Glossary

Music concepts explained

104 articles

Written by Kyle Sparkman and Sam Blakelock

Bubble picking

Rhythmic single-note lines often heard in R&B and funk music.

Written by Kyle Sparkman. Updated over a week ago

Voice Leading

An examination of how individual notes in a chord change and relate to each other throughout a chord progression

Written by Kyle Sparkman. Updated over a week ago

4ths

An interval of four staff positions/four notes higher in a diatonic scale

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Accidentals

A symbol that indicates a note is not in the given diatonic key

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Alternate tunings

Any tuning outside of the standard EADGBE guitar tuning

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Altered dominant chords

A dominant 7th chord with added extensions b5, #5, b9, and/or #9

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Arpeggio

A sequence of notes outlining a chord

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Articulation

How you play a note

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Barre Chord

A chord shape that requires you to lay a single finger (often the index finger) across your fretboard

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Bend

Pushing a string up or pulling it down in order to manipulate the pitch

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Blues Scale

A minor pentatonic scale with an added b5

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Call & response

A musical dialogue where a phrase is played or sung in direct response to one that precedes it

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Capo

A device that clamps guitar strings down across a single fret, which transposes the open tuning to a different key.

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Chicken Pickin'

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Chord Scale relationship

The single note scale associated with a given chord. The scale contains the chord tones as well as its upper extensions.

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Chord diagram

A visual representation of a guitar neck that displays the strings, frets, and finger numbers required to play a given chord.

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Chromaticism

A sequence of half-steps derived from the chromatic scale, which consists of all 12 notes found in Western music

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Clef

A musical symbol that indicates the pitch of notes written on the staff.

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Diatonic

Within the given key or scale

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Diminished chord

A chord composed entirely of minor third intervals – root, b3, b5, and bb7

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Diminished Scale

A dissonant-sounding scale that alternates between half steps and whole steps (or vice versa)

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Dominant 7 chord

A triad with an added flat seventh above the root. Root, 3, 5, b7

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Dorian

The second mode of a major scale

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Double stops

Playing two notes simultaneously on guitar

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Down stroke

Picking or strumming the strings in a downward motion

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Dynamics

The loudness of the notes you are playing

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Eighth note

A note that is played for one eighth the duration of a whole note

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Extensions

Notes added above a 7th chord.

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Finger numbering

The numbers assigned to fretting- and picking-hand fingers

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Fingerstyle

A method of guitar playing that incorporates individual fingers to pluck and strum strings instead of a pick

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Fingerstyle pattern

Pattern based on the order of fingers used to play a rhythmic phrase.

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Flat

Applying a flat symbol (♭) to a note lowers the pitch by one half step

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Flat 7 (diminished 7th, b7)

The 7th degree of a scale lowered by a half (b7) or whole (bb7) step

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Fret buzz

Sound produced when the guitarist is not using proper technique to fret the strings

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Fretting out

When you bend a guitar string, and the fret chokes off the sound of the note / prevents it from sustaining

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Fret wrap

A device that wraps around your guitar neck / strings and dampens the vibration

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Half diminished

A minor 7th chord with a flatted fifth.

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Half note

A note that receives half the value of a whole note

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Half step

A semitone or a one-fret change on the guitar.

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Hammer on

A guitar technique where a fretting-hand finger presses a string hard enough to cause it to emit sound without help from the picking hand.

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Harmonics

High-pitched notes created by shortening the string's vibrating length

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Harmonic Minor Scale

A natural minor scale with a raised 7th

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Humbucker

A type of guitar pickup commonly found on Gibson guitars.

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Hybrid picking

A picking technique that combines the use of a pick and fingers.

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Interval

The distance between two notes

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Inversion

Reordering a chord’s notes so a pitch other than the root is on the bottom

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Key signature

A group of accidentals that indicate the key of the song

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Legato

An indication that notes are to be played in a smooth, flowing manner

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Lydian

The fourth mode of the major scale. A major scale with a #4

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Major 7 chord

A chord composed of a root, third, fifth, and seventh

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Major 2nd interval

Interval spanning one whole step

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Major 3rd interval

Interval spanning two whole steps

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Major 6th interval

Interval spanning four whole steps and a half step

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Major 7th interval

Interval of a major 7th (5 whole steps and a half step)

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Major chord

A chord composed of a root, major 3rd, and 5th

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Major scale

A commonly used diatonic scale containing 7 notes

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Measure

Line segments dividing a staff into equal increments to display time

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Melodic Minor scale

A natural minor scale in jazz with a raised 6th and 7th

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Metronome

A device used as a practice tool that provides a steady beat.

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Minor chord

A chord composed of a root, flatted 3rd, and 5th.

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Minor 6 chord

A chord made up of a root, b3, 5th and 6th

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Minor 7 chord

A minor triad with an added b7

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Minor 2nd interval

Interval that spans one half step.

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Minor 3rd interval

Interval that spans one whole step and a half step.

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Minor 6th interval

An interval spanning four half steps

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Minor 7th interval

An interval spanning five whole steps

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Mixolydian

The fifth mode of the major scale

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Music notation

A written method used to convey musical ideas

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Natural Minor Scale

A scale with a flatted third and sixth, also known as the Aeolian mode.

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Note names (on the staff)

Notes are assigned corresponding letters A,B,C,D,E,F,G as a way of communication. With accidentals, there are 12 notes in Western music.

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Octave

An interval spanning 8 notes in the major scale, reaching the next occurring version of that note.

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Open-position chord

A guitar chord played in the lowest position on the guitar neck, utilizing a combination of open strings and fretted notes.

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Open String

A string played without fretting on the neck

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Palm muting

A technique where you place the palm of your picking hand against the strings while playing in order to deaden or shorten notes

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Pentatonic Scale

A five-note scale common to rock and blues improvisation

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Perfect 4th interval

Interval spanning two whole steps and a half step

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Perfect 5th interval

Interval spanning three whole steps and a half step

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

PIMA

Letters assigned to picking-hand fingers with classical guitar fingerstyle technique

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Power chord

A two-note chord made up of the root and fifth

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Pull off

Pulling your finger off a string to sound a note without picking it.

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Quarter note

A note that is one quarter the value of a whole note.

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Scale Degree

The note order relative to the first scale degree of a given key.

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Sharp

Applying a sharp symbol (#) to a note raises the pitch by one half step

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Sharp 5 (#5)

A raised 5th. In a chord, a #5 makes the chord augmented

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Sharp 11 (#11)

A raised 4th used as an upper extension in a chord

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Single coil

A type of guitar pickup common on Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster guitars.

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Slide

A metal or glass tube worn over one of the fretting fingers, used to slide along the string

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Spread triad (broken triad)

A triad where the notes are not all within the same octave

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Staccato

An articulation where notes are short and broken up

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Staff

A five-line, four-space figure where music is notated

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

String names

In standard tuning, the guitar strings are named after their open pitches

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Syncopation

Shifting or displacing the beat by emphasizing the weak beats

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Tempo

The speed at which music is performed

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Time signature / meter

A number value given at the beginning of a piece of music displaying how many beats are in a measure and which note value receives one beat.

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Transpose

Taking a song or musical phrase and moving it to a different key

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Tritone

An interval that’s an augmented fourth or diminished fifth from the root (three whole steps.)

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Triads

Three-note chords built from a root note, third, and fifth

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Tuning

On the guitar, tuning is the method of raising or lowering a string's pitch until it perfectly matches the desired note

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Turnaround

A chord progression occuring at the end of a song that’s used to lead back to the top of the form

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Upstroke

Picking or strumming the strings in an upward motion

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Vibrato

Manipulating a string by slightly raising and lowering it's pitch quickly and repeatedly

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

What if I don’t understand the musical terms being used in the lessons?

We created a music theory glossary for all of those confusing terms.

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Whole note

A note value that receives four beats

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago

Whole Tone Scale

A whole tone scale is a scale composed entirely of whole steps.

Written by Sam Blakelock. Updated over a week ago