Glossary
accidental A sharp sign, flat sign, or natural sign.
alternate picking Picking single notes in a continual down-and-up motion.
alternate tuning Tuning the strings of the guitar to notes other than those of standard tuning.
alternating bass A type of strum played like the “boom-chuck” but differing in that the root note in the bass note is played on the first beat only and another note (usually the fifth of the chord) is played on the third beat.
arpeggio A chord played one note (usually on separate strings) at a time, usually in an ascending or descending order.
augmented chord One of the four basic chord types, made up of the root, major third, and augmented fifth degrees of the Major Scale.
bar Also called a “measure”; a distinct measurement of beats, which is dictated by the time signature; the end of a bar is indicated by a vertical line running through the staff or bass guitar tablature lines.
barre chords Chords that are formed by placing the index flat across the strings at a single fret to play some notes while the other fingers fret others higher up on the neck. Fretting across all six strings is called a “full barre” and fretting between two and five strings is called a “half barre.”
blue notes The minor third, diminished fifth, and flat seventh of a key. The tension between the “blue notes” and the regular notes of the Major Scale is a key factor in the blues sound.
boom-chuck A type of strum made by playing the root note of a chord in the bass on the first and third beats and a strum of the rest of the chord (on the other strings) on the second and fourth beats.
capo A clamplike device attached to the neck and fingerboard to raise equally the pitch of all six strings.
chord Three or more different notes played together at the same time.
chord chart A grid/diagram that shows you where to place your fingers on the guitar to play a specific chord.
chord progression A sequence of chords played in a song or in a phrase of a song.
chromatic notes Notes taken from outside of a given Major Scale. See diatonic.
chromatic scale A scale made up of all 12 possible notes, each one a half-step from the other.
Circle of Fifths A pattern that can be used to study the relationship of keys to one another; also an excellent tool for practicing scales, riffs, or phrases in all keys.
crosspicking A method of playing guitar with a pick where the guitarist uses a steady stream of single notes, usually played across three or four strings.
DADGAD tuning A popular alternate tuning where the six strings of the guitar are tuned, from low to high, to D, A, D, G, A, and D. This is often used in Celtic music.
diatonic The notes used in a given Major Scale or the chords derived from the triads of that scale.
diminished chord One of the four basic chord types, made up of the root, minor third, and diminished fifth degrees of the Major Scale.
Double Drop D tuning An alternate tuning in which both the high and low E strings are tuned down a whole step to D.
double stops Simultaneously playing two notes on adjacent strings.
Drop D tuning An alternate tuning in which the low E string is tuned down a whole step to D.
dynamics Changes in volume or tempo while playing.
economic picking Playing with a pick, using downstrokes on the lowest three strings and upstrokes on the three highest strings.
eighth note A note of half a beat’s duration.
eighth note rest A rest of half a beat’s duration.
fill A short musical phrase that fills a space in the music. Similar to riffs except that riffs are usually repeated note by note while fills usually are different each time.
flat An accidental sign indicating lowering a note a half-step.
fingerpicking A style of guitar playing that uses the fingers (instead of a pick) to strike the strings.
fret A metal wire on the neck of the guitar; also the act of placing one’s finger on the neck of the guitar.
fretboard The area along the front of the guitar’s neck where one places his or her fingers to fret notes on the strings. Also commonly called the “fingerboard.”
half note A note of two beats’ duration.
half rest A rest of two beats’ duration.
half-step The difference between two notes of one fret of the guitar.
harmony Two or more notes played simultaneously.
interval The distance, in terms of steps and half-steps, of one note from another.
key The tonal center of a piece of music.
key signature The number of flats or sharps (if any) used in a song, which indicates the key the song is in.
major chord One of the four basic chord types, made up of the root, major third, and perfect fifth degrees of the Major Scale.
Major Scale The basic building block of music theory, the Major Scale begins on any note and uses the following sequence:
root–whole step–whole step–half-step–whole step–whole step–whole step–half-step (the root again)
measure Also called a “bar”; a distinct measurement of beats dictated by the time signature. The end of a measure is indicated by a vertical line running through the staff or bass guitar tablature lines.
minor chord One of the four basic chord types, made up of the root, minor third, and perfect fifth degrees of the Major Scale.
mode A scale created by taking a Major Scale and beginning on a note other than the root and going through the steps of the scale until reaching the starting note again. There are seven modes: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian.
music notation A system for reading music using a staff and notes placed upon it. The location of the note on the staff determines its name and the type of note indicates its duration.
natural sign An accidental sign indicating to play a note with neither flats nor sharps.
note A musical tone of a specific pitch.
octave An interval of 6 full steps (12 half-steps) from the root note, always bearing the same name as the root note.
open tuning Tuning the strings of the guitar so that they create an easily identifiable chord when strummed without any stings being fretted. For example, strumming the open strings of a guitar tuned to Open G tuning will sound a G major chord.
quarter note A note of one beat’s duration.
quarter rest A rest of one beat’s duration.
riff A short musical phrase, often repeated during the course of a song.
root note The note named by a chord; “C” is the root note of a C major chord.
sharp An accidental sign indicating raising a note a half-step.
shuffle A rhythm using the first and third of a set of triplets, commonly used in blues, jazz, and swing styles.
sixteenth note A note of one quarter of a beat’s duration.
sixteenth rest A rest of one quarter of a beat’s duration.
staff A set of five lines, used in music notation to indicate note names.
standard tuning How the strings of a guitar are usually tuned; from low to high: E, A, D, G, B, and E.
step The difference, between two notes, of two frets on the neck of the guitar.
syncopation Notes that fall on the offbeats.
tablature A system of reading music involving six horizontal lines (indicating the strings of the guitar) and numbers (indicating which frets to play in order to sound the notes).
tempo The speed of a song, usually indicated in BPM (beats per measure).
time signature Usually indicated by a fraction at the start of a piece of music, the time signature will tell you how many beats each measure receives (the upper number of the fraction) and which type of note is designated as a single beat (the lower number).
transposing Changing the notes (and chords) of a song from one key to another.
triplet A note of a third of a beat’s duration.
turnaround A quick chord progression at the end of a song to prepare the listener for a second verse; usually ends on the V chord.
twelve bar blues A standard blues song format involving specific chord changes over the course of 12 measures.
whole note A note of four beats’ duration.
whole note rest A rest of four beats’ duration.