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The Melodic Minor Scale Deconstructed Part 1
The melodic minor scale is known as the jazz minor scale among seasoned musicians, because of the minor major(-Maj7) sound it creates in your solos. Frequently used by jazz musicians, this notorious sound has also made its appearance in fusion and rock music. The melodic minor has been getting a lot of attention lately because of its unique sound and ability to add a new depth of colour and... -
The Top 4 Ear Training Tips
Ear training tips are common. But not so commonly practiced. Training your ears isn’t exactly exciting as learning to play the Randy Rhoads Crazy Train solo. Let’s face it, many guitar players overlook ear training. In particular, the aural element is very important when it comes to ear training. You may be too shy to involve their voice in their playing, even if it’s just counting out loud during... -
Rethink your Approach to Blues Guitar
The internet is such a valuable resource for modern guitarists all over the world. I recently came across this interesting post about music philosophy and his approach to blues guitar by guitar teacher John W. Tuggle on his website http://www.learningguitarnow.com, great site for learning slide blues guitar and thought I’d share it with you: “Am I crazy! A little, but who isn’t? There comes a time when you’ve learned... -
Blues Modal Harmony
The name blues modal harmony may confuse you at first but, have patience and let me explain a few things to help your guitar playing. You will have a greater appreciation for guitar music in general after reading this. When discussing which chords go together in which keys with students, I often have questions about why there are chords in some of their favourite songs (such as Major bVII... -
Memorizing Chords and Scales on Guitar
There are many guitarists out there that are deeply concerned with the notion that memorizing chords and scales on the guitar is a huge feat, and it is but, to learn all of them that exist is simply ridiculous. Guitarists tend to obtain an abundant wealth of knowledge of chords and scales and yet seem to have trouble connecting everything together. All the information seems to be floating around... -
How to Approach Improvisation as a Beginner
When dealing with improvisation with my students, I use a systematic method that begins with the basic concepts of improvisation and moves through the styles to the more advanced forms of jazz improvisation. I will give a brief overview of how to approach improvisation as a beginner in this blog, there are many ways and this is only one approach, but I have found some success with it. A... -
Variety In Your Lead Guitar Playing
It’s important to always remember that music is a form of communication. Through music, one should try to convey a feeling, an emotion or a message. And usually, one tries to do this in a manner where the listener doesn’t get bored. We vary the speed we talk at, our tone of voice, our volume and even the rhythm. We all know what it is like to speak to...