Music Only Has 12 Notes

Hey everyone! Here's the next episode of Brewster's Millions Of Rants with Music Only Has 12 Notes. This lesson is my humble attempt at identifying and simplifying a number of confusing areas within music and music theory, not to mention locating/arranging various triads, seventh chords, scales/modes, and more directly on the guitar neck - so let's dive in!
This exploratory concept is very beneficial, and for those that are struggling to understand the foundations of chord/scale construction and the related elusive realms of music theory, this lesson will shed some light on these subjects and help get your hands dirty with this information in the process.
You'll find we're hitting the chromatic scale, constructing basic minor/major triads, seventh chords, weaving through minor and major tonality scales/modes, and even hit the sinister m7b5 tonality at the end, by unleashing a little Locrian to wrap everything up.
Needless to say, if any of these commonly confusing areas of music trouble you, or maybe you're currently working on some of this information and would like a new/different approach to working through it, or maybe you're just curious what all the fuss is about - this lesson is totally for you! Give this episode a view, leave some comments/feedback, and please subscribe to Late Night Lessons - THANK YOU!
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[@berniesmith8089]

You might think your channel is just guitar and music, but it's much more than that. The holidays can be a rough time for some of us (myself included). This lesson gives those of us in the less-than situation something constructive and productive to focus on. Thanks for everything you do, David.

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

I hope your holidays are warm and happy! Sounds like you especially deserve that.

[@TalesofGore337]

gay

[@denmar355]

Warmest wishes and a prayer for you Bernie.

[@garyeggleton1142]

that is the best guitar lesson that I ever watched.....you nail the thought process ahead of the pattern...brilliant

[@bghammock]

Saved this one for many more visits in the future. I've half-ass done this for the past few years but never really stuck to it. That's gotta change. Thanks David!

[@mikeivey8471]

Great lesson !! Most of the time you will hear from music ppl / fellow musicians , etc. "Don't think about it ... just feel it !!" But you just threw that out the window !!! What you are asking us to do is such a great idea to help us learn the note positions on the fret board , so we can widen our abilities!! Thank you , Dave !!

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

Glad you didn't fall for that trap, it's just laziness. Once we learn where the notes are, the rest makes sense. Some people like to think we can just feel our way through, and sure, we can, but we'll make a lot more mistakes without knowing how to make them intentionally, and that's the key to feel, and or outside playing. We're not breaking the rules if we're intentionally ignorant of those rules.

[@DanDDirges]

Every aspiring guitarist or even an experienced guitarist should watch and re-watch this video. It`s the best music theory video I have seen. You`re right it does force you to think but once you dive into it, it`s actually fascinating. You`re the best. Great musician and teacher.

[@lonehawk71]

As a novice player, the way you have presented these concepts is concise and succinct. I wish I had learned this years ago. Thank you again! I have a lot of practicing to do.

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

I've always taught guitar by teaching A minor first because it's as easy as A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. B and C are right next to each other, also E and F are right next to each other, and the rest all skip a fret. Teaching all of this on one string is a great idea, too. I should have done that more often, it makes a lot of sense.

[@StealthParrot]

In school we had to learn 26 letters of the alphabet then form them into an infinite combination of words and sentences. You'd think learning only 12 notes on a guitar would be so much easier, ha!

[@PetraKann]

It’s a huge number but not infinite

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

And it is.

[@Michael-bl4no]

Boom! Yup. This is the gateway. Once I learned the modes (thank you Vinnie Moore) it opens up new tapestries of feeling and musical emotion. Your lesson here is a great springboard. Sometimes what I’ll do if I’m just noodling is randomly select a key and mode and solo in that. I remember reading how some of the great players were musically illiterate on a technical level - they just follow their ears and “if it sounds good it is good” however, knowing a decent amount of theory is great and totally opens doors to new riffs. This lesson would saved the younger me a lot of heartache! Great job as usual!

[@estructure8220]

This was the best class of the year.

[@andyracksthecams]

I needed this. Very timely, an eye opener and a door opener. I will use this. Thank you Dave.

[@jamesturner519]

Amazing lesson, Dave. Happy New Year. That Tele still sounds killer.

[@umuttanokutan4235]

One of the best lessons I ever watched on this channel.Thank you Dave.🖐

[@danielterhorst9995]

Thanks bud, it's like hanging out with an old friend ✌️😎👍 hope you have a great holiday

[@jaymelynnmcintyre8574]

As a gigging musician this really helps me and MAKES SENSE THANK YOU

[@DEVAULT.]

Just wanted to send you good thoughts and Positive Vibes for this time of the year Dave. Please keep Shining and Don't change .

[@italianbirdvideos6190]

Cannot believe I got passed 5 minutes of this. Usually I run in the first 15 seconds. First time ever. Thanks!

[@dennydabbs9272]

Dude. What was all that? Something I needed. Love it Dave. Thank you and Happy Holidays.

[@gerritmeijer8260]

extremely helpful lesson. Thank you!

[@Noah-or6ws]

hi, can you please do a video breaking down some of Prince's guitar soloing techniques and melodic phrasing? I love the emotion he puts behind his solo's, especially purple rain live in Syracuse new york. And thank your for the information in all of your videos.

[@gravfielddrive]

Thanks! It is refreshing to refresh :).

[@PawpawJamz]

Great video. I always cringe when I hear people say, oh don't waste your time learning the notes on fretboard if you're staring out. Wrong. If you can find that A or E in every position on the fret board, it makes those AHA moments that much more epic as you learn scales and intervals. Not to mention triads as you mention. Don't forget knowing what to bend....and to where. 😎

[@easter_sunday]

Hey Sensei Dave. Even though this comment isn't exactly about this topic, it kind of is in light of where I'm going with music, and how my perception of music has changed. For years I thought I really wanted to have integrity and diversity in my music along with skills. I'd go out of my way to learn songs from different genres, and I'd take great pains to write my own songs while eschewing the stuff that other cover bands were playing. At some point roughly 9 or 10 years ago, I hit a brick wall with it. And the wall was bad enough to where it convinced me to put down the guitar for a few years along with the carpal tunnel I was dealing with at the time. Eventually I came back to music, and when I did, the perception changed. There is nothing original under the sun. Every single conceivable kind of melody and combination of notes has been used in compositions. Every single subject matter has also been covered in music. So eventually I'd be listening to something in G, and it would remind me of other songs in G. Or, I'd listen to a country song, and I'd realize it wasn't far off of a punk song I was listening to the other day. Once I embraced this, my joy for music greatly increased because at the end of the day, what I was playing didn't matter as how I was playing it. Now I just play whatever people ask for. Sources like this channel really help me in nailing those trickier parts as well as offering insight into different approaches to melody, riffs, and chords. Anyway, it really is just 12 notes. But there aren't too many in KZbinLand who can move and teach like you do. Anyway, Merry Christmas Sensei Dave and thanks for the lessons. You've definitely helped me in my quest to be a better guitar player.

[@PetraKann]

Play and express creatively from the heart - everything else is trivial window dressing

[@dinkaboutit4228]

The most liberating thing I was ever told about trying to solo was this: "If you hit a note that's not in the scale, you're only 1/2 step (in either direction!) from a note that IS in the scale. Because there are only 12 notes. So always be listening and always be ready to slide." I'm sure this is not true for some reason, yet the misconception is delightfully refreshing.

[@MarkEdward-bl6cr]

Awesome thanks David 🤘👍👏

[@EricJohnson-rn6iv]

Have a Merry Christmas David.

[@deanmobley5578]

Would love to hear your take on 38 Special Rough Housin. It rocks 😎

[@patrickkish6662]

Boatload of knowledge here. Gonna have to use my guitar as an oar. Thank you

[@SeriouslyLarry]

WESTERN music only has 12 notes. Important distinction.

[@LateNightLessons]

Microtonal pitches are exactly that - pitches. They're not actually "notes" or at least not in a traditional sense. The chromatic scale has 12 notes, and since we're talking about western music here - that's all that really matters and what the title of this video is referring to. Indian ragas and whatever are cool, but that's totally not what's going on here, whatsoever.

[@winstonsmith8240]

'If I had 10 lifetimes studying music I would still have barely scratched the surface.' - Frank Gamble.

[@patrickkeenan6331]

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard laughs at your limitation of only 12 notes.

[@LateNightLessons]

"Late Night Indian Raga"

[@Dobie_ByTor]

I’d like to see some tips and tricks for string muting. I play my intended scales and 2 others simultaneously. 😢

[@andyholmes9485]

Another great vid 👌

[@nordland2235]

Sounds cool.

[@mimetype]

What if a scientist like used the large hadron collider to discover a thirteenth note?

[@denmar355]

Hope not. It’s enough to work in 12.

[@wakinginfinity]

Well, western music has 12 notes. 😊 Indian music explores the microtonal notes in between those 12 chromatic tones. Sitar is a good example.

[@LateNightLessons]

Yes, but luckily this is a guitar-related channel focusing on Western music. And...I don't even own a sitar. : )

[@LateNightLessons]

"Late Night Indian Raga" :v lol

[@salahbaker4089]

@@LateNightLessons A large amount of guitarist use microtonal inflections, they don't even know it.

[@CyberScorps]

The Major7th tonality reminds me of the Stranger Things theme keyboard intro.

[@LateNightLessons]

I made a lesson surrounding that theme (search for it on the channel), and you're totally right. The Stranger Things Main Theme uses a major 7th arpeggio. Good catch! : )

[@WillfulThinker]

"Music only has 12 notes" followed by "Open your mind."

[@LateNightLessons]

Psst...if you REALLY open your mind, maybe you can find that 13th note. : )

[@derekclacton]

0:35 You’re supposed to think while playing guitar? Damn.

[@itconqueredtheworldsmith4053]

Actually only 7 Diatonic notes spread out over 7 octaves in Western Music CDEFGAB (unless your into Atonal 12 tone stuff) or Microtonal stuff also

[@tyson1ize]

wow!

[@ReggieChump]

Guitar has more notes than that... There's those tiny little bends that are just in-between

[@galoomba5559]

the irony of "open your mind" followed by "music only has 12 notes"

[@TheDogPa]

I seem to have found all kinds of tone between them over used notes...js...lol

[@johnhartley3022]

For most people…then there was jeff beck

[@1loveMusic2003]

You've been using the Tele often. I think that Leo got it right in 1950. Aside from intonation we can't improve it.IMO

[@nordland2235]

I got arthritis...lost my speed.

[@ChrisLeeRhodes]

Go down a quarter step in tuning. Now you're outside the standard frequencies. Start hick bending those notes back into key. 😂

[@cheezyridr]

BECAUSE there are only 12 notes, there is no such thing as a wrong note. you can make ANY note the "right note" depending on what you do with it.

[@johntiger5]

Western music. There's all kinds of microtones in Eastern music. Even bending notes on the guitar there are microtones between A and A sharp. Peace.

[@DjNikGnashers]

I think the title should be 'western pop & rock music only has 12 notes'..... Plenty of other music has more notes, before we even get into the whole microtonal debate.

[@PetraKann]

Hendrix never thought much about how and what he was playing

[@LateNightLessons]

Yes, but Hendrix is the exception, not the rule. If you're a true musical prodigy, then yeah, you probably don't need to learn very much music theory. For everyone else - it explains everything that occurs in music. What's the argument here? I don't know about you, but I'd rather know what I'm doing and why, rather than drift around and not have a clue what is actually going on. I played for seven years before I went to AIM and became a musician, so I can say without a doubt - it's MUCH better having musical knowledge and information in my mind, rather than just moving my fingers around and hoping/praying I hit the right notes. Just sayin'.

[@PetraKann]

@@LateNightLessons There is an Australian guitarist is not known in the mainstream as much as he should be who lived not that far away from me growing up. The path way Tommy Emmanuel took to master his instrument and keep developing taught me the importance of creativity and not relying too much on music theory and extensive repetitive practice of scales etc. I am not down playing the value of practice and technique - just focusing on the musicians that are bale to express themselves creatively by tapping into something unique within themselves.... Having said that I enjoy listening to many different musicians with a variety of approaches. I learnt that very early on when I first saw Jeff Beck play live and was astonished at what he able to produce from a guitar and an amp without effects pedals etc. Cheers

[@johnp.johnson1541]

"Music only has 12 notes." Is that true though? There are 12 tones: C C♯ D D♯ E F F♯ G G♯ A A♯ B But tones are not notes. Once duration is applied to the tones, one gets notes. I count seven durations: 1 Whole 1 Half 1 Quarter 1 Eighth 1 Sixteenth 1 Thirty-second 1 Sixty-forth == 7 So are there not 84 notes in music? A 24 fret guitar has two octaves of tones and absolutely no music. A guitar can be used by a guitarist to play music, i.e., one of the 84 notes in succession over a definite time.

[@55time3]

Damm the 12 note idea is dunm as nails

[@LateNightLessons]

Damm your comment is dunm as nails

[@55time3]

Ok go to India or china

[@55time3]

@@LateNightLessons go to India or China, take note

[@55time3]

I like your work

[@55time3]

Listening to John Denver this morning his voice ,impeccable noteworthy

[@taylorshred]

the note in between the minor and major 3rd wants to know your location...

[@LateNightLessons]

Microtonal pitches are exactly that - pitches. They're not actually "notes" or at least not in a traditional sense. The chromatic scale has 12 notes, and since we're talking about western music here - that's all that really matters and what the title of this video is referring to. Indian ragas are cool, but totally not what's going on here, whatsoever.