Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Jim Hall The Guitar Tone Legend
Jim Hall is a living jazz legend. Hes influencing a lot of jazz guitarists. His tone is well balanced, warm and reeeaaally smooth. It is that kind of tone, that everybody connecting with jazz music, but its also an original tone, typical for Jim Hall.
If you are interesting in guitar design or tonewoods, you should check out Halls guitars. His hollow-bodies are always beautiful and high-grade.
If you are interesting in guitar design or tonewoods, you should check out Halls guitars. His hollow-bodies are always beautiful and high-grade.
Links:
jimhallmusic.comejn.it/mus/hall.htm
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Hall_(musician)
to listen:
Jim Hall Trio - Umbria Jazz Winter
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Doctor Talk for Musicians
Music has its own terms, just like doctor talk.
There are several musical terms that sound very complicated, but in fact are easy to understand. Todays post will address a couple of those, because you will probably hear or read about them at some point. This should clear up the confusion. So here are two of my favorites:
There are several musical terms that sound very complicated, but in fact are easy to understand. Todays post will address a couple of those, because you will probably hear or read about them at some point. This should clear up the confusion. So here are two of my favorites:
- MODULATION: Changing keys during the song, usually moving up or down by a half-step or a whole step. On the guitar a half-step is one fret and a whole step is two.
- ENHARMONIC OR ENHARMONIC EQUIVALENTS: Two notes, chords or scales have different names but sound the same. For example, F sharp and G flat. The reason we need enharmonic equivalents? It all has to work out on paper.
Monday, July 29, 2013
12 Major Triads guitar inversion 4
Continuing our series of major triads, todays Guitar Chord of the Day moves our G Major triad to the D, G and B strings of the guitar.
All 12 of the major triads can be modified in the following ways:
Heres the fingering for this guitar chord:
All 12 of the major triads can be modified in the following ways:
- Minor - lower the 3rd a semitone
- Augmented - raise the 5th a semitone
- Diminished - lower the 3rd and 5th a semitone
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Get Rid of Distractions
Whats keeping you from focusing on your practice?
Ive had students tell me they have the radio on in the background, they practice sitting on the bed with the music opened on the floor, on the couch with the music on the coffee table, geez Louise, how do you expect to get anywhere like that? Lets look at some ways to improve your environment which in turn will improve your ability to focus.
The room itself.
For playing guitar you need: a quiet space, one free of tempting objects that will steal your attention. The practice room should have door you can close, a way to record yourself, a computer or mp3 player so you can listen to recordings of what youre learning, and most importantly a music stand.
Essential learning tools.
Ive said it many times, but it still falls on deaf ears......practice with a metronome or drum machine. Music is made up of 3 elements, melody, harmony and RHYTHM. I know its hard, I know the metronome can be more annoying than fun, but its going to take your playing to the next level. There isnt much worse than playing music with someone who cant count.
An electronic tuner is the second tool. You can buy a good, chromatic tuner for under $30, and its money well spent. The last thing you want to do is get used to your guitar being out of tune. Thats probably the second worse thing if youre playing with others.
Something to write with. Write down your goals, write down what you need to work on, write down how and what youve practiced. Mark places that need work, circle notes you keep playing wrong.
Picks, replacement strings, and a capo. Do you have pick handy? I have guitar students that are proud of themselves for having one pick. Go crazy, buy yourself a dozen the next time youre at a music store, theyre cheap! Try different sizes, shapes and thicknesses. You just might be surprised at how different they can be. Do you have an extra set of strings? Guitar strings are also cheap. You can buy a set for $10-20, and its a good idea to have some handy. Strings can break for any number of reasons including operator error, being too old, playing too hard, or sometimes just because they have a weak spot. A capo, the little device that goes across the strings and replaces the nut, is used by lots of guitarists in lots of different kinds of music. Listen to Hotel California or Here Comes the Sun to hear a couple of examples of guitars with capos on them.
Other handy items.
A computer can be used to find songs, record and play back your practice sessions, and to do research. You can find lessons, videos, and much more, just be sure to use the computer for its intended purpose, not just to play games! One of the most valuable items we use in the Studio is software that can slow songs down. I use Riffmaster Pro, (affiliate link), which is easy to use and understand. The best feature is that you can create, slow down and save a loop. This enables you to go back and practice or try to figure out a section of a song.
Ive had students tell me they have the radio on in the background, they practice sitting on the bed with the music opened on the floor, on the couch with the music on the coffee table, geez Louise, how do you expect to get anywhere like that? Lets look at some ways to improve your environment which in turn will improve your ability to focus.
The room itself.
For playing guitar you need: a quiet space, one free of tempting objects that will steal your attention. The practice room should have door you can close, a way to record yourself, a computer or mp3 player so you can listen to recordings of what youre learning, and most importantly a music stand.
Essential learning tools.
Ive said it many times, but it still falls on deaf ears......practice with a metronome or drum machine. Music is made up of 3 elements, melody, harmony and RHYTHM. I know its hard, I know the metronome can be more annoying than fun, but its going to take your playing to the next level. There isnt much worse than playing music with someone who cant count.
An electronic tuner is the second tool. You can buy a good, chromatic tuner for under $30, and its money well spent. The last thing you want to do is get used to your guitar being out of tune. Thats probably the second worse thing if youre playing with others.
Something to write with. Write down your goals, write down what you need to work on, write down how and what youve practiced. Mark places that need work, circle notes you keep playing wrong.
Picks, replacement strings, and a capo. Do you have pick handy? I have guitar students that are proud of themselves for having one pick. Go crazy, buy yourself a dozen the next time youre at a music store, theyre cheap! Try different sizes, shapes and thicknesses. You just might be surprised at how different they can be. Do you have an extra set of strings? Guitar strings are also cheap. You can buy a set for $10-20, and its a good idea to have some handy. Strings can break for any number of reasons including operator error, being too old, playing too hard, or sometimes just because they have a weak spot. A capo, the little device that goes across the strings and replaces the nut, is used by lots of guitarists in lots of different kinds of music. Listen to Hotel California or Here Comes the Sun to hear a couple of examples of guitars with capos on them.
Other handy items.
A computer can be used to find songs, record and play back your practice sessions, and to do research. You can find lessons, videos, and much more, just be sure to use the computer for its intended purpose, not just to play games! One of the most valuable items we use in the Studio is software that can slow songs down. I use Riffmaster Pro, (affiliate link), which is easy to use and understand. The best feature is that you can create, slow down and save a loop. This enables you to go back and practice or try to figure out a section of a song.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Picking technic Single and alternate picking
Hello,
Here I like to tell you about picking technics. In general there 2 kinds of picking tehcnic, namely single and alternate picking.
Single picking means we pick a string and then play about 2 or more notes per string. In simple way of explaining with a single pick on a string we play no matter how many notes played on that string.
And for alternate picking means we pick the string on every single note we play. Normally we pick in the motion of down and up stroke continously. For example the stroke will be down, up, down, up, down... and so on.
Anyway, I believe most guitarist being taught of using the technic of alternate picking. I suggest that to be a good guitarist we must learn both so we can get more technics and apply it to our playing to make it more versatile.
Thats it! Generally about picking.
See you guys around.
Here I like to tell you about picking technics. In general there 2 kinds of picking tehcnic, namely single and alternate picking.
Single picking means we pick a string and then play about 2 or more notes per string. In simple way of explaining with a single pick on a string we play no matter how many notes played on that string.
And for alternate picking means we pick the string on every single note we play. Normally we pick in the motion of down and up stroke continously. For example the stroke will be down, up, down, up, down... and so on.
Anyway, I believe most guitarist being taught of using the technic of alternate picking. I suggest that to be a good guitarist we must learn both so we can get more technics and apply it to our playing to make it more versatile.
Thats it! Generally about picking.
See you guys around.
Friday, July 26, 2013
What Do You Do to Learn A New Song
How to go about learning new material
Listen to the song. Get a copy of the new song and listen to it several times. Before you attempt to play your guitar on a song you have to listen and understand exactly how it goes. Many times a student will insist he or she knows how it goes, only to find a part they dont remember. Being able to hum or sing the song means you have the ability to know what its supposed to sound like.
Dont practice mistakes. When youre just starting to learn a song on your guitar, go slowly enough that you cant make a mistake. Guitar playing is all about muscle memory and your fingers remember all of it, good and bad.
Do what works best for you. Everyone has a different way of learning. Some guitar teachers advocate learning one measure or even just a small phrase while others encourage you to play the whole song. The best thing to do is experiment and see what works for you.
Be patient and dont try to rush. A common beginning guitar player mistake is to try to play fast. Remember, if you cant play it slow, you cant play it fast.
Using these playing tips should help you improve at a faster rate, so experiment and give them a try.
Listen to the song. Get a copy of the new song and listen to it several times. Before you attempt to play your guitar on a song you have to listen and understand exactly how it goes. Many times a student will insist he or she knows how it goes, only to find a part they dont remember. Being able to hum or sing the song means you have the ability to know what its supposed to sound like.
Dont practice mistakes. When youre just starting to learn a song on your guitar, go slowly enough that you cant make a mistake. Guitar playing is all about muscle memory and your fingers remember all of it, good and bad.
Do what works best for you. Everyone has a different way of learning. Some guitar teachers advocate learning one measure or even just a small phrase while others encourage you to play the whole song. The best thing to do is experiment and see what works for you.
Be patient and dont try to rush. A common beginning guitar player mistake is to try to play fast. Remember, if you cant play it slow, you cant play it fast.
Using these playing tips should help you improve at a faster rate, so experiment and give them a try.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
A minor add9 Guitar Chord
Todays Guitar Chord of the Day is A minor add9. This guitar chord is simply to play: just two fingers needed, but is a great sound variation on a regular Am guitar chord.
Add 9 chords can also be written /9 (Ted Greene is a fan of writing add9 chords this way). So todays chord can also be written as Am/9.
Minor add9 chords can be played in place of most minor chords. It can replace chords ii, vi and iii in major keys (although using it instead of chord 3 introduces a non-scale note it still sounds good).
Minor add9 chords use these degrees of the major scale: 1, b3, 5, 9
A minor add9 uses the notes: A, C, E, B
Our inversion uses the notes in this order: A, E, C, B, E
Weve featured an alternative inversion of this guitar chord here: C minor add9
Follow or subscribe to the RSS feed and tune in tomorrow for another Guitar Chord Of The Day.
Minor add9 chords can be played in place of most minor chords. It can replace chords ii, vi and iii in major keys (although using it instead of chord 3 introduces a non-scale note it still sounds good).
Minor add9 chords use these degrees of the major scale: 1, b3, 5, 9
A minor add9 uses the notes: A, C, E, B
Our inversion uses the notes in this order: A, E, C, B, E
Weve featured an alternative inversion of this guitar chord here: C minor add9
Follow or subscribe to the RSS feed and tune in tomorrow for another Guitar Chord Of The Day.
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