Part 1: Start with the sounds and the names · Lesson 004 / 117
The seven-letter musical alphabet
Continue the note-name sequence without inventing an H.
The basic letter names are A, B, C, D, E, F and G. After G, the letters begin again at A. The alphabet is a repeating cycle, not a line that stops.
Say C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C. Starting at C does not create a different alphabet; you have entered the same cycle at another point. The same is true when starting at E or G.
A letter is a name, not a complete address. There are many places called C on the guitar, and not all of them sound at the same height. We will deal with repeated names shortly. For now, become comfortable continuing the letters forwards and backwards.
These seven letters are not all the available pitches. In later lessons, sharps and flats will name pitches between some of the letters. Do not assume that every move to the next letter is the same distance on the neck. Today we are learning the vocabulary before measuring its spacing.
Hear it
Natural Notes
Audio fileFour-beat count-in · 60 BPM · Warm sampled electric guitar. Listen once before playing along.
A concrete example
From E, the next four letters are F, G, A and B. Going backwards from C gives B, A, G and F.
Try it, slowly
- Say the seven letters slowly without the guitar.
- Start at three different letters and continue for eight names.
- Write A through G around a circle and trace it in both directions.
Check one idea
What comes after G, and what comes immediately before A?
Show the explanation
A comes after G. G comes immediately before A in this repeating alphabet. There is no H in the note-name system used in this course.
A good place to stop
You can continue the cycle from any letter, with the written circle available when needed.
Return to the example after a short break. A clear explanation matters more than speed.