jazz guitar voice leading

Have you ever wondered if there is any "secret underground trick 'to learn to play guitar? Well, there's a secret - but it is one that" if hiding in plain sight.

If you want to go beyond the basics and truly master your guitar, there are two things you absolutely must do:

1. Memorize the fretboard.

2. Develop a solid understanding of the relationship between scales, modes and chords.

The reason for memorizing the fretboard should be obvious. Knowing where all the notes are will make a player is faster, more intuitive. The reasons (there are many) behind learn the relationship between scales, modes and chords require a little more explanation.

The first thing to understand is that chords are built from scales.

Say you want to know which notes make up the G-major chord You first need to know is that Major chords are built from the root, third and fifth tones of their corresponding Major scale. So you need to know the G Major scale, which is GABCDEF #-G.

If you count from the G 3 note you arrive at B. If you run from G to the 5th note you have D. Play these notes together as CGD, and you have a G Major!

The second is to understand that the scales (and therefore, chords) can begin on any note within the key

Here is where modes and chord inversions ( 'voicings ") come in. Let's say you decide to play that G Major chord at the 7th fret on the first three guitar chords. If you pluck the string from the inside out, you will play DGB. In other words, your 'root' is no longer the bottom / first note of the chord. This is what is known as an inversion.

Now, let's say you're playing a song in G major, and you decide to play the scale from a root other than G. For example, you can start playing the scale in D. This is a 'new dimension' or just scale it from a different position? You really want!

AG Major scale played from any point while in the key of G is considered "Ionian Mode". It will always sound 'Major'.

However, if you play the standard Scale G Major D while you are in a different key, you will be in one of the following, alternatives: wind, Dorian, Phrygian, Mixolydian, or Locrian.

These modes will sound something other than 'Major'. The way wind, for example, is actually considered the Minor scale (Ionian = Major scale for all keys, and Aeolian = smaller scale for all keys).

The other modes fall in between, creating interesting harmonies and often are used in Jazz music for soloing over the more complex, dissonant chords, feeling like the Greater and Lesser 7ths and 9ths.

When you learn these relationships you'll start to notice something like a "lock" pattern in your fretboard. For example, when you know that every inversion of a given chord, then you also know that a scale beginning at the root of inversion that can take you in any modal scale you want to play more than the current key.

The closer you see and understand, the more your fretboard reveals that self-will for guitar and creative compositions. The end result is learning and mastering your guitar faster than you think!

About the Author:

Someday you'll be a guitar-god....but, first, you must learn how 'mere mortals' play:
http://www.learnguitartips.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Imagine Learning the Guitar Faster Than Ever

MY FUNNY VALENTINE Solo Jazz Guitar


Mel Bays Complete Book of Harmony Theory and Voicing


Mel Bays Complete Book of Harmony Theory and Voicing


$15.57


By Bret Willmott. For Guitar (All). Theory & Harmony. Complete. All Styles. Intermediate-Advanced. Book. 248 pages. Published by Mel Bay Publications, Inc...

Major Tonic Voice Leading Exercises (The Jazz Guitar WorkShop Series)


Major Tonic Voice Leading Exercises (The Jazz Guitar WorkShop Series)


$4.99


This book presents a sequence of exercises to acquire a deep knowledge in chord voice movement (voice leading) for jazz.Voice leading is the technique responsible for smooth chord voice sequence.This technique is really useful for comping, chord melody and chord improvisation.All progressions are presented with chord shapes so anyone can start immediately to play exercise.If you're interesting in ...

Voice Leading for Guitar: Moving Through the Changes


Voice Leading for Guitar: Moving Through the Changes


$14.87


Just knowing how to play a chord is never enough to make good music. Voice leading—moving individual chord voices smoothly from one chord to the next—is an essential skill for jazz guitarists. This book/CD pack by Berklee associate professor of guitar John Thomas shows you how to voice lead both chord tones and tensions, and will help you add a new level of sophistication to your music...

Didnt See What You Are Looking For? - Try Google!
Custom Search