Down on the Corner is a classic rock song by Creedence Clearwater Revival. It's an excellent example of a riff based tune, and its in the guitar-friendy key of C. The progression is :/I /V I/: This part makes up the riff over those chords, and it's played twice making up the A section.
--C----------------G----------C ---
------------------------------------
------------------------------------
------------------------------------
------------------------------------
--3--0-----3--3--0-------2--3--3-
--------3----------3--3------------
The next part of the tune - the B section - is transposed up a fourth to the IV chord. In this key, it's F. The riff has a different ending note than the A section, however. The B section is played once.
--F----------------C---------G ----
------------------------------------
------------------------------------
------------------------------0--0-
--3--0-----3--3--0-------2--------
--------3----------3--3------------
------------------------------------
The form is rounded out by playing the A section again, so the complete form for the verses in this song is AABA. Now let's look at the chorus:
The chorus is a IV,I,V,I progression in the key of C. Note that all of the root notes are in the 3rd fret. Cool eh?
"(F)Down on the (C)corner (G)out in the (C)street..."
Your quiz content will be to play the riff in AABA form and to play the chords to the chorus.
Good Luck!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Unit 11: Scales
Scales are the musical alphabet. They teach ear training, music theory and good technique. Guitarists use scale patterns to find logical positions on the guitar to sightread, play melodies and improvise.
We'll be starting with a major scale pattern that works with the root on the 6th string (E) and on the 5th string (A). Take your time with these. It's better to be slow and clean than fast and sloppy.
This is a G major scale. It's played in 2nd position with the root on the E string. "Position" is whatever fret your first finger is in on the neck. Once the first finger is placed, the other three fingers follow in adjacent frets. Here's the scale with finger numbers:
2 4 (E string)
12 4 (A string)
1 34 (D string)
And here's the scale in Tab with fret numbers:
------------------------------
------------------------------
------------------------------
-------------2-4-5------------
-------2-3-5------------------
--3-5-------------------------
Play this scale up and down the neck in increments of half steps. Once your fingers go down to play a note, they should stay down until you need to play another note with that finger. Alternate your picking direction to down-up-down. Be patient and practice slowly. After you are comfortable with this pattern try the same pattern starting with the root on the A string.
The test will be playing this scale up and down the neck in increments of half steps.
60 beats per minute, eighth notes. Good luck!
We'll be starting with a major scale pattern that works with the root on the 6th string (E) and on the 5th string (A). Take your time with these. It's better to be slow and clean than fast and sloppy.
This is a G major scale. It's played in 2nd position with the root on the E string. "Position" is whatever fret your first finger is in on the neck. Once the first finger is placed, the other three fingers follow in adjacent frets. Here's the scale with finger numbers:
2 4 (E string)
12 4 (A string)
1 34 (D string)
And here's the scale in Tab with fret numbers:
------------------------------
------------------------------
------------------------------
-------------2-4-5------------
-------2-3-5------------------
--3-5-------------------------
Play this scale up and down the neck in increments of half steps. Once your fingers go down to play a note, they should stay down until you need to play another note with that finger. Alternate your picking direction to down-up-down. Be patient and practice slowly. After you are comfortable with this pattern try the same pattern starting with the root on the A string.
The test will be playing this scale up and down the neck in increments of half steps.
60 beats per minute, eighth notes. Good luck!
Monday, March 24, 2008
Unit 10: Hey Joe
In this lesson we learn a tune by one of the great masters of the guitar: Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix did not write this song, but he certainly made it famous. I like it because the chord progression uses almost all of the chords you already know, and it introduces on new chord: E major.
E is a 6 string strummed chord that looks like this in Tab:
--0--
--0--
--1--
--2--
--2--
--0--
After a short introductions (which I show you in class) the chord progression begins. It stays like this for the entire song:
C G/ D A/ E /E/
That C for two beats and G for two beats followed by d for two beats and A for two beats. The E chord gets two whole measures of time of 8 beats. Start with the chords in open position, and then begin to explore other areas of the neck like Jimi does. For the test you need to play the progression three ways. First, all open chords:
--0--3--2-----0--
--1--0--3--2--0--
--0--0--2--2--1--
--2--0--0--2--2--
--3--2-----0--2--
-----3--------0--
Next, play in 3rd position:
-----3-----5--4--
--5--3--7--5--5--
--5--4--7--6--4--
--5--5--7--7--6--
--3-----5-----7--
-----------------
Notice that the C chord is like the open A chord, but moved up from the 2nd fret to the 5th fret? Instead of ringing an open A for the root, we move the A string note up to the 3rd fret (the same distance).. The G chord is like the F chord that you learned in "Saving Grace", but it's moved up to the 3rd fret so it's not F anymore.
Finally, play in 10th position:
--8--7--10--9----
--8--8--10--10--9
--9--7--11--9---9
-10--9--12--11--9
----------------7
-----------------
In this case, our C voicing is the same as our "Saving Grace" voicing, but it's on C (10th Fret). The G chord is the same as the open D voicing, but we applied the same concept of moving the chord up the neck and eliminating the open strings. That's the test. Good luck!
Hendrix played all over the guitar and mixed up these voicings at will. To really get a taste of the genius on jimi Hendrix, i suggest learing this song note for note, chord for chord. There are plenty of good transcriptions available in tab format. I suggest a published verion as on-line tab is notoriously inaccurate. For a real life-changing experience, forgo the transcription learn it by ear.
E is a 6 string strummed chord that looks like this in Tab:
--0--
--0--
--1--
--2--
--2--
--0--
After a short introductions (which I show you in class) the chord progression begins. It stays like this for the entire song:
C G/ D A/ E /E/
That C for two beats and G for two beats followed by d for two beats and A for two beats. The E chord gets two whole measures of time of 8 beats. Start with the chords in open position, and then begin to explore other areas of the neck like Jimi does. For the test you need to play the progression three ways. First, all open chords:
--0--3--2-----0--
--1--0--3--2--0--
--0--0--2--2--1--
--2--0--0--2--2--
--3--2-----0--2--
-----3--------0--
Next, play in 3rd position:
-----3-----5--4--
--5--3--7--5--5--
--5--4--7--6--4--
--5--5--7--7--6--
--3-----5-----7--
-----------------
Notice that the C chord is like the open A chord, but moved up from the 2nd fret to the 5th fret? Instead of ringing an open A for the root, we move the A string note up to the 3rd fret (the same distance).. The G chord is like the F chord that you learned in "Saving Grace", but it's moved up to the 3rd fret so it's not F anymore.
Finally, play in 10th position:
--8--7--10--9----
--8--8--10--10--9
--9--7--11--9---9
-10--9--12--11--9
----------------7
-----------------
In this case, our C voicing is the same as our "Saving Grace" voicing, but it's on C (10th Fret). The G chord is the same as the open D voicing, but we applied the same concept of moving the chord up the neck and eliminating the open strings. That's the test. Good luck!
Hendrix played all over the guitar and mixed up these voicings at will. To really get a taste of the genius on jimi Hendrix, i suggest learing this song note for note, chord for chord. There are plenty of good transcriptions available in tab format. I suggest a published verion as on-line tab is notoriously inaccurate. For a real life-changing experience, forgo the transcription learn it by ear.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Unit 9: Other D,C,G songs
Now that you are comfortable with three basic chords that make up a I IV V progression in the key of C, It's time to add a few more songs to your repertoire.
In this lesson we will cover "More Than A Feeling" by Boston, "Sweet child of Mine" by Guns and Roses and "Every Rose Has it's Thorn" by Poison.
"More than a Feeling" starts on D, uses a sus 4 then switches to C. The bass note drops to B implying a G chord with the 3rd in the bass and then finishes on G. The chords are not strummed, but arpeggiated. That means each note of the chord is plucked individually instead of all at once. It's the same chord progression to "Sweet Home Alabama". The rest of the song is a little different, but it's not hard. We'll go over it in class, but it's not going to be on the test. The objective of the lesson is for you to realize that these chords, and these chord progressions exist in many other songs.
For the next two selections you'll need to tune your guitar down a half step. This is a common technique that tends to give the guitar a darker sound. Simply make your E string an Eb, make your A string an Ab and so on until all of the strings are down one half step from traditional tuning.
Use your ear to hear where the chords change, Listen to the bass note first, and then apply the full chord. The progressions are all very similar. I am not spelling out the chord progressions here on purpose as I want you to use your ears and figure out how to play these pieces on your own. I won't always be your guitar teacher you know, you'll have to do this on your one one day. Knowing that the chords are C,G, and D (but not in that order), you shouldn't have any trouble. Good luck!
In this lesson we will cover "More Than A Feeling" by Boston, "Sweet child of Mine" by Guns and Roses and "Every Rose Has it's Thorn" by Poison.
"More than a Feeling" starts on D, uses a sus 4 then switches to C. The bass note drops to B implying a G chord with the 3rd in the bass and then finishes on G. The chords are not strummed, but arpeggiated. That means each note of the chord is plucked individually instead of all at once. It's the same chord progression to "Sweet Home Alabama". The rest of the song is a little different, but it's not hard. We'll go over it in class, but it's not going to be on the test. The objective of the lesson is for you to realize that these chords, and these chord progressions exist in many other songs.
For the next two selections you'll need to tune your guitar down a half step. This is a common technique that tends to give the guitar a darker sound. Simply make your E string an Eb, make your A string an Ab and so on until all of the strings are down one half step from traditional tuning.
Use your ear to hear where the chords change, Listen to the bass note first, and then apply the full chord. The progressions are all very similar. I am not spelling out the chord progressions here on purpose as I want you to use your ears and figure out how to play these pieces on your own. I won't always be your guitar teacher you know, you'll have to do this on your one one day. Knowing that the chords are C,G, and D (but not in that order), you shouldn't have any trouble. Good luck!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Unit 8: Sweet Home Alabama
This lesson will introduce the suspended chord, and the 6 chord. We will also play through the same chord progression in 3 different ways. You will be responsible for playing all three versions of the chord progession (It's a V,IV,I in G- The same as "Love Me Do" but backwards.) as well as being able to explain the theory behind the new chords. Let's cover those first.
The notation for suspended chord in our song looks like this: Csus2. C is the root, sus (the suspension)is the instruction to replace the third of the chord and 2 is the scale degree with which you should replace the third. So if a C major chord (1,3,5) is spelled like this: C-E-G; then a Csus2 is spelled like this C-D-G. "Sweet Home Alabama" uses the Csus2 chord as the second chord in the main riff and in the verse like this:
D Csus2 G
------------------------------------------------------------------
------------3---------------3-------------3-----------------------
--------------2---------------0-------------0------------------2-0
------0-0----------0-----------------------------------0-2-0------
----------------------3--3--------3-----------------0-2-------3----
-------------------------------------3-3-----------3----------------
Another way to suspend a chord is to use the 4th instead of the 2nd to replace the third. The notation for this would be Csus4. Or, since it is more common to use the suspended 4th, simply Csus. The reason the 4th and the 2nd are the notes used in a suspension is because those are the notes that surround the 3 in the scale.
Onto the 6th chord. Think of this concept as an extension of the 5th chord or "power" chord. The 5th chord (a root and it's 5th) isn't really a chord at all because it has no third. "D5" is simply a D and an A played at the same time.
D5
---------
---------
---------
----7----
----5----
---------
To provide a little motion, guitarists move the 5th up to the 6th and back. Check out "Johnny B. Goode", "Old Time Rock and Roll" and "Keep Your Hands To Yourself"
---------------------------
---------------------------
---------------------------
---7-7-9-7-5-5-7-5---------
---5-5-5-5-3-3-3-3-5-5-7-5-
-------------------3-3-3-3-
A little disclaimer: It is common to see the chord C6 in the jazz context. In this case, the chord is spelled as a complete C triad, with the 6th on top- C-E-G-A. I prefer to spell this chord CMaj6 as it implies the 3rd with the "Maj". For our rock and roll purposes, use the above definition. It is, after all, only shorthand.
The other way to play this chord progression (D,C,G) is in the interlude section of "Sweet Home". In this section the voicing we have learned as "A" (second fret on the D,G, and B strings) is moved up to the 7th fret for the D chord and the 5th fret for the C chord. This works the same way the F chord turned into the G chord in "Saving Grace". Remember? An F chord played up a whole step on the guitar becomes a G chord. So an "A" chord (second fret) moved up to the 7th fret becomes A "D" chord. Compare these two chords:
D D
--2-- -----
--3-- --7--
--2-- --7--
----- --7--
----- -----
----- -----
They sound exactly the same.
This tune will take a little while to get down comfortably. Practice, follow the lead sheet, and listen to a recording.
So this has been a long post. Here's what you will be responsible for playing on the test:
1. The main riff
2. The interlude
3. The chorus
4 The 4 bar solo after the 1st chorus *Advanced players only*
The written component will include:
1. Spell a variety of sus chords
2. Spell 5th and 6th chords
3. Scale and chord refresher
The notation for suspended chord in our song looks like this: Csus2. C is the root, sus (the suspension)is the instruction to replace the third of the chord and 2 is the scale degree with which you should replace the third. So if a C major chord (1,3,5) is spelled like this: C-E-G; then a Csus2 is spelled like this C-D-G. "Sweet Home Alabama" uses the Csus2 chord as the second chord in the main riff and in the verse like this:
D Csus2 G
------------------------------------------------------------------
------------3---------------3-------------3-----------------------
--------------2---------------0-------------0------------------2-0
------0-0----------0-----------------------------------0-2-0------
----------------------3--3--------3-----------------0-2-------3----
-------------------------------------3-3-----------3----------------
Another way to suspend a chord is to use the 4th instead of the 2nd to replace the third. The notation for this would be Csus4. Or, since it is more common to use the suspended 4th, simply Csus. The reason the 4th and the 2nd are the notes used in a suspension is because those are the notes that surround the 3 in the scale.
Onto the 6th chord. Think of this concept as an extension of the 5th chord or "power" chord. The 5th chord (a root and it's 5th) isn't really a chord at all because it has no third. "D5" is simply a D and an A played at the same time.
D5
---------
---------
---------
----7----
----5----
---------
To provide a little motion, guitarists move the 5th up to the 6th and back. Check out "Johnny B. Goode", "Old Time Rock and Roll" and "Keep Your Hands To Yourself"
---------------------------
---------------------------
---------------------------
---7-7-9-7-5-5-7-5---------
---5-5-5-5-3-3-3-3-5-5-7-5-
-------------------3-3-3-3-
A little disclaimer: It is common to see the chord C6 in the jazz context. In this case, the chord is spelled as a complete C triad, with the 6th on top- C-E-G-A. I prefer to spell this chord CMaj6 as it implies the 3rd with the "Maj". For our rock and roll purposes, use the above definition. It is, after all, only shorthand.
The other way to play this chord progression (D,C,G) is in the interlude section of "Sweet Home". In this section the voicing we have learned as "A" (second fret on the D,G, and B strings) is moved up to the 7th fret for the D chord and the 5th fret for the C chord. This works the same way the F chord turned into the G chord in "Saving Grace". Remember? An F chord played up a whole step on the guitar becomes a G chord. So an "A" chord (second fret) moved up to the 7th fret becomes A "D" chord. Compare these two chords:
D D
--2-- -----
--3-- --7--
--2-- --7--
----- --7--
----- -----
----- -----
They sound exactly the same.
This tune will take a little while to get down comfortably. Practice, follow the lead sheet, and listen to a recording.
So this has been a long post. Here's what you will be responsible for playing on the test:
1. The main riff
2. The interlude
3. The chorus
4 The 4 bar solo after the 1st chorus *Advanced players only*
The written component will include:
1. Spell a variety of sus chords
2. Spell 5th and 6th chords
3. Scale and chord refresher
Friday, March 7, 2008
Unit 7: Twist and Shout
The "Twist and Shout" chart has a few new elements in it that you will be responsible for on the written quiz such as: Coda (end), Segno (sign), and D.S. al Coda (go to the sign and then to coda) as well as review of first and second endings, one and two-measure repeat signs. The written quiz will also ask you to point out the key signature, time signature and clef. Above all, be sure you can follow the "roadmap" of the piece - i.e. What measure do you go back to after the first ending? When do you go to the coda? A good way to study this is to listen to a recording of the piece while looking at the lead sheet. Do it a few times to get familiar with the form.
The "Twist and Shout" lead sheet gives the Tab for the opening riff, and the solo after the second ending. You are responsible for playing both in class for a grade as well as playing the chord progression with the new chord "A". Here's the main riff as it appears on the lead sheet I passed out in class:
The performance critera are based on possible points for:
10 Guitar in tune.
10 Keeping a steady beat while playing the example.
10 Correct fingering for chords and single note lines.
10 Following the chart correctly.
10 Clarity of notes and chords.
50 points is a perfect score.
Good Luck!
The "Twist and Shout" lead sheet gives the Tab for the opening riff, and the solo after the second ending. You are responsible for playing both in class for a grade as well as playing the chord progression with the new chord "A". Here's the main riff as it appears on the lead sheet I passed out in class:
The performance critera are based on possible points for:
10 Guitar in tune.
10 Keeping a steady beat while playing the example.
10 Correct fingering for chords and single note lines.
10 Following the chart correctly.
10 Clarity of notes and chords.
50 points is a perfect score.
Good Luck!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
