2,851

(28 replies, posted in Electric)

PODS are nice.  I love mine, but you should get an amp before you start with effects.  You'll spend more time fiddling with the POD then you will practicing.

Get a small 15 watt tube amp.  They sound great, are louder than a comparable solid state amp, and when you get some effects, you can plug 'em right in.  Most amps have a headphone jack out, so if you don't want to but the neighbors, you'll still be OK.

2,852

(12 replies, posted in Acoustic)

I play it all sorts of ways, depending on what I'm going to do next, or what I played before it.  If I'm playing open E or I intend to play B afterward, I tend to barre with my ring finger. 

I don't quite understand what you mean you want to hear the open e when you barre.  Why can't you hear it?

2,853

(6 replies, posted in Electric)

Scales.  All of em.  All over the fretboard, from all positions.

And practice a lot.

2,854

(8 replies, posted in Acoustic)

Kahuna wrote:

Guys,

The sus (suspended) chords are basically removing a note from the chord.  For instance, Dsus2 means to suspend the #2 note (ie removing the middle finger from the high E string).  There are only 2 suspended methods (that I know of.)  There are Sus2 and Sus4. 

Hope this helps!

This is inaccurate.  Sus doesn't mean suspended, it means sustained.  You do suspend the 3rd, but you replace it with whatever the sustained note is.

So Esus2:

E major chord is E G# B

E major scale is E F# G# A B C# D

So F# is the 2nd of E, and is the not that will replace G#.

Esus2:  E F# B

The point of sustained chords is that the sustained note is usually the root of the next chord that is played.  sus4 chords are much more common for this, as the 4th of most scales resolves nicely to the root.  Try adding a G to the next open D you play by dropping your pinky on the third fret  That's Dsus4.  Then play G.  You'll hear how the sustained note adds a little oomph to the resolution to G.

2,855

(7 replies, posted in Acoustic)

Play scales.  My flatpicking sucks, and I've been working on it hard.  Play scales all the way across the fretboard.   It will help.

Like all things, it's practice, practice, and then add some more practice just to mix it up a little.  smile

2,856

(6 replies, posted in Songwriting)

<table border="0" align="center" width="90%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td class="SmallText"><b>James McCormick wrote on Wed, 25 April 2007 15&#58;32</b></td></tr><tr><td class="quote">
The advice jerome.oneil is offering about music theory is very very good.  However, good advice is not always the easiest to follow (that's life).  Music theory might seem to be quite daunting at first, but the simple truth is that the more you learn about it the more useful it becomes.

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Indeed.  It is an area of *study*.  It takes some willpower to sit down and study a completely new topic, and often times the sheer magnitude of theory is sometimes daunting.  So do like you would any other complex learning task.  Start with the basics.   In theory, that's the major scale. 


Much like practice goals, learning theory should be goal driven as well.  "I will be able to describe a major scale."  "I will understand how major chords are derived."  "I will be able to read a key signature, and understand what scales are associated with it."


Things like that.


In practical terms, you won't have to get too far into it before it becomes useful for your songwriting needs.

2,857

(6 replies, posted in Songwriting)

Wikipedia has a fairly concise summary of major and minor scales and chord structures.


Here is a pretty good introductory less on major scales suited for guitar.


<a href="http://www.jazzguitar.be/music-theory.html" target="_blank">http://www.jazzguitar.be/music-theory.html</a>


Theory will help you no matter what instrument you decide to play.  If you decide you want to play oboe or piano tomorrow, the same lessons still apply.

2,858

(1 replies, posted in Songwriting)

I'm just gonna cut and paste my reply to a similar question earlier today. <img src="images/smiley_icons/icon_biggrin.gif" border=0 alt="Very Happy">


Music theory, man. That's what it all comes down to.


Yes, there are "rules" for what kinds of chords sound better (or "resolve" as we like to say) with others. But it's all dependent on knowing the scale associated with the key in which you are in.


Have a song, and need a melody? Select a key at random, using the tonal quality you want (major, minor, etc) and play that scale. Now start to noodle using only notes in that scale.


That is a simplistic approach, but as you understand more theory, you'll understand how to get more complex licks and which notes of which scales are appropriate to play over a given chord. You can play dorian mode over minor 7 chords and it sounds fab. You can play myxolidan mode over dom 7 chords and it's great.


Chords you will use a whole lot of will be associated with the 1st, 4th, and 5th notes of that scale.


So in C, you'll play a whole lot of C, F and G chords.


IIm V7 I is also popular with jazz players.


But yes, if you are interested in writing more complex music, music theory is your friend, and will enable you to greater things.

2,859

(6 replies, posted in Songwriting)

Music theory, man.  That's what it all comes down to.


Yes, there are "rules" for what kinds of chords sound better (or "resolve" as we like to say) with others.  But it's all dependent on knowing the scale associated with the key in which you are in.


Have a song, and need a melody?  Select a key at random, using the tonal quality you want (major, minor, etc) and play that scale.  Now start to noodle using only notes in that scale.


That is a simplistic approach, but as you understand more theory, you'll understand how to get more complex licks and which notes of which scales are appropriate to play over a given chord.   You can play dorian mode over minor 7 chords and it sounds fab.  You can play myxolidan mode over dom 7 chords and it's great.


Chords you will use a whole lot of will be associated with the 1st, 4th, and 5th notes of that scale.


So in C, you'll play a whole lot of C, F and G chords.


IIm V7 I is also popular with jazz players.


But yes, if you are interested in writing more complex music, music theory is your friend, and will enable you to greater things.

2,860

(10 replies, posted in Electric)

It's worth noting, since we're discussing theory, that there are only nine chord qualities in all of music.


There are four triad chord qualities.


Major, minor, diminshed, and augmented.



There are five 7 chord qualities.


major 7th, dominant 7th, minor 7th, half diminished, diminished 7th.


Every chord you play is a derivitive of one of these.  sus and add chords are triads.   9, 11, and 13 chords are all 7 chords, and can be substituted in for them as you wish.


That little bit of info helps quite a bit if you're trying to figure out what a chord is.   It has to be one of those nine types.   So if you know what they are, and understand major scales, there isn't any chord you shouldn't be able to figure out.

2,861

(5 replies, posted in Electric)

Shawn Lane was the fastest, cleanest, and most musically diverse guitar player I've ever seen.


Observe this rendition of Herbie Hancock's "Watermellon Man."


<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmyh_BTMHUA" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmyh_BTMHUA</a>

2,862

(6 replies, posted in Acoustic)

Can you play three songs?  Thats a set.


The next trick is finding somewhere to play.

2,863

(10 replies, posted in Electric)

<table border="0" align="center" width="90%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td class="SmallText"><b>gitaardocphil wrote on Sat, 21 April 2007 11&#58;46</b></td></tr><tr><td class="quote">
I think that, if the finger position is as described, a chord used in a lot of songs is A Maj 7.
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The chord lacks any quality of VII of A, so it can't be an Amaj7.


This is what he described.


-0- <- E

-3- <- D

-2- <- A

-3- <- F

-x-

-x-


A major 7 would have G# in it.  A dom 7 would have G in it.  A minor A 7 would have a G and a C in it.  A half diminished minor 7 would have a C, D# and G in it.  A diminished 7 would have that, except the G would be F#.


The use of the D could make it an A sus 4, but the addtion of the F kind of muddies that.


It's a D minor add 9.  It could probably be built into some type of F chord as well, as D minor and F share the same key signature.


I 2 3  4 5 6  7  I

A B C# D E F# G# A

2,864

(3 replies, posted in Electric)

Well, there ain't nothing new in the world, especially in rock and roll.


I IV V chord progressions make up about %90 of them, so I don't really think it's fair to say they copied it.  You might as well say that everyone stole Son House's act.  <img src="images/smiley_icons/icon_smile.gif" border=0 alt="Smile">

2,865

(24 replies, posted in Bands and artists)

Shawn Lane.


Died in 2003.  <img src="images/smiley_icons/icon_sad.gif" border=0 alt="Sad">

2,866

(10 replies, posted in Electric)

<table border="0" align="center" width="90%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td class="SmallText"><b>american chaos theory wrote on Fri, 20 April 2007 21&#58;22</b></td></tr><tr><td class="quote">
Close...it is actually

-0- <- E

-3- <- D

-2- <- A

-3- <- F

-x-

-x-

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OK. That changes things a bit, as you not longer have a triad, but some type of 7 chord, as you've got four notes in it.


Lets look at D again.


D major

I 2 3  4 5 6 7  I

D E F# G A B C# D


The flatted third makes it minor, so lets look at D minor.


D minor

I 2 3 4 5 6  7 I

D E F G A Bb C D


This could be it.  It shares all the notes with D minor, plus the high E.  So D minor add 9?   If you could work an E in there within the chord, it'd be D minor add 2.


<table border="0" align="center" width="90%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td class="SmallText"><b>Quote:</b></td></tr><tr><td class="quote">


I'm sorry to be such a problem child. I remember when the hardest thing I had to figure out was whether or not it was ok to end on a sixth. (I did it anyway).
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If it sounds nice, it's right.   <img src="images/smiley_icons/icon_biggrin.gif" border=0 alt="Very Happy">

2,867

(13 replies, posted in About Chordie)

Yes we do!


I'll leave it to the owners to decide whether an Off Topic area is appropriate here.  I've seen it work well on some forums, and destroy others.


However, related to the way Chordie is set up, I've been thinking about this for a number of days, and I've come to the conclusion that the way it's set up now is somewhat prone to causing these kinds of problems.


For example, we have an "electric, acoustic, and song requests" forum in the guitar playing section, yet most of the questions I see in there are about bands, and what a specific chord looks like, or how to play for beginners.


So I'd reccomend a breakdown something like a "beginners" section, because really, there isn't a whole hoots full of difference between an electric or acustic for someone just starting out.


I'd reccomend a "gear" section for widget heads and amp monkeys to play in.


A "music theory" section for discussion of, well, music theory, and the glories of dorian mode over minor 7 chords.


And then I'd like to see "My Local Band" broken down into geographic areas.  I can't tell you how many times I've cried myself to sleep when I opened up a promising article only to find the poster is in some strange country that's not Seattle.  <img src="images/smiley_icons/icon_smile.gif" border=0 alt="Smile">


The songwriter's section is brilliant.


So anyway, that's my $0.02 worth.  Spend wisely!

2,868

(3 replies, posted in Electric)

I think you'll find most rock and roll songs are easier to play barred than they are using open chord forms.  The natural transition between barred E and A shapes matches perfectly with the I IV V chord progressions almost all rock songs use.

2,869

(10 replies, posted in Electric)

Yay!  Theory tests.


So if I'm reading this right....


-0-   <- E

-3-   <- D

-2-   <- A

-2-   <- E

-x-

-x-



You have three notes.  Your chord is based on one of them.


A major

A C# E


D major


D F# A


E major


E G# B


So I think we can exclude an E chord as it is lacking both the III and V of E.   So your chord rests on what we do with the III of A or D.


If we assume it's a D chord, the we have the III being removed and replaced by the II.  That makes a sustained 2 chord.


D major scale


I 2 3  4 5 6 7  I

D E F# G A B C# D


Your chord D E A.  Dsus2.


You could also voice the same chord by leaving the D string open.


But now lets look at A.


If we used A, we would be adding the IV in for the III, which is a sus4 chord.  You could strike the A string here, too, and you'll be OK.


A major scale.


I 2 3  4 5 6  7  I

A B C# D E F# G# A


Your chord A D E.  Asus4.


If the next chord you play is D, it's probably the sus4.  If it's an E, then it's probably the sus2.


I'm gonna guess it's the sus4, though.  But the real answer to your question is "What key are you in?"


Scales.  They're at the bottom of everything.  <img src="images/smiley_icons/icon_smile.gif" border=0 alt="Smile">

2,870

(8 replies, posted in Electric)

Thats fine, but the OP indicated he'd been playing rhythm for years.


And scale theory isn't complex, particularly with regards to the fretboard.  It's pretty critical, in fact.   


There are only two or three scale patterns you need to know, and you can them play in any key.  I can teach you one pattern, and that will give you 12 different scales.  I can teach you another pattern, and it will give you 12 more scales.


Pentatonic scales, major and minor, are the same way.  There are only 5 minor pentatonic patterns, but none of them will work well against anything other than a minor key.  If you're in a major key, you should deriving your lead lines from major scales.

2,871

(5 replies, posted in Bands and artists)

Local to Seattle, there is a group called Oval League.  Really good.  All acoustic.


<a href="http://www.ovalleague.com/" target="_blank">http://www.ovalleague.com/</a>

2,872

(5 replies, posted in Acoustic)

A 12 bar blues is a chord progression, and can be strummed (and picked) any number of ways.   Whatever key you are in, you'll play the root, then the IV, then the root again, then the V, then the IV, and back to root.


For example, in E, you would play


E A E B A E in 12 bars.


One of the easiest ways to play that would be simple quarter notes.   Simple strum straight down for times in rhythm, and that's one bar.


E               

V V V V V V V V


A

V V V V V V V V


E

V V V V V V V V


B

V V V V


A

V V V V


E

V V V V V V V V


Once you are comfortable with that, you can mix it up a little.

2,873

(8 replies, posted in Electric)

You need to know more than just minor pentatonics, although they are a good place to start.


You'll want minor pentatonics when you're playing in a minor key.  Playing minor pentatonics over a song written in a major key is going to sound odd.   For most blues this is great, but if you want to be a good blues player, you should also learn myxolidian modal scales, as they sound great over dominant 7th chords, which are rife within blues as well.   But if you're playing a song in a major key, you'll want the major pentatonics for that.


You should know the major and minor scales for each key.   The root of it all is that you should understand how a scale is derived, and how it applies to the fretboard.   If you understand that, there isn't anything you cant play.


Scales are the foundation of music.  It's worth it to understand them.

2,874

(8 replies, posted in Electric)

Begin with major scale patterns.  This will help you understand chord structure, and expand the fretboard for you.   You should be able to play them starting anywhere on the E A D and G strings.


Then learn pentatonics.  That's where the meat of your lead lines will come from.

First step is to turn off the caps lock on your keyboard.   TEXT LIKE THIS IS REALLY REALLY HARD TO READ!!!


Capitalization and punctuation will go far in furthering any communications problems you might have.


Having said that...


Sight reading music is hard.  Even people who are trained in music have to practice a lot to be able to do it.  The ability to sit down and play a piece perfectly with no prior rehersal is someting that only top level musicians can do, and even then, even top level musicians practice and reherse every day.   Sight reading is actually a competetive musicians "sport," as it were.   So don't expect to be able to sit down and read perfectly, as there are few people that can actually do it.


But that doesn't mean you shouldn't learn to read standard notation.   You should before all else be able to identify key and time signatures, and understand rhythm and tempo.    Learning "this note means fret here" is a good way to start as it will help familiarize you with the finger board and the notation stave.   But it won't give you understanding.   For that, you need to study music theory a bit.   You should know what a major scale *is* and how it is derived.   You should know and understand how other scales, chords, and modes are derived from the major scales.   You should be able to understand why certain chord progressions progress the way that they do.


Music is a highly formalized framework in which artistry can grow.   Understanding it is only benneficial to you as a musician.


But first things first.  Turn off the caps lock.  <img src="images/smiley_icons/icon_biggrin.gif" border=0 alt="Very Happy">