Learn Guitar Music Theory on the Fretboard - Lessons By Desi Serna: guitar theory

Showing posts with label guitar theory. Show all posts

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Fretboard Theory Amazon Kindle

Fretboard Theory is now available for the Amazon Kindle!

http://www.amazon.com/Fretboard-Theory-ebook/dp/B004ASNACS

You can now download my best-selling guitar theory book from Amazon.com and view it on your Amazon Kindle portable reading device. Within minutes you can start learning about scales, chords, progressions, modes and more. The ebook is a complete guitar theory course with tons of references to popular songs.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Learning How to Use Guitar Modes Lesson DVD Testimonial

This is what a recent customer had to say about my DVD, Guitar Modes - The Modal Scales of Popular Music.

"All I can say is WOW! I'm a singer songwriter & musician who's been playing guitar and keyboards for over ten years, but have never been able to get a handle on how to use modes in any sort of constructive way. Even though I'm classically trained in keyboard and knew the theory I was still confused about how to make it all work. Your tutorial not only dispelled the myths and dismantled some bad teaching I had received, but it also explained the core of what modes are about in an easy to understand practical and straigthforward manner which I was able to apply immediately to material I'd been working on.

I have a long way to go to fully explore and understand the depth of knowledge put forward in your tutorial, but it's like someone has opened a door to a musical garden of eden and laid out in front of me a veritable cornucopia of creative possibilities.

I now see that modes are (almost) like another form of modulation within a key itself, and this is the missing link I was looking for. I always knew when I listened to songs like Tom Petty's Here Comes My Girl that something was not normal about the verse, and that there was something I was missing (because you just don't get that sound from any traditional major or minor scale). I though it was modulation to a key I could not figure out, but of course now I know it was modal

Now I know...yes, now I know, everything is Modes...everything!

Your video will prove indispensable to anyone involved in the creation of music, for me personally it's been the final
piece of the puzzle."

Many many thanks,

Clint O.

Learn more about guitar modes and sign up to receive a free DVD preview.

Play Until Yer Fingers Bleed!
Mr. Desi Serna
Website: http://Guitar-Music-Theory.com
YouTube: http://youtube.com/GuitarMusicTheoryTab
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MrGuitarTheory
Facebook: http://facebook.com/desi.serna
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/guitarmusictheory
Podcast: Search Desi Serna at iTunes

Friday, May 28, 2010

Electric Guitar and Amp Set Up

My guitar theory video lessons feature a Paul Reed Smith CE24 electric guitar played through a Line 6 Pod Pro. I use the Pod's left/mono XLR out in Live mode. It goes into a Mackie mixer and then I take a line out into the camera.The Pod Pro sounds much better than the regular Pod. I think it's the XLR output that makes all the difference. It's not a real amp, but an amp modeler. I agree with the purists that the tone from real amps is better, but amps are impractical in some settings. The Line 6 products are very easy to use and sound good enough to me.

A favorite trick of mine is to create a patch with the drive and channel volume all the way up, and then turn the volume on the guitar down to about 3 or 4. You can get some great blues tone this way particularly on the Line 6 BLACK PANEL amp model. If you crank up the reverb and add a little delay, it can sound like you got a cabinet cranked up in the next room.

By the way, turning the volume on the guitar down works well on my PRS because rolling off the volume doesn't also take away the high end. If your guitar sound becomes muddy when you do this, then look into installing a volume pot mod. It only costs a few dollars.

Play Until Yer Fingers Bleed!
Mr. Desi Serna
Website: http://Guitar-Music-Theory.com
YouTube: http://youtube.com/GuitarMusicTheoryTab
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MrGuitarTheory
Facebook: http://facebook.com/desi.serna
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/guitarmusictheory
Podcast: Search Desi Serna at iTunes

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

What key is Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo in?

Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo is based on the A minor pentatonic scale and A minor scale (natural minor or Aeolian mode).

The intro uses the chords F5 G5 A5 and then a C5. This chord movement is very common and stems from a 4 5 6 chord progression in the A natural minor scale (Aeolian mode, C major scale). But only power chords are played (if you listen closely you can hear that a 6th interval is added to the F5 and G5 giving it a blues shuffle style). Instead of using the full minor scale over these changes the guitars mainly stick to A minor pentatonic (as heard in the riff at the end of the chord figure).

The E7 (0:28 in the video) is technically a key change, but you could treat it like a blues 5 chord and continue playing A minor pentatonic over it. You could think of it as the 5 chord in the key of A major and play A major scale patterns over it. You could treat it as a blues key change and play a mixture of E major and E minor pentatonic scales over it. Or it could possibly be thought of as a 5 (V7) chord in A harmonic minor (but this might sound a bit too exotic for this bluesy rock song). Or you could not play over it at all, as is the case in the song.

The verse (0:51 in the video) uses the chords A5 C5 D5. Again, these power chords still stem from the A natural minor scale (Aeolian mode, C major scale). All of these notes are also found in the A minor pentatonic. The guitar riff that occurs after each line of the verse is the A minor pentatonic with a chromatic passing tone added (blues scale). See guitar tab below.

Verse Riff: A Minor Pentatonic "Blues" Scale Patterns 3 & 4
E----------------------|------------------|
B----------------------|------------------|
G------14--14-12-------|----------12b(14)-|
D----------------14-13-|-12-10------------|
A--12------------------|------------------|
E----------------------|------------------|

So you can see that Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo is based on minor chord progressions and pentatonic scale patterns. This is very common in blues and blues-based rock songs.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Minor Modes

"Just finished watching your video on Modes. I really enjoyed it and found it very useful. Will you be expanding more on the other modes (minor modes)? It would be interesting dive deeper in."

The minor modes are Dorian, Phrygian and Aeolian. Do you mean the harmonic and melodic minor scale modes? If yes, I don't plan on covering them because with very few exceptions they just don't occur in popular music. They still can be interesting to explore but be careful not to get ahead of yourself. There is so much fundamental guitar theory that you need to know before delving into more advanced topics.

Harmonic Minor Scale Guitar
When you're ready I recommend checking out the following books from Dock Mock on harmonic and melodic minor scales for guitar.

Problems with Guitar Modes

"I've spent some time going over your podcasts (which are awesome btw), but I'm having some problem with the one you did on modes. It seems everywhere I look, they talk about using different scales ect. I know you said to ignore this, but what is the difference between what you teach and what these people are saying. Are you supposed to play different scales over the chords when you are going for an effect in a mode?"

Good question. The problem with most guitar modes instruction is that the instructors either assume you already understand the fundamental modal concept, or the instructors themselves don't understand it. As a result they end up teaching ideas that are offshoots of the modal concept and based on their own personal philosophy. I highly recommend you get my DVD Guitar Modes - The Modal Scales of Popular Music as it lays everything out as clearly as can be. Once you master the fundamental concept you may be able to wrap your mind around the other personal perspectives that are taught.

Friday, April 23, 2010

How do you start and stop on time with a guitar loop pedal?

"What is the trick to getting a perfect loop? It seems that when I play it is not obvious when to push the stop button."

One of these days I need to get around to making a video about looping. Until then all I can tell you is that you have to hit the pedal the second time at the exact same point you began. So for example, if you start at beat one of a measure, hit the pedal precisely on that beat both the first and second times. Also, play through after you hit the pedal the second time as if you were going to keep going. Otherwise you might slow down or stop at the end of the loop in a manner that makes the transition back to the beginning noticeable. You want it to sound seamless.

I use a Boss RC20 Loop Station in my guitar theory DVDs.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Guitar Study Habits, How to Practice and Warm Up

Learning songs is one of the best ways to study and practice, and all famous guitar players have done it. http://bit.ly/a905QE

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Guitar Picking Technique

"One thing that keeps frustrating me is continually hitting the wrong string with the pick! Any thoughts you have on being able to hit the right string with the pick every time?"

You need to rest your hand on the guitar body and keep the pick close to the strings. This will give you more control over the pick and allow you to use your hand to mute strings. For example, as you pick the first string (high E) your hand can actually rest on the other strings keeping them quiet. This is especially important when playing with distortion and at loud levels. Other than that, don't bite off more than you can chew. Work on mastering simple guitar parts before you try to jump back and forth across all the strings quickly. Picking accuracy will develop in time.

I demonstrate right hand placement and technique in my DVD, Getting Started with the Pentatonic Scale.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Part 3 Amie Guitar Lesson

In case you missed it there are 3 parts to my Amie Guitar Lesson video. I don't have guitar tab for this song, but I slow everything down and explain all the licks and phrases. This lead guitar solo is suitable for intermediate and advanced level players only.

If you're just getting started with guitar scales and soloing I recommend that you be careful not to get ahead of yourself. Instead, check out the free preview to my DVD Getting Started with the Pentatonic Scale.

Part 3 Amie Guitar Lesson at YouTube

By the way, my dentist recorded this for himself during a private lesson (we used to barter for services back when I still taught). If you're in need of good dental work visit Dr. Kozy's website at: Cosmetic Dentist Toledo

Friday, February 26, 2010

Part 2 Amie Guitar Lesson

Part 2 of my Pure Prairie League Amie guitar lesson video teaches the acoustic guitar solo in the middle of the song. This lead includes A major pentatonic scale patterns mixed with other scales and keys. It uses some of the guitar theory discussed in my previous blues chord progression blog post.

Sorry, NO TAB is available.

Part 2 Amie Guitar Lesson at Youtube

For more information about music theory for guitar visit my website where you can download free book and DVD previews.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Amie Guitar Lesson Pentatonic Scale Songs

"Amie" by Pure Prairie League is a great example of using A major pentatonic scale patterns for guitar. This free video guitar lesson covers the lead guitar solo at the beginning of the song and discusses guitar theory and technique.

Sorry, but NO TAB is available.

Amie Guitar Lesson at YouTube

To learn more about pentatonic scales for guitar download a free preview of the DVD Getting Started with the Pentatonic Scale.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Guitar Theory Lessons Online at Twitter

I use my guitar forum, blog, and Twitter page to answer questions and post links to free guitar theory lessons. I'm also on Facebook and Myspace networking and chatting with guitar playing friends. Join me online today and start receiving updates about my online activity. Also, feel free to send me your comments and questions.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

How Guitar Players Solo Over Chord Changes

Lead guitar players choose scales and play solos over chord changes a few different ways. Options include using pentatonic scale patterns, major scale patterns, or a combination of both. Also, you can follow just the root chord in a progression, the entire progression as a whole, or each chord individually.

Pentatonic Scale Patterns
Using pentatonic scales requires that you identify the root chord in a progression. The root is the tonal center of a song that everything revolves around and where everything ultimately resolves. After you identify the root chord you can play a corresponding pentatonic scale over the whole progression.

For example, the lead guitar solo to "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin is played over the chords, Am, G and F. The Am is functioning as the root and so you can play A minor pentatonic scale patterns over the whole progression.

The lead guitar solo to "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd is played over the chords, D, C and G. The G is functioning as the root and so you can play G major pentatonic scale patterns over the whole progression.

An exception to this rule occurs in music styles with a blues flavor. Blues songs can break the rules a bit by using minor pentatonic scales over major chords (or dominant seven chords).

Major Scale Patterns
Using major scales requires knowledge of guitar chord progressions and playing by numbers. This is because you must identify the parent key that ALL chords in a progression fit into then play that corresponding major scale.

For example, the Am, G and F chords in the "Stairway to Heaven" solo only occur all together in the key of C. So you can use C major scale patterns over the whole progression (a.k.a. Am which is the relative minor). The D, C and G chords in "Sweet Home Alabama" only occur all together in the key of G. So you can use G major scale patterns over the whole progression.

Combining Pentatonic and Major Scale Patterns
The two song examples above use pentatonic and major scales that happen to correspond to each other but this isn't always the case. Sometimes the correct scales to use for soloing are one type of pentatonic and another type of major scale. For example, "Oye Como Va" by Santana uses Am pentatonic and G major scale (a.k.a. Dorian mode). "No Rain" by Blind Melon uses E major pentatonic and A major scale (a.k.a. Mixolydian mode). Once you figure out the correct scales to use for soloing you can play some of both or combine the patterns together.

Playing Over Key Changes
Sometimes the root of a song will change. If this occurs, then you must follow by changing the pentatonic scale to match. Also, sometimes the chords in a song won't all fit together into one key. When this occurs you have to break the progression up into chord groups that each fit into one key and then play the corresponding major scales over each key.

Outlining a Chord Progression
Pentatonic scales can also follow each chord change. So if you're playing a progression based on Am, G and F, then you can play Am pentatonic over Am, G major pentatonic over G, and F major pentatonic over F. This requires a lot of quick thinking because you must reorient yourself into new patterns each time the chord changes.

Music Theory for Guitar
As you can see, knowing your options when it comes to playing over changes requires you understand music theory for guitar. The more you know how things go together and what your options are the better you'll understand the music you play and create your own compositions and improvisations.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Guitar Chord Melody

Guitar chord melody utilizes chord forms, inversions, voicings, & scale patterns in all positions. http://bit.ly/7m2oWX

Minor & major pentatonic scales are the same notes & patterns. The difference is which note is functioning as the root. http://bit.ly/7c98pm

Comment? Question? Join the discussion.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Guitar Riffs

And the greatest guitar riff ever is ... http://bit.ly/5Z1LCd

Rock's greatest riffs: The memorable ones grab you and pull you into a song: http://bit.ly/6JNrPJ

Thursday, January 14, 2010

How to Use Scales for Bass

"I have always just been a bass player that played the notes for the chord, but after watching your pentatonic scale dvd and reading Fretboard Theory I can see there's so much more to do. If I'm playing a song in the key of G can I play the G major scale up and down the 5 patterns and sound ok?"

Music theory for bass is applied a little differently than music theory for guitar. This is because bassists are expected to establish the roots or tonal center of chords. Most of the time this consists of the actual root of the chord which is why many bass players don't think much beyond roots. But chords include other intervals and bass players can sometimes use the other intervals in place of the root.

For example, you could use a chord's third or fifth. You can see a list of bass songs that use all three intervals in Fretboard Theory page 86 Triads. When alternating between a chord's intervals you'll usually need to play the root first in order to establish the correct tonality. But on occasion bass players start chords on other intervals.

When playing a chord change, once the root has been established bass players have an opportunity to either play another interval from the chord or play a bit in an appropriate scale pattern. A good example of this is the song "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison. The bass always plays the root of each chord first, then follows with triad and scale movement leading to the next chord. It's a must learn song for bass players.

Other times songs are not based on chord changes but center around a single root. A good example of this is the song "Lowrider" by War. Everything centers around G using a blues mixture of minor pentatonic and mixoydian mode. The bass simply repeats a G minor pentatonic riff throughout the whole song. There is room for the bass to improvise with the scale, but it needs to get back to the root at the beginning of the 2 bar phrase in order to maintain the tonal center of the song.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Why Does the Pentatonic Follow the Root Chord But Major Scales Do Not?

As explained in Fretboard Theory, in order to apply major scales properly you must examine a whole chord progression and determine which key all the chords fit into together. Then you can play that major scale over the whole chord progression. But when applying the pentatonic scale, you only need to identify the root chord (tonal center) in the progression and then play a pentatonic key that corresponds to it. Why do you play the pentatonic based off only the root of a song and not the whole key or parent major scale? Why is the pentatonic so special that this works?

The pentatonic scale can follow the root chord because it includes scale degrees common to all possible major scale modes. For example, let's say you have a progression revolving around a C major chord. Well, depending on the other chords involved the C could be the first (Ionian), fourth (Lydian) or fifth (Mixolydian). Each of these modes are slightly different and produce different chords, but they all include the notes in the C major pentatonic.

C D E F G A B - C Ionian (C is chord I in the key of C)

C D E F# G A B - C Lydian (C is chord IV in the key of G)

C D E F G A Bb - C Mixolydian (C is chord V in the key of F)

C D E G A - C major pentatonic

The same thing happens in minor keys. If you're playing a chord progression that revolves around an A minor then the three possible major scale modes are Dorian, Phrygian and Aeolian.

A B C D E F# G - A Dorian (Am is chord ii in the key of G)

A Bb C D E F G - A Phrygian (Am is chord iii in the key of F)

A B C D E F G - A Aeolian (Am is chord vi in the key of C)

A C D E G - A minor pentatonic

You can see that the pentatonic scale is missing the intervals that complete the whole major scale. These same missing scale degrees are what make the modes different. Without them there is no conflict regardless of mode. In fact, if a chord progression changes keys (parent major scale/mode) but still revolves around the same chord, then you can still play the same pentatonic scale over it without needing to consider the key changes.

For example, "Moondance" by Van Morrison has a section based on A Dorian and another section based on A Aeolian. If you want to play full major scale patterns then you'll need to switch keys. But since both sections revolve around the same Am chord you can continue to play A minor pentatonic scale patterns.

Pentatonic scale patterns are easier to apply and require less thought or music theory knowledge for the reasons explained above. This shouldn't be considered a bad thing because often times the sound of the pentatonic scale is a better choice. But a smart guitar player will also understand how to use and apply major scale patterns and modes. Sometimes it's the more complicated approach that sounds best. Use your own judgment.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Roots, Keys and Applying Scales

As I teach in Fretboard Theory Chapter 7 (Roots, Keys and Applying Scales), you must identify the one major scale that the whole progression stems from in order to know what major scale to use for melody, riffs, and solos. But the pentatonic needs only to correspond to the root chord in a progression.

Major Scale Patterns
For example, the guitar solo in the acoustic version of "Layla" by Eric Clapton uses the chords Dm, Bb and C with Dm functioning as the root (where everything leads to and resolves). These three chords together can only fit into the F major scale. So you can play F major scale patterns over the whole progression.

Pentatonic Scale Patterns
Since Dm is the root chord, you can play Dm pentatonic over the whole progression as well. In fact, the pentatonic notes are all in the major scale. So the pentatonic is really just the major scale minus two intervals (in this case the 2nd and minor 6th). But guitar players visualize and play in pentatonic and major scale patterns differently. This is why we have names for the two and they're taught differently.

Clapton's approach to this solo section is a combination of both. Some of his phrases are based on full major scale patterns while others are in typical pentatonic boxes.

Music Theory For Guitar
Of course, there are more options to choosing scales for solos but what I've outlined above is what is generally done most of the time. Be sure that you completely understand this guitar theory and have mastered applying these concepts before you explore more complicated ideas.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Why do some songs not fit into any one key?

Anything goes in the world of music composition. Many artists play solely by ear by piecing ideas together through trial and error. But there are fundamental concepts that underlie all music like scales, chords, progressions, modes, etc.

If a song doesn't all fit into one key, then it's a combination of different keys. Sometimes this is thought of as borrowing elements from other keys. In this case, you have to break the song down and separate it into pieces that each fit into a key.

Another possibility in this type of situation is the usage of scales beyond the pentatonic and major scale patterns I teach. For example, the harmonic minor and melodic minor scale. But you need to understand pentatonic and major scale theory first as advanced concepts stem from them.

Going through this trouble to understand a song's construction is not usually necessary in styles that don't require much melody or harmony. For example, some heavy metal riffs are simply based on chromatic movement or rhythmic noise. It can be kinda pointless to try and connect these things to some sort of structured guitar theory.