Second Edition 2008 by 8 Chords 100 Songs All Rights Reserved. Published in the United States by WorshiptheKing.com

Transcription

1 Second Edition 2008 by 8 Chords 100 Songs All Rights Reserved. Published in the United States by WorshiptheKing.com

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3 Book 3 Table of Contents THE ORIGINAL 100 WORSHIP SONGS ABOUT THE AUTHOR GOING TO THE NEXT LEVEL LEARNING SONGS ON GUITAR THE PRACTICE CDS THE LESSON PLANS PRACTICE GOALS VI VII VIII IX X XI XII REVIEW: HOW TO TUNE YOUR GUITAR 1 LESSON 1: ADVANCED PALM MUTING 2 ADVANCED PALM MUTING 3 PATTERNS FOR PALM MUTING 4 LESSON 2: INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC THEORY 5 THE MUSICAL ALPHABET 6 NOTES ON THE NECK 7 COMPLETE NECK DIAGRAM 8 LEARN THE NOTES ON THE NECK 9 UNDERSTANDING OCTAVES ON THE GUITAR NECK 10 LESSON 3: UNDERSTANDING AND BUILDING THE MAJOR SCALE 11 UNDERSTANDING THE MAJOR SCALE 12 SCALE BUILDING WORKSHEET 13 LESSON 4: TRIADS 14 BUILDING TRIADS 15 TRIAD BUILDING WORKSHEET 16 LESSON 5: HARMONIZE THE MAJOR SCALE 17 HARMONIZING THE C MAJOR SCALE 18 HARMONIZE SCALE WORKSHEET 20

4 LESSON 6: THE NUMBER SYSTEMS 21 THE CLASSICAL NUMBER SYSTEM 22 THE NASHVILLE NUMBER SYSTEM 23 LESSON 7: KEY SIGNATURES & TRANSPOSING 24 KEY SIGNATURES 25 FAMILIAR KEYS 26 TRANSPOSITION PRACTICE WORKSHEET 27 TRANSPOSE A SIMPLE SONG 28 TRANSPOSE TO ANY KEY 29 OBSTACLES IN DETERMINING THE KEY OF A SONG 30 4 EASY STEPS TO TRANSPOSE TO ANY KEY 31 MUSIC THEORY GLOSSARY 32 LESSON 8: READING NOTES ON GUITAR 33 HOW TO READ NOTES ON GUITAR 34 THE E STRING 35 THE B STRING 36 THE G STRING 37 PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER 38 PLAYING A SONG WITH NOTES 39 LESSON 9: SINGING AND PLAYING SONGS IN THE CORRECT RANGE 40 PICKING THE RIGHT KEY FOR YOUR VOICE 41 4 VOCAL RANGES DEFINED 42 THE RANGE FINDER 43 PLAYING WHILE SINGING 44 PRACTICE SINGING AND PLAYING 45 LESSON 10: USE A CAPO TO CHANGE KEYS 46 USING THE CAPO 47 SING A SONG WITH YOUR CAPO 48 LESSON 11: STRING SKIPPING 49 ADVANCED FINGER EXERCISES 50

5 LESSON 12: SUSPENDED CHORDS 52 EASY SUSPENDED CHORDS 53 SUSPENDED CHORDS 54 LESSON 13: SLASH CHORDS 55 LEARNING ABOUT SLASH CHORDS 56 LEARNING ABOUT SLASH CHORDS 56 SLASH CHORDS 57 SLASH CHORD PRACTICE 58 SONG: YOU ARE THE ONE 59 LESSON 14: THE MINOR PENTATONIC (BLUES) SCALE 60 THE MINOR PENTATONIC SCALE 61 IMPROVISING AND SOLOING 62 IMPROVISING IN THE KEY OF G 63 LESSON 15: MAJOR SCALE 64 USING THE MAJOR SCALE TO SOLO 65 TWO MOVEABLE FORMS OF THE MAJOR SCALE 66 LESSON 16: HOW TO WRITE A SONG 67 HOW TO WRITE A SIMPLE SONG 68 PARTS OF A SONG 69 WRITING SONG ORDER 70 LESSON 17: LEADING A WORSHIP BAND 71 LEADING A WORSHIP BAND 72 ELEMENTS OF A BAND 73 CREATING FLOW IN WORSHIP 75 ANSWER KEY 77 CONGRATULATIONS! 79 WHERE TO GO FROM HERE? 80

6 The Original 100 Worship Songs When you know all the chords in any chord level, you are ready to play the songs in that level. Level 1 = G C D Level 5 = D Gm E A Level 2 = D G A Level 6 = D Gm E A Bm Level 3 = G C D Em Level 7 = D Gm E A Bm F#m Level 4 = G C D Em Am Level 8 = Advanced Songs in bold are the 2007 CCLI top 25 worship songs 1 Agnus Dei Level 1 51 I Could Sing of Your Love Forever Level 5 2 Every Move I Make Level 1 52 I Love You Lord Level 5 3 Ill Fly Away Level 1 53 I Worship You and You Alone Level 5 4 Meet With Me Level 1 54 Think About Jesus Level 5 5 Praise Song Level 1 55 You Are Worthy of My Praise Level 5 6 Rain Down Level 1 56 You Rescued Me Level 5 7 Victory Chant Level 1 57 All Hail King Jesus Level 6 8 Are You Washed in the Blood Level 2 58 All in All Level 6 9 Great and Mighty is He Level 2 59 Ancient of Days Level 6 10 Holiness (Take My Life) Level 2 60 As the Deer Level 6 11 I Believe in Jesus Level 2 61 Be the Center Level 6 12 I Love You Jesus Level 2 62 Better is One Day Level 6 13 Let it Rise Level 2 63 Come Just as You Are Level 6 14 Lord, You re All I Need Level 2 64 Come, Now is the Time to Worship Level 6 15 More Precious than Silver Level 2 65 Forever Level 6 16 The Lord Reigns Level 2 66 Forever Grateful Level 6 17 The Name of the Lord Level 2 67 Happy Song Level 6 18 We Bring the Sacrifice of Praise Level 2 68 Here I Am Level 6 19 You Are My King (Amazing Love) Level 2 69 Holy is the Lord Level 6 20 All the Earth Will Sing Your Praises Level 3 70 Hungry Level 6 21 Blessed Be Your Name Level 3 71 I Can Only Imagine Level 6 22 Breathe Level 3 72 I Exalt Thee Level 6 23 God of Wonders Level 3 73 I Want to Know You Level 6 24 Hallelujah (Your Love is Amazing) Level 3 74 I ll Cry Holy Level 6 25 How Great is Our God Level 3 75 I m Amazed Level 6 26 In the Secret Level 3 76 Let Everything That Has Breath Level 6 27 Jesus, Lover of My Soul Level 3 77 Lord, You re Beautiful Level 6 28 Lord, Be Glorified Level 3 78 My Redeemer Lives Level 6 29 My Offering Level 3 79 Open the Eyes of My Heart Level 6 30 Send Down Your Rain Level 3 80 Praise Song Level 6 31 Shout to the North Level 3 81 Praise Song to the King Level 6 32 Trading My Sorrows Level 3 82 Refiners Fire Level 6 33 Above All Level 4 83 Sing Holy Level 6 34 Draw Me Close Level 4 84 Surround Me Level 6 35 Holy and Anointed One Level 4 85 Take My Heart Level 6 36 How Great Thou Art Level 4 86 Thy Word Level 6 37 I Run to You Level 4 87 We Fall Down Level 6 38 I Will Sing Level 4 88 We Want To See Jesus Lifted High Level 6 39 I Will Sing of Your Love Level 4 89 You Are Lord of All Level 6 40 I Worship You Almighty God Level 4 90 You Are My King Level 6 41 Lord I Lift Your Name on High Level 4 91 You Are the One Level 6 42 Lord, Reign in Me Level 4 92 Your Name is Holy Level 6 43 More Love, More Power Level 4 93 Your Words, O Lord Level 6 44 Our God is an Awesome God Level 4 94 He s Coming Again Level 7 45 Shout to the Lord Level 4 95 I Seek Your Touch Level 7 46 The Heart of Worship Level 4 96 Revival Fire Fall Level 7 47 You Are My Strength Level 4 97 You Are Holy (Michael W. Smith) Level 7 48 Amazing Grace Level 5 98 I Give You My Heart Level 8 49 He is Exalted Level 5 99 My Life is In You Level 8 50 Here I am to Worship Level Praise You in the Morning Level 8 Print chord sheets or purchase songbooks at All of the original songs are available to students in the download section of the website. VI

7 About the Author Eric Michael Roberts is a professional guitarist, songwriter, worship leader, author and seminar speaker on guitar and modern worship. His online worship guitar school and study at home program has helped hundreds of students around the world learn to play guitar and lead worship with a new level of excellence. Eric s understanding of the guitar and his ability to teach the complex methods of playing modern music in a understandable way make Eric a strong leader in the modern worship guitar movement. His latest series, 8 Chords 100 Songs is published by WorshiptheKing.com and is the leading online worship guitar school and home study program for learning modern worship guitar. A note from the author: After a friend led me to accept Jesus as my personal savior at age 17, I began leading worship for the youth and main services at the church I attended at that time. I was mentored by a worship team member, and grew to learn my instrument even better lead worship more effectively. During college, I developed my singing voice and sharpened my skills as a leader. I have held staff positions at several churches and have led worship for other local churches and events. Teaching, training and mentoring musicians and worship leaders is one thing that I can give back to the local church and the body of Christ. Many of my students have gone forward into leadership roles as worship leaders and praise band players. Music is a lifetime love for me, and I hope that it will become that for you as you study with this method, which was developed after many years of private and group guitar classes. Welcome to a wonderful journey in music and worship. The foundation you build here will last a lifetime. May God bless your studies, Eric Roberts VII

8 Going to the next level By now, you should be able to play all 8 basic chords in the 8chords100songs method. Now, you will expand your chord, scale and theory knowledge to new heights. In this book, you will learn the important skill of transposing a song from any key to an easier key to play and sing. Many young players will get stuck on certain songs because the see a C#m chord, a chord that they are unfamiliar with or one that is not easy to form. This is an invaluable skill and will make you stand out above the rest. Because of this new skill, you will sound smooth, play better and your singing will be in the perfect key for your voice, therefore making you the best that you can be. In Book 3: In Book 3, you will learn important and relevant music theory, scales, vocal ranges and techniques to take you into the realm of intermediate playing and advanced knowledge. You will learn how to sing and play at the same time, as well as new chords and techniques for leading worship and a band. Many guitar players have played for over 15 years and have never learned the important and empowering music theory that I teach in this book. If you have ever felt lost when it come to your knowledge of how music works and how it applies to the guitar, you need to study Book 3 with eyes wide open. You are about to have your questions answered and take a huge step in your musical journey. VIII

9 Learning Songs on Guitar You will learn the techniques, chords and patterns needed to play any worship song. I will expose you to the top worship songs in the church today, as this method is based on the top 100 worship songs of the church. Every Sunday, thousands of churches across America and the world report songs to the Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI.com). If you are listening to the modern worship music of our day, you will recognize and love many of the songs we will discuss and learn about in this program. You will also learn several new worship songs from my own collection. To attain the easy to play chord sheets for the most popular worship songs, visit for new songbooks and free download resources. We have multiple songbooks that accompany and supplement this method. Every year, new songs become popular, and 8chords100songs makes them easy for you to play! Learn the 4 chords in Book 1 and play over 32 worship songs! Victory Chant, Rain Down, Praise Song, Agnus Dei, Every Move I Make, Meet With Me, Ill Fly Away, You Are My King (Amazing Love), Lord, You re All I Need, I Believe in Jesus, Great and Mighty is He, Are You Washed in the Blood, We Bring the Sacrifice of Praise, The Name of the Lord, The Lord Reigns, Let it Rise, I Love You Jesus, Holiness (Take My Life), More Precious than Silver, Trading My Sorrows, All the Earth Will Sing Your Praises, Shout to the North, Send Down Your Rain, My Offering, How Great is Our God, Lord, Be Glorified, Jesus, Lover of My Soul, In the Secret, Hallelujah (Your Love is Amazing), Blessed Be Your Name, Breathe, God of Wonders Visit for info on how to download the songs and purchase supplemental songbooks. IX

10 The Practice CDs With this program, you are never alone. If you are not familiar with a particular song, don t worry! You will be able to watch and listen to each song and example. Every song and exercise in the program is demonstrated for you on the DVDs and CDs. You will be able to hear the easy strumming patterns for all of the songs played. There is nothing that isn t explained and demonstrated. You also have practice tracks to play along with and develop your skills. When you see the CD symbol, you can listen to the example and the details about the song and subject you are learning. This will appear on every song s chord sheet. The song is played in full so that you can learn to strum and sing the song! You will learn it easy with the CD and the chord sheet. Track 1 BONUS DRUM TRACKS! I have created drum beats for you to practice playing your patterns along with a drummer. This will really help your rhythm and ability to play with others. Use these tracks throughout the book to practice exercises and strumming patterns. Track X

11 The Lesson Plans Dear Students, The lesson plans in this program are intended to be used in order with the 8 Chords 100 Songs Worship Guitar Program. There are 45 lessons in this program. Book 1 contains 12 lessons, Book 2 contains 12 lessons, and Book 3 contains 17 lessons. They will take you each step through my program and will help bring structure and accountability to your practice time. Try to complete 1 lesson each week. Do not move on to the next lesson until you have successfully played and mastered to 90% completion the lesson s exercises and songs. If you have any questions, please contact me by at eric@8chords100songs.com or log on to for more information. Use the Practice Journal to keep track of your progress. God bless you as you study, Eric Roberts XI

12 Practice Goals!" # $!!! When seriously studying the guitar, you need to practice daily. The students that I have seen learn very rapidly and become great guitar players have been those with a desire and a drive to practice and succeed. Playing guitar well requires a deep love for music and a hunger for mastering the instrument. I remember my early days as a guitar player; I played constantly! Nothing could stop me from learning more and more about music and the guitar. You may not be at this point yet, but you need to commit to a regular practice schedule. The goals that I am going to set for you here are very important. Tailor these goals to fit your lifestyle. Consistency is important: 15 minutes each day is better than 2 hours one day each week. Goal #1 Play for at least 15 minutes every day. You may take one day off each week. Goal #2 Memorize important chords, scales and patterns. Goal #3 Learn new songs each week. XII

13 Review: How to Tune Your Guitar As a beginner, it is best to have an electric tuner. You can purchase one from a local guitar store or online for about $ This will make your life much easier. As your ear develops, you will be able to tune by ear. In the beginning, have a friend tune your guitar for you. Track 1 Follow these instructions to tune your guitar by ear: 1. Tune the Low E string to a piano or a pitch pipe. This will get your guitar in the right pitch. All other strings will be tuned from this string so make sure this one is right. 2. Place your finger on the 5 th fret of the Low E string and then play the A string OPEN. Let the two strings ring out together. They should sound the same. 3. Move to the A string and play on the 5 th fret. Let the D string ring out open. Continue this process until you tune all the strings. Note: To tune the B string, you will have to move to the 4 th fret (see diagram). Helpful Hint: To keep your guitar in tune longer, always end your tune with an up turn of the tuning knob. Start out under the pitch and come up to it. The strings are less likely to slip when you do this. Don t tune down to the pitch. A little trick: With your left hand, fret the note you need on the 5 th fret. Then, pluck both strings and reach up to the tuner while you continue to let the notes ring out. This may take some practice at first, but allowing them to ring out gives you an opportunity to hear them ring together to tune them together perfectly. 1

14 Lesson 1: Advanced Palm Muting In this lesson, you will learn: How to play advanced palm mute rhythms Warm Up: Try to tune your guitar by ear Songs and Practice: 1. Play several songs and chord progressions using palm muting and lifting your hand on the accents. Notes from Eric: The palm mute is a very important technique for being able to play rhythm guitar like a pro. You learned the basic technique for palm muting in Book 2. Now it is time to shake things up a bit. Not every pattern will require you to play the palm mute through the entire pattern. When you want to play a rhythmic pattern using palm mute but let off the mute on certain beats to create accents, just lift your hand off the mute and then put it right back down. It will be a little bit like your right hand is jumping off the mute and then landing back down on the next beat that you want to mute. Be sure to really get good at this technique because you will use it a ton when playing your songs. 2

15 Advanced Palm Muting As you grow as a player, you will use palm muting a lot. You will use it while strumming, picking and soloing. You will learn to move your right hand palm slightly on and off of the strings to get the best sound. Palm muting will also be used a lot to create rhythm in your strumming patterns. By muting some strums and not others, a whole new world of rhythm come alive. This will help add to your accents that you have already learned in previous lessons. For example, try the following strums using palm muting. You will lift your palm slightly off the bridge to allow the strings to ring out. As you grow, you will learn to lift and mute with ease. Follow the accents as well. Track 2 Something to try: Once you learn some more picking patterns, you should try to lightly palm mute the picking pattern to make a great effect for the picking pattern. Now, try to apply palm muting to the other patterns that you know. 3

16 Patterns for Palm Muting Use the following chord patterns with the rhythm patterns. When you see the accent mark (>), lift your palm off the mute and accent the pattern. Exercise 1: Use this chord pattern Play each chord for 1 measure G A D D Track 3 Exercise 2: Use this chord pattern D A G A Play each chord for 1 measure Track 4 Exercise 3: Use this chord pattern Play each chord for 1 measure. G A D D Track 5 4

17 Lesson 2: Introduction to Music Theory In this lesson, you will learn: The musical alphabet How the notes are arranged on the guitar neck How to play octaves on the guitar Half steps and whole steps How notes are laid out on the piano and guitar neck Warm Up: Practice advanced palm muting with chord progressions Application Exercises: 1. Start on the E string and name each note on the fret board on the E string all the way up to the 12th fret. 2. Repeat the exercise on all strings. Notes from Eric: Music theory can be very confusing to some people. It can be fun and easy when it is learned in the right order and applied to the instrument in the correct way. Once you understand how music works, you will be better equipped to play the guitar and understand how songs are put together. In this book, I will teach you the basic foundation of music theory and how it applies to the guitar and to the songs you are learning. The lessons that are contained in this section are very important. Review this section often; memorize the charts and formulas and investigate how it applies to your music. I have provided a music theory glossary at the end of this section for you to review and use as you need. 5

18 The musical alphabet A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A The alphabet starts on A and ends on G. When it starts over, this is called an Octave. An octave is the same note played 12 half steps higher or lower. The piano will give you the clearest form of how notes are laid out. There are three different types of notes. # - Sharp = half step higher b - Flat = half step lower A natural sign takes it back to normal. On the piano: The white keys are the notes in the musical alphabet. The black keys are sharps (#) and flats (b). For Example: If you move a half step up from the C note, you will have C#. If you move a half step down from the D note, you will have Db. Helpful Hint: There are no sharps or flats between E-F and B-C. Look at the piano to understand. Notice that C# and Db are the SAME note. This is called enharmonic spelling. Whole Step = Two half steps Example: From C to D 6

19 Notes on the Neck The notes on the neck of the guitar are more difficult to understand. Each string has a note name. This is the note you hear when you play the string open. That string is divided into sections by the frets. Each fret is a half step. We will start with the Low E String on the guitar to learn how the frets and the notes work. Low E string Open: E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G#. Fret#: Play each note on the low E string and say the name of the note out loud. You will begin to memorize all the notes on the guitar neck as you progress. The next page shows you an easy way to quickly learn the notes on the neck. Once you memorize the top 2 strings, you will know how to quickly figure the other notes on the neck using octaves. Helpful Hint: There are no sharps or flats between E-F and B-C. Refer to the diagram of the piano for a better understanding. 7

20 Complete Neck Diagram You need to memorize the notes on the neck. This chart can look overwhelming! Use the method on the next page to quickly and easily memorize all the notes on the neck! This may take a while. Use a method that works for you. 8

21 Learn the Notes on the Neck 9

22 Understanding Octaves on the Guitar Neck It is important to understand how the notes are laid out on the neck. Understanding octaves will help your playing ability and knowledge of the instrument. Use this system to learn the notes on the entire neck. It is important that you memorize the top two strings. Use the dots to help you memorize. Start by memorizing the main notes: E F G A B C D E Then use your knowledge of sharps and flats to quickly find the rest of the notes. 10

23 Lesson 3: Understanding and Building the Major Scale In this lesson, you will learn: How to write and play the simple major scale Warm Up: Name all the frets on the Low E string up to the 12th fret. Application Exercises: 1. Play the major scale by reading the tablature at the bottom of the page Understanding the Major Scale 2. Complete the Scale Building Worksheet Notes from Eric: It is important to become familiar with the major scale and how it is built. At this point, it isn t about putting it under a microscope and trying to fully understand the complete history and why it exists, but you should be able to sing it, play it on your guitar and know the simple formula that makes the major scale. Here it is: Whole, Whole, Half, Whole, Whole, Whole, Half. That is the formula that you should begin to memorize and think about. The major scale is important to us because it is the foundation for most popular music and much of Western music as we know it. It is at the base of almost every song you could listen to on the radio today. Once you begin to understand it, it will be the starting point for every song you play. It will help you understand and identify which chords fit together in a given key and will give you the ability to begin to play the melody line of your favorite song. Take your time and begin to memorize and play the major scale in the key of C. We will begin with study in the key of C because it is the most basic form of the major scale. Once you master this scale, you will begin to add sharps and flats and will be able to build and play any major scale. 11

24 Understanding the Major Scale We are going to explore playing, building and harmonizing the major scale. You all have heard the major scale at one point in your life, even if you did not know that s what it was. Sing this song: Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do You may remember how it sounds from grade school. This is the major scale. Listen to the C major scale as played on the guitar Track 6 Look at the major scale as written in tablature and notation. Now, play the C major scale on the guitar. 12

25 Scale Building Worksheet This worksheet will show you how to build a major scale. The steps between the notes should look like this: W W H W W W H W = Whole Step H = Half Step How to make your own scale using the formula: 1. Write the letter of the scale you want to make 2. Write all the notes up to the octave 3. Add sharps to certain notes to make the whole/half step formula above work. That s IT! You have made a major scale. Fill in the notes to the following scales: C C G G D D A A 13

26 Lesson 4: Triads In this lesson, you will learn: How to write 3 note chords (triads) Application Exercises: 1. Complete the Triad Building Worksheet Notes from Eric: A triad is a three-note chord. It is just a really technical way to say chord. It is also the simple foundation for every chord that you will ever play. You will learn how to build simple triads first, then you will begin to alter those triads by adding or altering notes to make any chord you could think of. Even the most complex chords start as a simple three-note triad. This is like the 1 st grade building blocks to understanding all chords. It is very important for you to understand triads and be able to build them from any note. There are technically 7 triads you can start with (C D E F G A B). From there, you will build all of the chords you are going to play. In the future, when you see a crazy chord like Cmaj7b9, you can be sure that it started as a simple C triad. A major 7 was added and the 9 was flatted. You see? It is all built upon the simple C triad. Read that again! You have to start seeing these chords as simple triads. If that seems confusing now, you will get the hang of it as we go along. 14

27 Building Triads Triad = a three note chord. Every chord starts as a basic triad. Even more complex chords started as a triad. This is the most basic form of chord building. When you see a C7#, it started with a simple C triad - just three notes! Then, the chord tones are altered. In this book we will focus on the triads that are built over a simple major scale. There are two kinds: Major and Minor. The diagram above shows the details of the two chord qualities. Major chord sounds happy. Minor chord sounds dark or sad. Keep in mind this is a broad generalization. Take a moment and play G major. Now, for contrast, play the A minor chord. Do you hear the difference? Over time, your ear will develop. You will be building triads and learning about their qualities in the following pages. Understanding Intervals: Interval = the distance between two notes. Major 3 rd = 4 half steps Minor 3 rd = 3 half steps 15

28 Triad Building Worksheet Triads are three note chords that make up the base for all the chords you will play. It is important that you understand triads and the basic function they play in music. Later, you will add notes to chords to make more complex and colorful chords. To build a simple triad: 1. Pick a starting note 2. Add two notes above it (i.e., every other note) Example: C D E F G Now you have the C Chord: C E G Build triads over these notes: D G A 16

29 Lesson 5: Harmonize the Major Scale In this lesson, you will learn: How to add harmony to the major scale Why chords are major or minor Warm Up: Play the major scale in open position from the previous lesson Application Exercises: 1. Play the tab and chords on the bottom of Rules for Harmonizing 2. Complete the Harmonize Scale Worksheet Notes from Eric: If you ever wondered what chords went together and why, you have come to the right place. This lesson will open the door to all of the questions that you have about why some chords go together. It is because they are in the same KEY. That means that they were built upon the same scale. The C major scale is our base for learning these concepts. Once you understand them, you can change keys and you will have a whole new family of chords. To harmonize a major scale, start with the scale and build simple triads above each note of the scale. You will need to memorize a few rules in this lesson that will help you understand the process and be able to duplicate it in different keys. You will find that each key has 3 major chords and 3 minor chords. The seventh chord in the list is a diminished chord. Not a lot of modern guitar music utilizes the diminished chord, so I have left that out of this course. I can t remember the last time I saw a diminished chord in a worship chord sheet. It also isn t a common chord used in pop music. 17

30 Harmonizing the C Major Scale Key = Chord Family Most songs in modern worship and pop music are written in major keys. A key is known as a family of chords. The Family of C is the easiest to learn music theory from because there are no sharps or flats to deal with. When you harmonize (or put chords above each tone of the major scale), you create the 7 chords in that FAMILY (KEY). This is the KEY of C major: C dm em F G am b dim I ii iii IV V vi vii* The following three things always happen when harmonizing major scales: 1. The first chord is a major chord and tells the name of the key. 2. I, IV, and V are major chords; ii, iii and vi are minor chords as indicated by the lowercase letters. 3. The vii* chord is a diminished chord and is not used much in popular music especially by guitar players. Many times, guitar players substitute it for a 5/7 chord. MEMORIZE THESE 3 SIMPLE THINGS! 18

31 The diagram below first shows the scale, then the chords. The bottom line is the simple 3 note chords that are at the root of the chords you play. Track I ii iii IV V vi vii I I ii iii IV V vi vii I

32 Harmonize Scale Worksheet For the C major scale Remember the rules for chords in a major scale: The first, fourth and fifth chord are always MAJOR = I IV V The second, third and sixth chord are always minor = ii iii vi The seventh chord is diminished Use the C Major Scale to build all the triads for the key of C C D E F G A B C D E F G A B (repeating) I Major ii minor iii minor IV Major V Major vi minor The seventh chord is diminished (B D F) and will not be studied in this method. We will use a 5/7 chord instead. 20

33 Lesson 6: The Number Systems In this lesson, you will learn: How to read the Classical Number System How to read the Nashville Number System How to play songs using the number systems How to play a song in any key using the number systems Warm Up: Play chords and scales on Rules for harmonizing Application Exercises: 1. Complete the exercises for The Classical Number System 2. Write out a few chord progressions in the key of G and then write the Nashville Number System above the chords. Practice this until you are comfortable. 3. Play a song you know using the Nashville Number System Notes from Eric: When you harmonize the major scale by putting chords above each tone of the scale, you get a pattern of chords. Chords 1, 4, 5 are major and 2, 3, 6 are minor. There are two main number systems used and they are based on the chords in the major scale. The Nashville Number System is a shorthand version of the classical number system developed by studio and session players in Nashville and is still the main system used by many professional players today. The classical system is taught in universities around the world and utilizes the Roman numeral system. Both systems work fine, and both systems mean the exact same thing. For example, Chord 1 in the Nashville numbers is the same a Chord I in the classical system. The main reason that I use the numbers in the charts for my songs and for my band is because it is easy to transpose to any key using the numbers. It takes some time getting used to but once you get it, it is really fun to use. There are not any full song charts in the number system in this program, but you can switch some of your charts to numbers for practice. I suggest that you learn to read all charts with chords, the Nashville system and the classical system. 21

34 The Classical Number System The number system is the key to understanding the major scale and how it works with chords and keys. Once you understand the number system, you will be able to transpose and understand how chords work together to create a song. Now that you have harmonized a C Major scale, you will begin to view your chord progressions differently. This progression C F G C can also be written as I IV V I Complete the following exercise. Write the chord number under the chord. C dm F G am em F G Complete the following chord progressions by writing the chord names under the numbers. Then play the progressions. I IV V IV I ii IV V I ii IV iii V The number system is also the key to unlocking transposition. Transposition is changing the key of a song to a different key. You will learn that in just a few short pages! 22

35 The Nashville Number System The Nashville Number System is used by professional studio and session musicians. This system uses the same numbers and music theory as the previously learned version, but it also uses some shorthand symbols to make it easy to chart songs using simple numbers. With this system, you use the numbers to notate the chords that you are going to play. In this section, you will learn the basics of the Nashville Number System and will be able to start using it to chart your songs and play them with your band for worship. Why it will help your worship songs? This system is very helpful because you can chart the song before you decide what key you want to play the song in. You can easily change the key of the song at any time for any worship set or lead singer s vocal range. You can also simply use the capo with all band members, and you do not have to chart separate sheets for the guitarist using the capo! Once you and your band become proficient at reading numbers, you will be much more versatile, have better charts and a better understanding of how the music works. Your communication as a band will become more universal. Simple rules for writing and reading the system: Major Chords Represented by a simple number. Example: Minor Chords simple dash following the number. Example: 6- Slash Chords written as a fraction with the bass note on the bottom. Example: th chords or other alterations will come after the chord as in regular notation. If you are writing a dominant 7 th chord, such as a G 7, you will notate like this: 5 7 Example chord progression in the key of C Major: C dm F G 7 =

36 Lesson 7: Key Signatures & Transposing In this lesson, you will learn: Key signatures for the most popular guitar keys How to build a major scale using the key signature How to transpose a song using the number system Warm Up: Play a song using the Nashville Number System Application Exercises: 1. Complete the exercise for The Familiar Keys 2. Complete the Transposition Practice Worksheet 3. Complete the exercises to Transpose to Any Key 4. Pick a song and transpose it to several other keys Notes from Eric: It is important to understand the key signatures for the most popular keys and begin to memorize them. Also, memorize the order of sharps in this lesson. You will dive even deeper in this lesson into the major scale and begin to build it using key signatures in several keys. Once you understand how keys work together, you can easily transpose a song to a new key. This will be a very useful skill. One reason you may want to transpose a song from the key of F to the key of G is because the chords are easier to play in the key of G. Actually, once you learn to transpose, you can take any song and transpose it to the key of G or D to make it easy to play on the guitar. That is how I was able to get so many songs with easy chord sheets. You will begin to develop your skills for transposing now. 24

37 Key Signatures In order to properly harmonize in other keys, you must know two things: 1. Key Signature: how many sharps or flats are in a given key 2. The order of sharps and flats The table below contains the key signatures for all the keys you will use as a beginner. C G D A E F Bb None 1 sharp 2 sharps 3 sharps 4 sharps 1 flat 2 flats F# F# C# F# C# G# F# C# G# D# Bb Bb Eb Memorize the order of sharps! The order of sharps is: F C G D A E B The order of flats is backwards: B E A D G C F To correctly write a major scale in any key: 1. Start on a Key and write the musical alphabet. G A B C D E F G 2. Identify how many sharps or flats are in the key. 3. Add the sharps or flats to the notes. G A B C D E F# G Now you have built the G Major scale. This is the G Major scale harmonized! G Am Bm C D Em F#dim G 25

38 Familiar Keys (chord families) Here are several other popular guitar keys with key signatures and chord numbers. C Major no sharps C dm em F G am bdim C I ii iii IV V vi vii* I G Major 1 sharp G am bm C D em F#dim G I ii iii IV V vi vii* I D Major 2 sharps D em f#m G A bm C#dim D I ii iii IV V vi vii* I E Major 4 sharps E f#m g#m A B c#m d#dim E I ii iii IV V vi vii* I Now that you have this knowledge, you can transpose songs into any key by assigning numbers and switching chords accordingly. Transpose this song from the key of C to the key of D. C F am G 26

39 Transposition Practice Worksheet Practice writing and transposing using the number system: Write these chord progressions as numbers using the number system: Key of C: C dm F G Key of D: D G A D Key of G: G bm C D Transpose this chord progression to the key of G: Original Key of C: C dm F am G Transpose to G: Transpose this chord progression to the key of G: Original Key of D: D em G A D Transpose to G: 27

40 Transpose a Simple Song Use the chart on the previous page to help you. First, change the song to numbers using roman numerals or the Nashville number system. Then, move the song to the key of D. Change the chords to numbers. G /// /// C /// G /// /// /// D /// /// Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me! G /// /// C /// G /// /// D /// G /// /// I once was lost but now, I'm found. Was blind, but now I see. Now, write the song in the key of D using chord names. Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost but now, I'm found. Was blind, but now I see. 28

41 Transpose to Any Key Now that you understand transposition and the different keys, you will be able to transpose any song. For example, if you do not want to play a song in the key of A because of the C#m chord, then simply transpose the chords to the key of G using this chart. We will review the complete process here. First, you must know exactly what key the song is in; then, you can simply follow the chart on the following page to transpose the song to any key. What key is this song in? To decide what key a song is in, you will need to find a strong relation in the song. If a song has these chords: A D Bm E it is in the key of A You can see that it contains the of the key of A. The proof is in the relationship between A D E. A lot of songs will START and END on the chord of the root key. For example, if the first chord in a song is C, that song is in the key of C; however, this is NOT ALWAYS the case. The song could start on F and it still be in the key of C. What key do these chord sets represent? Look for the relationship. 1) What key is this? A E B f#m 2) What key is this? D G em A 3) What key is this? G D C am 4) What key is this? F C G dm 29

42 Obstacles in determining the key of a song Altered Chords: Sometimes, in a certain key, artists will use an altered chord outside the scope of the regular harmony of the major scale. This can make it tricky to tell what key they are really playing in. For example, some songs use a Major 2 chord. In the key of C, they may use a D major chord for just one measure of the chorus. In the key of C, the D is a minor chord, but to create a cool sound, they substitute D major there. This will throw you off if you are not careful. Flatted Chord Tones: Another example is the use of a 7 Major chord. In the Key of C, artists may use a B Major or a Flatted 7 th major chord like a Bb. When most of the song is in the key of C and a Bb chord is thrown in, you can assume that this is just the key of C and they are using a major chord on the flatted 7 th tone of the scale. This is rare in modern worship songs, but it can happen. When it does, you can use your knowledge of scales and the chart on the next page to transpose that chord right along with all the others. Don t let these few exceptions throw you off when deciding what key a song is in. Your main job is to identify a strong relationship and decide what key the song is in. Now you are ready to use the chart to transpose a song to any key! 30

43 4 Easy Steps to Transpose to Any Key 1. Identify the key your song is currently in. 2. Write the Nashville numbers above each chord. 3. Decide what key you would like to transpose to. Track 8 4. Use the chart below to write the chords of the new key in the song. Transpose to Any Key Quick Reference Chart Key Key Signature A 3 # A bm c#m D E f#m g#dim Bb 2 b Bb cm dm Eb F gm adim C None C dm em F G am bdim D 2 # D em f#m G A bm c#dim Eb 3 b Eb fm gm Ab Bb cm ddim E 4 # E f#m g#m A B c#m d#dim F 1 b F gm am Bb C dm edim G 1 # G am bm C D em f#dim Higher or Lower??? Use this musical alphabet or look at a piano keyboard to help you visualize if you are going to be raising or lowering the key. A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C 31

44 Music Theory Glossary The terms below were used throughout the music theory lessons. Enharmonic spelling the same note spelled differently Example: C# = Db Flat take the note one half step lower Half Step distance between two notes Example: C C# Harmonization add one or more notes to an existing note Harmony two notes sounding at once Interval the distance between two notes Keys a family of chords grouped with a scale Key Signatures the number of sharps or flats in any given key Major a happy sound Minor a sad, dark sound Natural cancels out the sharp/flat symbols and take the note back to normal Octave the distance between the C and C note makes an octave (12 half steps) Scale a group of notes in a particular order Sharp take the note one half step higher Transposition take a song to a different key Triad/Chord three notes grouped together to make a chord Whole Step two half steps make a whole step Now that you have read and have studied this section about music theory, you should have a good foundation upon which to build. Music theory is very complex. You will need to continue to study and practice the things you learned in this chapter. 32

45 Lesson 8: Reading Notes on Guitar In this lesson, you will learn: How to read notes in open position on the first 3 strings Warm Up: Play any finger exercise that you have learned so far. Application Exercises: 1. Complete all songs by listening to the CD and practicing reading the notes on the staff. Notes from Eric: Many guitar players never learn to read music. They prefer to read the charts and tablature to play the songs they love. In fact, you have been playing for a while now and may not have read a single note on the musical staff. I teach all of my students the basics of reading the language of music on the staff so that they will have a solid foundation to grow on in the future. Most pop, rock and worship styles do not use notes on the staff. Worship leaders often use simple chord sheets and chord diagrams to play. However, if you are able to understand how the notes on the neck relate to the notes on the staff, you will have a great advantage. Use this lesson to gain knowledge of how the music really works. The greatest advantage to a chord player is that you will know what notes are in each of your chords as you learn the notes on the neck and how they are placed on the staff. 33

46 How to Read Notes on Guitar Most guitar players spend the majority of their time reading charts and tablature. However, it is important for you to understand how the notes on the neck relate to the staff. This will help you pick out melodies and write songs on the staff. You do not need to become a virtuoso note reader to be able to use it as a tool. Guitar music is written in the treble clef. You will learn to read notes on the first three strings in this book. The lines on the treble clef (starting at the bottom) are: E G B D F You can memorize this with this saying: Every Good Boy Does Fine The spaces are: F A C E You will be learning the first three strings on the guitar in open position. The high E string. The B string The G string 34

47 The E String Read the tablature below to learn the notes on the E string. The high E is the open string. The 1 st fret is the F note and the 3 rd fret is the G note. Track 9 When you are comfortable, play the exercises below. Track 10 35

48 The B String Read the tablature below to learn the notes. The B note is the open string. The 1 st fret is the C note and the 3 rd fret is the D note. Track 11 When you are comfortable, play the exercises below. Track 12 36

49 The G String Read the tablature below to learn the notes. You are learning 2 notes on the G string: Open G and 2 nd fret A. Track 13 37

50 Putting It All Together Now you will put all the strings together to play these exercises. Track 14 Exercise 1 Exercise 2 Exercise 3 Exercise 4 38

51 Playing a Song with Notes Happy Birthday with three beats per measure: Track 15 If you would like to continue reading notes on the guitar, use a note reading method book to develop your skills. 39

52 Lesson 9: Singing and Playing Songs in the Correct Range In this lesson, you will learn: How to sing and play a song at the same time The best range for your voice Application Exercises: 1. Use the range finder to determine what vocal range your voice is 2. Practice the 3 steps to singing and playing a song 3. Play the song Amazing Grace 4. Once you have played the song, use the 3 steps to practice singing the song while you play it. If you need to sing in a different key, transpose the song using your music theory knowledge and the Nashville Number System Notes from Eric: To sing or not to sing? That is the question. I encourage every student to explore singing. Before you say something like I am a terrible singer and never give this a try, take a moment and listen to my advice. Let me prep this by telling you that I studied voice and have a degree in vocal education. I know that it may not be your strongest skill and you may feel like you are horrible but I believe that most people CAN sing, and if you practice the correct way and do the right things, you could become a good singer (or at least get by at it). The fist problem for most bad singers is RANGE. When you sing in the wrong range, you will most likely sound terrible. I have created a tool to help you find your range. Once you get comfortable with this, you can sing the songs that fit your voice and put songs in the right range for you. As a professional worship leader, I always make sure to put the songs in my range before rehearsal and I always sing where I am comfortable. This means that I will always sing my best and sound my best. Once you learn what key you are comfortable with, you can use your capo to move your songs around. My challenge to you is to try singing. Use the exercises and techniques in this lesson to explore singing and playing at the same time. For those of you who already know you can sing, you may experience problems singing and playing at the same time. Use this lesson to help you overcome that. It may come natural to some, but may take a lot of practice for others. Either way, singing and playing is a very important skill. 40

53 Picking the Right Key for Your Voice As a beginner singer/guitar player, in order to sound your best, use the best key for your voice. Many novice players will pick keys that do not suit their voice and will never win the up-hill battle of trying to sound good singing in the wrong key. You will not sound good at any time singing in a key that is not right for your voice! If the song is too high, you will always strain to hit the notes. If the song is too low, you will be too soft and may lose the low notes. It is so important that you sing each song in the range that will be the best for your voice. Where a melody sits in a certain key is just as important as the key. You may always sing great in the key of D, unless the melody sits up in the higher range of D. Then, it may be better to sing a few keys lower (like A or C). As a beginner, you need to know where you are comfortable singing and then move your capo around until you find that comfort zone with all of your songs. Understanding the way the notes lay on the piano will help you understand your vocal range. Finding Your Range: This can be tricky if you are not familiar with the piano and are just getting started in music. You may consider taking some voice lessons with a teacher or a friend. They can help you find your range. Have a more experienced musician write it out for you and show you the notes on the guitar. When picking keys to sing a song, stay within your comfortable range. If you are going to try to find your range on your own, start with your normal speaking voice. Go to the piano and try to find out where your normal speaking voice is. Once you pinpoint this area, try to sing and become comfortable with your high and low notes. The notes that you can sing easily will be the range you will want to stay in when singing your songs. 41

54 4 Vocal Ranges Defined Here is a visual of the ranges of the four voice types. Each voice part overlaps a little bit. Each voice part sounds the best in the middle of their own range. The upper and lower parts of the range are harder to sing, so stay in the middle of your range most of the time. Sing your songs in a key that puts the melody in the middle of your range with some dips down to the low end and some peaks in the high range. This is the best place to be! As you explore your range, you will become more familiar with what works best for your voice. 42

55 The Range Finder I am going to help you find your range right now. On the CD, there are examples of each voice type. Listen to the CD and follow the directions to find your range. Track 16 You range: Comfortable HIGH note Comfortable LOW note Put an X on the piano diagram on the previous page to mark your high and low note. Make any notes that you need to understand and remember where you feel comfortable singing. Then, find out where those notes are on the guitar so that you have a reference point when playing your guitar. These are the basic voice types. Some people will be slightly between the voice types. There are low baritones that we call basses. And low sopranos that we call mezzo sopranos. For this exercise, find the voice type that you are most likely to be and circle it. In general, men are baritone and tenors, women are altos and sopranos. Some women with really low voices can sing the tenor lines. My Voice Type: (circle one) Baritone Tenor Alto Soprano 43