Guitar Notes

• Chords:
  • Open 7th, suspended, and slash chords

• Fsus4 is similar to Esus4, Bsus2 and Bsus4 are similar to Asus2 and Asus4. Key: move 3rd degree 1 fret higher/2 fret lower
• CAGED system

• The key is the shape you put in the root position, in this case, it is F major → E shape
• Triads

• Lower thirds one semitone → Minor shapes
• Remember root notes
• Tip: leave top 2 strings ringing and use E barre shape for lushy-lush-lush chords
• Nice extended chords: https://www.justinguitar.com/guitar-lessons/12-awful-stretchy-guitar-chords-ca-002
• Types of 7th chords:

• Scales

  • Quick tip: 1 finger 1 fret → index minor, pinky major
  • Relationship between major and natural minor scale

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I ii iii IV V vi vii° I

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1

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C(maj7) Dm(7) Em(7) F(maj7) G(7) Am(7) Bdim(Bm7(b5)) C(maj7)

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i ii° III iv v bVI bVII I

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1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 1

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Cm(7) Ddim(Dm7(b5)) Eb(maj7) Fm(7) Gm(7) Ab(maj7) Bb(7) Cm(7)

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• Melodic minor (b3, b6 only) to retain leading tone (7). Melodic minor (b3 ascending, b3, b6, b7 descending) to avoid minor third between b6 and 7
• Most scales information

• Quick tip: blues sound is built on playing minor scales (usually the minor pentatonic) over major chords

• Exercises:
  • Remembering notes all over the fretboard

• Pick a natural note, then play it on each string (down and up) on frets 1 through 12. Do this 3 times, and move to another note. Then do this for frets 12 through 20. Once you have done all the natural notes twice, go to ex #2.
• Use a metronome at 40 BPM. Play one note per beat, and repeat ex #1.
• Repeat ex #2, but do it for the accidentals.
• Choose any two notes. Play UP in one note (across each of the six strings) and DOWN on the other note (without stopping). Use the metronome @ 40 BPM. When it feels easy, go to ex #5.
• Write seven 7 notes in random order. With the metronome @ 40 BPM, play the first note going up, and the next note going down, etc. etc. for all 7 notes. (without stopping). When it feels easy, go to Ex #6
• Repeat the exercises 2 through 5 at BPM speeds 50 / 60 / 70 / and 80. When you can do Exercise #5 at 80 BPM you are finished.
• Scales
  • Stage 1. Up And Down

    The first stage should be to be able to “cycle” the scale - that is to play it up and down over and over without stopping. This should be done with a metronome at a speed comfortable to you to be sure that the timing is even. Also to focus on the volume of the notes that you play and try to keep it consistent. Be able to play the scale 4 times perfectly, without stopping before you move on or move the tempo up.

• Stage 2. Random Direction Changes

  Once you can cycle the scale it is time to start changing direction at random. Start this slower than your speed for stage 1 and make sure that you play continuously. Don’t pause, stop or start soloing (going off on one…). Try and stick to it being scalular - don’t skip notes and always play notes next to each other.

• Stage 3. Random Notes

  Now it is time to explore the scale. Play random notes from the scale, be very careful to ONLY play notes from the scale. Play it slowly and get it right. It is easy to rush this one and make mistakes. DON’T MAKE MISTAKES. Ever. There is no point in practising the wrong thing. Keep the notes evenly timed, explore skipping strings, jumping from very low to very high, generally explore the scale. You will find that this really tests your knowledge of the scale shape. It’s not music yet - it’s exploring - don’t get them confused.

• Stage 4. Play in 3rd’s

  As you may know, chords are built up in intervals of a 3rd. This means that by playing notes that are a 3rd apart they will tend to sound good together. Often melodies use chord tones, so after some time practising this pattern, your improvising should start sounding more melodic. You can think of 3rds as playing a note, then missing the next scale step and playing the next. Then go back to the note you missed, and go up a third again (skip a note). This is a great exercise and I would highly recommend spending a good amount of time on this exercise and getting it really solid, so that it will come out naturally, without you having to think about it.

• Stage 5. Four In A Line

  Another good pattern to get down is called four in a line. Start on the first note of the scale and play up four notes. Then start on the second note and play up four notes again. Continue this pattern up the scale and then back down. This is a good way of developing a “way out” of a scale because you are playing four notes of a scale and then skipping.

• Stage 6. Use It

  Then get using it… find some appropriate backing tracks and start experimenting with it. For Pentatonic scales, you will need to get into learning licks, for The Major Scale you need to get into ReActive Listening and finding melodies that work over the chord (and learn some licks too!).

• Melodic sequences
  • Groups of fours
    • 1a— 1234, 2345, 3456, etc.
    • 1b— 4321, 5432, 6543, etc.
    • 1c— 1243, 2354, 3465, etc.
    • 1d— 1321, 2432, 3543, etc.
  • Groups of threes
    • 2a— 123, 234, 345, etc.
    • 2b— 321, 432, 543, etc.
    • 2c— 132, 243, 354, etc.
    • 2d— 312, 423, 534, etc.
  • Intervallic - 3a— 13, 24, 35, 46, etc. (thirds) - 3b— 31, 42, 53, 64, etc. (rev. thirds) - 3c— 13, 42, 35, 64, etc. (rev. every 2nd) - 4a— 14, 25, 36, 47, etc. (fourths) - 4b— 41, 52, 63, 74, etc. (rev. fourths) - 4c— 14, 52, 36, 74, etc. (rev. every 2nd) - 5a— 15, 26, 37, 48, etc. (fifths) - 5b— 51, 62, 73, 84, etc. (rev. fifths) - 5c— 15, 62, 37, 84, etc. (rev. every 2nd) Invisible line between G-B string → any pattern that crosses has the note crossing shifted by 1 fret, down right up left 2nd inversion 5 1 3 1rst inversion 3 5 1