"Autumn Leaves" easy arrangement

I used this very straightforward simple arrangement of "Autumn Leaves" for my visiting class from MI Japan yesterday. In case anyone is interested in using it, I posted the 2-page handout.

Help with Guitar Fretboard Workbook page 24

Guitar Fretboard Workbook
Here  we go step by step through the creation of major scale 
pattern 1 on page 24 (Exercise 12, problem 1).

Hopefully you are a little bit familiar with tablature 
(like they use in guitar magazines), so you can understand
the examples that follow.

To create the major scale fingering pattern, you have to 
first know some things from previous chapters: 
1) The major scale formula: all whole steps except 
for half steps from 3-4 and 7-8. 
1 2 3^4 5 6 7^8, introduced on page 20.

and

2) How to play whole steps and half steps when 
changing strings. (This is covered on page 23 and it's often the 
culprit if you're having trouble with the page 24.)

and 

3) The root shapes from Chapter 2. Root shapes 
underlie EVERYTHING on the neck.

Make sure you're familiar with those 3 things before going on.


The D roots in pattern 1 are on the 2nd string, 
3rd fret, and the 5th string, 5th fret. We find 
the root shape first and put those circles in. 
Here’s how it looks in tablature. 

E ---------|
B --3------|
G ---------|
D ---------|
A -----5---|
E ---------|

At this point we have two roots. When building a scale, 
the lowest one is the easiest to start from, because it is from
there we can count up the entire major scale formula.

We'll start with the lower root (on the 5th string 5th fret) 
as "1." The scale from this note will proceed: 
1 2 3^4 5 6 7^8. (Half steps from 3-4 and 7-8.)

Unlike in Chapter 6, we now want to stay put, so the hand 
is in position to play the higher root when we get there.
No moving around unless it's really necessary. So, the 
lower root ("note 1") should be played on string 5, fret 5, 
with the 3rd or 4th finger, because the higher root 
is on a lower fret!

The fingering is given below the tablature. LH means "Left Hand."

E ---------|
B ---------|
G ---------|
D ---------|
A --5------|
E ---------|

LH: 3 or 4

The next note is a whole step higher. As we learned on page 23 we can
play a whole step on the next string (string 4) at fret 2.
These two notes can only be played with fingers 4 and 1 if we are
to minimize shifting or stretching. Try it!

E ----------|
B ----------|
G ----------|
D -----2----|
A --5-------|
E ----------|

LH: 4  1


Remember you're looking at tab here. It's different from a
neck diagram---the notes are written in the order you play
them. 

Note 3 is a whole step up from note 2. This too can be
played on string 4, with the ring finger at fret 4.

E ----------|
B ----------|
G ----------|
D ----2-4---|
A --5-------|
E ----------|

LH: 4 1 3


Note 4 is a half step from note 3. This is just one fret
higher and so should be played with the pinky finger.

E -----------|
B -----------|
G -----------|
D ----2-4-5--|
A --5--------|
E -----------|

LH: 4 1 3 4

From 4 to 5 is a whole step, so we must ascend to string 3,
three frets down the neck as we did before. So step 5 is on
string 3, fret 2. Index finger.

E -------------|
B -------------|
G ----------2--|
D ----2-4-5----|
A --5----------|
E -------------|

LH: 4 1 3 4 1


5 to 6 is a whole step, which we can play also on string 3,
two frets above the previous note, with the ring finger.

E --------------|
B --------------|
G ----------2-4-|
D ----2-4-5-----|
A --5-----------|
E --------------|

LH: 4 1 3 4 1 3


6 to 7 is a whole step, but we just used our ring finger.
Using the pinky finger on the same string (without
stretching or shifting) will only get us a half step. So we
play note 7 on the 2nd string at fret 2. As shown on page
23 of the book, this gives us a whole step when crossing
from string 3 to string 2.

E ----------------|
B --------------2-|
G ----------2-4---|
D ----2-4-5-------|
A --5-------------|
E ----------------|

LH: 4 1 3 4 1 3 1


From 7 to 8 is a half step, which we can play with the
middle finger on string 2, fret 3.

E ------------------|
B --------------2-3-|
G ----------2-4-----|
D ----2-4-5---------|
A --5---------------|
E ------------------|

LH: 4 1 3 4 1 3 1 2


At this point we have played/drawn one octave's worth of
scale, from D to D. The guitar has more D major scale notes
available in this position beyond what we've drawn. To
continue the scale higher we count up the formula again,
treating note 8 as the new "1."

E ----------------|
B -3--------------|
G ----------------|
D ----------------|
A ----------------|
E ----------------|

From 1 to 2 in the scale is a whole step; a two fret
distance. We play note 2 with our 4th finger at fret 5 of
string 2.

E ----------------|
B -3-5------------|
G ----------------|
D ----------------|
A ----------------|
E ----------------|

LH:2 4

From 2 to 3 in the scale is also a whole step. This is a
3-fret distance down the fretboard when going from string 2
to string 1. Use your index finger for the last note in
this tab.

E -----2----------|
B -3-5------------|
G ----------------|
D ----------------|
A ----------------|
E ----------------|

LH:2 4 1

From 3 to 4 in the scale formula is a half step, a one-fret
distance on the same string. We’ll play it with the
 second
finger.

E -----2-3--------|
B -3-5------------|
G ----------------|
D ----------------|
A ----------------|
E ----------------|

LH:2 4 1 2

The highest D major scale note we can reach without
shifting or stretching is the 5th, which is a whole step
above note 4. The little finger plays this at the 5th fret.

E -----2-3-5------|
B -3-5------------|
G ----------------|
D ----------------|
A ----------------|
E ----------------|

LH:2 4 1 2 4

To get the available D major scale notes BELOW the lower
root, we count the major scale formula backward, treating
this low "1" as "8." Again, we'll be counting DOWN the
major scale formula from 8 to 1. 8^7 6 5 4^3 2 1

E ---------|
B ---------|
G ---------|
D ---------|
A --5------|
E ---------|

LH: 4

From 8 to 7 is a half step (one fret when played on the
same string). We can play note 7 on string 5, fret 4, with
the ring finger.

E ---------|
B ---------|
G ---------|
D ---------|
A --5-4----|
E ---------|

LH: 4 3

From 7 to 6 is a whole step. We can play that with the
index finger on fret 2.

E ----------|
B ----------|
G ----------|
D ----------|
A --5-4-2---|
E ----------|

LH: 4 3 1


6 to 5 is a whole step. To follow the "minimize shifting" rule we
have to play this on string 6, at fret 5. Pinky finger.

E -----------|
B -----------|
G -----------|
D -----------|
A --5-4-2----|
E --------5--|

LH: 4 3 1 4


5 to 4 is a whole step. That's two frets down; at fret 3 on
string 6. Play it with your 2nd (middle) finger.

E ------------|
B ------------|
G ------------|
D ------------|
A --5-4-2-----|
E --------5-3-|

LH: 4 3 1 4 2


Finally we can use our index finger to play one last half
step to get from 4 to 3.

E ---------------|
B ---------------|
G ---------------|
D ---------------|
A --5-4-2--------|
E --------5-3-2--|

LH: 4 3 1 4 2 1

When all notes are included, from root to root as well as
those we can reach above or below without shifting, we have
created fingering pattern 1 of the D major scale. All the notes
are shown here, but you should start and finish on either root
when practicing it.


E -----------------------------2-3-5-|
B -----------------------2-3-5-------|
G -------------------2-4-------------|
D -------------2-4-5-----------------|
A -------2-4-5-----------------------|
E -2-3-5-----------------------------|

LH:1 2 4 1 3 4 1 3 4 1 3 1 2 4 1 2 4

I suggest taking a break now, and reviewing this process
and the scale pattern it creates every day for a week or
longer.

When you are clear on it and can play the scale from
memory, start the entire process again with pattern 2 of
the D major scale. The roots are on string 5, fret 5, and
string 3, fret 7. By experimenting with starting with the
1st and 2nd finger you'll find the lower root should be 
played with the 2nd finger in order to minimize shifting.

E ---------------|
B ---------------|
G -----7---------|
D ---------------|
A --5------------|
E ---------------| 
LH: 2  4

You will find a one-fret shift is required on string 2.
It is unavoidable.

This is the entire resulting Pattern 2 major scale fingering:
E -----------------------------5-7--|
B -----------------------5-7-8------|
G -----------------4-6-7------------|
D -----------4-5-7------------------|
A -----4-5-7------------------------|
E -5-7------------------------------| 


Hope this helps, and again, thanks very much for digging into 
the Guitar Fretboard Workbook. 

Barrett

String Bending Help

Dear Mr Tagliarino,
In the book "Interval Studies and Lead Guitar Technique", you discuss fret hand damping technique - I have a quick question about that.

When bending on the guitar mostly on the high E string, I find that the B string often slides under my bending (ring finger) and then the B string also rings out. 

I have been trying to figure out how to stop that. On bends, I touch the B (to mute it) with my index finger, but because the ring finger is fretting a higher fret, the B string still rings out.

I also always mute with my palm, but on a bend, the palm mutes the B string but sometimes also will mute the sound of the E string as it gets bent up.

The only thing that works but it is not so easy is that i try to have my index and middle finger helping to bend the E string but at the same time touching and pushing the B string up and away and helping to keep it from getting under my ring finger and ringing out.

I was wondering how you keep the b string from ringing out? 

Thank You so much - I know you are really busy!
Azi

Yeah Azi! Great question!

Option 3 is the best way: get under the B string and use the fingertip to push the string out of the way as you bend. It will get better with practice. You need a slight rolling motion so the string catches on your fingertip.

I actually use the same ring finger tip to do both: bend the E string, and move the B string out of the way.

While you're working on it, try adjusting your string action a little bit higher at the bridge, especially for the strings that don't want to cooperate with you (mostly the B). It also helps to have jumbo frets on your guitar - I like Dunlop 6105 frets for bending. You can really get under those strings with the big frets under you.

Thanks!

Barrett

Interleaved Practice

When I started working in LA, the pace was crazy and I'd often get thrown into the deep end. We'd get maybe one or two rehearsals in---sometimes none at all---then start gigging. There'd be lots of mistakes on the first show or two. We just had to play through them (no do-overs allowed of course!) and try to keep the crowd with us.

But I noticed that the mistakes disappeared within just a couple shows. It was nerve-wracking, but the memorization happened much faster there than in my home practice, where I'd play one thing over and over until I thought I had it down cold. This confirmed what I'd been told by my teachers: one hour on a gig is worth ten of rehearsal.

But the research suggests that it's not just the high-pressure environment that makes you learn faster. It's the interleaving-induced forgetting and remembering.

If you have 30 new charts to memorize by Saturday, the traditional approach would be to take all day, going over each chart several times in a row, until you can play it perfectly from short-term memory, probably spending 30-60 minutes per chart. This, however, is no guarantee that you will remember it on the gig. You'd probably just remember the last few songs you worked on Saturday morning.

With interleaving, you play each song once per session, letting your brain know what its eventual target is. Take about five minutes for each song. You allow yourself to make mistakes, because you have to move on. Do that with all 30 songs, then sleep on it, and do it again. Force yourself to remember, and relearn what you forgot. It's more effective.

http://bjorklab.psych.ucla.edu/research.html

A Flat-Picking solo for "Whiskey Before Breakfast"

Help! I can't reach all the notes in the G shape?

Hey Barrett

I am confused about how to finger the five patterns of major chords in the CAGED system. Especially Pattern 3. It's impossible for my hand to play all these notes cleanly.

David 

Hi David,

(For those reading, here is tablature for Pattern 3: the "G" shape. I am using it to outline a C major chord at the 5th fret.)

-8-
-5-
-5-
-5-
-7-
-8-


Don't worry about playing it all at once using all 6 strings. You will rarely (if ever) need to play the whole shape at once.

Each of the five major chord shapes in the CAGED system is essentially a multiple-use tool that you need to recognize as a single entity.

Think about a more familiar multi-use tool. For example,  a claw hammer is good for driving nails, and it also has a claw for pulling nails. It is good for both the hammer head and the claw to be available on the same handle, but you'd only rarely need to use both sides at once. Of course, you still identify the entire thing as one tool.


The chord shape works the same way. Depending on the song, you might use the bottom two notes only:


----
----
----
----
-7--
-8--

or the top three notes only:

-8--
-5--
-5--
----
----
----

or any other combination; for example, strings 5, 4, and 3:

----
----
-5--
-5--
-7--
----

All of these are identified as part of the overall Pattern 3 shape, which spells C major when played at the fret numbers shown.

For more information and practice, see the Guitar Fretboard Workbook.

http://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Fretboard-Workbook-Barrett-Tagliarino/dp/0634049011

Thanks!

Numbering Fretboard Patterns

 Hi Brett,

I have been working through your "Guitar Fretboard Workbook" for almost a year now.  I really enjoy your method and have learned so much.  I have seen other books where the authors use 5 patterns or root shapes to map out the fretboard as you do in this book.  For example, "(title)" from (author), has this on page 4 of his book.  However, when I saw this I became confused because his "pattern 3" is your "pattern 1" and his pattern 5 is your pattern 2, etc.  He states that he defines his patterns based on the Key of C (6th string root note of C).  I would be happy to email you a copy of this page if you would like to comment.  I simply want to learn the correct way, if there is only one correct way that is.

Thank you,
Keith


Hi Keith,

Thanks for getting this book and working with it. I'm glad it's helping you.

The numbering system it uses can in some ways be considered arbitrary, as you correctly imply. However the system as it is in GFW is more common and increasing in popularity with most teachers over time.

The numbers correlate to CAGED, the open position chords that each successive shape resembles as you move C roots up the neck starting from open position.

C = 1
A = 2
etc

If you play a pattern 2 C chord (barre chord at the 3rd fret, root on string 5) you will see it corresponds to an open-position A chord.

I'm sure you understand this and just want to make sure that this method of numbering is more useful. In fact either way could conceivably work just as well in the abstract. But if you consider that more guitars players you converse with in the future will use this method than most others, it's the way to go.

Just as if 100,000 years ago we all had started using the word "blue" to refer to what we know now as "red," we'd all be in agreement and the result would be the same: clear thought and communication.

For guitar players, that historical neanderthal moment is now!

Thanks again,
Barrett

Jacob strikes again. re Interval Studies - why?

Hey Barrett,

why from a soloing/lead guitar or chord based perspective would intervals actually be beneficial to someone's playing or their guitar sound? Everyone mentions them and I've looked through the exercises on Fretboard Workbook and Chord Tone Soloing and I'm still confused on how they can help things like expression and sound? Thanks a lot!

 Hi Jacob, 

Often players get stuck in a rut where they only play the next note in a scale. For example, you just played C. If your next note is always B or D then you have a problem that can be fixed by practicing interval studies. Here is my book on the subject. 

http://www.amazon.com/Interval-Studies-Lead-Guitar-Technique/dp/0980235340/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1379105980&sr=1-6

step 1 to soloing over chord changes: find root shapes

Jacob writes:

Hi Barrett,

I was running through Fretboard Workbook as a review now that I'm on Chord Tone Soloing and I was wondering, with the 5 root shapes aspect, should I have simply learned the 5 shapes themselves or learned them to the point where I could play them at ears glance. As in, if someone said, play the root shapes in F sharp, I'd be able to play them in it immediately with any of the 5 patterns? Or is that a too advanced requirement for the first book of a series? Thanks again Barrett!

Hi Jacob,
Thanks for getting these books and working with them. Sounds like you are working pretty hard! It'll pay off.

In order to best apply the concepts in Chord Tone Soloing, yes, it is a great idea to know your fretboard patterns as deeply as possible. Finding root shapes for the chords in the closest available position will allow you to solo melodically without jumping up and down the neck, so there's less chance of getting lost.

Say for example you are soloing, with your hand at the 5th fret, over these chords:

|A C#7| F#7 | Bm F#7| Bm |

Nearby shapes are:
A pattern 4

-5-
---
---
-7-
---
-5-


C#7 pattern 2
---
---
-6-
--
-4-
---


F#7 pattern 5
--
-7-
---
-4
---
---

Bm pattern 3

-7-
---
-3-
--
---
-7-

That progression is the first four measures of "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out," by the way. It is a slow 8-bar blues. Here are the remaining four bars.

D D#dim7 |A F#7 |B7 | E7 |

Barrett

Understanding Intervals

Hi Barrett

I am working my way through your Chord Tone Soloing book and am so far half way through Part II. It has already improved my understanding for guitar playing a lot. Your books are the best guitar learning material I have ever read - and that's a lot. Thank you!

I'm having a problem with understanding the 6ths intervals on page 34 (track 20). How can it be 6ths if you are in the key of C?
C-E = 3rd interval
It would make sense to me if we were in the key of E: E-C = 6th interval.

I can see the tones are the same, but not how it can be a 6ths interval? Won't E always be the 3rd tone in the key of C?

Could you please explain to me how to understand this? Thank you again
-Martin from Denmark
**************************************************************
Hi Martin,
We use a number like "3rd" to describe two things. This is how there can be confusion.

A "3rd" is a scale degree (which is what you are thinking). As you say E is always the 3rd degree in the key of C major.

A "3rd" is also an interval: the exact distance between any two pitches. Not just from one C to the next higher E. There is more than one C and more than one E. Which C and which E do we mean?

From C up to E is a 3rd:

C D E
1 2 3

And from E down to C is also 3rd.

E D C
3 2 1

but from E up to a higher C is a 6th:

C D E F G A B C
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
   (1 2 3 4 5 6)

From C to an even higher E is a 10th:

C D E F G A B C D E
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Please let me know if this helps you. And thank you very much for getting my book.
Barrett

Tasty Diminished Licks on the Blues

Double-Stop Blues Lick

Short and easy to learn, but cool.

City Solo

This was composed for a client of my friend, producer Billy Burke.

Pendulum Picking

Hi Barrett,

I am working through your book Rhythmic Lead Guitar, I really enjoy it. After playing the guitar for 15 years, it's been really helpful to remind myself to play in time.

I am working through the portion on intentionally make the pick miss the string while maintaining constant motion along with the foot. I realized I don't do that at all, especially when I am playing the acoustic guitar when all I'm doing is mainly strumming. I would just like to ask if it make sense for me to correct that, so that I will maintain constant motion. Do you do it yourself as well when playing acoustic?

Thanks for your help!
"John"


Hi John,

Yes, I do it that way too.

One of the main benefits of keeping your hand moving along with the foot, even if it is not really a visible movement, is that you start strumming again on either a down or an upstroke that is aligned with the down or upbeat of the music.

If you are just strumming 8th notes on an acoustic (with pick or fingers) to accompany vocals in a pop or folk tune, then I'd recommend the alternation to keep the time steady. A good example is "Yesterday" by the Beatles. When Paul sings the title word (at about 1:15), the final up strum with "-day" is left to ring for a quarter note duration, and he comes back in with up-down-up strums before the down beat of the bridge section ("Why she had to go").

Strict right-hand alternation even when some notes are not played (some call it "pendulum picking") is useful for making sure you play syncopated single notes and chords without rushing the time. If you try to play single-note funk parts (or mixed single-note lines with chords like the two guitars in Rufus's "You Got the Love") without this steady alternation, it's much harder to stay in the groove.

For strumming chords with no single notes involved, you may alter this approach for tonal purposes. Downstrokes and upstrokes sound a little different from each other. The downstrokes are chunkier and the upstrokes are a little more chime-like due to the order of the strings being hit. Usually the first strings you hit in a strum get hit the hardest and therefore get a volume boost. Punk and metal rhythm parts are often played with downstrokes only and would not have the same impact otherwise. I usually play ska skanks with only upstrokes (they're on upbeats anyway) on the high strings for stinging accents that stay in the rhythmic pocket.

Thanks for your question.
Barrett

Rhythmic Lead Guitar Book/CD interview question

Arpeggiating through a Minor ii-V-i

Hi, I have and love the chord-tone soloing book - so glad I started working through it. I am working on chapter 17, arpeggio connection. However when I try arpeggio connection over a progression, such as Autumn Leaves, with extended chords I run into a little problem over altered arpeggios, such as the B7(b9). I understand the spelling is 1, 3, 5, b7, b9, then into the next octave with 3, 5, b7, b9 but how do I perform the arpeggio connection exercise over this chord? Do I include the root, but only in the beginning in the low register? How do I determine where and which ‘1’ of the arpeggio is the root (to include) when I'm descending? Would I essentially just be arpeggiating a diminished chord (B# diminished) over the dominant seventh flat nine chord? There is probably no straight answer but thanks,

Mike

Hi Mike,

Good question, and you're right that there's no hard and fast answer. I just connected arpeggios over a minor ii-V-i a bunch of times to make sure, and all three of these possible ways sound good to me over the B7b9 in any register: root, b9, or both.

You can expect that you get some freedom on the V7 chord in a minor ii-V-i, and a lot of things will work. Jump over and check out the licks on page 106. They just happen to also be on B7-Em. They all have both B and C as high notes, with the B falling on either a strong or weak beat. On that particular chord situation---V7 resolving to im, almost any chord tone or altered extension sounds cool on the beat: 1-3-b5-#5-b7-b9-#9 (or the perfect 5th if it is present---most accompanists will alter the 5th or leave it out to give you freedom). I just avoid the root of the upcoming chord (E). I want to save that note for the resolution.

(By the way that's one goal of the altered scale. It includes notes on either side of the upcoming root.)

That "anything goes" idea is not true of all chord types, though. For example, I don't always like hitting the root of a major 7 chord right on the downbeat in the upper register when playing a line of eighth notes. I'll go for the 7th or 9th instead.

If I'm going to hit the root there, I try to make it a quarter note or longer so the listener has time to hear it as something out of the ordinary. The line stalls, but you get an interesting "suspended" kind of sound in its place. (Actually it sounds more like an appoggiatura, but don't say that word if you want to keep a job!)

Barrett
For you out there in TV land, the book under discussion can be previewed here:
Chord Tone Soloing

A Golden Rule of Practice

You learn much faster if you alternate between concepts and let them progress in parallel. It’s best to work on one thing at a time, but don’t wait for the one thing you’re working on now to be perfect before you work on something else.

For example, let's say you are a beginner learning a C major scale in open position for the first time.

-----------------
-------------0-1-
---------0-2-----
---0-2-3---------
-3---------------
-----------------

1. First you refresh your memory of the pattern each day without much concern for technique or timing. Just locate the notes.

2. Then spend a few minutes playing without the metronome, focusing on clean playing technique, damping the open strings so that only one note at a time is heard. It's ok if during this, you have to stop to remember where the notes are.

3. Then switch to building rhythmic accuracy and picking technique by playing a little bit faster with the metronome. It’s ok if during this last part, a few open strings ring out now and then.

The idea that one thing does not have to be perfect before you can study anything else applies to everything you can practice.

Another quick example: don't wait until you can play one song perfectly before starting to work on another one. If you did that, then after a year you'd only know one song, and that song would actually not sound as good as if you'd worked on 10 songs in the same time period.

What Will I Get out of the Guitar Fretboard Workbook?

Hey Barrett I am now on chapter 7 of Guitar Fretboard Workbook. I understand the five patterns, and that they are different (but the same order) depending on which note you start with. I know how to find notes on the fretboard, albeit very slowly and laboriously. What should I be expecting to have gotten out of the Fretboard Workbook by this point - just memorization of patterns and how to find notes? Is there a bigger picture to all of this that I am missing, or is it just part of a longer process? When I get to, say, 1/2 of the book complete, to what extent should I be a better guitar player (as opposed to memorizing patterns)? Right now I can play a bunch of chords and mimic a number of songs. What should my goal be upon completion of the book? I'm trying to establish some context and also to make sure I am not missing anything. Thanks again, Bob

Hi Bob,

This book helps you with everything musical that you can do on the guitar. It will be an obvious difference when you apply it for awhile, but I can't say if you'll notice the difference halfway through it. There's not much that it doesn't help, even in the simplest scenario.

Let's say all you ever do is learn songs from magazine tablature. At first that is a process of rote memorization. You read and memorize each finger position one at a time. It's like memorizing song lyrics in a foreign language without knowing what they mean. You can do it, but it's easier to remember and recite convincingly if you actually know what you're saying. But if you know your scales, arpeggios, and chords the way GFW teaches them, then you will identify these things in the music and understand and therefore better remember and execute it.

That's just the beginning. Knowing the fretboard will help you with soloing, composing, transcribing, arranging, reading, etc.

Barrett

Removing Pick-Hand Anchors

This short exercise is designed to train you to pick without anchoring your fingertips on the pickguard, and to encourage forearm rotation when playing single notes. You’ll switch from playing a few notes to strumming a big chord, keeping things loose yet striving for accuracy.

I'd start with the metronome set at about 60 beats per minute.

You can let your fingernails drag across the pickguard as you play the single notes, but don’t anchor your fingertips on it.

To damp unwanted strings while playing singles notes, you can bring the heel of your palm in to touch the strings by the bridge, but try to keep the ball of the thumb off the guitar. Also use the edges of the fret-hand fingers to damp the strings above and below the one you are playing.

Keep it relaxed, and listen close to make sure it's clean and smooth-sounding.

Rhythmic Lead Guitar Book/CD

This was so nice I just wanted to share it.

Barrett,

I had to write you and tell you about my guitar-playing growth since I received your Rhythmic Lead Guitar book (only a week ago!). I am literally twice the lead player I was this time last week, and I was pretty good to start with. I must confess, I am not painstakingly going through the book and doing all of the exercises, but let me briefly tell about the insight this book has given me.

I am a pretty good chord-tone guy and unlike most pretenders, do reasonably well over diatonic progressions, especially major key stuff. My problem was really the opposite of most guys--my theory is rock solid and my fretboard mastery is great--but for some reason unknown to me, I was always a choppy train wreck when it came to everyday minor pentatonic wanking. Well, no more my friend.

Rhythmic Lead Guitar made me really sit down and analyze the different available beat subdivisions, and it also helped me realize the differences between a shuffle (my band plays a lot of three-chord boogies) and a straight feel, and more specifically, between straight and swung 8th notes. I have a Fender G-Dec amp and first practiced all of these subdivisions with a metronome at different tempos and then practiced soloing over a looped shuffle for hours. Like a lightbulb coming on after 15 years of frustration, I literally and figuratively found my groove like a seasoned pro. I think I had been trying to play straight eighth notes over shuffles, and my use of triplets was underutilized.

From there, I moved on to songs with a straight feel, which too have always given me fits. My main problem with these songs is that my 8th-note phrasing sucked (excuse my language) because I tried to use too many notes. Now I focus on just two or three-note chunks, and it sounds great!

Finally, let me tell you another side effect of you making me aware of my beat choices. As I mentioned, I have started using many more triplets (it's cool to use them over a song with a straight feel, too, right?), but at fast tempos, I had to find different patterns that would allow me to use hammer-ons and pull-offs. This forced me to examine all of my pentatonic boxes for different options, and within a day, I was seeing and connecting all of the shapes like never before. Unbelievable!

Sorry this email is so long, but I thought you would appreciate what is some fairly specific feedback on your book. Again, some of it is beyond my scope and my interest, but by just focusing on the beat subdivisions (and hearing examples of them) and by learning the difference between a swung eighth note and a regular one, I have started on the fast track to becoming the lead guitar player I have always wanted to be. Thank you so much. I will try to find the time to get on Amazon and write a kind review.

Travis