Guitar Jam

Ken’s Corner: Guitar Improvisation for Starters - Lesson #24

By Ken Volpe
This is Lesson #24 in a series on Guitar Improvisation. Last week in Lesson #23, we went further with our series on Improvising with Option #3. We continued to play a different pentatonic scale form for each of the 3 chords. The 3 scale forms were all in the 5th fret area or 5th position. Let’s stick with the same theme but moving up to the 7th fret area. 

Play the following: (see diagrams)

FOR: A Major chord use Form 3 of F# Pentatonic Scale
Form 3 of F# Pentatonic starts from the 7th fret
(click on tab to enlarge)

FOR: D Major chord use Form 1 of B Pentatonic Scale
Form 1 of B Pentatonic starts from the 7th fret
(click on tab to enlarge)

FOR: E Major chord use Form 5 of C# Pentatonic Scale
Form 5 of C# Pentatonic starts from the 7th fret
(click on tab to enlarge)

The following statements from Lesson 20 still apply.

The A Major chord contains notes A, C#, E 
All 3-chord tones exist in the F# Pentatonic Scale. 
There are 2 scale tones that are not in the chord.
These notes are: F#, B

The D Major chord contains notes D, F#, A
All 3-chord tones exist in the B Pentatonic Scale. 
There are 2 scale tones that are not in the chord.
These notes are: B, E

The E Major chord contains notes E, G#, B
All 3-chord tones exist in the C# Pentatonic Scale. 
There are 2 scale tones that are not in the chord.
These notes are: C#, F#

In next week’s lesson we will continue to further explore Option 3. We will follow this same concept for 2 more positions over the next 2 weeks. Then we will move beyond to the next level.

Once again, I urge you to stick with it and follow it closely. I’ll see you all at the next lesson.

Fingerstylin': Buon giorno, Signor Carcassi!”: Classical Guitar Music with Arpeggiated Patterns - Part 2

By Mike Roberts
In our most recent adventure we met the venerable Matteo Carcassi, the great 19th-century Italian guitarist. This time we’ll look at two more exercises from Carcassi’s Guitar Method. They are similar in style and degree of difficulty to what we saw last time, and continue to utilize all the good right hand technique we’ve been outlining over the last few months. It is simply impossible to review right hand fundamentals too often, and all too easy to fall into bad habits, so be sure to check back to past columns to give yourself a refresher.

One difference worth noting in the C Major Andantino: you’ll have to play two notes simultaneously. All of the same rules of technique apply here, but you have to be extra careful to keep your thumb outside your fingers (i.e., closer to the headstock than the fingers) and maintain a good scissor motion between your thumb and index finger. In other words, don’t let the thumb and index bump into each other when they play notes simultaneously; they should slide past each other smoothly.

Enjoy!

(Click on notation to enlarge)

This column will be on break for the holidays, but I’ll see you again in 2007 with some left hand technique, more patterns and tunes emphasizing the right hand, some thoughts on practicing, a primer on solo improvisation, and who knows what else. Any ideas for future columns? Please feel free to e-mail me:

[email protected]

Happy Hanukkah, Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, et al!

Mike

Ken’s Corner: Guitar Improvisation for Starters - Lesson #23

By Ken Volpe
This is Lesson #23 in a series on Guitar Improvisation.  Last week in Lesson #22, we sidestepped our series on Improvising and due to e-mails questioning the differences between Minor Pentatonic and Major Pentatonic Scales; I decided to address this issue.  Just to reiterate…from this point forward WE WILL REFER TO THESE 5 SCALES AS THE 5 PENTATONIC FORMS.  We will not use the terms Minor or Major Pentatonic.

Now let’s continue our series on Improvising with Option #3.  In Lesson #21, we learned to play a different Pentatonic Scale Form for each of the 3 chords.  These 3 scale forms were all in the 2nd fret area or 2nd position.  Let’s stick with the same theme but starting from the 5th fret area. 

Play the following: (see diagrams)

A Major chord use Form 2 of F# Pentatonic Scale

Form 2 of F# Pentatonic starts from the 5th fret
(Click on tab to enlarge)

D Major chord use Form 5 of B Pentatonic Scale

Form 5 of B Pentatonic starts from the 5th fret
(Click on tab to enlarge)

E Major chord use Form 4 of C# Pentatonic Scale

Form 4 of C# Pentatonic starts from the 4th fret
(Click on tab to enlarge)

The following statements from Lesson 20 still apply.

The A Major chord contains notes A, C#, E
. 
All 3-chord tones exist in the F# Pentatonic Scale.  

There are 2 scale tones that are not in the chord.
These notes are: F#, B

The D Major chord contains notes D, F#, A
. 
All 3-chord tones exist in the B Pentatonic Scale. 

There are 2 scale tones that are not in the chord.
These notes are: B, E

The E Major chord contains notes E, G#, B. 
All 3-chord tones exist in the C# Pentatonic Scale.  

There are 2 scale tones that are not in the chord.
These notes are: C#, F#

In next week’s lesson we will continue to further explore Option 3.
I’ll see you all at the next lesson.

Ken Volpe is the Chief Lesson Officer at GJD
Contact Ken: [email protected]

Fingerstylin': Buon giorno, Signor Carcassi!”: Classical Guitar Music with Arpeggiated Patterns

By Mike Roberts
In our last adventure, we brought our right hand arpeggiation skills into the realms of folky rock and bluegrass. With some American music in our fingers, it’s time now to cross the Atlantic, turn back the clock a couple hundred years, and explore the music of Italian classical guitarist Matteo Carcassi (1792-1853).

Carcassi was a virtuoso player, but he wrote many pieces for beginners. He also wrote a classical guitar method book which is still widely used today. In fact, Carcassi’s method was my introduction to the world of classical guitar, back when I was an unruly teenager channeling Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe Satriani. The exercises in the Carcassi method are simple enough to be playable by neophytes, but rich enough in musical goodness to hook a jaded rocker like the 16-year-old Mike. They are also perfect illustrations of the right hand arpeggiated patterns we have been studying. Even if you’re not an aspiring classical player, these little pieces are worth a look; you’ll find all of these patterns and chords in American vernacular styles as well.

Carcassi’s pieces often use only a fragment of a chord, taking our stripped-down fingerings from “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” and stripping them down even more. Because the fingerings can be so different from the standard ones, it’s easy to lose any sense of which chord is being implied in the music. However, virtually every arpeggiated chord is drawn from, or is very similar to, a standard fingering. Hence, I’ve included the full, standard fingering of each chord above the music to show you how Carcassi’s fingerings relate to the standard shapes.

Otherwise, the rules here are the same as last time: your left hand fingering is the same as the fret numbers in the tablature (with index equaling 1, middle 2, etc.), except where noted with a numeral between the standard staff and TAB staff. I’ve given a range of possible tempos; be sure to start on the slow side when you bring in your metronome. (Notice I said when, not if! Come on, it’s good for you.) 

The rest should be pretty self-explanatory, but if anything needs clarification, please e-mail me and let me know. Enjoy!

Click on image for full view:

What to Practice:

1) Learn the chord shapes from each exercise before attempting them with the right hand patterns. Notice that Carcassi often uses different pieces of a single chord, or changes just a single note—usually the bass note (i.e., the lowest note). You don’t have to memorize every little variation, but do be aware of what chord you’re playing as you move through each exercise. There are a lot of classical guitarists who play beautifully but have no idea what’s going on under their fingers. Don’t be one of them!

2) Learn all three exercises, and check out the Carcassi Guitar Method if you’re hankering for more.

Next Week: More goodness from Signor Carcassi.

See you then,
Mike
www.hotmike.com
E-mail Mike: [email protected]

Ken's Corner: Guitar Improvisation for Starters - Lesson #22

This is Lesson #22 in a series on Guitar Improvisation. Last week in Lesson #21 we continued our discussion on Option 3 for improvising. I have received a handful of emails about the difference between minor pentatonic and major pentatonic scales that I’d like to address before it gets out of hand.

Let’s get started… 
We will compare A minor pentatonic and C major pentatonic scales. Both scales contain the same 5 notes but start on different notes.

    The A minor pentatonic = A, C, D, E, G
    The C major pentatonic = C, D, E, G, A

Some people like to say, just use C major pentatonic over a C major chord which is much easier to remember. Yes, that is partly true, but then you have to keep track of 2 separate sets of 5 scale forms for each of the 12 keys or tonal centers. This can get very confusing. For just 1 key you would need to think of it like this.

Form 1 of A minor pentatonic is considered Form 5 of C major pentatonic

Form 2 of A minor pentatonic is considered Form 1 of C major pentatonic

Form 3 of A minor pentatonic is considered Form 2 of C major pentatonic

Form 4 of A minor pentatonic is considered Form 3 of C major pentatonic

Form 5 of A minor pentatonic is considered Form 4 of C major pentatonic

It's really just the same 5 notes all over the neck; which notes you play against a chord gives it a major or minor sound. So, over an A minor chord, you can play an A, C, E from the so called C major pentatonic and it will give you a minor sound to go along with a minor chord. Another example would be, over an C major chord, you can play a C, E, G from the so called A minor pentatonic and it will give you a major sound to go along with your major chord.

Here is another factor, most people like to play the basic Form 1 of the so called minor pentatonic containing the fingering pattern of 1-4,1-3,1-3,1-3,1-4,1-4 and think of it as their home base or reference point. Because this finger pattern is easy and familiar that is one of the reasons we call it Form 1. The other 4 forms (that contain the same 5 notes) can be considered Form 1 extensions. Form 1 is very useable for 3 main reasons. Number one, the finger pattern fits the shape of the hand in a natural fashion. Number two, because your index finger is stationary for the entire pattern, your brain only has to think about shifting frets for the 2nd note on each string. Number three, it is very easy to alter this simple form to achieve unlimited variations.

I believe the ultimate goal in the early stages should be as follows. Learn all 5 forms of the pentatonic in all 12 keys through out the entire neck. If you achieve this, then you are way ahead of most of the guitar universe.  After, you really have a handle on these 5 forms in all 12 keys; we will alter and add to these 5 scale forms to explore different harmonic and melodic territories. I know that you are probably getting sick of hearing pentatonic, pentatonic, pentatonic, pentatonic, etc…. however, if you really dig in and stay focused you will become an excellent soloist.  Many guitarists only scratch the surface of the pentatonic world and one of 2 things can happen. Number one, they just use 1 or 2 scale forms in the same fashion and get bored and frustrated with repetition. Number two, they skim over it and prematurely jump right into deeper concepts and lose sight of melodic development that stems from really hearing what you are playing. They tend to rely on their fingers/chops and their solos can be overly technical and lack feel and creativity.

So in conclusion, the C major pentatonic can be considered a more accurate name at times but when playing most people tend to get confused from a fingering and memory standpoint of the 2 separate sets of scales that we spoke about earlier.

To keep it simple from this point forward… WE WILL REFER TO THESE 5 SCALES AS THE 5 PENTATONIC FORMS. WE WILL NOT use the terms Minor or Major Pentatonic.

In next week’s lesson we will get back on track with Option 3. Thanks for the e-mails and I’ll see you all at the next lesson.

Ken's Corner: Guitar Improvisation for Starters - Lesson #21

By Ken Volpe
This is Lesson #21 in a series on Guitar Improvisation. Last week in Lesson #20 we started discussing Option 3 for improvising. In this week’s lesson we will continue to explore Option 3.

By now you have started to get used to utilizing Option 3; playing a separate scale for each chord. There is one issue that occurs when using Option 3. When switching scales, as we learned in last week’s lesson, you are jumping around the neck. You are going from the 2nd fret to the 7th fret to the 9th fret, etc. This creates three problems. Problem number one, jumping scales/positions increases your chances of landing on bad notes or “clams.” Problem number two is that jumping positions can tend to sound strange to your ear. There is not as much melodic continuity. And problem number three is that jumping positions can have an effect on your timing. If you are playing a song with a fast tempo, jumping across the neck can result in being late for the beat. 

What is the solution?  The answer is for you to play the 3 separate Pentatonic Scale forms (F# Pentatonic, B Pentatonic, C# Pentatonic) while staying in one position.  Whew!  Don’t freak yourself out by trying to fully grasp this concept; this will all make sense to you down the road.

Play the following: (see diagrams)

FOR: A Major chord use Form 1 of F# Minor Pentatonic Scale
Form 1 of F# Minor Pentatonic starts from the 2nd fret 

FOR: D Major chord use Form 4 of B Minor Pentatonic Scale
Form 4 of B Minor Pentatonic starts from the 2nd fret

FOR: E Major chord use Form 3 of C# Minor Pentatonic Scale
Form 3 of C# Minor Pentatonic starts from the 2nd fret

The following statements from Lesson 20 still apply.

The A Major chord contains notes A, C#, E
All 3-chord tones exist in the F# Minor Pentatonic Scale. 
There are 2 scale tones that are not in the chord. These notes are: F#, B

The D Major chord contains notes D, F#, A
All 3-chord tones exist in the B Minor Pentatonic Scale. 
There are 2 scale tones that are not in the chord. These notes are: B, E

The E Major chord contains notes E, G#, B
All 3-chord tones exist in the C# Minor Pentatonic Scale. 
There are 2 scale tones that are not in the chord. These notes are: C#, F#

This will be very tricky at first but once again, if you stick with applying what you’ve just learned, it will become second nature to you. 

In next week’s lesson we will continue to further explore Option 3. I’ll see you all at the next lesson.

Contact Ken: [email protected]

Fingerstylin': Right Hand Patterns with Real Music—Classic Tunes, and the Complete “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”

By Mike Roberts
Now that we’ve learned some right hand patterns without the left hand, it’s time to reward your patience and put those patterns to use with some real music.

Last time we looked at arpeggiated patterns: playing the notes of a chord separately with different fingers of the right hand, a specialty of fingerstyle and classical guitar music. Amongst the patterns we learned were the basic ones for two classic rock gems: “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac and “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas. Let’s revisit those patterns, this time with the left hand included.

Note: I’ve written out only a piece of the tunes; if you’re interested in learning them in their entirety, transcriptions are readily available on websites like OLGA (temporarily down due to legal issues) or Ultimate Guitar. But beware: there’s no quality control on the web, and most transcriptions range from imperfect to unrecognizable. If you really want to learn a song, you’re better off investing in a published transcription.

See Example #1

If you’re a beginner, rest assured we will soon take a closer look at left hand technique. For now, I recommend getting the chord shapes (written above the staff) comfortably under your fingers before attempting them with the right hand pattern. In the examples, the fret numbers on the tablature are equal to the finger number of your left hand (index=1, middle=2, ring=3, pinky=4), except where indicated with a numeral between the TAB and standard notation. Get those fingers nice and close to the next highest fret, and arch your fingers to keep them away from the other strings. Above all, be patient with yourself! Learning chords takes a long time; it can take months to really get them down. (I suspect some of my students would say years!)

For all you bluegrass fans, here’s an arrangement of the classic “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” using the string-skipping arpeggio we learned last time. Notice that we start working in the ‘a’ finger in measure 9. This is a complete chorus; try repeating the form with some of the variations we looked at, plus some patterns of your own. This tune, with its long stretches on a single chord, is a nice testing ground for pattern variations. Also, I’ve put the vocal melody in tablature, and I encourage you to learn that as well. Makes a lovely duet!

See Example #2

Note the fingering for the G chord: with the strings we’re playing, we only need one finger. So convenient! For those of you who are used to the standard G fingering, this may be a new fingering, and illustrates a good general concept to keep in mind when playing fingerstyle: we often don’t need every finger in the full, standard chord fingerings we’re used to when strumming. In this example, I’ve included the standard G major chord fingering on the final chord—beginners take note. That wavy line is telling you to strum slowly through the chord like a harp—in this case, with your thumb.

What to Practice:
1) If you’re a beginner, get down the chords we use in these examples: C, Cmaj7, Cadd9, G/B, Am7, G, and D.
2) Learn the “Landslide” and “Dust in the Wind” introductions, bringing in the metronome when you’ve established some degree of comfort. As always, the tempos suggested here are flexible; you should go as slow as you need to in order to play the patterns accurately.
3) Learn “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” and experiment with some pattern variations as you repeat the form.

Next Time: Classical Guitar Music with Arpeggiated Patterns

See you then,
Mike

http://www.hotmike.com
Contact Mike: [email protected]

Ken's Corner: Guitar Improvisation for Starters - Lesson #20

By Ken Volpe
This is Lesson #20 in a series on Guitar Improvisation. Last week in Lesson #19 we discussed Option 2 for improvising. This week we will begin to explore Option 3.

Option 3 involves using a separate scale for each chord. 

A Major chord use Form 1 of F# Minor Pentatonic Scale
Form 1 of F# Minor Pentatonic starts from the 2nd fret

D Major chord use Form 1 of B Minor Pentatonic Scale
Form 1 of B Minor Pentatonic starts from the 7th fret

E Major chord use Form 1 of C# Minor Pentatonic Scale
Form 1 of C# Minor Pentatonic starts from the 9th fret

Let’s continue with our theme on how chord tones and scale tones mesh. 

The A Major chord contains notes A, C#, E
All 3-chord tones exist in the F# Minor Pentatonic Scale. 
There are 2 scale tones that are not in the chord.  These notes are: F#, B

The D Major chord contains notes D, F#, A
All 3-chord tones exist in the B Minor Pentatonic Scale. 
There are 2 scale tones that are not in the chord. These notes are: B, E

The E Major chord contains notes E, G#, B
All 3-chord tones exist in the C# Minor Pentatonic Scale. 
There are 2 scale tones that are not in the chord. These notes are: C#, F#

The great thing about utilizing Option 3 is that you have a 60% chance of always landing on a chord tone when using the proper scale. The tricky part is that you have to switch to a different scale every time the chord changes. However, this keeps you on your toes by being more aware of what chords are being played. Many guitarists are famous for going into their own little world and not knowing where they are in the song. Therefore; playing Option 3 will help you not to fall into this trap. Once you get used to switching the scales, your ear will lock onto the matching chord tones. As this becomes second nature you will have more creative freedom to switch between chord tones and non-chord tones. 

There is one more important concept that you need to be aware of. The root note of each of your movable Pentatonic Scales is not a chord tone. For example, I told you to play the F# Minor Pentatonic Scale with the A Major chord. As we mentioned before, the F# note is not present in the A Major chord. Obviously, this F# note is the root sound of the F# Minor Pentatonic Scale. This creates a possible issue for your ear, because when you are learning to improvise your ear tends to favor the sound of the root scale tone, in this case the F# note. To summarize, when using Option 3, the root of the given scale does not exist in the matching chord but each of the chord tones does exist in your given scale. I would suggest to be aware of the root notes whenever possible.

With Option 3, I am showing you an additional way of hearing things. This way can be considered more complex and creative, but at the same time more challenging for your ear to grasp. I believe that if you avoid bad habits early on and really focus on ear training, then this whole process will be more natural. We will get much deeper into this topic in future lessons. Don’t drive yourself crazy with trying to fully understand all of this theory. Learning theory is a step-by-step process that needs to be consistently reviewed and applied. 

Lastly, I want you to continue your focus on chord playing. Play different chord voicings, use different rhythms, and rearrange the order of our suggested 3 chords. Having your rhythm tracks move along at a slower tempo is probably best for now. Don’t try to play too many notes or run the scales, try to hear what you are playing beforehand. 

In next week’s lesson we will continue to explore Option 3. I’ll see you all at the next lesson.

Contact Ken: [email protected]

Gibson Guitar Launches Online Guitar Lessons With Gibson Artists

Press Release
Gibson Guitar has announced Gibson Guitar Lessons online with some of the world's greatest musicians. Working closely with companies like Homespun and Hal Leonard, Gibson offers fans the opportunity to learn lessons live on the web from featured artists like Hubert Sumlin and Sonny Osborne. Musicians have a chance to learn to play contemporary acoustic guitar, blues mandolin, funk guitar, rock lead techniques and electric bass. Instructors including Steve James, Ross Bolton, Danny Gill and Nick Nolan all share their experience with various techniques and steps so that the person can learn step by step.

Each month the Gibson Guitar Lessons will feature a Gibson artist and include interviews along with some of the artist's own anecdotes. This month, legend Sonny Osborne teaches the viewer the bluegrass banjo and Hubert Sumlin discusses his style and influences with guitarist Jimmy Vivino of the Conan O'Brien band. Backed up by a stellar rhythm session, Hubert plays his famous Howlin' Wolf tune "Smokestack Lightening."

Legendary Sonny Osborne's lesson is a detailed instruction that includes historical references and insightful advice. Osborne teaches his stylistic innovation on the classic "Sunny Side of the Mountain."

"There are so many people who love Gibson Guitar that we wanted to give them an opportunity to join some of their favorite musicians online and learn from the pros in the privacy of their own home," said Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar. "The Gibson Guitar lessons are a unique feature specifically designed to help Gibson fans everywhere learn to play their favorite chords while sharing some of our rich musical history."

Gibson online guitar lessons will be updated frequently and provide the audience an ever-changing landscape and insight to many artists and techniques. Once online you can choose from a variety of lessons and guest features.

Ken's Corner: Guitar Improvisation for Starters - Lesson #19

By Ken Volpe
This is Lesson #19 in a series on Guitar Improvisation. Last week in Lesson #18 we started discussing three options for improvising. Please see Lesson #18 to review Option 1. Now let’s move on to Option 2.

I want to teach you a new set of scales. They are 1 octave Major scales in the key of A. 

SEE DIAGRAMS:

Form #1 starts on the E string with your index finger. 

Form #2 starts on the D string with your middle finger.

Form #3 starts on the G-string with the index finger.

Let’s continue with our theme on how chord tones and scale tones mesh.   

The A Major chord contains notes A,C#, E.
All 3-chord tones exist in the A Major scale as well. There are 4 scale tones that are not in the chord.  These notes are: B, D, F#, G#

The D Major chord contains notes D,F#,A.
All 3-chord tones exist in the D Major scale as well. There are 4 scale tones that are not in the chord.  These notes are: E, G#, B, C#

The E Major chord contains notes E,G#,B.
All 3-chord tones exist in the A Major scale as well. There are 4 scale tones that are not in the chord.  These notes are: F#, A, C#, D

Option 2 is another good choice for soloing but the major scales do bring up a few issues for a guitarist in the early stages of improvisation.

The Major scale forms have a lot of notes and that can be awkward in terms of execution. Also, the Major scales have a sound that is a bit predictable and not bluesy enough. The Major scales and the modes are best usually suited for Country and Jazz improvisation. We’ll look at that down the line. For now we are staying in a straight rock and or blues format.

Last week we spoke about training your ear to hear which chord and scale tones mesh and which tones do not mesh. Please pay close attention to this process of ear training. It’s not that you need to always be improvising with chord tones to have it sound right but you need to aware of which notes you are choosing. As we continue to learn theory and apply it this will all start to make more sense.

Once again from last week, training your ear is really the awareness of what sounds fit and what sounds do not fit within the context of a song. The sound of what occurs when scales and chords mesh is paramount.

In next week’s lesson we'll discuss Option 3 in regards to what scales we can improvise with that will fit our chords progression. I’ll see you all at the next lesson.

Contact Ken: [email protected]