GuitarClass0708

Unit 20: Wish You Were Here

2008-01-06T09:01:00.000-08:00

This tune uses Em7,C/G, and D/F# among other chords. It has a very popular riff, and is easy to play. The objective here is that you realize the difference changing one note in a chord can make in the overall sound of the tune- a Pink Floyd trademark.

The main riff switches between Em7 (Say "E minor seven") and G5 (which is a G chord with no third. Just a root and a 5th. Here's Em7:
---3---G (fifth)
---3---D (minor 7)
---0---G (minor 3rd)
---2---E (root)
-------
-------

G5 is the next chord, and we usually play these with the root on the low E or A strings as they have a dense, heavy sound which is perfect for rock music. In this case, we are not using the low strings, and all of the notes are the same as the Em7 chord above except for one.
---3---G (root)
---3---D (fifth)
---0---G (root)
---0---D (fifth)
-------
-------
Notice how in the absence of the E, the chord loses it's tonality. Practice switching between these two chords before we connect them with the notes that make up the riff.

Here's the riff leading up to the first chord (Em7), strum the chord for one measure before going on to the next part:
------------3---
------------3---
------------0---
--------0-2-2---
----0-2---------
--3-------------

Going to the G5 chord:
--------3--
--------3--
--0-----0--
----2-0-0--
-----------
-----------

Put them together and you have the first 5 measures of the tune- Em7, G5, Em7, G5, Em7. The next chord is A7sus4. This chord is an A triad with the 3rd replaced (suspended) with the fourth (D) and with a G (the minor 7th) added. The chord is spelled A,D,E,G (1,4,5,b7). Here it is with it's lead in notes coming from the Em7:

-------------3-
-------------3-
-------------0-
----2-0------2-
--------2-0--0-
---------------

This sequence (Em7 to A7sus4) goes twice making the whole chord progression to the intro and solo section as follows:Em7, G5, Em7, G5, Em7, A7sus4, Em7, A7sus4.
Between the verses, is two measures of a G major chord, which you already know:

--3--
--3--
--0--
--0--
--2--
--3--

Note that throughout the whole progression, the notes on the E,B and G strings do not change.

The chords for the 8 measure verse are as follows:
C/G D/F# Am G D/F# C/G Am G

The only chord you don't know out of these is C/G. It's a C triad with a G in the bass. Easily played like this:

-----
--1--
--0--
--2--
--3--
--3--

Use your third finger on the low E string and your pinky on the A string.

Your assessment on this unit will be to record yourself playing the intro riff and the chords to one of the verses. Good luck!

Unit 19:Add and Sus together

2008-01-03T09:24:00.000-08:00

The song "Every Breath You Take" is a cornerstone of rock literature. Not only is the guitar playing by Andy Summers a brilliant example of using chord extensions, but the chord progression is well-written and a variation of the basic I, IV, V we have been playing all year.

The first two chords offer up a world of theory for study, so let's tackle that first. We are in the key of A, so it's no suprise that the first chord is A. Duh. The second chord is F# minor; a chord we haven't learned yet. However, we know something about relative minor from previous songs, so we can build the minor chord off of our major chord. Try this: Play your A chord, and put an F# (2nd fret on the low E string) in the bass with your thumb instead of the open A string (like playing D/F# from Wonderful Tonight) This gives us an A triad with F# in the bass and your ear will hear a minor tonality because we put the 6th scale degree in the bass. Cool right?
-------
---2---C#
---2---A
---2---E
-------
---2---F#

The chord you are actually playing (above)is F# minor7 because you have an E natural in the chord (2nd fret on the D string). If you move this note up a whole step, you are doubling the F# root note, which cleans things up a bit. You should also double the 5th of the chord by playing the C# (4th fret on the A string) to get the full F# minor. It should look like this:

-------
---2---C#
---2---A
---4---F#
---4---C#
---2---F#

This chord shape is similar to the E minor chord you already know. Move the whole voicing down 2 frets (so the 2's showing in the Tab above are open strings, and the 4's are now 2's) and you get the familiar E minor.

Now, onto the alterations used in "Every Breath You Take". Instead of plain 'ol A major (A,C#,E), we use Aadd2 (A,B,C#,E)- see below. Note that the B is the 2nd scale degree in the key of A, and we just added it to the chord, hence the name, Aadd2. Sometimes it's called Aadd9 and usage of these terms is interchangeable. Theoreticaly, it's an add2 when the bass note and the added 2 are a whole step apart, and it should be add9 when there's an octave between the bass note and the added note. I have seen countless examples of published sheet music that use the terms add9 and add2 interchangably. The Hal Leonard version on this tune calls it Aadd2, so we will too.

Here's what it looks like:
-------
---2---C#
---4---B
---2---E
---0---A
-------

The picking pattern that Andy Summers uses on the Aadd2 is this (played twice):
-------------------
----------2--------C#
------4-----4---4--B
----2---2-----2----E
--0----------------A
-------------------

The chord is F#madd2 (Say: F sharp minor add two) and it's similar to the plain F# minor described above, with the added G# on the D string. It's a finger buster! Also played twice:
-------------------
-------------------
----------2--------A
------6-----6---6--G#
----4---4-----4----C#
--2----------------F#

The next two chords are sus2 chords as they do not contain the 3rd. They are the IV chord and the V chord in the key of A making our progression I, Vi, IV, V. Andy Summers plays these chords with the root on the A string on the 5th and 7th frets, but I find this to be too difficult for my acoustic students, and I find it's easier to see the alterations to the chords you already know, so I've become used to playing the chords in the open position here's the Dsus2. Notice it's just like the D chord you already know, but with an open E string instead of the usual 2nd fret on the E string:

-----0-----------
---------3-------
---2--------2---2
-0-----0------0--
-----------------
-----------------

The next chord is Esus2, and I love the way this chord is only one note different from the Aadd2, which it resolves to (just lift your pinky on the B string 5th fret, and you're back to the first chord- Aadd2.

-----2----------
--------5-------
---4--4---4---2-
-2----------2---
----------------
----------------

If you string all of these chords together, you get the whole chord progression for the verses. Your quiz will be on playing the A section, and a written part on spelling sus chords and add2 chords.

Unit 18: Add 9?

2008-01-03T09:02:00.001-08:00

We studied the sus chord in "Sweet Home Alabama". To review, A sus is a direction to "suspend" or replace the 3rd in a triad (1,3,5) with the 4th or other scale degree indicated- sometimes the 2nd. To illustrate: a C chord is spelled C,E,G. A Csus4 is spelled C,F,G and a Csus2 is spelled C,D,G. If you ever see something like "Csus" With no number after it, the 4th is understood to be the scale degree replacing the 3rd, So Csus is spelled C,F,G, just like C sus 4

The operative word here is replace. A sus chord removes the 3rd, and replaces it with the 2nd or 4th.

We will now look at a chord extension, "add 9". which means to simply add the 9th scale degree to the existing chord. For example, Cadd9 is spelled: C,E,G,D as D is the ninth. Sometimes this chord is written as Cadd2 because a D is a D no matter what octave it's in. The thing you need to remember is that a chord with add9 attached to it means that there is a third in the chord. A sus means that the third has been replaced.

Let's learn a song that uses this chord. Green Day's ever popular "Time of your Life". The progression for the verse is:G /Cadd9 D/
The Cadd9 is spelled C,E,G,D with the C on the A string (2nd finger, 3rd fret) E on the D string (1st finger, 2nd fret) open G, then D on the B string (3rd finger, 3rd fret). If you look closely, you can see the shape of the C chord you learned long ago with the B string note moved up a whole step.

I'll pass out a chart for this tune in class, and we'll play it together. Your assessment will be making a recording of yourself playing this tune, and a written component where you will need to spell sus chords and add9 chords.

Unit 17: Soloing

2008-01-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

It's time to learn about improvisation and playing a guitar solo. The song we'll use to do this is the popular jam tune "Rockin' in the Free World" by Neil Young. If you really want to hear some amazing playing on this song, check out the G3 video with Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. They play this song together at the end of their live DVD. It's incredible.

So here's the chord progression: Em (4 beats),D,C (2 beats each)

As you can tell, it's a relative minor switch again. This tune would be a I, V, IV, in G if instead of Em, Mr. Young opted for the relative major (G). He did have a plan though. The lyrics to each verse describe a rather dark portrait of life in the streets while the Em,D,C chord progression is used.

For the chorus however, he DOES use the G major chord and all of it's brightness to highlight his lyric of hope "Keep on Rockin' in the Free World". All four beats each: (G,D,C, then single notes: C,B,E). Like this:

The transition to get back to the verse is an A chord.

Now that we know the tune, it's time to solo on it. We'll start with the blues scale. The blues scale is made up of the following scale degrees: Root, b3, 4, b5, 5, b7 .

Since the song is in Em, we'll learn the blues scale in Em. Start on the 12th fret of the E string:

-----------------------------------------------------12--15--(Root, b3)
---------------------------------------------12--15----------(5,b7)
--------------------------------12--14--15-------------------(b3,4,b5)
------------------------12-14--------------------------------(b7,Root)
-----------12--13--14----------------------------------------(4,b5,5)
--12--15----------------------------------------------------- (Root, b3)

Learn this scale both ascending and descending, and try it in different keys to get comfortable with it.

To begin improvising, you need to experiment. Yes. Experiment with the way different notes out of this scale sound over the chord progression. You can play along with the Neil Young recording and noodle around to get an idea of the sounds in this scale, or you can record yourself
playing the chord progression a few times, then play it pack and jam along with your own recording. There's a lot of great open source audio recording programs out there for free. Try Audacity.

Now, once you have recorded the chord progression, go through each note of the blues scale one at a time once through the progression. Be rhythmicaly creative. You'll find that some notes sound stable, and other sound unstable. This tension and release is what music is all about. You want your solo to move from places of tension to places of rest. Before you can do that, you need to know how each notes sounds against each chord, so start experimenting.

Once you have gone through the whole scale, start experimenting with notes in pairs. Use the high E string 12th fret and 15th fret to make it through the progression. Like this:

With those same two notes, you can create a lot of color by bending. Let's bend to the G on the 15th fret. Hold down the 14th fret with your third finger. Hit the note and bend it up (towards the ceiling) until the pitch matches the fretted note on the 15th fret. You won't have to bend far as you are only going a half step. It will sound like this:

You can apply this technique to any note. Here's the same concept on the B string:

The main rule in bending is, you must have a target note in mind to bend to. Don't just bend any old note for the sake of bending. Have fun with this assignment!

For you assessment you will need to play all the parts of "Rockin in the Free World", The blues scale in E, and be brave enough to attempt a solo in class.

Have fun with this assignment!

Unit 16: More minor chords

2007-11-27T05:15:00.000-08:00

In this lesson we study two new minor chords- A minor and D minor. As discussed in class and in previous lessons, minor chords should be thought of as their major chord counterparts, but with a lowered third scale degree. Here are the two new chords you need to know alongside their parallel major chords:
A Am
----------
--2----1-- (third scale degree lowered one half step)
--2----2-- (Root, no change)
--2----2-- (Fifth, no change)
--0----0-- (Root, no change)
----------

D Dm
--2----1--(third scale degree lowered one half step)
--3----3--(Root, no change)
--2----2--(Fifth, no change)
--0----0--(Root, no change)
-----------

The song we will use to practice these chords is Mr. Jones by Counting Crows. Here's the progression to the verse ( Each chord gets 4 beats) : Am, F, Dm, G, Am, F, G, G

The chorus (The part where they sing "Mr. Jones and me") uses the relative major of Am, which is C, making this a I, IV, V progression.
C,F,G,G (play 4 times, then back to the verse)

The interlude is a lot like the verse, only it goes back to the am chord after each new chord, and the time is stretched out. Am,Am,F,F,Am,Am,G,G, Here's an example:

Your assignment is to learn all three sections of this piece for class and be able to diagram and spell all the new chords. You will also need to be able to find the relative minor of any major chord. Remember the trick from class- put your pinky on the root of the major chord. When you establish one finger per fret, your first finger will be on the relative minor.

Unit 15: Slash Chords

2007-11-25T11:47:00.001-08:00

No, it's not about the guitarist from "Guns & Roses". It's about an alternative bass note to a chord you already know. Changing the bass note of a chord can significantly change it's function in a piece, or improve the voice leading to a standard chord progression. Alternate bass notes do not even have to be in the key of the original chord. Here's how one looks:
D/F#
This is pronounced "D with F# in the bass". It's played like this:
---2--
---3--
---2--
---0--
-------
---2-- (Thumb)

This is the D chord you already know, with the thumb coming up over the back of the guitar neck to grab the F# bass note.
Here's another useful chord- C with G in the bass:
C/G
--------
----1---
----0--
----2--
----3---(pinky)
----3---(third finger)

You can see the possibilities. Try coming up with some of your own.

Here's a classic tune that uses a slash chord "Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton. It's a basic I,V,I,IV progression, but the V chord gets the slash treatment. Here's the progression for the verse Each chord gets 4 beats:
G; D/F#; C; D

Here's the progression for the chorus. Start with single notes on the A string (A,B) and then arpeggiate the chords. C; D; F; G; D/F#; Em; C; D; Then back to the verse.
-----------------------2----------------------------------------------2--
----------1----------3-------------0-------3----------0------1-------3----
---------0---------2-------------0--------2----------0------0-------2-----
--------2--------0-------------0---------0----------2------2------0-------
--0-2-3--------------------------------------------2------3---------------
---------------------------3-----------2----------0------------------------

Your assignment is to play the progression for both sections in time with the recording.
Good Luck!

Unit 13: Relative Minor

2007-11-02T05:49:00.001-07:00

We have used only major chords up until this point, and it's time to start using minor chords. In notation, you'll see a small "m" after the root of the chord indicating it's minor tonality like this: Em

Sometimes, you'll see the abbreviation for minor like this:

Emin

Or if you're reading jazz notation, you'll see a dash like this:

E-

What makes a chord minor? A lowered 3rd scale degree. E major (1,3,5) is spelled E, G#, B. E minor (1,b3,5) is spelled E, G, B. If you've been paying attention to where these scale degrees are in the chords you already know, forming minor chords will be very easy. All you have to do is locate the third in any major voicing you know and drop it down a half step. Let's use E to start. Here's E Major with the names of the sounding pitches written in on each string:

---0---E

---0---E

---1---G#

---2---E

---2---B

---0---E

To make this chord minor, we lower the third. In E, the third is G#, so we'll make it G natural. To do this, we'll use the open G string.

---0---E
---0---E
---0---G
---2---E
---2---B
---0---E

Viola! There's E minor.
Here's and E major chord followed by an E minor chord. See if you can hear the difference:

Your written assignment is to do this to 3 other chord forms that we have learned thus far- A, D, and F. Write them out in diagram form in your notes.

The second part of this unit is the relative minor rule. It goes like this:

The vi chord (minor) can extend or replace the I chord (major) in any key. That means in the Key of G major, the vi chord is Eminor and they can be used interchangeably because they share many of the same notes. G major is spelled G,B,D and E minor is spelled E,G,B. This gives us the common I, vi, IV, V progresson that's common in 1950's tunes like "Earth Angel". It's also used in the chorus of one of my favorite Van Morrison tunes "Brown Eyed Girl". Here's the chord progression to the intro and the verse: I, IV, I, V (G,C,G,D).

The chorus uses the relative minor over the lyrics "You my, Brown Eyed Girl" C, D, G, Em.

Your assignment is to play the chord progession in the open position if you are a beginner, and in the 7th position if you are advanced.

Unit 12: Riff based songs

2007-11-02T05:46:00.000-07:00

Down on the Corner is a classic rock song by Creedence Clearwater Revival. It's an excellent example of a riff based tune, and its in the guitar-friendy key of C. The progression is :/I /V I/: This part makes up the riff over those chords, and it's played twice making up the A section.
--C----------------G----------C ---

------------------------------------
------------------------------------
------------------------------------
------------------------------------
--3--0-----3--3--0-------2--3--3-
--------3----------3--3------------

The next part of the tune - the B section - is transposed up a fourth to the IV chord. In this key, it's F. The riff has a different ending note than the A section, however. The B section is played once.
--F----------------C---------G ----

------------------------------------
------------------------------------
------------------------------0--0-
--3--0-----3--3--0-------2--------
--------3----------3--3------------
------------------------------------

The form is rounded out by playing the A section again, so the complete form for the verses in this song is AABA. Now let's look at the chorus:

The chorus is a IV,I,V,I progression in the key of C. Note that all of the root notes are in the 3rd fret. Cool eh?

"(F)Down on the (C)corner (G)out in the (C)street..."

Your quiz content will be to play the riff in AABA form and to play the chords to the chorus.

Good Luck!

Unit 11: Scales

2007-10-24T12:05:00.001-07:00

Scales are the musical alphabet. They teach ear training, music theory and good technique. Guitarists use scale patterns to find logical positions on the guitar to sightread, play melodies and improvise.

We'll be starting with a major scale pattern that works with the root on the 6th string (E) and on the 5th string (A). Take your time with these. It's better to be slow and clean than fast and sloppy.

This is a G major scale. It's played in 2nd position with the root on the E string. "Position" is whatever fret your first finger is in on the neck. Once the first finger is placed, the other three fingers follow in adjacent frets. Here's the scale with finger numbers:

2 4 (E string)
12 4 (A string)
1 34 (D string)

And here's the scale in Tab with fret numbers:
------------------------------
------------------------------
------------------------------
-------------2-4-5------------
-------2-3-5------------------
--3-5-------------------------

Play this scale up and down the neck in increments of half steps. Once your fingers go down to play a note, they should stay down until you need to play another note with that finger. Alternate your picking direction to down-up-down. Be patient and practice slowly. After you are comfortable with this pattern try the same pattern starting with the root on the A string.

The test will be playing this scale up and down the neck in increments of half steps.
60 beats per minute, eighth notes. Good luck!

Unit 10: Hey Joe

2007-10-16T09:42:00.001-07:00

In this lesson we learn a tune by one of the great masters of the guitar: Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix did not write this song, but he certainly made it famous. I like it because the chord progression uses almost all of the chords you already know, and it introduces on new chord: E major.

E is a 6 string strummed chord that looks like this in Tab:
--0--
--0--
--1--
--2--
--2--
--0--

After a short introductions (which I show you in class) the chord progression begins. It stays like this for the entire song:
C G/ D A/ E /E/

That C for two beats and G for two beats followed by d for two beats and A for two beats. The E chord gets two whole measures of time of 8 beats. Start with the chords in open position, and then begin to explore other areas of the neck like Jimi does. For the test you need to play the progression three ways. First, all open chords:

--0--3--2-----0--
--1--0--3--2--0--
--0--0--2--2--1--
--2--0--0--2--2--
--3--2-----0--2--
-----3--------0--

Next, play in 3rd position:

-----3-----5--4--
--5--3--7--5--5--
--5--4--7--6--4--
--5--5--7--7--6--
--3-----5-----7--
-----------------

Notice that the C chord is like the open A chord, but moved up from the 2nd fret to the 5th fret? Instead of ringing an open A for the root, we move the A string note up to the 3rd fret (the same distance).. The G chord is like the F chord that you learned in "Saving Grace", but it's moved up to the 3rd fret so it's not F anymore.

Finally, play in 10th position:

--8--7--10--9----
--8--8--10--10--9
--9--7--11--9---9
-10--9--12--11--9
----------------7
-----------------

In this case, our C voicing is the same as our "Saving Grace" voicing, but it's on C (10th Fret). The G chord is the same as the open D voicing, but we applied the same concept of moving the chord up the neck and eliminating the open strings. That's the test. Good luck!

Hendrix played all over the guitar and mixed up these voicings at will. To really get a taste of the genius on jimi Hendrix, i suggest learing this song note for note, chord for chord. There are plenty of good transcriptions available in tab format. I suggest a published verion as on-line tab is notoriously inaccurate. For a real life-changing experience, forgo the transcription learn it by ear.

Unit 9: Other DCG Songs

2007-10-10T10:26:00.001-07:00

Now that you are comfortable with three basic chords that make up a I IV V progression in the key of C, It's time to add a few more songs to your repertoire.

In this lesson we will cover "More Than A Feeling" by Boston, "Sweet child of Mine" by Guns and Roses and "Every Rose Has it's Thorn" by Poison.

"More than a Feeling" starts on D, uses a sus 4 then switches to C. The bass note drops to B implying a G chord with the 3rd in the bass and then finishes on G. The chords are not strummed, but arpeggiated. That means each note of the chord is plucked individually instead of all at once. It's the same chord progression to "Sweet Home Alabama". The rest of the song is a little different, but it's not hard. We'll go over it in class, but it's not going to be on the test. The objective of the lesson is for you to realize that these chords, and these chord progressions exist in many other songs.

For the next two selections you'll need to tune your guitar down a half step. This is a common technique that tends to give the guitar a darker sound. Simply make your E string an Eb, make your A string an Ab and so on until all of the strings are down one half step from traditional tuning.

Use your ear to hear where the chords change, Listen to the bass note first, and then apply the full chord. The progressions are all very similar. I am not spelling out the chord progressions here on purpose as I want you to use your ears and figure out how to play these pieces on your own. I won't always be your guitar teacher you know, you'll have to do this on your one one day. Knowing that the chords are C,G, and D (but not in that order), you shouldn't have any trouble. Good luck!

Unit 8: Sweet Home Alabama

2007-10-04T07:02:00.000-07:00

This lesson will introduce the suspended chord, and the 6 chord. We will also play through the same chord progression in 3 different ways. You will be responsible for playing all three versions of the chord progession (It's a V,IV,I in G- The same as "Love Me Do" but backwards.) as well as being able to explain the theory behind the new chords. Let's cover those first.

The notation for suspended chord in our song looks like this: Csus2. C is the root, sus (the suspension)is the instruction to replace the third of the chord and 2 is the scale degree with which you should replace the third. So if a C major chord (1,3,5) is spelled like this: C-E-G; then a Csus2 is spelled like this C-D-G. "Sweet Home Alabama" uses the Csus2 chord as the second chord in the main riff and in the verse like this:

D Csus2 G
------------------------------------------------------------------
------------3---------------3-------------3-----------------------
--------------2---------------0-------------0------------------2-0
------0-0----------0-----------------------------------0-2-0------
----------------------3--3--------3-----------------0-2-------3----
-------------------------------------3-3-----------3----------------

Another way to suspend a chord is to use the 4th instead of the 2nd to replace the third. The notation for this would be Csus4. Or, since it is more common to use the suspended 4th, simply Csus. The reason the 4th and the 2nd are the notes used in a suspension is because those are the notes that surround the 3 in the scale.

Onto the 6th chord. Think of this concept as an extension of the 5th chord or "power" chord. The 5th chord (a root and it's 5th) isn't really a chord at all because it has no third. "D5" is simply a D and an A played at the same time.
D5
---------
---------
---------
----7----
----5----
---------

To provide a little motion, guitarists move the 5th up to the 6th and back. Check out "Johnny B. Goode", "Old Time Rock and Roll" and "Keep Your Hands To Yourself"

---------------------------
---------------------------
---------------------------
---7-7-9-7-5-5-7-5---------
---5-5-5-5-3-3-3-3-5-5-7-5-
-------------------3-3-3-3-

A little disclaimer: It is common to see the chord C6 in the jazz context. In this case, the chord is spelled as a complete C triad, with the 6th on top- C-E-G-A. I prefer to spell this chord CMaj6 as it implies the 3rd with the "Maj". For our rock and roll purposes, use the above definition. It is, after all, only shorthand.

The other way to play this chord progression (D,C,G) is in the interlude section of "Sweet Home". In this section the voicing we have learned as "A" (second fret on the D,G, and B strings) is moved up to the 7th fret for the D chord and the 5th fret for the C chord. This works the same way the F chord turned into the G chord in "Saving Grace". Remember? An F chord played up a whole step on the guitar becomes a G chord. So an "A" chord (second fret) moved up to the 7th fret becomes A "D" chord. Compare these two chords:
D D
--2-- -----
--3-- --7--
--2-- --7--
----- --7--
----- -----
----- -----

They sound exactly the same.

This tune will take a little while to get down comfortably. Practice, follow the lead sheet, and listen to a recording.

So this has been a long post. Here's what you will be responsible for playing on the test:
1. The main riff
2. The interlude
3. The chorus
4 The 4 bar solo after the 1st chorus *Advanced players only*
The written component will include:
1. Spell a variety of sus chords
2. Spell 5th and 6th chords
3. Scale and chord refresher

Unit 7: Twist and Shout

2007-10-01T11:59:00.000-07:00

The "Twist and Shout" chart has a few new elements in it that you will be responsible for on the written quiz such as: Coda (end), Segno (sign), and D.S. al Coda (go to the sign and then to coda) as well as review of first and second endings, one and two-measure repeat signs. The written quiz will also ask you to point out the key signature, time signature and clef. Above all, be sure you can follow the "roadmap" of the piece - i.e. What measure do you go back to after the first ending? When do you go to the coda? A good way to study this is to listen to a recording of the piece while looking at the lead sheet. Do it a few times to get familiar with the form.

The "Twist and Shout" lead sheet gives the Tab for the opening riff, and the solo after the second ending. You are responsible for playing both in class for a grade as well as playing the chord progression with the new chord "A". Here's the main riff as it appears on the lead sheet I passed out in class:

The performance critera are based on possible points for:
10 Guitar in tune.
10 Keeping a steady beat while playing the example.
10 Correct fingering for chords and single note lines.
10 Following the chart correctly.
10 Clarity of notes and chords.

50 points is a perfect score.

Good Luck!

Unit 6: Tablature and the A chord

2007-09-27T09:25:00.001-07:00

Tablature is one of the oldest systems of music notation. It's easy to learn, and it's quite helpful to guitarists who do not read standard notation. Tablature does have two major flaws- One, there is no rhythm indication. One has to be familiar with the tune in order for the Tab to make any sense. Two, the Tab doesn't suggest a logical fingering to play the piece, only what fret the correct notes appear on.

In this lesson, I explain how tablature works. To summarize:
Tablature is a graphical representation of the strings on the guitar. As there are 6 strings, a staff of tablature has 6 lines. The lowest line is the Low E string, the highest line is the high E string. The notation to play one of these strings (open strings) would be a O on one of the lines. The following example is Tablature for playing the low E string 3 times followed by the A string 3 times:

---------------
---------------
---------------
---------------
----------0-0-0
----0-0-0------

In order to indicate a fret number rather than an open string, a fret number appears on the line. Like this G Major scale:

-------------------
-------------------
-------------------
--------------2-4-5
--------2-3-5------
----3-5------------

The homework assignment on this topic is for students to go online, or to a guitar magazine, music store, friend, etc. and find some tablature to a song. Bring the song to class and play a portion of it for us.

I will pass out a lead sheet in class for the Beatles song "Twist and Shout" with the main guitar riff written out in tab to reinforce the tablature lecture. Students are expected to be able to play the main riff by next class.

Twist and Shout is a I, IV, V progression in the key of A, so we need to learn how to spell (and play) an A chord. This is included in the lesson as well.

Unit 5: 5th Chords

2007-09-25T11:54:00.001-07:00

How appropriate that our 5th meeting is a discussion of 5th chords- and some practice of "Love me Do" and "Saving Grace".

At the end of "Saving Grace", the guitarist plays the I,IV,V chord progression as 5th chords- AKA power chords. They have no third, so therefore have no tonality (Not major or minor)The notation looks like this C5,F5,G5 instead of C,F,G.

The F chord is in the first fret, and I illustrate how the F major voicing they learned last week fits on top of the Root and the Fifth of the F5 chord. Together, they form a complete 6 string voicing.

We play a bunch od classic 5th chord tunes too- Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana, and Iron Man by Black Sabbath.

Unit 4: The F Chord

2007-09-25T11:53:00.001-07:00

This chord is a beast to new players. The traditional voicing that appears in all the guitar instruction books involves holding down the first fret on the B and E strings at the same time. They call this a barre. It's hard for beginners to do this, so I don't require it- that's right.

Armed with the knowledge of chord theory, we diagram and spell the F chord and discover that the F note (root) is doubled in this voicing. One of the F's can be eliminated! This makes for greater comfort, and warm fuzzys about putting theory to good use.

The song that reinforced the F chord is "Saving Grace" by the Cranberries.

Another concept that comes up in Saving Grace is the use of the F chord as a G chord. Yes that's right. Since the F chord doesn't use open strings, we can slide it up a whole step and it becomes a G chord. If we went up another whole step it would be an A chord. Cool right?
Here's an example of me playing C,F and G (in the new position). It's the same chord progression to "Saving Grace", and lots of other songs- "La Bamba" for example.

Unit 3: Three chords and a chart

2007-09-17T09:25:00.001-07:00

Today (after the quiz) I draw chord diagrams on the board for two chords: G and C. First we spell them G=GBD and C=CEG. Then we diagram them using finger numbers and a chord frame, then we play them. Beginners need only play the root (but with the correct finger) More advanced players in the class can play these voicings in other positions on the guitar.

Next, I pass out the chart to "Love Me Do" by the Beatles. The entire first half of the song can be played with these two chords. The diagrams on the board appear in the chart along with some new stuff- like music notation. Concepts covered in order to read the chart-Key signature, time signature, clef, barlines, measures, beats, repeat signs, first and second endings.

Armed with this knowledge, its time to practice to get ready for your first performance! Don't worry, you have a few classes to practice.

Unit 2: Scales and Tuning

2007-09-13T11:10:00.001-07:00

Today (after the anatomy quiz) I introduce the circle of 4ths and we spell all of the major scales out on the board. Quiz next week.

Within the scale or key, the 1st, 3rd, and 5th scale degrees sounding together make a chord. It's important to realize what notes and what scale degrees are in the chords we play so that we can make alterations to the basic chord shapes later. You can't exactly "lower the third" of a chord that you know if you don't know where the third is.

Switching from chord to chord creates a chord progression- the basis of a song. These chord progressions are notated using roman numerals for example, the I, IV, V progression is very common in popular music.

We spell out a I, IV, V progression in various keys. in the key of A, the I, IV, V will be I=A, IV=D, V=B.

After all of this brain-melting theory, I demonstrate how to use an electronic tuner, and how to tune by ear. Most students get the gist of the electronic tuner right away, and I encourage their use. Tuning by ear takes some practice. Listen to this audio file for my lecture on tuning.

Unit 1 Anatomy

2007-09-12T09:42:00.000-07:00

In our first class we name the parts of the guitar- body, neck, head, tuning pegs, nut, bridge, etc. There will be an anatomy quiz on day 2. You have to name the parts correctly if your going to play the instrument.

After we can name the parts, we look at posture, and the correct way to hold the instrument. We give our left hand fingers numbers (index=1, Middle=2, Ring=3, Pinky=4), and learn how to hold a pick.

Next, we name the open strings (EADGBE) and come up with a neumonic device to remember them by (Eddy Ate Dynamite Good Bye Eddy) This will also be on the quiz.
Once we know the names of the open strings, we can name all of the notes on each string.

Each string can be though of as it's own chromatic scale, so we write the chromatic scale out and apply it to each string. The description includes the function of the sharp and the flat, and our first two intervals- the half step (one fret. Notes that are next to each other on the fingerboard are a half-step apart.) and the whole step (two frets. Play a note, skip a fret, and play the next note. That's a whole step).

The dots on the fretboard are a whole step apart (my guitar has a dot on the first fret, but I've seen many that don't) until the 9th fret.

It's a bit much to memorize all of this at once, so I break it down to the Low E string and the A string, and relate the notes on each of those strings to the dots that appear on the neck. Students are responsible for naming the notes on the E and A strings up to the 7th fret.