Guitar Harmony

New Website Project - A Chord A Day

2008-02-25T23:48:00.000-08:00

Hi!

I've just launched a new website:

http://www.achordaday.com/

This might be a useful tool for you if you are interested in expanding your choices for chords when playing music. In this blog, I've avoided typical chord shapes that I had learned previously. Join me today in my chord adventures.

Thanks for checking it out and feel free to let me know what you think!

Best wishes,
Az

Some Latest Recordings on Solo Nylon String Guitar

2008-02-20T23:14:00.000-08:00

Ideas on how to learn a song

2008-02-19T01:07:00.000-08:00

1. Study the song form

Songs use repetition to create familiarity and variation to create interest. By writing down the song form (and maybe even more details - like an analysis of the chords and key areas or when a particular riff or melodic phrase appears and reappears), we can understand the song better.

2. Study the harmony

Does the song stay in one key? Does it moves through many keys? Is it in a major key or minor key or both? Is it modal? Is it pretty static or does it change chords every two beats? What is similar between two chords that seem so different? By thinking about the harmony and figuring ways to voicelead and connect chords - the song will be more a part of you. Memorizing the chord changes is also very useful in further developing your personal approach to the song.

3. Study the melody

Same thing like the way we looked at the harmony. In fact, we should probably study the melody and memorize it first before looking at the harmony! Also, it's useful to look at how the phrases are constructed. Are they long? Are they short? Do they have a call and response type of idea? Are the phrases balanced or not?

4. Study the rhythms

Are there repeating rhythmic ideas? Is is very heavy on the downbeat? Is there a lot of syncopation? Where are these syncopations?

These are some things we can think about when we learn a song. Also, I find that it is very useful to learn the song's bassline, melody and chords (accompaniment) separately to be able to hear the parts. This thinking is applicable for any style of music that has these elements. Some styles may just have one or two instead of all three - particularly non-western based traditions that rely more on drones and melodies.

Most of all, remember to have fun and enjoy the process!

Till later, play on!

Some note choice possibilities for Improvising/Creating a melody over CMaj7

2008-01-01T19:54:00.000-08:00

Cmaj7

Improvise using only:

C Ionian Sounds:

1. C Triad - C, E and G. (Arpreggio playing - variations include playing along one string, in one position, two positions or all positions)
2. C Major 7 Arpeggio - C, E, G and B
3. C Maj7 (9) Arpeggio - C, E, G, B, D
4. C Maj7 (9,13) Arpeggio - C, E, G, B, D, A
5. A minor pentatonic/ C Major Pentatonic (A,B,C,E,G) (C,D,E,G,A) - same pentatonics - different starting notes
6. C Major Scale omit 4th (C,D,E,G,A,B,C) - this is a six note scale without the possibly clashing F note. The 4th actually works great but you need to resolve it for common usage sound.

C Lydian Sounds

1. D Major Triad (D, F#, A) - all the tensions of C Major7
2. B minor Triad (B, D, F#) - two tensions (9 and #11)
3. B Minor Pentatonic/D Major Pentatonic (B,D,E,F#,A) - (D,E,F#,A,B) - contains the guidetones and tensions of C Major7 (Lydian)

These are some of the most commonly used sounds over a Major 7 chord. There are many more possibilities but this is a good list to start with to experiment!

Have fun!

Best wishes and Happy New Year.

Till later, play on!

My regular blog

2007-12-09T23:00:00.000-08:00

I realised that I've been getting traffic from people who were looking for my regular blog and not this more guitar-oriented site. In case you have landed here and am looking for my gig updates and more of less tecnical ramblings, log on here:

az samad's acoustic gestures blog

Improvised Solo Guitar Piece

2007-07-21T15:07:00.000-07:00

This is a piece that I just improvised in an attempt to capture how I feel at the moment. It was recorded via the computer mic and I think you can hear some bird sounds at the background. Listening back, I thought that was a cool little addition to the mood of the piece.

Cool Links #10

2007-06-24T16:26:00.000-07:00

The Secret life Of Notes by Jeremy Cohen

A good article on the multifaceted layers of a note!

Cool Links #9

2007-06-24T16:17:00.000-07:00

Norm Weinberg's WebRhythms

Here's a good lesson in sightreading rhythms! Enjoy!

Cool Links #8

2007-06-18T07:19:00.000-07:00

Jazz at Lincoln Center Online Lectures

I found this a while back and think this is really cool. I've watched the lecture on bebop halfway through so far (it's 2 hours long!) and it is very insightful. Enjoy!

Video Lectures Link

Cool Links #7

2007-04-24T11:53:00.000-07:00

Here is a good sample of the kind of ideas that Ed Tomassi talks about in the classes I took with him in Berklee. It's from www.berkleeshares.com where you find more free lessons from Berklee faculty.

Ed Tomassi Improvisation Lesson

Enjoy!

Cheers,
Az

Cool Links #6

2007-04-24T06:16:00.000-07:00

While looking for lessons on walking bass lines, I stumbled upon this treasure trove of lessons from Berklee faculty Mark White. Lots of lessons here including on harmony, sight reading and chord scales:

Lessons from Mark White

Bb7 Lines

2007-01-29T05:42:00.000-08:00

Classes at Berklee have started again so I'm busy again! But here are some lines that I wrote last week. It's all over a Bb7 chord. Enjoy! =)

Till later, play on!

II-V arpreggio fingerings

2007-01-18T23:31:00.000-08:00

Here are two fingerings for playing 7th chord arpreggios. The first example contains practical two octave root postion fingerings. The second example is kind of a short exercise using all the available arpreggio notes within the first five frets of the guitar neck. I've crammed the notes using a combination of 8th notes and triplets.

The next step after trying these examples out is to write some lines using these fingerings. There are obviously a lot of other fingering possibilities but these are two that you can try out. Enjoy! =)

Till later,play on!

Soloing Using Chord Tones

2007-01-12T19:17:00.000-08:00

Here is a solo I wrote using mostly chord tones over the first 16 bars of a well known standard tune.

Enjoy!

Three II-V lines for a Friday

2007-01-12T08:23:00.000-08:00

Here are three minor II-V lines that resolve into a Major 7 chord. They contain triad arpregio ideas as well as some bop-type inflections.

An F7 Line

2007-01-08T10:30:00.000-08:00

This is a jazzy line that I wrote over an F7 chord. It contains some bebop type ideas as well as some position changes.

Will blog a longer post with more examples in a future post.

Till later, play on!

The Smart Box

2007-01-06T19:19:00.000-08:00

This is a miniature that I wrote last week as a single note arpreggio study. It's kind of neo-classical but sounds really happy with it being in C Major and all. The title is a reference to it reminding me of music I used to hear when I watched Malaysia's local educational TV channel (TV Pendidikan) when I was a kid.

Right Hand Thumb Exercise

2007-01-06T09:52:00.000-08:00

Here's a little walking bass line and chords etude I wrote to practice using the right hand thumb. It's over a 12 bar blues progression.

Single String Major Scales

2007-01-05T10:44:00.000-08:00

Here is an alternative way of learning major scales that I learned from Mick Goodrick's The Advancing Guitarist book. Instead of practicing major scales in position, why not learn them on one string? He called this the unitar concept (one-stringed guitar). Mick suggests us to learn the scale on every string but here, I offer one way to start getting into this idea. I have written down all the twelve scales accompanied with the tab for the scales. There are no fingerings written so you can make your own or play the scale with one finger (as I learned from watching a Bill Frisell instructional video a while back. There are many benefits to doing this which include breaking out of position playing as well as discovering phrasing option s that one might not think of when playing in position. You might find other benefits too! Do let me know if you have any insights from trying this out.

And most importantly have fun and enjoy! =)

Till later, play on!

Theme of the day: Dmin7

2007-01-03T18:38:00.000-08:00

I thought about what to write yesterday and I came up with four lines over Dmin7. Then, I thought why not write a little piece using just Dmin7 inversions to complement that. Here they are! Enjoy. =)

Till later, play on!

07 Etude #1

2007-01-01T19:25:00.000-08:00

This is a little piece that I just wrote as an etude for the right hand. The right hand pattern is: P i m a m i thoughout the piece. I'm looking forward to write more short pieces like this and will post it on the blog when I get them done.

Till later, play on!

Cool Links #5

2006-12-31T10:26:00.000-08:00

This is a link to great articles written by Steve Vai that was originally published in Guitar Player magazine. A good friend and fantastic musician, Jack Charles Simon Lian (guitarist for the bands Naked Breed and Tempered Mental) shared this article with me and now here I am passing this to you. Enjoy and Happy New Year!

Steve Vai's 7-part article on Music

The Major Scale and its modes

2006-12-31T08:54:00.000-08:00

Here are the seven modes of the Major Scale shown in a paralel approach with all the scales starting on the same root. I found that playing modes this way was an ear-opener to me when I first started learning about modes. Rather than viewing them from the same major scale (C Major, D Dorian, E Phyrgian etc. -all are from C Major), by playing the modes from the same root, you get a better sense of how the modes sound in relation to one another.

Although I've written them in the order that they appear in the major scale in the handout, I actually tend to organize them by the chord they go with:

Major Chord Scales
Ionian
Lydian

Minor Chord Scales
Dorian
Phrygian
Aeolian

Dominant Chord Scale
Mixolydian

Min7(b5) Chord Scale
Locrian

In terms of naming the modes (when someone asks - what are the notes of "your mode of choice"), I usually derive them by changing the notes from the major scale off the same root.

For instance,

To get Bb Lydian,

First, I think of the notes of Bb Major:

Bb C D Eb F G A Bb

and then I sharp the fourth (because the difference between Lydian and Ionian is the sharped 4th in Lydian) - resulting in:

Bb C D E F G A Bb

Here is the information summarized in a chart: (Click on it for a larger version)

I'll blog more on this in a future post! Like always, feel free to e-mail me at guitarharmony at gmail dot com should you have any questions.

Till later, play on!

Chord Voicings: Part 2 - Drop 2 Chords

2006-12-30T21:21:00.000-08:00

Here is a handout with a listing of root position jazz chord voicings. These ones are sometimes referred to as Drop 2 chord voicings which means that in reference to a close voicing (voicing the chords up in 3rds) the 2nd voice from the top is dropped one octave). In guitaristic terms, these particular chords can be viewed as chords that have the root on the 5th string of the guitar. You can also play these exact voicings with the bass on the 6th or 4th string. In a future post, I'll list some other common voicing types. These are useful because with these forms, you can pretty much play the chords for any jazz standard (as long as you play it with a jazz time feel - i.e. with jazz rhythms - that's for another post!)

Enjoy and feel free to e-mail me (at guitarharmony at gmail dot com) if you have questions on these.

Till later, play on!

The CAGED fingering concept

2006-12-29T08:42:00.000-08:00

The CAGED concept is something I first learned from watching a Joe Pass video. He related that the fingerings on the guitar can be derived from five basic chord shapes, namely - C, A, G, E and D. Hence - CAGED!

He called them cowboy chords (refering to them all being Major Triad shapes - also known as open string chord shapes.) The cool thing about learning scale fingerings this way is that you have a very visual point of reference which is the major chord shape from where the scale is derived from. You could say that the scale actually weaves in and out of the chord tones of the shape.

In this handout that I've made, I've notated the 5 shapes in their naturally occuring open string position along with the scales - starting and ending on the root but going throughout the range that falls within the position. Note that the true value of these fingerings come in when you move it up the neck. For example, if you choose C Major as the scale you wanted to learn all along the fretboard - The shapes would occur in this order: C, A, G, E, D. If you choose G Major, it would be: G, E , D, C and A.

This lesson can also be used hand in hand with the previous post regarding major scale exercises by deriving the idea and applying it to all these fingerings.

As with all my posts here, feel free to ask me questions if any of the explanations are unclear in any way.

Till later, play on!

Major Scale Exercises

2006-12-29T03:09:00.000-08:00

Here are some major scale exercises that I've practiced and come back to from time to time. They are condensed versions - meaning that in these - I've limited it to around one octave using using a C Major Scale fingering in the 3rd position. There are many ways of extending these exercises to an entire position, to the entire fretboard or on different string sets. These can be used as a springboard to other explorations of a scale. Enjoy!

PS- I've also written some practice suggestions and compositions exercises on the handout. =)

Till later, play on!

Chord Voicings: Part 1

2006-12-05T22:02:00.000-08:00

These are very typical and useful voicings for root position chords with the roots on the 5th string of the guitar. Click on the image to view it full size. I will post more voicings as they relate to jazz chord progressions in the future.

Also, you can listen to me play the examples on my very first audio lesson:

Till later, play on!

On rhythm

2006-12-05T11:43:00.000-08:00

Been thinking about rhythm lately and about how to practice it. Here are some ideas that I've worked with over the years:

1. Using a metronome
2. Singing out rhythms
3. Transcribing rhythms you like
4. Transcribing rhythms in your head
5. Playing Two part rhythms on guitar
6. Tapping out rhythms
7. Dancing/ Moving to Music
8. Mouth drum
9. Scatting out improvisational rhythm solos
10. Treating the guitar like a drum
11. Figuring out drum set/percussion sounds on guitar
12. Practicing at extremely slow tempos to develop accuracy and time-feel (40-60bpm)

Interactive!

2006-12-03T08:48:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

If you have suggestions on any particular guitar topic that you would like me to blog about, you can send me an e-mail at guitarharmony at gmail dot com. If I know anything about the subject and I think it would benefit other blog readers as well, I'll try to blog about it at some point in the future. =)

Till later, play on!

Great Guitar Books

2006-11-26T08:47:00.000-08:00

Here are some books that I love and constantly refer to and practice out of:

1. The Advancing Guitarist - Mick Goodrick
2. The Improvisor's OS - Wayne Krantz
3. The Complete Guide To Harmony, Theory and Voicing - Bret Willmott
4. Jazz Improvisation - Garrison Fewell
5. Factorial Rhythm - Mick Goodrick and Mitch Haupers
6. Mr. Goodchord's Almanac Of Guitar Voice-Leading Volume 1 and 2 - Mick Goodrick

Common Chord Progressions: Part 1

2006-10-26T16:26:00.000-07:00

Here are some common chord progressions that is found in contemporary music (and classical too).

1. I Maj7 VImin7 II-7 V7
2. I Maj7 #Io7 II-7 V7
3. IMaj V/3 VI-7 V7
4. IMaj7 IImin7 IIImin7 IImin7
5. II-7 V7 Io7 IMaj7
6. IMaj7 IVMaj7 IVmin7 CMaj7

Ear Training Exercises #2: Solfege Math

2006-10-25T13:09:00.000-07:00

Here's a little exercise that can be developed into many others. The premise is simple but it's been working for me.

First, I pick a three note set - for example:

C,D,E

In solfege this is : DO RE MI

By not repeating any notes and figuring the different combinations we can get for the note, we have 6 permutations:

DO RE MI

DO MI RE

RE DO MI

RE MI DO

MI DO RE

MI RE DO

This is the same premise that we've previously used for different right hand and left hand pattern possibilities. By practicing this way whether by singing the example or playing it on the guitar (or any instrument for that matter), we get used to hearing it.

This can be applied to ANY three note set. Obviously, it can also include sets with more note but then the permutations get more involved. Ex: 4 note sets have 24 permutations - still managable but I kind of like three notes more. It seems more portable to me.

The exercise can be extended to include:

1. different rhyhtmic options
2. different dynamics
3. different articulation

There are more possibilities but I'll leave it at that for now!

Till later, play on!

Cool Links #4

2006-10-02T06:13:00.000-07:00

I found a more intergrated metronome that can handle odd meters and has a practice timer built-in. It is so cool.

An online metronome, with tuner and practice timer!

Cool Links #3

2006-09-24T15:01:00.000-07:00

An online metronome!

Ear Training website

On The Learning Process Part 3

2006-09-23T21:30:00.000-07:00

8 Things that have worked for me - in regards to practicing:

1. Long practice sessions (4-8 hours) divided to short 15-30 minute sessions with 5-10 minute breaks in between
2. Using a metronome (the best tool to improve your time-feel) - works best when used with your ears!
3. Practicing very slow -but playing it correctly (in time) , with a good sound and good left hand and right hand fingering technique.
4. Dividing longer passages into shorter phrases to learn it faster.
5. Transcribing music that you enjoy to learn new things (or dissect what your favorite players are doing!)
6. Performing (as in the actual playing of music) to discover what you actually need to practice.
7. Recording performances (and rehearsals) to hear what you need to work on.
8. Practicing in all 12 keys. It really works and helps a lot!!

Melodic Minor Part 4: The augmented triad

2006-09-23T14:42:00.000-07:00

Looking at the diatonic triads built on C Melodic Minor, we will find one augmented triad in the scale:

I min = Cmin
IImin = Dmin
bIIIaug = Ebaug
IV maj = F
V maj = G
VI dim = Adim
VII dim = Bdim

which is Eb+

The chord tones of the Eb augmented triad are:

Eb, G and B

Also, all the inversions of this triad will also be root position augmented triads from the lowest note, hence:

Eb aug = G aug = B aug

Symetrical relationships such as this are very useful for guitar players as they provide a great visual resourse for us in understanding and improvising over the scale. After all, 3 notes out of the 7 notes from the scale is a lot!

----

Ways to practice

1. Figure out two-octave fingerings for the aug triad, practice with metronome to develop fluency.
2. Figure out whole range of guitar fingering (3 octave plus) for all augmented triads. (Since all augmented triads have three possible roots, there are really only four augmented triads!)
3. Play different chords from the melodic minor scale and figure out the note relationship of the augmented triad to the chord you chose.

----

Till later, play on!

Ear Training Exercises #1

2006-09-21T17:56:00.000-07:00

Recently, I've been reminded about how important ear training is for musicians. It sounds like a silly statement - being an obvious one but I think from time to time everyone especially myself needs reminding.

First, I'll introduce the solfege system I learned and then I'll explain the exercises.

The Movable Do System

I was taught using the movable do system which means any note can be the "do" as opposed to the fixed "do" system (commonly associated with a lot of perfect pitch friends I know) where C is always DO.

The solfege for the major scale is:

Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do

In C Major that means:

C D E F G A B C

For the whole chromatix scale ascending it's:

Do Di Re Ri Mi Fa Fi So Si La Li Ti Do

and the descending form is:

Do Ti Te La Le So Se Fa Mi Me Ra Do

in C that means:

ascending: C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C
descending: C B Bb A Ab G Gb F E Eb D Db C

------

Fundamental Exercises

Exercise a:

Play a C Major Triad on the guitar (or piano - if you have access to one) and slowly sing long tones (one note for four beats at around 120bpm or slower)

Start with C note and listen to how it feels over the C Major chord. This is the root and is the most stable note in the chord scale. When singing the note, make sure you sing it unwaveringly - meaning that you DO NOT use any vibrato or any form of pitch fluctuations as much as possible. The aim is to sing it in tune for as long as you can hold your breath.

Next do the same thing but with a F Major Triad. Like the previous exercise - sing the DO which in this case is the F note.

Continue doing this exercise but change to the next Major Triad, cycle in fifths down, hence -

C, F, Bb , Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, B, E, A, D, G and back to C.

Some people may find this very basic but to be able to sing the root of any chord is essential for many reasons including transcribing and further ear training exercises. For those who find this very easy to do. one should focus on making sure you're singing absolutely in pitch. The focus is intonation.

For those who find this difficult, be assured that you're not alone! A lot of musicians who have been playing for many years (and have amazing dexterity on the instrument) sometimes forget to practice this important aspect of music. Sometimes, a musician may be able to hear something and duplicate it on his or her instrument but not be able to sing it. The important thing is to realise that by being able to do this. you solidify the connection of the sound to your mind's ear so that even without an instrument - you will be able to tell what a person is playing or singing.

Also, some may find difficulty locating the pitch within their singing range. This is normal in the beginning. The more you sing these ear training exercises, you will develop an intuitive sense of where to sing it comfortably.

If you have problem playing the major chords in different keys (to accompany your ear training singing) - well, that's something to practice too! =p

----

I would suggest taking a break (for about 5-10 minutes) after this first exercise before attempting the next one.

----

Exercise b:

Now, do the same thing (singing the root (DO) of the chord) starting on C Major and moving chromatically up until you reach C Major again (an octave higher).

Take your time and repeat each chord two to four times before moving on to the next one.

-----

Exercise c:

Next is an exercise to train to hear the most important cadence in tonal music.

First, play the C Major Triad. Sing the DO.
Then, play a G Major Triad and sing the root of the G Major Triad as SO (the fifth of C in this case).
Next, play the C Major Triad again and sing the DO. Let the sound of the last chord linger for a while. This is the feeling of the harmony being at rest after a cadence.

This is a I - V - I progression featuring the V-I cadence.

There are two main ways way to sing the SO - relative to the root, which is to sing it a perfect fith above the root, or a perfect fourth below. For the purposes of this exercise, do both.

If it's hard to locate the SO when playing the chord, play just the roots of the chords and LISTEN to them. It's important to listen first and then replicate the sound. Sometimes, in some keys, it may be out of your singing range. When this happens, play the chord (and sing it) in an octave comfortable for you.

Again, do this exercise in all keys. Do these exercises for a while and let me know if they help you out! I know even though they appear to be very simple, the exercises can be taken on different levels. For more advanced musicians, the challenge is to be able to do it very fast and very confidently. As with the guitar, it's important to do it very slowly at first to develop accuracy before speed comes. If not, it's just going to be out of pitch.

Good luck!

Cool Links #2

2006-09-20T16:06:00.000-07:00

To add to the previous post about right hand technique here are two related links:

A PDF file about right hand guitar technique from the Fender Players website (I know it's an unlikely combination but the PDF excerpt is from a book by Christopher Parkening - a prolific classical guitarist)

Christopher Parkening Right Hand Lesson PDF

Another great link is this - (copyright free!) from the Danish Royal Library:

Mauro Giuliani's 120 exercises for the right hand PDF

Enjoy!

Technical Exercises #2: Right Hand

2006-09-20T15:34:00.000-07:00

This post will explore right hand fingerstyle (classical) exercises.

Right hand fingering is notated as follows: (The first word is the spanish word)

P :Pulgar = Thumb
i : Indice = Index Finger
m: Medio = Middle Finger
a: Anular = Ring Finger

By assigning the finger to a set of strings (for the purpose of this exercise), we can practice right hand permutations much like the more common exercise for the left hand explained in the previous post.

Why list all the permutations down one might ask. Well, for this - I would quote Mick Goodrick who pointed out that by knowing all the possibilities, one would have the chance to pick something that they're not good at and work at it. If not, one would (by not knowing it) practice the same thing - over and over again. In that regard, this listing is as much for me and for anyone who might find this perspective (and the material) useful to them.

Have fun and enjoy the journey.

-----
Here are all the 24 posible permutations:

P i m a
P i a m
P m i a
P m a i
P a i m
P a m i

i P m a
i P a m
i m P a
i m a P
i a P m
i a m P

m P i a
m P a i
m i P a
m i a P
m a P i
m a i P

a P i m
a P m i
a i P m
a i m P
a m P i
a m i P

Technical Exercises #1: Left Hand

2006-08-16T01:12:00.000-07:00

This post will be the first in a series of technical exercises to build up on technique and coordination for guitar playing. When played slowly, it also doubles as a warm-up exercise.

This exercise is a common one where you fret one finger per fret. You put each finger down, one after another, picking or plucking each note. After fretting each note, you leave the finger touching the string (pressing it with just enough pressure).
One should try to position the fingers over the fret to prepare for the next note. Ideally as well, the fingers should hover over the frets as close as possible.

At all times, one should keep your fingers and hands loose and relaxed.

Here are pictures of how my fingers look when doing this exercise:

View from the front.

View from player's perspective.

Fretting fingers exerting just enough pressure to let the string touch the fret.

Fretting fingers using too much pressure. Notice the string bending inwards because of the finger pressing too much.

What follows are different permutations for the left hand. I would normally pick one of these permutations and practice one of them for about 2 to 3 minutes when I'm warming up. It is not essential to every single one of them all the time, but it is good to know that you have all these to choose from.

I would either start of the 1st fret going all the way to my highest fret or start at 12th fret and work down to the 1st fret.

Exercises using all four fingers

1234
1243
1324
1342
1423
1432

2134
2143
2314
2341
2413
2431

3124
3142
3214
3241
3412
3421

4123
4132
4213
4231
4312
4321

Exercises using two fingers

12
13
14

21
23
24

31
32
34

41
42
43

Exercises using three fingers

123
132
134
143
124
142

213
231
214
241
234
243

312
321
324
342
314
341

412
421
413
431
423
432

On Influences

2006-06-13T04:48:00.000-07:00

Is art influenced by life - or is life influenced by art? Better yet, are they both the same thing? Artists often over the centuries thought about this very fact. Is art a reflection of life -or is it a distortion of life? As a musician, when we meet one another - who do you listen to - is often a question we ask. Most of the time we look for something or someone we know - so that we may exhange ideas - or even see whether we have a common opinion in music. Musician often react warmly when they find someone who knows a particular artist they love and adore - the more obscure ones particularly being a novelty.

I'm the same. When I find someone who has listened - and had a similar response to Ben Monder for instance - I go completely bonkers. It's more of rarity to find another Monder-head in Kuala Lumpur - at least so far - but he is quite the hip thing to be into in Berklee as of late. I initially discovered his playing via his recordings with The Maria Schneider Orchestra many years ago. From the first time I heard "El Viento" off Maria's 1996 "Coming About" album I was completely entranced with Ben Monder's style and playing. He had a beautiful sound and his guitar spoke to me.

Funnily enough, one of the first times I had such an experience was when I was first exposed to Kurt Cobain's guitar playing in Nirvana. It was the extreme opposite of course. Ben has a very polished and emotional sound - Kurt on the other hand was pure angst and rawness. Sometimes people put down Kurt as a guitar player but to me - until this day - he is one of the greatest influences I have had as a musician. In fact, if it weren't for Nirvana, I wouldn't have started playing guitar.

When I first picked up the guitar, I was completely clueless. All I knew was that I wanted to learn it and that the sound of the guitar was magical. Therefore, when my grandmother agreed to buy me my first guitar - I was probably the happiest kid in the universe. I still remember my grandmother giving to me that money - it was around 60-80 Ringgit (approximately 15-20USD in today's exchange rate) - and there I went with a few friends to a local departmental store. Yup, it wasn't even a guitar store. We found a blue sunburst kapok - a cheap Chinese-made guitar that everyone who played guitar typically started with - and I was sold. Me and my friends brought home the guitar and then my first problem came into play. I didn't know how to tune the guitar. In fact, for the first day - I left the guitar with a friend so that he could tune it for me. (Now that I think about it - he probably had a blast "seasoning it in" before I started on it.)

The next day though, I got back the guitar and still there I was trying to figure out what to do. I had no idea whatsoever. My other memories of my early learning experiences include my dad buying me guitar magazines - one was a "Guitar World" issue with Metallica on the cover (somewhere around 1996) with an "Enter Sandman" transcription and some other ones included early issues of "Guitar One" and "How To Play Guitar-Rock". I basically started off trying to understand terms like "G#5", power chords, palm muting, alternate picking, open string licks and minor pentatonic - among other things. I was fresh into my kapok and this was all Greek to me. The one thing that kept pushing me to continue to read all the articles - even though I didn't understand a thing was an advice my dad gave me. He said,"If you're going to learn something, make sure you go all the way."

In many ways, this was the sail that kept my metaphorical ship - of guitar playing and learning going. A few years prior to that, I was a complete computer geek. I had tons of computer magazines with all those old DOS, spreadsheets, word processing and OS utilities floppy discs and 3.5 diskettes (and eventually CDs) with them. I remember trying to figure out what was special about Windows 3.0 and how one day I dreamt about owning something with a Graphical Interface rather than just a A> prompt based DOS interface. Windows 3.0 was a dream. A 286 or 386 computer was the reality then.

My point is, my dad always encouraged me to go all the way. He supported all my endevours (which meant a lot of cash out of his pocket) whether it was my love for comic collecting, my craze for toys, my geeky computer side and console gaming (this meant the Atari, NES, Sega Genesis, Super Famicom and Super Nintendo period of gaming - oh what glorious years those were!) Through his continuous support (and my mom's logical rationalizations and talks with me) I eventually learned quite a fair bit on my own - and then later with several teachers at a local guitar shop. Motivation to learn was a big thing for me and they - both my parents and my grandmother - were instrumental in teaching me about going for what I wanted out in life.

In the end, here I am - after playing for 10 years plus, still crazy over the guitar and all it's mysteries. I do get stuck at times - frustrated even - but their support - and the inspiration from all the great people I've met and listened to - keep me going.
Sometimes, musical influences mean a lot more than just the list of virtuosic players than awe us. Influences can come from unexpected places - sometimes from the people around you - sometimes from a really rocking album. Nowadays, I try to keep an open mind (as well as open ears) as I begin to see that Ben Monder, Kurt Cobain, my grandmother, my parents and Kapok guitars may have something in common after all.

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This post is dedicated to my grandmother who passed away earlier this year while I was back in Boston. She remains an inspiration to me. I love you grandma.

Developing a personal relationship with sound

2006-06-12T18:52:00.000-07:00

In playing the guitar we learn all sorts of things - scales, chords, cool voicings, theory, chops, tone etc. - but probably the most important aspect is our personal relationship to all these elements. A mode that sounds mysterious to one person may be bland to another; a chord that sounds hip to one may be just too "jazz" for someone else. I remember four guitarists mentioning this aspect of guitar playing - which is having your own take on things - Joe Satriani in his Berklee workshop, Steve Vai on his website, Philip Toshio Sudo in Zen Guitar and recently Bryan Baker - an amazing guitarist who just graduated from Berklee.

My personal encounters with this element have reminded me - over time - of the importance of just having your own label on things. If I find a pretty chord voicing, that's what I call it. It's my pretty Cmaj7 voicing or it's my ugly dissonant tone row. The point is not that the element - or sound - be something new, but rather be labeled by yourself to how the sound affects you on an emotional or gut response. It doesn't really relate to the music theory aspect but to the side of you before you became a fully-fledged-theory-analyst-chord-dissecting-dude.

Over time, anyone who does this - consciously or not - will have developed a personal vocabulary of sound - and hopefully be more on the way to being a musician with a personal identifiable sound. Someone with their own voice.

Demanding Aspects of Jazz Guitar

2006-06-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

Playing guitar is a challenge. There are so many things that boggle my mind about it. Here are just some that come to mind:

1. Playing fast
Everyone wants to play fast whether they admit it or not. For those who this skill comes naturally, blessed are they. For those who can't, we want too!

2. Playing complicated, sophisticated note choices
When playing a blues scale in somewhat stepwise motion doesn't do it anymore, one explores the other notes.

3. Comping tastefully
Being able to comp in response to what the soloist or melody is doing. Being another line that voiceleads and moves beautifully (or uglily-depending on the music) rather than being random.

4. Tone
When will we have enough gear? When will we have enough chops to play a beautiful sound?

Sometimes it's good to ask questions so that we can reflect on them over time. At times, questions are more important than the answers themselves.

On the learning process Part 2

2006-06-11T08:12:00.000-07:00

The way I see it, we learn via our senses. It's logical but I think to really take note of how we, as individuals learn may be the key to optimal learning. For me, I'm a very visual person so I tend to remember finger shapes a lot. I also learned a lot over the years by watching a lot of people play. At times, I may not have much understanding of what is happening on a technical level (especially during my formative years) but still the whole experience of watching is very essential.

Another way of looking at it:

Our senses:

1. Visual: our eyes
2. Auditory : our ears
3. Touch: our hands, fingers, body, skin
4. Smell: our nose
5. Taste: our tongue, tastebuds

Of course, the first three are the senses that we use directly in learning the guitar. The extent of how much we rely on the senses are of course individual and vary with each person. For me, I am most optimal learning visually. I learn better when I see the chart, I learn better when I see someone doing it.

Some people learn better by listening to something being played. For me, it took a longer time to develop my ears. My listening skills have improved over the years but I still find it important for me to realise what is most natural for me and use it to my advantage. In many ways, learning about music is much about about learning about oneself-especially when you look at the experience from different angles. Drop me a line if any of these ideas help you! Let me know what you think.

Till then, play on!

On the learning process

2006-06-11T05:29:00.000-07:00

I've been reflecting on my playing recently and been looking at the aspects of my playing that have been improving and the other aspects that have somewhat neglected. The more I think about it, the more I seem to see that there are some ways of approaching the practice session-especially when it involves improvisational practice.

1. Isolating one element
This can be practicing one chord, one mode or scale, one arpregio fingering etc. Anything really, but this involves practicing it to the point of utter fluency and comfort so that the idea can be played as close to being flawness.

2. Connecting ideas
This can be using ideas from (1) and making them flow linearly and voiceled properly. In this regard, one may be practicing a chord progression (two to four bars), or one major chord change (C-7 to Db7-just an example!)

3. Locating ideas around the neck.
This is figuring out (1) and/or (2) in different areas of the neck.

The most important aspect of all this is to be able to PHYSICALLY EXECUTE the idea. TECHNICAL FLUENCY is the aim. In the process, one may be training the ear, the eyes as well. (Looking at the fretboard, looking at the notes etc.) My main problem for the most part is connecting melodic ideas smoothly throughout a solo. Melodic continuity- i.e. Soloing coherence is my main concern (along with the groove!).

The metronome is truly of utmost importance and I get it more and more why Mick Goodrick stresses that aspect so much.

Melodic Minor Part 3: Triad over bass realisations

2006-06-10T18:18:00.000-07:00

Continuing analysis from the previous post, we'll start off with triads off the 5th of the chord.

Gmin/C - Cmin7(9) no 3rd
Adim/D - D7(b9) no 3rd, Dmin7(b9) modal voicing
Bdim/Eb - EbMaj7(#5)9 no 3rd
Cmin/F - F7(9) no 3rd
Dmin/G - G7(9) no 3rd
Ebaug/A - A-7(b5) no 3rd
F/B - Altered-dominant type hybrid voicing, B7(b5,b9) no 3rd

Looking at this list, basically there are 5 kinds of resultant hybrid chords (hybrid chords are triad over bass without 3rds)

1. Minor Triad on 5th/Root - occurs on 1st,4th and 5th degrees of the scale
2. Major Triad on b5/Root - occurs on 7th degree
3. Dim Triad on #5/Root - occurs on b3rd degree
4. Dim Triad on 5/Root - occurs on 2nd degree
4. Aug Triad on b5/Root - occurs on 6th degree

Also worth noting is that the first type in the list has two realisations in the chord scale which is as a min7(9) chord with no 3rd or as a dom7(9) chord with no 3rd.

Another thing worth highlighting is how Adim/D which occurs on the D Dorian(b2) mode is a possible dominant b9 voicing, though it may be alternately be used in the diatonic modal context of the scale as a modal dorian(b2) chord.

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Some possible exercises to explore these chords may be to:

1. play them diatonically in all keys (or in many keys)
2. Create chord progessions using them, or plug them into tunes
3. Use them as chords for comping in tunes one already knows.

In the next post, I will explore the triads over the 7th/b7th degrees of the melodic minor scale.

Till then, play on!

Major Triad fingerings

2006-05-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

Hybrid Chords Part 1 - Major Triad/Bass Note

2006-05-26T10:48:00.000-07:00

I'm checking out the different sounds I can get by playing a major triad over a bass note, both harmonically and melodically.

I picked C as my bass note, and here are the chords, (firstly with Wayne Krantz numbering system and then an analysis of sorts)

C/C - 1,3,5 C Major Triad (1,3,5)
Db/C - b2,4,b6 Csus4(b9/b13) - C Phrygian Voicing or DbMajor7(3rd inversion)
D/C - 2,b5,6 C(no 3rd,9,#11,13) - C Lydian, CLydian b7 upper structure voicing
Eb/C - b3,5,b7 Cmin7
E/C - 3,b6,7 C+Maj7
F/C - 4,6,1 Csus4(add6no5th), F triad (2 inversion)
F#/C - b5,b7,b2 C7(#11,b9)
G/C - 5,7,2 CMaj7(9)no 3rd - C Ionian, C Lydian, C Harmonic Major
Ab/C - b6,1,b3 C aeolian modal, Ab Major (1st inversion)
A/C - 6,b2,3 C7 Sym. Dom, C7 (b9,13)
Bb/C - b7,2,4 C7sus4(9)
B/C -7,b3,b5 Cdim(maj7)

Cool Links #1

2006-05-23T22:57:00.000-07:00

Rick Peckham Lessons Page
Great site from the Assistant Chair of Berklee's Guitar Department. Good PDF files of Essential Scales and Modes, material on the harmonic major modes and more. I use this as part of my reference while practicing nowadays.

Automatic Guitaristic elements

2006-05-21T22:14:00.000-07:00

There are some things that are just inherent to the guitar and therefore using these devices will bring out the quality of the guitar. They are:

1. Open Strings
2. Harmonics
3. Muted strings/Percussive playing on strings
4. Prepared Guitar
5. The sounds behind the nut and the bridge
6. Neck Bending
7. String Bending
8. Slides
9. Hammer-ons and Pull-offs (and legato playing)
10.String Noises (Fret noise, string noise, stratching the strings, pick gliss etc.)

Especially in jazz playing, I think some of these ideas go untapped and unexplored by many. Those who embrace these sounds tend to get a more unique sound. In some ways, I believe that the exploration of these qualities should be a part of a guitarist's proficiency on the instrument in addition to the knowledge of scales, chord voicings, arpregios, picking fluency, technical fluency etc.)

Some recommended listening:

For prepared guitar,string noises,muted strings/percussive playing: David Tronzo
Harmonics: For jazz: Lenny Breau, Tal Farlow; In general: Tommy Emmanuel, Eric Roche, Thomas Leeb
Open Strings: John Stowell, Pat Metheny (especially his acoustic stuff)
Legato Playing: Allan Holdsworth, Tim Miller, Pat Metheny, John Scofield

Symetrical Augmented Scale: Part 1

2006-05-07T20:17:00.000-07:00

I just recently got introduced to this scale in a more in-depth manner via Ed Tomassi's class. This is what I get out of it so far:

The construction of it is:

Minor 3rd-Half Step-Minor 3rd-Half Step-Minor3rd-Half Step-Minor3rd-Half Step

In Notes that means:

C Symetrical Augmented
C Eb E G Ab B C
1 b3 3 5 b6 7 1

These are the main chords from the scale:

Major: C, E, Ab
Minor: Cmin, Emin, Abmin
Augmented: C+, E+, Ab+
Major 7th: CMaj7, EMaj7, AbMaj7
Aug Maj7th: C+Maj7, E+Maj7, Ab+Maj7

Will blog more about the scale as I get more into it.

Till later, play on!

Melodic Minor Part 2: On Triads From The Melodic Minor Scale

2006-05-07T18:58:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about what triad over bass combinations one could get in a mode and how Mick Goodrick came about them in his Almanac books. This was my thought process:

Take the first triad from C Melodic Minor:

C Minor

C Eb G

Over the different bass notes from the scale:

C Minor/C - C Minor triad in root position
C Minor/D - D7sus4(b9)no fifth or D dorian(b9) modal voicing or min triad from b7 of chord/root (7susb9, Mixo(b9), Phrygian Voicing)
C Minor/Eb - C Minor triad, first inversion
C Minor/F - F7(9) no 3rd, min triad from 5 of chord/root (Dorian/Mixo voicing)
C Minor/G - C Minor triad, second inversion
C Minor/A - Amin7(b5) chord (a 7th chord quality)
C Minor/B - Baug(b9), Altered voicing, Cmin/maj7 in 3rd inversion (7th chord quality)

Looking at the list, we can see that there are three standard triads (and inversions)

C Minor/C - C Minor triad in root position
C Minor/Eb - C Minor triad, first inversion
C Minor/G - C Minor triad, second inversion

Two 7th Chord qualities:

C Minor/A - Amin7(b5) chord (a 7th chord quality)
C Minor/B - Baug(b9), Altered voicing, Cmin/maj7 in 3rd inversion (7th chord quality)

And two hybrid chords (i.e triad over bass with no 3rd in voicing)

C Minor/D - D7sus4(b9)no fifth or D dorian(b9) modal voicing or min triad from b7 of chord/root (7susb9, Mixo(b9), Phrygian Voicing)
C Minor/F - F7(9) no 3rd, min triad from 5 of chord/root (Dorian/Mixo voicing)

This leads me to the assumption that the definite usable triad over bass combinations are triad from 5 of chord/root and triad over 7 or b7 of chord/root.

In the next post, I will examine the results of this in relation to each root from the Melodic Minor mode.

Melodic Minor Part 1: The Modes of Melodic Minor

2006-05-07T17:36:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

I'm starting this blog to share some of my favorite things regarding guitar harmony as well as more line-based ideas. It also acts to document my thought processes in learning some newer concepts I'm exploring. I haven't done much in the melodic minor modes so I will start on that.

Basically, the melodic minor scale is the major scale with a b3.

Hence, C Major is:

C D E F G A B C
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1

C Melodic Minor is:

C D Eb F G A B C
1 2 b3 4 5 6 7 1

There are 7 modes in the scale which are:

C Melodic Minor -From the root
D Dorian (b2) - from the 2nd degree
Eb Lydian Augmented - from the b3 degree
F Lydian b7 - from the 4th degree
G Mixo (b13) - from the 5th degree
A Locrian (natural 9) - from the 6th degree

and

B Superlocrian/ B Altered - from the 7th degree

The most commonly used of these modes are the:

7th Mode - Altered (used over Altered Dominants- dominant chords with a b13)
4th Mode - Lydian b7 (used for subV7 chord-chord resolving a half-step down and non resolving down a fifth dominant7 chords)
1st Mode - Melodic Minor (used over Tonic Minor Chord- minor 6, minor 6/9, minor/major7)

I'm currently exploring more of the b3rd degree, because it is one of the modes that I love the sound but is not really comfortably in my playing as yet. In the next post, I'm going to explore more of what lurks in the scale.

Till later, play on!