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Here's an improvisation tool I use a lot, to get
me started if I can't plug in something from my bag of
licks (which is still very small on the pedal steel),
or need something more. It helps get me oriented, if
nothing else.
This will be my first shot at putting it down
on paper (so-to-speak). 
--------------------------------
At any point in a tune, there's going to be the chord
happening right now.
I'm calling that the "active chord".
There is also the chord that preceded it, and the one
after it.
They are the chord's "context".
Let's look at a typical chord, a major triad.
Described in terms of the major scale, the intervals
are:
5
3
1
In terms of the chromatic scale (1/2 steps or
positions)
7
4
0

What scale to play along with this chord? 
Well, you've got 3 out of the 7 notes of the scale
right there... (and the notes of the melody for clues,
if that's happenning)
But you also have the notes of the chord before and the
chord after, right in front of you. In this example,
you just left an E and are on an A and will be moving
to a B:
---------------------------
5|   5      5    5+2
---------------------------
6|   5-2    5    5+2
---------------------------
7|       
---------------------------
8|   5-1    5    5+2
---------------------------
            ^    
      E     |    B
            |
   G# B E   |  B D# F#
            |
            |
            |
            |
                       
            A
          
          A C# E
A-major is the chord your are on, with the nearest
inversion of the previous and following chords
expressed as the changes you'd need to play them from
the position and strings you are on, in terms of the
number of 1/2 steps up (+) or down (-).
You don't NEED these changes on your instrument, only
in your imagination. You can find the notes they would
play in lots of ways, right?
The contextual chords are shown with the previous chord
lower than the active chord, and the following chord
higher than it is, which is a convention useful for
clarity and nothing more.
The changes are also kept as small as possible.
These conventions make the visualization much easier
and more useful in general.
The full scale you might need at the moment, and
extensions to the chord if you felt a richer chord was
called for at the moment (7th or 9th....), will almost
always be found in in the above pattern.
A B C# D# E F# G# A
Those are the notes found in the above chords, which
yields the A lydian mode (major with a sharped 4th)
which is exactly the theoretically perfect mode/scale
for this chord in this context. It's the E major scale,
started on the 4th note, "A", and ending there.
E F# G# A B C# D# E F# G# A B C# D# E
-       - - -  -  = -  -  -         -     
Hope someone else finds this tool useful.
Any feedback more than welcome.
Is this approach worthy of a name? If so, got any
suggestions for one?
Bruce in Bellingham

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Steelin' away in the ozarks and life,
Scott
www.scottyhenderson.com

Am I asking too much or is it not possible? Many of the theory books I have seem to break down at a certain point that I can't get beyond because I didn't understand that certain 'point'. So far I've given up.

What I'm probably asking for is a whole theory course. Does anyone have any ideas about a theory book or course that takes baby steps that make each point easily understandable?

Thanks, but I'm not too hopeful there is such a thing. If I ever understand it all myself, I promise to write one for the thick-headed like myself.

for instance:
say fret Zero is "A" that equals the "1" of the key of A so A=1 but the fret is 0

go up to the 4th fret on the same string you now have "C#" which is the "3" of the key of A major so C#=3 but the fret is 4

go up to the 7th fret on the same string you now have "E" which is the "5" of the key of A, so E=5 but the fret is 7

does that part make sense now??

The forum's own Mike Perlowin produced a fabulous Music Theory Basics document. Perhaps if you email him he can assist you.

[This message was edited by Dave Van Allen on 08 April 2005 at 12:49 PM.]

You don't have to be thinking of PSG specifically when you are trying to understand basic theory. Relate what you can to your guitar, but you will find the more general theory of music applies. Any decent theory book should get you started.

I have a fair understanding of theory and was a little confused at first with the half step approach presented here. Going to Bruce's profile link and then the web sight listed had me saying "Oh... OK" very quickly. You might want to check that out also.

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Steelin' away in the ozarks and life,
Scott
www.scottyhenderson.com

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Scott H:  Great! I am going to find Jernigan's book.
Dave VA: Good job there. I'll look for Mike Perlowin's
material too.
Scott H:  Great! I am going to find Jernigan's book.
Dave VA: Good job there. I'll look for Mike Perlowin's
material too.
Robert P: It's really good to here that.
Leila T: Don't be discouraged. Take it one step at a
time. Just always remember that good "theory" isn't
really theory. It's observations on the nature of music
in general reduced to convenient abstractions.
If the "theory" is valid, you can _hear_ it. If you
can't, it isn't.
It's a mental tool we use, and nothing more or less.
Creativity, which we all live for, is something
different.
Believe it or not, a book called "How to Play the Piano
Despite Years of Lessons" (can't recall the author) is
one of the best books on music "theory" and practical
improvisation I've ever seen.
Feel free to email me if you get stuck.
You always have to anchor what you are doing/thinking
on a particular pitch, but it is much more useful to
think in terms of intervals for the most part.
There's only one major scale  WWHWWWH
W = whole step
H = 1/2 step
or 2212221
2 = whole step (two half-steps)
1 = 1 1/2 step
Really pleased with the responses here.
Bruce in Bellingham

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Steelin' away in the ozarks and life,
Scott
www.scottyhenderson.com

It is entitled "MUSIC THEORY IN THE REAL WORLD, A
PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR TODAY'S MUSICIANS."

And is available for $9.95, or less, from Mel Bay
Publications, or your favorite bookstore, on line
or off. It's one of their bestsellers. I've ordered
a copy.

There's a link to it on his website:

www.mikeperlowin.com

Mike has also written a supplement to this book
for the pedal steel, which he will be self-publishing
soon.

I'll write a review of the basic theory book for the
Forum when I've given it good going over.

Don't feel qualified to review the pedal steel
supplement yet. Too green on the pedal steel.

His original pedal steel theory book is out-of-print
and not available.

Haven't heard back from Keith about Doug Jernigan's
book, and the mail didn't bounce...He's probably
gone for the weekend.

Bruce in Bellingham

[This message was edited by Bruce Burhans on 10 April 2005 at 11:04 PM.]

I 'lost' this thread, forgot where I posted and found it today because its on top. I've ordered Mike's book and got the suppliment for the future. Mike is very quick to help! I'm looking forward to his book and can't wait to see things coming together with music theory!

Be warned . . . it gets you “up and going” FAST!

Any legitimate theory course is going to be daunting at first (if you don’t already have a basic understanding, or don’t read music). Don’t give up . . . the light WILL come on!

If you are serious about learning some basic theory (especially scales and chord structures), I’d do it in front of a piano keyboard at first. The keyboard is much easier for your eye (and ear) to understand because it is much more graphically straight forward. This is not to say that you’ll be learning to play piano, but you’ll learn the actual theory much faster because you can "see" the intervals much easier (this will in turn train your ear to hear the intervals) . . . then you can apply that to any instrument you’re feeling froggy enough to jump on!

I wonder if it might not be worthwhile to
actually take a few weeks of piano lessons
to learn to read standard notation?

Sure makes understanding the theory books
and music in general a lot easier and isn't
really that hard.

Makes you focus on the structure of music
and learn the names for what's going
on...

Almost all of the best musicians on
any instrument have taken piano lessons,
for the very reasons that Larry gives.

If I didn't already know how to sight read
I'd probably want someone to advise me
to learn.

Thank you, Mom, for making me practice
the clarinet for a 1/2 hour every day
in the 5th grade.

Though I do wish that you'd known enough
to make it the piano instead.

:-)

Bruce in Bellingham

This will all take place within the next 2 or 3 weeks.

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"From Truth, Justice is Born"--Quanah Parker-1904