This lesson is almost identical to the A Major Scale Harmonized 3rd and 5th degree. I have added it in order to show how once one pattern is learned, it can often be used on a different set of strings. These are highly recognizable sounds often heard in rock and country playing but used also in all forms of music. The block below consists of chords moving up the fretboard. The first chord has a red line through it to highlight its pattern. The second is in … [Read more...]
Scales: The A Major Scale Harmonized 3rd and 5th degrees
April 10, 2009 by Leave a Comment
These are highly recognizable sounds often heard in rock and country playing but used also in all forms of music. The block below consists of chords moving up the fretboard. The first chord has a red line through it to highlight its pattern. The second is in blue, the third in red and so on. These are the chords that are the result of harmonizing the A Major scale 3rd and 5th notes. The theory behind scale harmonization is covered in theory lesson 7. If you … [Read more...]
Scales: The G Major Scale Harmonized
April 10, 2009 by Leave a Comment
The block below consists of chords moving up the fretboard. The first chord has a blue line through it to highlight its pattern. The second is in red, the third in blue and so on. These are the chords that are the result of harmonizing the G Major scale. The theory behind this is covered in theory lesson 7. The chords names are as follows. GMaj7 Am7 Bm7 CMaj7 D7 Em7 F#min7b5 GMaj7 ( Please not that the F#min7b5 chord is also known as the F# half … [Read more...]
Scales: G Major ( 2 positions )
April 9, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Major scales are one of the most commonly used scales in improvisation. Shown below are 2 positions of the G Major scale. The second position allows for greater movement up the neck. Both positions lend themselves well to working up speed. Remember that these scales can be played anywhere on the neck. In the case of this scale, if you were to start the same shape (pattern) one fret higher (4th fret) it would become the Ab Major scale. One fret lower and it becomes … [Read more...]
Chords with roots on the A string: C Major 7 and D Minor 7
April 9, 2009 by 1 Comment
C Major 7 and D Minor 7 are two very commonly used chords. Notice the ellipse around the 1st finger in the chord diagrams. It should be laying flat on the neck, as a bar, playing the notes not sounded by the other fingers. If you move the Dm7 chord down 2 frets (towards the tuning pegs) , it becomes a Cm7. Practice shifting from the CMaj7 shape to the Cm7 shape. Do this slowly remembering that clean tones are what you want to hear. Click on the diagrams for an MP3 audio … [Read more...]
Chords with roots on the E string: G Major 9 and G 6/9
April 9, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Major 9 chords have a lovely open and spacious sound to them. The 6/9 chord is also spacious but has a more resolved feel to it. These shapes are very similar with only the 4th finger being the difference between them. They can both be a little tricky. Notice the ellipse around the 1st finger in the chord diagram. It should be laying flat on the neck playing those 2 notes as a bar. Practice shifting from the G Maj 7 shape to the G Maj 9 shape to the … [Read more...]
Chords with roots on the E string: G Major 7 and A Minor 7
April 9, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Here are 2 very commonly used chord shapes. The Am7 shape can be a little tricky. Notice the ellipse around the 3rd finger in the chord diagram. It should be laying flat on the neck playing those 3 notes as a bar. If you move this chord down 2 frets (towards the tuning pegs) , it becomes a Gm7. Practice shifting from the GMaj7 shape to the Gm7 shape. Do this slowly remembering that clean tones are what you want to hear. Click on the … [Read more...]
Some Thoughts on Improvisation
April 8, 2009 by 1 Comment
Literally, volumes have been written on the subject of improvisation. These are some of my thoughts on what I find to be one of the most pleasurable and satisfying aspects of playing music. Be Musical: Being musical is a very difficult statement to try to quantify for everyone. The reason of course is that there are so many different types and styles of music that it is almost impossible to make a definitive statement about what being musical means. But … [Read more...]
Guitar Lessons: Learning the open chords, part 2
April 8, 2009 by 1 Comment
Like in part 1, in this lesson we will work on shifting between chords. These shifts are a little trickier but with some practice you will be playing these chords in no time at all. Click here if you're not sure how to read the chord blocks. Click on the diagrams for an MP3 audio example. 1) We'll start by playing the A Major, A Major7 and A7 chords. Play the A Major chord. Strum it trying to have each string ring cleanly. Now remove your first … [Read more...]
Guitar Lessons: Learning the open chords, part 1
April 8, 2009 by 3 Comments
Learning the open chords need not be a difficult task. In fact, if you look at the similarities between some of these chords you will see that often only one finger needs to be moved to play a different chord. These lessons are designed to help you see these similarities and get you playing the open chords cleanly and help you to memorize them. Click here if you're not sure how to read the chord blocks. Click on the diagrams for an MP3 audio … [Read more...]
