This Micro Lesson explores a fast 16th-note triplet guitar lick in the key of "E Minor."
The 16th-note triplet is a faster rhythm duration that operates over a structure of "six attacks" per single beat in time. The speed of this rhythm is tough to play properly at tempos 80 beats per minute, (b.p.m.), and over, so play at tempos that are much slower in the early stages of learning this lick.
The guitar lick is centered up at the higher frets. It consists of two-bars each applying the same rhythm idea. This idea is that of three beats using the 16th-note triplet and one beat (the 4th beat), applying a quarter-note.
In measure one, the phrase begins by coming off of the 5th string's 7th fret and moving along the lateral version of the, "E Minor Pentatonic," scale. A series of phrasing ideas using pull-off's, a slide, and a hammer-on, all bring together the first half of the lick in measure one targeted to an 8th fret second string "G" note.
In measure two, the phrase is located up at the 10th position and remains there for the entire part. There are an abundance of hammer-on's and pull-off's in measure two. So, make sure that you take your time learning exactly how they operate. These legato ideas will help to both better position the 'fret-board hand' as well as, help build the overall speed.
Since this lick is very fast, you will need to work slowly with a metronome to build-up the speed. Be sure to correctly feel the pace of the 16th-note triplet. Listen to the example several times to fully comprehend the feel of the lick. Enjoy!
This weeks GuitarBlog runs through a number of very unique ways that players can Improve their Guitar Scale Applications.
Even though scales are an area that I've covered a lot over the years, there's always more to discuss concerning their use. Especially with regard to their layout on the neck and their application. How we tend to organize them on the guitar neck will also allow for a number of very unique application concepts.
Another video of mine for you to watch, (in conjunction with this one), is titled, "The Scale Application Workout." That lesson will be a great addition to go along this one. Enjoy the lesson!
This Micro Lesson breaks down the movement of chords from a typical, "Smooth-Jazz," riff in the key of, "B Minor."
The progression works it's way through the key's; I, IV, V, VI and VII chords. It also includes a fun to play, "B Minor," Pentatonic Scale run.
The first measure starts off from the tonic chord of, "B m7" played in the 7th position. There's a quick shift to a very popular chord found in this style, the "A/B" chord, (often referred to as a "B9sus").
This chord is simply looked at as the key's VII-chord played with the key's tonic in the bass. The next segment of this riff is the scale run. It uses the notes of the, "B Minor," Pentatonic Scale to shoot through a nice build-up feel into the next measure.
The run is very linear and acts to connect the line back to the tonic chord once again. In measure three, we find the return to the tonic and an appearance of the keys IV-chord of "Em7." Here the, "Em7," pushes us up into the final measure where the keys VI-chord appears next, (Gmaj7").
The progression gets turned around by the key's minor V-chord of, "F#m7." It's a common sound for pop music and the use of the 7th chords is what makes this feel so tied into the jazz world.
If the chords are known to you, then memorize the lick found within the riff and start building your speed. However, if these chords are new, take your time learning them and once they begin to feel manageable build the tempo higher. Enjoy!
Here are the top-three ways to set a realistic, and achievable trajectory for your music career...
What artist doesn't want to be the biggest in the world? That's pretty much every musician's dream. But to make that proper attempt, well, you need to set goals to help you get there. It's possible you may never reach the commercial summit, but you can enjoy much more than a modicum of success and you can make a living off your music. Whatever the case, you need to plot staggered, achievable goals and tick off the boxes on your list one by one. You can't cut the line.
1. Know your ceiling
If you play horror-themed grindcore or the Native American flute, you'll no doubt have a passionate, dedicated, niche audience that loves every note of the music you make. But will soccer moms, teenagers, cowboys, and the general mainstream be down with it? You need to ask yourself that question and answer it honestly.
If you play music that appeals to a micro-cosmic segment of people, you may not be able to reach a wider audience, and that's perfectly okay. But, if there's an element of your sound or style that could appeal to a broader, more mainstream group, you need to figure out what that is and learn how to develop it. It could be something as simple as a unique hair color or an unusual instrument. You don't need to change who you are, or what you do. But you do need to recognize what you have that will allow you to connect outside of your usual crowd.
2. Make lists (and use them)
This is critical. Make a list of goals. Make a few lists, actually. One list should be conservative goals, another should be pie-in-the-sky targets and ideas, and a third should be a list of business goals: form an LLC, open a business bank account, build your socials, etc. Be prepared to make a lot of lists.
You should take an honest look at your music and your career. Then take a financial inventory of what you've done, and what the end result was. Example: you borrowed $2,000 from your aunt to fund a recording and sold 5,000 downloads through word of mouth. Think about what you could achieve if you doubled that amount.
Then – and this is most important – work on checking one or two things off your list each month. That way, you will both see and feel your accomplishments coming to light.
3. Learn from other musicians' career trajectories
You should be cognizant of your peers and their career trajectories. Try to keep track of what they're doing - what is working for them and what is not working, and you should objectively be able to learn from that.
You should also look at the lay of the land for bigger bands you admire and trace their history and all of the things they did, but come up with your own way to install their methods. Sure, you look at Metallica and want to do what they did. But remember that Metallica broke in a very different time and place in the music business. Look at their template and update it for the realities of the here and now and your place things into perspective for today's music world. Your next step could be as simple as hiring the right producer. Setting achievable goals is a mixture of starting small and then plugging away with a little bit of stars in your eyes. You need both in order to fully execute your dream.
Amy Sciarretto has 20 years of print and online bylines, from Kerrang to Spin.com to Revolver to Bustle, covering music, beauty, and fashion. After 12 years doing radio and publicity at Roadrunner Records, she now fronts Atom Splitter PR, her own boutique PR firm, which has over 30 clients. She also is active in animal charity and rescue.
This Micro Lesson covers a series of (Major) triad chords in the key of, "D Major."
The chord progression operates between the 4th string and the 2nd string centered upon the, 7th fret, "D Major," barre chord. In measure one, we go off of the, "D and G," major chords in 7th position using a, "D Major Pentatonic," lick to connect into the next measure.
Here, the "A and D," major chords start the measure off by pulling us through with an arpeggiated, "G major," triad into the, "A Major" triad. In measure three, we apply the same, "D and G," major chords found in measure one. However, in the second half of this measure (beast 3 and 4) we apply a nice double-stop slide riff off of 3rd and 2nd strings.
The final fourth measure performs a two-chord turnaround riff using the triads off of, "G and A," major. The voicings used in this turnaround are found lower down on the neck and take us into the 2nd position.
This progression is a fun application of the 4th string major triad shapes that applies a lot of common harmony from these 4th string 3-note style chords. These shapes are both important, as well as, being very popular patterns that all guitarists should be familiar with. If these shapes are new, then use this progression as a way to become more familiar with the patterns. Memorize the shapes and turn on a metronome or drum machine to keep in perfect time. Enjoy!
Good bassists aren't a dime a dozen, so if you strive to be the best that you can be - it'll make a huge difference within your band...
If you're a bass player who's got a bad attitude – or worse, can't keep a steady tempo – it's gonna be a headache for everybody. If you want your band to groove, make sure your bass playing has these six essential qualities.
1. Consistency
Any successful entity is built on consistency – the ability to get the job done rain or shine. Consistency is the foundation of every other skill. All the great musicianship in the world isn't going to cut it if it only happens sporadically. It can be a rough fact to grapple with, but you can't afford to blow it in the music world, and you certainly can't afford to be known as someone who's going to blow it when people are trying to dance.
Consistency is should be ingrained into your bass playing (and your drummer) on a deep, deep level. For your songs to sound good, your bass playing needs to be a rock-solid groove machine. Practice this by learning a riff, play it well, then do it over and over again, perfectly, for about a half hour. That's the job. You can't have the beat waver when people are trying to get down, so consistency is the number-one requirement in a bass player.
2. Time
Some people have it, and some people don't. Make sure your bass playing does. Just as with consistency, any song that exhibits tempo issues is going to lead to an empty room. Obviously nobody is perfect – we can't all be James Jamerson – but keep in mind that whatever slack is created from your bass playing is going to be picked up by your drummer, and the guitar player, so plan accordingly.
When done right, the bass should really be driving the band, right there with the drummer in perfect unison. Try not to have one over the other too much, which can sound awkward. If your bass playing tends to sound like it has had a long day halfway through a song, sit down with a metronome and groove every day for about an hour. You'll need to figure out the hard way what it means to be a good bassist. And, it involves practice.
3. The right attitude
Much like creativity, this attribute in any good bass player is a trait that reaches into many different practical applications. First off, the right attitude as a person, is that you show up on time, you know the songs, and you are careful not to step on people's toes, whether sonic or otherwise. This all interlocks with the bass-lines musical choices: sitting well in the mix, tasteful note choice, everything!
Baseball legend Wade Boggs once eloquently put it: "A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst and it sparks extraordinary results."
4. Creativity
This may not be the first step on this list, but it's a great one. Even just a bit of creativity from a bass player who already has good time and consistency can take the whole band's sound from good to great. Just like any other job, the first priority is to cover your necessities, but a bass player who's an artist is a true gem. For references to creative bassists, look to Paul McCartney, Thundercat, Paul Bender of Hiatus Kaiyote, or Pino Paladino.
5. Tone
The tone. This is where we separate the boys from the men, or, more accurately, the snobs from the noobs. One of the coolest things about working with your tone is that there's no one right answer. Every amp and instrument combination will produce a different tone. Start mixing pedals in there and you've got endless possibilities. However, this issue really isn't as mysterious as it first appears. In fact, it couldn't be simpler: You want the instrument to sound good, and to serve the song. That's it! A good bass player should take a decent amount of pride in his or her tone, so take a listen to how the bass sounds next time you see a band, and you might just be surprised.
6. Space
The final frontier. Space can be an amazing tool, and it's all too often grossly underutilized. The presence of space in music, and especially in a bassline, creates a great sense of impact for the figures being played. It's also a great way to create tension. The use of space will likely go along with the right attitude. A good bassist will know how to let the songs breathe and when to lay out instead of cramming as many notes as possible into a song. Space isn't just for one genre either; any genre can benefit from a nice, tight, spacious bassline.
Max Monahan is a bassist and a writer living in Los Angeles. He spends his time working for an audio licensing website and shredding sweet bass riffs.
This Micro Lesson covers an open-string chord riff that functions in the key of, "A Minor."
The progression begins from the, open 5th-string, "A," and uses a 7th position power-chord across strings; 4, 3 and 2. This chord rings out across measure one and enters into a resolved melodic phrase as measure two appears. The resolution phrase performed in measure two is simple, with it's focus on the, "E," at 3rd string's 9th fret.
In the third measure we get a sustained, "G," chord with the low, "A," 5th string open hovering under it. The open 2nd string (B) rings out on the top end of the, "G Major," harmony.
Measure four drops the power-chord theme down into the 4th string's 3rd position and creates an, "F" power-chord. However, the harmony here is more complex. Continued use of the open 2nd string (B) adds an altered interval into the mix. This altered tone is a, "b5," against the, "F," root. Further interest into an expanded, "F," chord sound brings in a top 1st string, "E," which expands this, "F," chord into the quality of, "Major Seventh."
When performing this high, "E," you can use, "Hybrid Picking," (if flat-picking). If playing fingerstyle, perform the upper, "E," string with either the middle or ring fingers.
Since these shapes in this riff are all based upon the "Power-chord" concept, they will be fairly straight-forward to learn. The power-chord is one of the most well-known and widely used chords on guitar. This should make learning this riff easier for most players.
Take your time with the open string concepts and be sure to allow all of the open strings lot's of space to resonate. Enjoy!
