Hello everyone.
I wanted to share with you a simple, but yet very useful guitar exercise based on the use of a diminished triad scale. What makes this exercise so useful is that it accomplishes several things. Firstly, it helps you with the stretching of fingers. Secondly, it employs basic alternate picking (up – down), even though the real trick is to play it with apoyando (a method of plucking known in English as “rest stroke”, where after plucking the string, the pick rests on the adjacent string). Due to its rather specific construction this exercise will keep you concentrated the entire time.
I believe that all guitarists should spend a good portion on their practice time playing exercises. Yes, playing in a band is great, and following a creative impulse when writing a song is important, but the exercises are the instruments that help you progress reaching a new level of ability. Also, don’t skip playing scales and arpeggios under any circumstances. Scales and arpeggios based on them represent a consecutive play of notes, which make up the chord and are not just for beginners. They are known to be very rich in melodic expression, which makes them perfectly suitable for imaginative player wishing to create remarkable solos and riffs.
Well, speaking of the exercise – I do not know if there is a name to this exercise; it was shown to me by my guitar teacher and I benefited greatly from it. It is based on the diminished third scale.
Plat it against metronome, starting out slowly and making sure that each note sounds out clearly without unwanted sounds from other strings. Listen to the midi file, to make sure you are on the right track. Enjoy!
E E E E E E E E E||------------------------------------------------| B||------------------------------------------------| G||------------------------------------------------| D||---------------------------------------------3--| A||------------------------------2--5-----2--5-----| E||--1------------------------4--------4-----------| E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E --------------------------|--------------------------| --------------------------|-----------------------6--| -----------------------4--|--------4--7-----4--7-----| --------3--6-----3--6-----|--3--6--------6-----------| --2--5--------5-----------|--------------------------| --------------------------|--------------------------| E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E -----------------------7--|--------7--10S--11--8---------| --------6--9-----6--9-----|--6--9-----------------10--7--| --4--7--------7-----------|------------------------------| --------------------------|------------------------------| --------------------------|------------------------------| --------------------------|------------------------------| E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E --8-------------------------|--------------------------| -----10--7-----10--7--------|--7-----------------------| ------------8---------8--5--|-----8--5-----8--5--------| ----------------------------|-----------7--------7--4--| ----------------------------|--------------------------| ----------------------------|--------------------------| E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E --------------------------|--------------------------------|-----|| --------------------------|--------------------------------|-----|| --5-----------------------|--------------------------------|-----|| -----7--4-----7--4--------|--4-----------------------------|-----|| -----------6--------6--3--|-----6--3-----6--3--------------|-----|| --------------------------|-----------5--------5--------2--|-----||
_________
E – 8th
S – shift slide
7 responses so far ↓
1 stagedive // Jul 28, 2010 at 9:54 am
It’s not hard to teach one on one but students tend to get away from the “feel” on their own and bog down. Direct imitation with immediate feedback from me seems to work really well but all the abstract instruction on the web seems to make students over analyze it and forget that sympathetic motion is ultimately a feeling. Teaching it is much like teaching someone to roll their Rs – the technical information can actually get in the way of “getting it”.
stagedive
2 guitarfest // Jul 30, 2010 at 9:10 am
tsa-guiterfest
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
3 admin02 // Jul 31, 2010 at 1:09 am
I would definitely agree with you that direct imitation is great. For instance Jimi Hendrix and many other players, especially blues players did not know the standard music notation, could not read it and it was the way for them to learn playing – to play along with the records and to jam and to trade licks with other guitarists. But the guitar playing is a vast territory and if one wishes to write a song in style of King Crimson or to shine in jazz improvisation – the knowledge that you can get from a good book, a good teacher or from a good web-site is essential. Quoting George Benson, “I spent a lot of time teaching myself theory and harmony so I could be free to express myself on the instrument.” And the great John McLaughlin went even further, “If I want to improvise over Gmaj7+5, then go to E aug9-5, then to B maj7-5, well if you don’t know what those chords are in scale terms, you’re lost. It’s not all that difficult, but you have to be ready to apply yourself…”
4 admin02 // Jul 31, 2010 at 1:10 am
Thank you. Keep on rockin’!
5 photo throw // Aug 1, 2010 at 6:16 am
A good case is essential if you’re lugging your valuable instrument around with you. The more valuable the instrument, the more it is likely to cost to repair and the more you should be prepared to spend on a good case.
6 admin02 // Aug 1, 2010 at 10:35 pm
Yeah, cases are a must if you travel. That can be a simple hard-shell case with humidifier to a top of the line flight case.
7 stacey kile // May 29, 2011 at 6:38 am
I love the site – it has huge potential but it appears that you’ve stopped servicing it? Thanks for what you do – you’ve done a great job so far, very helpful… but needs to be completed and maintained. Good luck!
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