What to do with this knowledge? Now each shape can yield 11 different chords, just by moving up the neck. This also includes Minor chords, Major 7 chords, Dominant 7 chords, minor 7 chords, Major 9 chords, Sus chords, and on and on…

Lead players benefit from this knowledge by gaining access to the higher strings in each shape. The next logical progression is creating parts and lines and even solos out of these shapes. Where to start?

The D shape is extremely versatile and can be used many ways and often isn’t discussed.

e–2— (F#) 3rd
b—3– (D) octave
g–2— (A) 5th
D-0—- (D) root

The D chord is “spelled” D, F#, A. On the guitar these notes aren’t “in order”. Only the “C” shape and the “G” shape have notes that would be considered “in order”. The fun thing with the D shape is that you can Suspend the 3rd both up and down (sus4 and sus2) very easily.

Dsus2 Dsus4
e-0—– e——3-
b—–3- b——3-
g—2— g—-2—
D-0—– D–0—–

Now we can move these shapes up the neck to get other chords and use this shape to create lead parts.

For Example: If we were to rearrange our fingers and barre the 2nd fret, we could use our pinky to get to the 5th fret on the high “e” string, thereby making a simple, but very open sounding D5 chord.

e——-5— (A) 5th
b—–3—– (D) octave
g—-2—– (A) 5th
D–0——- (D) root

This shape can then be manipulated very easily to create some interesting parts that are out of the way of the vocals, bass, and rhythm guitars. A simple way to do this is to lower the octave a half step.

e———5– (A)
b——2(3)— C# (D)
g——2—– (A)

This is especially effective over the “5″ (V) chord of any key. This then makes part of an “A” chord (A, C#) You can also hammer on the “D” octave to get some movement over other chords in a key as well. This particular position works best over a I IV vi V progression in any key. Just remember where your “root” is located. In this case on the “b” string.

For Example: This form in the Key of “G” would be here… Simply moving the “D” shape up to the 7th and 8th fret.

e———10– (D)
b—–(7)8—– (F#) G
g—–7——- (D)

There are also other ways to use this shape over different chord progressions…. Coming Soon…

OK, well it has been an interesting year for me musically and professionally. I continued to learn (hopefully) and maybe even passed on a bit of knowledge as well.

Lessons learned for 2009:
1. It is really about the music. Do you just play a song, or do you live the song? That can be a difficult thing when you are playing covers, but always try and find time to write. I saw a student write her first tune at age 12. It was a heartfelt song about her friend moving away. It brought people to tears, and it is a really good song.

2. Tone is very subjective. It isn’t all about the gear the hands and your practice time have more to do with your sound then the latest OD pedal. A couple of different guys I have worked with this year have made HUGE improvements in their abilities due to re-examining their practice routines and practicing with intent.

3. I realized that the amp is one of the most important parts of the tone/expression equation. I found mine this year. I have a few for different sounds, but I found my voice this year.

4. Fast learn rule number 1. (I have always wanted to say that)

So, to the 5 people or so who read this thing (Thanks Mom) Happy New Year, and I hope that you can make some music this year that moves YOU. Music is really about communicating something that is difficult to put into words. I was fortunate enough to get to that headspace a couple of times this year, which is difficult (for me) when playing music is your job. And make sure to share it with your friends!

Dan

We thought of a couple of analogies that I thought were helpful enough to share.

One of these was to think of your scales and technique and theory like tools. Like wrenches and sockets or hammers and nails. When you go to fix something or make something, you just know what tool will work. This comes from experience and being familiar with the tools you have available to you. The goal is to create. If a tool doesn’t work, you put it down and pick up another one.
Do you tell a child they are wrong for painting shapes and colors with their fingers when there are perfectly good brushes available? No. At least I hope not. Same thing with playing guitar. Who cares if you are thinking “Dorian minor” or “Pentatonic” did the phrase speak to you or convey the emotion you were trying to communicate?? Did is “feel” right?

This was a big thing for my friend. He knew both sides. The “feel” side and the “technical” side. But how to bridge the gap? Last night, we made some great progress, and by the end of our session, he was playing things by instinct and feel and CREATING the music he wanted to hear…. Pretty cool.

Anyways, cheerio! Hope you all have a Merry Christmas. and happy picking!

Dan

This is the fun part. The choices in pedal land are RIDICULOUS!!! There are more Overdrive pedals than ever, all with there own take. It is easy to get sucked into this world, and forget to play your guitar! I have been there, and I think of the hours I have spent researching, buying and selling, listening to clips, and I wonder how much better I would be if I had just practiced more or written more tunes… Anyways, personal rant over. This is also a really fun thing to do, so do what makes you happy.

There are some basic sounds for Live guitar playing that need to be covered in most band situations. Clean, Crunch, and Lead. The studio is a whole different world. I won’t go there unless some folks ask.

Let’s talk overdrives only for now.

lo-gain, vs. high-gain, etc. all those terms are used to describe more crunch or less crunch. Decide what you like, then dial it back about 30% and you will have a good live tone. I am convinced that the bass has just as much to do with a good Overdrive sound as a good pedal or amp. Anyways, here are some styles of Overdrive to check out:

Tubescreamer style: smooth sound, added midrange, sorta lo-gain. Great with Fender style amps. There are a thousand variations on this circuit for more bass, less midrange, less gain, less compression…. blah, blah, blah. Some good ones to check out: Lovepedal Eternity and it’s variations. These pedals smoke. I don’t own one, but I have played through a Kanji and a Kanji 9. Wow, possibly the best I have ever heard… I use a Fulltone Fulldrive 2 Mosfet model. I like this pedal a lot. Set up correctly, it is an awesome pedal…

Rat style: More gain, like a distortion, just super nasty and super cool. there are a bunch of these too.

Amp style: This is a weird category, but these overdrive pedals just sound more like your amp. Think boosted amp and you are there. I have a Box of Rock by Zvex that I like and a Timmy overdrive. These both respond like a good amp, they change when you change the volume control on your guitar.

Ones I like: Fulltone FD2 Mosfet, Timmy, Zvex Box of Rock, Xotic RC booster, BB preamp and various clean boosts that push my amp just a bit more.

A sample setup would look like this: Guitar that you like that you can get a bunch of sounds out of, because you practice that way (Remember??) — OD pedal —- amp. The 2 stage ones like the FD2 allow a clean sound (no pedal) light crunch (pedal on) and either a boosted sound or a more crunchy sound. super simple…

Keep practicing!

There are several distinguishing things about this guitar. It is a string through body, Wine red in color, Has severe pick scratching above the neck pickup, the back of the neck is satin, and actually has a spot behind the 12 fret with no finish. The pickups are Gibson Burstbuckers, refret, bone nut. etc. This is an awesome players guitar and I have had it for a long time!! I really would like this guitar back in one piece. It was stolen in its original hardcase. I do have the serial number and have done all of the necessary police paperwork. Thanks!

pics:

Guitar tone 102:

So, hopefully you have been practicing and getting used to the different sounds you can get out of the guitar. Now let’s talk about some gear.

First, the guitar:

This is it, this is your baby. The instrument with which you will create music. Buy the best one you can afford. Use generalizations to help you select your guitar based on the sound it is known for. Almost every guitar has been and can be used in multiple genres, but there are some basics.

Tele style guitar: 2 single coil pickups, bolt-on neck. Super popular for the twang in country music, but also used in indie rock and worship genres for its bite. I have even heard Jazz players use one.

Strat style: 3 pickups, 5 way selector. Widely popular for blues, but works well for just about anything in the right hands.

Les Paul style: Big, meaty tone. two humbuckers, usually a 3way switch. The wood has a lot to do with the tone. These usually have a mahogany body and a maple top.

Hollow bodies: These vary widely in tone. usually played by jazz guys.

Pick what you can afford. Buy used if you can. You will get more guitar for your money. Then take it to a repair shop and have it set-up with new strings. They will also be able to give any other advice on repair, or if you should return it! Find a good repair shop, you will develop a relationship with this person, as they will ALWAYS know more about guitars than you do. If they don’t, find another shop. I have been using the same guy for 14 years, and he is a very trusted friend. Click here for the shop I use.

Happy hunting! Next up: The wide world of AMPS!

What is good tone?

Acoustic guitars need to sound like acoustic guitars and Electrics need to complement the sound of the band. Electric guitar tone is a very subjective thing. Some guys actually like shrill, piercing, thin tone. The audience, I have found, tend to be a bit more particular. “Round” sounds that don’t interfere with the vocals tend to work out the best, in my experience.

So, the path to guitar tone has to start somewhere right?

PRACTICE!

Yes, that is first. More particularly, You have to develop “touch”. Touch is how the instrument is played, or the interaction between the fingers and the strings and wood and pickups. Practice away from effects. Practice without an amp even. Learn to get different sounds from just where and how you play the guitar. You can pick closer to the bridge for a stronger attack and more “aggressive” tone, or closer to the neck for rounder, softer sounds. The possibilities are endless. Practice playing rhythm on one string. Make that one string hold the song together. Learn to listen to yourself.
The best learning experience I had early in my guitar playing, was going into a studio to record my first CD, and being asked to turn off the reverb. I had to learn quick how to play with convincing rhythm. We added reverb later, but I learned to get the sounds I wanted without it.

So, Step 1. PRACTICE!

www.flyigig.com

I ordered a guitar bag, and I can’t wait for its arrival! Miko was really cool and made sure I will receive my bag before I fly to Costa Rica next week. This should be a great solution for me in my travels with my guitar.. plenty of pockets for a laptop and all things guitar. I may event make a small pedal board that would fit in the front pocket….

I love cool gear finds!! Thanks Flav for finding this company!