Use Melodic Minor Scales on Guitar

First a quick primer on minor scales. There are 3:
Natural Minor - The naturally occurring minor scale based on your key signature.

So for A Minor: A B C D E F G A

Harmonic Minor - Same scale but with a #7.

A B C D E F G# A

Melodic Minor - Same again but with a #6 and #7, and returning to the natural minor when descending.

A B C D E F# G# A G F E D C B A

Jazz Minor - Because when you’re improvising a zillion notes a minute you don’t want to have to think about which direction your going, Jazz players will use the melodic minor with the #6 and #7 in both directions.

You can also think of the Melodic Minor as a major scale with a b3.

Listen up rock guitar players… Don’t shy away just because it says “Jazz”. All these concepts work great for rock and metal players of all types.

Let’s first look at the chords that are derived from the melodic minor to get some ideas of where the scale will work. I’ll present the basic triads and the more interesting 7th chords.

i - A C E = Am

A C E G# = Am (maj7)

ii - B D F# = Bm

B D F# A = Bm7

III - C E G# = C aug

C E G# B = Cmaj7#5

IV - D F# A = D major

D F# A C = D7

V - E G# B = E major

E G# B D = E7

vi - F# A C = F#dim

F# A C E = F#m7(b5)

vii - G# B D = G#dim

G# B D F# = G#m7(b5)

Now we know we can use the A Melodic Minor over any of these chords. You can also write chord progressions based on these chords.

Let’s say you’re face with a chord like Em7(b5). That type of chord can either be the 6th or 7th chord in the melodic minor. Which means you could use either D# or F Melodic Minor to play over it. Or both. Are you starting to see the myriad of possibilities here?

July 13, 2010  Tags:   Posted in: Feature  No Comments

Transcribing Jazz Solos

Tip # 1. Choose a jazz solo of your favorite artist that is uncomplicated. This is very important because if you choose a solo that contains many notes and complex rhythms, chances are that you will become frustrated and never finish it. In the event you skip or ignore this step, you will have a pile of unfinished solos on your shelf, just waiting to be completed.

Tip # 2. Determine the key center that the solo is written. Listen closely to the first or last measure of the tune. Sit at the piano and determine the root note (name) of the key be matching what you hear to the recording. The main reason why is that you simply must know the key that the solo was improvised in so that certain patterns and licks will be much easier to discover as the solo unfolds.

Tip # 3. Begin transcribing by listening to only one to two bars at a time. It is always wise to remember that unless you have the “ears” of Mozart, your brain will most likely only remember eight to ten notes at a time. Remember: that there is only one way to eat an elephant - one bite at a time. Transcribing a jazz solo works the same way.

Tip # 4. Fill in as much as you can on the first pass, then concentrate on parts that are more difficult to hear. Always keep in mind that you are putting together a puzzle of notes. Do not feel as if you have to fill in every note in succession before moving on to the next note. Some phrases will be much easier to hear than others. Some phrases will take listening to many, many times before you are able to transcribe them correctly.

Tip # 5. Go over the difficult measures by using software that will slow down the music if needed. Additionally, it is important to remember that even the most difficult jazz solo can be “figured out” eventually. Like everything else, the more transcribing you do, the better your ear becomes. There simply is no substitute for developing your ear by doing so in this manner.

Finally, be sure that you always write your solo down on paper so that you can return to it in the future to practice on your instrument. It is also suggested that you play the fully transcribed solo along with the recording to make certain you have notated everything correctly. Memorizing the solo with all its inflections is a great idea, and having a copy of the notes themselves will allow others as well to learn from your efforts.

July 12, 2010  Tags:   Posted in: Living  No Comments

Build Your Website!

Many people have their websites now.Of course,they can do many things on their websites.For example,they may want to make money through their websites.And others just want to show themselves on their own website.My blog mainly talks about movies and music.Luckily,many readers love my blog and they speak highly of my work.Obviously,they can find a lot of useful information on my blog.These days,one of my readers hope to build a website related movies with my help.He says that he is not skillful in building a website.

Well,this is notВ a difficult task at all because I recommend a good agent to him.The name of the agent is wix.com.It uses the Wix Flash website builder to create your own free website and find out just how creative you can get. The Wix website builder gives you total creative freedom to design whatever you like while achieving professional looking results.That is why I like it very much.In fact,I have been its customer for two month.The services provided by them are all very good.

There are many beautiful examples on wix.com.In my point of view,you had better try on it yourself.I am sure that it will do great help to you.Ok,that is all.Thanks for reading this article!

July 3, 2010   Posted in: Living  No Comments

Songwriting Advice For Easy Inspiration

Verse/Chorus/Verse/Chorus/Bridge/Chorus

This is a very effective song structure because it has many points where contrast can be developed in the melody and lyric. Contrast is essential for grabbing the attention of your listener.

The place where most songwriters start the songwriting process is at the hook of the song, which is contained in the chorus. This is the line that sums up the whole idea of the song. This is the easiest place to start because you can build the entire song around this line.

It is important to choose a hook that invokes curiosity in your listener. This will make them ask questions about your hook which should be answered by the verse and bridge sections of the song.

After you come up with an interesting hook, ask yourself these questions. Write down the questions, and write down the answers. The answers should give you some great material for your verse sections.

The chorus should enhance the hook. It should also leave some questions to be answered, but the listener should be able to grasp the theme and emotions of the song after hearing the chorus.

The bridge of the song should come after the verse and chorus sections are completed. The bridge is often used to reveal something the listener hasn’t heard yet. It could also be used to state the same emotions or situations from a different perspective.

After creating and polishing your lyric, you can create the melody. I think its a lot easier to create a melody from a lyric than creating a lyric from a melody. This allows your lyric to flow more naturally. You can also use the sound of the spoken words to help shape your melody. The natural rhythm and pitches of the human voice can be exaggerated and set to a beat to inspire great ideas for a melody. It is important that the melody enhance all of the important lines of the song, so that the listener will know what they are supposed to pay the most attention to.

Many people make songwriting a lot harder than it has to be. Keep it simple, keep it singable. This is the easiest way to get people to love your songs. Not everyone can learn how to write a song step by step, but this songwriting advice may at least serve as a starting point for your creativity.

June 30, 2010   Posted in: View  No Comments

Improve Guitar Speed

1. Make Speed Your Goal

If you want to get faster at playing guitar then you should make that an explicit goal. Fill your goal list with songs and new techniques to learn then you won’t have time to work on your speed.

To make best progress at increasing your speed work with techniques and songs you know already. Set speed goals for them and track them.

2. Practice Every Day

To move quickly around the fingerboard your fingers must get to know it intimately. Daily practice is the best way to ensure this, so if you are not practicing every day then make sure you start.

3. Slow Practice

To get faster you often have to get slower. More speed results from better accuracy and the best way to ensure your finger movements are accurate is to practice slowly.

4. Reduce Finger Movement

To play guitar faster you must reduce the amount of movement your fingers make. Use slow practice to study each chord change, scale or lick and try to figure out how to play the same thing while moving your fingers less.

5. Take Your Mind Off It

Your own concentration can be a barrier to faster playing. When you concentrate intensely, thinking about every movement you make your muscles move less fluidly and your overall playing will be slower.

Try to let your mind wander as you practice and give your autopilot a chance to take control. You can develop this ability by playing with distractions - turn on the TV, chat with someone, or go and practice out doors in a place where there’s plenty to watch.

6. Film Your Fingers

An effective way to see how efficient your finger movements are is to film yourself. Fix a camera focused closely on your fingering or picking hand as you practice - for best results film from several angles. When you review your film you’ll notice problems you don’t see while you play.

7. Get The Right Tools

There’s no doubt about it, the right tool makes any job easier. Make sure you have at least one of the following tools to help you practice your guitar speed: metronome, jam tracks, sampler/looper, slow-down (and speed up!) software, Guitar Pro (has loops and speed controls), guitar speed trainer software, guitar speed training program.

June 30, 2010   Posted in: Living  No Comments