Music theory and musicality
With
LissieLissie talks honestly about her own rocky relationship with music theory, and why you shouldn't worry if it confuses you while you're learning guitar.
What's in the course
25 lessons (1h 37m) · 1 free
Lesson transcript
Music Theory and Learning the Guitar
So, another potentially important part of learning a new instrument is music theory.
I'll have to be honest with you:
- I took some music classes in high school
- I didn't have a great experience with the teacher
- It didn't go so well for me, and I had trouble understanding all the concepts
That kind of turned me off of it. When I was in college, I took a summer class to give theory another shot. For some reason, it just never really locked in.
Although I'd say I've picked up little bits and bobs over the years and being around musicians, I don't think you should worry too much if music theory confuses you. I'm an example of that.
Understanding the Guitar
You know, we have these six strings on the guitar. I mentioned that music theory isn't really how I approach my relationship with the guitar, but I do know that there are:
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
With the sharps and the flats, you have 12 tones you can make.
The 12 Tones
So this top string is E, and there's no half step between an E and an F. The sequence goes like this:
- E
- F
- F sharp
- G
- G sharp
- A
- A sharp
- B
- C
- C sharp
- D
- D sharp
- E
These 12 tones will be dancing together all over the neck of the guitar in many different ways. That's the miracle of music and why certain notes just sound good together. There's a reason for that, but I don't really know what the reason is.
If you don't know either, that's okay. Sometimes, playing as long as you have these basics is more about what sounds and feels good to you.
Things I Wish I'd Known
That being said, there are some things about the guitar that I wish I'd known earlier on. I think they would have helped me to learn in a little bit less confusing way.
I started out by:
- Taking some courses
- Not practicing
- Not following up
The way I really learned was to go and buy a chord book. Then, I would also get a songbook, like Sarah McLachlan's catalog, that had the chords at the top of the piano notes.
I practiced the chords I knew by:
- Buying a chord book
- Looking it up online (although this was at a time when you had to buy the book before the Internet)
Learning this way was definitely part of my journey!
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Meet your guru
Meet your guru
Lissie is a folk-rocker who grew up in Rock Island, Illinois, near the Mississippi River, speaking her mind and writing songs from an early age. Fans first fell in love with her voice on the five-song EP 'Why You Runnin'', produced by Bill Reynolds of Band of Horses, which Paste Magazine ranked among its Eight Most Auspicious Musical Debuts.
In 2010, her first full-length album 'Catching A Tiger' unassumingly established Lissie as a global voice. Stateside praise was matched in the UK with acclaim from the BBC, Evening Standard, Uncut and The Independent, who described it as "as refreshing a slice of pop as these jaded ears have heard in years." The album went on to sell 300,000 copies worldwide - 100,000 of them in the UK, where it was certified Gold.
Highlights along the way:
- Nominated for Best Breakthrough Act at the Q Awards, and tapped by VH1 as a "You Oughta Know" artist
- Festival sets at Glastonbury, Hard Rock Calling, Latitude, Secret Garden Party and Bestival
- TV appearances including Later with Jools Holland and Sunday Brunch
- Screen roles in Loudermilk and David Lynch's Twin Peaks, where NME praised her "intense" performance closing the episode with the Stevie Nicks-esque 'Wild West': "Rock Island's most exciting troubadour more than earned her Lynch-commissioned screen time."
- 'Carving Canyons' (out September 16), her first full-length album since the UK Top 10 'Castles' in 2018
In her guitar course, Lissie shares the chords, strumming and songwriting instincts behind her songs - everything you need to start playing like Rock Island's finest troubadour.
