The Guitar Study Newsletter for 5/29/2002

By Darrin Koltow

Greetings once again from MaximumMusician.com. This is Darrin Koltow, guitar coach, web monkey, fret fan, lute looter, straight shooter, string strummer and all around good guy, bringing you more music making, guitar-playing tips. First I want to thank you again for signing up for the Guitar Study newsletter at www.MaximumMusician.com. You can unsubscribe at any time using instructions at the end of this email.

Now, you know what happens when you keep all this cool guitar knowledge to yourself: it grows and grows until your head starts to swell up. The only way to relieve the pressure is to tell all your pals, buddies and friends to sign up for the Guitar Study newsletter. Send 'em to www.MaximumMusician.com.

In this issue:

== Slash and burn ==
== Desert island guitar instruction ==
== One note samba ==
== A la mode ==
== New software announcement ==
== Why tab is good ==

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== Slash and burn ==

Ah, the joys of slash chords. Okay, let's get something cleared up right away: slash chords are *not* different from the chords you already know. When you hear someone using the term slash chords, this person is simply applying a different way of looking at an existing chord.

Example: E7 can be written as E/D. Now, hold your horses before you go and play this. That E/D is a pretty ugly E7. In other words, it really doesn't sound like an E7. It isn't a "proper" E7. It doesn't get invited to E7 Christmas parties, and A would be mortified at the thought of being preceded by this E/D. Why? We're getting away from the main point, but it's important to explain: ya don't want to have the 7th of a dom 7 in the bass. You want the first or the fifth. In this case, that means the E or the B.

Okay. Back to the E/D. What's great about notating E/D is that, unlike reading "E7," reading "E/D" gives you a clue about the voicing of the chord. That is, you know the D is in the bass. The "E7" notation doesn't tell you that.

Where would you see slash chords notated? You'll see them all over the place, but you'll see a lot of them when the composer is *creating a melody in the bass line* -- especially a chromatically descending bass line. Let's illustrate this:

(Remember to set your newsreader font to Courier or Courier New, unless you like to read Ancient Greek.)

|-5-5-4--|
|-7-4-5--|
|-6-4-4--|
|-5-4-6--|
|-----7--|
|--------|

Check out that first chord. What the heck is that? Well, if you forget about slash chord notation for a moment, you might call it something like a Gmaj#11, add 9, or something like that. But, who wants to read that?

Bring our memory of slash chord notation back into your mind, and you'll call that first chord simply a F#minor/G . Highly hip. That's a heckuva lot cleaner looking than Gmaj# blah, blah, blah, isn't it? And, the slash chord notation also communicates more clearly the true progression: it's just a ii-V-I in E. However, running along the bottom of that ii-V-I, I decided I wanted a bluesey bass line. Play the tab again, and you'll hear what I mean: G, F#, E. We're in the key of E major, but I dig the blues, so I put the blue G in there.

The next time you're struggling with the chords when reading a piece of music, and you don't see the chords notated in slash notation, take a look at the bass line. Is there a melodic bass line going on there? If so, rewrite the chords in slash notation and see if they don't make more sense.

== Desert island guitar instruction ==

Yes, this is the guitarist's version of Survivor. You're stuck on a desert island that has everything you need to live, except for one thing: a guitar. What are you going to do to learn the guitar in this scenario?

No, sorry, "give up" is not an acceptable answer. Failure is not an option. What you are gonna do is hunker down and use the most important part of any guitarist's learning strategy: your mind.

First, you're going to remember that cool article on WholeNote called something like "Learn the notes: no Guitar Needed." I'll summarize the method behind that article here for you: flashcards. On your desert island, find yourself some papyrus or leaves, and write out "String 1, fret 0," "String 2, fret 1," etc. on the fronts. On the backs, you write the names of the notes.

Once you have every string-fret combo written out, quiz your brains out. You will get to the point where you know *every* note on every leaf even before you read the front. Build that ESP. Mix up those leaves; shuffle them thoroughly.

Okay, that's learning strategy number 1 for your desert island. Strategy number two is going to expand on that. Do the exact reversal of the first strategy. Write a note name on the front of a new piece of paper (leaf), and on the back, list every string-fret where you'd find that note. Do it! Or I'll use your head to crack open a coconut.

You've mastered strategy #2 now. You're ready for another learning tool to continue learning guitar on this paradise isle. You're going to now play the acronym game. That means turning E, B, G, D, A, E into Every Boat Gets Dragged Aground Eventually," or another loony sentence.

Continue with this idea. Do an acronym for fret 1: F, C#, A, E, B, F: "Fred Chooses Ariel, Enjoying Big Feet." Here, I chose the "ch" sound for the C#. Assign a different sound if you'd like: it's your island.

Continue the acronym game through all 12 or so frets, until you have a ridiculous and memorable, vivid sentence for each of the frets.

These ideas will get you started on ways to learn the guitar's notes without a guitar. Don't wait until you're stranded on a desert island to apply these ideas. When you're in a car, bar, food store or on a bus, use your head. Use your flashcards. Use anything and everything you have to stay focused on learning the guitar.

== One note samba ==

How'd you like to build ears as big as an elephant's? Here's an exercise that will get 'em at least as big as baseball mitts.

We start with our favorite progression, which is as important to learn for musicians as milk is to growing babies: the ii-V-I progression. Play it in C major: D minor, G7, C major. Play it anywhere on the fretboard.

Now, heat up those vocal chords. We're gonna sing. Sing a C note. Play the progression while you "Do-do-do" a swinging C note over the whole progression.

That's all you have to do, to start with. This is a one note melody. Hit that C note on each of the four beats in the Dm-G7-C progression in 4/4 time. Do it at a comfortable pace. If you're serious about building your ear, close your eyes or look at the ceiling when you sing. I'm *serious.* The point is to totally focus on the sound you're making.

When you've finished singing the C note, guess where we're gonna go? You got it: note D. Repeat playing the same progression. Only this time, sing a D note. Play it slowly with feeling. Put a swing feel to it if you like. Most important, as Joe Pass said, "Listen, listen, listen."

You know where we're headed with this, don't you? Yes, sing each of the notes in the C major scale over the Dm-G7-C progression. I recommend doing this with a metronome. Don't move on to the next note until you've completed singing the current note.

I can tell you that this exercise, while pretty cool to start with, gets real interesting when you hit a dissonant interval, such as singing an F over the C major. When you sing such an interval, your mind starts screaming "No! No! It's wrong! Slide down to the E note before the sky starts falling or the tap water turns to wine!" Gently say to your mind, "Eat my shorts," and keep going. Dig that dissonance.

What's the point of this exercise? Is it to make the world's simplest song? The point is to hear what each note in the major scale sounds like over the most important chords in that scale. The skill you develop from this will help you figure out melodies; which chords go to those melodies; compose your own tunes; pay your mortgage off 20 years early, and so much more.

There's a *lot* more fun to be had, and skill to be gained, using this exercise as a leaping off point. One super cool addition is to record yourself doing this exercise. Make sure you're able to sing smoothly, clearly and in time for each note. Then, record yourself doing this. When you're done recording the whole thing, take your portable tape player and listen to the tape wherever you go.

Here's what will happen: inevitably, you'll have to stop the tape at some point. You'll forget what note you were listening to. When you begin listening again, you get a chance to quiz yourself, by *listening* to your singing and asking what interval you're currently on.

There are *lots* of fun ways to build your ear. This is just one of 'em. Whatever exercises you practice for your hands, be sure to take time to exercise your ear as well. Remember what Segovia recommended: to emphasize learning and understanding music before learning and understanding the guitar.

== A la mode (Introduction to Modes) ==

There's a bit of confusion some music students have about modes. Let's clear up that confusion with one simple observation. Modes are moods. Do you see how close they are in name?

I don't mean to be too simple-minded here. When I say modes are moods, I do mean that. For instance, play a C major scale starting from D and going up to the next D. Listen to the sound. Then, play another mood/mode: start from G and end with G. Again, listen.

There's a different feeling in each case, isn't there? There's a different *mood* for each. Maybe this is a surprise to you. It was a bit surprising to me. When I thought of playing a major scale, I always thought of C major, and I always heard Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Ti-Do. I didn't know you could start on a different note. And I didn't know that starting on a different note could produce such a different feeling from Do-Re-Mi. The first time I consciously played the Lydian mode, the music from a movie I love suddenly leapt into my head: "To Kill a Mockingbird." I thought, "Wow. This mode stuff is powerful."

This is important knowledge for you to have. It's important enough for you to work into whatever kind of scale practicing you're now doing. You want to practice, at the minimum, these three modes: Dorian, Myxolydian, and Lydian. Why these modes? *What* are these modes?

Using the C major scale, Dorian mode starts and ends on D. Myxolydian starts and ends on G. And Lydian starts and ends on F. The reason you want to practice these modes over others is this: Myxolydian mode is built on a key's dominant 7 sound. It provides tension. It's the V7 in the all important ii-V7-I progression. (Please remove your hat and place your hand over your heart whenever you hear mention of the ii-V7-I progression.) In my mind, this mode and all modes are extensions of chords.

Practice the Dorian mode because it provides a progression's necessary sub dominant sound. It's the ii in a ii-V7-I.

Now, here's the weird part. Practice the Lydian mode because it's just close enough to the Ionian mode to substitute for it, but not so close that you fall asleep from boredom when you hear it. It has one note different from the Ionian mode: its 4th is sharped. The Lydian mode is going to be your I in a ii-V7-I.

Now that you know what modes to practice, how do you practice 'em?

Here's one way:

|-----------------|-----------------|
|-3-------------3-|-3---------------|
|-5-------2-4-5---|-5-5-4-2---------|
|-3-2-3-5---------|-3-------5-3-2---|
|-5---------------|-5-------------5-|
|-----------------|-----------------|


|-3---------------|-3---------------|
|-3---------------|-3---------------|
|-4---------------|-4---------------|
|-3---------2-3-5-|-3-3-2-----------|
|-5---2-3-5-------|-5-----5-3-2-----|
|-3-5-------------|-3-----------5-3-|


|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-5---------2-4-5-|-5-4-2-----------|
|-2---2-4-5-------|-2-----5-4-2-----|
|-3-5-------------|-3-----------5-3-|
|-----------------|-----------------|

You'll want to do this in several keys, and you'll also want to do this in all the CAGED positions. Keep the chords in there, so you understand how the modes connect to the harmonies.

There are some incredible, exotic sounds to be pulled out of modes. Check out articles on WholeNote for some ideas. It's amazing how much mileage you can still get out of the crusty old major scale.

== Why tab is good ==

Tablature has kind of a lowly reputation, doesn't it? It's like a poor child orphaned by its Big Daddy, standard musical notation. That's too bad, because tablature has helped thousands or millions of guitarists and other musicians learn and enjoy music more.

I discovered a benefit of tab recently, when I was writing some for an article on improvising. Obviously, when you write tab, you have to know exactly where on the fretboard your notes are to be played. You have to know the fret number and string number. Now, what happens if you're writing that tab, and you don't have your guitar with you? Are you going to quit writing? Are you going to use a diagram that represents the fretboard to help you find the notes you're looking for?

These are possible options, but you'll stop using them when you begin relying on your memory and mind. In other words, you'll begin visualizing the fretboard in your head. This will happen much sooner than you think, and is a beautiful skill to have. The sounds that you already have in your mind will match up with where you play those sounds on the guitar, so you can quickly complete the tabs you're composing.

This visualization process can continue to grow if you let it. Take it a step further. Let's say you now have the ability to see the fretboard notes in your head. You know how they sound, and your tab paper is right there for you to record your work. Now, take away the tab paper. Maybe you're on a bus or in a car or climbing a mountain, and you have a terrific idea for an exercise or a blues etude or a guitar waltz. There's no tab paper around. There's just you and your guitar thoughts that *have* to be expressed. That's all the motivation you need to begin thinking musically *all the time.* You'll be composing in the shower, at work, at your kid's softball game as the foul ball heads straight for your nose.

All these benefits can accrue from using tab. Tab, not standard notation, is the music notation system that helps you visualize music.

Don't forget the great tab resources we've talked about in past issues: PowerTab, the tab composition software, which I believe is still freeware. You can download it from download.com. Also, Olga.net has tons of tab songs. There are lots of other tab tools out there. Just remember the potential benefits that await when you begin creating your own tabs.

Well, you've done it again: sucked my brain dry of all its guitar and music info. That's okay: I'll just learn more stuff for next week. I want you to keep learning, too. Read the articles on MaximumMusician.com, and maybe buy an ebook while you're there. Test your Fretboard IQ with the fretboard quiz, and definitely check out the super cool, free, fun, new music learning software, the Improviser.

Have a wondrous week. Live long and prosper. And stop using up all the hot water for your showers.