"Watching videos won’t help you improve as much as spending more time playing the guitar. Try taking the idea from one video at a time and woodshedding it for an entire week. Dull as it may seem, this is what it means to put in the work."
Man do I relate to this. After spending the last year watching too many videos and not practicing enough (or in the right ways) I was stalling. I came across an excellent teacher on YouTube named Eric Haugen and he emphasizes "woodshedding" one part of a lick or song for an entire practice session. It has helped my playing a lot.
Right on. You really can’t do any better than Eric Haugen on a Friday. He consistently comes up with something useful to work on week after week. If you can spend a week trying to lock into whatever he teaches, you’ll become a much better guitarist in a year’s time. He’s the one to follow if you want to develop better skills, taste, and grooves all at once.
I like that his videos are short and concise, yet they give you a lot to work on.
I agree with a lot of what you say, but your comment about watching other people at gym doesn't apply to music, especially improvisation. How to you become an improviser? By listening to lots of other people doing it. Of course you need to spend some time in the woodshed, but you need to get the vocabulary into your inner ear.
That is a great counterpoint. I think I’m emphasizing that people often waste time thinking about practice rather than actually practicing. One thing that comes with age is the realization of the importance of absorbing music and actively listening to it. The irony is that we have less time to listen as we get older. However, studying a player is immensely helpful, especially for improvisation and vocabulary. This is probably why, in Jazz, it’s almost a requirement to transcribe music for your instrument.
Sus chords can function as a I chord in modal pieces, but in standard cycle of 5ths harmony they're usually a substitute for the ii chord, so you'll see something like A7sus A7 Dmaj7 in which case the A7sus is essentially an Em7/A chord.
In folk and rock tunes the sus chord is essentially the IV chord with the tonic of the key in the bass- so Dsus will resolve back to D and you can think of the Dsus as a G/D.
Diminished chords usually function as a substitute for the V7b9 chord, so you'll see something like Bdim7 CMaj7, or as secondary dominant (the V7 of a chord not the tonic) that gives nice chromatic bass movement (CMaj C#Dim Dm7 G7).
yeah, I have SO much work to do on theory. my keyboard player is always telling me this stuff, and writes with "V in the bass" type movements cuz he knows that stuff. I'm considering buying a cheap keyboard so I can SEE it (I'm a "visual learner" which don't help much on guitar and it's janky B string)
Every music major who's not already a piano player is required to take piano for exactly the reason you cited- it's really easy to see the theory. People get intimidated by it but music theory is actually really simple. Find a good teacher and in a few months you'll learn most of what you need to learn:
1. Intervals
2. Triad and Chord structure
3. The modes of the major scale
4. Diatonic chords (chords built with each note of the major scale as a tonic)
There are only 7 notes in a major scale, so #3 and #4 there are only 7 modes and 7 chords. If you can learn by reading it you can easily find countless tutorials on the web that will explain this stuff.
Oh, HELL NO!! Please don't make that mistake. Don't waste time practicing another instrument you actually don't (wanna) play. I strongly oppose that. You're a guitarist, be a guitarist. Learn your theory on a piano and you still can't see it on the fretboard. Also we all probably learn it from paper first anyway. The guitar is perfect for visualizing theory. Learn all your theory on the fretboard by working with fretboard diagrams. They're for free on Google image search and you can make them yourself (squared paper for math works perfect).
Here are some tips what to do next:
(1) You already got a piano keyboard. It's a single guitar string, e.g. the lowest. Try to play just the "white keys" along that string, then only the "black keys". Also try out on the lowest string between frets 0 and 12 up and down all types of E-chords/E-arpeggios and E-scales you can think of. You also got six strings for harmony unlike a triangle player.
(2) Frame in and cover the whole fretboard from day one. The two outer strings are tuned to the note 'E'. You know one, you know both. Bar chords "hang" between the two outer strings. For string sets 1/2/3 and 4/5/6 look up all seven diatonic triads of a major and a minor key, e.g. E/Em (E F#m G#m A B C#m D#dim), (Google: three string triad shapes/inversions for E major/minor). Everything can later be transferred to the open position to have all chords in the same spot. Or anywhere, another position, the four middle strings, the five highest strings with roots on the A-string etc.
(3) Build a harmonic network in one key as a project. Theory is mostly harmony. Chords can be placed on all 7 diatonic (and 12 chromatic) positions of a key. Vice versa each scale position can have a chord, any chord type. All chords can be built from the melody downwards or from the bassline upwards. Each scale tone has a basic triad chord - start with them. Play'em horizontally up and down the neck by following a single string.
Then add over weeks and month:
All seven scale chords can have a sus2 version (suspension can resolve into normal 3rd of chord)
all seven scale chords can have a sus4 version
a power chord version (+ inversion)
a four-part seventh chord version (Emaj7, F#m7 etc.)
a full-dim7 chord a half step below (F°7 into F#m, or actually E#°7 into F#m)
a secondary V7 chord a fifth above (C#7 on maj6 scale position into diatonic ii-chord F#m)
a substitute V7 a half step above (G7 into F#m)
an inversion with the 3rd in the bass (inversions also called slash chords/F#)
an inversion with the 5th in the bass
an extension with a 9th [1 3 5 7 9]
also 11th and 13th extensions
added tension tones, e.g. [1 3 5 6 7] or [1 3 4 5] in different voicings
certain voicings like [1 3 7] or [5 1 3 7] or [1 5 9] or [1 5 7 3 13/6]
and so on (like sus6 to 5 or sus9 to 1, single diatonic intervals like 13ths/6ths)
[note that all seven chords usually have diatonically adjusted intervals/extensions/alterations, for instance, the IV-chord in major will almost always have a Lydian #4/#11 corresponding to its diatonic mode Lydian - the seven chords are modal, they ARE the modes stacked in 3rds]
[and note too that every chord has at least three positions in the scale due to the 3rds and 5th in the bass. For example, the iim7-chord F#m7 can be built over/under the scale tones 2 4 6 1. This is the concept why the IIm7-chord 2 4 6 (1) can move a half step down from 1 to maj7 into the V7-chord 5 (7) 2 4 and then a half step up into Imaj7 - (1) 3 5 7. This is figured bass/basso continuo by the way.]
[lastly note that a changed bass note can turn a chord into another chord. The bass notes A A E would turn [F#m7 - D#halfdim7 (or B9) - Emaj7] into [A6 - Am6 - Emaj7]]
In addition there are harmonic concepts and unique situations for later to learn, like line clichees, Neapolitan chord with 4 of the key in the bass, pedal tones, modal interchange, V7 chord alterations like V7#5, polychords, vii°7/ii°7/iv°7/bvi°7 all into V7, Mediant modulations and the unique positioning of harmony tones in music pieces.
Connecting sections: Here are some dominant functions that lead into the I/Im-chord or any target chord: V, IV, V7, IVm6, VII°7 (also ii°7/iv°7/bvi°7), V+, V+b7 (or V7#5), bII7, V7-alerations/extensions (V9/Vb9, V7b13 etc.), IIdim, IIhalfdim7, VIIhalfdim7, bVII, Vm, bII, bII/3rd. If it modulates consider where the new key is inside the old key.
There you have it, two pages of text and you see the end goal and (vaguely) gained the understanding of a professional composer. Now you can try them all out one by one, simply following bar chord roots up and down the low E-string and change one chord interval at a time. You can make it even easier by starting with only two or three scale chords (I, II/IV and V).
Or you show this to your keyboard player since I don't know what music genre you're playin' Neo-Classical Prog-Metal works differently than Gospel Fusion-Jazz.
Thanks, that's very comprehensive and I appreciate the enthusiasm and "do it on the guitar one string at a time" approach. I was studying triads up and down the neck which is really opening up my head on guitar, and I want to return to triad studies (life stuff gets in the way). We play "classic" (Fats Domino, et al) New Orleans RnR/RnB: www.creolestringbeans.com
"Watching videos won’t help you improve as much as spending more time playing the guitar. Try taking the idea from one video at a time and woodshedding it for an entire week. Dull as it may seem, this is what it means to put in the work."
Man do I relate to this. After spending the last year watching too many videos and not practicing enough (or in the right ways) I was stalling. I came across an excellent teacher on YouTube named Eric Haugen and he emphasizes "woodshedding" one part of a lick or song for an entire practice session. It has helped my playing a lot.
Great writing!
Right on. You really can’t do any better than Eric Haugen on a Friday. He consistently comes up with something useful to work on week after week. If you can spend a week trying to lock into whatever he teaches, you’ll become a much better guitarist in a year’s time. He’s the one to follow if you want to develop better skills, taste, and grooves all at once.
I like that his videos are short and concise, yet they give you a lot to work on.
I agree with a lot of what you say, but your comment about watching other people at gym doesn't apply to music, especially improvisation. How to you become an improviser? By listening to lots of other people doing it. Of course you need to spend some time in the woodshed, but you need to get the vocabulary into your inner ear.
That is a great counterpoint. I think I’m emphasizing that people often waste time thinking about practice rather than actually practicing. One thing that comes with age is the realization of the importance of absorbing music and actively listening to it. The irony is that we have less time to listen as we get older. However, studying a player is immensely helpful, especially for improvisation and vocabulary. This is probably why, in Jazz, it’s almost a requirement to transcribe music for your instrument.
How do I learn more about WHERE alt-chords (sus, dim, etc) fit into a progression or "hinge" two chord/sections together?
Study music theory and harmony.
Sus chords can function as a I chord in modal pieces, but in standard cycle of 5ths harmony they're usually a substitute for the ii chord, so you'll see something like A7sus A7 Dmaj7 in which case the A7sus is essentially an Em7/A chord.
In folk and rock tunes the sus chord is essentially the IV chord with the tonic of the key in the bass- so Dsus will resolve back to D and you can think of the Dsus as a G/D.
Diminished chords usually function as a substitute for the V7b9 chord, so you'll see something like Bdim7 CMaj7, or as secondary dominant (the V7 of a chord not the tonic) that gives nice chromatic bass movement (CMaj C#Dim Dm7 G7).
yeah, I have SO much work to do on theory. my keyboard player is always telling me this stuff, and writes with "V in the bass" type movements cuz he knows that stuff. I'm considering buying a cheap keyboard so I can SEE it (I'm a "visual learner" which don't help much on guitar and it's janky B string)
Every music major who's not already a piano player is required to take piano for exactly the reason you cited- it's really easy to see the theory. People get intimidated by it but music theory is actually really simple. Find a good teacher and in a few months you'll learn most of what you need to learn:
1. Intervals
2. Triad and Chord structure
3. The modes of the major scale
4. Diatonic chords (chords built with each note of the major scale as a tonic)
There are only 7 notes in a major scale, so #3 and #4 there are only 7 modes and 7 chords. If you can learn by reading it you can easily find countless tutorials on the web that will explain this stuff.
Oh, HELL NO!! Please don't make that mistake. Don't waste time practicing another instrument you actually don't (wanna) play. I strongly oppose that. You're a guitarist, be a guitarist. Learn your theory on a piano and you still can't see it on the fretboard. Also we all probably learn it from paper first anyway. The guitar is perfect for visualizing theory. Learn all your theory on the fretboard by working with fretboard diagrams. They're for free on Google image search and you can make them yourself (squared paper for math works perfect).
Here are some tips what to do next:
(1) You already got a piano keyboard. It's a single guitar string, e.g. the lowest. Try to play just the "white keys" along that string, then only the "black keys". Also try out on the lowest string between frets 0 and 12 up and down all types of E-chords/E-arpeggios and E-scales you can think of. You also got six strings for harmony unlike a triangle player.
(2) Frame in and cover the whole fretboard from day one. The two outer strings are tuned to the note 'E'. You know one, you know both. Bar chords "hang" between the two outer strings. For string sets 1/2/3 and 4/5/6 look up all seven diatonic triads of a major and a minor key, e.g. E/Em (E F#m G#m A B C#m D#dim), (Google: three string triad shapes/inversions for E major/minor). Everything can later be transferred to the open position to have all chords in the same spot. Or anywhere, another position, the four middle strings, the five highest strings with roots on the A-string etc.
(3) Build a harmonic network in one key as a project. Theory is mostly harmony. Chords can be placed on all 7 diatonic (and 12 chromatic) positions of a key. Vice versa each scale position can have a chord, any chord type. All chords can be built from the melody downwards or from the bassline upwards. Each scale tone has a basic triad chord - start with them. Play'em horizontally up and down the neck by following a single string.
Then add over weeks and month:
All seven scale chords can have a sus2 version (suspension can resolve into normal 3rd of chord)
all seven scale chords can have a sus4 version
a power chord version (+ inversion)
a four-part seventh chord version (Emaj7, F#m7 etc.)
a full-dim7 chord a half step below (F°7 into F#m, or actually E#°7 into F#m)
a secondary V7 chord a fifth above (C#7 on maj6 scale position into diatonic ii-chord F#m)
a substitute V7 a half step above (G7 into F#m)
an inversion with the 3rd in the bass (inversions also called slash chords/F#)
an inversion with the 5th in the bass
an extension with a 9th [1 3 5 7 9]
also 11th and 13th extensions
added tension tones, e.g. [1 3 5 6 7] or [1 3 4 5] in different voicings
certain voicings like [1 3 7] or [5 1 3 7] or [1 5 9] or [1 5 7 3 13/6]
and so on (like sus6 to 5 or sus9 to 1, single diatonic intervals like 13ths/6ths)
[note that all seven chords usually have diatonically adjusted intervals/extensions/alterations, for instance, the IV-chord in major will almost always have a Lydian #4/#11 corresponding to its diatonic mode Lydian - the seven chords are modal, they ARE the modes stacked in 3rds]
[and note too that every chord has at least three positions in the scale due to the 3rds and 5th in the bass. For example, the iim7-chord F#m7 can be built over/under the scale tones 2 4 6 1. This is the concept why the IIm7-chord 2 4 6 (1) can move a half step down from 1 to maj7 into the V7-chord 5 (7) 2 4 and then a half step up into Imaj7 - (1) 3 5 7. This is figured bass/basso continuo by the way.]
[lastly note that a changed bass note can turn a chord into another chord. The bass notes A A E would turn [F#m7 - D#halfdim7 (or B9) - Emaj7] into [A6 - Am6 - Emaj7]]
In addition there are harmonic concepts and unique situations for later to learn, like line clichees, Neapolitan chord with 4 of the key in the bass, pedal tones, modal interchange, V7 chord alterations like V7#5, polychords, vii°7/ii°7/iv°7/bvi°7 all into V7, Mediant modulations and the unique positioning of harmony tones in music pieces.
Connecting sections: Here are some dominant functions that lead into the I/Im-chord or any target chord: V, IV, V7, IVm6, VII°7 (also ii°7/iv°7/bvi°7), V+, V+b7 (or V7#5), bII7, V7-alerations/extensions (V9/Vb9, V7b13 etc.), IIdim, IIhalfdim7, VIIhalfdim7, bVII, Vm, bII, bII/3rd. If it modulates consider where the new key is inside the old key.
There you have it, two pages of text and you see the end goal and (vaguely) gained the understanding of a professional composer. Now you can try them all out one by one, simply following bar chord roots up and down the low E-string and change one chord interval at a time. You can make it even easier by starting with only two or three scale chords (I, II/IV and V).
Or you show this to your keyboard player since I don't know what music genre you're playin' Neo-Classical Prog-Metal works differently than Gospel Fusion-Jazz.
Thanks, that's very comprehensive and I appreciate the enthusiasm and "do it on the guitar one string at a time" approach. I was studying triads up and down the neck which is really opening up my head on guitar, and I want to return to triad studies (life stuff gets in the way). We play "classic" (Fats Domino, et al) New Orleans RnR/RnB: www.creolestringbeans.com
Thank you.