Posted by Andrew Wasson
Thursday, November 16, 2017
NEW: QwikRiffs Series - Video (013)
The latest QwikRiffs video, Double-Picking Hard Rock Riffs in "A Minor" is available in the members area. Includes PDF handout!
QwikRiffs are available to members at Creative Guitar Studio.com. Lessons in the QwikRiffs Series run through collections of rhythm guitar riffs covering all types of playing styles. I cover different 'famous artist' playing approaches and I will demonstrate ideas based on rhythm guitar techniques...
Episode #013 covers three "Hard-Rock A Minor" Riffs.
Riff one applies strict alternate picking through a steady double-picked riff idea. The bulk of the phrase is entirely double-picked. The resulting phrase is very driving and produces a strong and connected statement.
Riff two focuses on intervals with a common sounding bass-tone double picked riff that tags intervals of; minor 3rds, major 3rds and power chords.
Riff three takes double-picking through an octave and applies the upper octave tone using hybrid picking style. Every bass tone is double-picked with the upper octave plucked using the hybrid technique. The approach used in riff three allows for fast octaves applied around the effects of the driving feel generated with lower tone double-picking.
Sign into the website (or create your free members account) to join the members site. Sign up for the Basic Monthly or Premium (annual) membership to download the PDF handout for this lesson and study all of the other classes available on the website.
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Posted by Andrew Wasson
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
Are you confused about the modes? I'm not surprised... Many players are because they get told that modes are "just major scales." But, they're not... Modes are separate scales that offer a distinctive tonality and they offer unique intervals. Find out how you can fix your Dorian mode problems once and for all...
When a student enrolls in my studio and they're confused about modes like Dorian, it's often due to some other teacher having stressed that they didn't need to learn Dorian patterns, because it's just the 2nd mode of the major scale. Daily Deal:
The student is fed some crazystory that, if they need to play a "C Dorian mode" solo, all they need to do is play "Bb Major" scale and that's it. The trouble is that these students will often keep trying this approach for months even a year or more, and still not be able to play a decent Dorian Mode solo. It's almost like they can't phrase lines in Dorian - for some strange reason - I wonder why! WATCH THE VIDEO:
When I work with my private students who want to play a solo in a mode like Dorian, I get them to begin by thinking of the mode in respect to its tonality. The Dorian mode tonality is "Minor," and this means that the student can use this to start soloing right away over a "Dorian Mode Progression," by simply using the "Minor Pentatonic," scale off of the same key center. This means, if we had a chord progression in "C Dorian," the "C Minor Pentatonic," will function perfectly to get the student started with hammering out some leads.
STEP 1). ESTABLISH YOUR PROGRESSION Let's get things going by establishing a solid "C Dorian Mode" chord progression. Here's the progression that we're going to use... C DORIAN MODE PROGRESSION:
click on the above image to enlarge full-screen
One of the first things that you end up noticing right away with this jam-track is that the progression has no "Bb" chord whatsoever. The idea that we're after with any of these modal jams, is to apply chord sounds that highlight two things. #1). The tonality, (which is, in this case, "C Minor), #2). the unique color tone of Dorian (which is the raised 6th interval). In the above key (of "C" Dorian), progression that unique color tone is an, "A Natural" tone. That sound of the "A Natural," is applied across my jam-track in measures two and four, and the minor tonality is firmly established off of the root of, "Cm7" in measure one, as well as, through the progressions third measure with that minor "V-chord" of "G Minor 7."
STEP 2). START LEARNING TO PHRASE OVER THIS MODE now that we've established our chord progression (and we thoroughly understand why the sound generated is "C Dorian"), the next step is to start making some music over the chord changes. Since we fully comprehend that the sound of the progression is "C Minor," our first scale type that we know will work for creating melodies is the "C Minor Pentatonic." Practice how that sounds.... Improvise with "C Minor" Pent. Scale...
STEP 3). "FIXING" THE SOUND FOR THE DORIAN MODE Even though the "C Minor" Pentatonic sounds decent, it still doesn't do much for emphasizing the effect of the Dorian mode. But, this can be FIXED very easily by adding that Major 6th ("A Natural" interval) into the "C Minor" Pentatonic giving us our first taste of the color of Dorian Mode. Here's how that would work...
Once you're organized with the sounds of that major 6th interval ("A" tone) being added around the other scale tones of the Minor Pentatonic, the next step is to add in the remaining second degree interval. STEP 4). JAMMING WITH THE COMPLETE MODE This final note is going to be a "D Natural" note located a whole step above your Tonic Note of "C." And, with this final tone, you've achieved the complete Dorian Mode scale. Here's the final product...
Applying the Dorian mode in this way never has you off-base and thinking in terms of the old parent major scale, (so for our example we never placed any weight upon the modes parent, the "Bb Major" Scale). Plus, if you'd like to add another layer to all of these ideas here, you could take things a step further by focusing on the arpeggio tones of the, "Cm7," arpeggio while you're practicing building melody with the, "C Minor Pentatonic."
So there ya have it, this is a fantastic fix that I've used with great success for many years when working with my own private students to help them apply the Dorian mode using a system that allows them to become much better at using the scale, and at phrasing licks and lines, without any direct relationship being tied over to the sound of the parent major scale.
On this week's "Guitar Blog Insider," we're going to discuss the idea of
how to develop a method that you can use to zero in on a
piece of music (and over a short period of time) learn every section and
segment of the piece so that your working knowledge of the song is up
to a high level of awareness...
If you're learning how to play guitar (either going at it self-taught online or perhaps with a private teacher), you probably already realize that aside from an excellent guitar curriculum, the other thing you need, (the other thing that's really important), is learning how to play songs. And, this stands true for learning rhythm guitar, for learning riffs and especially for learning guitar solos. WATCH THE VIDEO:
SELECT YOUR SONG: Once you've selected asong that you're going to make a study of, take a few minutes and check online to find out if there's a chart, a TAB or perhaps a lyric and chord-sheet that somebody has already created. This will help with the songs general layout, and it'll be really good for getting you started. For our example, we're going to use the song, "Historia de Amor," by Luis Miguel. And, to get started, I've located a chart (off of Ultimate Guitar) of the lyrics and chords. Now, what you'll find with a lot of lyric and chord charts and even some basic TAB charts - is that they won't start where the recording starts. So, you're stuck trying to comprehend exactly where the piece begins on the cart in relation to the recording.
ORGANIZE YOUR PIECE IN A DAW: It is very important to start logging the time-frames of the piece, which also means that it's really helpful to have downloaded the MP3 and have it brought into your favorite DAW, "Digital Audio Workstation." I would not suggest using stock players like, iTunes, or Windows Media player. Instead use something that shows the songs wave-form and the songs time code, like; Garage Band, Audacity, LMMS, Riff-Station, Mixcraft, Stagelight, Reaper. I'm going to be using; Adobe Audition.
DETERMINE SECTION LENGTH: The next thing I'd suggest doing is setting out on working on counting through the beats of the song and establishing the amount of measures, as well as how long each chord will last. This will give you the songs layout. The main idea here is to form a concept of the length for the; verse, bridge and chorus. Once each sections length has been established, you'll next want to map everything out on your own sheet of paper and format a lead sheet of those chord changes. Aprogram like Finale can be excellent for doing this work. At this point you can relate the time-codes for where each section comes in, (related to the MP3 audio track you have in your DAW). With this information, you can begin working on developing your skills for making effective chord changes in time with the song. If you find that your skills are a little weak for making the switch from one chord to the next slow down the song in your DAW, (Riff-Station is perfect for this). Almost every audio workstation will slow down audio tracks, but over the years I've found that the software made by "Riff-Station" works the best for slowing a track down and still maintaining really high quality audio on the songs playback.
DEVELOP THE RHYTHM PARTS: After learning the chord changes, and how long they last, the next idea is to establish a decent feel for rhythm guitar. Most folk and country songs, as well as, pop songs will have a really consistent rhythm. Other music styles will branch out to more complex rhythms. This is another reason why it is so valuable to time-code the song you're studying. Be sure to work on establishing a set strum pattern (or patterns) that fit well across the piece. If you can, notate the strumming pattern you choose so that you don't forget what it is. If you're working in a program like Finale, add the strum-pattern to your chart.
LEAD GUITAR PARTS: The final piece to this puzzle is organizing any lead guitar parts. Not all songs will have a lead, and some leads will be more challenging than others but learning to play a solo is very good, (and it works to complete the piece). In some songs like, "Into the Great Wide Open," by Tom Petty, or in the song, "Day Tripper" by the Beatles, those solo sections are very short, only around four measures. However, in other songs, like maybe most of the AC/DC tunes, Angus Young is ripping out some pretty long solos. Regardless of how long or how complex a solo is, make sure that you mark a time stamp of exactly "where in the piece" that the solo enters. That way, each day you come along to carry on the work of that solo, you'll quickly find that specific section, and you'll be able to get right down to work on the solo quickly and easily.
To re-cap this method, the whole process boils down to... #1). Select your song, and get a copy of it on audio #2). Bring it into your favorite audio workstation #3). Find a copy of a lyric-sheet, or TAB #4). Understand where in the song the chart begins #5). Mark down the time of the first chords entry #6). Map out the measures and create a lead-sheet #7). Organize the chords and their length of time #8). Mark in the time stamp of each section #9). Learn the strum pattern #10). Play through the rhythm guitar part #11). If the song has a solo, note the time of entry #12). Work on the solo until completed #13). Try and perform the entire piece up to tempo
CONCLUSION: I'd like to end by just saying, thanks for joining me... If you want to learn more about what I do as an online guitar teacher, then head over to my website at creativeguitarstudio.com and sign up your FREE lifetime membership. When you want more, you can always upgrade to either a Basic, or a Premium lesson package and start studying the guitar courses I've organized for the members of my website.
Also... I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on all of this in the comment section below... if you enjoyed this video, give it a thumbs up and subscribe for more. Thanks again and we'll catch up next week , for another episode of the, "Guitar Blog Insider."
The impact that your guitar solo has upon your listener is dependent upon many things including your sense of phrasing and your melodic control. Then, there's your ability to build interesting lines out of different sections of scales and arpeggios in a flashy attention getting way...
Lesson 012 explores this...
Quick blasts of speed along with technical wizardry are guaranteed to take your guitar solos to a whole new level. These kinds of flashy statements are fantastic for grabbing the listeners attention, and it is exactly these kinds of ideas that we're going to cover in the twelfth episode of, "Guitar Soloing."
PART ONE:In example one, we apply the technique of "economy picking." This is also often referred to as "sweep picking." It involves raking the pick across two or more strings in either a continuous up, or down-ward motion. In example 1a, I've organized an economy picked line that applies both down and up sweeps. In example 1b, the lick applies a series of up-wards sweep ideas.
Example two applies the technique of fast moving legato. This technique is excellent for speed. On guitar we generally produce the legato sound by way of rapidly flowing hammer-ons or pull-offs. Legato offers guitar players a very smooth and connected sound especially across 7-tone scales.
Due to the accuracy involved, the technique can be difficult to bring up to faster speeds, especially descending. In example 2a, we're making study of an ascending legato hammer-on scale run. Example 2b, changes the flow of the scale direction to introduce a descending legato pull-off scale run.
PART TWO: In example three, I introduce slides. The slide study is focused upon the sound of fast attention getting lateral slide licks. There are of course many different ways of using slides as a technique for flashy licks. However, lateral sliding is a style of lick that really grabs the listeners attention.
There are a lot of notes involved with using this technique and they shift along the neck very quickly to produce the idea. The line in example three takes a "C Minor" scale and establishes the initial statement within the first measure. In the second measure, the slide concept starts to build more momentum by quickly traveling through the "C Minor" scale along the 1st and 2nd strings.
Example four, is all about bending. While this technique isn't one of those fast blistering ideas, the bend is still a fantastic way to grab the listeners attention and have them really take notice. In fact, guitarist "David Gilmour" is one of the most well know players for bend technique. He applies it as a way to stress notes across solo sections and at the same time, draw the listener deep into the melodic concepts of his solos.
The bend techniques used in example four include; "Sustained Bends," the "Bend and Release" technique, as well as, Standard Bending principles. Pay particular attention to the way that each bend is performed. To help you focus on this area, I have set-up each of the bends to only take the note travel distance up one whole step, (Full Bend). This means that the note will be raised up-wards during the bend by way of one whole step higher, (two frets) on the fingerboard.
Paid members can download the handout along with the MP3 jamtrack in the members area at: CreativeGuitarStudio.com
Getting ripped off sucks, but in most cases it can be avoided. However, as you become more experienced at spotting a scam the greatest threat you face may come from the advice of your own friends. So, be wary of who you take advice from. Ask yourself how good their own track-record is for avoiding scams and personal disaster within their own lives...
I recently had a link messaged to me on FaceBook to a video that was posted by YouTube guitar celebrity Jared Dines. And, in his video post, he described being ripped off for quite a lot of money, it was well over a thousand dollars - all related to the construction of a custom 17-string guitar that he commissioned to a supposed Luthier, named Nicolas Olfson who in the end turned out to be nothing but a scam artist. Daily Deal:
Now, the story really hit me at the time that I saw this because I was just about ripped off for almost $400 in regard to some work that I was supposed to get done to the studio here. And, the key-word there is, "almost." So, I wanted to make a video offering a few clarifications about different ways that you'll end up getting into situations where you might get ripped off. And, I wanted to offer some techniques that you can use to help notice a scam well in advance and hopefully avoid it before the scammers end up getting your money from your wallet. WATCH THE VIDEO:
In the music industry, there are a LARGE handful of clueless, and inept people who absolutely suck at what they do. But, they will gladly charge you money to help you out in any way that they can dream up. Unfortunately, if you're in this business long enough, these people are going to find you, and you may lose money and you'll for sure lose a huge amount of your time if you decide to work with them. Plus, in some cases, you'll also lose credibility with legitimate people if you work with idiots for too long. The other part of all this is that, inevitably, once you get involved with idiots, you'll later need to find competent people to undo whatever stupidity that some other “moron” messed up. And, as many of you know, it's 10x harder to clean up someone else’s mistake than it is to start a project from scratch. So, expect to be turned down by some of the legit people, if your project has drifted into a complete shamble.
One thing that's really odd, is that the clueless people who absolutely suck at working on other people’s projects, seem to be masters of their own self-promotion. It's pretty amazing that they're NOT too busy to send out a ridiculous number of contacts, of emails and social media posts talking about all of their “success stories,” on all types of other projects (even though most of those success stories are false and likely didn’t lead to anything, but they'll always be sure have plenty of pictures of themselves with famous people - who would never take their calls again).
The problem is that generally these types think that doing a little bit of work is the exact same thing as finishing a project from beginning to end, and unfortunately, they'll pump that up publicly.
When it comes down to it, you're going to need to be prepared. And, I've got some really good information for you to keep in mind, so you hopefully don't get scammed... #1)... Scammers are great at convincing people who are poor judges of character. So, if you know a friend or an acquaintance of yours who often gets into sticky situations because of their inability to smell a rat, then never take their advice about somebody else's skills or someone's ability. Meet with those people who you plan to hire, and use some of the other information I'm going to discuss here to find out if the person you plan on hiring passing the smell test.
#2)... Websites can lie, credentials can be faked and past successes can be total bull-shit. So, you need to vet people yourself. Ask them to meet with you to discuss what you want done. Do they show up on time? Do they seem knowledgeable? A lot of what you'll gain from your first impression will be helpful in knowing how this person will be 3 or 6 months from now. One thing that I've learned is that people who are skilled, are also generally wise.
Skilled people don't recite canned rhetoric. They have impressive abilities and they have a way of thinking as well as, behaving that's impressive. Fakers and scammers repeat themselves a lot. They sound like a stuck record, and have little skills to back up their surprising (or, even unbelievable) stories of past success.
#3)... The price is either way too low, or way too high. Even though the scammer will often build themselves up, telling of their unique methods of doing things and how everyone else does it all wrong, and they're the only ones who do it right, they'll often give the price saying that, even though they normally charge $500 to do this, Because I've met you, I'll give you a deal of $300. But, (then comes the catch), you need to take this amazing deal right away because my time is really filling up and if you want that price you'll need to sign up fast. So, there's always a sales pitch and a fast moving - rapidly developing idea of signing up with them right away. Because they're so busy. They're so in-demand.
Always be wary of the sales-pitch types. Most of the time, they're scammers, (not all the time, but a lot of the time). Really competent people seldom have a sales pitch. They have a way of doing business and it's low key and easy going. They're on top of what they're doing and they'll also have set reasonable prices. Plus, their fees will tend to be priced in line with the industry standard of the prices that other professionals in the field will charge.
So there ya have it, some of the things to watch out for when doing business so as not to get ripped off. Be careful with your money, always meet with people, (in person - if possible, or on the phone, perhaps even through Skype). Spend at least some time engaging them. Find out if they're acting like they're competent and able to properly help you. Because if it sounds too good to be true - it probably is.
Chordal Picking can be used with any chord progression as a primary way to outline chords, or as a substitute for strumming. It
can also be thought of as an option for finger-style technique making its
application versatile enough to be applied across a wide variety of different musical
styles...
In this episode of Acoustic Guitar, we'll study examples of different chordal picking techniques used across four chord progressions. The examples will incorporate both open chords along with barre chords.
The chordal picked techniques will include; variations on rhythmic structure, advanced groove, developing articulation, along with ways to increase speed and flow across chordal picked passages...
PART ONE: In example one, the focus is on developing a chordal plucking idea around a series of barre chords found in the open position. A chordal cross-picking concept is organized around a series of chords based upon the harmony of a, "D Mixolydian" progression.
Example two applies the chordal picking approach across barre chords from within the harmony of, "B Natural Minor." Just like we had seen back in example one, the picking structure in example two will also change measure to measure. When first practicing the part, be sure to begin your study of the exercise by learning the picking pattern that is to be used over each measures chord.
PART TWO: The exercise in example four takes the groove of a chordal picked idea and
breaks it up by adding further articulation. Since chordal picking will
often operate within an established vertical string set span, we can
establish a way of moving through chords that applies pre-set rhythmic
elements along with recurring articulations.
Example three
applies this principle in measures one and two with an established
hammer-on articulation (see both measures second beat). Measures three
and four of this example work together sharing very similar rhythmic
duration.
Example four adds greater speed to the technique of chordal picking with
faster rhythmic duration. The abundance of 16th-note duration throughout
produces very rapid passages that sound more intense when performed up
to tempo. When practicing this chordal picked exercise, be mindful of
the articulations used in each measure. The hammer-ons, pull-offs and
slides work together to help each passage flow smoothly from one
position on the neck over to the other.
Guitar technique is critical to developing smooth and accurate playing ability. On this episode of the "Guitar Blog Insider" I explore how guitar players can expand their general playing skills through ten of the most popular guitar techniques...
Back when I was getting started learning guitar, everybody would automatically just get a guitar teacher.
But, these days (with all of the guitar lessons that are available online, and all of the guitar lesson videos on YouTube), it comes as no surprise that most of today's guitar players out there are choosing to go at it alone when it comes to learning guitar. WATCH THE VIDEO:
Going at it alone, (as most players discover along the way), can be challenging. The two big issues that are causing players problems are: #1). A lack of order to their study routine, and... #2). Student's have no one around to answer their questions, (and judging by how busy my Skype lessons are, there's no shortage of questions). When it comes down to some of the most popular questions that I'll receive, they'll generally have to do with topics like; music theory, scales and modes, and the most popular - technique. Out of them all, "Guitar Technique," is one of the most popular topics.
GUITAR TECHNIQUES (PHRASING DEVICES): When it comes to discussing important guitar playing techniques, there are ten that I feel should be explored as soon as possible by new guitar players. So, let's jump into reviewing what these are and how to begin getting them incorporated into your playing...
PHRASING DEVICES: 01). Legato (Hammer-ons and Pull-offs) 02). Slides 03). Octaves and other intervals 04). Vibrato (slow and fast) 05). Hybrid Picking (pick with middle, ring and small) 06). Double-Stop Harmony 07). Bends (full, 1/2, 1/4) 08). Harmonics (natural and artificial) 09). Two-Hand Tapping (keep it simple) 10). Finger Picking / Classical / Folk Fingerstyle These ten guitar techniques are an excellent cross-section of both articulation and embellishment playing ideas. And, they are extremely helpful for what new guitar players need to explore, (as soon as, possible), in order to gain a solid foundation for learning essential playing technique. Study them on their own, toss them into your improvisation routine, and most importantly, listen carefully, to how these techniques are applied by all of your favorite guitar players. Over time, your technique will improve and these techniques will become unique to your own playing style.
Well, I'd like to end by just saying, thanks for joining me... If you want to learn more about what I do as an online guitar teacher, then head over to my website at creativeguitarstudio.com and sign up your FREE lifetime membership... When you want more, you can always upgrade to either a Basic, or a Premium lesson package and start studying the guitar courses I've organized for the members of my website. Daily Deal:
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on all of this in the comment section... if you've enjoyed this, give it a thumbs up and subscribe for more. Thanks again and we'll catch up next week , for another episode of the, "Guitar Blog Insider."
