"Don't
Be So Dreary With All Of That Transposition Theory"
Jordan
Warford here, Editorial Manager for Guitar Tips.
Thanks
for taking the time to tune in to this week's edition of our Guitar
Tips Newsletter. We hope that you get the most out of it.
In
this edition:
Remember
those days of torture in band class where you never truly understood
how to transpose music into something that you liked the sound of?
In this edition we're going to polish off the second article on
the foundation of transposition.
I
must reiterate that this is a foundation article, hardly scratching
the surface on what you can really do with transposition. We're
going to show you some awesome sites that do the work for you in
addition to some theory tips for those of you who have a music background.
Here
at Guitar Tips we want everyone to be able to get something out
of our lessons, which is why it would be unfair to spend all of
the time immersed in deep music theory. We will be taking the time
to review some great software that is available to you and is easy
enough for anyone to use, no matter what musical background you
have.
Check
out our feedback booth and see what's on your fellow subscriber's
minds. Also, get a personal update on our new Guitar Forum. Check
out the latest site we have to review and see what you think of
it.
To
top off this mountain of information, our regular installment of
our Guitar Tips Feature Band is back and in action.
Let's
get right to it!
You
Don't Need A Music Degree.
What
every guitarist should hear.
How
many times have we doubted our abilities as guitarists and never
tried a piece of music because we thought we couldn't play it? Then,
one day you get that urge to see just how hard it really is only
to find that that particular piece of music wasn't as challenging
as we once thought.
The
same concept applies to transposition. Sure, there's a lot to it
and I'm not going to say that there isn't; however, every guitarist
needs to know that transposition doesn't have to seem like an impossible
feat to master.
If
you want to transpose real music notes, and you read music for guitar,
we'll guide you through some steps to get you on the right track.
For the majority of guitarists who don't have a background in music
theory, we're going to show you some alternatives that you probably
never would have thought of.
It's
one of those tools that's nice to have in your tool box when you
are playing with a band or are looking to get a professional edge.
The
computer is a guitarist's best friend.
Lets
face it, we're surrounded by technology in an ever growing economy
that seems to make our world smaller and smaller. That equates to
an awesome learning experience for guitarists who prefer not to
learn music theory.
There
are plenty of websites available that do the hard work for you.
This is great for preparing for a band practice or a jam session
with friends but remember that unless you have wireless internet
in your venue or practice area, the transposition websites that
do all of this work won't be available to you.
If
you have a laptop and like to do things on the run without the use
of internet, there's plenty of software designed for that purpose
as well. Let's start off with the websites that are quick and easy
for basic key changes.
If
you read our newsletter on composition and have just started writing
your own material, or perhaps you have been writing music for a
while, I have the one and only piece of software that you will need
for your musical needs.
Before
I even decided to write this article, I was continually on the search
for a piece of software that would allow me to insert my music,
whether it be tab or traditional notation, onto my staff and simply
press a button and let it do the work for me (yes, even I get tired
of music theory.) The problem was, I found plenty of programs that
would allow me to transpose traditional notation but never tab...
That is until I discovered Final Notepad 2005.
It's
the little brother to the famous Final Print Music series that has
become one of the most used pieces of musical notation software
in the industry. However, here's the most killer part of the deal:
It's 100% free!
What
attracted me to this software initially was the ability to transpose
long saxophone compositions into different keys with the click of
a button. If you're a sax player, you know how frustrating and time
consuming that is. Then when I discovered that this program was
made with the guitarist in mind, I nearly flipped out with excitement.
You
can input any piece of tablature you want using the numbers on your
keyboard and get professional quality tabs. Then, with a click of
a button you can transpose it to a different key and it will place
your notation to where it needs to go! For example, it will take
this example in C below:
...And
transpose it to this composition in D!
No
longer do you have to sweat it out by trial and error. Sure, the
above example was a giveaway considering I was just playing with
the end of a scale, but when using tab, transposing solos just became
a lot more complicated.
Come
to your practices prepared and ready to go. If your band wants you
to do your best solo in another key, just put it through this baby
and you're all set. Click
here to download it and get more information.
The
second site I recommend is called www.transposer.com.
They charge a small fee for access to software that helps you to
transpose and learn how to transpose. Quite simply put, follow the
first few basic instructions and whalah, you have yourself a two
second transposition chart. I think it's an amazing tool for anyone
who plays with non c-based instruments such as a trumpet or sax.
You
can even make one yourself. This is not a new concept. Some of my
instructors used to do that all the time to teach us how to transpose.
Cut out a few wheels and insert the various information that can
be found throughout the net. It's worth the research!
So
you're a theory nut eh?
Ok,
hold on to your seatbelts... We're going all the way on the accelerator
here! Yes, I know that was a lame excuse to try and get you all
pumped up for transposition the traditional way but it's really
not that hard, it's so easy in fact, that I actually get excited
about teaching it.
There's
some things you must already know but I'm not going to go through
them all in this lesson. You should know your key signatures (circle
of fifths), your basics notes and what accidentals are all about.
This all leads up to knowing how to decide what key any song is
in. This is essential to knowing how to transpose(more on this in
a moment). This is just the background to help you out and only
takes an hour or so to learn about and weeks of practice to know.
The
steps to transposition involving a change of a Major key using
music theory are as follows:
Before
anything happens and before you decide to do anything, remember
to take a look at your key signature! You want to know what
key you are in so you know exactly where you are going. This
is no problem provided it's already given but if a song is written
without a key signature shown, look at the number of accidentals
and pick the appropriate key.
Secondly,
you must know the key that your are transposing to. You would
think this is the most obvious but you would be surprised at
how many people have no idea what they are supposed to transpose
to. If in a formal setting, just ask whoever is in charge and
take it from there. Watch for the wording as well. In many cases
they will ask you to transpose in the terms of intervals instead
of yelling out the key (in any professional setting this is
common place.)
Insure
that you take the time to fill out the new staff with the appropriate
information such as the new key signature and double bar ending.
Look
at the interval size and remember it as you move each note up
or down the right distance. Insure that you do this by letter
name only, it's an important thing to remember. This just means
that you use the letter names when moving things around. It
insures that you don't mess this up and get confused with the
interval size and make things easier. Remember your intervals
and their equivalents and you'll be fine. You will soon see
a pattern to follow and you are off to the races.
Now
that you've done all the hard work (if you can call it that),
you have one last stop before playing freedom. Insure that everything
is where it should be and transfer any original accidentals
to the new corresponding notes. You will need to pick an accidental
that has the same effect for the new note. This is due to the
new key signature which changes things around. It's not as hard
as it sounds. Just pick the one that will match the same sound
as the one before.
Transposing
from a minor to a minor key should create no new problems, just
ensure that both keys are indeed minor.
Practice
does make perfect, as corny as that is to hear. It takes time and
patience. Don't beat yourself up over it, just enjoy it and you'll
see new changes everyday you try it out. Practicing your alphabet
from A to G and going back and forth in your head also is a great
thing to know and is what always helped me out.
There
are many other forms of transposition that we'll save for another
day... Or perhaps another site. For instance, there become new rules
when dealing with an orchestral score, although it's along the same
lines as what's shown above. The same can be said for switching
from a major key to a minor, although it's not technically a transposition
because it's a mode change. Anyhow, a lot left to learn but these
tools should get you off the ground and on your way.
It's
all you need right now for parts involving c-based instruments (like
your guitar, the piano, the flute or other various instruments.)
Putting
It All Together
So
now that you have the tools, how about you see what they look like
in action? Here is a before and after shot of a riff I've made especially
for you. Notice what happens with accidentals. If you follow the
steps listed above, you should get something looking like this:
Riff
in the key of A:
Transpose
UP to the key of G.
Riff
in the key of G:
Guitar
Tips Feature Band
Buck69
You've
probably noticed by now that this editor has a thing for blues...
Not just any blues but soulful blues. That's why I flipped out when
Tommy sent me an email responding to my cry for new bands to be
featured in our newsletters. Not only is Buck69 talented, well put
together and ready for the big stage but they also have a tone that
keeps you coming back for more.
The
use of lead and rhythm guitar is done to a classic drum beat and
vocals that rock the house. This band is there for the music and
it's that transparency that makes them uniquely refreshing. If you
like to dance, sing and shout, I have a feeling that Buck69 is for
you. As I danced around my office when I was checking this band
out, I could hardly imagine how much fun it would be to see them
live.
Coming
straight from Toledo, Ohio, here's what Tommy had to say about the
history of the band:
"In
2002 after a 20 year hiatus to concentrate on wife, kids & career,
Tom Clawson formerly of "T.C. Rogers & The Blue's Hamilton Band"
1970's Warren, OH. (Singer-Songwriter) along with his oldest son
Alex formerly of "The Society" 1990's Toledo, OH (Singer-Songwriter-Guitar)
Decided to start playing out as an acoustic duo. Playing originals
and covers in and around the local Toledo area.
In
June of 2004, persuaded by his son, the decision was made to go
with a full band. We recorded our 1st demo in September 2004 in
our drummer's garage, but have been pleased with the home recordings.
Four of the five songs can be found on our web site.
Three
of the songs are ranked in the top ten on the blues charts at www.numberonemusic.com.
In July of 2005 the band was picked up by "Bitchin Entertainment"
(a national booking agency) and added to their unsigned band section.
We are currently in the studio laying down our 1st full length CD,
which we hope to release in early 2006.
The
title of the new CD is "When She Whispers Your Name" it will feature
eight songs written by Tom and Alex and four songs by published
writers. Lyrics to some of the new songs can be found on our web
site in the blog section.
For
the guitar players out there, I play a 1975 Gibson L6-S thru a 1975
Fender Quad Reverb amp with a Hot British Tone Bone Pedal. The lead
guitar work you hear with that great tone is played by my son Alex.
He plays a 2004 Paul Reed Smith Guitar thru a Randall amp with a
Blues distortion pedal.
We
are influenced by who, what, where, when and how our everyday lives
start and end! Music is our way to express our inner feelings. To
cement in history the people, places and things that affect our
lives. Be it happy or sad, life or death. We write about what carries
us down life's highway. Always in search of that one song! Because:
"Great singers, writers and musicians will come and go, but a great
song lives forever". TC
I
highly recommend this band to anyone who enjoys rock or blues. Very
impressive licks mixed in with a great drum beat that makes a groove
you can't help but listen to. If you want to listen to their tracks
for yourself, click
here to see the sample they have hosted.
I
have very high expectations for this group and have no doubts that
they will continue to improve as they walk up the ladder to a major
record deal and national attention. Best of luck from everyone here
at Guitar Tips!
Last
week we reviewed one of our newest sites, the Guitar Forum. This
week we're going to take a look at one of the more innovative sites
we have developed called Backing Tracks. This site has been designed
specifically for guitarists who like to practice to a beat and get
the full band experience from the comforts of their own home.
Based
on feedback from questionnaires and the shear volume of enquiries
via email, we decided it was time to take the plunge and make a
new site tailored to jamming. There is a virtually limitless array
of possibilities when you get into the member's area.
It's
simple yet effective. All you do is point and click. Create original
backing tracks that are personally tailored to fit your needs. If
you're a new guitarist and are intimidated with the thought of a
full practice with a band, this would be the perfect route to take.
Get the full experience of playing along with drums, bass, and keys.
Experienced
musicians can have a tonne of fun messing around and composing original
material, or perhaps fine tuning some of their own. I personally
recommend a good set of speakers on your computer, or hook your
computer up to your sound system.
I
find that without that added subwoofer and upper range, the tracks
seem tinny and fake. This isn't the case when plugged through a
half decent sound system. Nonetheless, it's worth checking out and
if you're not happy with it, we'll give you a refund within 30 days
after the purchase. I don't think you'll be taking that option once
you get a taste of this site.
My
only warning is to those who aren't into creating their own licks
or changing the existing ones they have. This site was really designed
for the guitarists out there who prefer to use that creative idea
in a different application or for those who need experience playing
with a band.
Best
of luck and let us know of your success stories when you put that
track together that hits number one on the charts!
It's
always a pleasure to hear back from our subscribers and we love
to get emails with success stories, ideas and new tricks and tips.
However, we usually get thousands of emails with everything from
questions to technical issues, which can make it hard to get back
to you in a few hours. In the last few weeks, a new option has popped
up to help you get the resources you need at lightning fast speed.
The
new installment of our Guitar Forum allows you to not only connect
with us, but also your fellow subscribers. We don't pretend to know
every solution or method known to man and it's always cool to get
fresh ideas. This is why I encourage you to go to our site and become
a member and get involved. It's free and a lot of fun!
We
now have a thread that's designed specifically for GT Messenger
problems. If you have any problems whatsoever with any of our newsletter
software, please post the problem there instead of emailing us.
The reason for this is because we want to build up a database of
solutions and you can continually come back and find the solution
instead of losing it by accidentally deleting an email.
Just
go to www.guitarforum.com.au
and see what it's all about. Things have been slow as of late and
we want you to get plugged in so don't be shy! As a bit of an incentive
to get some areas of the forum going, this is what I'm going to
do:
I
will be doing random searches of members and picking different posts
to feature in our feedback booth. I will also be looking for your
original compositions and recordings to possibly feature in a new
section of our newsletter but we need some posts to work with before
any of that can be made possible.
Now,
onto some of the most recent feedback. I encourage you to continue
to email us with your thoughts and your likes/dislikes. We can't
improve on what you like and don't like if you don't tell us first!
Stephen
Renaud from Canada writes to us with this:
"Hello
from Canada! I
am currently subscribed to your free newsletter, and am contemplating
actually subscribing. The newsletter focusing on strumming did it
for me. Strumming and rhythm are really what I am concerned with
improving, as a fairly mediocre player who would just like to stop
the twanging and generally sound a bit more polished when strumming
and singing. My question is this: Will I be impressed with the quantity
of material focusing on this subject (I'm already impressed with
the general quality)? That is, is there much more info and guidance
on rhythm playing than you've laid out in the free newsletter? If
so, I'm in. Thanks for your time. Stephen Renaud, Canada"
This
is one of our most popular questions and our answer is a very big
yes! We have tonnes of great material developed by professional
musicians on this inside of all our member's areas. The information
is presented via video, image and sound, just like our in depth
newsletters. The newsletter on rhythm is a perfect example of things
that you can look forward to in our member's area.
If
you are a more advanced player, please hold off and wait for our
new Guitar Leads website.... It will rock your socks off! It's for
advanced players and it will challenge you to soar to new heights.
Stay tuned for more information in upcomming newsletters.
Jim
has this suggestion that he thought he should share:
"Jordan,
I got to start all over with this guitar practice, so much going
on right now. At least I do appreciate the ability to log on when
ever I can. The newsletter I receive does have the link address
but isn't ever highlighted to make an easy connection. Is there
a way to fix that for us here I would really appreciate it."
Great
stuff and my apologies for my mistake. You will have a link to click
on in your inbox next time around!
Babu
Immanuel writes with these encouraging words:
"Thank
you for sending me this newsletter. I am delighted for this opportunity
to be able to learn more about guitar, the first instrument I ever
got to touch when I was say 10 years old. Since then I have wondered
about the various sounds that one can make out of these six strings.
Please keep sending me all your knowledge so that I can learn a
bit more. Thanks again Babu"
Rob
had this response after receiving our once off email from tell a
friend:
"Hello,
Thanks for the once off e-mail. I frequently received tips from
my friend who's really pushing me to play. So, please add me to
your mailing list, what I've seen so far it's a terrific site. Keep
up the good work. With friendly regards, Rob Spek, Curaçao, N.A.
"
Conclusion
We've
come to the end of this edition of our Guitar Tips Newsletter. If
there's one thing that I believe guitarists in general need to realize
is that the horizon of your playing potential is literally endless.
Far too often we shoot ourselves down from achieving success because
we feel that we can't do something.
Transposition,
as mentioned many times over the last two articles, has long been
linked with musical excellence and a lot of theory. Hopefully, the
past two articles have broken down some of those barriers and revealed
something that can make your life a lot easier. Sure, there's a
lot more about transposition to learn but just getting the basics
down is the first step.
We
have been contemplating the involvement of music theory in our newsletters
but we want to know if you would like that or not. Email us with
your thoughts and suggestions as we think some new ideas through.
Join
us next week as we dive into alternate tunings. This is the newsletter
you've been waiting for. Not only does it have some really cool
tricks, riffs and images, but it will also be packed with audio
and video so you can join in. I promised you a new newsletter with
plenty of video and you're going to get one with our next newsletter.
You won't want to miss it!
Jordan
Warford here, Editorial Manager for Guitar Tips.
Every
so often, we decide to dive into a new aspect of playing guitar
that many are either afraid of, or just simply have no idea what
it's all about. Today, we're going to tackle one of the more feared
issues evolving around guitar... Transposition.
Join
us as we teach you the most simplistic and easy ways to transpose
your music.
In
this edition:
With
transposition in the spotlight this week, we're also going to
show you some handy sites that will give you some very quick transpositions
in addition to some software programs that can help you transpose
larger scores of music.
That
may seem like a lot of information because it is! To deal with
all of that information and give you a great foundation, we will
be looking at this over the next two issues. In this issue
we'll take a look at the capo and what that is all about. In our
next issue we'll look at the theory of it all, as well as special
tunings you can try!
As
always, we have a great feedback booth for you this week. See
what all of the buzz is with your fellow subscribers. Speaking
of buzz, we have another exciting thing happening around our offices
this week. The launch of yet another site! Yes, that's right,
we're offering yet another site and this one is totally free.
We
have developed a site called www.guitarforum.com.au and it's designed
for you to talk to your fellow subscribers and ask the questions
you always wanted to ask. We'll tell you why we put it there and
how you can get involved.
With
all of that in mind, let's get right to it!
Getting
That Riff In Your Favorite Key!
Where
to get started.
How
many times have we composed a riff that we absolutely love, or
perhaps found a song that we really enjoy playing and wanted to
put it into a new, original song and truly make it ours? Chances
are that we've all wanted to at least try it out once or twice
but always came across one roadblock... Keys.
As
mentioned in our last article, the probability that two riffs
will be in the same key is very low if you are writing a lot of
songs or wish to link two well known songs together. This is where
you need to transpose one of those riffs so you can connect them
together and put them in that song.
Another
scenario is that you just wrote an awesome riff that you envision
going into one of your band's songs... The only problem is that
it's in the wrong key! With transposing, you can still use that
riff and play along with the rest of the band.
If
you're a true band nerd, like myself, you have probably been around
transposition since the days of Jr. High or Middle School. Now,
if you're still like me, you didn't have two clicks on how to
do it either. I was always amazed to see how my teacher would
take a trumpet part and transpose it so I could play it on my
sax and still be in the right key!
With
guitar, this is invaluable. You can take a sax part and transpose
it to your guitar. If you happen to have a sax player around,
you can now play along with that sax and still be in the proper
key.
One
of the most unique things about playing guitar is that we have
a number of tools available to us to use for easy transposition.
Many other musicians envy us for this and call us cheaters in
the game of music theory, however, if you can use it... Why not?
The
tools that you can use.
One
of the most common tools used to transpose music on the guitar
is the capo. The capo is essentially a piece of rubber that is
glued onto two pieces of metal with a spring placed in between.
When clasped onto the neck of your guitar and placed behind a
fret, it acts as a new nut (AKA the "zero" nut.) This
new nut raises the pitch of your guitar, therefore changing the
key.
Most
guitarists use them so they can make really complicated chords
into easy open chord shapes. This is where the whole joke about
cheating comes in. Instead of actually practicing those really
hard chords and getting your technique down, you can transpose
that chord using the capo and turn it into an open chord shape
such as an E Major or an A and still have the same chord.
While
I don't recommend that you always do that because it's always
good to know how to play a song if your capo breaks, it's great
for live performances where you want to minimize the risk of messing
up a complicated chord. If you're a lead guitarist, you can still
use a capo but in all honesty, it's far easier to find the key
that everyone else is playing in relative to the capo and just
use the scale that suites the song best.
In
most cases, it's actually quicker for a lead guitarist not to
use a capo and just find a scale. Switching a capo around the
neck of your guitar can cost valuable seconds between songs.
So
enough talk, you want to know how this works, right? Ok, lets
start by looking at the chart below:
...So
lets put this chart into practice. Suppose you are playing a song
in the key of A and the chords that you are playing are A, D,
and F#. The problem is, you want to play along with the rest of
your band and they are playing in the key of B. Simply look at
your chart and find the A chord, which is in the first column.
Then look to see what capo number B falls under. In this case,
it's fret number 2, so you place your capo on number two.
Continue
to play the same chord shapes as you were before. The difference
this time is that A, D and F# have now turned into B, E, and G#.
You have just transposed a chord progression!
If
you're unsure of where to start so you can transpose those chords,
follow these quick steps:
Find
what key you are currently in.
Use
that note (for example A) to locate your position on the chart.
Then
move over to the right and find the note of the key you are
looking for (ex. B.)
Take
a look at what fret number that note falls under and place
your capo there.
Now
that we know how to use the capo to transpose, there are a few
techniques to get the best tone while using a capo. Looking past
its theoretical use... The capo is not unlike your pick. There
are tips on taking care of it and which ones that you should get
over another, because there are differences.
First
off, it would probably help you if you knew what one of these
things looked like. This is one of the more popular models made
by Kyser.
Most
capos are in the same price range and it comes down to personal
preference. Be prepared to pay around $17 USD for something that
should last you a lifetime. Kyser and Shubb are the leaders in
this industry and have made a product that is absolutely superb.
Jim Dunlop is also on the scene with some honorable mentions but
this editor recommends one capo over all of the rest... The Shubb
capo.
Shubb
has a unique trait that isn't found on other capos... Tension
adjustment. You see, when you place something that's spring powered
onto your strings, you're bound to end up pulling them sharp...
And playing out of tune isn't something that we enjoy.
Shubb
capos have a little knob where you can slightly release a bit
of that tension and your guitar will go back into tune. You can
check out Shubb capos by clicking
here.
When
using a capo, you want to place it inline with the fret you are
putting it behind and keep it roughly a mm away from the fret
(see picture above for proper reference.) Do not, I repeat, do
not place a capo directly in between two frets, it's always closest
to the fret in which you wish you place the capo on.
Every
now and then you should place a few drops of light oil on the
pivot point of the capo to keep it functioning properly.
There's
a lot of newer alternatives to capos that are now on the market.
There are capos especially for 12 string guitars, acoustic guitar,
electric guitar, or both. However, my new favorite gadgets include
capos that can give you drop D tunings and capos that only cover
half of the strings... These are called partial capos. You can
use them alone or with another capo.
They
can give you really exotic tunings in a jiffy, without the need
of a tuner and a lot of patience. It's perfect for the guitarist
who writes a lot of songs with weird tunings but only has one
guitar to perform on. I personally use them for the enjoyment
of the beautiful sounds you can get from them.
Putting
It All Together
Now
that we have the tools, how about you hear what it sounds like?
Here are some quick compositions that anyone can do. Notice how
the sounds differ from one another depending on where the capo
is placed. It's a lot of fun and I encourage you to try new chords
using the capo in different locations and see what you come up
with... You might just surprise yourself!
*
Relative to the capo on the 5th fret.
Here's
how it sounds:
*Relative
to capo on the 2nd fret.
Here's
how it sounds:
...You
may have noticed my improv near the end of both riffs. This is
my way of showing you that you can do this too and it's not that
hard! Be yourself and you're bound to make music that inspires.
Site
Review
Have
you ever been really ticked off at me because you sent along an
email that was really important to you and it took me what seemed
like an eternity to answer? Perhaps you have a question that's
burning inside of you but you rather not just get the opinion
of some trained professional here on staff, rather, you want to
know how people like yourself do those tricks.
Well,
if any of the above calls your name or if you like to talk shop...
Or you want to learn how to talk the language of guitar, we have
the site for you. In response to the recent flood of emails and
questions, we have decided to create a brand new free website
that allows you to talk about guitar and connect with people around
the world.
You're
in the hot seat, yes that's right, I said you! This time you get
to be the person who gives the advice, helps solve problems and
become a member of an online community that wants you to become
a better musician. If you're a leader, we want you on this forum.
If you have no clue what on earth you are doing even picking up
the guitar in the first place, we want you chatting it up on this
forum. If you have a problem, question, or curiosity... This is
the place for you. Have I stressed these point enough, ladies
and gentlemen?
There
are tonnes of places for you to start conversations, get technical
help with any of our sites, ask guitar related questions, learn
about new things happening and to give your input. You'll find
plenty of links to click on that will educate you well on all
of our latest sites.
If
you're afraid of things getting out of hand, have no fear. The
Guitar Tips staff are there for your safety and support. You can
find me in and around the newsletter forum and you'll see appearances
of other staff that you may have dealt with in the past with the
addition of James Etheridge, the head administrator for the forum.
Heck, you might even catch Chris, the owner of these sites as
he goes about his busy work day.
I
sincerely encourage you to get involved. We made this site to
make your life easier. It's 100% free and won't cost you a cent.
You can check out everything without becoming a member, but we
encourage you to sign up to the forum. This isn't a membership
to our site, rather a membership to our forum which is still 100%
free. What can I say? We like to make things as affordable as
possible.
Over
the coming weeks I will be reviewing our other sites and you can
see if you would like to become a paid member and enjoy the numerous
benefits you will receive. However, it's always one step at a
time. See if you like what we have to offer, and I guarantee,
you'll love this forum.
Some
of you may be thinking, "Of course he loves it, he works
for them!" I assure you, if I wasn't as impressed as I am,
I would have stopped writing about four paragraphs ago. When you
log on and go past our front page, you're probably going to be
shocked and think, "Wow, there's hardly any members and barely
any posts!" This is true, there isn't much inside all of
those neat forums but that's left for you to change.
You
can create threads within those forums and start any topic you
could ever think of. Before you know it, thousands of people with
be along side of you and knowledge will be oozing with knowledge
and your sides splitting from all the laughs and fun you're having.
The
last two weeks have been relatively quite as far as comments have
been concerned. However, some of you still took the initiative
to send along your thoughts and we really appreciate that. Here's
what some of your fellow subscribers had to say:
This comes to us from Jim:
Hello
Jordan, I
really appreciate and understand all of the hard work you're putting
into your newsletter. I do, however, have one tiny suggestion
regarding scales: it would be very helpful, I'm sure, to include
a note regarding the use of the scales in soloing: ie., Gmajor
scale is perfect for soloing over the I chord in the key of "G",
the V chord in the key of "C", and would work over an Em chord,
etc. The reason I ask is that I was very pleased to see the Eb
Melodic Minor scale in your newsletter, but am confused regarding
its use when, where, and in what key. Thanks,
and keep up the good work, Jim Justice
Remember
my challenge to you in our last newsletter? It was all about composition
and I talked all about doing a key change and asked you to try
it. Well, one of our subscribers did just that. Here's what Justin
did and see what he has to say:
Hey!
In your most recent newsletter you said if anyone could change
the key down, then to email you the recording. Well, I did. Although,
I'm sick right now so I wasn't playing at my peak performance
(as you can tell by the mistakes I have) but the idea is there.
Also, my wah-pedal squeaks, and you can hear it squeaking. I also
realize that the sound quality is pretty bad but hey, I was using
a little amp with a 2 dollar microphone. Plus I was using Windows
Sound Recorder. But the change is around 5:30-ish (the song is
7 minutes and 10 seconds) so that's really the only time you have
to actually pay attention. Oh and my little solo at the end, I
was just having fun. I don't even know if it's in the right key...
Here
is his recording and what he came up with... Thanks for proving
me wrong! I said I've never heard one pulled of nicely, which
could have been a tiny little exaggeration. Nonetheless, this
was done decently and deserves recognition. Listen for the distortion
and that's where the key change takes place. Pretty funky stuff.
If you have something that you would like featured, send it along!
JD
writes to us with this:
Thank
you very much for your newsletters, I really enjoy them.
Catherine
writes with this very popular question:
Sorry
about the articles I seem to have misplaced them could you send
them again and as soon as I get them I will placed them up on
my site. I have been so absent minded lately.
Great
question! Many of your have asked the same thing. If you wish
to get caught up on all of our most recent newsletters, take a
trip to the top of this page and find the archive tab. Click on
that tab and you'll find a list of the lessons. If you wish you
to download all of the lessons to your pc, go to need content.
If you don't have a site, that's fine. Just place our site url
in there.
Conclusion
Well,
we have come to the part of the newsletter where we rap things
up yet again. I truly hope that you feel more confident in your
abilities as a musician and no matter how daunting the task of
transposition may seem to you at this point in time, I encourage
you to continue to try! It will be well worth it to you in the
long run.
To
your credit, it isn't easy picking this stuff up if you don't
know a little bit about music theory. Over the coming months,
we're going to show you some of the inside tricks of music theory
that any guitarist can use. Next week we'll approach the subject
from a different angle and also give you a brand new challenge
to work on.
On
another guitar related note, my apologies for the lack of video
and audio in the last two newsletters. Things have been a little
hectic around here as of late but I assure you that you can look
forward to more video and MP3's in the near future!
Jordan
Warford here, Editorial Manager for Guitar Tips.
Thanks
for tuning in this week as we dive into a new aspect of music that
we haven't really touched on before! We will be covering the do's
and do not's of writing music and how you can expand your musical
creativity.
In
this edition:
If
you're sick and tired of listening to other peoples' music, we have
the solution for you... write your own! We'll be taking some time
to help you build the proper foundation when it comes to song writing
by showing you some tricks of the trade. We also have some sweet
scales for you to work on this week.
We
have a great feedback booth this week, where we will be show casing
some of the great comments you send us each week.
The
internet is a great resource for guitarists and is what keeps us
in business. Through your travels over the world wide web, you've
probably come across a guy by the name of Andrew Koblick. We will
give you the scoop on his site and what he has to offer you. You
won't want to miss out on it!
To
top off all of that, we have our regular gear review brought to
you by Guitar
Trader. They offer some awesome equipment that can certainly
give you the leading edge with you playing.
Let's
get right to it!
A
Formula For Writing A Great Song
Where
to get started.
When
you started to play guitar, you naturally gravitated to playing
the music of your favorite guitarist. We all thought we were really
cool and sounded really good until we were thrown in the middle
of our school cafeteria or workplace only to discover that every
second, guitarists already knew what you were playing and where
you were going with it next.
That
gets old really fast. After all, your main goal in most cases is
to connect with your audience and how could you possibly do that
when everyone is playing the same thing? The truth is that many
people will disconnect when they hear you play "Stairway To
Heaven" the same way every other person has done it before
you.
Then
we need to ask the question, "If it sounds old when I play
it, why am I still so moved by the song when Eric Clapton plays
it?" The reason is because he wrote it. That song is a piece
of him and no one could ever emulate that connection. Making his
song something that you personalized will truly add to that piece
of music.
There
are steps to doing this, just as there are steps when writing a
full song. The key problem that I've seen surface in musicians is
the writer's block syndrome. I have fell into that trap many times
and felt as if I was playing the same thing over and over again.
Training your brain to think outside the box involves some new concepts
that we'll be covering further on into the newsletter.
However,
we need to start somewhere. For me, that starting point evolves
around scales. Some writers prefer starting with chords and that's
perfectly fine. Not unlike improvisation (which is a very big part
of composition,) there is no set way to start writing a song.
The
tips I'm about to give you are just a guideline and some rules are
just meant to be broken. Let your creativity take you somewhere
where you haven't been before and try something new. If you do something
completely different than myself, that's great! This is the method
I use and teach but by no means is it set in stone and the only
way to write a "Correct" song.
As
you will soon find out, I like to compose songs much like any construction
worker would build a house: Starting from the ground up.
To
start, let's take an everyday C Major scale:
...There
are no sharps, no flats and is definitely a great starting point,
no matter how boring it may look to you now.
After
running through it a couple of times and getting familiar with the
fingerings, we can start to analyze the things that are in this
scale. You can look at them as your tools. You have an arpeggio
that you can use, harmonics, a great location on the fretboard and
a nice sound that can be mellow or in your face loud.
Let's
take part of that scale and transform it into a lick. Perhaps you
are looking for something a little more light... A nice start to
a solo before you climax into the best part. Take a look at the
high E string and your B and G string. All of the notes are centrally
located, which means you can really speed them up or slow them down
depending on what you want to do.
Using
the techniques we learned from previous lessons, we can incorporate
hammer on's and slides quite easily into something that's really
close together. This is building the foundation to your piece
of music. After some improv, I came up with this:
What
we have is clearly derived from the C Major scale, but has an added
twist with hammer on's and a sharp, staccato (short) attack on the
notes. You may notice that the location of the notes, the techniques
used and the repeat bars show that there is a pattern, or formula
to this lick. It's the blueprint that will map out the rest
of your music for you (yes I know that the blueprint normally comes
before the foundation when building a house, so just work with me
here!)
Maintaining
the idea of the song throughout the entire piece is important. You
don't want to sound disorganized but you do want to come off looking
polished and professional.
All
too often we will come up with a riff but that's about as far as
it goes. For every riff you write, there are a hundred songs that
could be written from it and that's no exaggeration! Take note of
the style of that riff. For the one above, you can tell there's
a balanced mix of speed and attack. It's fast yet it doesn't feel
rushed. You can go with that and take a look at the rest of the
notes you have in your tool box.
We
could take the above riff and add this to it:
We
kept the flavor that we were going for and simply used the area
around that scale. We use a lot of the same notes, which is perfect.
The key to creating a great arrangement is to keep it simple yet
make it sound complicated. Changing the sounds of the same note
by using different rhythmic techniques and volume intensities will
leave you with something that is relatively easy to play yet creative
and colorful. Take a look at this video to insure that you are using
the proper fingers:
...The
reason I bring up fingerings is because they lead you to the next
part of the song, literally. For instance, the first riff we covered
has all of the notes close by and our fingers hardly had to move.
This allows our fingers to do the walking, while our brain can focus
on rhythmic patterns and keeping the general idea of the song. This
is another tool that we can utilize and believe me when I say every
tool is essential when you're writing a song.
What
to do with all of those riffs lying around...
Now
the real fun starts. We know the basic concept of putting a song
together. It needs a foundation, which includes the following:
The
key signature.
The
scale in the key that you have chosen (there are many choices
with this.)
The
time signature.
Analyzing
the tools that you have available to you in that given key and
space on the fretboard.
An
idea of the sound that you are going for.
It
also needs a blueprint with the following attributes:
A
riff, as simple or as complicated as you like.
The
feel/sound that you are going for.
The
most popular techniques that you will be using. In other words,
the techniques that the song is based on.
If
we were building a house, the next step would be to get some walls
up. This is where all of those riffs you have hanging around can
come in handy. Pretend that those riffs are the walls. You
already have your foundation and your blue print, so you know the
direction you are headed in, you just need to find out how to nail
them together.
The
nails are transposition. I highly doubt all the riffs you
have composed are in the same key, however, transposition isn't
something that we can fit into this newsletter, so we're going to
focus our next edition on this very topic. For now, try to use the
riffs you have that are in the same key.
You
can use riffs that are in different keys if you wish, but it gets
a little more complicated with connecting them together. I will
show you how to do a key change in a song in just a few moments
but key changes in the middle of a riff will have to wait for another
day.
Now
would also be a good time to use riffs from your favorite guitarists
and make it into your own masterpiece!
Creating
a connection between the riffs to make them one could almost be
looked at as the floor. A good connection between two riffs
holds things down tight and is seamless. To place a connection between
two different riffs (in the same key), look for connecting notes.
If you can't read music or don't know which notes are what on your
fretboard, look for places on your fretbaord where the two riffs
overlap.
These
connections, or transitions, are what will give you a professional
appearance. They can be really slow, really fast or set at a normal
tempo (speed.)
Now
you see it coming together pretty quickly. What once was something
that seemed kind of large now seems pretty easy when broken down.
The only problem we have is the length of our song. We have the
riff but now we need to top it off and put it all together. What
we need now is a roof.
This
roof comes in the form of a guideline, what musicians call "Musical
form." This is the guideline that almost every musician
uses, so I suggest you listen up. In a song, there are the following
parts:
Introduction
Verse
Chorus
Bridge
Verse
The
most normal and basic of musical forms follows the pattern of having
an introduction, where you grab the audience's interest, which follows
into a verse, which expresses a musical thought and then into the
heart of the song which is the chorus. Then you will normally follow
back to a new verse, which is different from your first verse.
The
chorus will always be the same. The verses will always change and
you can have as many of them as you want, so long as you follow
the pattern of verse: chorus: verse: chorus, etc. Once again, we
come back to a repeated pattern. This pattern actually makes it
easier for us as guitarists when we're writing a lengthy instrumental.
Other
things you can incorporate into your composition to make it snazzy
are things like a bridge, which is introduced around 2/3 of the
way through the song and eliminates the chance of your song getting
boring. It should be as unique and as different as possible while
trying to maintain the style without sounding out of key. Us musicians
keep it simple, envision the bridge as a physical bridge that walks
you from land (the chorus) to a small island (the verse.)
There's
even something called a pre-chorus. The pre-chorus is designed to
sound like the chorus but normally will do something different than
any other part of a song. For example, this is used quite a bit
in techno music to tease the dancer before building into the chorus.
It's longer than the bridge and usually has a lot more going on,
which is why it's under a different name.
Basically,
I look at all of this information like this:
Suppose
I have just finished putting a bunch of riffs together. I have a
neat little lick that last around 10 seconds. It's flashy and impressive,
something that grabs people's attention, so I'll use it as my introduction.
I have yet another riff but this one is about 20-25 seconds.
It's
not the most dazzling one I have but it's cool and great to listen
to, I'll use that as a verse. If I have a pretty intense riff, that
lasts roughly 30-35 seconds then I will use it as my chorus. I also
have a little doodle that I enjoy and it's in the right key, so
why not make it my bridge? I go and incorporate another verse from
my library of licks in that key.
Now
I want to blow my audience away! I decide to use an amazing riff
that's in a different key. So how do I get to the point where I
can do that key change? Simple, just do a pre-chorus and build up
an intense anticipation. Use some accidentals (notes that aren't
in the key you currently are in but sound good) and move on up to
the key change in the Chorus.
Notice
how I said up, not down? This is because you always want to build
your song up, just like a house. Changing the key down just takes
away and you tend to loose that intensity. I've yet to see a key
change down for a chorus pulled off nicely. If you think you can,
email me with your recording!
Some
musicians think pre-choruses are for pop or R&B. I disagree
for the above reason, they can be a great tool for changing the
key of a song.
Lyrics:
Well
my friends, we have come to the point where some of you may actually
want to include lyrics. This unfortunately, is not my specialty...
I actually think my neighbor's dog could do a better job than me!
That applies to singing as well so don't expect any lessons on either
of these subjects. So far, everything I have written about has pertained
to instrumental music (music without lyrics.) You can use the same
musical form as mentioned above, the problem is that writing lyrics
are much different than writing music on a guitar.
I
have done some research to find someone who could actually teach
this to you for free and came up with a pretty cool site. Click
here to check it out. I hope this helps you out and that I see
your song on the top 10 billboard charts!
Putting
It All Together
Now
that we have a pretty good idea of how to string together a song,
it's a good idea to get inspiration. When writing music in specific
keys, we sometimes forget about all of the exotic scales out there
that we can utilize to get a great solo. So instead of writing a
song, I'm going to give you some scales that you can use to write
your own songs.
Hope
you have fun and get the musical juices flowing!
G
diminished {whole-staff}
G#/Ab
Locrian
Eb
jazz melodic minor:
B
pentatonic major:
F
blues scale {with major third and flatted fifth}:
Gear
Review
Have
you ever seen a piece of gear that every musician around you seems
to have but you're not quite sure why? Perhaps you've been admiring
a top of the line guitar that you plan on working towards getting
but aren't sure if it's something that fits your style of taste...
let alone budget. In this segment we will take a look at those questions
by reviewing some pretty popular gear and see if it's worth the
60 hours you worked for it.
Boss
TU-2 Pedal Tuner
In
previous editions we have taken a look at some of the products Boss
offers (the GT6 pedal for example). You may also remember me telling
you that I prefer individual stomp boxes and the TU-2 is one of
the reasons why. I can't stress to you how incredible this tool
is when placed with your arsenal of effect pedals. You may be thinking
"Hey dude, it's just a tuner." In the world of playing
performance guitar... there's no such thing as "Just a tuner."
The
TU-2 is a top of the line tuner built from ridged metal that will
last you a lifetime. Not only is it durable but it's extremely accurate.
Let's say you needed to tune down to drop D of maybe even down a
halfstep during a show that you're playing, you simply turn the
tuner on, which cuts out any noise from tuning that may go to the
speakers or amps and allows you to tune quickly and precicely the
exact tuning you need. Let's put it this way: the TU-2 is battle
tested and came out on top with many of your favourite guitarist's
wish lists.
Fender
US Tele Spruce Top Chambered Ash RW Cherry Sunburst
In
1951, Leo Fender introduced the Broadcaster, which would eventually
be renamed the Telecaster® guitar. It was the first solid-body electric
Spanish-style guitar that would ever get the chance to see the production
line and be shipped around the world. {Source: Fender.com}
If
you're looking for a guitar that is stage ready and a perfect match
for almost any style, I really suggest you put this guitar on your
shopping list of things to do. This guitar is one of the most versitile
guitars around and it can kick out rock, blues, country, funk and
raggae with the best of them! It has amazing pickups, which have
become knowns as the "Lipstick pickups."
These
pickups are single coil. While they may not sound like a beefed
up Les Paul, it doesn't need to. It has it's own character and handles
both clean and distorted tones very well. I used to dislike this
guitar because I felt that it had to much of a high end, meaning
that it was a little too twangy for my tastes. However, with some
adjustments and the right settings (not to mention amp) you can
really push it out on this baby.
A
few weeks ago, I saw yet another Tele® in action and I must say
I was impressed by its response on stage and how much it added to
the music. Is this guitar for everyone? No. That's a decision that
you need to make for yourself but for anyone looking for a professional
quality instrument, it's worth the $1000.
Normally
I wouldn't review an instrument like this due to the
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