Level 3- We played a couple John Prine songs, with a few new concepts. First, we looked at minor chords, and the role that they can play in our ubiquitous I-IV-V pattern. Typically the minor chords in a given key fall on the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th degrees of the scale. So, for example in the key of C:

1  2  3  4  5  6  7

C D E  F G A  B

the major chords, would be I-IV-and V, or C, F, and G and the minor chords would be ii, iii, and vi, or Dm, Em, Em, and Am. If you follow this formula through our 5 most common keys, C,G,D,A, and E, you’ll find that all of them contain a lot of bar chords, except for C and G. This can be a helpful hint at what position a song might be played from, as most people don’t like bar chords, and are more than happy to move the capo around to avoid them.

We talked a bit about some other clues to learning by ear, and they involve listening to notes that ring out. You can often, with a little practice, figure out whether a song in the key of C, for example, might be played in open postition, or capoed somewhere up the neck.

Our songs for this week were John Prine’s “Six O’ Clock News”, and “Hello In There”. These help to illustrate both above points, using minor chords to create drama, and “Hello in There” is in the key of C, but is played in G postion with a capo at the 5th fret.

Here’s “Hello In There”:

And “Six O’Clock News”:

Guitar 2 -8pm

We finished up with the blues, at least for now, we’ll revisit it in a jam- sorta way later in the session, hopefully we’ll be able to play a little bit on some generic blues, and give you cats a little room for improvisation if you’d like. (I haven’t decided to make it mandatory….yet.) Just keep up with it and I’ll post some stuff to play along to.

We’re taking a stab at bar (or barre) chords, the next, and often frustrating, step in your development as guitarists. There are ups and downs to these.

First the downs:

These chords shapes are often difficult to get perfect.

That’s actually about it for the downs. Simply put, these chords are awkward, and it may take some time to get them feeling and sounding good.

The Ups:

Only four shapes to memorize. (Two of the shapes are actually alike, just on different strings)

You’re getting a bunch of new chords that you can’t play in open position, like B, and C#, and F#minor, etc…..

You’ll see a big jump in your recognition of the notes on the 6th and 5th strings.

After getting the basic shapes down, it’s easy to work these into more advanced chords, like 7th, minor 7th, major 7th etc……

So we’ve got a couple of tunes to do this with. One is “Wild Horses” by the Stones, and the other is “Melissa” by the Allman Brothers. I’ve got audio.

Here’s the verse to Wild Horses:

And the chorus:

And a little bit of both to transition back and forth:

And here’s the verse part of “Melissa”:

And the chorus, with the bar chords:

Work on em. (please.)

Guitar 3 (8pm)

We worked on four string (mostly) jazz chords, and a new chord progression, the iim7-V7-Imaj7 progression, hereby referred to as the 2-5-1 progression to save (me) time. It’s the same concept as the 1-4-5 progressions we’ve dealt with before, just with different and more complicated chords. Simply put, you’ll have plenty of work just getting these shapes working in your brains and under your fingers, but the next step is to start working them through the 2-5-1 progression in different keys. There’s all kinds of different ways we can break off into more detail, but for now, just the basics of the progression, and running the chords of the tunes I handed out will suffice. We’ll do a bit more with them in class.

If you’re a tech dork, and a Mac user, there’s an app for both iphone/ ipod touch and Mac computers called iReal Book that I downloaded and like. It is simply the chord changes to hundreds of Jazz standards with a music player that plays backing tracks for each in several different styles. Picking out a couple of tunes and following the chord changes with your new chords will go a long way. There’s also an analog version, simply called The Real Book. It’s just a book. It does not play backing tracks for you.

See you Wednesday

Otherwise, we’ll just tack an extra week onto the end of the session.

Guitar 2 (7pm)

I handed out two sheets,  which each hold a great deal of information, sort of DaVinci code style in that we have to unlock some of the meaning and function of it all. We’ll slowly do that over the next ten weeks. What you should be concerned with now is the basics of your fretboard, concentrating on the notes of the 6th string, and the 5th if you’ve got time. It’s pretty simple, you want to memorize what note belongs where. This is key in being able to find bar chords, which we’ll be doing soon, and having a starting note for scales to do a bit of improvising, which we’ll also be doing soon. How do you get to know your fretboard? Simple. Write some notes on a piece of paper, randomly. Like this: A  C#   G   Bb   F  D … etc. Then, using the fretboard chart, find those notes on the 6th string. Make mental notes as to where they are in relation to each other, and other landmarks on your guitar, like the dots on your fretboard. See how fast you can do this without having to refer to the chart.

We also talked about the “Louie Louie” principle, that chords can be reverted back to their respective number within a key signature, and then easily transposed to other keys. Is that the nerdiest sentence you’ve read since college? Good. This is the lingo you want to become fluent in. To demonstrate the above nerditude, we can look at the first line of the “12 Keys” sheet. We chose the familiar riff from “Louie Louie” to prove our point. In the key of C, the song goes: C F G F. We can match these chords up with their numbers within the scale, translating this to 1,4,5,4. We can then plug in the same numbers from other keys and play “Louie Louie” in any key we want. In the key of G it would be G C D C, in A it would be A D E D, and so forth. Play through these and you’ll hear that familiar “Louie Louie” sound each time.

As a bonus, try taking some songs you already play and running them through this process, see if you don’t get the same results. If this is still a bit hazy, we’ll sew up the loose ends next week.

Guitar 3 (8pm)

You guys also got the two handouts with all the info you’ll ever need ever about music theory. (Not really, but it is a lot) As far as the fretboard, see above for an exercise to get started. As far as the other sheet, we’re going to be  using that every week to gain some bit of knowledge of music and guitar theory. Don’t be too discouraged, this is not going to be an algebra class, my goal is to familiarize you with the basics of theory so that you know the lingo, and can expand on any given subject when the time comes. You don’t need to be a master of the modes within the next ten weeks, but if you come across some jazz tunes you dig, and want to figure them out, you’ll want a foundation in the modes so you know where to begin. Same goes for pretty much everything.

We also want to put some focus on ear training, starting with the difference between major and minor tonality. Here’s an exercise to get you going:

http://www.musictheory.net/exercises/ear-chord/dyyeyyy

Hunt around on that website a bit as well, there’s all kinds of great information and exercises to strengthen your musical knowledge and ear.

Last but not least, we’re going to be delving into some Beatles, and John Prine. So if you’ve got some, listen to it this week. If you hear something you like, make a mental note and bring it up in class. I’ll do the same, and we’ll put together a setlist in the next week or so.

See you soon..

Guitar 2- We dug a bit into ear training, trying to find a simple melody (Mary Had A Little Lamb) without using TAB or any kind of written info, just using our ears. This is probably the most valuable skill in music, the ability to hear something in your head and repeat it on your instrument. It’s the kind of thing that’s fun to practice once you get the hang of it a bit, and there’s a great deal of satisfaction in sitting in front of the stereo with your guitar and trying to figure out the tunes as you hear them. All the greats have gotten great by doing just this, putting on a record and setting the needle back hundreds of times just to learn a little guitar riff or figure out a chord change. Now it’s much easier with computers and itunes and slow-downer software, so you have no excuse to not do it. Ha! Seriously though, even just a little of this will go a long way. With patience, it gets easier and easier.

Guitar 3-

We worked out our “setlist” and played along to the originals of the tunes we’re going to do next week. I’m still working on the solo recordings of these, but for now, here’s links to the youtube vids.

Here’s “Fire and Rain”

Fire and Rain

Pretty straightforward.

Here’s the Tom Petty tunes,

Runnin’ Down a Dream

remember y’all get solos on this one if ya want em.

Free Falling

just remember that we start the verses a bit subdued, and build up volume and intensity through the chorus.

Here’s the Cross Canadian Ragweed tune,

Constantly

And the 2 Neil Diamond tunes

Solitary Man

(don’t worry too much about the intro)

Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon

I think that’s it right? Anyway, I’m still trying to get those extra recordings together. I’ll keep ya posted.

Guitar 2- We worked on some fiddle tunes. Admittedly, they are a pain both to read and to get under your fingers. But, perhaps something to motivate you: the ability to play even one of these songs correctly will improve your technique exponentially, and push your playing to a new level. Not only will future fiddle tunes come much easier, but all tunes will come easier. I’m still behind on the recordings, so look for those soon.

Til then, all the info you need is right there. Not only are the notes on the page, but you actually get the timing built in, which is rare. It takes a bit to read this well, but it’s simply a matter of patience. Move measure to measure, or phrase to phrase, and work out the timing. You’ll find that it makes sense in kind of an intuitive way. Once the notes and timing are worked out, the tune almost becomes an exercise in technique, working to speed up to play like the bluegrass champs.

I was told by a teacher once that the best way to get better at guitar is to learn 25 fiddle tunes. I have not quite taken him up on it, but I’ve got a good grip on about 6 of em.

Guitar 3-

Working on some Neil Diamond. We worked on “Solitary Man” and “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon”. Nothing too stand-out with these, except for the opening licks of “Solitary Man”, and the arrangement of the horns, which we’re going to take a shot at duplicating with some up-the-neck chords.

Perhaps as a back-up to some of what we talked about in class, it would help to have an idea of the make-up of some of these chords. I’ll work up a sheet with some chords spelled out into their individual notes, that will put some of this stuff into perspective. Til then, we can look a bit at the chords we’re dealing with in these tunes. In the intro to “Solitary Man”, we’re simply playing with an E minor chord in a couple different positions, and using the open E string as part of our chord, to give a bit of an airy quality. Thinking about the notes that make up chords will help you to see the open strings as parts of different chords, that can be used to flavor chords up the neck and provide contrast to the higher register notes.

Also, with those horn stabs we’re duplicating, we’re using what we call “double stops”, which are little two-note chordettes that are sort of a cross between rhythm and melody. Again these will be easier explained if I make up a chart to help explain chord structure, but they’re also not too hard to figure out on your own. I’ll work on it for next week.

Til then, keep it up with practicing a bit of everything we touched on. We’ll pull all this stuff together in the last couple classes.

Guitar 2- We visited (or re-visited) pentatonic scales, this time with a bit more info, and focus on technique. Use the practice sheet to work on playing these scales with a focus on the minor root (example 1), the major root (example 2), and then a variety of ways to break up the pattern to get it under your fingers and make it more interesting.

I’ve included some blues backing tracks to play along to, using the Minor pentatonic scale.

The first is in E, and refers to the third chart on the bottom of your handout, the Em pentatonic scale

The next is in A, using the first chart at the bottom of the handout

The last is in C. You’ll have to find the position for this one yourself, using the last chart on the sheet, find the C, and start the pattern with your index finger on that note.

Guitar 3-

We worked on using what we know (whatever that is) to figure out some chord progressions and licks by ear. In my opinion (backed up by all the greats) this is the best way to learn music. Now that we’ve got an idea of how Cross Canadian Ragweed does things (pretty simple progressions, mostly open- position chords), see if you can’t get yourself onto YouTube (or just put on the albums if you’ve got ‘em) and try to figure out some more. This process differs for everyone, so I hope I managed to impart some of how I do it. You don’t have to copy my method, but form your own, and see what you come up with. You can always check your work at ultimate-guitar.com, or shoot me an email or ask me next class if you’re having trouble.

Til then,

Ciao.

Meantime, here’s summaries of last week’s classes.

Guitar 2 (7pm) We checked out a chart on capo placement, and how chords move up and down the neck. Nothing to hurry up and memorize, but it will come in handy. The main goal is to be able to play some tunes in a couple positions on the neck, for a little variety.

We also checked out some simple-ish fingerstyle exercises to get your picking hand a workout. Work each exercise to the point of drooling, and then combine. The result is that you’ll eventually be able to string a bunch of simple patterns together into what sounds like something complicated. After you’ve worked the patterns with the D chord, try them with other chords to see how they move and change, yet still stay relatively the same.

Guitar 3 (8pm)

We got further into some soloing techniques, this week adding a bit of twang. The secret is using a passing tone, in this case the minor 3rd of the scale. This is not a note to let ring, it’s typically used to slide or hammer onto the major third, and it creates a little push/ pull in the listener’s ear between minor and major tonality. That sounds a bit complicated, but we can pretty much just say it adds twang.

Another technique we touched on is the idea of playing “through changes”, changing the scale we’re playing to fit the chord in the rhythm. This will open up a whole new world of cool sounds and concepts if you spend a little time getting to know how I-IV-V progressions work with their respective scales. One way to do this is to work with the scales in pairs, or in groups of three, methodically making your way up one, and back down the next.

Another thing that helps is some pre-packaged licks, a few of which I provided in class. These move from the G chord to the C chord, then to the D, and back to G. Again, I’m having a frustrating time with the audio, but I will post examples of the licks, and a background for you to play along to in the near future. Promise.

Til then

Guitar 2- We talked about the idea of changing keys/ positions in simple three and four chord songs by using a capo. It seems like a really simple thing, but apparently it was hard to put into words. I’m making up a chart of some sort to help explain it better. Until then, try the tunes we did in a couple of different positions with the capo, and keep mental notes of which positions you like or dislike.

Guitar 3- We introduced some of the rudiments of fingerstyle guitar, to help us along in our accompaniment of guys like James Taylor, etc… Again, the audio uploader for this sight is giving me huge headaches, so I’ll try to get the examples up ASAP, but until then, here’s a quick overview of some of the artists I was talking about last week. Click each artist’s name for a youtube vid.

Mississippi John Hurt – Had a unique three-finger style, and a fairly soft, soothing approach to the blues.

Blind Blake – Considered a virtuoso of ragtime/ blues, here he’s playing in open D tuning. Check out the solos between verses. They’re good.

Bukka White -  is frigging nuts. Here he is beating the everlovin’ crap out of his guitar. Open D tuning as well, I do believe.

Robert Johnson- singing his famous “Crossroads”. By the way, the story about him selling his soul to the devil at a southern crossroads is one of the first examples of a publicity stunt by record executives.Never happened.

There’s also plenty of more “modern” guys with interesting fingerpickin’ styles, such as

Bob Dylan – wow, I’m actually having a hard time finding a decent Dylan vid. All I’m really coming across is awful covers.

John Prine-  I love this vid. Here’s John playing “That’s the Way the World Goes Round”, with a very similar style to Mississippi John Hurt.

Townes Van Zandt- Another great vid from the documentary “Heartworn Highways”, here’s Townes drunk as can be, but still able to pick and sing cleanly.There’s a great playlist of tunes if you look up “Townes Van Zandt- A private Concert” on youtube.

Paul Simon – a very gentle, effortless style, on “The Boxer”

Alright, I’ll keep working on the other audio, and try to post in the next day or so. It all depends on whether the website decides to cooperate.

Guitar 2 (7pm)

We worked on “Blackbird” by the Beatles. A surprisingly easy (once you get the general pattern down) fingerpickin’ tune, it’s all about seeing the patterns unfold into one another. Here’s the audio, nice n’ slow:

Intro:

Verse:

Chorus:

It may be a good idea to simply warm up your picking hand before the tune and play the pattern a bit without worrying about your fretting hand. For the shorter phrases, I like to say to myself “pinch and pinch and pinch and….” and for the longer phrases it’s “pinch and sep-er-ate, pinch and sep-er-ate”. Once that hand is doing it’s thing, you can spend your focus on the chord-ette shapes on the fretboard.

Guitar 3 (8pm)

Coupla things going on: one, soloing over the end of Tom Petty’s “Runnin’ Down a Dream”, and two, the intro to James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain”.

For the former, remember that it was all about doing your thing with what you know, you don’t have to worry about flying all over the fretboard, just take some notes or a scale pattern that you’re comfortable with and work it to death. Rhythm is your best friend here. A solo that uses only only two notes, but has interesting rhythm is always better than playing a million notes real fast. So take the E minor pentatonic scale and work it over these changes:

You can use these to become familiar with each position of the scale, or just take one postition and really get into it. The more time you spend with this loop, the more you’ll get out of it.

For “Fire and Rain”, I’ve whittled down what Mr. Taylor is actually doing to bring out some of the main points of the intro. Try it as it’s written down, and compare yours to the original here:

If you keep going further into the song, you’ll hear some of these hammer-on/ pull-off flourishes elsewhere. Also, you’ll have to capo the 2nd fret to match his key.

Here’s our version:

We’ll get going on some more James Taylor next week.