ckYoungMusicBlog

Moving...

2011-11-06T15:54:00.000-05:00

I've decided to consolidate my website and my blog into one site: http://ckyoungmusic.wordpress.com (will just be http://ckyoungmusic.com soon). Please come by and say hi!

Peavey Vypyr --- Pat, I'd like to buy a vowel please...

2011-08-03T11:52:00.002-04:00

Got this amp used on Craigslist for a pretty good price (I think). Tried it out for a couple of minutes the other day just to make sure everything works. It seems to have a lot of sounds in it. It's a very, very light amp -- perfect to carry around. Tonight will be the big test -- going to try using it to give a lesson. We're working on Back in Black (AC/DC). So I'll be trying to dialing in some classic, Marshall stack like distortion with some nice overtones. It's got to sound decent with power chords, full chords, and blues licks. So we'll see. Sure beats lugging around an amp and a huge pedal board.

Vox AC15CC --- Welcome to the Family

2011-06-23T20:30:00.002-04:00

Okay. Quick note. Just got this great little amp. Used it live for the first time 2 weeks ago. Everything sounded great through it. All my pedals, guitars, etc. I just love it when it's like plug-n-play. The output level is just perfect! The only thing is I still like the Holy Grail for reverb better. I really haven't found a built-in reverb I like so I guess I'm not surprised.

Anyway, now I'm really looking forward to playing with this thing and the Blade tele. There's so much depth and warmth and chime!

More lessons coming soon... I hope!

Music Theory -- why??

2011-05-14T22:06:00.002-04:00

A friend of mine recently asked me, "what are some practical applications of music theory?" This is a very good question. I mean... why learn something if you never going to use it.

Here are some of my thoughts:

Communication

As part of learning theory I think you also end up learning how to read music. You learn what the lines and what some of the funny symbols are all about. Personally, I can't read very fast. But I can read something if I have to. So it provides a way of communicating with other musicians in written form.

Theory is also useful for verbal communication. I find it simpler to talk in numbers rather than letters. Let's say the song is in G. I prefer saying, "Let's try playing a 6 5 4 5 progression for the bridge" rather than "Em D C D". I guess they're both just as quick...

But let's say the song has a key change. It's easier to say, "Let's try the same progression 1 step up" rather than "Instead of G play A, instead of Em play F#m, instead of C play D, instead of D play E", etc., etc.

Learning

I do a lot of my learning in the car (driving by myself). It seems to be where I can have a block of time to just listen and I can blast it without others complaining. For most songs that I have to learn which are mostly pop and rock I'm able to pick out chord structures and notes while I'm listening. So by the time I get to a guitar, I already have a good idea of what I'm doing playing... maybe evn how. This is called "relative pitch": being able to identify a I chord vs a IV chord vs a II minor, etc. I wish I also had "perfect pitch" and was able to also tell what the key is. Maybe in the next life.

Understanding theory provides a framework that allows you to quickly figure out what a song is doing (how chords are changing). This coupled with ear training allows you to identify chords and notes quickly and without a lot of guessing.

One time I was sitting with a friend of mine who's a very talented piano player. We were watching a performance at a conference and she said, "Wow, I really like this song." She took out some pen and paper and just started writing out the melody she was hearing in numbers. Music theory gives you the language to be able to translate what you hear to something that can be read.

Writing

Aside from the obvious advantage of being able to write your composition in music notation so someone else can play your song, music theory comes in handy during writing because it gives you an idea what chords and notes would sound "good" together. And conversely, it would also tell you what chords and notes might sound "strange" and "unexpected" (if that's what you're going for). Again, it takes some of the guess work out. Or maybe answer the question, "is this basically the same song as ___?" (the answer is usually yes and it's okay... we all borrow from somebody)

As you analyze more and more songs, you'll notice certain patterns are used over and over again. And you'll notice that these patterns seem to almost always give you a certain "feel". This might also be useful while writing. Maybe there's a certain "feel" you're going after. Music theory might help give you a starting point to vary from.

understanding theory will also help you understand and come up with harmony quicker. This can be used 2 ways: what chords to use and/or what background vocals to sing to harmonize with a given melody.

Moving it up and down

To tie it all to guitar...

One of the things I love about guitar is that you can visually see how the theory "plays out". For instance, transposing a song from one key to another might be (usually is) as simple as moving a few shapes up or down the neck. This is not true, say, for the piano. Your fingers have to do something slightly different when playing in C vs Eb. No one every feels sorry for the guitarist if the singer decides to change the key (and it's almost always the singer ;)

In a previous post, we looked at how all chords of the same type (ie major, minor, 7, etc.) are held the same way regardless of the root note. Example: you'd hold G7 and A7 the same way except a few frets apart.

Final Thoughts

I think theory can often be "misused". You can easily box yourself in both as a player and composer. Nevertheless, it's a useful tool to have in your toolbox for creative expression.

Wow, I can't believe I just typed all this on a keyboard hooked up to an ipod!

Peace Day 2010

2010-09-22T20:51:00.006-04:00

My friends, before I can tell you all about my wonderful gig this past evening, I must digress and apologize for the tone of this post. You see, of late, my wife has been relentlessly renting what Netflix calls "British Drama With Strong Female Leads". I'm afraid these movies have had a lasting impression on my mind and, thusly, have affected my speech.

But my excitement will not allow me to delay any further. Oh, what a wonderful celebration it was indeed. We, my wife and I, as Simple Souls, were lucky enough to enlist the help of the great Lisa (Dr. Do-Little) Santoso (of the party band Wylder) and her friend and neighbor, Greg Ennis. These musicians of great talent helped propel our sound to another level! And I cannot begin to describe what wonderful and supportive people they are! We had so many laughs together!

The said engagement was held at The Judge's Inn. What a terrific venue it is! The staff and food are top notch. What a perfect place to celebrate Peace Day with songs!

It was a splendid time and I only wish you could have been there to share it with us (thank you to those who were there)!

This would not be a proper ckyoung music blog post without mention of gear. I used my trusted Larrivee. Although I had been practicing and intending to make use of my newly purchased Martin, unfortunately, I found out late that I was without my LR Baggs Acoustic DI pedal which I was planning on using to help shape the sound of the Martin since the Martin does not have an on-board active preamp. It was most fortunate that I had remembered to bring the Larrivee as a backup. I plugged it in directly into the board and made good use of it's pre-amp controls! I don't know what I would have done without it!

But I do hope someday soon I'll find the opportunity to use the Martin in a live situation and hear it roar proudly. In fact, of late, I start to wonder of what use do I have of the Takamine. It seems so thin and pale in comparison. It should consider itself lucky that it remains to be the easiest acoustic guitar to play in my arsenal.

Oh, I hope I do find that DI pedal soon! It is so useful. I'm not sure if I can survive long without it! Time will see...

Once again, I must sign off. Thank you for keeping with me. I do so enjoy our visits.

And please do not be weary. I promise I will post a guitar lesson in due time.

Peace to you all!

Benefit Gig, 2nd Year

2010-06-29T11:37:00.000-04:00

I'm pretty psyched about playing the benefit gig again for a local volunteer firehouse. We have about a month to put the set together (just like last year). Some of the songs from last year are going to make it into this year's list. Some we're replacing. So we have about 6 new tunes to learn. Not bad....

Again, J&H sounds great. I don't have my Mesa Boogie MkIIb anymore. I'll be playing through a little Fender Pro Jr. I've been using this for jams. And I also used this at the recital.

I've been getting some positive comments on it which helps. Over the years, I've been so used to having a "big" amp (60W, 100W, etc.). Now I don't have one and am depending on this little guy and just keeping my fingers crossed that it sounds okay.

Actually, I love this little guy. In fact, it makes me wonder what I've been lugging a heavy amp around for all those years! Well... this little guy only has a 10' cone so it doesn't get very deep. But it does alright and I love the responsiveness. I'm not sure if the Mesa Boogie preamp tubes have anything to do with it.

In any case, it's going to be a great time! I'm going to use the wireless this time and I'll be able to move around the stage more. Instead of using the piezo out of the Brian Moore, I'm going to try using a A/B switch going into a Boss Acoustic Simulator. It sounds okay. Totally worth it for the freedom!

It's June... must be time for recitals!

2010-06-19T21:36:00.004-04:00

Okay... I meant to post about this a few weeks ago but I've been too busy. Now that I have a moment to breathe, I don't want to forget about this one...

A new friend on mine asked me to help out with a recital for her (piano) students. At first I think I signed up for 3 songs. I think I wound up playing 17 (18?) at the end. It was really way too much fun... I kept asking for more songs. :)

This was the first time I've ever done anything like this. The songs are mostly pop/rock stuff. They weren't very hard to play... maybe except for the Queen tunes which I made sure I learned note for note (and I'm so glad to have had a reason to learn these... was always too lazy to actually sit down to go over these Brian May solos... anyway.... )

Most of the students are very young. 5th and 6th graders. Some were even younger. I was so impressed with them! They all work so hard. One group of kids have their own band (Emeralds of July, http://emeraldsofjuly.com) -- very talented! I wish I had that much skill and confidence at their age!
The recital was last weekend and I thought it went fairly smoothly. Usually I would list the songs but truthfully, I can't remember! It was like a blur. First time I had to depend on charts. Hats off to my friend Lisa (the teacher) for coordinating everything!

I was saying... it was my first time performing in this type of setting and I'm really glad to have had the experience. I've always played in bands and whether I was a "member" or a "hired gun", I was always part of the "front-line". I never played guitar in a "staged show" as a musician backing up dancers, etc.

Tomorrow, I'll be attending my niece's recital. (No, I'm not playing) She'll be performing in one of the world's most famous concert halls! Wow, what a thrill!
All this is reminding me that I should continue the lessons I was posting... so... maybe I'll get back to that in the near future...

Bands Will Come & Bands Will Go

2010-05-01T19:34:00.003-04:00

My latest adventure... I got invited back to work on a project with some folks that I played with about 10 years ago. From talking with other musicians in the area who's been playing for a while I think this is a pretty common thing.

In any case... after a few weeks, it looks like I won't be in the project anymore (lead singer leaving town). Oh well. But good luck, Mirinda! (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Babydoll/113190142046474)

My wife and I have been working on a project we call Simple Souls. For the past year and a half, we've been trying to expand the band and get more musicians in but without much luck. But we're going to try again. I'm posting ads at different sites. We'll see how it goes this time...

I'll always remember this lesson: a band is like a marriage except with more people. It really is. There's a lot of excitement in the beginning and everyone's really enthusiastic. But at some point the honeymoon's over and you have to work at it to keep it going. Otherwise it can fall apart pretty quickly. There'll be disappointments, miscommunication and misunderestanding then people's feelings get hurt.

It's really quite the miracle when you find others who want the same things you want, who you have chemistry with, and you sound good playing together.

Is this it??

2010-05-01T12:43:00.002-04:00

I was never a big MJ fan. But I think that might have changed after seeing this movie.

The amount of creativity, energy, professionalism, and emotion that he puts into creating a concert experience is mind-boggling!

The movie itself was very good. It's basically a bunch of clips of the rehearsals. I also really enjoyed the extras. There were 2 interviews that stood out for me...

One was with his keyboardist who talked about how Michael had a towel with him each day (wiping off sweat from all the dancing, I'm sure) and needed a place to put it. MJ would ask him very nicely if it would be okay to put it on top of one of his keyboard (or stand? ... something like that). As far as the keyboardist is concerned, this was "Michael's house" and he can do whatever he wanted. And he indicated that to Michael. Then the next day, again Michael would kindly ask if it was okay to put his towel with his equipment. He was a really courteous, respectful, considerate guy. I guess not the self-centered diva that some might think he would be.

In another interview, his music director described a conversation he had with MJ. They were talking about being talented and gifted. At first, his music director was playing around saying "yeah, you're right... we are blessed..." but then MJ got serious and said to him (something like) "No... we're blessed with these gifts and now it's up to us to use our gifts to help other find theirs... " I just found this so touching!

It made me think "is this it??" I mean... is this all there is? Maybe everyone would be much happier and the world would be a more peaceful place if everyone knew what their gifts were and were happy doing whatever work they were meant to do.

I think I'll have rent this one again or even buy it. Very inspiring.

Martin D-1R ... Welcome to the Family

2010-01-04T19:37:00.001-05:00

I love finding a gem at the store and taking it home!

I found a very-good condition (used) Martin D-1R at Parkway Music. I wasn't 100% sure at first but after taking it home and playing it side by side with the other guitars, it's perfect! (Not my actual guitar in picture)

It fits just right sonically between the Takamine N10 and the Larrivee L-05E. The Tak has a very quick attack and very good mids response but is a bit lacking in the bass area. The Larrivee on the other hand has very good bass and upper-end but is kind of mellow and smooth. The Martin has the attack like the Tak and the bass response I've been looking for. And it's incredibly loud for its size!

About 2 years ago, a friend of mine went back to India after having stayed in the US for a few years and had picked up the guitar while he was here. A year later, he contacted me and asked me to try to find him a "nice" guitar (in his price range). I visited Parkway and found him a really nice Martin for a great price. I was almost sad to see go... I wanted it for myself! Ever since then, I would think about how great his Martin was and wished I could find one.

After Christmas, I went searching for something to compliment the acoustics I already had. In the back of my mind I was thinking wouldn't it be great to find one just like that Martin from a year ago.

So I was at Parkway and I didn't see anything on the floor that's what I'm looking for and within my price range. I was talking with Matt and I asked him if he had anything else. I almost couldn't believe it when he said, "Hey, remember that Martin you bought but and you said you couldn't keep it for some reason... Someone traded in one just like it yesterday. It's still in the back waiting to be setup but do you want to check it out?"

One week, a setup job, 2 guitars and a bunch of pedals I wasn't using later... I took home the perfect addition to my acoustic collection!

I only kept it for one night. Right now I'm waiting for them to put in a pickup (LR Baggs Active Element). I can't wait to bring it home and welcome it to the family!

Best of The 2000s

2009-12-10T21:21:00.004-05:00

This post is inspired by a friend's Facebook status: "has been reading reviews for the best songs of the decade. What are your picks?". I couldn't really think of any one song that was clearly my favorite so I came up with a few categories. I listen to the radio a lot because I usually listen to music in the car so this list consists of mostly rock/pop songs.

Best Boy Band Song

This I Promise You - 'N Sync (2001)

At the end of the 90s, we saw the rise of Boy Bands: 'N Sync, Back Street Boys, 98 Degrees. They even tried to put one together using a reality show (O-Town aka OMG These Guys Are Terrible - Town). As we journeyed into the 2000s, individuals from these bands pursued their own careers.

This I Promise You, IMHO, was the best song put out by a Boy Band. It was also composed by Richard Marx who had quite the run in the 80s. Which leads me to my next catagory...

Best 80s Remake

Land of Confusion - Disturbed (2006)
Notable Mention: Time After Time - Eva Cassidy (2000)

There are remakes and then there are remakes. A lot of times, remakes are not as good as the originals. But sometimes, an artist puts their own spin on an already great song and the result is even better than the original.

This title was held by by Alien Ant Farm for a few years with their remake of Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal which is still one of my favorite.

Eva Cassidy's version of Time After Time was recorded in 1996 but released in 2000 four years after her death. The first time I heard it was on the Smallville soundtrack.

Best Single by a Latin Artist

Hero - Enrique Iglesias (2002)

(Also Best Video with Jennifer Love Hewitt in it)

In the 2000s, we also saw the rise and fall of Latin artists coming 'cross the border and making waves in American pop. This is my favorite song from those artists. (And did you see Jennifer Love Hewitt in that video?!)

Best Break Through Song ("Holy ****, Who Is This!?")

In the End - Linkin' Park (2002)

Bring Me to Life - Evanescence featuring Paul McCoy (2003)

Decode - Paramore (2008)

This category is for songs that I heard and immediately tried to find out who the artist was.

The early 2000s were very good for many rock/pop bands. Many of them didn't have hits on the radio later in the decade. But bands like Linkin' Park and Evanescence have been able to stay current and continue to build their fan-based. Paramore is a new comer who I think can/should have a great 2010s.

To me, Linkin' Park and Evanescence, in some way, helped shape rock in the 2000s.

Best One Hit Wonder

For You I Will - Teddy Geiger (Confidence)

Great songwriter. Great talent. Great album. (Seemingly) Great future. Then... nothing!

Did You Know? Teddy Geiger was the "talent" on the cable show Love Monkey.

Best Cheesy Song

I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness (2003)

Haven't heard it? Google/YouTube it. You'll hate me later.

Best Guilty Pleasure

You Below With Me - Taylor Shift (2009)

It doesn't get more cheesy teen-pop than this but I just love singing to this song.

Best Pop Country Crossover

Who Says You Can't Go Home - Bon Jovi (featuring Jennifer Nettles) (2006)

In this decade, we also saw country become more and more mainstream. In fact, turn on a country station and you might not even be able to tell. So many country songs could easily be pop songs. And so many new country artists sound like rock.

Who Says You Can't Go Home is my favorite crossover. Hey, who says you can't be a 20+ year old band and build new fan-base by venturing into another genre doing a duet with an up-and-coming artist (of that genre).

Most Overplayed/Annoying Song

Vanessa Carlton - A Thousand Miles (2002)

I'm sorry. I just can't stand this song!!!! Why does she have to be so whiny!!! ARGH!!! This song was overplayed the first time it was played.

Best Name Drop In a Song

Tim McGraw - Taylor Swift (2006)

Mmm... let's say you're young, hot, (some what) talented and trying to break into the industry. What's a good way to get your song noticed? I know! Drop a name of someone famous who's already in the industry.

I mean, sure, there's 5 O'Clock Somewhere (Alan Jackson drops Jimmy Buffet) and names are dropped left and right in rap songs. But how many chicks says "hey, when you think of some macho dude, think of me"?

Best Collaboration

Santana w/ Everybody

This category really should be "Best Song Santana Wasn't On". Seriously, though, as a guitarist, I love the concept of the rotating lead singer! :-D

Best Song You Wouldn't Sing In Front of Your Kids

Simple Plan - Addicted (2003)

Pink - U + Ur Hand (2008)

'Nuff said.

Best Radio Hit with Interesting Musical Changes

Spin - Lifehouse (2002)
Outkast - Hey Ya! (2003)
Ocean Avenue - Yellowcard (2003)
That's What You Get - Paramore (2008)

If you've seen some of my other posts, you've probably noticed that I really enjoy the theoretical/thinking side of music. I love pop radio which usually tends to lack "musical depth". So I love it when I hear a song with some interesting twists.

Spin - Most songs on the radio follow a very predictable pattern of 4. That is, phrases tend to repeat after 4 measures/chords and/or they repeat in multiples of 4. In the verses, the pattern repeats every 3 instead of 4.

Hey Ya! - This is another great example of changing how the count. This pattern repeats every 5 1/2 measures and it does this through the whole song.

Ocean Avenue - There isn't a lot of playing with numbers and count on this one. I just love the rhythm the guitar is playing on this song on the verses. It's almost like a prog rock song.

That's What You Get - Another example of changing count. On this one, the song starts out as 6/8 then switches to 8/8 for the chorus. Check out the counter patterns between the drums and bass on the verses.

Best Emo Songs

Fall Out Boy - Sugar, We're Goin' Down (2005)

Dashboard Confessional - Stolen (2007)

I think Emo was started way before these songs hit the radio. Perhaps like many sub-genres of rock, it started kind of underground. Then someone (ie record executive) realized it's marketable and got these bands on the radio. Dashboard Confessional actual had hits before Stolen but this is my favorite of theirs. Sugar, We're Goin' Down was kind of a game changer for me. At that point, I realized Emo was here to stay.

Best Stripped Down Song

Plain White T's - Hey There Delilah (2007)

Simple. Acoustic. Crowd Pleaser

Best Songs I Like To Play

For You - Staind (2001)

Rooftops - Lostprophets (2006)

These are just some of the songs that I seem to gravitate to when I'm just messing around on the acoustic.

Best Song by a Comedy Act (Stand Up Only) Shown on a HBO Special

Think About It - Flight of the Conchords (released on album 2008)

What's wrong with the world today?!?

Best Songs from a Movie

Falling Slowly - Once (2007)

Decode - Paramore (2008)

Some people might recognized Falling Slowly from Amierican Idol (covered by Kris Alan). If you haven't seen it, you got to check out the movie Once. Awesome soundtrack.

The first time I heard Decode was at FYE waiting at the check out line. They were actually showing a video of it and (as I mentioned above) I went "Holy ***!" These guys are awesome! I love the drumming on this song (listen for the snares).

Best American Idol Contestant Song

So Small - Carrie Underwood (2007)

My wife and I are big American Idol fans. And we pretty much like everything American Idol. But if I had to choose one, I would go with So Small.

This leads me to my next set of categories. I figured I'd rate artists too...

Best American Idol Artist

Daughtry

First American Idol rocker to do well on radio.

Best New Artist

Anna Nalick

Paramore

In 2005, a brand new artist came on the scene with a song called Breathe (2AM) (a song way that should be too long for radio, BTW). A year or so later, on Oct 6th, she performed at NorthernLights. After a great performance at the meet-and-greet/CD-signing, she wrote and sang happy birthday to me because it was 2 days after my birthday. :-)

Paramore has already won in a few categories. It should not be a surprise that I think they're one of the hottest new acts.

Best Come-Back Artist

Kylie Minogue

Remember Locomotion in the 80s?

Best Band with a Number

Five for Fighting

Quite a few bands with numbers in their names came out in the 2000s. But I think Five for Fighting is my favorite. I still love to play Superman and Easy Tonight

Best Why Does This Person Have A Career?!

Ashley Tisdale

Need I say more?!

Planet Waves vs George L

2009-10-29T15:40:00.003-04:00

I have been using a home-made pedal board for a long time. When I first started, I was using short (3"-6") right-angled cables by different manufacturers. They did okay but they were always too thick to allow the pedals to sit closer to each other.

I switched to George L's a few years ago. For a time, they worked great. The cables are thin. They conduct well. And the plugs are very small especially the right angled ones. But after a while, the cable started failing (on stage sometimes!). I think there's a flaw in the design of the angled ones. The way they work is the you push the cable in then bend it 90 degrees. Then a screw is used to keep the cable in. The screw would push against the cable. In some of the ones that failed, the screw had rubbed away some of the rubber.

I recently switched some of the George L's with Planet Waves Solderless ones. They seem to be working well but time will tell if they'll have problems too. But at least the plugs are designed a bit smarter. The cable is pushed in but not bent. The 90 degree angle is built into the plug (I guess there could be a cable that's bending there but at least it's not exposed or rubbed against with a piece of metal... I hope). Once the cable is pushed into the plug, a set screw is used from the side to hold the cable in place. This should be less ware and tare on the the cable.

The draw back, though, is that the planet waves cables and plugs are a bit bigger so now I'm not able to fit as many pedals on the board again. But they're still a bit better than other cables.

Guitar Lesson - Music Theory Part 8 - Scales and Modes

2009-10-25T09:04:00.001-04:00

In one of the previous post, we looked at how you can use the major scale to create other scales by starting on a different note. These other scales are also known as modes. In that post, we started the pattern from the 6-note and created the minor scale:

6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

C major: C D E F G A B C

A minor: A B C D E F G A

Now let's take a look at what happens if we tried starting the pattern from the other notes. Each scale or mode also has (Greek) name. Remember, the root of each of the scales below is the 1st note.

C Ionian (major) : C D E F G A B C

D Dorian     :    D E F G A B C D
E Phrygian     : E F G A B C D E
F Lydian         :            F G A B C D E F
G Mixolydian     :               G A B C D E F G
A Aeolian (minor):              A B C D E F G A
B Locrian        :                   B C D E F G A B

This gives us the basic idea of how to figure out the patterns of the other scales. Let's look at the different patterns side by side: (W= whole step, H = half step)

Ionian (major) : W W H W W W H

Dorian     :    W H W W W H W
Phrygian     :    H W W W H W W
Lydian         :    W W W H W W H
Mixolydian     :    W W H W W H W
Aeolian (minor):    W H W W H W W
Locrian        :    H W W H W W W

Now if we apply these patterns to the same root we can see the differences between the modes (which is really the important thing to remember):

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
C Ionian (major) : C D E F G A B C

C Dorian     : C D Eb F G A Bb C
C Phrygian     : C Db Eb F G Ab Bb C
C Lydian         : C D E F# G A B C
C Mixolydian     : C D E F G A Bb C
C Aeolian (minor): C D Eb F G Ab Bb C
C Locrian        : C Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C

In some upcoming posts, we'll start looking at what scale patterns might look like on the fretboard of the guitar.

Guitar Lesson - Music Theory Part 7 - "out of key" chords

2009-10-12T20:15:00.002-04:00

In Part 5, we looked at building triads from the major scale. This resulted in: (just looking at 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6)

   ii   iii   IV   V   vi

Now, let's turn them up-side-down and see what their major/minor counterparts might sound like.

   II   III   iv   v   VI 

Let's try using the key of G. So the "normal" chords would have been:

   Am   Bm    C    D   Em

So instead of these, let's try: 

   A    B     Cm   Dm  E 

Here's a progression that tries to use all of them. First, we'll use all the "normal" chords. Then we'll play another sequence that will use some of the "abnormal" ones. Here, some 7th chords will be used. But the major and minor 3rds will still be "flipped".

|G    |D    |Em   |Bm   |

|C    |Am7  |D    |D7   | 

|G    |B7   |Em   |A7   | 

|C    |Cm   |G    |E7   |

|C    |Cm   |G

Unfortunate, this example doesn't use the 5-minor. But we'll get to that in the next example...

Another set of chords that are "out of key" are the diminished-6 and diminished-7 chords (aka "6-flat" and "7-flat"). This is not the same as 6 dim or 7 dim. But rather, take the 6-note and 7-note of the scale and make them flat.   For instance:

E major scale:    E F# G# A B C# D# E

So instead of C# and D#, use C and D. Particularly, use their major chords. Try this progression:

|E    |E    |Bm   |Bm   |   (here's that 5-minor)

|E    |E    |Bm   |Bm   |

|E    |E    |C    |D    | 

|E    |E    |C    |D    |

|E  

I hope these examples gave you some idea on how to "break out" of the scale and find other interesting sounding chords.

As you play with these chords more, you'll start to hear their distinctive sound and you'll be able to identify them more quickly when you hear them in songs.  You may notice that certain genres tend to use a certain chord a lot.  For instance, the 4-minor (as a "turnaround") in 50s and 60s pop/rock, the 6-flat in (early) grunch, or the 2-major in (what I call "old school") country.

Guitar Lesson - Music Theory Part 6.7.2 - diminished

2009-10-03T21:54:00.001-04:00

This is part 6.7.2 which is a continuation on the discussion on "7". The reason why this is in a separate post is because, quite frankly, I forgot. And this is also a continuation on triads where we talked about how the diminished chord is what you'd get if you built the triad starting with the 7-note on the scale.

In this case, we're looking at the 2 diminished chords: Half-Diminished and Diminished.

Half-Diminished = 1 b3 b5 b7  

Diminshed       = 1 b3 b5 bb7 (the 7 is flat twice thus making it a 6) 

This might be confusing at first.  But once you "do the math", you'll see quickly that there isn't much to remember.  Also, (in my experience) these chords are not very common (and for that reason, I'm not too familiar with them  :-).  But I love using them because they add such wonderful, (usually) unexpected texture.  Hopefully the progressions below will give you a flavor.

In my search for other material on these chords on the web, it seems like "diminished" is often also referred to as "diminished 7" ("dim7").  But I was not able to find a slick way of pointing to the half-diminished chord except for "min7 b5".

For the purpose of this post, I'll be using "dim7" and "min7 b5".

First, let's look at the shapes. Here are 2 ways of holding each. For each of these, make a note of where the root note is (hint: either the A or D-string).

As mentioned above, the diminished 7th chord starts at the root and has a minor 3rd, a flat 5th, and a flat-flat 7th.  Interestingly, this puts each note in a perfect repeatable pattern.   For instance: 

Eb (major) = Eb(1) G (3)  Bb(5) 

Eb dim7    = Eb(1) Gb(b3) A (b5) C (bb7)

What if we started with Gb?

Gb (major) = Gb(1) Bb(3) Db(5)
Gb dim7    = Gb(1) A (b3) C (b5) Eb(bb7)

Notice that Gb dim7 has the same notes as Eb dim7! How about for A?

A (major) = A (1) C#(3) E (5)
A dim7   = A (1) C (b3) Eb(b5) Gb(bb7)

You can image that you'll get the same notes again if you start the pattern using C.

Since there are only 12 notes (C C# D D# E F G G# A A# B) and this chord uses 4, there can only be 3 different diminished 7th chords!

Now, let's try using these in progressions along with other chords that we've already looked at in past posts.

Diminished 7th Example 1

|C     |D     |Bm      |Em     |  (repeat) 

|C     |D     |Eb dim7 |Em     |  (repeat) 

This  progression is in the key of G which would have a Bm as the 3-chord.  (see previous post)

For hearing the full effect of the dim7 chord, try playing the 1st line (maybe repeat a few times) then try the 2nd line (and repeat a few times).  You'll notice that the Eb dim7 replaces the Bm.  And you might hear how the Eb dim7 provides more "energy" and "tension" to be "resolved" by the Em chord.

Diminished 7th Example 2

|Dm7     |G7     |Cmaj7      |Db dim7  |  (repeat) 

This example in the key of C is a more jazzy example (or funky a la Sunday Morning by Maroon 5??).  Again, the dim7 chord provides a tension to be resolved by the following chord (Dm7 in this case).  And you can hear a moving bass line from: C > Db > D. 

Half-Diminished Example

|Bm b5   |E7     |Am       |Fmaj7     |  (repeat) 

This example might be a bit more classical or Spanish (in fact, try strumming Flamingo style... perhaps more on this later).  This would be considered to be in the key of C.  The Bm b5 chord is the "natural" chord create from the 7-note in the scale.  While the E7 is "out of scale" (E is the 3rd note so it would have been Em using the notes from the C major scale).  The Bm b5 chord "wants to go to" the E7 which "wants to go to" Am.

Hopefully you now have an idea of how diminished chords can be used to create tension and unrest and that you found these examples useful!  

Guitar Lesson - Music Theory Part 6.7 - soft, jazzy, and bluesy

2009-10-02T22:55:00.004-04:00

All 7 and we'll watch them fall...

In a previous post, we talked about major and minor scales and how they share some notes while other notes are different. 7 is one of the ones that are different. So when adding 7 onto a triad, you can either add the major 7 ("maj7") or the minor 7 (just "7").

You can add the 7 onto a major or minor chord. So using the root note of A, we can have the following chords:

A7       - A C# E G

Amaj7    - A C# E G#

Am7      - A C  E G

I have not personally heard of the major 7 added to the minor chord (Am maj7??).

The changes between these chords are small but their uses and sound are very different. Below, I'll try to give a few examples of how you might them being used...

7 Chord

The 7 chord tends to feel unresolved. This is a very common chord in blues. For instance, in this common blues progression, you can substitute all the chords with the corresponding 7 chord:

|A    |D    |A    |A   |

|D    |D    |A    |A   |

|E    |D    |A    |E   |

So using 7's, this would be:

|A7   |D7   |A7   |A7   |

|D7   |D7   |A7   |A7   |

|E7   |D7   |A7   |E7   |

Or using the number system:

|I7   |IV7  |I7   |I7   |

|IV7   |IV7  |I7   |I7   |

|V7   |IV7  |I7   |V7   |

Often the 7 chord is used to "propel" the music toward its relative 4th. For instance, A7 (I) will want to be followed by D (IV). Here's an example:

|A |A7 |D |Dm |

But you can also look at the relationship backwards which is D (I) and A7 (V7). Here's an example:

|D |A |A7 |D |

These are fairly common in folk, hymns, and rock. Here's a some-what folk-y example:

|D |A |A7 |D D7 |

|G |A |D |D7 |

|G |E7 |A |A7 | (back to top)

In this example, the A7 (V7) on the 1st line is used to lead us back to the D (I). The D7 (I7) on the 1st line leads us to the G (IV) on the 2nd line. The D7 is used again on the 2nd line to lead us to the G. Then E7 (II7) is used to lead to the A (V) and the last A7 (V7) is used to lead us back to D (I).

Major 7 Chord

The major 7 chord tends to be softer sounding. Often, this chord is used as a substitute for the IV chord in a progression. For instance:

|C     |F    |  (repeat)

vs

|C     |Fmaj7|  (repeat)

When we look at the notes that make up these chord it becomes more apparent why this "works":

C      - C E G

Fmaj7 - F A C E

<--- T = thumb

Another very popular variation on this is to use the maj7 chord for both:

|Cmaj7  |Fmaj7  |  (repeat)

Cmaj7  - C E G B

Fmaj7  - F A C E

Cmaj7  - C E G B

Fmaj7  - F A C E

Am     - A C E

Another way to look at this is that the E note (the 3-note) is used as a pedal note.

Minor 7 Chord

This is probably my favorite (definitely top 3). I love using this chord. Here, the 7 is the minor 7 relative to the root note. And it helps to soften the chord.

Am7     - A C E G

Recall that the minor 7 is a whole step from the root note. When this is used with the 2-chord (ii7), then the "7" is the same as the root note of the 1-chord (I). For example:

|Am7     |G     |   (repeat)
Am7     - A C E G

G       - G B D

So what if we substituted the 6-chord with its 7 (vi7)?

G   (I)         - G B D

Em7 (vi7)  - E G B D

<--- standard shape

Now, let's add this to another example we looked at before: (http://ckyoungmusic.blogspot.com/2009/08/guitar-lesson-basics-part-2-g-c.html)

|G    |Cadd9 |Em7  |Cadd9 |   (repeat)

But instead of using the standard shape shown above. Try this one instead:

The IDP Gig & The Larrivee

2009-09-22T22:29:00.000-04:00

Simple Souls, my original project, played at The Peaceful Center last night.

What a great night! So much fun! The band did a great job! Tim and Kim, the new members, worked really hard in the past few weeks learning new songs and working out parts. We're so happy to have them in the band.

My board starting having some problems in the last few weeks, though. The XLR input to channel 5 is not working. It's now dedicated to 1/4" only (ie guitars). Channel 7 is completely dead. I think it's the gain knob. But despite all that, we were able to get everything mic-ed. Overall, the system did a very good job.

I've been using my Larrivee a lot since I got it. It's pretty much my main guitar for all gigs. But I haven't used it with another guitarist.

The other guitarist, Tim, is using two Taylors both with the Expression System (6-string and 12-string). They both sound awesome! So the trick was to make sure the Larrivee and the Taylors blended well together. I wanted them to have distinct voices and compliment each other.

Man, I love the controls on this guitar. It has a pre-amp by B-Band. I think the model is A6..? B-Band now has different models and Larrivee is now putting in LR Baggs systems. In any case... This is a "dual source" system with an AST pickup (acoustic soundboard transducer) and UST pickup (under saddle transducer). It has a slider for blending the two signals. I find that I'm about 90% on the UST side.

Before this, being the only guitar in the band, I had no need to play with the controls other than the EQ. For this, I found the phase switch to be really helpful. Although, I'm still trying to figure out how to use the notch and frequency controls effectively.

During the gig, I was increasing my volume for solos. But at some point, I found that I wasn't cutting through as much as I'd like. So I increased my mids also and that did the trick. Awesome! Remember: mids is your friend!

Now I just need to fix up my board so I can get a volume pedal and tuner back in my chain. And maybe the LR Baggs Para DI too.

Guitar Lesson - Music Theory Part 6.6

2009-09-18T21:12:00.005-04:00

I'm not a big fan of 6. I don't know why... maybe under different circumstances we could have been friends... but sometimes a number just rubs you the wrong way... know what I mean??

I'm afraid I don't have a lot of advice on how to use chords with 6 in them.

I think my favorite way of holding this chord is using this shape. It sounds pretty nice when you use arpeggios.

I've been told that the 6 chord is use in a lot of Christmas music.

But one of my favorite chords with the 6 note in it is by adding it to the sus4 chord.

Sometimes I like to use this instead of the normal sus4 chord. I like holding this using the 1st finger across to hold all 3 strings (in this case, on 2nd fret) then apply the 2nd and 3rd fingers in front.

Try going back and forth between this chord and the normal root chord (in this case, A major).

Another way to think of this chord might be D/A (that's "D over A" or "D slash A") or 2nd inversion D. We'll get into those type of chords in future posts.

Guitar Lesson - Music Theory Part 6.4 - 4 and more sus2

2009-09-14T21:36:00.006-04:00

1, 2, 3, 4 ... come on baby say you love me (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChrzEJ27M2U)

Alright, so we're going to talk about the 4 note. The most popular use of this note on guitar is probably the sus4. Here are the common shapes for this chord:

In these chords, the (major) 3rd is not played and is "covered" by the 4th. The 3rd is shown using the white dot.

Very similar to the 2 chord, the 3rd is not played so these chords are ambiguous. They're not major or minor.

A common (proper? classical?) way to use the "sus" chord is to use the suspended (that's what "sus" stands for) note as a way to "smooth" out a transition between two chords. For instance:
G Dsus4 D

The G is the "preparation". The Dsus4 is the "suspension". And the D is the "resolve".

Here, the G is made up of: G-B-D. Dsus4 is: D-G-A. So the G is suspended. (If you use the open-string shape for G and the Dsus4 shown here, the G on the high-E string is suspended. If you use fingers 2, 3, and 4 to hold the G, then you'll probably find that you don't need to lift your pinky going from G to Dsus4). And D is: D-F#-A. So the 4th is resolved by the (major) 3rd.

In these diagrams, the 3rd is shown by the white dot which is "covered up" by the 4th.

Another common use of these chords in modern music is going between the sus chord and normal triad. This happens a lot with both sus2 (see part 6.2) and sus4.

To hear some examples, check out:

Black or White (Michael Jackson) -- the riff basically goes from sus4 to major then sus2 to major http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLWt7kzaex0

Another way to use the 4 note, of course, is to leave the 3rd in. In that case, we'd be adding the 4.

I find that this chord by itself could be a little strange sounding. But it makes a lot of sense when you play it along with other chords. For instance, try holding the open-string C chord the same way (ie include the G on the high-E, shift this shape up 2 frets). Play the C then Dadd4. C, of course, have the G in it also (and it's been suspended on the G-string).

Another example of how this chord might be used is in the song Hysteria by Def Leppard (wow... I'm really showing my age with these examples!):
http://www.videocure.com/video/157050.html

Watch Phil Collen's hand position (that's the guitarist on the left for you youngsters) . In this case, I would consider that the riff is made out of the 1, 3, and 4 notes (D, F#, G) and it repeated as a "theme" over D, G and Em (actual progression is: ||D |G |Em G |D :|| )

Okay, yes, there was a lot of use of sus4 in the 80s! Probably too much in fact! (Although, I think these songs "technically" came out in the early 90s)

Let's try this more recent example of sus2. Here's Bad Day by Fuel (well, relatively more recent): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LKUVkRAmPs

Here, the beginning chords are: A Asus2 A

Again, the play is with the 3rd.

Sometimes, the sus4 chord might be used as a "substitution" for the V chord and the sus2 chord in place of the IV chord. (see M&m post)

There are a few ways guitarists like the play these. Here is one example:

|G    |Cadd9   |Dsus4   |G      |

For this progression, try holding the G using all 4 fingers. Your ring finger should be holding the B-string on the 3rd fret and your pinky on the high-E strin gon the 3rd fret. These are now holding notes D and G. (see G<-->Cadd9 Thing post)

Cadd9 also has these notes. Then Dsus4 as well.

In this case, the 4 note is not used as a way to "mask" the 3rd (in the D chord), necessarily. But the G is suspended throughout the progression. This is also sometimes called the "pedal point" or "pedal tone".

For a sus2 example, try:

    |E    |Bsus4     |Asus2    |E       |

Guitar Lesson - Music Theory Part 6.2 - 2 & 9

2009-09-11T21:26:00.012-04:00

We're continuing our look at the other numbers: 2, 4, 6, 7, 9. I'm going to try to give you some ideas how you might use these chords.

This is part 6.2 because we're going to look at the 2 chord. :-P

Disclaimer :- The following tips are purely based on my own experience, reading, and experimentation. Results may vary. Check with your ears to see if these chords are right for you. Side effects may include: more time spent with your guitar, creative ways of holding chords, and creative voicing and dressing up your chords.

2 & 9

To be completely accurate, I guess most guitar chords using the 2 note is actually the 9. What I mean by that is that most of the time, the 2 note being played in most of these chords are not actually 1 step away from the lowest root note but rather an octave + 1 step. It's very rare that you'd play a root note with the 2nd note on the next string. For the most part, it's just kind of hard to do. :-) And the notes tend to become "mushy". So I'm going to talk about the 2 and 9 together (interchangeably).

2 if fun. I like the 2. It's very versatile... kind of like a plain white tee... you can where it out, where it under something, where it like pajamas. Because the 2 chord doesn't have the 3rd in it, it's ambiguous -- it's neither major or minor. So it can be used to "mask" the major or minor. For instance, try this progression:

Em C D Asus9 (a la "Drive" by Incabus)

Now, try substituting the Asus9 with either A or Am. You might find that the A sounds okay. But the key should be G which should make it Am. But if you try Am, you might find that it's too dark and lack the "driving" (pun intended) characteristic of the song.

I also like using the 2 with the 3rd, both major and minor. For instance, try this chord: (Emin9)

Notice that the root is E. The F# is played on the D-string while the G is also played (on the G-string. In this case, the 7 (D) is also played on the B-string.

Try some arpeggios (allow notes to ring but only play one at a time).

Here's a fun progression. Try playing Emin9 followed by the one on the right which I'm calling C-5+9.

And here's another way to hold the min9 chord which also sounds great.

Another one that I really like is adding the 2 note with the major chord which might look something like this:

Notice in this version of Cadd9 (see previous post for other version), both the D and the E are played. And in fact, the D and E are only 1 step apart.

I usually like using this chord to create a smooth/gentle end to a song.

This type of chord is fairly common on the piano in pop.

Well, there you have it. A few different ways to use the 2 (or 9) notes... without 3rd, with minor 3rd, and with major 3rd.

Guitar Lesson - Music Theory Part 6 - the other numbers

2009-09-07T11:48:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I think the other numbers must feel like what's-her-face on the Brady Bunch ("Marsha, Marsha, Marsha")... what's her name...?? Doesn't matter... Anyway...

In this lesson, we're going to take about some of the other numbers that are not 1, 3 and 5.

Just to recap... We use 1, 3, and 5 to build triads. When we do this, we find that we get major chords and minor chords. The 1 and 5 are the same for both. The major chord uses the major 3rd while the minor chord uses the minor 3rd.

So let's look what we can do with 2, 4, 6, 7 and 9.

Often, people will use sus2 and sus4. The "sus" is short for "suspended". In these chords, the 3rd is not played and is substituted by the 2 or 4. For instance, Asus2 would be made out of: A B E. While Asus4 would be played using: A D E.

The 6th chord is simply the normal triad with an added 6th. For C, this would mean the notes are: C E G A.

The 7th chord is simply the normal triad with an added 7th. Normally, if it just says "7" as in C7, the "7" refers to the minor 7th. So C7 has: C E G Bb. You can also add the 7th to the minor chord. Cm7 would be: C Eb G Bb. The major 7th can also be used but it's normally written as "maj7". Cmaj7 would be: C E G B.

The last number we'll talk about for this lesson is the 9. As you may recall, the 1 and 8 notes are the same note except the 8th is an octave above the 1. The 9th is therefore the same note as the 2nd also an octave above.

For 9, there are 4 chords worth mentioning...

"add9" (ie Cadd9 , see previous lesson) -- This is probably the most common one for guitarists. For instance, Cadd9 would be: C E G D.

"9" -- This is not the same as "add9". In this case, the minor 7th is implied. So the notes for C9 are: C E G Bb D.

"maj9" -- In this case, the major 7th is implied and so Cmaj9 would be: C E G B D.

"min9" -- Very similar to the "maj9", here the minor 7th is implied and so Cmin9 would be: C Eb G Bb D.

There are also 11th and 13th chords but we'll look at them another time.

In one of the next posts, we'll look at how these chords might be used.

Guitar Lesson - Music Theory Part 5 - M&m

2009-09-03T23:18:00.003-04:00

HEY! WAKE UP!!

I know... very boring... but keep reading... once you get a hang of this stuff, you'll see the fretboard in a whole new way.

In the last lesson, we talked about what a "major" chord is verses a "minor" chord. And we also looked at building "triads" which are basically 3 notes played together. Major and minor chords are triads. And we also looked at how there are different shapes for the major and minor chords that you can place at different frets to get all the chords.

We used the C (Major) Scale to build a triad starting with C and we got the C (Major) chord. But what if we built triads using the rest of the scale?? Let's see...

  1  C --- C E G = C

2 D --- D F A = Dm

3 E --- E G B = Em

4 F --- F A C = F

5 G --- G B D = G

6 A --- A C E = Am

7 B --- B D F = Bo (diminished)

Let's look at a few of these and see why they might be major or minor. Remember that a chord is "major" if its 2nd note is a "major 3rd" from the root (2 steps). And the chord is "minor" if its 2nd note is a "minor 3rd" from the root (1 1/2 steps).

The 1st chord we get has the notes C, E, G. The E is 2 steps away from the C so this is a major chord.

The 2nd chord we get has the notes D, F, A. The F is 1 1/2 steps away from the D so this is a minor chord.

The 3rd chord we has the notes E G B. E is 1 1/2 steps away from G so it's minor.

The 4th (sometimes called the "sub dominant") and 5th (sometimes called the "dominant") chords are both major because their 2nd notes are 2 steps away from their root (ie F->A and G->B).

The 6th chord is minor. This is also the "relative minor" to the 1st major.

The 7th chord is different. Not only is the 2nd note a minor 3rd from the root (B->D). But the 3rd note is not a 5th! B's 5th is F#, not F. So the F is flat or "diminished" from the normal 5th. Therefore, this chord is called the "diminished" (usually denoted by a superscript O).

Let's review and use "M" for major and "m" for minor (and "o" for diminished). We have:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 <-- numberth note in scale

C D E F G A B <-- notes for C scale

M m m M M m o <-- [M]ajor, [m]inor, or diminshed

I ii iii IV V vi vii <-- roman numerals (uppercase = major)

If you go through this exercise with all/any of the scales, you'll find this pattern in every case.

Why is this useful?

This is also sometimes called the "Nashville System". Instead of writing out the specific chords, for instance: C, G, Am, F, the chart might read: I, V, vi, IV or maybe: 1, 5, 6m, 4. The expectation is that you would be able to figure out which chord it is if/when provided the key (ie root or scale).

When you're learning a song, if you don't have an instrument handy (and you don't have perfect pitch), it might be hard to figure out what notes/chords are being played. But if you train your ear to hear "relative pitches" and use this basic understanding, you can learn a song by ear simply by identifying the chords by their numbers. What you'll find is that each chord has a distinct feel/flavor. And no matter which key you're playing in, each chord can serve the same function. For instance, if you play a progression (a sequence of chords that repeat), you may find that the V chord likes to be followed by the I chord.

I do most of my learning this way for covers. I find that it gives me 2 advantages:

1) I can learn a song in the car while driving

2) I'm not "stuck" on a particular key in case we decide to play it in another key (usually requested by singers)

TIP 1 :- Listen to the bass notes. Most of the time it's easier to identify the chord using that note.

TIP 2 :- Pick a key. Start with the I chord. Then play another chord from the scale (ii, iii, IV, V, vi, or vii) then play the I chord again. See if you can hear the differences and movement.

This might come in handy when trying to transpose on the spot. For instance, let's say you learned the song in C. The progression is: C, Am, F, G. Instead of think of the chords by their letters, think of them as: I, vi, IV, V in the key of C. Now, let's say you want to play this song in E. And you might remember that the notes to E (major scale) are: E F# G# A B C# D# E. So this progression in (the key of) E is: E, C#, A, B.

In fact, transposing on guitar is extremely easy (much easier than piano IMHO). If you have learned your progression using barre chords, and you've been playing the above progression in C using 3rd fret (A-shape for C major), you can shift your entire playing down 4 frets to E (7th fret on A-string) and wa-la, you're playing in the new key!

If you're writing your own songs, this might give you some basic starting point for coming up with a progression. This can serve as the basic guide or "rule of thumb" for what chords might sound good together. This can also serve as the rules to break.

This also helps when improving (a solo that's not predefined). Usually in these situations, you already know what the progression will be. By remember what notes are in the chords coming up, you can quickly figure out what notes might sound good over them (vs other notes that won't sound so good... unless that's what you're going for). This becomes even more powerful when you think of this in terms of numbers. For instance, think of the V chord as having notes 2, 5, 7 from the scale. For guitar, this means you just need to know the "starting point" (ie key, root, scale). So you know that if you play one of those notes from the scale, it'll harmonize with the chord.

Once you start analyzing songs this way, you'll confirm what you've probably heard others have said, "this is basically the same song as ____".

Over time as you develop your ear, you'll hear the same patterns over and over again so learning new songs becomes very easy. (ie *yawn*, another 1 5 6 4 pattern?!)

Guitar Lesson - Back to Basics - Barre Chords

2009-09-02T22:08:00.006-04:00

Alright, so let's see how we can put all this theory to practical use!

You might notice that we only looked at a few chords in the Basics section. Now, let's get into barre chords.

How to play barre chords

In the chart below, you'll see lines going across. This means that those notes are meant to be held by 1 finger. Normally, you would use your index finger (1) to hold the "barre".

TIP 1 :- In reality, your index finger will not be perfectly straight and probably won't actually hold down the A and D strings very much (not enough to hear notes).

TIP 2 :- The minor shape on the 1st row below requires the index finger to hold down the low-E, G, B, and E strings. This is too hard for me to do with just my index finger. So I use my middle finger on top of my index finger to give it extra support.

Take a look at the "major" and "minor" shapes on this chart.

You might notice that this chart is not specific to any particular chord. That's because the same shape can be applied to any note.

Looking at the figure on the upper-left, you might notice that it looks a lot like the E chord. That's because it is!

One way to look at it is that the E chord is like having the barre at the 0th fret (ie you're not playing it, the nut is).

Now, if you shift the whole shape down by 1 fret and hold the 1st fret (all of it) using your index finger, you'll be playing the F note on the low-E and high-E strings as well as the C note on the B string. Then place your middle finger (2), ring finger (3), and pinky (4) into position. Now you're holding F (major)!

Shift this shape down again to the 3rd fret (ie index on the 3rd fret). Now you're holding G (major).

As you can imagine, you can shift this shape up and down the fretboard.

In the last lesson, I mentioned that it's important to remember where the root note is for each shape and this is why...

So, let's say you need to play C# (major). Well, you have a few choices. Looking at this chart, there are 2 ways of playing a major chord.

One way is to use the "E" shape (figure at upper-left corner). The other way is to use the "A" shape (3rd row left).

If you remember, for the "E" shape, the root note is on the E-string. And by counting steps, you will find the C# note on the E-string on the 9th fret. So if you use the "E" shape on the 9th fret, you'll be playing C# (major).

But you can also use the "A" shape which has the root note on the A-string. The C# on the A-string on the 4th fret. So if you hold the "A" shape on on the 4th fret, you'll also play C# (major).

Let's use one more example. How about Bm (B minor)?

You can use the "Em" shape (1st row center) or the "Am" shape (3rd row center).

Again, for the "Em" shape, the root note is on the E-string. The B note is on the 7th fret on the E-string. So hold the shape there. For the "Am" shape, the root note is on the A-string and the B note is on the 2nd fret on the A-string. So hold it there.

So... by learning 4 shapes (E, Em, A, Am), remembering where the notes are on 2 strings, and applying a little bit of theory, you can now play all major and minor chords in 2 positions! Cool huh?

Guitar Lesson - Music Theory Part 4 - Easy as 1, 3, 5

2009-09-02T21:29:00.008-04:00

Last time on "Guitar Lesson - Music Theory"...

Notes next to each other = 1/2 step (H), two 1/2 = whole (W)
On the guitar, 1 fret = 1/2 step
To play a major scale, start at a note then play W-W-H-W-W-W-H to get back to the same note on octave away
If you start a scale on a different note, you'll get different number of sharps and flats
Following number of sharps and flats is also called the circle of fifths
Using the same pattern but starting at a different position will give you another scale. By starting at the 6th note, you'll get the minor scale pattern.
Major scales and minor scales that have the same notes are "relative" to each other.

And now, part 4....

This time, let's look at each note in the major scale and see what their relationship is to the "root" note (aka "1", aka "do"):

(remember: W W H W W W H)

1 -> 2  =  W                      = whole step

1 -> 3   =  W + W                  = 2 steps 

-> 4  =  W + W + H              = 2 1/2 steps

-> 5  =   W + W + H + W          = 3 1/2 steps

1 -> 6   =   W + W + H + W + W      = 4 1/2 steps

1 -> 7  =   W + W + H + W + W + W  = 5 1/2 steps

How about the minor scale?

(remember: W H W W H W W)

1 -> 2  =  W                      = whole step

1 -> 3   =  W + H                  = 1 1/2 steps 

-> 4  =  W + H + W              = 2 1/2 steps

-> 5  =   W + H + W + W          = 3 1/2 steps

1 -> 6   =   W + H + W + W + H      = 4 steps

1 -> 7  =   W + H + W + W  + H + W  = 5 steps

For now, let's just look at the notes 1, 3 and 5. The 1 note is, of course, the root. As mentioned in the previous lesson, the 5th is the same between the two scales. But the 3rd is different. The "major 3rd" is 2 steps away from 1 while the "minor 3rd" is 1 1/2 step away from the 1.

This little 1/2 step makes a big difference in sound.

Let's take a look some chords and see how this works out.

All the basic chords from the earlier lessons are "triad" meaning that they are made of 3 notes. To form a triad, simply start at a note (1), skip a note, take the next note (3), skip another note, then take the next one after that (5).

When you do this with the C on the C Major Scale (C D E F G A B C), you get: C-E-G. This picture shows where these notes are played when you play a C (open string).

How about when we do this for A minor? The notes to Am are: A-C-E. But the A major scale is: A B C# D E F# G# A.

But what if we looked at the notes from the A minor scale? Then we have: A B C D E F G A.

So... when you take the 1, 3, and 5 notes from the major scale, you get the major chord. When you take the 1, 3, 5 notes from the minor scale, you get the minor chord.

And that's actually what is meant by "major" chord and "minor" chord. The "major" and "minor" refers to which 3rd you're taking from. The major scale or minor scale.

In other words, in C major (chord), the "major" refers to the "major 3rd". And in A minor (chord), the "minor" refers to the the "minor 3rd".

Sometimes people will use numbers purely relative to the major scale. In this method, a minus sign (-) is used to mean "flat" or "diminished" and a plus sign (+) might be used to mean "sharp" or "augment".

So a major chord might be written as: 1 3 5. While a minor chord might be written as: 1 -3 5.

Yet another way to look at this is:
major 3rd is 2 steps from root
minor 3rd is 1 1/2 steps from root

Specifically for guitarists, once you've learned how to hold the chords, you may want to review the notes chart (see Part 1) and try to remember what notes are being held on each string.

TIP :- For each shape, start by memorizing where the root note is. For instance: (all examples refer to the open string chords from Guitar Basics lessons)

   Chord      Notes (1 3 5)    Root Notes On Strings

     E          E G# B    low-E, D, high-E
   A    A C# E    A, G
     D          D F# A        D, B
   G    G B D    low-E, G, high-E
     C          C E G        A, B
   Am A C E    A, G
   Em         E G B        low-E, D, high-E
     Dm         D F A        D, B

Guitar Lesson - Music Theory Part 3 - Major (Pain), Minor (Inconvenience)

2009-09-02T17:09:00.009-04:00

So far, we've talked about the major scale which has a W-W-H-W-W-W-H pattern.

You can imagine that you can take this pattern and start in a different position.

So let's try that with the C (Major) Scale:

   C   D   E   F   G   A   B   C

W W H W W W H

What if we started this on A instead?

                       A   B   C   D   E   F   G   A

W H W W H W W

Now the pattern becomes: W-H-W-W-H-W-W (and we get the Minor Scale).

This is also called "relative minor" and "relative major".

In other words, the C Major Scale is "related" to the "A Minor Scale".

This chart is sometimes called the "Circle of Fifths". Because as you go clockwise, the next note is the 5th of the previous one.

But what if we looked at the C Major Scale vs C Minor Scale?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
major: C D E F G A B C

minor: C D Eb F G Ab Bb C

Not only can you build another scale using the same pattern starting at a different position. But when you look at the patterns side-by-side starting with the same note, you'll notice that some notes from the two scales are the same while others are different.

In this case, the major and minor scales differ on the 3rd, 6th, and the 7th notes.

This will make more sense when we go back and look at chords.

Guitar Lesson - Music Theory Part 2 - WWHWWWH

2009-09-02T16:29:00.009-04:00

In the previous lesson, we talked about steps. Just to summarize...

notes next to each other = 1/2 step apart

two 1/2 steps = a whole step

Now we'll take this idea and see how it applies for scales.

The first scale that most people learn is the C Major Scale. The notes for this scale are:

    1   2    3   4   5   6   7   8    <--- let's numberthem

    do  re   mi  fa  so  la  ti  do   <--- for vocalists

    C   D    E   F   G   A   B   C

(1 = starting note = "root')

If we look at these notes on the piano, the first thing you might notice is that to play this scale, only the white keys are required.

Now, let's look at the relationship between the notes. In this chart, we'll also number the notes:

C -> D = whole step (W)

D -> E = whole step (W)

E -> F = 1/2 step   (H)

F -> G = whole step (W)

G -> A = whole step (W)

A -> B = whole step (W)

B -> C = 1/2 step   (H)

All major scales follow this pattern: W-W-H-W-W-W-H. So playing the C Major Scale is simply saying play this pattern starting with C.

Let's look at what this might look like for the G Major Scale:

G A B C D E F# G

When we follow this pattern starting with G, we get F#. So This scale has 1 sharp (#).

Let's do it again for the F Major Scale:

F G A Bb C D E F

When we follow this pattern starting with F, we get Bb. So This scale has 1 flat (b).

If we do this for all the notes, you'll notice that each note will result in a different number of sharps and flats.

TIP 1 :- Letters should not be repeated. So for the F (Major) Scale, the A was already used as the 3rd note so the 4th note could not be A# and has to be Bb.

TIP 2 :- On music sheets, the sharps and flats are placed on the line representing that note/letter.

So let's take a look at what each scale might look like.

Here, we've put C in the middle. As you move down from C, the number of sharps increase. And as you move up from C, the number of flats increase.

This is also known as "circle of fifths".

The way that I memorize it is this...

For sharps:
   [C]alvin
   [G]o
   [D]own
   [A]nd
   [E]at
   [B]reakfast

For flats:
   [F]at
   [B]oys (Bb)
   [E]at   (Eb)
   [A]ll    (Ab)
   [D]ay (Db)
   [G]?? (Gb)

This called the circle of fifths because as you move clockwise around, the next scale starts with the 5th note of the previous. For instance, G's scale has 1 sharp and is the 5th note of the C Scale. D's scale has 2 sharps is the 5th note of the G Scale.

As I always tell my students, if you don't remember anything else, remember this: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole half (WWHWWWWH)!

Guitar Lesson - Music Theory Part 1 - Take a "Step"

2009-09-01T22:57:00.006-04:00

Okay, we are finally at my favorite part of learning guitar -- Music Theory! I like numbers and math... what can I say.

In another post, we already went over the pro's and con's of learning theory. But before we dive in, I just want to say... If you can count to 8, you can learn theory. If you can add and subtract, you can learn theory. If you can read this blog but cannot count and add/subtract, then perhaps you'd enjoy these more.

So let's get started!

First, let's look at an octave (from a note back to itself again but either higher or lower in pitch) on a piano.

I like using this to illustrate the sequence of notes because a lot of folks may have had piano lessons when they were young. (Why do all the mothers think their child should play piano??)

On the piano, notes get higher ("sharp") as you move to the right and they get lower ("flat") as you move to the left.

Going up starting at C, you get:

In this picture, the ones in blue are the black keys which are the flats and sharps. C# is the same note as Db. D# is the same note as Eb. So on and so forth.

Notice that there are no sharps or flats between B and C and E and F.

The relationship (or "distance"?) between notes are often referred to as "steps". Notes next to each other are "1/2 step" apart (on the piano, these are keys next to each other). So from B to C is 1/2 step. From C to D is two 1/2 or a "whole step".

Another example:

E to F 1/2 step

B to C# whole step

Let's look how this plays out on the guitar (pun intended).

On the guitar, each fret is a 1/2 step. On a given string, as you move down the neck (toward the body), notes get higher/sharp. As you move up the neck (toward the head), notes get lower/flat.

Due to the different strings being tuned relatively close to each other, notes repeat on the guitar. Notice that playing the 5th fret on the E string results in A which is the same note as playing the A-string opened. And you can see the same relationship between the A- and D-strings. Again for D- and G-strings. The pattern breaks from G- to B-string... the B is on the 4th fret of the G-string. Then back to the 5th fret on the B-string to get the E. This, of course, is probably how you learned to tune. (Now you know why to play those specific positions)

If you pick a string and follow it down to the 12th fret, you'll end up at the same note as you started except one octave above. So all-in-all, there are only 12 unique notes (in Western music).

Guitar Lesson - Basics Part 4 - Left Hand, Right Hand

2009-08-31T20:07:00.004-04:00

If you are a beginner and you've looked through the first few lessons, hopefully at this point you've memorized a few of the chord shapes. Holding chords and notes are basically left hand technique (if you're a right-handed player like most).

Tip for Left-Hand

One of the things I often forget to point out is that even though you learned to hold the chords one finger at a time, in practice you'd want to fret them all at the same time. You can think of it kind of like putting your fingers into the correct shape and applying or stamping it down on the fretboard.

Right-Hand Technique - Strumming

Now let's talk about what to do with your right-hand or strumming hand. For this lesson, we'll assume that you're using a guitar pick. So let's look at how to hold the pick.

(Disclaimer - these are not my hands)

This is the way I usually hold the pick. I try to get the pick pointing down almost perfectly perpendicular to the thumb. And I usually allow my other 3 fingers to spread out a little (comfortably). I find that this works well for me when strumming chords and getting the right feel. I also like having my middle finger out ready for tapping.

But I've since learned that this is not necessarily the best or recommended way to hold the pick.

It seems that the way most people recommend is to hold curl your fingers back (almost like holding a fist). Again, the pick is held perpendicular to the thumb.

I've been using this technique a bit more when I need to play faster licks. The other fingers don't get in the way as much.

Previously, when we talked about chords and notes, we were talking about pitch. In music notation, this would be the "vertical" axis.

When we talk about strumming, we are talking abot rhythm which would be the "horizontal" or "time" axis.

There will probably be future lessons on how to read music where we'll talk specifically about whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, etc.

Playing The Beats

For now, let's just talk about quarter notes. In other words, we'll take a "measure" (some block of time) and divide it into 4 equal parts. At the start of each part, we'd count: 1, 2, 3, 4.

Let's call these the "down beats".

When you first practice, try playing just the down beats using a down stroke (play the strings from top to bottom).

Let's use this simple progression:

||E |A :||

And we'll repeat this over and over.

So you'll play:
|E E E E |A A A A | (and repeat)

Once you get the hang of this, try playing the strings while moving your hands up (play strings from bottom to top). This is the up stroke.

In guitar notation, the down stroke is noted by a down arrow head while the up stroke looks like a box without a bottom (or an "n"?).

Let's split the measure up even further into eighths. But instead of counting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, we'll count: 1 n 2 n 3 n 4 n ("n" = "and"). To write this out so that each "n" is associated with a specific beat, you can think of it as:

     1  1n  2  2n  3  3n  4  4n

D U D U D U D U <--- D = down stroke, U = up stroke

Now, let's play a more interesting rhythm. Instead of playing just downs like before, we'll mix them up like this:

     1      2  2n    3n  4  

D -- D U -- U D --

In this case, we're only playing the beats: 1, 2, 2n, 3n, 4.

If you try to play this with a electronic metronome, set the metronome to 4-beats per measure. Each time it beeps of flashes, it's the down beat. Some metronomes will beep/flash differently once. I usually use this as the 4th beat (ie "about to change measure!").

You should find yourself playing down strokes with the first 2 beeps/flashes (1, 2), playing an up stroke between the 2nd and 3rd beep/flash, skipping the 3rd beep/flash, then playing an up stroke before the 4th beep/flash and finally down stroke with the 4th beep/flash. Try to play the up strokes equally between beeps/flashes (otherwise, you're not playing the "n" beat!).

Right-Hand Technique Tips
Here are some tips for practicing:

Start Slow -- When you first start playing, you might find that it takes you a long time to shift from one chord/shape to the next. The temptation will be to play the 4 beats quick, then change chord slowly, then play the next set of chords quick again. Try not to do this. :) Instead, try to space each strum out evenly. If you have to play slow at first (each measure is taking more time), then do that. In fact, you might want to use a metronome to keep pace.

Keep Your Hand Moving -- Another habit that I see some players get into is not moving their hands during the beats that they don't play. I find that many players with this habit also have timing problems. The easiest way I find to overcome this is to simple keep your hands moving up and down. In the example above, your hand should move down at each down beat and move up in between. Also, try to move in an even pace. For instance, instead of strumming down and up quickly and waiting, imagine your hand is a pendulum that swings back and forth evenly and smoothly. I'm not sure about everyone else but when I strum, I allow my wrist to move a little.

Down/Up Exercise -- One way to practice is to mute the strings with your left hand and just practice down/up strokes. First, try all downs. Then all ups. Then all downs and ups. Then try any combination you can think of. Once you get the hang of this and you see how each down/up stroke corresponds with a particular beat, then playing any rhythm is only a matter of figuring out which downs/ups to play and which ones to "skip".

Guitar Lesson - Basics Part 3 - Am, Em, Dm

2009-08-31T18:36:00.001-04:00

So far, we've gone over some of the major, open string chords. Now, we're going to look at some open string minor chords.

As we look at each minor chords, you may want to look at the major chords of the same root (ie A major vs A minor, etc.)

Make a note of which notes is different. This will help you gain a better understanding of these shapes and what notes are being played.

We'll also go over these differences again when we talk about music theory (don't fall asleep on me yet!!).

We'll start with Am (A minor). You can look at this chord as the same shape as the E major except shift by 1 string. The Am is very similar to A except for 1 note. Instead of playing the C# on the B-string on the 2nd fret, play the C on the B-string on the 1st fret.

Use your index finger on the B-string, your middle finger on the D-string 2nd fret to play the E, and your ring finger on the G-string 2nd fret to play the A.

Next, let's look at Em (E minor). Again, there's just 1 note different from the major. Instead of playing the G# on the G-string at the 1st fret, let go over your index finger and allow the G-string to be played open. Use your middle finger on the A-string at the 2nd fret to play the B and your finger finger on the D-string at the 2nd fret to play the E.

And finally, we get to Dm (D minor). This time, the note that's different from D (major) is on the high E-string. Instead of playing F# on the 2nd fret, play F on the 1st fret using your index finger. Use your middle finger on the 2nd fret of the G-string to play A and ring finger on the 3rd fret of the B-string to play D.

TIP :- Try playing the majors and minor chords back-to-back and see if you can hear the differences. You may notice that major chords seem "brighter", "happier", "more energetic" while minor chords are "darker" and "sad" ("mean" even?).

Music Theory = yawn

2009-08-19T12:49:00.000-04:00

Tal and I got a new camcorder. We were trying it out and I started to do a video for music theory.

Tal kept stopping me in the middle of my intro. He said I was babbling and just going on and on. :P

Well... yes, I kind of was. But...

Music theory really is important to understand if you want to take your playing to the next level. I think this is true of any instrument. But particularly for guitar because so much of what you'd do on the fretboard is based on theory.

Why Music Theory Is Boring

I think people get turned of by music theory because, first, it has the word "theory" in it which conjures up images of nerdy scientists in white suits, thick glasses, pocket protectors, and an embarrassingly obvious lack of social skills. And why would theory be important?! I don't want to learn how to play "in theory"... I want to play actually!

It seems so "brainly" and boring. All the numbers and math don't feel like art. (How do you do math on letters anyway?!)

Most (guitar) players learn and memorize shapes and patterns which derives from theory but don't require it. Sometimes we call this the "box" method. And then later, they'll learn other techniques to think outside "the box".

And they might not see how it can help them. Especially for players who have done pretty well without it. You can certainly play songs and riffs without ever learning any theory. And playing skill has nothing to do with theory.

Why Music Theory Is Good To Know

But theory can be your loyal and faithful friend. The friend that you can always count on... who will never leave you... who will be there long after your band-mates have left you for a "better" gig and your drummer steals your girlfriend because while you were busy practicing, they were going behind your back and hooking up at some sleazy joint downtown that you wouldn't want to be caught dead in and the whole reason why you spent all those nights practicing instead of being with her was because your no-talent, drama-queen of a lead singer can't sing the damn song in the key you learned it in and now you got to transpose the whole thing and learn it all over again.

If this applies to you, here are some reasons why you might want to learn a little bit of theory. This list will make more sense to guitarists.

Why do chord shapes look the way they do? Can I play chords using other shapes? Why are there different ways (positions) to hold the same chord?
Why do scale shapes look the way they do? Are there other ways to play scales?
If I want to improvise on a song, how do I know what notes to play or what scale to use?
Why do some chords seem to always go together?
If I want to write a song, how do I know what chords would sound good together?
What is transposing? How can I play a song in a different key (quickly)?
What do the numbers in chords mean?

If you get a good handle on these, you'll be able to spend more time with your girlfriend (or boyfriend or whatever).

So stay tuned! We'll be posting lessons on music theory soon! (As soon as we figure out how to use the camcorder)

Guitar Lesson - Basics Part 2 - G, C

2009-08-08T16:57:00.001-04:00

Here's part 2 of basic chords. We'll look at open chords for G and C.

C Major and G Major
We're going to use this chart again for C and G.

And, again, when you're practicing these chords, try playing the strings one at a time to make sure the ones that should be ringing are not muted and the ones that should not be ringing are.

Variation on G Major

The above way of playing G seems to be the standard (using fingers 1, 2, and 3). My preferred way of playing G is using fingers 2, 3, and 4 instead. Try holding the low-E string on the 3rd fret using your ring finger (2), the A string on the 2nd fret using your middle finger (3), and the high-E string on the 3rd fret using your pinky (4).

Using this method, you can switch between G and C (which happens a lot) faster. All you need to do is move fingers (2) and (3) over by 1 string and let go of your pinky. You'll notice that when you do this, your wrist position does not have to change.

The G <---> Cadd9 Thing
Continuing with the idea of only switching 2 fingers to go between G and C. Here's another very (very, very, very, very...) popular/common set of chords.

Here, the D is played on the B string for G. Use your middle finger (2) to hold the low-E string on the 3rd fret, your index finger (1) to hold the A string on the 2nd fret, your ring finger on the B string no the 3rd fret, and your pinky also on the 3rd fret on the high-E string.

Cadd9 means that the 9(th) note (of the C major scale... will get into scales soon...) is played. In this case, that's also the D played on the B string. To hold this chord, use your middle finger (2) to hold the A string on the 3rd fret, your index finger (1) to hold the D string on the 2nd fret, your ring finger on the B string no the 3rd fret, and your pinky also on the 3rd fret on the high-E string.

You'll notice that as you switch between these chords, you only need to move your (1) and (2) fingers from holding the low-E and A strings to the A and D strings.

And as mentioned in Part 1, you'll want to mute the low-E string with your thumb.

A well-known song that uses this is Every Rose Has Its Thorn by Poison. But there are plenty of other examples as well.

Guitar Lesson - Basics Part 1 - E, A, D

2009-08-03T20:39:00.002-04:00

Here's 1st installment of basic chords. We'll be starting with "open" chords meaning that these chords are played which strings that are opened ("not fretted").

When practicing holding chords, play strings one at a time and make sure each string rings nicely. If a string is meant to be played, it should not sound muted.

But muting (with your thumb) can be helpful when playing the A (major) and D (major) to keep the low-E string from ringing.

E Major

The numbers in the block circles shows which fingers to use:
1 = index
2 = middle
3 = ring
4 = pinky

In the top of this chart, the top is showing the particular note being played/held on that string.

The numbers on the side indicate fret number.

A Major and D Major

This chart shows how to hold the A (major) and D (major).

X = don't play
O = open (don't hold string, play, and let ring)

This chart also shows C (major) and G (major).

* I put "major" in () because it's implied.

Another way to hold the A, which is my preferred way, is to use just the 1st and 2nd fingers by holding the D and G strings with the 1st finger and the B string with the 2nd finger. I prefer this method because it's easier to get my fingers where they need to be. Sometimes, depending on the width of the neck, it can be hard to get 3 fingers next to each other on the same fret.

Try to curl your fingers so that the tips of your fingers are holding the strings down. This will help them to not accidentally touch an adjacent string.

Also try placing your thumb lightly/gently on the low-E string to try muting it. This, with combination of practicing playing only the strings you want, will help you avoid playing unwanted notes.

The Wedding Gig

2009-07-18T10:08:00.000-04:00

Last night, Ten Pound Tiger, my acoustic cover band, played at a friend's wedding. We're not normally a wedding band but this was a last minute thing and we decided to do it.

So we had to look at our set list and make sure we didn't play certain songs because they wouldn't be appropciate for a wedding. The thing I noticed was that most of the songs I picked fell into this category!

Bad Day - Fuel
Missin' Your Love - Johnny Lang
Apologize - One Republic
For You - Staind
Oops I Did It Again - Britney Spears (actually we ended up playing this anyway)
Sweet Emotion - Aerosmith
Diary of Jane - Breaking Benjamin
Believe - Cher
Love Song - Sarah Bareilles
Stay - Lisa Loeb
You're Beautiful - James Blunt
Enter Sandman - Metallica

What can I say... I'm just a depressing guy. But maybe we can get gigs doing funerals..?!

Benefit Gig

2009-07-11T09:17:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine invited me to play with his band for a benefit gig coming up on August 1st. The set is going to be:

1 My Own Worst Enemy - Lit
2 All the Small Things - Blink 182
3 She Likes Me For Me - Blessed Union of Souls
4 Semi Charmed Life - Third Eye Blind
5 Brian Wilson - Bare Naked Ladies
6 Mr. Brightside - The Killers
7 Machinehead - Bush
8 When I Come Around - Green Day
9 Possum Kingdom - The Toadies
10 Sleep Now In the Fire - Rage Against the Machine
11 Gives you Hell - All American Rejects
12 Interstate Love Song - Stone Temple Pilots
13 Long Division - Death Cab For Cutie
14 Fire - Jimi Hendrix
15 Mollys Chamber - Kings of Leon

We had our 1st practice last night. So far, so good.

I'm just glad that my equipment worked okay (for the most part)! I haven't played with my electric gear for a long time. And I lend out some of my pedals and I was afraid I wasn't going to have the right gear for the right sound. But the Jekyll & Hyde stepped up, as usual, and did an awesome job!

The Brian Moore (i8) did a great job too. Played very well and sounded pretty nice. But I miss the PRS (CE24)!

Guitar Purchase Advice - Part 2

2009-07-05T19:55:00.000-04:00

In part 1, I talked about some common questions people have when buying a guitar (often their first).

In part 2, I'm going to talk about some other aspects to consider when buying a guitar.

How will I use this guitar?
Sometimes people get caught up with trends and they end up with a guitar that doesn't really suite their style or their need. For instance, your favorite guitarist might be SRV (Stevie Ray Vaughn) but you and your friends are putting together a death-metal band. That single coil Fender might not give you the sound you need. Or maybe you've always wanted a PRS so you went out to get one. But now you're finding that the neck it thick and doesn't suite your fingers/style.

So think about how this guitar is meant to be used and get the one that suites your playing style and gives you the sound you need.

Neck Design
So when looking for the right guitar for you, try to find a comfortable guitar that feels right in your hands. There are a variety of different neck designs. For electrics, the extremes are V-shape which are very thick and will pretty much force you to play "wrapped around thumb" style to very, very thin and wide necks which are more appropriate for "thumb behind the neck" style of playing.

This is also true for acoustic guitars. Necks vary from model to model. In general, I find this with string spacing.

Before buying a guitar, definitely pick it up and play it first.

Use the Right Amp
When you're trying out guitars in the store, sales people tend to either (a) plug you into the nearest amp they can find or (b) take you to a private room and plug you into the most expensive (ie "the best") amp they have.

But you really want to know is what this guitar might sound like through your amp. So see if you find your amp or an amp like it. For instance, if your amp is a steady state Marshall, trying a guitar out on a all-tube Fender will not give you an idea of what it might sound when you take it home.

The vice versa is true also. If you're trying out an amp, try to use the guitar closest to what you have.

If you use your pedals a lot, ask the sales person to also hook up a pedal that you might have so you can get an idea how the guitar might work with your pedals/effects.

Fit and Finish
This refers to the build quality of the guitar. Are there any loose parts? After playing it for a little while, does it stay in tune? Are the frets sticking out the side (of the neck)? Any defects on the finish?

Keep in mind that even though most guitars are made by machines, two guitars that should be exactly the same may not be. So look at the guitar carefully and if you find some imperfection that you don't think should be there, pick up another one. Especially for low to mid-end guitars, a lot of times stores will stock more than one of the same model (but often in a different color).

Natural Sound - Even for Electrics
This isn't exactly scientific or even quantifiable. But a lot of times when I buy an electric guitar, after checking it out on an amp, I'll unplug it and just listen to it's natrual vibrations. I'll often put my ears up against the body of the guitar while I play and listen to the wood vibrate. In general, I look for a guitar that has a strong, round sounding vibration (rather than "tinny").

Inspiration
After having bought a number of different types of guitars, the last and most important thing I look for is if the guitar inspires me to play more. Does it feel like natural like an extension of my hands? Do I pick up a bunch of guitars in the store and keep coming back to it? These are sure signs that the guitar inspires you to play and keep playing.

Guitar is a tool. When the tool inspires you to use it and to aspire to higher heights, then it's doing more than just its job. If you are a hobbyist, you probably find your uninspiring guitar(s) collecting dust.

Guitar Purchase Advice - Part 1

2009-07-05T10:35:00.000-04:00

Some personal history: I've been playing guitar for 20+ years. Currently, I own 2 acoustics, 5 electrics, and 1 bass. These are some of the lessons that I've learned along the way and I'm sure there are still lessons to learn. But hopefully this will help you on your next purchase.
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If you are thinking of buying a guitar, here are some tips to help you decide. These tips are particularly helpful for first time buyers but can be applied to any purchase.

Some questions that you might be asking are:

How much should I spend?
Electric or Acoustic?
Fender vs. Gibson?
Are used guitars okay?

How much should I spend?
To answer this question, first ask yourself "How much am I willing to spend?". This, of course, completely depends on your financial situation and there's no right amount. You might be a student buying your first guitar (that's a lot of ramen!) or you might be able (and willing to ) guy any guitar you like.

As a general rule of thumb:

$200-$300 (by almost any maker) gets you a pretty decent guitar that's probably perfect for a beginner
over $800, you're probably starting to pay for aesthetics, name/brand/badge, and/or exclusitivity and not necessarily function -- deminishing return

Electric or Acoustic?
In general, if you're starting out I recommend acoustic. Why?

For the same price, they tend to be better made
You can hear it without other equipment, make it easier to practice (will post more about this in the future)
Stings are usually thicker and forces you to build muscles and technique

There's certainly nothing wrong with getting an electric guitar for your first guitar. But it's harder to go from electric to acoustic and easier to go from acoustic to electric (ie wow, these strings are so thin... so easy to play).

Fender vs. Gibson?
I don't really understand why it's always just Fender or Gibson. Both companies make very good guitars. Both overprice their guitars, IMHO. But I think when most people ask this question, they really wat to know Strat or Les Paul? Or... single coil or humbucker? Which one is better? Which one is the right one for me?

It really depends on what kind of music you'll be playing. Here are some rule of thumbs. Keep in mind there are always exception.

Single Coil (Fender, Strat) -- Less output, less distortion, more "bounce" to the sound, the "quack" sound (think Stevie Ray Vaughn or Jimmy Hendrix)
Humberucker (Gibson, Les Paul, "Super Strat") -- Higher output, more distortion, good for heavier music (ie hard rock, metal)

If you're not sure what this means, then maybe check what guitars your favorite guitarists are using. In future posts, I'll probably talk about not being a clone and finding your own voice. But there's nothing wrong with immitating someone you admire when you're starting out. And while there are a lot of other good makers aside from Fender and Gibson... chances are your favorite guitarist is using a Fender or a Gibson! :P

Are used guitars okay?
This is definitely one area where cars and guitars are a lot a like. Would you buy a used car? If so (or not), the same principles applie.

I personally like buying used equipment. It's more cost effective. I tend not to hang on to equipment for very long. Often, I'm able to sell a piece of equipment for almost the same price I paid. So that's almost like paying nothing for the priviledge of using that equipment. And chances are that I'll put a few more dings on it. :)

And just like a car, the moment that guitar leaves the store, it's worth less than what you paid.

Regardless of new or used, make sure you play the guitar before buying it. There's no guarantee of quality just because it's new.

In Part 2, I'll talk about some additional questions you should ask yourself to help guide you to the right guitar for you.

Got Guitar Lessons?

2009-07-03T16:54:00.000-04:00

My first guitar post... finally!!

I'm thinking about putting up some posts (maybe with video) of some guitar lessons. I'm not sure what topics I'd want to cover yet. Would love to hear from some beginners and intermediate players what they might like to learn...

I've been playing for a little over 20 years. I'm self-taught. Some of my friends have asked me to help them get started in the past. I think I was able to help some of them. I'd like to see if I can help more folks who would like to play more guitar but need a little guidance to get to the next level.

Play on!