My method addresses the needs of any guitarist who is looking to expand his or her musical abilities. It’s goal is to offer to the serious guitarist the tools needed to attain a higher level of flexibility and creativity on the instrument. This is done through the study of:
- Scales and Scale Structure
- Harmony
- Harmonic Structure
- Guitar Anatomy
- Ear training
Many guitarists play from a base of learned material. Chord shapes, solo licks, accompaniment and strum patterns often form the basis of a guitarist’s repertoire. Yet many of these players, though they may play well from an execution standpoint, can fall short in the long run. After a while they might run out of ideas or might start to feel stale and stuck. This makes sense if we consider that material that is tried and tested is finite. Unless there is some process of renewal and regeneration in the musician’s development, new ideas and musical growthcannot occur.
It is through the knowledge of the basics that a musician can attain the freedom to grow and discover new and fresh material. Through this process the guitar, in addition to being a vehicle for performance, becomes a guide to discovery, both in the slow deliberate discovery of practice as well as in the spontaneous discovery of improvisation.
The study of musical theory and harmony in and of itself can be a dry pursuit. I believe in the context of the guitar, this seductive and beautiful instrument, theoretical study can be fun and exciting.
Each online lesson will include a print-out written in both standard notation and guitar tablature. It will address two or three areas of study, depending on the guitarists ability and knowledge. Here is a further explanation of the basic areas of study:
- Scales and Scale Structure
The practice of scales is essential to both development of technique, as well as ability to improvise. Through this study the guitarist develops the ability to move fluidly and accurately over the fingerboard. Learning scales in all positions will enable the improvisor to play what he/she hears immediately anywhere on the neck. Also, learning scales in many positions improves the player’s ability to quickly move across the strings with the pick.
Knowledge of scale structure is the basis of musical harmony. Why does one scale have 4 sharps, where another has 2 flats? What are the characteristics of a mixolydian scale, as opposed to a dorian scale? What distinguishes an irregular scale from one of the regular modes? When one understands scale structure the answers to all these questions become clear, and it is the understanding of scale structure that gives the improvisor the ability to know what scales work with a particular chord.
- Harmony
Guitarists often have a limited knowledge of chords. The first chords we learn on the guitar are the neck position chords, and then when we have the finger strength we start to attempt barre chords. However, often the player is unaware of the notes in the chord and their function in the harmony. Only through the understanding of these specifics can the player approach harmony on the guitar with a fresh approach.
For instance, once we understand the elements of a C chord we realize that there are many ways the play a C chord on the guitar, and each voicing (i.e. arrangement of notes of the C chord) gives a different sound. A barred C sounds much different from a neck position C chord, which in turn sounds different from a simple C triad. Certain voicings may be more musically appropriate than others.
In my lessons, I will break chords down for the student so that he/she understands the elements and can eventually create their own chords in a theoretical way, rather than a rote way. We will explore adding non-chordal notes to the chords and altering parts of the chord to create a richer and more interesting sound. The student thereby gains harmonic flexibillity and depth through this approach.
- Harmonic Structure
I have had the pleasure in my teaching to have students who were aspiring singer/songwriters. It was not uncommon for those students to tell me that, although the lyrics and melodies of songs came pretty quickly, they were tired of using the same old chord progressions. I have also noticed that most pop music relies on the same one or two 4-chord progressions found in many, many pop songs. My theory is that many song writers rely on their ears and past musical experiences for their chords and don’t have the tools to venture out their harmonic ‘comfort zone’. As a result, we end up with pop songs that sound harmonically the same.
Harmonically driven music follows certain rules that have developed over many centuries: the tonic (the chord of the key of the song) exerts the strongest harmonic pull, and is complemented by the two other strong chords, the dominant and subdominant. If one understands this and is also aware of the other chords that make up a given key, one can easily understand the reason for a certain chord following another. At this point, we can also explore chords that are harmonic ‘outsiders’, but can be used to give an unexpected character to a song.
I use harmonic analysis in my lessons to help a student understand harmonic progression. Songs by the Beatles present good subjects for analysis, as they use common chord progressions, but almost always have a harmonic twist, which give them character. Through understanding harmonic progression, a student will be able to transpose, memorize chord progressions and create their own chord progressions that fit the character of the song, rather than conform to pop expectations.
- Guitar Anatomy
Early in my teaching, I noticed an interesting phenomenon. While working on a simple scale, I asked a student to move up a whole step from an F on the D string. The student naturally moved two frets up the neck. I said that this was correct, but I didn’t want them to change position. The student tried all sorts of notes (fretted), anything but the correct note, which was the open G string.
Again, here we find an example of rote knowledge of the instrument, without understanding the actual theory of how the guitar and guitar tuning work. Many guitarists don’t know that there are 5 ways to play middle C on the guitar, and indeed find this aspect of the instrument confusing. However, in order to be a well-rounded improvisor and player on the guitar, one must understand the anatomy of the instrument. Otherwise, we are limited to pre-established licks and chords.
Through exercises, scales and transpositions I help the student understand this aspect of the guitar, thereby demystifying an instrument which, without this knowledge, would be extremely complex. My goal in this is the make intuitive that which is non-intuitive, so that when the student hears a musical phrase they can play it in various parts of the neck.
- Lesson set-up and fees
Online lessons are taught through Skype or FaceTime. The student must have a good network connection and a laptop or desktop computer with a built-in camera, that can be positioned to show the guitar. Lessons are either 45-minutes or one hour.
Following the lesson, I will email to the student the material covered in the lesson along with a suggested practice plan. Fees are $80 for 45-minutes and $100 for one hour, and can be paid through Zelle or Venmo.