Music Theory

Summary of Jan. 25, 2017 teaching segment:

7 letters to name 12 notes: 

e.g., ascending from G to G: 
G, G#, A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F# (G)

e.g., descending from G to G:
G, Gb, F, E, Eb, D, Db, C, B, Bb, A, Ab, (G)

Points to remember: 
- nothing between B and C
- nothing between E and F
- # (sharp) = 1 half-step higher in pitch (the equivalent of one fret higher on a fretted instrument)
- b (flat) = 1 half-step lower in pitch (the equivalent of one fret lower on a fretted instrument)

Summary of Feb. 1, 2017 teaching segment:
The name for the 12 note scales in the preceding teaching segment is 'the chromatic scale'.
The Major Scale is a subset of the Chromatic Scale, and consists of 7 notes.
The easiest way to remember which notes of the Chromatic Scale make up the Major Scale is by using the C Major Scale as the point of reference relative to the Chromatic Scale, since the C Major Scale is the only Major Scale that contains no sharps or flats:

Chromatic Scale starting on C:   C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B, (C)
C Major Scale:                                 C,       D,         E, F,        G,        A,         B, (C)
                                                           do      re        mi  fa      sol       la         ti  (do)

So, the formula for the Major Scale is: whole-step, whole-step, half-step, whole-step, whole-step, whole-step, half-step.

(A whole-step higher is the equivalent of 2 frets higher on a fretted instrument.)

So, applying the same pattern to the Chromatic Scale starting on D:

                                                              D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B, C, C#, (D)
we find that the D Major Scale is     D,       E,     F#, G,        A,      B,     C#, (D) 

for F:                                            F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, (F)
                                                    F,       G,       A, Bb,     C,       D,       E, (F)

for G:                                           G, G#, A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, (G) 
                                                   G,       A,       B, C,       D,       E,     F#, (G)

for A:                                            A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, (A)
                                                    A,       B,     C#, D,       E,     F#,     G#, (A)                    etc.             

In each Major Scale, the notes are to be named in a way that uses all 7 letters of the musical alphabet only once. This determines whether the note between G and A, the note between A and B, the note between C and D, the note between D and E, and the note between F and G are called by their sharp names or by their flat names in the context of a particular Major Scale.