Guitar Lovers

As guitarists, we tend to use the minor pentatonic scale way too much, especially as beginners. Let’s stop disrespecting a great music style by playing the same thing over and over
again. There’s more to the blues than just 1, b3, 4, 5, and b7.
First, let’s talk about the most basic of the blues style: the 12-bar (I-IV-V) blues progression. Usually someone will noodle with the I Minor Pentatonic over that. One thing that often confused me is that the I chord is usually played as a major chord, yet we play a minor scale over it. Isn’t that against the rules? Well, the modulation of the major and minor 3rd is the foundation of that sound we call “blues”. You should use the b7 tone instead of the major 7 tone, because the b7 tone sounds more bluesy, and the b7 can be found in both major (Mixolydian) and minor (Dorian, Aeolian, Locrian, Phrygian) scales. So, you can sound a little more original by simply making the chords minor and using a Mixolydian Pentatonic scale (1, 3, 4, 5, b7), and still get the blues sound.

To expand your melodic approach even more, let’s try using a scale that isn’t pentatonic. In my opinion, the two best modes to use over blues are Mixolydian and Dorian. Why? They only differ in their third – Mixolydian has a major third while Dorian has a minor third. So, we could use Mixolydian when we’re playing over minor chords and Dorian over major (remember, we want to get that modulation of the 3rds going). Or you could just make an 8 tone scale consisting of 1, 2, b3, 3, 4, 5, 6, b7; this would put the modulation in the lead line. Then, you could also do that in the harmony (play a minor 7th chord and hammer-on/pull-off the major 3rd note).

To expand your harmonic approach, we can do chord substitutions, or add color tones to the chords. A simple way to make the progression sound more jazzy (better) would be to play something like I(13)-IV(9)-V(13). The Miles Davis tune, “All Blues” uses a I(7/min7)-II(m7)-bIII(maj7)-II(m7) progression (the “7/min7″ means modulate the chords 3rd from major to minor quickly, usually with hammer-ons/pull-offs).

The main thing that I want to get across is that the blues sound is created by the dominant 7th tone, and by the third, modulating from major to minor. This is an important realization for any blues or jazz player.

But I Still Love To Play!
In 1972, I wanted to be a rock star. I was filled with energy and saw al the fame and money these guys get. Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker Band, Eric Clapton, Beatles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Santana, and some punks from like Van Halen. Rock and roll guitar was it. I was saved from a life of glum boredom. I loved the electric guitar, and still do! It is a very large part of who I am. But I’m not a rock star. I’m just a guy that plays guitar. But I’m also a husband, a father, friend, member of the community, General Contractor.
I’m a rock and roll guitar player, and a rock and roll singer.

The reason I’m writing this is that learning to play the guitar has been the single most important factor in my life. Absolutely no doubt about it. It’s the only thing I’ve done consistently for the last 30 years. Girls, kids, jobs, cars, friends, houses have all passed away or have been replaced. But not my guitar.

“Never spend your guitar or your pen.” was a line written by Pete Townshend. It is so true. For those of you that are new to this journey, vocation, skill, hobby, obsession that we call “playing the guitar”, all I can say is you’re in for quite a treat if you continue with it.

The guitar is a companion I take along with me whenever I can. Even when I’m too tired to play, it’s just a comfort to have it around. It remind me that my work is not all that I am. I was on a long weekend recently and my sister was along with us. In the evening I came out to the patio carrying my guitar, and then sat down and began to play.All along the Watch Tower. She asked if I still play very often? And I told her whenever I can get a chance. She said It’s nice to see something that you learned as a child has meant so much to you and the people around you for so many years.”

But she was right. Even my sister, who stomped on the kitchen floor and yelled down the basement stairs “Turn that thing down!” But also sat on the beach with me and the rest of the family and sang old Beatles songs until we were hoarse.

My guitar playing started out as an obsession. Lessons, friends to jam with. I couldn’t learn too much too fast. Songs to write and arrange and record. Songs to learn, bands to form. The bands turn into an extended family. But family just the same. I did, for a short while, play professionally. My only job was to play guitar and sing. Those were some of the most memorable times of my life, and I don’t regret it for a second.

But, life got in the way of all that, as it does with young men. And life begat school and girlfriends became wives and became young mothers and school became budding careers more profitable than playing guitar in bars. And yes, my mother did at times ask me when I was going to get a real job. And eventually I did, and I don’t regret that I didn’t become the next Eric Clapton or Paul
McCartney

And the reason I don’t regret it is that in spite of all the crap that life throws at me, I still play guitar. I play with friends in little pick-up rock bands and blues jams. Open mic nights or jamming with friends, in lonely motel rooms and crowded airport concourses. I have played and sung love songs to a pregnant wife, then lullaby’s to a infant. I’ve played guitar to accompany my son squawking on a harmonica, and my daughter’s wonderful voice.

So, get your guitar out of the case and go at it for a while. Play a new song you learned for one of your friends. Get your kids to dance and sing. Make your spouse roll her eyes and shake her head while observing the expression on your face while trying to mastera riff or something! Play guitar. It’s always the best thing to do.

One of my friends was around the other day and said that even when I was playing his guitar, I still sounded like me. It’s true: no matter what guitar or amp I plug into, I always sound like me. After playing for so long, it would be hard for me not to. For a long time this bothered me. I guess because I was so used to my sound, I started to think it was pretty ordinary, and over the years I’ve made the attempt to change it. I can’t anymore.
There are only twelve notes to play with, but an infinite number of combinations.
There are many fine guitarists out there, but if you think about it, the ones that stand out are the ones with their own sound. Ry Cooder, Eric Clapton, James Taylor, Marc Knopfler,  JJ Cale,  Robbie Robertson, Keith Richards and many more. What do they all have in common apart from being great players? They’ve all got their own distinctive sound. You can recognize them instantly.

In the long run, I think having your own sound and being recognizable is the way to go if you aspire to being a professional.

How to go about getting your own sound? Play, play, play and play some more, never learn someone else’s licks and explore the fret board as much as you can. When you practice, concentrate on making the sounds you like and trust your ears. There are only twelve notes to play with, but an infinite number of combinations. All those great guitarists I mentioned before had confidence that the direction they were choosing was the right one for them. It obviously paid off for them. They’re all household names.

Naturally, your fingers and your gear will contribute to your sound, but I think it’s more note choice and phrasing that distinguishes each player from the other, a way of thinking about music that comes out in the playing.

Until next time, Keep on Twangin’.

Tips on Buying a Guitar 
Random buyer advice.

Suppose you were buying an acoustic or electric guitar. What are some of the common attributes that you look for? What might you find that would automatically rule out buying that guitar? Here’s what some community had to say on this topic:
Christopher Sung said:

For me, the following are essential (and keep in mind that this is a matter of taste):

Tunability — this is the most important aspect for me. I check the intonation and see if it chords played on the first 5 frets sound the same as chords on the 12th-17th frets
Action — the guitar has to be capable of having nice low action with no fretbuzz. I’m not a blues or slide player (for which I think high action is better) so I’ve always looked for low action guitars
Playability — how easy is it to get around the fingerboard? Is it cumbersome or does it flow? I suppose this is a combination of the dimensions of the neck and the type of fingerboard
Sound — For an acoustic, yes, but for an electric, this isn’t necessarily that important to me. You can always dump some other pickups in it. I guess, for me, it’s a lot like sniffing a wine cork. As long as it doesn’t reek, the bottle’s probably pretty good…
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Jason Reich said:
I think I’ll use my soon-to-arrive ESP as the example of what I look for in a guitar:
Price — Right here is where it all happens. Usually the budget defines the guitar.
Sound — Sound is spilt up between what gizmos give the guitar its sound (pickups, body, neck) and how it actually sounds.
Gizmos — I like EMG pickups (HZ’s on the ESP), and the neck joint is important (Neck).
Actual sound — This isn’t so important for electrics, because what you hear unplugged isn’t what you hear when it’s plugged in.
Playability — I like guitars with fast necks and very low action. Extra jumbo frets are also a plus.
Looks — Whoever said, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, must have made some very ugly books. The shape of the body, as well as the finish, are very important to a guitar. A cool-looking guitar gives you confidence, prestige, social status, and financial success (kinda like beer). But seriously, it is very important.

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Craig Smoot said:
Here’s what I usually look for:
Feel — If the fingers don’t flow and feel comfortable on it, then usually it’s a turn-off for me.  However, a lot of this is determined by how the music store likes to set up their planks on display, so I take it with a grain of salt knowing that I’ll have to set it up to my personal tastes anyway.
“Singability” — You know.  When you pick up a guitar, strum it (unplugged) and the guitar resonates from the top of the headstock to the butt of the body.  That’s really when I know that I’ve got a possible keeper.
Intonation — This is a big deal to me, so it’s always something I look for right away.  You can have the world’s most beautiful guitar, but if the intonation inherently sucks then you may as well display it inside a glass case in your house, because that’s where it’ll be most useful.
Tone — In general, I usually look at planks that can offer me something I can’t get out of the planks I currently own.  For example, since I don’t need another guitar I can safely say that my next guitar will either be a 7-string or perhaps a good Tele.  Why have multiple versions of basically the same thing unless that’s all you yearn for?
Here are the factors I don’t consider when shopping for an axe:
Looks — When I was a kid, all I wanted was “..the coolest-looking guitar on the block.”  I almost made the mistake one summer of pouring all my hard-earned lawnmowing money into a radical-looking guitar, but luckily good taste prevailed.  As I got older and my tastes matured, I began to realize more and more that it’s not the guitar that makes the player.
Bells & Whistles — Sure, I’m an admitted hot-rodder when it comes to modding my axes so that I can get the maximum flexibility out of them, but when I’m shopping around for a plank, I could care less whether or not this guitar has more buttons and switches that the next one.  Besides, I’ll probably end up modding it myself anyway, so to me, I could take them or leave them.

By Dan Cross

Over time, dirt and oil from your hands build up on your strings, causing them to tarnish. This dirt on your strings will cause them to begin to sound dull and lifeless. Washing your hands before playing will extend the life of your strings, however other factors (like the natural stretching of the string over time) will require you to change your strings regularly.
How often should I change my strings?
It varies from guitarist to guitarist, but keep in mind…

• guitarists who sweat more will need to change their strings more
• guitarists who smoke, or play in smoky clubs will need to change their strings more
• those who spend hours a day playing guitar will need to change their strings more
• guitarists who play “hard” (heavy grip in fretting hand or an aggressive picking hand) will need to change their strings more

How do I know if my strings need to be changed?
You’ll know if…

• you have a harder time than usual getting the guitar in tune
• your guitar tone begins to sound “flat”
• your strings begin to discolor or rust
• it’s been several months since you last changed your strings

What do I need to change my strings?
Here are the few required materials and tools…

• A set of replacement strings. Electric guitar strings come in varying “gauges” (thicknesses). The lightest-gauged strings are easier to press down on, but are much harder to keep in tune, and tend to have a thinner tone. If you’ve never bought strings before, then just pick up a few packs of light-gauged electric strings.
• A string winder (see photo). This isn’t a requirement, but will make the job of changing strings much simpler, and they only cost a few dollars.
• A clean cloth. Since you’re removing the strings, you might as well use this opportunity to clean those hard-to-reach places on your guitar.
• Pliers. So you can cut away excess new string length.

You Just Have to Play
 When I  started playing the guitar, I  felt it was necessary to sit down and make myself write a song. I had all these ideas about how the song should be written. I would pound my head against the wall trying to come up with something. I would listen to the radio or my CD collection looking for answers on how my song should sound. I tried writing Heavy Metal, Rock, and even Blues. I was so desperate to write a song. When I would sit down to try to write a song, I would get so frustrated that I would actually start to hate playing the guitar. I wanted to throw it aginst the wall. I would put it down and not pick it up for weeks. Don’t get me wrong – I did get plenty of riffs written and even a few lyrics, but something was wrong. It just did not sound right and it surely did not “feel” right for that matter. I was trying so hard to make a great song like the Allman Brothers, or Eric Clapton, or one of the 80’s or 90’s  hits on the radio. I felt hopeless.
If you believe in yourself and the music you create, other people will believe it too.
Then, one day I decided to pick up the guitar, kick on the drum machine, and just play. I put no thought to what I was doing. I just let it happen. It was then that it all came out. The more I just sat and played, the better I felt, and the music just poured out. I did not need to concentrate on one genre or how I wanted to the song to come out. It just did. All my musical influences from early childhood on just poured right out with my individuality. It blew me away. I recorded everything I did. I was writing 3 songs a day. Then, one day I sat back and listened to the music I had created and I started to question it, even though I absolutely loved what I had created. I though to myself This has an awful 80’s ring to it. I do not sound like the music that’s out today. I do not sound as good as Eric Clapton.” My leads are nothing compared to the Allman Brothers. I almost got myself right back in the rut I was originally in – frustrated.

Why? It was because I questioned myself and thought that I had to sound like someone else to write a good song. I came to the realization that what I wrote was from within; it’s what was in my heart. Even if no one else liked the music, it did not matter. I had to be happy with it – not everyone else. Of course I was unable to sound like Eric Clapton. That is because I wasn’t Eric Clapton! Of course my leads were not going to sound like Eric. Eric was Eric and no one else on earth could touch that. It was his heart talking through the music, not mine. Of course I wasn’t going to sound like today’s music; I grew up in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Why would I sound like the 90’s? What I played and the songs I wrote were from within, not from someone else, but from me. They are comprised of all the music I grew up with along with my own individuality. I did not have to work at them – I just sat and played and they came out. I absolutely love the music I have written. I love to play it and get a great feeling from it. To me, that’s the key, no matter what it is you write, what genre, how many chords, full chords, power-chords, or single notes. As long as its what you feel, it’s right. You have to be happy with what you write. Not me, not John Doe, You! To me this is the greatest achievement any musician could strive for. To create music that is from within you, not this group or that group. Of course your influences will come through since this is only natural. But don’t kick yourself for not sounding exactly like them. It’s impossible because you are not your influences.

Strive to be yourself through your music; you cannot go wrong. No one can ever doubt what is in you heart but you. If you believe in yourself and the music you create, other people will believe it too. You do not have to work at it; it’s right there inside of you. Just sit down and play and eventually it will all come out. And it will be beautiful music to your ears.

This Guitar Lovers blog is concerning whether or not it is possible to have relative pitch or perfect pitch or the ability to listen  and accurately call out the chords as they are being played over the radio.
I have talked with friends of mine that have the ability to do this and after practicing this, I would like to share my thoughts.

1. Intervallic Training
One of the first lessons that piano players learn is the ability to distinguish intervals. Piano players that learn from a traditional teacher will play intervals (or seconds), thirds, fourths, etc. (Playing the root note and its second, the root note and its third, the root note and its fourth). This concept is difficult to teach on the guitar because it is tuned in fourths, but turns out to be necessary to hear easily the chords that are being played.

When you think of playing the chord scale diatonically, the shortcut of learning to distinguish intervals will make much more sense. For example, in the key of C, playing the chord scale diatonically will give you C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, B dim, and C following the Major, Minor, Minor, Major, Major, Minor, Diminished, Octave [MmmMMmDO]. The difference between the C root in C and the E root in Em will always be a third. The difference of a third, or a fourth, or a fifth is something that is very easy to distinguish. Being able to pick these intervals out will help you figure out how to tell which chords are being played on most songs that occur on the radio.

2. Hearing Minor vs. Major
The next step is to be able to distinguish between what has a major tonality versus a minor tonality. Most people will have no problem determining the difference between an E major and an E minor. The problem occurs when you introduce a melody over a chord progression. When you approach soloing from a Modal perspective, there are certain modes that introduce a major tonality, while others introduce a minor tonality. The key is to be able to pick out the root of the chord that is being played (which happens to be what the Bass Guitar is playing) and tuning out the melody to determine what is being played as backing chords.

3. 7ths, 9ths and Other Extensions
Once you have learned to distinguish Major versus Minor tonality, the next step is to be able to pick out the extension. How does adding the 2nd or 9th effect the chord? What effect does adding a 6th or a 7th effect the chord?

I have found that in most popular music you rarely worry about anything other than the 2nd/9th, 6th or 7th extensions, so it would be in your best interests to be able to distinguish these.

4. Learning by the Numbers – Some Common Shortcuts
Unless there are any key changes, it turns out to be very easy to find out what key a song is in.

Trick A – See if you can find any 2 majors in the progression that are a whole step apart. If you remember the pattern (MmmMMmDO) the only instance where you will have two majors in succession are for the IV and the V. By counting backwards from the IV you will be able to determine what key you are in, which makes picking out the minors and other chords very easy.

Trick B – Repeat the previous pattern based on two minors and count backwards from the ii.

Trick C – I tend to talk about the MmmMMmDO patters in terms of Roman Numerals I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, vii*, I – where the upper case Roman numerals are major and the lower case Roman numerals are minor. By calling these by their numbers, you will have an easy way to transpose this to any key.
So, in the beginning you can call out the changes in – say – the key of C. Then when you have your instrument, transpose it to the proper key. With time, you will be able to distinguish an E from an A and really be able to call out the actual keys as they are being played.

Make sure the instrument that you are using is in tune. Be patientand don’t be frustrated. Practice.

Every once in a while, I’ll see the frustration with the progress on their guitar. I hear something like;

“That’s it – I’m quitting. I’ve been practicing guitar for months now and I’m not getting any better. How long is it going to take for me to learn this thing?”

With so many concepts and techniques to learn such as scales, chords, rhythms, strumming, picking, fingerstyle, bending, and slides, it’s only natural to question yourself “what should I learn now?”), or “should it be taking this long for me to learn the guitar?”. It’s hard enough to stay focused enough to learn and absorb a particular concept without continually questioning whether the manner in which you are learning is actually working.

For me, the most effective way to deal with these anxieties is to get back to why you are learning the guitar in the first place: the music. When I say “the music“, I mean the execution of a musical idea. It can be a song, a melody, a riff, a lick, part of a solo, a one-bar phrase, or any other things you can play that feels good and sounds good. When a musical idea fits this, it takes on the characteristics of what I like to call a groove. It doesn’t matter if the groove doesn’t contain scale or chord, or use concept. The only thing that matters is that when you play it, you dig it, other people dig it, and it reinforces why you play music in the first place.

If you begin to feel these type of emotions, try the following steps in order to “lock in” a groove or a musical idea that moves you:

Choose a musical idea for your “groove”. As stated above, it can be a snippet of a song, a rhythm guitar part, a lick, part of a solo, something you saw a friend of yours play, etc. The main thing is to not “bite off more than you can chew”. You want to focus your attention on playing a small amount of music well, and not on playing a lot of music poorly. 

Get a metronome and set it to a tempo that is significantly slower than you would normally try to play your selected groove. This is important because it will reinforce the playing of the groove at a steady tempo. 

Play your selected groove at the given tempo. If you find that you are missing notes or having a hard time playing it, slow the tempo down until you can execute the groove from start to finish with no mistakes. 

When the groove feels comfortable to the point where you can play it in your sleep, increase the tempo by a small amount, and practice your groove at the new tempo. One good run-through at the new tempo is not sufficient. Play it over and over at the new tempo until it’s a permanent part of your brainwaves. 

Repeat the alst step until the tempo has reached the normal tempo at which your groove should be played.

I’m alway looking for new ideas from people and their techniques on playing the guitar. I found this article by Jamey Andreas and wanted to share it with you.

I am going to apply a number of the Principles of Correct Practice to a technical area that is of major concern to players. For beginners, it poses one of the most challenging difficulties, and an incomplete appreciation of it’s difficulties dogs many an advanced player (sometimes without them being aware of it).

Bar chords are what I am referring to. I am going to address the physical, technical aspects of learning these chords in a way that will enable you to avoid the difficulties that attend the learning of them for most players.

I remember when I first learned them. It was the “tough” school, the school of hard knocks. The school of “here is where to put your fingers, I know it feels impossible, you’re not getting most of the notes out, but if you stay with it long enough, you’ll be able to do it.” And that is true. And I did “get” them. After months of lessons where I was forced to keep up a rhythm while my teacher played the lead over a lot of great jazz tunes and standards I am happy to have learned, the pain in my thumb and hand and arm began to subside. I was getting stronger and that was good.

What I didn’t know was that even though I was learning to keep up with these chord changes, I had so much muscle tension in my arms and other parts of my body, that I was locking in tensions that didn’t have to be there, and would come back to haunt me a few years later as I attempted the classical repertoire, where you don’t really get away with things like that. As the years went by, and especially in teaching others, I realized that it doesn’t have to be that way for anybody! There is a way of going about it that doesn’t create or allow this situation. In fact, it makes learning things like bar chords an orderly, if still somewhat demanding process. And the result is a very comfortable feeling while doing them, and the proper basis for more advanced techniques, such as keeping a bar down while the other fingers do all sorts of things that demand great control.