Archive for the ‘Tutorials’ Category

I was surfing around looking for common chord progressions that I can solo over using my RC-20 looper pedal.  I found a site that had an interesting chart that I’ll be “playing” with for a while.  The first picture below is the Major chord pattern flow.  You can start from anywhere on the chart, just pick a chord within the key your playing and then follow it from left to right.  When you get to a bracket, you need to choos whether you’re going to go with the upper chord or the lower.   Now when you’re done with the I chord and you get the the *.  The astericks means you can then go to any chord.  If you’re doing a repeating pattern you may likely go to where you started. 

Below is the Minor version of the above chart.  Note that it adds the VII chord and shows that the best way to get there is from the iv which means the minor iv chord (lower case is minor)

Let’s play with these for a minute and see what sort of progressions we can come up with.  Let’s start with the easiest which I think is the key of C Major which means we’ll be using the upper chart.  Lets pick E to start and see where this takes us…

Em (which is the iii) which means it really needs to be Em
Am (vi)
F (IV)  I chose the lower path in the brackets
G (V) (I chose this route rather than the diminished becuase I’m not so good at grabbing a diminshed chords…need to work on that)
C

You’ll have to grab your guitar and give this a quick play to see how it sounds.  I’ll grab my ukulele since it’s sitting here next me.

But that’s how it works folks.   Hmmm…before I go…what sort of scales can we play on this progression?  Sounds like a topic for another post in the near future!

Later!

If you’re only just starting out on the guitar, you may never have needed to buy new strings just yet let alone come across the term “gauge”, so it’s easy to be a little confused when you first hear the word.

Basically, guitar string gauges are usually described by their thickness to a thousandth of an inch. The majority of guitarists use either 9′s or 10′s. What these means is, the thin E string on their guitar is either 9 thousandths or 10 thousandths of an inch thick.

If you’re a beginner then you might be best to use 9′s to start with, a good set of these are the Ernie Ball Regular Slinky or Rotosound Yellows.

Generally, heavier strings give a richer and more full sound, however are also harder on the fingers and can be quite difficult to play when trying to bend notes. Lighter strings, such as 9′s are easier on the fingers, especially when bending or sliding notes, however they do sometimes break a little easier.

Some packs of strings even mix and match gauges. Most major string brands have a range that allows you to match the top and bottom strings to suit your style… so if you like to easily bend your high strings when playing lead but pound the bottom strings when playing rhythm then you can chose a suitable combination.

Just for reference here is a list of all the string gauges offered by Ernie Ball (probably the most well known string company)

2215 – Skinny Top Heavy Bottom 10, 13, 17, 30, 42, 52 2220 – Power Slinky 11, 14, 18p, 28, 38, 48 2221 – Regular Slinky 10, 13, 17, 26, 36, 46 2222 – Hybrid Slinky 09, 11, 16, 26, 36, 46 2223 – Super Slinky 09, 11, 16, 24w, 32, 42 – Recommended for beginners 2225 – Extra Slinky 08, 11, 14, 22w, 30, 38 2626 – Not Even Slinky 12, 16, 24p, 32, 44, 56 2627 – Beefy Slinky 11, 15, 22p, 30, 42, 54

You may wonder what the “w” and “p” mean on some of the above string gauges. “P” stands for plain, which means the string is basically just a straight piece of wire. Whereas, “W” are strings which are wound, which means there is a thin bit of wire in the middle tightly wound with a wrapping of even thinner wire to make up the total thickness of the string.

In most cases the first and second strings with be “plain”, whereas the 3rd to 6th strings will be “wound”. Whenever this is not the case, then it is stated by adding either a “p” or “w” after the string gauge.

How often you change your strings basically depends on how often you play and what type of strings you use.

If you are new the guitar and find yourself playing quite a bit each day then it might be best to change your strings once every 4 – 6 weeks. The reason for this is that overtime when playing the guitar the strings become greasy and dirty which makes them lose their tone, and can sometimes go rusty and snap.

There are a few basic ways in which you can extend the life of your strings. This is as simple as:

* Washing your hands before you play the guitar

* Wipe your strings with a cloth or string cleaning product after playing to remove any sweat or grease. GHS Fast Fret String Cleaner is a great product to use on your strings and will keep them clean and sounding crisp for longer.

What Are The Signs That I Need To Change My Strings?

* Sound – When you play a guitar with new strings you will hear a very bright and crisp sound, even when the guitar is not amplified. Overtime, this will begin to fade and the strings can sound very dull. If you like that initial crispness when you play new strings then you might consider replacing them.

* Dirt and Grease – When you begin to feel a build up on the strings when you play them it’s a definite sign that need changing. From frequent playing, the strings with gather sweat and oil from your fingers. If you don’t clean the strings then this will build up and will make the strings feel harsh on your fingers and also lose sound quality.

* Broken Strings – This might sound like a no brainer, but I’m not just talking about replacing the broken string. When you break a string, it’s often because it is dirty or gotten a little rusty. If a string breaks for this reason then its most likely the other strings are in the same condition too. Rather than just replacing the one broken string it’s a good idea to replace the entire set.

About the Author

My name is Freddy and I am the creator and owner of FastfingerFreddy.com – An online video guitar lessons website focused on teaching the guitar to beginners. Visit me at www.fastfingerfreddy.com

Tabs are a quick and easy method to read guitar music. Unlike regular sheet music (used for piano example), guitar tabs are very easy to follow and work by telling you where to place your fingers on the neck of the guitar. Tabs can be found all over the Internet for free by searching on Google. A great site is ultimate-guitar.com which is completely free and has thousands of tabs. Once you understand the basics of reading guitar tablature, you will be able to play your favourite songs in no time at all. Tabs are shown are shown like below: e|–0–0–0————–| B|–7–5–7–8–7–5–5–| G|–7–7–7————–| D|———————–| A|———————–| E|———————–| Individual Notes in Guitar Tablature e|———————–| B|–7–5–7–5———–| G|———————–| D|———————–| A|———————–| E|———————–| To understand how to read tabs, first take your guitar and lay it FLAT on your lap, so you are looking down upon it. So, the thinnest string, the “e” (aka 1st string) is furthest away from your body, with the thickest “E” (aka 6th string) closest to your body. This view is matched on the tablature. The 6 dotted horizontal lines are the strings of your guitar. The thickest “E” string, shown at the bottom is closest to your body. And the thin “e” is furthest away. The numbers on the tablature indicate the frets on your guitar. Tabs are read from left to right, like reading a book. In this example all notes are played one at a time after each other. e|———————–| B|–7–5–7–5———–| G|———————–| D|———————–| A|———————–| E|———————–| So, the first note we get to is on the B string and we are told to place our finger at the 7th fret. Once your finger is pressed down on the B string at the 7th fret (on the actual wooden neck, in-between to the two metal inlays), pluck only the B string. Next place your finger at the 5th fret on the B string and pick this note. Now place your finger back at the 7th fret on the B string and pick the note. The final note is the 5th fret, also on the B string. Over time you will begin to learn which fingers to use to make your playing as easy and as fluent as possible. For example, you may use your index finger for the first note at the 7th fret on string B and simple move it down to the 5th fret for the second note. However a better way to play the piece would be to use 2 fingers. Use your ring finger for the notes on the 7th fret and your index finger for notes at the 5th. Understanding which fingers to use to hold each note will come with experience, time and discovering how you feel most comfortable playing. Simultaneous Notes in Guitar Tablature e|——–0–0———–| B|–7–5–7–5———–| G|–7–7–7–7———–| D|———————–| A|———————–| E|———————–| When notes appear above each other it means they are played at the same time. The example above is the same piece as we just played however a few extra notes have been added. Let’s break down this piece into four sections. 1. e|—–| B|–7–| Use your little finger to hold down the B string at the 7th fret. G|–7–| Use your ring finger to hold down the G string at the 7th fret. D|—–| Play both notes simultaneously. A|—–| Play only the B and G strings. E|—–| 2. e|—–| B|–5–| Use your index finger to hold down the 5th fret on the B string. G|–7–| Leave your ring finger where it is. D|—–| Play both notes simultaneously. A|—–| Play only the B and G strings. E|—–| 3. e|–0–| An “0″ indicates that the string is played open, which means the string is simply played B|–5–| without holding down any fret. Use your little finger to hold down the B string at the 7th fret. G|–7–| Use your ring finger to hold down the G string at the 7th fret. D|—–| Play all notes simultaneously. A|—–| Play only the B, G and thin e string. E|—–| 4. e|–0–| Play the e string open B|–5–| Use your index finger to hold down the 5th fret on the B string. G|–7–| Leave your ring finger where it is. D|—–| Play both notes simultaneously. A|—–| Play only the B and G strings. E|—–| At first it can be a little tricky to hit only one or two strings at once however over time you will find it can be done without even thinking. Chords E D e|—-0——–2——–| B|—-0——–3——–| G|—-1——–2——–| D|—-2——–0——–| A|—-2—————–| E|—-0—————–| The tab above shows the E and D chords and indicates where on the fret board you need to place your fingers. As you can see, the E chord requires you to use 3 fingers to play the chord along with 3 open strings, for this chord you pluck all strings in one big motion at the same time. The same is said for the D chord, however in this instance you only need to play 4 strings. As I said earlier, with time you will begin to discover which fingers are best for holding certain chords and notes. About the Author My name is Freddy and I am the creator and owner of FastfingerFreddy.com – An online video guitar lessons website focused on teaching the guitar to beginners. Visit me at www.fastfingerfreddy.com

Anyone who has tried to play lead guitar in the style of Carlos Santana will know how difficult it is to duplicate. I am not referring to copying a Santana solo from a TAB sheet, we’re talking about understanding how Carlos creates his powerful solos.

Santana’s powerful solos are a blend of interesting harmonic textures mixed with traditional earthy scales. Of course, there’s a lot more to Carlos Santana’s music than scales and chords, Carlos is a very definite guitarist, every note he plays is packed with energy and emotion.

Guitarist’s trying to learn Santana’s guitar solos often encounter notes and chords outside the standard guitar resource material of minor pentatonic scale plus power chord combination.

Here’s 5 tips to help guitarist’s grasp the concepts behind Santana’s music.

1. Learn the Harmonic Minor scale – guitarist’s who already know the natural minor scale can easily create the Harmonic minor scale by sharpening the seventh note of the natural minor scale.

Let’s use the “A” natural minor scale as an example.

The notes in the “A” natural minor are as follows: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A.

By sharpening the G we create the “A” harmonic minor scale: A, B, C, D, E, F, G#, A.

The natural minor scale is also known as the Aeolian mode.

2. Study chords produced from the Harmonic minor scale: As the name implies the Harmonic minor scale produces as interesting family of rich sounding chords.

The following chords are created from the “A” harmonic minor scale.

chord 1 = A minor (#7), chord 2 = B minor 7th flat 5, chord 3 = C major 7th sharp 5, chord 4 = D minor 7th, chord 5 = E dominant 7th, chord 6 = F major 7th, chord 7 = G sharp diminished 7th.

The “A” minor (#7) chord is also known as a minor/major seventh chord e.g., Am (MAJ7).

The B minor 7th flat 5 chord is also known as a B half diminished chord.

3. Play the standard Harmonic minor chord progressions: The most common chord progressions are the 2-5-1, 1-4-5, 1-6-2-5, 1-6-4-5 and 1-6-5 progressions.

The following examples are given in the key of A harmonic minor, notice how the preference is for a straight minor chord for chord one instead of a minor sharpened seventh.

2-5-1 = B minor seventh flat 5, E dominant seventh, A minor./ 1-4-5 = A minor, D minor seventh, E dominant seventh. /1-6-2-5 = A minor, F major seventh, B minor seventh flat 5, E dominant seventh. / 1-6-4-5 = A minor, F major seventh, D minor seventh,E dominant seventh. / 1-6-5 = A minor, F major seventh, E dominant seventh.

4. Blues scale played over Harmonic minor chord progressions.

Obviously the harmonic minor scale will work well over the chord progressions created from that scale. Santana often plays the blues scale over the harmonic minor chord progressions.

Here is an example, the “A” blues scale consisting of the notes A,C,D,Eb,E,G can be played over a B minor seventh flat 5, E dominant seventh and A minor chords progression.

5. Let to play the Dorian Mode: A number of popular Santana tunes are based on the Dorian mode. The song “Evil Ways” is in “G” Dorian the notes for G Dorian are: G,A,Bb,C,D,E,F,G. Whilst the tune “Black Magic Woman” is derived from the “D” Dorian mode: D,E,F,G,A,B,C,D.

Learning new scales and chords can be very interesting, it is vitally important to be able to “hear” these new sounds, record the chord progressions and pay close attention to how each chord sounds so you can recognize them when you hear them new time.

The Santana style of playing can add a new dimension to your guitar playing and improve your ability to play guitar by ear, take your time and enjoy these interesting sounds.

About the Author

Mike Hayes develops systems and products to help you succeed in your guitar playing. Find out more about how to learn guitar fast with his popular free ecourse, available at: => http://www.guitarcoaching.com

Guitar playing can be confusing when you start learning, there is an avalanche of information to digest… so much to learn,theory, scales, speed building exercises etc.

But how much of this stuff do we really need to know to play songs on the guitar?

After all, that’s what is really important, I doubt if you will ever receive a request to play a Dorian mode or a Harmonic minor scale … I know no-one has ever asked me to play them!

So how do we work out what to learn and most importantly … “what to drop” from your guitar practice schedule? Quite simple really, if you can’t see an immediate application for what you are learning … don’t learn it!

This brings me to the subject of musical theory, a tremendous amount of which does not directly apply to popular music.

Firstly, it’s crucial to understand that there is different types of theory, classical theory, jazz theory, rock theory.

In fact, trying to understand rock theory while studying a generic theory book could easily set you back twenty years and confuse the hell out of you.

Let’s take the subject of 7th chords as a perfect example … did you know there are two types of 7th chords, both are important, both have entirely different applications and tonal qualities.

The major 7th chord is a four note chord derived from the diatonic scaletone seventh harmony.

Earth Translation: When we take a scale and stack the notes of that scale on top of each other at an interval of a third we create a series of chords that are the “children” of that scale.

The process is like a “layer cake” whereby any of the chords created can be played as a background for the original scale without any “wrong” notes being played. This is because the chords where created from the notes of that scale.

Example 1:

Three note (triadic version) of chords created from the key of C major:

C Dm Em F G Am Bdim C

 

Here is the four note version (scaletone seventh version) of chords created from the key of C major:

CMaj7 Dm7 Em7 FMaj7 G7 Am7 Bminor7b5 CMaj7

 

Important … notice how the fifth chord the “G” becomes a G7 (G dominant 7th) chord in the scaletone seventh version, whereas the first chord “C” and the fourth chord “F” produce a Major seventh chord quality .

Application: Major 7th chords can be used as substitute chords to add flavor to the basic major chord.

Example 2. static four bar C major introduction

C/// |C/// |C/// |C/// |

 

this introduction could be more interesting by alternating the C major Chord with the C Major seventh

C/// |CMaj7/// |C/// |CMaj7/// |

 

The result would be to create movement while not actually moving to another chord, like a person walking in one spot.

The dominant 7th chord is the fifth chord of a major diatonic scaletone seventh version. It also occurs as the fifth chord in a variety of other scales such as the harmonic, melodic and Jazz minor scales (scaletone seventh versions).

The diatonic seventh chord like it’s counterpart the major seventh is a four note chord.

Earth translation: Whilst the Major 7th chord occurs in the key of the same name e.g., CMaj7 chord is a product of the key of C Major the C7 (dominant 7th chord) is created from the key of F major and does not occur in the key of C major.

Example 3:

Four note version (scaletone seventh version) of chords created from the key of C major:

CMaj7 Dm7 Em7 FMaj7 G7 Am7 Bminor7b5 CMaj7

 

Example 4:

Four note version (scaletone seventh version) of chords created from the key of F major:

FMaj7 Gm7 Am7 BbMaj7 C7 Dm7 Eminor7b5 FMaj7

 

Application: Helps define key centers or “keys of the moment” by identifying the dominant seventh chord as the fifth chord in a major or minor key.

To hear these two chords in action listen to the opening bars of George Harrison’s “Something”. Notice how the C7 (dominant seventh chord) leads our ear to the “F” chord.

Something By George Harrison

C/// | CMaj7/// | C7/// | F etc …

 

I invite you to use these tips and tools when you play the guitar.

About the Author

And now I’d like to invite you to get free access to my “How To Remember 1,000 Songs” eCourse. You can download the course for free at: http://www.guitarcoaching.com

Chord Progressions for Modes: A How To Guide

Introduction
People often email me through my website – jamtracksforguitar.com – to ask how I write jam tracks in a specific mode.
Most guitarists have at least a vague idea about modes and many have got as far as learning some positions/shapes and are left thinking “what next?!”. This article will explain how to write chord progressions and vamps to accompany modes of the major scale and explain why they work with each mode.

Pre-requisites:
How to construct/spell the modes of the major scale
How to harmonise a major scale (chord scale, roman numeral analysis)

Harmony
Most players understand modes as the notes from a major scale but starting and ending on a different note. This is true but it’s not the full story. What is in the accompanying harmony, particularly the bass provides the all important (and oft-neglected) context. For example, playing in C major/ionian (CDEFGAB); starting and ending on an E does not instantly yield a phrygian sound. E phrygian over C major chord still sounds like C major. It sounds like E phrygian when played over an E minor chord.

The important thing is to get the tonality or the mood of each mode firmly into your ear and brain.

Three Methods for Writing Modal Vamps and Chord Progressions

Method 1: IV and V of the Parent Major Over the Root/Tonic of Mode
If you haven’t learned how to harmonise a major scale you should cover that now. Also, a basic understanding of slash chords is assumed. In this method you play the IV and V chords from the key that the mode is derived from. For example C# phrygian is the third mode of (and in the key of) A (spelled ABC#DEF#G#). The modal tonic (or root) is simply the note that gives the mode it’s name – in this example, C#. The IV and V chords of A are D and E. So, we would play D/C# and E/C# to create a phrygian sound. Let’s do another example in the same key. If we wanted to play in D lydian we would use the same IV and V chords as we’re in the same key but put D (the modal root) in the bass. Thus, D and E/D.

Method 2: Modal Root/Tonic Chord with an Adjacent Chord(s) for Movement
A simple but often overlooked principle is that scales/modes and chords are made from the same notes. We build chords from the notes in scales and we name the notes in chords according to their position in a scale. Scales sound good over chords that contain the same notes. This means that major chords are good for major modes and minor chords good for minor modes.
A vamp largely sticks to one chord. But this can get a bit boring so we add an adjacent chord to create movement and contribute to the modal sound. By adjacent chord, I mean a chord next to the tonic chord in the chord scale. For example, the chords in the key of C are I – CMaj7, II – Dmin7, III = Emin7, IV = FMaj7, V = G7, VI = Amin7, VII = Bdim7. If we wanted to play in D dorian we would play primarily the Dmin7 (IImin7) and add the Emin7 (IImin7) and Cmaj7 (IMaj7) as passing chords.

Method 3: Modal Root/Tonic with Cadence Chords
This method relies on using unstable chords, which sound like they need to resolve to move into more stable chords i.e. cadence. Each mode has a character note, which distinguishes it from other modes and is therefore critical to establishing it’s unique sound. They are as follows:

Character Tones
Ionian (Major) = natural 4th
Dorian = natural 6
Phrygian = b2nd
Lydian = #4th
Mixolydian = b7
Aeolian = b6

Chords with the character tone in resolve well to the more stable modal tonic.

Use these chords alongside the tonic (I) chord to construct modal vamps:
Ionian = IVMaj7, V7
Dorian = Iimin7, IV7, bVIIMaj7
Phrygian = bIIMaj7, bVIImin7
Lydian = II7, Vmaj7, VIImin7
Mixolydian = Vmin7, bVIIMaj7
Aeolian = IVmin7, bVIMaj7

NB: In the example above, roman numerals refer to the modal degree rather than the parent major e.g. “IV” refers to the 4th chord in the mode not the key as in previous examples.

For those wishing to extend these chords, add available tensions.

Caveats and Things to Consider
Because the major (ionian) sound is so familiar we don’t have to work so hard to maintain it’s tonality. Therefore method 3 works best for the remaining, less familiar, modes.

The locrian mode is ignored in this method because it has the paradox of having an unstable b5 in the tonic/root chord, which we want to sound more stable.

Also, dominant 7 chords are avoided because they have such a strong cadence pull towards the root chord of the parent major. Replacing the dominant 7 with the diatonic triad namesake avoids this i.e. use GMaj rather than G7.

How to Begin
A sensible first step is to explore the tonality (mood or feel) of each mode. Start with jam tracks and play simple melodies that capture the mood of the mode.

About the Author

About the Author
Owen Gurry is a professional guitarist based in South East London, UK. He does regular studio sessions for high profile production and library music as well as writing, producing, and performing.  His website is jamtracksforguitar.com

The ability to play a spontaneous, improvised guitar solo is a truly impressive skill. Whilst anyone can pick up a guitar and play a song using three chords, playing a guitar solo, on the other hand, requires a lot of hard work and practice. I have therefore decided to write a short article on guitar playing to share with you 4 tips which have certainly improved my guitar soloing and improvisation skills over the years.

Tip #1 – Learn More Licks
In order to play a good guitar solo you need to have a good vocabulary of guitar licks. Most beginners don’t realize that only 30% of what good guitar players play during an improvised guitar solo is improvised – the other 70% are actually licks which they have pre-learnt and internalized. Too often, we run into the problem of playing the same licks over and over again when we solo – which is boring! Having a good number of licks stored in memory will make you a more versatile guitarist. Guitar licks can be learnt from a variety of books, websites or by listening to your favorite guitarist and figuring out their licks. The resources are there, so there’s no excuse not to learn your guitar licks!

Tip #2 – Practise Smart, Not Hard
A lot of guitarists either practice too little or practice too much. Whilst being lazy and only picking up the guitar twice a week is obviously not going to get you very far, playing your guitar for up to 8 hours a day can be bad for you. I have a friend who developed carpal tunnel syndrome because of playing the guitar too much. Having a sensible practicing schedule, and sticking to it, is the key to success. In my opinion, it’s better to learn a little everyday then to cram everything in one day. For example, why not promise yourself that you will learn one new guitar lick a day? Seems like nothing, but that’s seven guitar licks in a week, and 365 guitar licks in a year!

Tip #3 – Practise over Backing Tracks
OK, so you’ve learnt your licks. The only way you are going to learn how to apply these learnt licks in a guitar solo is to play them over a backing track and practise joining the licks together. There are numerous free backing tracks available over the internet which you could use to practise soloing over. Backing tracks for the 12 bar blues are the most readily available, which is great because the blues is the best place to start when learning to guitar solo. Alternatively, if you want more exotic chord changes, it may be a good idea to buy some professionally-made backing tracks or even create your own backing tracks. Software such as Band-In-A-Box allows you to input a chord progression of your choice and it literally creates a backing track for you.

Tip #4 – Be Self-Critical
The only you are going to improve, especially when it comes to guitar soloing, is to be critical to yourself. Unfortunately, when we are playing the guitar, how we think we sound is often quite different from how we actually sound. Recording yourself play and then listen back, is a great way of self-evaluation. Often times, you might even be shocked at how bad your playing sounds but don’t despair – continual practice using the tips outlined above will polish things out. It may even be beneficial to get a friend or bandmate to listen to your playing and get them to critique on you. You might find that you’re not very good at taking criticism – but it’s the best way for you to grow as a guitar player.

About the Author

Lex Robben is a guitar enthusiast who is on a path of musical enlightenment. For more FREE guitar tips, licks and lessons, visit The Shadow Guitarist Blog.

Whenever you can learn some basic piece of information and apply that information to a variety of musical situations in your guitar playing it’s an opportunity too good to miss.

Learning blues chord progressions is one such vital piece of information, you probably already play some blues chord progressions without even realizing it; it’s highly likely … there’re almost impossible to avoid!

Blues chord progressions are found in rock, country, jazz and folk music and just about everywhere else in between. Let’s get started with the most basic examples.

Basic Blues Chord Progressions:

The most common format for the blues is the twelve bar blues chord progression, there’s four variations of this progression, the trick is to learn to play these progressions in all keys and be able to recognize each progression by their distinctive sound and feel.

12 bar blues chord progressions:

Blues 1

1 /// | 1 /// | 1 /// | 1 /// | 4 /// | 4 /// | 1 /// | 1 /// | 5 /// | 5 /// | 1 /// | 1 /// ||

Blues 2 1 /// | 1 /// | 1 /// | 1 /// | 4 /// | 4 /// | 1 /// | 1 /// | 5 /// | 4 /// | 1 /// | 1 /// ||

Blues 3 1 /// | 4 /// | 1 /// | 1 /// | 4 /// | 4 /// | 1 /// | 1 /// | 5 /// | 5 /// | 1 /// | 1 /// ||

Blues 4 1 /// | 4 /// | 1 /// | 1 /// | 4 /// | 4 /// | 1 /// | 1 /// | 5 /// | 4 /// | 1 /// | 1 /// ||

At first glance it looks complicated, the idea is to break everything down into tiny bite-size pieces i.e., take a closer look a Blues 3 notice how except for bar two it’s exactly the same as Blues 1.

Similarly, Blues 4 apart from the second bar is identical to blues 2.

I’ve presented each progression using numbers instead of chord names to make it easier to convert each progression into different keys.

Here’s how that works …

The number 1 refers to chord one of that particular key e.g., in the key of ‘G’ chord one would be ‘G’.

The number 4 refers to chord four of that particular key e.g., in the key of ‘G’ chord four would be ‘C’.

The number 5 refers to chord five of that particular key e.g., in the key of ‘G’ chord five would be ‘D’.

I’ve listed the most popular keys below to help you get started.

Key of C

1 = C 4 = F 5 = G

Key of G

1 = G 4 = C 5 = D

Key of D

1 = D 4 = G 5 = A

Key of A

1 = A 4 = D 5 = E

Key of E

1 = E 4 = A 5 = B

Here’s a few working examples of the 12 bar blues chord progressions in different keys and formats to help you recognize them when you hear, play or see them.

Blues 1 – key of G

G /// | G /// | G /// | G /// | C /// | C /// | G /// | G /// | D /// | D /// | G /// | G /// ||

Blues 2 – key of G

G /// | G /// | G /// | G /// | C /// | C /// | G /// | G /// | D /// | C /// | G /// | G /// ||

Blues 3 – key of G

G /// | C /// | G /// | G /// | C /// | C /// | G /// | G /// | D /// | D /// | G /// | G /// ||

Blues 4 – key of G

G /// | C /// | G /// | G /// | C /// | C /// | G /// | G /// | D /// | C /// | G /// | G /// ||

Blues 1 – key of E

E /// | E /// | E /// | E /// | A /// | A /// | E /// | E /// | B /// | B /// | E /// | E /// ||

Blues 2 – key of E

E /// | E /// | E /// | E /// | A /// | A /// | E /// | E /// | B /// | A /// | E /// | E /// ||

Blues 3 – key of E

E /// | A /// | E /// | E /// | A /// | A /// | E /// | E /// | B /// | B /// | E /// | E /// ||

Blues 4 – key of E

E /// | A /// | E /// | E /// | A /// | A /// | E /// | E /// | B /// | A /// | E /// | E /// ||

As you learn or play a song run it through the “12 bar blues” filter, ask yourself is this song a 12 bar blues, if so, which version.

Here’s an example …

Did you know that two popular Eric Clapton songs use the same 12 bar blues, blues 4 format?

Do you know which ones? …

“Crossroads” and “Before You Accuse Me”.

“Crossroads” is played in the key of A

“Before You Accuse Me” is in the key of E (MTV unplugged version)

Don’t forget to check both songs out next time you play your guitar.

About the Author

And now I’d like to invite you to get free access to my “How To Remember 1,000 Songs” eCourse. You can download the course for free at: => http://www.guitarcoaching.com

From Mike Hayes – The Internet Guitar Guy & The Express Guitar Programs

A beginner blues guitar lesson might be just what you need to get off the ground in the world of playing guitar. The guitar can be a pretty intimidating instrument if you’ve never learned anything about music or were not in the high school band.

Fortunately for you, you can take some very basic ideas about playing the blues guitar and get a pretty good idea about how to get started. Check out these 4 easy tips to help you tackle the art of learning the blues.

1. Learn from the professionals.

Imitation is one of the absolute best ways to learn a skill including how to play the guitar. Since I know that you already have access to the internet, check out some video-streaming sites and search for your favorite players. You can really learn a lot from some simple observation.

2. Start with twelve-bar blues.

If you take anything away from this beginner blues guitar lesson it should be that twelve-bar blues started it all. Just about every song composed in the 1950s that involved an electric guitar was twelve-bar blues.

Here’s a simple example of this style that only involves three chords:

* The first chord is E5 played with your index finger on the second fret of the A string. Strum the top two strings only.

* The second chord is B5 played with your index finger still on the second fret of the A string and your ring finger on the fourth fret of the D string. Strum those two strings only.

* The third chord is C5 played by taking the exact formation for B5 and sliding up the guitar neck by one fret. That’s simple enough.

3. Use the techniques of other players.

There probably isn’t one single original blues player that’s alive anymore and that means you don’t have to be completely original either. Find out what some of your idol’s favorite riffs are and then play the heck out of them. The sooner you start adding licks to your style, the sooner you’ll establish your own original characteristics.

4. Base your solos off of the minor pentatonic scale.

You don’t normally hear about soloing in a beginner blues guitar lesson, but it’s important to mention scales at this point. Most beginners hate the idea of scales because they’re not too exciting, but their purpose is very important.

If you plan on taking the path of improvisation and having jam sessions, all the notes you use are usually from this scale. Get yourself a scale chart and play through the scale a couple times before each practice session and you’ll be ahead of half the other beginners out there.

About the Author

Learning the blues can be tough and that’s when it’s nice to know that there are easier options to learning like good online guitar lessons. Just to get you aware of your options, check out this first-hand experience with the very popular beginner’s guitar series call Jamorama guitar.

Vital to all guitarists is a great sounding guitar. Having a well-tuned guitar the best way to ensure it will sound brilliant. However, tuning by ear is a tricky skill that comes with time. Fortunately, there are several handy tuner tools available to make tuning a guitar a less time-consuming and simple process.

If you are just starting out, there are several good online video demonstrations that will show you how to tune a guitar.

Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned musician, every guitar player should have a tuner handy. Tuners come in several shapes and sizes and can be used with acoustic guitars and electric guitars, as well as bass guitars. A standard tuner costs around $20, but some tuners allow you to plug your guitar directly into the tuner for on-stage and studio tuning and can run between $40 – $80. Plugging the guitar directly into the tuner ensures tuning is precise and it is much quicker than tuning with a standard tuner. Most tuners also come with a built-in metronome, a nice feature.

Below are six awesome tools to help you have a brilliant sounding guitar.

1. A good standard tuner that can work with acoustic guitars and electric guitars, as well as bass guitars, is the Boss Chromatic Tuner and Metronome. This tuner works with both a 7-string guitar and a 5-string bass. It is a cheap and easy tool to use.

2. There are also clip-on tuners, which attach to your guitar. If you are a performing guitarist, having a clip-on tuner will make it easy to tune between songs, and even tune with a capo. It will eliminate fumbling around to find a tuner while performing on stage.

3. Another good tool for on-stage tuning is a pedal tuner. Pedal tuners make it possible to tune silently while on stage. Fender makes an excellent pedal tuner that costs around $50.

4. If you are recording in a studio, it is imperative that the tuning of your guitar or bass is precise. Using a Digital Rackmount tuner makes this possible. Proprietary circuitry locks right onto the root tone, ignoring harmonics that confuse lesser tuners. These types of tuners can cost $60 – $90.

Other tools for tech-savvy musicians to tune their guitars are available online and as iPhone applications. Of course, these are not recommended for on-stage performing, but can be very useful for practicing while at home.

5. You can find an array of guitar tuners online by searching “online guitar tuners”, but one that stands out is Chordbook.com’s guitar tuner. It will allow you to do drop down tuning and other alternative tunings.

6. “Is there an app for that?” is a common question these days and the answer in the case of guitar tuners, is yes, there is an app for that. Gibson has an excellent iPhone application that is free, allows for alternative tunings, and also includes a metronome, chords, and lessons.

Whichever tool you choose for tuning your guitar, make sure you tune up frequently. Your guitar will sound awesome and it will help you learn how to tune your guitar by ear – without a guitar tuner!

Justin Sarra is Sales Manager at N’ Stuff Music Store, which sells guitar tuners, acoustic guitars, and electric. See http://www.nstuffmusic.com/t-guitars.aspx for more information on guitars.

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