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Upper Structure Triad Soloing

Monday, June 21, 2010

Triads are cool. Without them, Bach probably would have been a hay baler or something to that effect. Without triads, I would probably be writing about air guitar or something mundane like the proper way to stuff your spandex before playing that 80′s high school reunion you got tapped to do. A triad, as you [...]

Going Down the Rabbit Hole

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

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As I’m sure you know from my posts here on Fretterverse, I love music theory. Learning about how music is structured and how it all works when put together is my answer to all the guys in high school who took auto, wood, and metal shop classes. I never had the knack for mechanical work, [...]

Are You a Guitarist or a Musician (or Both)?

Monday, April 5, 2010

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Are You a Guitarist or a Musician (or Both)?

I’m still just a tiny bit fired up from last week where I called David Byrne an idiot. He’s more of a knucklehead, really, but it got me thinking along some very interesting tangents. As I was playing devil’s advocate back and forth on a number of topics, it occurred to me that there might [...]

Music Theory Lesson: The Overtone Series

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

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Music Theory Lesson: The Overtone Series

Ever notice how power chords, even when played with a clean tone in a blues song, just sound so right? Ever wonder why a major chord sounds so much more concrete than a minor chord? Ever have trouble hearing that F# played over a C chord, thinking it’s just a touch “off?” The answer is [...]

Improve Your Ear With EarMaster

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

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EarMaster, the interactive ear training and music theory software program, is the most comprehensive learning tool I have seen in a very long time. The developers say: Covering pitch and rhythm training, music theory and solfege, EarMaster is a complete and powerful ear trainer for all musicians at any level. The question is, does it [...]

Music Theory Lesson: Chord Inversions

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

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In this lesson I would like to talk about chord inversions. Chord inversions will make your music come alive in ways that playing “straight” chord voicings won’t allow.

That Other Minor Scale: Melodic Minor Scale Fingerings for Guitar

Monday, February 1, 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.

Music Theory Lesson: Chord Structures

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

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I hope that you’re finding this music theory information informative, and certainly I hope that I’m explaining things in an easy-to-understand way while still providing detail. As always, if you have comments, questions, or suggestions please let me know. In this lesson we’ll start taking a look at chord structures.

Music Theory Lesson: Scales and Modes Primer

Thursday, January 21, 2010

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Music Theory Lesson: Scales and Modes Primer

For some reason scales and modes are one of the most fun topics (for me at least) to talk about. Perhaps it’s because it gives the guitar player in me some instant ammunition to rip it up! Err… sorry about that. Anyway, let’s get going with scales and modes.

Music Theory Lesson: Intervals

Saturday, January 16, 2010

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I’m back with the third installment of my Music Theory Concepts series. For this article I would like to talk about intervals. In common terms, an interval is the relative distance from one pitch to another. Intervals determine chord types, scales/modes, and provide the basis from which key signatures are determined.