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Music Theory

Lessons, Music Theory

Parallel 7th Arpeggios Lesson

 

This fun and challenging sequence is great for learning to adapt arpeggio shapes as well as for a warming up. It runs through parallel 7th arpeggios (i.e. Gmaj7 to G7) descending from brightest to darkest. A keen eye will notice that only one note changes at a time as you move through this sequence.

 

Major 7th (1-3-5-7)

Dominant 7th (1-3-5-b7)

Minor 7th (1-b3-5-b7)

Minor 7b5 (1-b3-b5-b7)

Diminished 7th (1-b3-b5-bb7 or 6)

 

When you reach the diminished chord, simply go down one half step (one fret) and start the sequence over again like so

 

Gmaj7 G7 Gm7 Gm7b5 Gdim7

Gbmaj7 Gb7 *F#m7 F#m7b5 F#dim7

*Gb is enharmonically the same as F#.*

 

Without further ado, here is the exercise.

You can check out how it sounds and get a breakdown here.

This sequence can also be applied to whatever arpeggio shapes you like or are currently practicing. Here is another example.

Let me know if you’re going to try it. I’d love to see what you come up with!

Happy shredding and woodshedding!

\m/ \m/

July 22, 2019
Lessons, Music Theory

9 Uncommon Open Position Major and Minor Chords

There are certain major and minor chords that are typically played as barre chords that have great open position style alternative voicings. In this lesson, we’re going to explore 9 of these uncommon voicings and how they can be used. Click the link below to see the full video.

This lesson is geared towards the guitar player who knows the typical open position major and minor chords, and maybe even 7th chords, and is looking to expand their chord vocabulary. This lesson will…

  • Expand one’s chord vocabulary
  • Give open position alternatives to chords that are typically played as barre chords
  • Improve one’s muting technique
  • Show creative solutions to playing a chord progression
  • Provide some easier open position versions of barre chords for players that have yet to learn or are new to barre chords.

Before you tackle this lesson, you should already know these chords.

A, C, D, E, G, Am, Dm, and Em

While it’s not necessary to know your open position Dominant 7th chords (or just 7th chords, for short), I suggest that you learn those first before getting into this lesson. Those chords are…

A7, B7, C7, D7, E7, and G7

The 9 uncommon open position major and minor chords are Gm, Eb, Bb, Bm, Cm, C#m, F#m, B, and G#m. Here they are separated into major and minor groups.

Major: Bb, B, Eb

Minor: Bm, Cm, C#m, F#m, Gm, G#m

Here is the notation to follow along with the lesson video.

There are a couple of these that have multiple names. G#m can also be Abm, Bb could technically be A#, C#m could be Dbm, and F#m could be Gbm.

This lesson can serve as a stop gap for students who are new to barre chords and need one of these chords to play a song. These voicings are also very useful after you learn your barre chords. Many of these have become my go-to voicings for strumming rather than the typical barre chords. Experiment, have fun, and happy practicing!

July 12, 2018
Lessons, Music Theory, Semeron

A Day in July: Minor Pentatonic Exercise

Semeron circa 2012. JR is on the left, and that’s me on the right. We’re playing guitarmonies, of course!

Today we’re going to explore playing a minor pentatonic melody in different positions to better learn the fretboard.

What you’ll learn

  • How to play a Minor Pentatonic scale and melody in several positions
  • How to find a single note on every string
  • How to play a Minor Pentatonic scale and melody on one string
  • The importance of space and breath in a melody

This melody comes from my band Semeron’s unreleased song, “A Day in July.” JR Westberg, the other guitarist in the band, has a knack for coming up with simple, catchy melodies. This often comes first to which I will come up with harmony for it, as I did on this song.

It’s one thing to practice a scale all over the neck, but quite another to play a melody all over the neck.

One day while I was rehearsing “A Day in July,” I decided to learn and jam on JR’s part for fun. It was so much fun, that I naturally started playing it all over the neck and noticed how great of an exercise it would be for my students. It’s one thing to practice a scale all over the neck, but quite another to play a melody all over the neck. While scales can sometimes be a bit tedious, playing melodies tends to be more interesting and enjoyable.

This melody uses the B Minor Pentatonic Scale. One reason this melody works is space and breath. Notice that in measure 8 of the melody, he plays a long note which leaves space. It’s important to remember that we don’t always have to fill every moment with a ton of notes and to leave room for our band members. “Let some things go by” as Thelonious Monk would say.

The way the melody is phrased is very musical as well. The first measure is essentially just the B Minor Pentatonic scale ascending, but the use of slides and variety of rhythm makes this melody work. Try playing both measures in Exercise 1 and you should find that the 2nd measure sounds much more musical. It’s a great demonstration on how to turn a scale into music!

A Day in July Exercise 1

Exercise 2 is the B minor pentatonic scale in the position that the original melody is played.

Semeron A Day in July Minor Pentatonic Ex2

Exercise 3 is “The Day in July Exercise.” I changed the original melody at the end to keep it within the B minor pentatonic scale for the purposes of this lesson.

Semeron A Day in July Minor Pentatonic Ex 3

JR can play the “A Day in July” melody all over the neck, and now you can learn how too!

Exercise 4 is the note B on every string. This will help you identify the root note of the exercise as well as provide the starting point for the melody as you move it around the fretboard.

Exercises 5-9 show a few suggested ways of playing the B minor pentatonic scale from different strings and positions. Once you’re familiar with the original melody, try playing it in these new positions.

Ex. 9 demonstrates the scale on a single string on the high E string. The position shifts might be a bit tricky at first, but playing this way often yields great results in fretboard knowledge and can lead to more variety in phrasing. Once you get this down on the high E string, you can try playing it on other single strings as well.

I hoped you enjoyed checking out this melody and playing it all over the neck. Keep practicing, keep it fun, and see you next time!

May 22, 2017