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Watch his video below to learn more...



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Welcome to... "Micro-Lesson 197"
 
This Micro Lesson runs through a fast-paced lick from the "C Dorian" Mode that works perfectly to cover the sounds of a "C" Minor 6 chord. 

The Dorian mode is the second degree mode of the traditional major scale. When playing any major scale off of the 2nd degree, the new scale takes on the Minor Tonality. 

This Minor sound is different from our typical Natural Minor in that the 6th degree of Dorian Mode is raised up to a major 6th interval. 

This makes the Dorian Mode excellent for applied use over the "Minor 6th" chord. The lick in this example begins from the "C Dorian's" major 6th tone of "A" to highlight the Minor 6 sound right from the start. 

A busy effect is generated with how this lick applies both 16th-notes and the 16th-note triplets. The use of all of these 16th-notes makes it very important that this lick be developed slowly and perfectly with all fingerings well memorized prior to building speed. Once this is done. Use a metronome to increase the speed up to the desired pace. Then try transposing the lick into other "Minor 6" chords. Enjoy!

Micro Lesson 197: "C Dorian" Lick for Minor 6 Chords

No matter how strong your passion is for music, there will be times when you need an extra push to get to your fullest level of success. It's great to have band-mates, mentors, and friends to motivate you, but the number-one person to rely on is yourself. 

It's also important to note that challenging yourself as a musician isn't just about getting better as a performer; you'll want to work on building your network, your presence in your local music community, your songwriting, etc.

So, how do you keep yourself challenged and inspired? Well, it isn't always easy, but start by believe in yourself. Below are six ways to challenge yourself as a musician – some of which may surprise you...



1. Write a new song each week and post it online
As Ira Glass famously said, producing a large body of work is one of the best ways to find your own voice as an artist. Famous songwriters like Jason Mraz participate in weekly songwriting games and, through that exercise, actually write songs that make it to their big albums.

Make it a goal to challenge yourself to write a new song each week, even if it’s just a short little song. If you’re not a songwriter, compose a new melody or chord progression each week. You don't have to do anything with it, but keep your creative voice active – don’t let it fall silent to outside obligations or just a tendency to put off writing.

Keep yourself on track by making it public. Tumblr is a great platform to post sketches or snippets – you don't have the commitment of SoundCloud or Bandcamp. Each week, post a clip or lyrical preview of your new song. Make sure people know they're demos, but use the public eye as your source of inspiration to get ideas finished!



2. Practice "X" number of hours each day – or else!
All serious musicians should challenge themselves to practice daily. If you're a singer, it may be more understandable to keep your technical training limited to one hour per day – you have to rest your voice! However, do what you and your vocal teacher believe is best for you. But in general, pick a realistic amount of time to dedicate daily to your craft. If you're looking to play for an orchestra as a performer, you may want to shoot for something more rigorous like practicing four to six hours (or more) per day.

Nonetheless, I'd recommend making a time log with daily goals. Each day, write down your productivity, and keep track of it to go along with your goals. This way, you'll be able to refer to how well you've been doing. To keep yourself in line, make up a few "consequences." It's even more fun to get a friend involved on the action. For example, you could say that if one of you doesn't meet your practice goal, the other has to buy lunch. Whatever it may be, keep yourself in line with a string of easy-to-handle consequences.



3. Make a new music connection every week
CD Baby founder and music industry guru Derek Sivers famously gave the wonderful advice to meet three new people every week. I'd support his advice, and if you want to take it one step farther, challenge yourself to make a new connection each day. This could be as simple as striking up an online conversation with another musician on SoundCloud, or tweeting with someone who runs a music venue you'd like to play.

The important part is that you simply make a connection – that the person gets a small sense of who you are and what your music represents. Add his or her info to a database to keep all of your connections organized. If you can’t get someone to respond to you, at least make it a note to follow his or her work and what he or she does. At the very least, learn from someone each day.



4. Discover a new musician each week
Just as you expect people to support your music, you must support other musicians. Each week, scope out a new musician that you actually like and would be interested in seeing live, touring with, or collaborating with. If you're not sure how to find new music, I'd suggest making a Feedly account.

You can add different music blogs that write about artists at your level or a bit higher. While discovering new, huge acts is great, you'll be more likely to connect with artists who are hitting around the same numbers as you. Follow them on social media, download some of their music, and send them a message to let them know you like the music.

But it's very important that you actually like the music. Nothing is more irritating than getting a self-serving message that’s wrapped up in a fake compliment. People can read between the lines. Be genuine and supportive of new music. Feed into the scene that you want to feed you.



5. See at least one local live show a month
This challenge seems easy enough, but you'd be surprised at how difficult it can be for some musicians to clear a night through their week to see new live, local music. Local shows aren't always pleasant; sometimes you have to sit through numerous bands that you don't care for to see the band you like perform for less than 20 minutes. The sound isn't always great, genres don't always go together, and turnout can be inconsistent.

Nonetheless, as we continue to mention about the giving-and-receiving nature of music, you need to be present and supportive in your music scene in order to receive that type of support back. Maybe you're just the best thing in your town since sliced bread, and everyone flocks to your shows regardless, but if that isn't the case (which it usually isn't), support your local scene.

Make it a challenge to see one live venue show per month. You likely already receive several concert invites a day on Facebook – schedule a few you'd like to check out each week, and make it a goal to attend at least one. Show your support, see what’s going on in the scene, and check out new venues.



6. Play at least 2 shows a month, even something impromptu
This is a tough goal for some musicians who don't play a traditional set. If you're a singer without a band or an electronic musician without a DJ setup, for instance, you may wonder how you can perform your music.

Come up with an easy, creative way to play music in front of people once a week. You don't need to book a show or even play at an open mic. Look up the busking laws in your town and hit the streets. You might make a few dollars, but more importantly, you'll be challenging yourself to have your music audience-ready at least once a week.

Performing in front of others really teaches you about your strengths and weaknesses, and if you're always hunched over in the studio or in a practice space, you might miss out on that insight. Once a week, find an open mic or street corner to just play in front of others. It might just take your performing abilities to the next level.

Welcome to... "Micro-Lesson 196"
 
This Micro Lesson takes a Country Rhythm Guitar approach through a common sounding Country and western boogie groove in the key of "E." 

This phrase applies a popular boogie-woogie idea using a majority of it's scale tones from the Major Pentatonic scale. 

The chord movements for this harmony are a standard I-IV-V chord progression. Off of the tonic chord of "E" this gives us; "E, A and B." 

In order to more directly track this harmony, the Major Pentatonic scale is used off of the root for every chord. Since the Pentatonic scales are so closely related to arpeggios (chord tones) we achieve a strong connection from this type of targeted scale approach. 

The four-bar riff begins from the tonic chord of "E" and progresses through a "Minor to Major 3rd" sound as it builds a connection to the Country flavor. Similar scale riffs are applied to the other chords of "A and B." 

Take your time on this one by memorizing the phrase first. Then, build the speed up to a quick pace. Around 150 b.p.m. is a nice feel for this boogie idea. Also, be sure to try experimenting with taking this boogie phrase across longer progressions. Include "eight, twelve and sixteen" bar progressions in your practice. Enjoy!

Micro Lesson 196: "Key of E" Country-Western Boogie

The Top 3 Mistakes Musicians Have to Realize They're Making in Order to Become Better

Growing pains are never fun, especially when they happen within the space you're most passionate about. Though mistakes are always bound to happen and are a part of life, here are three big ones that musicians most commonly make – and have to come to terms with in order to become better.

1. Setting unrealistic goals
Musicians will sometimes have delusions of grandeur when it comes to their music careers. But the reality is, we're not all going to be the Michael Jacksons and Beyonces of the world. And for a good plenty of us who still manage to make a living in music, that's more than good enough.



Once you come to terms with the reality that "making it big" perhaps isn't what it seems or all it's cracked up to be, you start seeing your path unfold very naturally before your eyes. Find the place where your passion and the highest chance of financial success intersect, and that is where your aspirations and goals for yourself should truly lie.

2. Paying too much for the wrong things (and not enough for the right things)
We all know a ton of "starving musicians." But that stereotype definitely feeds into the terrible cycle that many artists fall into with not valuing the right things in their music careers.

There are some very serious and important things that all musicians must set aside some cash for, and they may not always be what you'd think. For example:

the "obvious" choice: shiny, new gear
the "better" choice: long-lasting, quality gear

the "obvious" choice: bar money for “networking”
the "better" choice: money towards marketing materials

the "obvious" choice: scrounging together enough mediocre equipment to do a home studio demo recording
the "better" choice: ponying up the funds to do a high-quality demo recording in a professional recording studio that meets the expectations required to be taken seriously in the marketplace

It's a common mistake that musicians make skimping on many important investments while allocating far too much cash in the wrong direction. Think smart, think long-term, and think quality.



3. Not treating your music like a business
This is where we separate the "men from the boys," so to speak. If music is your hobby, great. Go out there, jam with your buddies, play a few bars, drink a couple beers, and have a ball! However, if you want music to be your career and something you invest in that pays you back along the way, then you'd better get an education and start treating your music like a business. Otherwise, like with many other things, it's just a money pit and a most enjoyable waste of time.

If you truly want to become better, you've got to wise up and get a little savvy with the music business. Learn the financials, understand enough about the legal and contractual sides of things to know what you don't know, and take your craft seriously. The more serious you are about your music, the more seriously other people will take you. And hopefully those other people have the cash to buy your album or come see your live show!



Whether it means that you pull a solid team together to make things happen correctly, or assign roles to your band-mates based on their strengths outside of playing, or decide to stock up on your music biz books and tackle the industry solo – you will be much better off and have the highest chances of success once you obtain some important knowledge, gain some experience, and start thinking like an entrepreneur and a business owner. Because after all, you are your business, and your business is music.

Welcome to... "Micro-Lesson 195"
 
This Micro Lesson runs through a melodic idea that applies several extended, large interval, arpeggio shapes in the key of "F# Minor." 

The shapes used in this arpeggio melody are called the "add2" chord /arpeggio patterns. These are very popular on guitar and are used in many different styles of music. 

Guitarist "Andy Summers" brought this chord into the spotlight with the "Police" songs, "Every Breath You Take," and "Message in a Bottle." 

The melody developed for this Micro Lesson begins in second position and produces a shape that stretches across out to the 6th fret. The shape is a double whole-step span and remains consistent throughout the entire progression. 

The roots of "F#, D and B" are applied using various tonal outlines across the melody. Keep in mind that these chords on their own do not generate a quality, (they are neither major or minor). 

To set forth or analyze a tonality when using them, we need to understand their use much the same as how power chords are analyzed for harmony. 

This involves tracking root note movement. If you are unfamiliar with this idea, please see my video lesson titled, "Finding Key Center when using Power Chords." 

Take your time on this arpeggio riff. The stretches can be demanding. Over time your hands will get used to the reach. Enjoy!

Micro Lesson 195: "F# Minor" Cascading (add2) Arpeggios

Whether you're selling on eBay or flying out on tour, here's how to pack your guitar safely and securely...

The way a guitar is packaged makes a huge difference to its chances of surviving the journey in the back of a courier’s van – or in the cargo hold of a jumbo jet.

Writing ‘fragile’ on the side of the box won’t make a bit of difference. Nobody cares about your gear as much as you do. That means it’s your responsibility to package your guitar correctly.

A guitar can break when it’s dropped, even in its case. So, follow our easy guide and let’s try to get your axe to its new home in one piece.

Step #1). DE-TUNE THE STRINGS:


De-tune the strings until they’re slack. Gibson guitars shipped in tune can suffer headstock breaks if the box they’re packed in is dropped or suffers an impact.



Step #2). PROTECT THE FINGERBOARD:



Protect the guitar’s fingerboard with a length of card or some cloth. Do the same with the pickups.

IMPORTANT TIP:
Make sure there’s nothing loose in the case like Allen keys, etc.



Step #3). GUARD THE HEAD-STOCK FROM BREAKING:



You must make sure that the guitar cannot move in its case when the lid is down. This is important: the head-stock must not be in contact with the top of the case.

Use crumpled newspaper to pack any cavities in the case.

Pay particular attention to both the space under the head-stock and the gap between the neck heel and the case.



Step #4). PACK THE GUITAR AS A BOX INSIDE OF A BOX:



Get a decent outer box and pack it with more crumpled newspaper. Get plenty in the bottom before you put the case in. Then pack around the case and seal the box.