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Pentatonic Scale Ideas

10 March 2010

The ubiquitous pentatonic scale. Five notes that have forever shaped the way guitarists play rock, metal, blues, jazz, country, and polka (well, maybe not polka). Everybody knows the minor pentatonic scale, and everyone uses it. The question is, are you using it to its fullest potential? Are you only playing it over minor blues or [...]

More Jam Tracks Added

11 February 2010

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There are now ii-V-I jazz backing tracks in all 12 keys on the downloads page. Each track is played at 100bpm. More tracks are in the works, including rock, fusion, and some more jazz progressions.

Chord Hacks: Multi-Use Chord Voicings

8 February 2010

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Five chords, one fingering. Wouldn't that be a great way to learn guitar? Why struggle with trying to memorize thousands of chords when you can cut that number by half, five, or ten times? With multi-use chord voicings, it's possible!

That Other Minor Scale: Melodic Minor Scale Fingerings for Guitar

1 February 2010

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That Other Minor Scale: Melodic Minor Scale Fingerings for Guitar

The melodic minor scale is commonly used in jazz and classical music and to a lesser extent by shred and metal guitarists. While most people are familiar with the Aeolian, natural, minor scale, the melodic minor scale remains a bit of a mystery for many players. In the following four examples we will take a look at some of the common, and not so common, ways to finger the melodic minor scale.

Chord Hacks: Intermediate Blues Chord Comping

25 January 2010

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Chord Hacks: Intermediate Blues Chord Comping

In our first official Fretterverse video, I show you some intermediate chord concepts for the 12-bar and jazz blues. Watch it, learn it, love it, share it!

Jam Tracks Added

19 January 2010

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The Downloads page now features two jazz jam tracks, with more jam tracks to be added as time goes on. The first two are ii-V-I progressions in the keys of Bb Major and Eb Major.

The C-A-G-E-D Guitar System In a Nutshell

15 January 2010

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The C-A-G-E-D Guitar System In a Nutshell

Okay, so the picture probably isn’t what you had in mind when you read the title. That’s okay, I’m all for some good, cheeky fun – especially on a Friday. What I really want to discuss is the C-A-G-E-D guitar system, a method of learning the guitar for beginning students, based on five basic chord [...]

Chord Hacks: String Group Inversions

13 January 2010

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I don't know if you spent any time investigating the different string groups from my previous post, but I would like to continue exploring the string groups and how to bring some life to your chord playing.

The 15 String Groups

10 January 2010

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This will be a relatively small, (hopefully) informative article, but one that will set the foundation for subsequent chord lessons that I will be posting soon. Consider, as a standard practice, that you have four fretting fingers available when playing. Without the use of barring or double-fretting, you can play one note on any one [...]