If you are a musician, teacher or student, you can use the Music Notation Sheets for musical composition, tuition and practice. Pick the sheet that best suits your need, download the pdf and print out to add your own *notation. Each sheet is available in either A4 or US Letter size.

If studying music is new to you, start by picking a key signature and then choose chords from the same key (See 'KNOW HOW - MAJOR SCALES' poster for the notes used in a Major scale and the Primary matching chords). Using the chosen key signature, practice playing a chord sequence and a melody or solo notes over the chords. One person plays the chords and another person plays the melodie or lead.

To help you learn the chord shapes and start creating your own songs you can use a Chord Sheet to write down a chord structure and then either get a friend to play the chords or record a track so that you can then play it back and improvise a lead line or melody over the chords.

Identifying a suitable route note will help you decide which key signature and chords are most suitable for that particular playing position for example. The keys of C Major, F Major and G Major work well in the open position. If using a capo then the keys of Ab Major, Bb Major and Eb Major with a capo placed at the third fret. The keys of Bb Major, C Major and F Major with a capo placed at the fifth fret.

Scales are an essential discipline for any player who wishes to play melodies and solos. A good knowledge of how scales work and how the notes relate to a particular key is a necessary skill. Many songs tend to start and finish on the route note of a chosen key. The key signature can be a Major key or a Minor key. (If a song includes a key change, then the finishing key may be different to the starting key).

It is up to you to decide which notes, which order and how many notes you play in between. Start with the basics and maintain discipline for the musical rules by staying within the boundaries of a given key signature which will dictate the chords and notes to play. Later with knowledge and experience you can begin to experiment by introducing sharps and flats, (notes outside of the main key signature) some of which will sound successful and pleasing. Others will not.

If you want to play in a minor key then you can use the same notes that are found in the Major scale but the route note would then start and finish from the sixth note of the Major scale instead of the first note for example. A minor scale would use the same scale pattern as C Major but would start and finish on A.
E minor would use the same scale pattern as G Major but would start and finish on E.

With more experience and knowledge you can introduce more complex chord structures with extended chords, key changes and solos or melodies that use Modal scales.