Blog Update!

Hi everyone! Just a quick message to say sorry for the lack of blogging over the past week or so and that loads of new lessons are coming shortly. I've been swamped with teaching, recording, writing, and a hectic social life (yep, I do have one of those too!), so time has been very limited. Hopefully there's plenty here for you to be getting stuck into. If not, check back very soon as I'll be posting again by the end of the week...

Cheers! :)

Speed/Coordination Exercises Part 2 - Intermediate/Advanced

Due to several comments left on this page and emails that I've recently received (thank you!), it seems that the last speed and coordination exercise lesson was found to be very useful by many of you. Well, because this blog and it's contents are shaped by you, here's the next installment as requested!

The exercises here continue in exactly the same format as last time, this time exploring shape 2 of A Minor Pentatonic (shape 1 of C Major Pentatonic - we will explore the major pentatonic in the near future). Follow the rules as discussed in the last tutorial. If you have mastered the patterns in the last speed/coordination lesson, the patterns below should be pretty familiar and easy enough to follow.

We will take a look at the many patterns of the major and minor (harmonic/melodic) soon. But for now, get these pentatonic excerises nailed! Have fun :)

Modes - Part 2 - Intermediate

The Seven Major Scale Modes - A Basic Introduction to Sounds, Chords & Formulas

Continuing from where we left off in Part 1 of this series on Modes, this tutorial will examine the moods we can create with each mode, how to begin to play the modes, and also the basic understanding of scale formulas.

Different Moods

In the last lesson, we discovered that modes are scales hidden within the Major scale. We also learnt that modes can simply be explained as moods. By selecting the appropriate notes within the major scale, we can create a mood (happy, sad, melancholy, sinister, etc.), which in turn will generate an emotional response from the listener. We were also introduced to the names of the seven major scale modes, in order of darkest to brightest sounding mood.

Here is a bit more detail regarding the moods (darkest to brightest) that these modes evoke;

Locrian = Dark/Sinister
Phrygian = Spanish/Exotic sounding
Aeolian = Sad/Melancholy
Dorian = Jazzy/Dark with a Bright Edge
Mixolydian = Bluesy/Soulful/Light & Shade
Ionian = Happy/Joyful
Lydian = Bright/Airy/Mysterious

Please note: Before you read on, do make sure that you have a complete grasp of the seven major scale shapes introduced last lesson, including knowledge of the C root notes in all shapes.

How do we play a mode?

To conjure up any of the seven modes, you will now need to start to thoroughly learn the names of the notes in each of the seven major scale positions. This will take time. Don't worry if this isn't completely mastered yet, as long as you are making the effort to do so (you can refer to last lesson's worksheets during this tutorial - study the middle column). Ok, so here is the simple explaination of how to create a mode.

The C major scale consists of seven notes, C D E F G A B C (the last C does not count as a new note, it is there to demonstrate where the scale ends and then begins again). To create a mode from within the C major scale, we can start on any one of the remaining six notes (D E F G A B) and play seven notes from the note chosen. For example, we could play from D to D (D E F G A B C D), or E to E (E F G A B C D E), etc.

The two TAB sheets below illustrate how we can play each mode in a very simple way. Each of the seven C major scale positions begins on one of the seven notes of the C major scale (either C, D, E, F, G, A, or B). By rooting (starting and focusing upon) each one of these notes, we create each of the modes.

Note: TAB is a convenient tool for playing music, but unfortunately an inferior way of understanding the theory presented here. This is why having an excellent knowledge of where the notes are on the fingerboard is so essential, and why I am again stressing that you need to know what notes you are playing when you use the C major scale (and any other). Sight reading (reading music) helps greatly (I'm not going to go on about the merits of music reading here - I'll leave that for another tutorial on another day!).

To get a true idea of the sound of each mode, playing each of the above scales over a backing track of some sort will help greatly. Of course, using any old chord progression (series of chord changes) is not nescessarily going to work. We need to know which chords work with each mode.

Now take a look at the following worksheet. The sheet contains two tables. The first table names each mode, it's root note (the note it is named after), and the notes contained within it. It also describes the basic chord (triad) that the mode can be played over.

TASK 1: Record seven individual backing tracks (on your computer, a tape recorder, even your mobile phone will do - we're not looking for Abbey Road production here!). Choose the chord in the table that relates to the mode you wish to practice. For example; D minor for D Dorian, E minor for E Phrygian, F Major for F Lydian, etc. Each backing track should last at least 4 minutes or more in length to give you time to play and experiment with the mode in question. Now play the selected mode over the backing. Pause on it's root note (the note it is named after) to get your ear acustomed to it's sound. Experiment and jam, but try to arrive back at the root note to resolve phrases (later we will look at more advanced ways of creating licks).

Task 2: The second table lists the notes of the major scale. It also lists the formula of the scale. The formula is simply a way of numbering the notes of scales, arpeggios and chords. Formulas use Arabic numerals, in the case of the major scale these are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. The table also lists the basic triad (three note chord) and 7th chord (four note chord) that can be built from each of these notes. The chords are described by Roman Numerals (I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, and vii).

All of the chords can be used with any of the modes. The only rule is, you must center your chord progression around the root chord (see table 1). Emphasise (play more of) the root chord than any of the others. Start the chord pattern on the root chord. End on it too. Record a progression using a series of chords, starting on the root chord related to the mode you wish to play (i.e.; D minor for D Dorian, E minor for E Phrygian, F major for F Lydian, etc.). Now play the scale over the top of the progression as described in task 1.

Also, memorize the names of the chords and their related formula and roman numeric names. This will be essential for later lessons.

Right, that's it for now. Any questions, please do leave a comment and I will help clarify any confusion!

Extra Task: The next mode lesson will be coming shortly, where we will be looking at individual modes and how to get the best out of them. Between now an then, study the C major scale positions and try to find pentatonic shapes within them. It's a bit like one of those wordsearch puzzles! Find A minor, D minor and E minor pentatonic (shapes 1 to 5). For those of you familiar with the major pentatonic, can you spot the C major pentatonic? What about F major and G major pentatonic too? (shapes 1 to 5 also). Can't wait to show you how to get some excellent and cool sounds using these shapes and scales! All will be revealed...


VIDEO/AUDIO TO FOLLOW SHORTLY

Guest Tutor - Samantha Murray FD

This blog is now 1 week old (hurrah!), and to help celebrate this momentous occasion ;-D , I’m really pleased to introduce our first guest guitar teacher, Samantha Murray!

Sam will hopefully be posting some lessons in the near future as a guest tutor, which I’m really looking forward to checking out. She has an impressive CV and I know what a great player and teacher she is because I have heard her perform, and have witnessed her teaching, many times. It’s great to have you onboard Sam!

Here’s a little bit more information about our featured tutor and contact details for those seeking lessons from her in either Brighton or Southampton (or anywhere in-between I guess!).


Samantha Murray FD - Brighton/Southampton, UK

Sam Murray is a music graduate who studied guitar, music theory and history at the University of Sussex. With many years of teaching experience, Sam has built up an impressive private teaching practice, as well as being a tutor at The Guitar Academy (Brighton), Brighton & Hove Performing Arts Council, Haywards Heath Music Institute, within private schools, and coaching for various community projects.

Sam has also had plenty of live playing experience. At the age of 18, she performed at the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall, and has appeared on BBC 4, Radio 3, Juice FM, Radio Solent, Southern Counties Radio, Reverb FM, at ITV Meridian, as well as having played at the Birmingham NEC for Australian artist Jessica Lee in association with Kerrang! magazine.

Sam’s busy performing schedule has taken her throughout the UK and Europe - she has featured alongside artists/guitarists including Guthrie Govan, Mark Richardson, Andy Shepherd, Julian Dean, Kieran Pepper, Victoria Mullova, Carleen Anderson, Mark Mondase, Paul Griffiths, Pete Whyman, Fraiser Trainer, Sam Walton and Matthew Barley.

Sam teaches all styles of guitar, from novice to advanced level. She is classically trained, but knows how to tear up the fretboard on an electric guitar too! Sam has a friendly yet thorough approach to teaching and is happy to teach those looking for academic qualifications and grades, or for those just looking to have great fun learning and playing.

You can contact Sam by email at sammurraygtr@hotmail.com for more information.

Modes - Part 1 (Major/Ionian) - Intermediate

The Major (Ionian) Scale - An Introduction to Modes

After the last epic post, here's a slightly shorter tutorial, and the first in a series to help you start to understand the Major scale and it's related modes.

Before we ask ourselves "what is a mode?", we must first discuss the major scale. Without knowledge of the major scale, learning about playing and using modes will be pretty pointless and difficult to understand. If you already have knowledge of the major scale, please still read on, as the discussion about modes which follows will make much more sense if you do.

The major scale can be regarded as the mother or parent scale from which the modes are created, and is a mode itself (Ionian is it's modal name). The major scale we are dealing with here is in the key of C. C major is a great scale to use when explaining modes as it contains no #s (sharps) or bs (flats), and is therefore easier to work with. The notes of C major are;

C D E F G A B C

If you have a little knowledge of the piano keyboard, these notes are all of the white keys (the black keys being #s and bs).

Below, I have posted four sheets containing all seven positions of the C major scale. There are seven scale positions because there are seven notes in the major scale. Each scale position starts on a different alphabetical note of the key (i.e.; C, D, E, etc.). A seven note scale is called a heptatonic scale (hept = 7, tonic = tone/note). We have already encountered pentatonic scales which contain five notes (pent = 5).

I have included optional fingering for several of the scale shapes. Other options are available, just use your imagination! I would suggest that you start with the seven main shapes though, for reasons which will become apparent in future lessons. I have also demonstrated how the scales look when connected together, spanning the entire guitar neck. The boxed notes are all of the C notes (the root note of the scale, i.e.; the note that the scale is named after). Memorize where these notes are in each position.

Practice all of the scales with strict alternate (down/up) picking. Then practice with hammers (ascending) and pull-offs (descending) to improve your technique and dexterity. Use a metronome to keep a log of your daily practice tempo and always put clarity ahead of speed. Patchy notes sound bad. It's always better to be slow and acurate than fast and inacurate.

Ok, so here are the scale positions...

That should keep you pretty busy for a while I hope! So now the modes...

What is a mode?

The simplest explaination of a mode is to think of it as a mood, i.e.; an emotion that you will create inside/evoke from someone when they hear you play. Music is all about emotion. Music can make you laugh, cry, feel melancholy or make you jump up and down like a lunatic! That's the power and beauty of music. It helps a musician relate her or his ideas to an audience.

For example, if you are perfoming a song that is a heart-wrenching tale of love and loss, you're going to want the music to sum up that feeling. You're not going to choose a really happy, cheery scale to do that for you. Likewise, if you're performing an upbeat, joyful pop-rock song, you're unlikely to want to use the meanest, most menacing scale to improvise with. Modes allow you to select the appropriate mood required for the song you are performing.

The major scale (or Ionian mode) is quite a cheerful scale. Play backwards from C to C and you will hear the sound of church wedding bells (hardly a dark and brooding sound!). But hidden away inside these seven notes, we can conjure up all sorts of moods and sounds, from the darkest to the brightest, depending upon how we select and play the notes of the major scale.

Because we will be selecting the appropriate notes in order to create these modes or moods, we need to get to know the names of the notes inside each scale position. These can be found in the middle column of the first three scale sheets (above). Learn the fingering first (left column) and then the note names. This will take some time but be persistent. It will happen. Refer to the sheets daily until the notes slowly sink in. Pause on the C notes (root notes) when you practice the scale shapes. The formula column (right column) will prove to be incredibly important as these lessons go on, but for now, don't worry about what this all means.

Well, that's all I'm going to say for now, but I will leave you with the mode names before I go. I'll start with the darkest and end with the brightest (think of a spectrum of colours). We will look at how to play these modes shortly, so try to get familiar with the names before the next lesson.

DARKEST

Locrian

Phrygian

Aeolian

Dorian

Mixolydian

Ionian

Lydian

BRIGHTEST

See you next lesson and happy practicing!

Speed/Coordination Exercises Part 1 - Intermediate/Advanced

Fragment Patterns - A Minor/C Major Pentatonic (shape 1/5)

Here's a huge post seeing as it's the weekend!

As promised, this is the first in a series of speed and coordination exercises that will be of use to guitarists of all styles, and should keep you busy for months to come. Although we are back in familiar pentatonic territory, these exercises can easily be applied to any other scale or arpeggio (I will post more exercises using the heptatonic/modal shapes and also arpeggios at a later date). Because my last two posts have focused upon the pentatonic scale, I thought that this tutorial would tie-in quite nicely with them, as the exercises below can be combined with the 50 licks and 5 scales shapes to help turbo-charge your improvising skills.

So what is a fragment pattern?

Basically, a fragment pattern is a scale or arpeggio fragmented (broken up) into small, repetitive sections that either ascend or descend the guitar neck. I always think of these exercises as two steps forward, one step back. The scale being played is staggered so that it lasts longer than it would when playing through it in a regular manner. This allows you to create long runs when improvising. It also develops excellent coordination between your left and right hands, a skill that is essential in all areas of guitar playing.

These exercises will also greatly increase your playing speed. If you want to get fast, this is one of the main routes to obtaining that goal. But please, please, please always remember - being a fast guitarist doesn't necessarily make you a good guitarist. Speed isn't a sign of great musicianship. It just means that you can play fast. It's great to have the ability to play fast as many musical situations will require it, but the real skill is knowing when not to play fast. There is always going to be someone in the world that can play faster than everyone else. Ok, so perhaps it's an accolade to say, "Hey, I'm the fastest guitarist you'll ever gonna hear", but so-what? It doesn't automatically make your music good. It doesn't mean that people are going to want to listen to you. Holding back from playing fast all of the time will make your music more exciting when you do launch into a burst of speed. This will keep your audience on their toes and leave them wanting more.

The exercises below should always be practiced whilst using a metronome and strict alternate picking. Start at a moderate speed that is easy for your fingers to handle. At all times, clarity is more important than speed. It's always better to hear something played slowly, well and accurate, rather than fast, patchy and inaccurate. I know that speed is the aim here, but good sounding notes are the priority, speed will follow. Keep a log of your daily practice tempo. If you start on Monday at 80 beats per minute (bpm), aim to get to 95 bpm by the end of the week. Keep your aims realistic. This is the way to succeed. Practicing anything takes time and patience. Rushing headfirst into the exercises here will only result in frustration and failure. Take your time and you will achieve your goals.

So here are the exercises (all 14 pages of them!!!) and good luck!

















KEY;

Retrograde: having a backward motion or direction.

Inversion: presentation of a melody in contrary (opposite) motion to its original form.


SOUND FILES & VIDEO COMING SOON...

Licks (Rock, Blues, Metal) - Novice/Intermediate/Advanced

50 Licks in A Minor Pentatonic (Shape 1)

This tutorial is for those of you with a bit of experience playing pentatonic scales but find that you quickly run out of ideas when you jam/improvise, and for those of you starting out with improvisation but not knowing what can be done with a pentatonic scale. It is also a valuable resource for more experienced players looking to build upon their vocabulary of licks - you never know, there might be something new here!

I’m assuming that you have a basic understanding of hammers, pull-offs, slides and string bends (bending tips at the end of this tutorial). All of the licks here are based in shape 1 of the pentatonic scale (see the scale sheets in the previous lesson for all 5 shapes). You should aim to practice your scales daily with alternate (down/up) picking, hammer-ons and pull-offs. Use a metronome and keep a daily practice log of the tempo that you achieve comfortably (i.e.; without mistakes). This will build your speed, co-ordination, dexterity, strength and stamina (I will be posting some demanding speed exercises shortly).

Listen to the licks whilst reading the TAB and see which licks appeal to you. For the moment you will need to click (press shift when clicking to open in a new window) on the following link



http://chrispearcemusic.com/downloads/50licks.php



to listen to the licks (you will need Flash installed). The great thing with this link is that the licks are presented individually and can be heard at full and half speed. Via the menu on the page you can click on any number (1 to 50) and hear and see in TAB and notation, the lick of your choice. I have also added the eight pages of licks in this tutorial (see below) so that you can print them off for ease of practice.

Learn the licks that you like the sound of first. If the lick is long, break it down into small, easily manageable sections. You will need to be patient when attempting to build up speed and dexterity with your fretting fingers. Take your time, as music is never a race. It’s better to be able to play something slow and well, rather than fast and patchy.

Try to use the same fingering as suggested on the pentatonic scale sheets. Using a finger-per-fret technique is an excellent way of training your fingers to do what you want them to do, rather than using a sloppy technique of "any-old-finger" which will lead to potentially huge problems in the future. It's best to take your time and get the fingering correct, than to rush head-first into a lick not caring about the fingering. It's better to take twice as long getting the lick perfect, than taking half the time ending up with something sloppy and half-baked. After all, you want to get good at the guitar don't you? Why cut corners? Solid technique will help you learn faster later on down the line, so be patient and try to be accurate at all times. And yes, I do realise it's difficult to do sometimes. After all, I had to learn all this stuff too!

Here are the licks so you can print them off (do use the above link to hear them though!)...

Phew! That's a lot of licks! Hopefully it'll keep you busy for sometime!

In the next improvisation lesson we'll look in more detail at how we can get the most out of these short little ideas and start to create some great guitar solos. There is more to it than simply stringing a load of licks together, although that is a good place to start. There is a backing track on my website (in Free Downloads section) which is streamed. I will be posting some backings here when I get the time so that you can download and save them.

But hey, why not create a backing track of your own? You can record it on just a simple tape recorder, or for those with the know-how, use your computer. Try a really simple chord progression (the easier, the better) such as a pair of chords. Start with Am and then use any of the following basic chords - C, Dm, Em, F & G (yes, I could go into m7b5s, 7s, 9s etc. (I won't now as we're keeping it simple - the focus is upon practicing the licks - we'll concentrate on chord/scale theory soon...)). Loop the chord pattern around, i.e.; Am G Am G, and make the backing last for at least 4 minutes (there is nothing worse than really getting into jamming the licks and then suddenly the backing track stops because it's so short!).

Well, good luck and have some fun with the ideas here. Once you have the licks under your fingers, play around with them and turn them into a licks of your own. Experiment, but nail that technique first!

TIP: String Bends

When bending a string, try to reinforce the note you are bending by placing a finger-per-fret behind the main note. For example, if your 3rd finger is on the 7th fret ready to bend, place your 1st finger on the 5th fret, and your 2nd finger on the 6th fret on the same string. Push the string upwards (towards the ceiling) if using one of the three high strings (drag downwards towards the floor if using one of the bass strings). The extra fingers help to push the bend upwards with relative ease. Using the 3rd finger alone would produce an unsteady note and your finger may even slip off the string resulting in a dead note. You will also need your 1st finger in position if releasing (returning the string to it's original pitch after a bend) and then pulling-off (see the licks above for examples of bend, release, pull-off situations).