A Quick Guide To Understanding

The Number System Of Music Theory

On Your Guitar

And How You Can Use It To Play Better!






By Jonathan Boettcher
PlayGuitar.com



This guide may not be copied in any form.
It is for personal use only.
Copyright 2012
PlayGuitar.com

2
Disclaimer And Copyright Information

Copyright 2012 Jonathan Boettcher
PlayGuitar.com

You do NOT have permission to re-sell or re-package this guide in any way, shape or
form without my written consent.

You DO have permission to freely share this guide via print or electronically with
friends, family, or other musicians whom you believe may benefit from it, as long as
it remains unaltered.

Disclaimer

Individual results from the Unlocking I IV V course vary depending on the players
skill level and commitment to learning the material. Any testimonials or success
stories reflect the actual results realized by those individual players, and will not
necessarily reflect your own experience with the course.

Non-legal disclaimer: This is just common sense folks! If you apply yourself and
make an effort to learn the material, then youll do well. If you dont, well Neither
me nor anyone else is going to be able to help you there.

Ive got your back

However, all my guitar lessons come with a complete No Weasel Clauses money
back guarantee. If for any reason youre not fully satisfied with the course, Ill give
you a full refund so there is no risk on your part.

For more information on the Unlocking I IV V course, please visit my website here:
http://playguitar.com/courses/onefourfive/


Copyright 2012
PlayGuitar.com

3
How I Discovered Music Theory is Exciting and NOT Boring!

The first music lessons I ever took were piano lessons. I think I was about six years
old at the time, and I flat out hated those lessons!

In fact, after just three months I begged my parents to let me quit.

Thankfully, they agreed.

The problem wasnt the piano in fact I kind of enjoyed being able to create music.

The problem was really the teacher. She was old and very set in her ways, but worst
of all, her teaching method only revolved around teaching me what to play.

Put this finger there, practice this way, this note means you play this key on the
piano, and so forth.

As a kid of six years old, I wanted to figure out how the whole world worked, and
with the piano I was no different. And yet nothing she told me taught me how things
worked on the piano, and I never did figure out why I was meant to play things in a
certain way.

That desire to understand how things worked never left me, and I quickly
discovered most other people are the same way.

Chances are you asked those kinds of questions when you were a kid, and chances
are, you still look for those kinds of answers when youre learning a new skill.

How does what youre learning relate to the problem at hand? Thats a super
important question, and it deserves answers.

You see, someone who understands why and how something works is far better
equipped to use that skill in a broad range of situations. You can troubleshoot your
way out of problems, and figure out new solutions, all on your own.

As a kid of six years old, I concluded that music theory was close to the most boring
thing Id ever encountered. Unfortunately, due to that experience it was several
years before I next picked up an instrument.

Music theory as I was taught it back then was simply how to read music (standard
notation), and then how to play that music on the piano.

Copyright 2012
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4
It wasnt until years later when I first began to learn the guitar that I realized I was
dead wrong.

My guitar teacher was a bit of a rebel he taught differently than most other guitar
teachers who use a by the book approach. He put a huge emphasis on teaching me
WHY things worked on my guitar, and that approach really resonated with me.

In fact, it launched me into a lifetime love affair with the guitar. What a difference
the approach can make!

Many years later, Ive seen the fruit of using that approach with my own students.



The music theory I teach in the Unlocking I IV V DVD (you can find it here:
http://playguitar.com/courses/onefourfive/) explains how music works. Youll
learn:

How to know where you are in a song, even if you never read a single
note of music!
How to know intuitively which chords work together in every key and:
How to use that knowledge to learn songs faster than ever before.
How to create chords by using simple rules. Never be forced to rely on chord
charts again!
How scales relate to chords, and how to use that knowledge to create
your own fills and riffs.

Hi Jonathan,
I am so pleased with your 1-4-5 lesson. I have purchased lots of guitar
fretboard theory books but only had a vague idea as to how all the concepts were
related.
Then I discovered your lesson! The light actually went on and I was able to
pull everything together. Now it makes sense and I would like to thank you for doing
such a fantastic job.

Peg Wagner - Hayes, Virginia

Copyright 2012
PlayGuitar.com

5
Introducing the Number System

The foundation of all music theory and this applies to the guitar as equally as it
applies to the piano, or other instruments is the number system. In recent years,
it has often been called the Nashville Numbering System; however really thats only
because it was made popular by Nashville. The actual system is much, much older
than that!

The number system is very simple. Basically it just assigns a number to each note in
the scale. Number one is always the first note in the scale. Lets do an example.

In the key of C major, the notes are as follows:

C D E F G A B C

All that we do with the number system is add numbers above each of those notes,
the number one (I) is always the first note, regardless of the key youre in. Like this:

I II III IV V VI VII VIII
C D E F G A B C

Hopefully you remember your Roman numerals but if you need a refresher those
are simply the numbers 1 through 8, in order.

Now, those are all of the notes in the C major scale.

Notice that the VIII note is simply the repeat of the I thats the octave.

Although I dont have space here to explain fully how to use this to your advantage,
lets do a short example so you can start to get the hang of it.

In every single major key the I, IV and V notes also represent major chords.

So, in the key of C major, we have C, F, and G as our three major chords.

How many songs do you know that work with just those three chords? C, F and G.

In fact, thousands of popular songs use just those three chords.

Copyright 2012
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6
I called my course Unlocking I IV V, because the I, IV, and V chords are the most
important in every key. However, the system goes far beyond those three chords.

We can expand it further, by adding the minor chords. In the same example, the II,
III, and VI chords are always going to be minor.

So in addition to our three major chords, C, F and G, we now have three minor
chords: D minor, E minor, and A minor.

That gives us six chords that work awesome together, in the key of C major:

C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am

If you have your guitar handy, do yourself a favor and try playing those chords for a
moment.

They can be in any order and any strum pattern it doesnt matter one bit. The
important thing I want you to see here is that no matter which way you scramble
these chords around, they still sound good together.

For example, try playing C, Em, F, G, Dm, Em, Am strumming each chord for one bar.

Sounds pretty good right? And all that is, is a random arrangement of those six
chords. If you dont want to use all of the chords, thats just fine too. You can write a
song with just two chords, three chords, four chords that part is up to you.

What weve done here is give you the six chords that work best together in the
key of C major. The rest, as they say, is up to you!
Hi Jonathan,
Thanks for creating Unlocking I-IV-V having only watched it once since buying it
yesterday I can easily say that it is the best and most clear theory lesson I have ever
had.
I have never seen it explained so clearly which makes me feel that I can actually
learn now from some of the courses I have sitting around, courses that I could never
really understand or became thoroughly bored with.
Once I have learned all I can from these courses I would like to buy more of your
own courses if the above lesson or any of the free online lessons are anything to go by
then it will be excellent.
All the best,
Ronnie Campbell - United Kingdom

Copyright 2012
PlayGuitar.com

7
Using The Number System In Other Keys

Okay, weve had a brief look at the key of C major. But thats just one key out of
twelve! What about the others?

The good news is that the same number system applies equally well to all the keys.
Once we understand how to use the numbers, they work the same across every key.
The only thing that changes is the names of the notes in question.

Lets take another example this time using the key of G major.

I II III IV V VI VII VIII
G A B C D E F# G

Once again, our major chords are I, IV and V: G major, C major, and D major.

The minor chords are II, III, and VI: Am, Bm, and Em.

Now, just like with the last example, grab your guitar and try playing any of those
six chords in any order at all.

Those are the six best sounding chords in the key of G major and literally
thousands of hit songs in every genre have been written using no more (and often
less!) than those six chords.

Boy am I glad I ordered the DVDs well as download, I watched it and felt like I
was in a college classroom studying Music Theory and how it pertains to the guitar. I
know Ive only listened to it once, but I will be studying it a lot. You brought it down
to my level Ive been strumming guitar for over 30 years and yesterday was
the first time I understood what I was strumming.
I appreciate the hard work you put into your videos and I want to let you know
that they are helping somebody finally get the hang of it. I was listening to the radio
and couldnt help but want to transcribe the songs as I listened to them. The only
problem was I was driving. LOL.
Anyway for a young man and a white board you do a fine job keep em
coming!

beauxPatrick - Orlando, FL
Copyright 2012
PlayGuitar.com

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Learn By Patterns Not Memorization

One of the problems with the way music theory is often taught is that there is a lot of
memorization. Those teachers make you learn fancy terms like mezzo forte and
rallentando simply so you can know them.

In my Unlocking I IV V course, you will indeed learn some musical terms; however
as you learn them, youll learn what they mean and why we use them. Plus, Ive only
mentioned the terms that are used often, and the ones that you absolutely need to
know in order to understand what other musicians are talking about.

When it comes to applying things to your guitar, one of the most powerful concepts
you can learn is the fact that there are patterns on your fretboard, which repeat
themselves over and over.

For instance, that C major scale we looked at earlier relates to a specific pattern on
your fretboard. When we shift that pattern over a few frets, the exact same pattern
of finger positions will give us the G major scale in the second example!

This means that by learning a single scale pattern the major scale pattern you
will be able to play the major scale in every single key simply by shifting it to a
different place on the fretboard.

On the piano, you have to learn a new sequence of notes to play for every key. Same
thing for the trumpet, or the flute, or the saxophone.

But not with the guitar isnt that cool?

Dear Jonathan,
Where were you when I wanted to learn to play the guitar forty years ago? I know, you
werent alive. Previous instructors made the process hard, or maybe it was my attention
span. Either way, Ive come farther in two months now that I understand the patterns than
I did in many years of trying, getting frustrated, and quitting. You broke down the
mysterious fretboard and made learning easy. At fifty five, a great regret was never
learning to play the guitar. Because of you and your program I am on the way to erasing
that regret from my life. This may sound overstated, but I assure you, it is not.
Thanks,
Thomas Hill - Salt Lake City, UT


Copyright 2012
PlayGuitar.com

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In Unlocking I IV V (http://playguitar.com/courses/onefourfive/) youll learn how
that major scale pattern is played on the guitar, and how by using that pattern, you
can:

Create your own chords
Find the best sounding chords in that key
Get started soloing, or creating riffs and licks on your own
Transpose songs effortlessly into other keys to better match your vocal range
And much, much more!

Hi Jonathan,
I want you to know how much I appreciate all of your help and assistance in learning
how to apply Music Theory and especially Guitar Theory to my understanding of Guitar. I
was an Instructor of Religion at Saint Leo University for almost 10 years and have taught
in the classroom setting of community colleges for many years. I know talent and
dedication when I see it and you have both!
I have been playing every day since my wife bought me a nice Martin Guitar last
September - I am dedicated to it. I spend at least 90 minutes a day on my Guitar and
more on the weekends. I have purchased over 20 different books and videos. I have
also studied online through the most popular guitar web sites.
While I have learned a little bit from all of these sources nothing has made the
guitar come alive like your videos! Your videos put all of the pieces together and result
in your being able to actually visualize, conceptualize, and tactically play the guitar! Your
videos are the missing link where all of the various lessons come together and find a
greater meaning like the missing link to a puzzle. Thank you for taking a personal
interest in my learning how to play the guitar with understanding.

Respectfully,
Chaplain George Francis
Chaplain to the Palliative Care Team
Saint Josephs Hospital
Tampa, Florida
Copyright 2012
PlayGuitar.com

10
Building Chords

This same number system is the basis for every chord you can ever imagine. I dont
have the room to dig into it properly here, but again, lets use a quick example to
illustrate the point. Have you ever heard of a 7
th
chord?

There are actually a few different types of 7
th
chords, but lets use a Gmaj7.

Remember our G major scale?

I II III IV V VI VII VIII
G A B C D E F# G

A normal G major chord uses the I, III and V notes from this scale, or G, B and D.
Remember, were talking about individual notes, which are used to build the chord.
Well, to modify that G major into a Gmaj7, all we do is add on the VII note to those
three, and we get G, B, D, and F#.

Voila, Gmaj7!

Can you see now how the numbers are directly related to the chords?

There are only four basic types of chords, and they can all be built using simple
patterns.

In the Unlocking I IV V DVD I go into much more detail on this, and youll learn how
to build chords in any position on the fretboard that you choose. This is incredibly
useful if youre looking for a bit of a new twist on a song that youve always played
using simple open chords.

Sometimes playing the chords in a different place on the fretboard can really add a
unique flavor to a song!






Are you ready to finally UNDERSTAND your guitar,
and take your playing to the next level?
Click here for a Crash Course in Guitar Theory!
http://playguitar.com/courses/onefourfive/
Copyright 2012
PlayGuitar.com

11
How Guitar Theory Can Help You

The topics weve covered in this short guide are pretty brief, and simple compared
to what youll find covered in the Unlocking I IV V DVD course. The course is a video
not written so youll find it is almost like being in a classroom with me. I even use
a whiteboard some of the time, in addition to my trusty guitar!

Guitar theory is incredibly useful for players of all levels. Beginners who only know
a few chords will find that these simple concepts explain why chords work together.

Youll be able to learn songs more quickly, because youll have a better
understanding of what to expect next, rather than having every new chord change
taking you by surprise as it were.

Intermediate and more advanced players will also benefit from the course, perhaps
even more so than beginners, because youre already starting out at a higher level.

Learning theory has a skill multiplying effect; at whatever point youre at, you
will find the theory really helps you play with more confidence and direction.

If you want to improve your guitar playing, and increase the enjoyment you receive
from playing guitar, then I highly recommend the Unlocking I IV V basic guitar
theory course, which you can find here:
http://playguitar.com/courses/onefourfive/

Remember that if for any reason my course is not right for you, I will refund your
payment in full. Thats my No Weasel Clauses Satisfaction Guarantee!

Thank you Jonathan,
I have really enjoyed your DVD and plan to watch it several times until I have it down. I
have actually been playing around on the guitar for many years but like you said, I didnt
really know theory at all. You have already taught me a great deal and I am very grateful.
I know quite lot of chords actually but just have trouble doing it right, I was also a little
nervous because of lack of confidence I guess. Seeing the patterns and how it fits
together really opened my eyes and made so much sense.
Thank You again,
Charley Jeffreys - Kearny, Arizona
Copyright 2012
PlayGuitar.com

12
About The Author
Jonathan Boettcher has helped thousands of guitar and
bass players understand their instruments better, and as a
result, play better.

You can signup for free weekly video guitar tips from
Jonathan at http://www.playguitar.com, as well as check
out his other lessons at the links below.
Unlocking I IV V
Understand how and why chords work together! Learn
the simple rules that govern which chords belong in each key, and ways that you can
quickly them all. Well also take a look at how you can build your own chords, so
youll never have to rely on chord charts again!
Find it here: http://playguitar.com/courses/onefourfive/
Guitar Scale Patterns
This guitar lesson builds on the concepts taught in Unlocking I IV V, and takes them
much further into a deeper understanding of scales and how they relate to the
fretboard. You will learn how solos come directly from the scales, and how you can
play a scale or solo in any position you want on the fretboard. Specific scale patterns
are demonstrated in close-up detail and taught in a way that will truly make your
fretboard come alive in your hands.
Learn more about Guitar Scale Patterns here
30 Blues Jam Tracks & 30 Rock Jam Tracks
These two collections of 30 backing tracks each will seriously spice up your practice
time! Playing over jam tracks is an excellent way to develop your ear as you learn to
listen to the music and fit your own playing into it. Timing, fluidity and speed all
improve as a result. This is a great way to work over new riffs youre learning, or
simply to practice your scales! Bonus video guitar lesson included with each pack.
Grab a FREE blues jam track here
Grab a FREE rock jam track here

Decoding The Bass Guitar
Bass players prepare to play like never before! Decoding the Bass Guitar takes the
concepts that are covered in Unlocking I IV V and Guitar Scale Patterns, and applies
them specifically to the bass guitar. You will learn how you can truly cover the entire
fretboard using only two scale patterns, and furthermore you will learn how you can
use the intervals in the scale to create riffs and fills like never before!
Learn about Decoding The Bass Guitar here
Bonus Cheat Sheet
Print off the Chords for Five Common Keys on the next page for handy reference!

Copyright 2012
PlayGuitar.com
Chords For Five Common Keys

The chart below shows the major and minor chords that belong in each of these five
keys. The I, IV, and V chords are all major, and the II, III, and VI chords are minor.
The VII chord is diminished, or sometimes minor. The far left column is the root
note of the key for instance the top row is in the key of C major.

I II III IV V VI VII VIII
Major Minor Minor Major Major Minor Dim. Major
C D E F G A B C
G A B C D E F# G
D E F# G A B C# D
A B C# D E F# G# A
E F# G# A B C# D# E

How To Use This Chart
When you know what key a song is in, look at the chart, find the key in the first
column, and then use the chords in the corresponding row in the song.

The Next Step
Learning how I IV V works on your guitar will not only give you a better
understanding of how and why the chords work together - it will also open up the
fret board to you in new ways, bringing you more joy and pleasure from your guitar
than ever before. Its time to break out of the guitar rut, and onto a new track!

Learn songs faster
Play with confidence
Improve your jamming skills
Play by ear

The Unlocking I IV V guitar lesson will take you & your guitar to the next level
guaranteed! When youre ready to take the next step on your guitar, head over to:
http://playguitar.com/courses/onefourfive/