Creating a YouTube Channel

In order to upload your very own videos to YouTube, you need a YouTube channel. All students already have a YouTube account...

Look, I have a complete posting about this with instructions on the music tech blog. Here is the post.

All guitar students need to have a YouTube channel so as to post regular progress videos.

See me with questions.

Move Those Fingers!

We are going to attempt to move our right hand fingers in a finger style pattern called "Travis Picking". This style of playing was named for the great country player Merle Travis. The focus of this style is the driving, continuous alternating bass notes. While your thumb maintains this pattern, your other fingers are free to play melodies and syncopated chord patterns against it.
Here is a link to an adapted version of the Kansas song Dust in the Wind which uses a modified "Travis Picking" style.
Another song that uses "Travis picking" is Landslide by Fleetwood Mac

Basic Shapes for moveable 7th chords

Often we call bar chords "moveable" chord forms because once you have the bar in place you can move that voicing around the neck of the guitar without having to change fingerings (nice). You will notice that a couple of these chord voicings are moveable but don't use the bar. If you are continuing to map the neck (especially the 5th and 6th string) you should be able to quickly find a whole range of chords using these shapes.

Here There and Everywhere-Part IV

The final section of my arrangement of Here There and Everywhere. The last few chord forms can get kind of dicey without a cut-away on your guitar.
I took an overview photo of the chord forms, and then broke it down into groups of 3 and 4 chords. I will include a video of this section to help you hear how it should flow. Take what you can/want from this arrangement and chord voicings. It is a challenging arrangement but should give you a sense of accomplishment if you can put the whole thing together.

Single note reading and bass notes with chords (guitar I)

Students will choose 2 out of the 3 possible single note melodies and record a video playing the examples.




The following example is the chorus section of the song Lean on Me in which we play a double bass note before each chord strum. This will help strumming accuracy in the right hand.

Here There and Everywhere Part III - The Bridge

This installment features the bridge chords of my arrangement of this Beatles tune. I tend to improvise a bit around these chord shapes when I play it, but I highlighted the melody notes in the chord diagrams. There are challenges with playing all the melody notes with the chords. Try not to keep your hand locked into the chord shapes, but lift when needed to get the melody notes.

Here is some video for reference...

Here There and Everywhere - Part II

This series of chords complete the verse section of the Beatles' song Here There and Everywhere.
The notes in parenthesis are melody notes that can be added to the chord for chord-melody playing. These chords pick-up just where part I ends.

Neck Mapping

We have talked about the advantages of mapping the neck of the guitar. Unlike the piano keyboard, the guitar layout is not consistent. You have to study the neck to understand where the notes are located.

As we learn the construction process of chords, you should refer to this concept of neck mapping to not only understand why you place your hands in certain positions on the neck, but also how to build your own chord voicing.

Here There and Everywhere- part 1 (Guitar II)

I don't know how many installments this will need, but here are the first few measures of my arrangement of "Here There and Everywhere" by the Beatles.

Take chords slowly and try to bring out each note (strings not to be played are marked with an X)

sus9 chord substitute for 7th chords (Guitar II)

In some instances, the sus9 chord is a cool sounding substitue for a 7th chord. The sus9 chord is also sometimes labeled as F/G or C/D or some other triad in which the bass note is a step higher than the triad itself. You have to experiment with these chords to find the right situation to use them. Your ear should be your guide.

Bass notes and chord progressions (guitar I)

One of the beginning techniques is the ability to separate a bass note from a chord strum when playing a chord progression. Guitarists should strive to use the rest stroke on the bass strings. Let that pick come to rest on the next string after playing the bass note and before strumming the chord.
I am posting a chord progression annotated with the proper bass strings circled beneath the chord. This is the basic progression for the Beatle's song, I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends.

Neck Mapping: 6th string and 5th string (Guitar I and II)

As we move into power chords and eventually moveable bar chords, it becomes more and more important to know the notes on the 5th and 6th strings. It is on these strings that the chord letter name is played more often than not.

The above photo lists the notes on the 5th and 6th strings. You must commit these notes to memory. This is how you will know where to place your hand on the neck. Power chords are played on either the 6th string or the 5th string so it is vital to understanding these chords.

Harmonizing the line (Guitar II)

One way to make a single-note line sound fuller and richer is the use of harmonization. The most common harmonization is the use of 3rds or 6ths.

The following photos show a harmonized scale. The first photo shows the scale (FMajor) on the top string and the harmony note on the lower string (3rd string).

The second photo shows a scale (CMajor) in which the harmony note sounds on the higher string and the scale note on the lower string.

Try experimenting with the sound of the harmonized scale. Try sliding into the shapes. Try chromatic movement between the shapes.

The 9th chord (guitar II)

A ninth chord takes the 7th chord to a new level (literally).

The photo below shows the addition of the 9th to a 7th chord.

If we simply want to add a 9th to a basic triad (3 note chord), we call the chord an "add 9" chord.
The examples below are basic open position chords that have an "add 9"

The term "Major 9th" implies that the chord already has a Major 7th in the chord.
Below you can see an example of a CMajor9 chord. In this case, the "Major" refers to the fact that the chord is both Major and has a Major 7th.

Below you see an example of a Dominant 9 chord. This chord would likely be written as "C9". A dominant 9th implies that the chord already has a dominant 7th in it. In this case dominant means a Major triad with a flatted 7th. The 9th gets added above that. The notes of a C9 chord would be C, E, G, Bb, D