Acoustic Guitar Player » Scales http://the-guitarplayer.com Worlds Best Guitar Blogs Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:22:39 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 Acoustic Guitar Video Antoine Dufour http://the-guitarplayer.com/2009/04/22/acoustic-guitar-video-antoine-dufour/ http://the-guitarplayer.com/2009/04/22/acoustic-guitar-video-antoine-dufour/#comments Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:38:37 +0000 tony hogan http://the-guitarplayer.com/?p=526 Here’s an Acoustic Guitar Video by Antoine Dufour, it is called Ashes in the Sea.

Antoine is one of the new generation of great Acoustic Guitar Players who is expanding the acoustic guitar style.  Others who  are really worth exploring Andy McKee, Pierre Bensusan, Thomas Leeb, and Don Ross.

Thanks to tch1x for uploading this video
Click the link for s another Youtube Guitar Video by Antoine Dufour
]]> http://the-guitarplayer.com/2009/04/22/acoustic-guitar-video-antoine-dufour/feed/ 0 Angus And Julia Stone Youtube – The Beast http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/12/27/angus-and-julia-stone-youtube-the-beast/ http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/12/27/angus-and-julia-stone-youtube-the-beast/#comments Sat, 27 Dec 2008 04:07:18 +0000 tony hogan http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/12/27/angus-and-julia-stone-youtube-the-beast/ Angus and Julia Stone are a contemporary Australian music duo / band.  Their album called A Book Like This is tremedous, that is if you like Acoustic Indie Pop.  For me it doesn’t matter what style the music is, so long as the music is good, in time, in tune with feeling and sincerity. 

This youtube of Angus and Julia Stone is a song called The Beast, pperformed live.

]]> http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/12/27/angus-and-julia-stone-youtube-the-beast/feed/ 0 Aeolian Mode in G for Guitar http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/10/08/aeolian-mode-in-g-for-guitar/ http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/10/08/aeolian-mode-in-g-for-guitar/#comments Wed, 08 Oct 2008 03:17:30 +0000 tony hogan http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/10/08/aeolian-mode-in-g-for-guitar/ The Aeolian mode, although it has an unusual name is more common than you may realise.  It is really just the Natural Minor scale, it is the same as a C Major scale C D E F G A B C, but it starts on the A instead e.g. A B C D E F G A.  It is used in improvisation over the 6th chord in the Key of C .  The Chords would be Cmaj7  Dm7 Em7 Fmaj7 G7 Am7 Bm7b5.  There would also be other chords which are built on the notes from the key of C but we’ll keep this simple.The example I have used is a G Aeolian.  The G Aeloian mode is the same as a G Natural Minor, it consists of G A Bb C D Eb F G and it is the 6th scale from the key of B flat (Bb) .  It is used over a G minor , G min7, Gmin9, Gmin sus4, it could also be used over a Gmin+5 and Gmin6. The chord scale built from the B flat scale is Bbmaj7  Cm7 Dm7 Ebmaj7 F7 Gm7 Am7b5.I have written two versions of the TAB and Notation for the G Aeloian Mode, the first version is movable up the fretboard, the second is written with some open strings, as stated in many of my other articles I like the open string sound on an acoustic guitar, and also your playing will become a little less mechanical by using different fingerings that require a bit more thought.Aeolian Mode For Guitar For the quality printable version click Aeloian Mode for Guitar 

]]> http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/10/08/aeolian-mode-in-g-for-guitar/feed/ 0 Lydian Mode for Guitar http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/09/29/lydian-mode-for-guitar/ http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/09/29/lydian-mode-for-guitar/#comments Mon, 29 Sep 2008 03:24:45 +0000 tony hogan http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/09/29/lydian-mode-for-guitar/ Lydian Mode for Guitar There’s been a lot of fuss over the years about the Lydian Mode.  It’s one of a series of scales with Greek names, the first being Ionian, an example of an Ionian would be the very common Doh Re Me Fa So La Ti Doh (I’m thinking Bart Simpson and Julie Andrews here).  In the key of C it would be C D E F G A B C, in truth it is a simple C Major scale, no big deal. The Lydian mode is the 4th scale that would be built on standard C scale but instead if starting on C we would start on the 4th interval, in this case it would be F; and our scale becomes F G A B C D E F, we are keeping the distance between the notes the same, just starting at another place.  I’ve written a G Lydian mode, .you’ll notice it has two sharp notes in it, a F# and a C#.  The G Lydian mode is the fourth scale in the key of D.  And you may already realise that the key of D has two sharps.  I’ve also added a chord, it could be named quite a few different  ways, for this exercise I’ve called it Gmaj7#4.  I won’t cover my reasons for naming it this at this moment, it’s a much broader discussion.  The first version of the scale is movable up and down the fretboard, wheras the second version includes open strings, and if you play acoustic it’s nice to get those open notes.   For more detailed information, it’s worth checking out what is in Wikipedia on the issue, there are also some great examples there mentioning songs that use it,  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lydian_mode But really it’s just one more scale to throw in the tool box. To download a printable, useable version click Lydian Mode For Guitar

]]> http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/09/29/lydian-mode-for-guitar/feed/ 0 Blues Scales – Super Blues Part 2 http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/08/05/blues-scales-super-blues-part-2/ http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/08/05/blues-scales-super-blues-part-2/#comments Tue, 05 Aug 2008 08:31:48 +0000 tony hogan http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/08/05/blues-scales-super-blues-part-2/ The other day I posted about a blues scale that I invented in my very active musical brain about 3 or 4 in the morning.  So now it’s time to dig a fraction deeper and spread it across thre octaves and also add a few guitar lick exercises.  Scales are great to add to the toolbo, but it needs to be done intelligently in a non-robotic manner, else a person can become a great scale player, yes and that’s it a great scale player. The work that I am interested in with music is about supplying things that make guitar players think, feeling first, yes, but let’s think things through to develop our musical chops, instead of just running the fingers up and down the freatboard in a ‘dig me I’m fast style’, having the ablity to play fast is good but it’s something that is just there for when it’s sensible to use it. 

Blues Scale Super Simple

How to Work with This Scale:

It’s been written over 3 octaves, from the low open E to the top E on the 12th fret of the first string. 

I have intentionally included a few open notes, this gives you the breathing space to move to the 4th fret and then the 7th. This method player is different to a lot of players that play a very horizontal stlye, straight up and down the neck.  I like the sound of the open strings, and with a scale like this it will give you some great guitar solo options.  As stated in my previous article it is a good mode / scale to use over the E7th chord in a blues. 

To download the printable version, click the following link E Blues Scale Super Altered Scale

]]> http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/08/05/blues-scales-super-blues-part-2/feed/ 1 Blues Scale – Brand New Invention – Super Blues in E http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/08/02/blues-scale-brand-new-invention-super-blues-in-e/ http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/08/02/blues-scale-brand-new-invention-super-blues-in-e/#comments Sat, 02 Aug 2008 13:39:06 +0000 tony hogan http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/08/02/blues-scale-brand-new-invention-super-blues-in-e/ NEW BLUES SCALE BREAKTHROUGH  

The standard blues scale has been around for quite some time, also the country blues scale, the one that is really a C# blues scale played over songs in the key of E. 

I’m reasonably confident that I have invented a new scale that is highly useable, easy to play and is more flexible over a lot of songs.

When you play the standard blues scale, the second one on my TAB and music dots chart, it sometimes sounds too blues too strong.  An alternative is what I personally call the Country Blues Scale, the third one on my TAB and music notation.  The Country Blues Scale is fantastic, sounds great over some tunes but if you look and listen to it closely it is minus the 7th (really flattened 7th) . 

I woke up about five this morning and had a brain wave, a moment of inspiration and I thought ‘ What if I take the Country  Blues Scale, remove the 6th (the C sharp) and replace it with the 7th instead. 

Why oh why have I never thought of it before and why on earth have I never seen it over 38 years of playing guitar?
Is it because we often miss the simple and obvious.

So the notes are E,  F sharp , G natural, G sharp, B and D natural.

Yes we could create hybrids of this but this is a great starting point and I’ll be adding information in the near future on how to use it intelligenty, it comfortably sits over chord one of an E blues, the E7 chord.

 I decided to call it the Super Blues Scale at this point, but may change it later.

Super Blues Scale in E

To download this scale click: Super Blues Scale in E
 

]]> http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/08/02/blues-scale-brand-new-invention-super-blues-in-e/feed/ 9 Guitar Scale Pentatonic Major in B Flat – Part 6 of 6 http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/07/01/guitar-scale-pentatonic-major-in-b-flat-part-6-of-6/ http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/07/01/guitar-scale-pentatonic-major-in-b-flat-part-6-of-6/#comments Tue, 01 Jul 2008 07:28:43 +0000 tony hogan http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/07/01/guitar-scale-pentatonic-major-in-b-flat-part-6-of-6/ This guitar scale is the final one in may six part series on Pentatonic Scales.  As you my remember from my previous web blog posts, I decided to do a short series because many players have difficulty following through if there is too much information.  To work steadily through a half a dozen scales won’t hurt too much but the benefits will be many because a little self-discipline goes a long way.  And the way I have written most of these scales is a little unusual to try and prevent players monotonusly running their fingers up and down the fretboard, but the fingerings are interesting and I know from experience that they will force you to think a little when you play them.

Most guitar players avoid the flat keys, they stick to C, D , A , G and E, because they are guitar friendly.  So let’s break the habit a little with this one and do a B Flat.  The key of B flat includes the notes B flat, C, D, E flat, F, G A  and B flat. 

But the Pentatonic I’ve used (penta being 5) is Bb, C, D, F, G .  Note the fingering of the exercise, I jump to the 5th fret after playing the open G and a few of notes later I jump up a fret.  And then decscending I move back to fret one.  Playing this way will force you to think.

Guitar Scale Pentatonic Major in B Flat

To download the printable guitar scale in TAB and music notes click below:

TAB and Music Notes Guitar Scale Pentatonic Major in B Flat

My next set of six short tutorials will cover Chord Construction Made Easy

]]> http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/07/01/guitar-scale-pentatonic-major-in-b-flat-part-6-of-6/feed/ 4 Pentatonic Major Scale for Guitar in D – Part 5 of 6 http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/06/22/pentatonic-major-scale-for-guitar-in-d-part-5-of-6/ http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/06/22/pentatonic-major-scale-for-guitar-in-d-part-5-of-6/#comments Sun, 22 Jun 2008 01:15:16 +0000 tony hogan http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/06/22/pentatonic-major-scale-for-guitar-in-d-part-5-of-6/ This Pentatonic Major Scale in D is very useful on acoustic guitar. Note how I’ve used the open E string to create a bit of time to jump up the fretboard to the 7th fret.  This scale is very suitable for improvising over a D chord, it doesn’t include the Blue Note of the Country Blues scales.  The Blue note would be an F at the 3rd fret on the 4th string. 

 The notes of this scale are D E F sharp A B and I’ll include the next D so it sounds complete. Leraning simple scales like these are very usually for acoustic players, a lot of acoustic players when they are jamming will just all play the same chords.  A little aresnal of scales will enable you to create a bit of interest in a tune by using simple improvisation.  When two guitar players play the same thing at the same time,  then tend to squash each other.  Look for ways of creating space, the ‘Less is More’ principle is very useful in music. 

Ok, how to play the scale:  Start in the 2nd position, this means the first finger lines up at the second fret.  Ones you play the open E on the high string, move up to the 7th fret.  When descending, once you hit the high E note again on the open E string, move back to the second postion.  

Enjoy it, once you know the scale start to break it up into little melodic musical phrases.

 Pentatonic Major Scale for Guitar in D

To download the printable version click the link:
Pentatonic Major Scale for Guitar in D

This is part 5 of the 6 part series of Pentatonic scales, Part 6 will be uploaded within the next 5 days

To view part Part 4:
http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/06/12/pentatonic-major-scale-in-a-part-4-of-6/

]]> http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/06/22/pentatonic-major-scale-for-guitar-in-d-part-5-of-6/feed/ 0 Pentatonic Major Scale in A – Part 4 of 6 http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/06/12/pentatonic-major-scale-in-a-part-4-of-6/ http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/06/12/pentatonic-major-scale-in-a-part-4-of-6/#comments Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:37:35 +0000 tony hogan http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/06/12/pentatonic-major-scale-in-a-part-4-of-6/ This is the fourth pentatonic Scale in my six part series of Pentatonic scales.  When I write the fingering for these scales I often think about what is suitable for the acoustic guitar.  I’m writing them in a manner that will get you out of the habit of just running your fingers up and down the neck.

This one is in A, use it over a chord pattern that uses A D and E.  The notes of this five note scale are A B C sharp E and F#.  The ascending is quite straight forward, start on an open A but be ready in the second position.  The descending part is great on the acoustic, you move up to the 5th fret and uses a couple of open notes and then moves back to the 2nd fret.

An additional thing that I’ve done with it is to put it into 3/4 time, count 1 2 3 1 2 3 123 etc, placing a slight emphasis on the first beat.  

Pentatonic Major Scale in A

 

To download the printable version click Pentatonic Major Scale in A in pdf

 For part three click on scale link

 Part five will be added in the very near future.

 

]]> http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/06/12/pentatonic-major-scale-in-a-part-4-of-6/feed/ 1 Pentatonic Major Scale in E – Part 3 of 6 http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/06/08/pentatonic-major-scale-in-e-part-3-of-6/ http://the-guitarplayer.com/2008/06/08/pentatonic-major-scale-in-e-part-3-of-6/#comments Sun, 08 Jun 2008 12:17:13 +0000 tony hogan http://the-guitarplayer.com/?p=187 This is the 3rd article about guitar scales, this is pentatonic major scale in the Key of E.  It’s very useful for improvising in the Key of E, it’s reasonably ‘safe sounding’ and difficult to go wrong with it if you are soloing in E.  The notes are E, F sharp, G sharp, B, C sharp.  It would be useable over a standard sort of chord pattern in E which included E A and B.  Yes it is useable over other chords,  but if you are new to improvisation just get it down so it works over those chords.  You’ll notice there will be strong and weak tones.

As always, when I write scales I write them with a few twists to prevent you from becoming lazy and to help you focus on what you are doing.  The version I have written starts on the second fret, moves to the 4th, then the 7th and briefly to the 9th.

When descending, you’ll notice I’ve added some open notes on the first and second string.  This is a great way to play, because you’ll get a nice ringing tone of the open notes, almost bell like and it gives you a split-second to change frets.  The bluegrass guys are great at this. 

Pentatonic Major Scale in E Guitar Scales

 The printable version is available in pdf, don’t ruin your eyes trying to work off the screen, print them out and create a folder of them all so you can work through them away from the computer, minus the distraction of checking your email :-)

Click below for the Printable PDF TABS and Notation for guitar

Pentatonic Scales for guitar in E Tab and notation

Here is the link for Part 2 of the Pentatonic series http://the-guitarplayer.com/?p=181

Practice slowly

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