time memorizing scales.
Now, just because it’s not necessary doesn’t mean it’s not beneficial.
Music students make a regular practice of memorizing scales and modes, even to the point of being able to identify them as they play and switch between them.
What you need to decide is whether you want to use scales directly, in that same manner, or if you’re simply going to use them as a theoretical tool.
My conclusion is that most songwriters, who lean more on chords and the acoustic style, do not need to spend a lot of time memorizing scales.
7. Why the Major Scale is your Best Friend
In fact, my advice would be to narrow your focus and get well-acquainted with the major scale in the keys that you most commonly play in.
Most of the progressions you play will have their roots in a basic major scale, which you can then use as a reference point for vocal melodies, harmonies, guitars solos or piano-based melodies.
The major scale is a structural component that shows up all the time. So, if you memorize any scales at all, I’d recommend that it be a major scale in the key of C.
Once you get comfortable with that, move onto a couple other keys and memorize the scale in those keys as well.
Where should I plot the major scale on the fretboard?
I would start by trying to keep scale forms close to where you play most of your chords.
For example, if you play a lot of open chords with root notes on the second and third frets (most songwriters do), you should use the second and third fret form of the major scale.
You can actually look up each scale form if you’re not sure what the notes are.
Keeping Fingers Close to the Fretboard
What I want to tackle now is one of the more practical and concrete problems that acoustic guitar players, and those who don't consider the guitar their primary instrument, tend to run into.
Simply put, it can be hard to keep your fingers on the fretboard.
One of the most taxing and irritating aspects of playing guitar and applying all this theory, is keeping fingers close to the fretboard when they keep wanting to sort of "pop off."
It’s a strange experience since your fingers don’t typically do that in any other situation.
Though having to curl them and get them used to resting on the fretboard in the correct position can cause your finger muscles to do some strange things early on in the process.
The question is: What can you do about it?
There are a few techniques and habits we can establish to help prevent this bizarre phenomenon permanently.
The Issue is Control
The reason your fingers are doing this stems from a lack of control.
Our task is to map out some practical and proactive ways you can build control over the muscles in your fingers.
There is some corrective work that needs to take place.
Aside from just practice and time, correcting this requires the following:
Comfort with the fretting hand position
The proper position for your chording hand is a relaxed, resting posture over the fretboard with a slight curl in your wrist and fingers.
This isn’t a natural position until your muscles get used it.
The correct amount of curl in your fingers for various chords
Different chords will either require that you increase or decrease the curl in different fingers.
This will be easier in some chords than in others and is something you’ll have to get used to as you broaden your chord vocabulary.
Developing wrist and forearm strength
The muscles you use to move your wrist and fingers come down off of your forearm and are called flexor tendons.
If you want to get specific, it’s the sublimis digitorum and carpi ulnaris, pictured here:

The flexor tendons that are primarily responsible for controlling your fingers. Image via Wikimedia Commons
Stretching these muscles and building them up are an important part of getting your fingers to stay put.
Keeping Fingers Close to the Fretboard During Chords
Chords are more difficult in that they usually involve more of a close cooperation between multiple fingers.
Thus, it's easy for guitarists to end up losing control of their chords.
The best thing to do is to start off with a few stretching exercises that target your entire hand.
E|--------------------------------
B|--------------------------------
G|--------------------------------
D|--------5--------9----------14--
A|-----3--------7---------12------
E|--1--------5--------10----------
Run through this tab two different ways:
- First time: Use your pointer, middle and pinky finger in that order.
- Second time: Use your pointer, ring and pinky finger in that order.
Alternate between your middle and ring finger for the middle note several times before moving onto the same notes in a chord form.
E|------------
B|------------
G|------------
D|--5--9--14--
A|--3--7--12--
E|--1--5--10--
For these chords, use your pointer, middle and pinky finger for each of the three notes.
Stretching your ring and pinky finger that far is probably going to be too difficult and not necessary.
Keeping Your Pointer Finger Low
Now we’ll go through some exercises that will help us keep our pointer finger beneath the other fingers, since that’s a typical pose we find ourselves in for a lot of different chords.
Start the following exercises with your pointer finger first, moving up through each note incrementally.
E|--------------------------
B|--------------------------
G|--4-----------6-----------
D|-----5-----------7--------
A|--------5-----------7-----
E|-----------7-----------9--
E|--------------------------
B|--------------------------
G|--1-----------3-----------
D|-----3-----------5--------
A|--------3-----------5-----
E|-----------4-----------6--
We'll do a similar exercise in a chord form.
Once again our pointer finger is tucked underneath the rest of our fingers.
Approach this following tab using your pointer finger to get the first note and your pinky finger to grab the last one.
In the first tab the stretch will be between your pointer, ring and pinky finger, while the second one stretches your pointer and middle finger.
1st 2nd 3rd
E|--------|--------|--------
B|--------|--------|--5--1--
G|--4--6--|--------|--------
D|--5--7--|--1--10-|--6--2--
A|--5--7--|--------|--7--3--
E|--------|--3--12-|--------
This might look a bit random when the entire tab isn’t separated, so I broke these chord groups up into three different categories and listed them below:
First Group: Basic Pointer Finger Stretch
This one isn’t difficult as it simply gets you used to playing with your pointer finger underneath the other three.
Second Group: Pointer and Ring Finger Separation
Here, the goal is to get used to separating your pointer and ring finger when your pointer finger is underneath the rest of your hand.
Third Group: Pointer and Ring Finger with Pinky
This is basically the same as the second group of chords, just with a note added at the end for your pinky to grab, which will up the intensity of the stretch and the overall difficulty.
All these chords can be moved around to different frets.
In terms of how challenging they’ll be, the lower frets will be more difficult while the higher frets will be a little easier because of their smaller size.
Exercising for Lead Guitar
Lead guitar stretching is a bit easier since it offers your fingers greater independence.
Though even in this situation keeping fingers close to the fretboard can be tricky.
We’ll cover some tabbed exercises that can help you stretch your fingers in lead patterns and get them to stick to the strings a little better.
E|----------------------
B|----------------------
G|----------------------
D|----------------------
A|----------------------
E|--1--3--5--7--10--12--
This is a pretty basic stretch that will really pull your pinky away from your ring finger.
Pick up that 10th note with your ring finger to force the four-fret stretch.
Use your middle, ring and pinky fingers only.
E|--------------------------------------
B|--------------------------------------
G|-----------------------------7--8--9--
D|--------------------5--6--7-----------
A|-----------3--4--5--------------------
E|--1--2--3-----------------------------
The tab here isn’t complex or difficult but, if you don’t use your pointer finger, it’s a challenging stretch for your other three.
Usually your pointer finger is the stronger link, while the others tend to be weaker.
This exercise will really help to stretch those fingers out and keep them close to the fretboard.
Use pointer and pinky fingers.
E|--1-----------------------------
B|-----4--1-----------------------
G|-----------4--1-----------------
D|-----------------4--1-----------
A|-----------------------4--1-----
E|-----------------------------4--
Once again we’ll single out two fingers to focus on stretching. This one is pretty self-explanatory (and tedious). Do the best you can with it until you get bored.
Use middle and pinky fingers.
E|--3-----------------------
B|-----5--------------------
G|--------3-----------------
D|-----------5--3-----------
A|-----------------5--3-----
E|-----------------------5--
For the last tab we’ll focus on the middle and pinky finger, taking a seemingly easy tab and turning it into a pretty good stretch.
You’ll definitely feel the stretch and eventually the strength.
Here’s a practice process you could follow:
- Spend 10-15 minutes on a few different exercises.
- Play something fun or even give your hands an hour or so break from guitar.
- Try to apply the exercise to a riff or improvisation that you might not have been able to do before.
If you have a routine that works better for you, grab the tabs and drop them in.
Spending a few days or so with these exercises should solidify your fingers significantly and help keep them close to the fretboard for the long haul.
How to Practice and Prioritize these Topics
To this point we've covered a lot of guitar music theory and practical application, which brings me to the question of how to prioritize and practice each topic. And what is difficult about "normalizing" topic prioritization is that it's often quite different from player to player.
Take any number of great guitarists and ask them what the learning process should look like.
Chances are slim that you’ll get any two telling you the exact same story.
However, there is a process and structure for learning the instrument.
Like with piano, there are foundational aspects of the guitar that we need to understand which we then build on and develop over time.
I had a guitar teacher who would describe it as a series of brief uphill climbs, where creativity, progress and improvement seemed to be plentiful. Yet, these climbs were quickly followed by long, boring plateaus that seemingly took forever to walk through.
In some ways, that’s always going to be a part of your learning experience.
Because you have to dig for new material to learn.
To that end, we’ll take a high-level glance at the process and topics we've gone through so far in this article via the following infographic:
Feel free to share but, please do not alter or claim ownership of the contents in any way.

The Guitar Practice infographic
An Electric Guitar Practice Strategy
How do we define and practice the role of the electric guitar in the context of the topics we've covered?
Is it something that can be put into words and explained on paper?
Perhaps, it would go something like this:
The role of the electric guitar is to provide (melodic or rhythmic) dressing and decoration to a given piece of music.
Simple enough.
Whether you’re talking about rhythm or lead guitar, this is the primary purpose of the electric six-string.
So, how should that impact our practice strategy?
There are implications (and applications) that we should consider.
The Emotion of the Electric Guitar
It’s an electric guitarist’s job to provide skin for music.
Structural elements (bones) are primarily up to bass players and drummers.
Another way to understand the “skin” of a song is in terms of the emotion and direction of the music.
While it’s true that rhythm plays a part in emotional triggers, melody and harmony have a more prominent role in this area.
For example, an electric guitar will often handle the following musical pieces:
- Short melody
- Melodic fills
- Harmonious fills
- Vocal accents
- Rhythmic accents
- Solos or long melodic sequences
All of this adds color, flavor and emotion just like a vocal melody line.
Take “More Time” by Needtobreathe for example, just the intro:
The music builds in this order:
- Rhythm guitar (beat)
- Melody line from the piano
- Vocal melody following the piano melody
In the example, your guitar can substitute as the piano.
It could also be added to the piano as one of the following:
- Melodic Duplicator (simply layer the same melody)
- Key Layer (play a sustained note in the same key)
- Harmony Accent (play a varied melody line in the same key)
The piano melody we hear in this song is an excellent example of where a guitar player’s head needs to be once the music starts.
Chords and timing are already handled and bass guitar is on the way.
What do we do?
Think about a high melody that compliments the vocal line and play it.
A few other things we need to keep in mind:
1. Following the rhythm isn’t wrong.
None of this is to say that, “Oh, well you don’t even need to worry about rhythm or timing or any of that”.
Quite the contrary: Rhythm is extremely important and you shouldn’t throw that out of your practice routine just because it’s not your primary responsibility.
You’re still participating in the song and the prerequisites for playing guitar in a live band (or along with any music) is that you’re able to keep time and play along with the drummer.
If you can’t do that, nothing else matters.
2. The guitar isn’t crucial to the structure.
Since your guitar isn’t a crucial structural piece, you shouldn’t worry about being the loudest or most noticeable part of the song’s cadence.
In other words, you’re part of the song but if you stopped playing, the structural integrity of the music would still remain intact.
3. The guitar is crucial to the emotional drive of the song.
What you should be worrying about the most is the emotional appeal of your playing.
As the electric guitar player, your job is to create a certain atmosphere and emotion for those who are listening to your music.
If you look at your playing that way, it changes your approach, often in the following ways:
- Turns your focus to melody
- Helps you make better use of your effects
- Reduces the need to play fast
- Makes you a more musical guitarist
If we understand all these ideas, there are practical applications for our electric guitar practice strategy.
Electric Guitar Practice Strategy and Implications
Let’s review what we've covered so far:
- Electric guitars are designed to decorate music.
- We’re participating in the foundation of the music but not creating it.
- As guitarists we’re the primary mechanism by which people feel emotion from a song.
How do we get good at doing this?
A lot of it has to do with what kind of music you tend to listen to, and whether or not you’re actually playing within that same style.
Whatever is on your iPod will have a tremendous impact on how well your guitar playing will fit into certain types of music.
It’s just how we’re wired.
If we have familiarity with a certain style or genre, that’s where we’ll be able to fit our guitar playing in the easiest. Not just because that’s what we’ve practiced on the guitar but because we’ve listened to that kind of music a lot.
Thus, we have our first practice application:
#1: Listen to the music you’re going to play.
This works better for cover songs, but even if your band isn’t playing covers, listen to music that is similar to the songs that you’re playing.
The more you saturate your ears and mind with the sounds of guitar players and bands doing what you’re trying to do, the easier it will be for you to replicate it.
It’s a simple yet effective concept.
Find someone who’s doing it well and then do the same thing they’re doing.
#2: Work on making less notes count for more.
The temptation is always to play more instead of less.
In our minds, more notes are better and will ultimately make our sound more penetrating and effective.
Unfortunately, that intuition is completely incorrect.
Less is way more with an electric guitar.
So, what exactly do you do?
Start with the root or tonic of the chords you’re playing over.
As you get familiar with the progression, you can reduce the notes you play until you’re focusing on a distinct, brief melody.
Let’s start with C, G, D and C:
Pick-through chord progression (guitar only):
E|-----------3--------------------------------0-----------------3--
B|--------3-----3--------------3-----------3-----3-----------3-----
G|-----0-----------0--------0-----0-----2-----------2-----0--------
D|-----------------------0-----------0-----------------------------
A|--3--------------------------------------------------3-----------
E|--------------------3--------------------------------------------
Pick-through chord progression with a band or on a recording:
E|-----------------------------------
B|-----3-----------------3-----------
G|--------0-----0-----2-----2-----0--
D|-----------------0-----------------
A|--3--------------------------3-----
E|-----------3-----------------------
In the second tab, we’re playing just enough notes to maintain the integrity of the chord progression and provide a little extra harmonic flavor.
It’s not a hard rule but will often be a better way to generate a melodic fill or complimentary guitar track.
You could even take it a step further and allow the bass to take care of the chord progression entirely while just playing a few of the higher intervals:
Just the higher notes (no bass notes):
E|-----------------------------
B|-----3-----3-----3-----------
G|--0-----0-----2-----2--0-----
D|--------------------------0--
A|-----------------------------
E|-----------------------------
This is a particularly helpful tactic if a song sounds too muddy or noisy.
You can just dial your chord progressions back, remove some of the notes and make things a bit clearer.
Let’s look at one more chord progression example.
Just the guitar -- full picking pattern:
E|-----------------0-----------------------------0--
B|--------------0--------------2--3-----------0-----
G|-----------1--------------2--------------4--------
D|--------2--------------2--------------4-----------
A|-----2--------------0--------------2--------------
E|--0-----------------------------------------------
Band or recording:
E|-----------0--------0-----------0--
B|--------0--------------------0-----
G|-----1-----------2--------4--------
D|--------------2--------4-----------
A|--2--------------------------------
E|-----------------------------------
Higher notes only:
E|--------0--------0--------0--
B|-----0--------0--------0-----
G|--1--------2--------4--------
D|-----------------------------
A|-----------------------------
E|-----------------------------
#3: Learn when to turn up the intensity and when to tone it down.
This is an area where habits don’t usually serve guitar players well.
The temptation, especially when playing an electric guitar, is to always be loud.
That’s not always a good thing.
An electric guitar can and should be loud some of the time but will more often take a back seat, providing subtlety instead of intensity.
How do we practice subtlety?
Practicing Subtlety
The exercises we’ll do are based off tabs that require a little explaining and musical terminology.
- Lentando: Gradually slowing and softer
- Estinto: As soft as possible, barely audible
- Pianissimo or pp: Very gently or softly
- Long Accent: Hit hard and keep full value of note
- Short Accent: Hit the note hard and short
- Crescendo: Growing progressively louder
Each musical term is given an abbreviation that we can use in a tab sheet. For example, we use “b” for bend or “p” for pull-off.
- Lentando: L
- Estinto: Es
- Pianissimo or pp: PP
- Long Accent: La
- Short Accent: Sa
- Crescendo: Crc
L
E|----[------3]----------
B|----[---3---]-3--------
G|----[0------]----0-----
D|-----------------------
A|-----------------------
E|--3-----------------3--
This tab would simply indicate you play through the three notes in parenthesis lentando or with gradual slowness and softness.
The same will apply with any of the abbreviations given.
Now, let’s try a few tabs that will help us work on our subtle playing.
Reducing intensity gradually and note by note:
L
E|--[---------------------10]--
B|--[------------------8----]--
G|--[---------4--5--7-------]--
D|--[------5----------------]--
A|--[---5-------------------]--
E|--[3----------------------]--
Heavy chords and soft single notes:
La PP La PP
E|-----[------3]-------[------7]--
B|-----[---3---]-------[---7---]--
G|-----[4------]-------[8------]--
D|--[5]-------------[9]-----------
A|--[5]-------------[9]-----------
E|--[3]-------------[7]-----------
Heavy low notes and softer higher notes of the same progression:
La Es La Es La Es
E|--------[------3]--------[---3]-----[------0------]--
B|--------[---3---]--------[3---]-----[---3-----3---]--
G|--------[0------]--[---0]-----------[2-----------2]--
D|--[---0]-----------[----]--------[0]-----------------
A|--[----]-----------[3---]----------------------------
E|--[3---]---------------------------------------------
Progressive intensity:
Crc
E|--[----------------------------------15--17]--
B|--[--------------------------13--15--------]--
G|--[------------7--9--10--12----------------]--
D|--[------5--7------------------------------]--
A|--[---3------------------------------------]--
E|--[1---------------------------------------]--
In many cases you’ll need to up the intensity and in others you’ll need to reduce it.
That’s a kind of “sense” that you'll develop over time.
Know how to move from playing hard to soft and vice versa, so that when the time comes you’ll be able to pull it off without hesitation.
The Basics of Playing Guitar by Ear
While it's important for songwriters to know guitar music theory, it's equally important that they make time to train their ear.
It’s often assumed that you can’t learn, nor be taught, to play guitar by ear.
I happen to disagree with that assumption. Just the same way your fingers and hands can learn certain movements, your ear can improve and learn, all the same.
Now of course it’s a different part of your mind that’s working and it’s true that some of us aren’t wired to play by ear.
To put all my cards on the table, I am wired that way.
One might say I’m an audible learner.
When I was in college, I took a few history courses and did well in those classes just by listening to the lectures and not taking any notes. Somehow my brain just retains things better when I hear them instead of write or see them (although I’m still really bad with names -- not sure how that makes sense).
So you might think, “Ah it’s easy for him to say that…he can already do it.”
True, but I’m a believer that you can improve your ear, because even though I’m “wired” for it, I’ve improved my ability to play by ear, over time.
It’s not like I was at the height of my ability to play by ear from the starting line. I had to work at it, think about what I was doing and hearing and apply myself to develop that skill.
While the road might be longer or shorter depending on a person's natural ability, it’s a road that can always be traveled.
How do I start playing guitar by ear?
What I’d like to do is teach the basics involved with playing guitar by ear.
It’s mostly conceptual but those concepts are simple and easy to grasp, so let’s start with something we can all comprehend: Volume.
Volume
When you’re playing guitar by ear, you’re basically engaging in the following process:
Hearing a note (or collection of notes) and making a series of conclusions based on several different ways to measure that note.
Those measurements are the following:
- Volume
- Pitch
- Key
But what is the “series of conclusions” that we make about each one? In the case of volume, there’s really only one: Too loud, or too soft?
To be sure, the answer to that question has a lot of implications depending on your situation.
For example, you might be playing with a group and if your guitar is louder than the lead singer’s microphone, you’re going to have a bad mix.
Perhaps your guitar’s volume is too low for a lead part that should be louder.
All of this is probably stuff you already understand but here’s what you need to be aware of:
Knowing whether your guitar is too loud is too soft is an aspect of playing by ear.
That’s good news right?
If you can understand when your guitar is too loud or too quiet (which everyone can), you’re in the beginning stages of playing by ear.
Think about it:
You didn’t have to look at your amp to see where the volume knob was turned to. You could just tell, “Jeez, I’m smoking everybody out here -- better take it back a few notches.”
If you can do that, you’re on the right path and I would make the case that you’re already showing that you have an ear for your instrument.
Let’s try and apply it.
Take a song you know how to play.
Any song. It doesn’t matter.
Make sure you have it on your phone or MP3 player then go ahead and play it through your amp or studio monitors.
When you start to play along with your guitar, there’s a point where the volume of the guitar will be loud enough to meld with the track but not so loud that it overpowers the track.
Tinker with the volume of the track and your amp until you’ve found that point.
If you do (and I’d suspect you’ll be able to) you’re well on your way to playing by ear.
Pitch
For starters, let’s define pitch.
The degree of highness or lowness of a tone.
A more specific definition gets into frequency and signal processing, which isn’t necessary for you to know.
Just recognize that when you hear the word “pitch” in the context of your guitar, it means a way to simply measure how high or low a given note is.
Here’s a simple illustration:

The role of the electric guitar is to provide (melodic or rhythmic) dressing and decoration to a given piece of music.
We’re looking for the ability to do a simple comparison between two notes.
In the above diagram I’ve listed them for you.
The one on the left (at the second fret) has a lower pitch, while the one on the right has a higher pitch.
But what if you didn’t have that chart to look at? What if you just heard those two notes and had to decide? Would you be able to tell?
Odds are that you can tell just fine.
If that’s the case, you’re another step closer to playing guitar by ear.
However, there are some people who simply can’t tell the difference. This is referred to as being “tone deaf.”
If you’re in this camp, there’s no question that you’re at a disadvantage.
Still, there are ways to train your mind to grasp the difference in pitch. It’s also possible that you’ll have to rely more on sight reading.
For those who struggle in any capacity when it comes to understanding pitch, here are a few ways to train that muscle.
Pitch Training Exercises for Guitar
When you look at a chart like the one I showed you above, you could tell which note was lower by counting frets.
While there’s nothing wrong with that, the goal is to be able to hear the difference.
So, these exercises will be chart and fretboard free.
You may need a friend or family member to assist.
Exercise 1: Piano Pitch Training
I suppose you could use a guitar but, I prefer the piano for this, if only for the fact that we’re completely removing the fretboard element.
The exercises will go like this:
Have a friend or family member play two notes on the piano and avoid looking at the keys.
Just listen.
Then, order the notes lowest to highest.
Have them add a note, listen again, then order the three notes in the following sequence:
- Lowest - Mid - Highest
- Highest - Mid - Lowest
- Mid - Lowest - Highest
- Mid - Highest - Lowest
I know it’s mundane, boring and feels like the most menial task ever.
But, this kind of training absolutely increases your ability to play by ear.
What you’re doing is training your mind to recognize the location of a note based on its pitch instead of where you see it.
Exercise 2: Placing Notes
Now, as you hear these notes, think back to your scale chart.
You can start to place notes based on the fact that a “lower note” will be closer to the beginning of the fretboard (near the first fret and the headstock) while the “higher note” will be closer to the end of the fretboard (near the body of the guitar and the pickups).
Based on that, you can start to visualize where those notes would show up on the scale chart or more practically, the fretboard:

Visualizing notes without fret numbers.
When you hear these notes on the piano and you’re arranging them by pitch in your mind, think about the scale chart and try to pinpoint where those notes would fall in relation to one another.
Which one is highest, lowest or in the middle?
It’s fine if you can’t be specific as to which fret.
Understanding the Key of Everything
There’s no question that key is a tough one to grasp when we’re talking about playing by ear, but don’t let it intimidate you.
As you train your ear and develop a more comfy relationship with the sounds you’re hearing, you can learn to pick out keys simply by listening.
I’ll assume that you understand what a “key” is, in so far as it’s a letter (A through G) used to describe a note or group of notes on which a scale is based.
Right away, we should recognize that the following elements can have a key:
- A single note
- Chord
- Chord progression
- Scale
- Entire song
This means you can think of a key in any of those terms.
But, let’s be clear:
It’s extremely difficult to be able to pick out the key of a single note or an entire song. In fact, only some of the most keen and naturally gifted musicians are able to do it accurately with any consistency.
However, I would argue that to play by ear you don’t need to be able to do that.
Instead, we should focus on picking out the key of just chords.
Exercises for Understanding Keys and Chords
On the guitar, you learn chords by their key or root.
A simple example would be a C chord. When you learn that chord, you immediately associate it with that key.
Now it’s usually pretty easy for even a beginning guitarist to identify the key of a chord by looking at a chart or by looking at the chord while they’re playing it. Playing by ear means we develop the ability to identify a chord’s key, simply by hearing the chord.
Exercise 1: Ear Training
The best way to start doing this is to simply play and listen to the chords you’ve learned and start to associate them with their sound.
Here are a few basics to start with:
- E
- E minor
- A
- A minor
- B
- C
- G
- D
- D minor
We've already covered some of these chords in the earlier chapters of this article.
Now you’ve got to learn to hear them.
Here’s a process you can follow:
- Take one chord and strum straight through without looking at the fretboard - 5 Times
- Play the same chord through one note at a time, also without looking at the fretboard - 3 Times
- Concentrate on the sound you’re hearing and play the sound back in your head without playing the guitar.
You don’t have to treat this as just an exercise.
In fact, you can do this whenever you’re playing guitar. The point is to be intentional about associating what you’re hearing with the root note of that chord.
Exercise 2: No-Look Chord Identifying
Once again, you’ll need a willing accomplice to help you out, but the idea is the same as the pitch exercise.
In this case, I’d say use a guitar instead of a piano but either one could work.
Have your friend strum the chords you’ve been working on and try to identify them without looking at the fretboard.
I'd bet you can identify most, if not all of the ones I’ve mentioned in the above list, maybe more.
The Basics
If you’ve been able to do even some of what we’ve talked about, then congrats.
You’re playing by ear.
Even if you struggle hearing some of these elements, the more you do the exercises and things we talked about here, the easier it’s going to get.
Know that you can train your ear and that you don’t always have to count on sight reading.
A Summary of What We’ve Learned
Need a quick refresher of what we’ve covered in this article and what you should be coming away with?
Here are the highlights:
- How to know music and not just memorize patterns
- How to use root notes to make sense of the fretboard
- What a chord is and what it’s made up of
- Chord composition and time signatures in the context of acoustic fingerstyle
- How scales and keys explain chord progressions
- The basic theoretical principles of scales
- Why songwriters should focus on the major scale
There’s a large portion of music theory that goes so in-depth that it has no practical use to those who aren’t completely consumed with the guitar.
As a songwriter, that’s probably not you.
So, these are topics that will help you understand guitar and music theory enough, but also not burden you with the aspects that aren’t necessary for you to know.
Wrapping Up
At this point you’ve got a handle on the basics of music theory, enough to make sense of it in casual conversation.
It’s everything you need to start putting the pieces together and understand why you’re playing what you’re playing.
Have thoughts or questions about this content?
Feel free to jump in via the comments section below.
Related Articles
Written by Bobby on Scales and Lessons
Written by Bobby on Scales and Lessons

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This was an absolutely sublime post. You deserve way more credit for this.
I really needed this oversight. It brings it all together.
This will help people who have been playing for a while into really understanding
instead of just reading or copying.
This was very well done, the best I’ve seen so far.
Greets, Belgium.
Hey, thanks so much for the kind words. Share it around if you get a chance.
Hi Bobby, great post, I’ll be sending this to some of my guitarist students. I
Hey Dan – thanks for the kind words. Hope your students find it helpful.