ALTERNATE GUITAR TUNINGS

Sometimes I like to use alternate guitar tunings to spice up my playing and creativity. It’s not hard to do, but if you’ve never done it before, it might seem a little confusing at first.

One of the most common alternate guitar tunings is DADGAD.  To get this tuning on your guitar,  tune the 6th string down one octave from the open D on the 4th string.  You can check if it’s right by comparing the tone on 6th string at the seventh fret (now an A) with the open 5th string. They should match. The strings on the 5th, 4th  and 3rd string remain the same as in standard tuning.  Change the 2nd string to an A by matching it with the A that is played on the 3rd string, second fret. Finally, move up the 2nd string until you are on the fifth fret. This tone is now a D. Play the tone and then lower the first string until they blend and sound the same. You now have DADGAD.

Whenver I use altered guitar tunings I don’t worry about the “rules.” In other words, I don’t try to figure out what chord I’m playing, or what note, etc. Instead, I simply allow myself the freedom to explore sounds and rhythms. My mood expresses itself without restriction! It’s great fun and very intuitive.  Of course, if I’m learning someone else’s tune, I need to pay attention to the tab and notation.  However, I only use the notation to read the rhythm because the tones on my fretboard have been moved! Believe me when I tell you that it’s a real cerebral challenge to try and read the music note for note. Besides, it’s unneccessary. Except, perhaps, for double-checking a particular trouble spot.

Some of my favorite artists who frequently use alternate guitar tunings include: Michael Hedges, Alex DeGrassi, Andrew York, Ed Gerhard, David Crosby and Stephen Stills,  all of whom I’ve been priviledged to see in concert.  I also admire and respect  John Fahey, and John Rehbourn very much. 

Celtic instrumentals often incorporate the use of alternate guitar tunings, but there really isn’t any limit regarding the style of music you play.  Alternate tunings are used for fingerstyle blues, slide guitar and more! The other night I was watching the film August Rush and noticed that even the child prodigy in the movie was playing in an alternate guitar tuning!

Experiment a little with playing in DADGAD tuning. Strum the open strings and listen to the sound. Try some standard chord shapes in different places and strings. Don’t worry about making mistakes. Just play and have some fun!

Till next time…

Keep practicing!
guitarcoach

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NEW MUSIC

I love to discover new music, don’t you?  It usually happens unexpectedly for me, when I’m not even looking for it.  I may be just wandering around a store and hear some music playing in the background that catches my attention.

That’s how I first discovered the Goo Goo Dolls.  It seemed everytime I was in a certain store I would hear their song Black Balloon and then I would have to stop whatever I was doing and just listen. Even though I couldn’t understand all the words, the music was so  powerful that it completely captivated me. This set me on a mission to find out who wrote the song and how I could get a copy of their CD, which I eventually did.

The same thing happened with Cold Play. I was in a music store and heard one of their songs playing in the background. Again, it made me stop what I was doing and pay attention. The song was so good that I went over and asked the person behind the counter if they knew who the group was that we were hearing. Not long afterward I saw them  in concert on a tv program. I was competely hooked. They gave a great performance and their music was sooo good. Now I own a couple of their CDs, one of which was nominated for album of the year in 2007.

One of my very favorite songs is One Last Breath by Creed.  The first time I  heard it, we were driving beside a railroad track on our way to a nearby town.  A close friend of mine had recently committed suicide by jumping in front of a train, so you can imagine the impact this song had on me emotionally. The strange thing is, it was also very comforting and helped me work through my grief and the loss of my friend.

Sometimes my guitar students “turn me on” to new music. That’s how I learned about Glen Hansard, singer/songwriter and star of the movie Once. He is a very dynamic artist. The interesting thing about Glen is the simplicity of his lyrics. Yet he is able to deliver his songs with such power and conviction using only an old beat-up acoustic guitar.  He’s a wonderful performer. Here is a video clip you can watch…

GLEN HANSARD VIDEO:

My students are discovering “new music” all the time too… Santana, Janis Joplin, Hendrix… to them, it’s new anyway! Funny how things work, eh?

So, if you want to discover some new music, always be sure to keep your ears open whenever you’re in a store, at a friends house, watching tv, or listening to the radio. You might just be in for a pleasant surprise!

Until Next Time…

Keep Practicing!
guitarcoach

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IMPROVE YOUR GUITAR PLAYING

If you are looking for a way to improve your guitar playing, try recording yourself. It’s amazing the amount of insight you will gain!

As musicians, we tend to be both our best and worst critics at times. So, it helps to find an impersonal, unbiased opinion in order to measure our progress. Recording will improve your guitar playing by revealing how good your timing really is.  It will also reveal whether your notes and chords are coming through clearly.  If you’re a singer, it will reveal if you are on pitch, or tending to go sharp or flat. This may be something you were completely unaware of previously.

Another cool thing you can do  with recording is to  create your own rhythm section. Say that you want to practice improvising with the A minor pentatonic scales on your electric guitar.  It sounds okay when you jam by yourself, but wouldn’t it be much better if you had a rhythm guitar player strumming the chords for you? Well, simply record yourself strumming a I, IV, V chord progression in the key of A  major or A minor at a moderate tempo. Then play the recording back and improvise over the chords by creating riffs from the A minor pentatonic scales.  I have used this method for practicing and for creating lead guitar parts or other accompaniments for my original songs. It can be a lot of fun! It  will help improve your guitar playing while  generating some creative ideas too.

If you don’t have a way of recording yourself, then I highly recommend Guitar-Backing-Tracks.  It’s like playing with your own virtual band behind you.   All tracks are recorded individually, at the same tempo, so you can mix and match any track combination you like.  Select ANY drum beat – ANY bass riff – or ANY synth track. Then select a comfortable speed from the following options…

Section 1– very slow
Section 2 — slow
Section 3 — medium
Section 4 — fast
Section 5 — very fast

Use Guitar Backing Tracks to improve your guitar playing or create your own songs. You can polish your lead guitar riffs with over 125,000 different combinations of beats, riffs and synth tracks behind you! I’ve used it myself and it allows you to create your own private jam session. You can make mistakes and not feel embarrassed, develop your speed, and improve your playing- all in the privacy of your own home.  Then, after you get your chops down, you can go out and amaze all your friends with what you’ve learned. :0)

Until next time…

Keep practicing!
guitarcoach

Free Guitar Tips!

 

JAZZ APPRECIATION MONTH

Jazz Appreciation Month Kicks Off in Washington…

April has once again been designated as Jazz Appreciation Month, and BMI is proud to again be an anchor sponsor, as it has been since the JAM’s beginnings seven years ago. The month-long celebration pays tribute to jazz as a true American art form and features a variety of activities, including performances, film and displays in venues around Washington, D.C. The National Endowment for the Arts saluted the importance of jazz as an American cultural art form, and supported the kickoff of Jazz Appreciation Month jazz program at their headquarters in Washington DC on March 28. BMI composers represent the majority of the 100 NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship recipients, the highest honors that our nation bestows upon jazz musicians.

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JAZZ GUITAR HOME STUDY COURSE- CLICK HERE!

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Another Jazz event you might be interested in is the…

Thelonious Monk International Composer’s Competition

The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz has announced that the application for the Thelonious Monk International Composer’s Competition is available on the Institute’s website, www.monkinstitute.org. Sponsored for the past 15 years by BMI, the Composers Competition awards a $10,000 grand prize to the young composer who best demonstrates originality, creativity and excellence in jazz composition. The competition has demonstrated international appeal, with past winners coming from Netherlands, Russia, Japan, Hungary and Greece. The Institute has also announced that the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition finals will take place on Sunday, October 26 at 5 p.m. at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. The winner of the competition will receive a $20,000 scholarship, second place a $10,000 scholarship and third place a $5,000 scholarship. The competition application and guidelines are also available on the Monk Institute website.

Until next time…

Keep practicing!
guitarcoach

Free Guitar Tips!