The 12 note system, Whole Steps and Half Steps
This is the first in a multi-part series to help Guitarist’s better understand music theory. This article provides a basic understanding of the system all western music is built upon.
Western Music is based on a 12-note system, also called the chromatic scale. The chromatic scale is based upon 7 Whole Tones, which are notated with the letters A to G. :
A _ B C _ D _ E F _ G _
On the guitar:
A B C D E F G
Some of these notes are a half-step apart, while others are a whole-step apart. a half-step means moving to the next note on the chromatic scale. C is a half-step higher than B. E is a half-step lower than F. A whole step is moving up two notes on the chromatic scale. A is a whole step lower than B.
There are two ways to notate the fives other notes that fill in the blanks above. One is by reffering to the note below it, by using a sharp (notated with a #). Then the chromatic scale would look like this:
A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G#
you can also notate them by referring to the note a half-step above, by using a flat sign. (notated with a b (actually, the symbol looks a little different in sheet music, but it’s kind of like a ‘b’, so bear with me here)). The chromatic scale would then look like this:
A Bb B C Db E F Gb G Ab
