Acoustic Guitar Player

In the early 1990’s the Acoustic Guitar Magazine had some wonderful articles about the Golden Age of Hand Made Guitars, which is now.  What the magazine articles covered was the emergence of the small luthiery shop and the ability of the makers to turn out prestige instruments and to compete with, if not blow away the big guys.  One of the guitar makers that they covered was William (Grit) Laskin a Canadian Luthier and guitarplayer from Ontario.  Grit’s guitars are fine instruments and are eye catching because its inlay. To check out some of his beautiful instruments have a look at his site at William Laskin.

 The image below features an inlay of the great jazz guitar player Django Rheinhardt and legendary violinist Stephane Grapelli.

Larry Corryell, John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucia help take guitar improvisation to new heights in the seventies. Many people that are new to guitar and not aware of the standard that these players reached. Paco with his Flamenco background, McLaughlin with his Jazz and Indian, and Coryell with his Jazz, Rock and Fusion explorations. This youtube video is a McLaughlin piece that he recorded with his electric band The Mahvishnu Orchestra. To have one guitar player with the ability to play to this standard is brilliant, but to have three together bouncing of each other is almost unheard of. Not all people may wish to play that fast or in that style but it shows the level that players can aspire to.

Jazz guitar is more than just playing a few major 7 and minor 7 chords.  These chords existed and can be found in many classical pieces and other music forms.  I will not in this article attempt to define jazz guitar but I will continue on from what I wrote just under a week ago about moving bass parts .   I have taken the previous exercise and added a little more to it.   What I have done is broken up the chord triad (three note chord) to seperate the bass part out from the rest of the chord.  This type of playing adds a bit more of a bounce to the chord progression. 

Take your time with it.  For those that have a bit of trouble reading dots the rhythmic pattern is just:

 1  +  2       3 +   4        1  +  2       3 +   4    (the + sign equals a half beat) 

If you are not used to this style, once you sort it you’ll see it opens up a lot of possibilities in your playing. Let me know how you go with it.

For a printable version click  Jazz Guitar Moving Bass Parts Free Tab and Notation

 I will write the 3rd part to this article with the next 7 days

My other guitar blog is at acousticguitarist.wordpress.com
 

John McLaughlin and Shakti came to the fore in the mid seventies, at the time they had John McLaughlin on a guitar with a scalloped fretboard, some drone strings and an Indian gentleman L Shankar on violin both playing at an awesome speed.  John was known for his explorations into electric improvised music with Mahavishnu Orchestra.  John McLaughlan studied Indian music with Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, at one point Ali was rated the greatest musician in the world by Yehudi Menhuin (one of the worlds greatest classical viloinists) . 

Unless a person has studied Indian music it could be difficult to miss how complex it is and in a way this playing is a part of guitar history because it took the guitar into new areas and created new possibilities and raised the standard of guitar playing way above what we had considered possible.

My favourite Shakti album was Handful of Beauty

The folowing John McLaughlin youTube was from 1974. The interplay between musicians is of an unbelievably high standard

To show the diversity of this musician I’ve added a youtube of him playing a jazz standard for the fun of it.

By the way he’s still playing.

David Grisman and Jerry Garcia are both legends in their own right.  Gerry Garcia a former member of the Grateful Dead has long moved on to wherever ALL the dead go; wheras David Grisman is a living legend that has made a name playing Dawg music, bluegrass, country, folk with some serious jazz overtones at times with players such as Tony Rice, Mark O’Connor and Stephane Grapelli to name a few.

The youtube that I have posted about today is a cover of BB King’s The Thrill is Gone, it is held together by an all acoustic rhythm section of Bass and Percussion. This is a basic A minor blues that really lends itself to classic Grisman style of mandolin improvisation which is instantly recognizable and has the classic trademark of melody and and fluent flowing lines.  The video is very theartical in its presentation and Garcia’s guitar playing although simple is perfectly suitable for this song,  the choice of f hole guitar and slightly gravely voice only add to it’s brilliance.

I first heard of Ralph Towner in the mid seventies when he played with the acoustic ensemble/ band called Oregon.  I rember at the time they .played 72 instruments amongst the four members, Colin Walcott (late), Glen Moore,  Paul MaCandless.  Ralph Towner single handedly opened the door for many players to follow, he played a form of contemporay jazz on the nylon string guitar and also 12 string guitar.  Ralph Towner is also one of my favourite piano players, his chord playing at times reminds me of Bill Evans. His guitar playing is a mix of jazz improvisation and classical (to say the least).  You may hear him play straight jazz tunes at times but his approach makes them unique.  Personally I think he is one of the truly great guitar innovators of our time and his impact on a lot of players has been to think a little differently about the nylon string guitar.

Ihave owned about fifteen albums featuring Ralph Towner, not only with Oregon but with Paul Winter, Chic Correa, John Abercrombie and numerous others  on Manfred Eichers ECM label. The youtube I have posted about is called the Reluctant Bride, it is typical of Towners playing, a cross betwen arranged music and improvisation.  What i like about Ralphs playing is his willingness to take risks and head into harmonic areas that other players don’t dare to go. 

I have been fortunate to see Ralph Towner play a couple of times in my life, once with Gary Peacock in Athens Greece and with the band Oregon in Sydney Australia. If you get the chance to see Ralph Towner live, make the best of the opportunity, it truly is a music lesson on the guitar.

This guitar blog site is updated regularly with quality content to inspire other guitar players and also other guitar teachers

If you are just begining to learn to play jazz guitar chord changes, you’ll love this.  It is a simple four chord pattern in C major: C major 7 , A minor 7 , D minor 7 and a G 7; commonly known as a 1 6 4 5 chord pattern.  I’ve written the chords as triads, triads are three note chords.  Each chord is approached from one note (one fret) above,.

 It should have a bit of bounce in it when you play it. It’s very normal to play this sort of thing when accompanying a jazz singer or in a small group that has no bass player.

Click the link for the free TAB and notation of this simple guitar lesson.  Moving bass parts jazz guitar

Please note, there was a small music typo in the origanl pdf file that was uploaded, it had a Bb insead of an Ab in he second bar.  It has been fixed.

I first became aware of the jazz guitar player Martin Taylor in the early eighties when I was studying withthe brillian  jazz guitar legend Ike Isaacs.  Over a ten year period Ike made it quite clear that ‘Martin Taylor’ was the best.  After hearing what he does and having a good understanding of the technical side of guitar playing, and trusting in Ike Isaacs experience there’s no question about Martins credentials.  If you’ve heard Martin playing jazz ballads solo you’d get what we are discussing here. 

I’ve posted about this acoustic guitar youTube because I thought it would be great for you to hear Martin Taylor doing something outside the straight jazz guitar style.  This youTube of Martin is extremely interesting, he was inspired by one of my other all time favourite guitar players Ralph Towner, Towner plays nylon string and 12 string acoustic guitar.  there is a preamble before the tune starts and it is really worth listening to and when he finally starts playing I have no doubt you wil be inspired in some way.  I was fortunate to see my dear friend Ike play duets in concert with Martin Taylor not so long before Ike Isaacs died.  Ike, although a jazz player of the highest standard would always encourage us to be creative and partiucularly like it when I played open tuning guitar, no doubt he would love what Martin is doing these days.

The song is called “Down at Cocomos”, it is  a very lighthearted piece of music, don’t underestimate what you are seeing.

Here is a link to Martin’s Homepage

Pat Metheny came to the fore in the 1970’s playing with the brilliant vibraphone player Gary Burton.  Many music enthusiasts listened to the contemporary jazz that was recorded by producer Manfred Eicher in Europe on the ECM label. 

In this youtube video Pat Metheny is playing a guitar made by Canadian Luthier Linda Manzer, a brilliant luthier that has also built guitars for Bruce Cockburn,  the great Canadian singer guitarist.

Pat Metheny is playing Nora Jones’s Don’t Know Why that he reorded on the solo album One Quiet Night.  Pat Metheny plays various styles of hybrid jazz and other acoustic styles.  He is known for his musicality, meaning it doesn’t just sound lot a lot of notes going nowhere.  There are few guitarists that I have heard in contemporary music that are as musical.  When you listen closely to this song and compare it to the original, you’ll realise how clever Pat is.  He also wrote the song that David Bowie sang in the movie ‘The Falcon and the Snowman’.  Note how he has reharmonized the song at about the 3 minute level.

Pat Metheny and people such as Eberhard Weber, Chic Correa, John Abercrombie, Ralph Towner and Keith Jarrett introduced many people to a style of music that could have easily been ignored. They aded a freshness to music. Thirty years later he is still making new valid musical statements. His recent work with Bass player Charlie Haden is incredibly beautiful, the album Beyond The Missouri Sky recorded in 1997 is essential listening if you are a guitar player that likes chords, melody and guita arrangements.

In this guitar tutorial I cover Chord triads using 7th chords.

Have you ever found that when you are playing guitar that your chords sound a bit BIG and that you’d like to create a bit more space for the other players? Here’s a great solution.

I learnt a lot of things from the great Jazz Guitar Player Ike Isaacs when he lived in Sydney.  One thing that he taught me was how to play triads.  His reasoning was that they were more mobile and it was easier to move a three note chord.  I find them very useful for playing fingerstyle accompaniment and it’s really easy to add a few extra bass notes here and there to make it even more interesting.  On a semi acoustic guitar like a Gibson ES 175 they can sound gorgeous. These day I play an Ibanez 105N and they sound just as sweet.

 This exercise is based totally on seventh chords, working through the cycle of fifths ( in reverse) , as soon as you start ataying it your ears will tell you where it is going.  I’ve started it  up on the 12th fret at E7.  You may like to start at bar four of the exercise just to get used to it, and when you are ready then move up to the twelfh and work your way down.

 The pattern goes E7, A7, D7, G7, C7, F7, Bb7, Eb7, Ab7, Db7, Gb7, B7.

 The fingering I use is fingers 1, 2 and 4 on the first chord then 2, 3, 4 on the next one etc

You will notice I’ve left out one of the chord notes in every chord, the 5th, but note how the seventh chord still retains its basic sound.

For the Printable downloadable version click Using seventh Triads for guitar chord playing

Guitar players and other musicians get a little musically stale, you know that feeling when you feel absolutely and totally uninspired?

One of the reasons is that it’s easy to be disorganised, sound familiar?

Another is because you’re playing the same thing over and over.

Some weeks ago I started writing a few variations on a a blues scale, things that I use unconsciously, so I thought I’d share them.  G Blues sits very nicely on the acoustic guitar.  Don’t worry if you can’t read music dots, the guitar tab is there as well and is easy to follow.

The G blues Variation that I have done is not a song. It is some scalar (new word…I just made it up) ideas that can be used over a straight blues that consists of G7, C7 and D7. Easy enough.  You’ll notice I haven’t written so the ascend and then descend, I’ve added some little twists to make it more musical.  I know many guitarists that play real hard at scales to get faster and faster and faster and faster…then eventually they play themselves off the map because they are “Great Scale Players” but are musically numb. As I’ve played for so long and have suffer every musical ailment I think a little more about what I put out. 

 The standard Blues scale, what I refer to as a Minor Blues scale is G, B flat, C,  D Flat, F

The things I put on my blogs are very good resources, the other guitar players that can play well realise this and many of the visitors don’t realise what they are getting here for free, there’s years of work offered here.

To download the printable version click G Blues Scale Variations Free Tab and Notation

I generally don’t write about clasical guitar as I stick pretty much to steel string. But I think it’s important to be aware of all the different styles and approaches. So I have decided to post about Narciso yepes. Narciso is one of my all time favourite classical guitar players.  This youTube is a standard song called Romance, a song that can be played beuatifully if the player concentrates properly.  Although it is a reasonably simple guitar piece, and has been interpreted by many players of very different skill levels, there is still plenty of room for interpretation.

I first heard Yepes in the seventies playing the music of De Falla and also Rodriguez.  He died in 1997, he was Spanish and played the ten string guitar.

Any piece of music in the hands of the right person can be beautiful

John Butler is one of the great contemporay guitar players that manages to be be cool enough to fit nicely into the contemporay acoustic rock market but is well respected by his peers.  He’s no slouch as a guitarist, is very popular in Australia and bridges the gap between styles. You’ll often find his music categorized in the music shops under roots. He uses technology extremely well and can overdrive an acoustic guitar but it still sounds musical. His years busking has helped him develop a style that has confidence and strength. He uses a number of open tunings on the guitar, for those that are unfamiliar with what that means, quite simply: The guitar is tuned differently, this creates a number of new tonal possibilities that are not physically possible in normal tuning. John was born in California.

This song is called ‘The Ocean’

Andy McKee is definitely one of the most interesting guitar players I’ve heard since Michael Hedges.  There have been quite a few guitar players that have attempted to do the Hedges style of open tuning/ percussive /hammer-on pull off approach but what I like about Andy is his ability to keep it musical.  A good test of music is to close your eyes and see what it sounds like.  There are many flashy guitar players out there but Andy’s guitar playing stands up by itself unaccompanied. 

Hats off to the man. acousticguitarist.wordpress.com

There are also other interesting resources, articles and videos at my other guitar blog that specilaises in acoustic guitar. acousticguitar.wordpress.com

Many guitar players that I have met have managed to play at very high standard but due to life’s circumstances they found themselves in situations where they virtually stopped playing guitar.  It could be because family, disillusionment with the music industry, health, substance abuse, or many other scenarios that can leave a musician feeling uninspired. Over the period of time that I have played guitar, even though I have an incredibly deep passion for music, I personally have found that have been times that I have drifted away from music. As a guitar player you often find yourself ‘between jobs’ and this is the time when a lot of life’s challenges and diversion get in the way of music.  Many of the things I discuss in my blog posts, I have never seen addressed in music books or discussed openly by most players. I have decided to write about this because I recently got together with a very good guitar player that I played with just under twenty years ago, he all but stopped playing for a number of years, this for me is a fantastic thing because good players need to play and it is a loss to all of us when they don’t.

So here are a number of things that I think will help some of the players that have stopped playing, ease back into music.

1. Find some recordings that will inspire you to play.  Make sure they are not too complex.
2. Clean up your guitar.  Get rid of any old dirt on the fretboard
3. Change the strings; I recommend going a gauge lighter
4. Make sure your instrument is set up well
5. Allot some time to practice.  Formalise it by writing it down and stick to it

Stay there for the whole session, turn off the mobile, unplug the sign, and put a note on the door

6. Do some simple exercises to get your fretting hand going
7. Do some picking exercises (fingerstyle or plectrum) to get the picking hand going
8. Write a short list of songs that you used to play.  Make sure they are not too complex, if need be get some simple charts just in case your memory is a bit foggy
9. Don’t waste time playing snippets of music that you can’t really remember, this could dishearten you; you may end up getting frustrated
10. Be really focused but keep as relaxed as possible
11. When you finish, make sure you finish on a song that you can play reasonably ok
12. Write a plan for your next session and stick to it

There are many other things that may be useful but the ones listed above include most of the aspects that require attention, these include: 

A good working instrument

A plan

Techniques

Mental attitude

Have you ever been to watch a guitarist play and he/she spend so much time frigging around on the stage before they start playing the first song that you are already wishing you hadn’t bothered going to see them? Regardless whether it be blues, classical, rock or whatever style, it’s darn annoying.

Some  players are fantastic at chatting and tuning up before they start, they have got it down so that it’s become part of the act.  This sort of skill you are born with or it comes from years of performing.  If you don’t have this skill, there are a number of things to consider. 

Here’s a list of what you need to think about:

• Are you there early enough?
• Have you checked out the room?
• Do you know where the power points are?
• Are your cables long enough?
• What PA system is available and do you know how to use it?
• Have you done a set list?
• Is there a place you can tune up quickly nearby?
• Do you have spare plectrums and strings?
• Is your guitar in good working order?
• Do you have spare batteries if you need them?
• Do you know the tunes well enough to be performing?
• Is your mobile off?  Unless it’s part of the act

These things listed above are part of a long list of things that need to be considered if you are performing in public.

And the BIG one:  Don’t ever practice the song you are about to play on stage before you play it… I’ve seen this so many times.

And do a sound check if humanly possible and tune your instrument properly

I first became aware of the guitar player Jorge Strunz in 1976 when he played beautiful and blistering speed guitar on the Caldera album, the jazz rock (for lack of words) band from South America.  Some years later I was pleased to hear that he had teamed up with the Iranian born guitar player Ardeshir Farar. The blend of the two styles together worked beauifully.  Flamenco has middle eastern roots, so the combination of the two players was bound to work.  This tune has a hand drum and violin accompaniment.  These guys are ‘as fast as’,  but maintain a sense of melody regardless.  If you haven’t heard them, you are in for a treat if you appreciate magnificent guitar players. 

As guitar players, I think we need to be in awe of these guys, because if you play guitar you would probably realise how good they are. I’m tempted to say ’shred’ hre and there but they are very musical and take the listener through so many phases in this one song.  I own there first few solo albums on vinyl….they are not going anywhere and I consider them irreplacable.

Philip Catherine may be unknown guitarist to many people but he was the guitarist that joined Focus (Hocus Pocus) after the great Jan Akkerman left. The following video shows him in in action on what loks like a Lowden guitar.  Nigel Clark is a superb guitar player from Scotland. Another great Scottish player worth investigating is Martin Taylor.

These guys are serious.  Some of you readers may remember the incredible duets that Philip did with Larry Coryell on the Splendid and Twin House albums of the 70’s. Some of plectrum guitarists greatest in action

This is a brilliant duet that exemplifies how beautiful two guitars of different styles can work together, still play fast and sound musical.  Coryell’s playing in this tune, when he takes a guitar break reminds of the great player from Belgium Philip Catherine.  It’s a very fine line always, playing at a very high technical level but trying to keep musical.  Playing fast is not hard at all, being musical and playing fast is hard.  It requires technique, restraint and the correct use of both speed, space and phrasing.

The late great Joe Pass is a perfect example of someone that has mastered improvisation on the guitar.  Although he didn’t play straight acoustic guitar, he was a master of the semi-acoustic, what’s a few different shaped sound holes amongst friends anyway. I first bought the Joe Pass guitar books over 30 years ago now.  What is really important to recognise is that we don’t necessarily play the same style as a person/guitarist but they can still inspire us, give us a new resource to draw from and help us to develop as guitar players.

 The tune is “All the Things You Are”. 

Some people are intimidated by great players. But I find all good players inspring, regardless of style because they show us a potential that we may not have ever considered.

Although technology can sometimes get in our way and make some very simple things complex, example you make a phone call and end up speaking to a robot that doesn’t recognise your dialect when you answer a simple ‘yes/no’ question, it can at times surprise you when you least expect it.  And I don’t mean the money machine in the wall that supplies money when you put that little plastic card into it suddenly makes an error in your favour with lots of zeros on the end. 

I’ve had a habit of every now and then recording pieces of music and then forgetting about them.  As I work with computers a lot, like every single day of my life, I’ve got this habit of backing up data.  Now data comes in all shapes and sizes. And when I back up, I find things.

Late last year I had an emergency situation where I needed to get a newacoustic guitar with a reasonable pickup system to record direct to a recorder instead of using microphones.   Of course I had to test it out, whilst testing the guitar out I recorded a solo guitar piece of music with the guitar tuned to C G C G C F, pretty mad tuning really but I studied Indian music and it’s similar to what I used to use with a great Sarod player Ashok Roy.

 Well, I listened to it and it’s pretty beautiful, and beautiful things are to be shared. I haven’t edited it at all.

I named it after the poem by the great Persian poet Rumi, someone dear to me used to carry that poem with her always

 “Come, Come, who ever your are
Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving,
it doesn’t matter
Ours is not a caravan of despair
Even if you have broken your vows
A thousand times it doesn’t matter
Come, yet again, come”

To download it

 click here acoustic guitar mp3 By Tony Hogan

TIRED OF PLAYING THAT SAME OLD BLUES SCALE?

In keeping with my secret desire to help raise the standard of guitar players globally, I decided to sit down and write another tutorial for those players that want to extend their playing a little when playing a blues.

Here’s why I love playing blues. I can go to many places in the world (and I have been) and sit down with a group of musicians of any standard, they don’t even have to speak the same language and we can make music together.  Blues can be simple or complex, or any standard inbetween and all the other players have a pretty good idea where things are going. What can happen though is when you play Blues over and over, you may find it can get a little predictable, and if you’re not in one of those musical moments when the inspiration tap is on, you can feel a bit musically dry.  You may not feel to fired up about playing the same old blues scale for th 24,000th time. So what I’ve done is create a few more options based around a basic A Blues. 

As you’d probably know, the foundation chords of an A Blues are A7 D7 and E7.  You’ll notice in the chords I’ve used,  instead of a D7 I’ve used a D7th with a different bass note, no big deal, just another way of playing it.  Also for the E7th I’ve used a G sharp in the bass.  Easy enough if you look closely.Now remember, always play with feeling, take your time, enjoy what you are doing.

Click the Link to download the GOOD QUALITY PRINT VERSION A blues scale variations Tab and Free Notation

Improve your Blues Guitar playing

Blues guitar players. You know when you get a little bit stale with your guitar playing, you find yourself improvising the same as you always have and you feel you want something to help break your habits.

 Well today I sat down and wrote some simple blues scales which will enable you to play a blues different to the way that you would nonmally do.   A lot of blues / rock  players are familiar with the standard blues scale E G A B flat B D E, well that’s fine but why not play with not only feeling but a bit more thought.

The scales I’ve put together go over the standard Blues in E, an E7th chord, A7th chord and a B7th chord, no big deal. 

BUT, the scale I’ve used for the E consists of an extra note, a G sharp as well as a G, you end up with a very nice sound by using five notes next to each other, (check out the TAB / Notation) the G G sharp and A B flat and B.  Just try it, your ears will tell you why I’m showing it to you.

Over the A7th, I’ve used a very simple five note scale A C Csharp E G, this really spells out the A7th chord but also having a C note gives it a very bluesy feel.  Remember, often it’s what you leave out that gives music its characteristic.

For the B7th, I’ve used a hybrid scale, a bit of this and that, it’s intentional, what I felt was required was a scale that implied a B7th chord but sat nicely with the E blues chord progression.  You’ll notice it has a B D D sharp E G A in it, I’ve played around by running the scale a little higher past the B, up to the D. 

In the exercise I’ve also added simple chord fingerings.  This works very well on an acoustic guitar, yes also on electric, but the open notes sound very sweet on an acoustic, best played a nice late afternoon just before the sun goes down.  Take it slowly, you’ll be surprised how much there is in these simple exercises.

Enjoy it. 

To download the Free printable TAB and Notation Blues guitar exercise, click the link below now

Blues Guitar TAB Notation exrcises

To improve your guitar playing you need to get your hands on some good guitar exercises that will help get your fingers play different patterns than what they are used to.  Most guitar players get caught in a musical rut because they only play certain exercises that are repetitive and predictable.  Although I always stress that the end result needs to be good music that sounds musical and not like scales or exercises, there is still a need to strengthen the fingers on a regular basis so you’ll be equiped to play at a decent standard.

The exercise above is a  sort of a crab walk where you play to fingers then jump to the next string.  When you get this one down, try swapping the order of the fingers e.g. 21 34 21 34 etc.  I highly recommend after you have done some finger exercises, it is worthwhile playing some music.   idon’t recommend finishing the day or musical practice session on finger exercises.  It is important to get something back from the practice session, and that is MUSIC itself.

I’ve uploaded a printable version to make it is easier on your eyes.  Click the link to download

Guitar Finger Exercise - Free Tab and Music Notation

 Free Tab and Guitar Notation guitar Exercises

Sometimes there’s very little time to warm up before playing a live gig.  you’ve done everything right, been organised, turn up early and kappow, everything goes skewiff.  I always like to warm up before I play.  Above is a very basic warm up exercise that I have found to be very valuable if there is very little time befor I go on live.

It is a simple D major arpeggio (A chord broken up) played across the top (highest sounding) three strings of the guitar.  Work your way all the way up the neck.  Yes there are many exercises, but if I’m really pushed for time, I’ve found this one to be tremendous.

 PRINTABLE VERSION available Click Here Guitar Warm Up

Learning to play a Twelve Bar Blues is very common.  What I’ve done is written out a simple 12 Bar blues but in a minor key instead of using the standard seventh chords. It has a much softer feel than the standard E7 A7 B7. What you will use is an E Minor 7th chord, and an A minor 7th chords instead of the E7 and A7.

 This is very soulful sounding and works well if you play it slow

Click on the link to download the printable acrobat reader pdf
E minor Blues Free Notation and Tab 12 bar blues

To improvise over this use the E minor Blues scale that is also useable over a standard blues.

You’ll find it here http://the-guitarplayer.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/e_blues_scale_3_octave.pdf

My previous post was about using triads, three note chords. Many guitar players would be familiar with the common four chord progression

C  Am  Dm G  If you’ve been doing a little study about music over the years you’d probably know that this chord progression is known as  1 - 6 - 2 - 5.  The reason for calling it this is because if you carefully look at a simple C major scale ( C D E F G A B C) you’ll notice that the 1st 6th 2nd and 5th notes are C A D G.  From there we add a number of  additional notes to create chords.

 So, onto triads.  As stated in my last post, triads have  alot of ‘bounce’ in them, in the right song this chord progression is very very nice.  It won’t work all the time for every song, but if you are new to playing triads you might enjoy experimenting with what I’m showing you.  It’s a very different way of playing. The chords have a few extensions.  E.G. instead of C we’re using C Major Seven, for A minor - A minor Seven, D minor - D minor Seven and instead of a straight G , we’ll us a G Seven because it moves nicely back to C. 

 Download the Printable Version by clicking here Guitar Triads 1 6 2 5 chord progression

For some guitar players the following article, tab and notation could be some of the most useful material that you have got their hands on in a long time.  Don’t be fooled by the simpleness of it.  When the penny drops and the light comes on it will open up a whole new way of playing and enable you to relax as a guitar player.

A lot of guitar players think that jazz guitart is hard.  Well it’s only hard if you’ve got someone making it that way for you, it’s really quite simple when it’s all broken down and taught by a sensible human.  Often it’s what you leave out in music that makes it sound better.  It’s very easy to overplay, to use everything you know in the one song, lots of players do that. 

I wasn’t planning to write this article today but somehow, I found myself lying on the couch and I was contemplating anything but music, whilst I was lying there a thought came into my head that there are lots of players that could use this bit of information that I’m about to share but don’t know how to go about it or probably hadn’t even considered it.

Now I’ll make this clear, YOU DON’T NEED TO PLAY JAZZ to use the information that comes out of that style of music.  The great guitarist / guitar teacher Ike Isaacs used to stress that.  He’d often asked me to play my open-tuning guitar compositions for him that I had written.

What I used a lot when working with other players was TRIADS, these are three note chords that contain the general sound of a chord.   Triads are useful because they have a lot of bounce in them, it’s very easy to move from chord to chord, and the main thing is when you play you aren’t hogging all the musical frequencies.  It’s nice to create space so the other players can be heard, also it’s easier to add little fills and move from one chord above or below.

So, what I’ve done here is I’ve taken a simple twelve (12) bar blues chord pattern and played only three note chords (triads) .  There’s nothing fancy here, just one chord played on the first beat every bar and held for 4 beats.

E.G. Chord 2 3 4 Chord 2 3 4. 

I play this sort of thing fingerstyle, but that’s not so important, you could use your thumb, pick or chopstick if you wanted to.  Just avoid the open strings or deaden out any string that gets in the way by gently laying a left hand (lefties use the other other please) finger on it or gently bump it with a spare finger.

If you are not used to using triads, get used to it.  a friend of mine was runner up in a guitar competition when he was about 20, this guy is a  very scary player, the competition had Jeff Skunk Baxter on the panel; a year or so later when I showed him how to use a number of triads it blew his brain and revolutionized his playing.   I have the philosophy that you can learn from everyone. 

To download the free printable pdf file click the link >>> E blues guitar triads made simple

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I’ve uploaded this free DADGAD guitar notation and tab scale for you to download.  For anyone that’s new here DADGAD is another way of tuning the guitar.  It’s been popular for a number of guitar players for about 30 years or so.  This scale is interesting to play because of the fingering.  And a little tip about playing scales, THE END RESULT IS TO MAKE GOOD MUSIC and not to be a great scale player.  Scales are simply something to get your fingers moving, to create flexibility and familiarity with the fingerboard.

Enjoy the DADGAD scale, keep it musical. DADGAD Scale D Major in PDF format

Recently I’ve been working on recording some guitar projects for clients.  And am currently developing some very unique guitar educational material.

CLICK the link to download DADGAD Scale D Major in PDF format

 If you’re not at the stage of plasying open tunings yet, check out the lessons below.

Here’s a country blues scale that can be used for improvisation.  You’ll notice the fingering is a little unusual at first.  I recommend that you might try the other version of the scale first, the one just beneath this one.  If you entered the site via a search engine you will find it at this address http://the-guitarplayer.com/?p=77 I have written it with this fingering because if you are playing down near the head of the guitar using open strings and open chords, you could find it really useful.  But as I said try the other one first.

To download the printable pdf file click below:

E Country blues scale - fingering for acoustic guitar free tab and notation

E Country scale is really a C sharp Blues scale.  This scale works, if you play folk, country, acoustic rock any thing at all in the key of E with the basic chords E A B or B7 this scale will work beautifully for improvisation. 

I have written the scale ascending (from lowest sounding notes to high).  As I am aware that people like variation and can become bored and even sound extremely unmusical with scales ascending and descending, I have played around with the descent of the scale t make it musical.  Remember, music is to be musical not mechanical.

 To Download the printable pdf click the link below:

E country blues scale free download tab and music notation

Over the years I have worked through many of the Stefan Grossman books.  His contribution to the development of the guitar is often not recognized by many players.  His arrangements and tutorials are very well written and even after 20 years or  more of owning his books I find things that are useful references.

Complete Country Blues Guitar Book By Stefan Grossman. For Guitar (Fingerpicking). Solos. Complete. Blues. Book/CD Set. 260 pages. Published by Mel Bay Publications, Inc. (94710BCD) Level: Beginning-Intermediate. See more info…

Stefan Grossman’s Early Masters of American Blues Guitar: Country Blues Guitar Transcribed by Stefan Grossman. Guitar tablature songbook and examples CD for acoustic guitar. Series: Stefan Grossman’s Early Masters of American Blues Guitar. 96 pages. Published by Alfred Publishing. (AP.25983) See more info…

Acoustic Country Blues Guitar By Dave Rubin. Guitar Educational. With notes and tablature. 80 pages. Published by Hal Leonard. (695139) See more info…

I was sitting around this morning and listening to an album that I haven’t listened to for a few weeks now.  I like acoustic guitar recordings a lot, but I also like to explore other material.  The album that I was listening to was by the Norwegiuan sax player Jan Garbarek, Tunisian Oud player Anouar Brahem and percussionist Shaukat Hussain. I noticed that the first song was a Norwegian folk song that had been turned into an improvisational piece. 

 It got me thinking, maybe I could write a simple guitar arrangement of the tune, the melody was short but quite interesting.  So I sat down and worked out the basic melody and because it was in C, I decided to tune one of my guitars to C, well C with an F on top, instead of the high E, up a semi-tone.  The reason for the F is because the song is built around C minor and I felt that by going up to F you’d have the C on the 7th fret instead of 8, this is much more suitable for improvisation.

An explanation of what I’ve done:  The first 6 bars is the head (melody), the next 4 is an extremely simple arpeggio vamp to play around with and improvise over.  If you can find a melodic instrumentist ( that can improvise) to play with this could be a very suitable piece of music. The arpeggio is to give you something to improvise over.

The tune needs to be played very loosely but in time.   The original that inspired me is on a recording called Madar on the ECM label.  I’m assuming that because it’s a traditional folk song there wouldn’t be an issue with copyright. I’ve just taken the basic idea of a melody and not copied an arrangement.  

Tune the guitar from the lowest bass string:  E down to C, A down to G, D down to C, G stays the same, B up to C, E up to F.  It will take a couple of tunings for the guitar to settle.  

To download the sheetmusic and tab for free

C open tuning arrangement for guitar in pdf

For other great resources check out John Fahey…he may not need an introduction.  And Steve Baughman, a fantastic open tuner.

Fingerstyle & Slide Guitar in Open Tunings Taught by John Fahey. For Guitar (Fingerpicking). Solos. Grossman Audio. All Styles. Book/CD Set. 56 pages. Published by Grossman’s Guitar Workshop. (99801BCD) Level: Intermediate. See more info…

Beginning Open Tunings By Steve Baughman. For Guitar (Fingerpicking). Methods. All Styles. Book/CD Set. 32 pages. Published by Mel Bay Publications, Inc. (20056BCD) Level: Beginning. See more info…

Ever wonder how the country guitar players make it sound so easy and so right,  playing over  a simple chord pattern like

C F and G or C Am F G.  Wonder no more. Play this scale over the top of it

 It’s an A blues scale starting on C …it works, easy guitar stuff…

CLICK THE LINK BELOW

Download free tab of A blues scale in pdf

Basix[R]: Scales and Modes for Guitar By Steve Hall And Ron Manus. For Guitar. Guitar Method or Supplement. Basix[R] Series. Book & CD. 64 pages. Published by Alfred Publishing. (16768) See more info…

The Blues Scales - Guitar Edition (Essential Tools for Jazz Improvisation) Written by Dan Greenblatt. Instructional book and examples/accompaniment CD for guitar. 88 pages. Published by Sher Music Company. (SR.BSGT) See more info…

Free guitar tab. E blues scale over 3 octaves for acoustic guitar

 to download click on the link below

E blues scale over 3 octaves for acoustic guitar

Blues/Rock Soloing for Guitar (A Guide to the Essential Scales, Licks and Soloing Techniques) Taught by Robert Calva. Instructional book and accompaniment CD for guitar. Series: Hal Leonard Musicians Institute Press. 48 pages. Published by Musicians Institute Press. (HL.695680) See more info…

Scales Over Chords (How To Improvise…And Never Play Bad Notes!) Written by Randy Lee Vradenburg, Wilbur M. Savidge. Instructional book and examples/accompaniment CD for guitar. 159 pages. Published by Praxis Music Publications. (MS.BS70297) See more info…

Chord Chemistry Written by Ted Greene. Instructional book for guitar. 114 pages. Published by Alfred Publishing. (AP.EL02778) See more info…

Here  is a simple blues scale to be  used over an E Blues .  It has a minor 3rd, meaning the 3rd note of a normal E scale is flattened to G instead of G sharp.  It also has a flat 5, a B flat as well as a B natural ( neither sharp nor flat).  Tote that it uses a flattened 7th, a D natural instead of the D sharp that is the 7th note of a standard E scale.

I have uploaded a file in PDF format for you to download and print out, or virw on the screen, it will give you a better print than trying to print the image.  To download, click the link Free download TAB E Blues Scale for acoustic guitar

Pentatonic Scales for Guitar (The Essential Guide) Written by Chad Johnson. Instructional book and examples/accompaniment CD for guitar. 40 pages. Published by Hal Leonard. (HL.695699) See more info…

Scale Chord Relationships (A Guide to Knowing What Notes to Play - and Why!) Written by Jeff Schroedl, Michael Mueller. Instructional book and examples CD for guitar. 40 pages. Published by Hal Leonard. (HL.695563) See more info…

A Guide To Chords, Scales & Arpeggios By Al Di Meola (1954-). Instructional book for guitar. 110 pages. Published by 21st Century Publications. (HL.604042) See more info…

Guitar Grimoire - Scales & Modes Written by Adam Kadmon. Instructional book for guitar. 211 pages. Published by Carl Fischer. (CF.GT1) See more info…