Whilst the wait and the excitement builds I thought I’d write a little bit about the latest student to start having lesson with me. He is only 6 years 6 months old. When someone so young starts it’s hard to tell if they’ll settle down to the routine of learning.

Hayden, who appears in a couple of previous blogs, was up to now the youngest.

Anyway, I arrived at the little boy’s house on Sunday morning to be greeted by mum and dad and a very small guitar. The first in a series on good events began when the guitar tuned up without a problem. There was a slightly earlier good event when a cup of tea and biscuits were placed where I could reach.

So the lessons began. Whatever the age of my students everybody starts the same. The youngster had to learn the notes on the fretboard. A teenager, or an adult would be expected to cover the whole 6 strings but not today.

After getting him to play the high open E string I placed the small first finger of his left hand just behind the metal strip on the first fret. A couple a goes later and a clear sound, and a smiling face appeared. The boy’s mother was sitting in, she smiled too.

‘That’s called an F. First comes E then comes F.’ I said.

Mother and son repeated this.

‘Now we have to listen very carefully. The next note is higher than the last but not as high as between E and F.’ I played all the sounds: E – F – F#.

These notes were played first by the little boy and then by mum.

Every time a note was played the sounds gained clarity.

I know at the start of every new lesson whether it’s going to be a struggle or not. This was not going to be a struggle.

Mum helped getting his fingers organised and when he needed a rest she played while he named the notes. Mum had never played guitar before either.

All my lessons last for an hour, so did this one.

Then we arrived at the note of B. I checked that he understood that the sharp sign meant a note was getting higher by half a tone.

He nodded.

Afer playing the note the next fret up he told me it was higher than a semitone.

Yay him!!

Now he knew that B, and E don’t have sharps.

I checked the tuning once more and he wrote out all the notes from the open string E to the 12 fret into his book.

One clever boy. People think that at that age there’s nothing that can be done. Well, guess what they are wrong.

When it was time to go I gave him a big blue sticker – he chose the colour and we waved goodbye.

By the way the small guitar was bought at Hollywood Music Stony Stratford. Stony Stratford. Good shop. Nice people.

That’s it till this evening.

There’s an index of the earlier posts at the top of the page if you want to read about Hayden and the way I teach.

Len Collins author of Len Collins’ Guitar Breakthrough

To visit the Guitar Breakthrough website and buy the DVD or the streamed lessons click the image below.

Guitar Breakthrough DVD

Anyway, it will be well worth waiting for.

I went to see Plastered in Paris play tonight. Avina was taking to photographs so I’ll have some exciting pictures for you to see sometime during the week.

They, the band were brilliant. It was the first time they had played together since TC (top right) went off to university. It was like he’d never been away. Amazing.

Plastered in Paris

I seem to spend all of my time going on and on and on and on about the defeatist nature of TAB and Rhythm patterns. My other major moan is aimed at bands that do covers which are note for note copies of the original.

Well tonight Plastered in Paris proved me right. All three guitarists in P.I.P. have been taught by me. The original tracks are original and so too were the covers.  They were loud, dynamic and as interesting visually as they were musically.

Adam on drums was excellent. He held the set together with some very tight drumming. He was powerful and positive during every track.

James (bottom right) playing bass is another ‘I told you so.’

It was my idea that James filled the vacant bassist slot. At the time this was met by universal disagreement and disapproval by everyone except me. Well, tonight you would never have guessed that he wasn’t a natural-born bass player. Superb stuff. He played with accuracy, strength and moved about on stage as most bass players do which is not very much. James made my extra journey, and my missed supper well worth the effort.

TA has great on stage personality, off stage he’s still the same likeable guy, you know. Because of the pressures school work as he prepares for university Tom hasn’t spent a lot of time focusing on his guitar playing  lately. You would never have believed it if you saw him tonight powering his way through the songs. Toms share lead and vocal duties with TC in equal measure. TA was nothing short of magical this evening. I was so impressed.

TC has been away at university since the autumn so before the 40 minute set I had a chance to talk to him  about how his change of life style was getting on. The opportunities to find a new band seem to be very limited there. He has settled in well which is really good news. TA and TC could be musical twins. Tom’s (either of them) lead guitar playing is fast, precise and a joy to watch and listen to. Tom’s (either of them) singing leapt off the stage. TC also leapt off of the stage, at least upwards several times.

Quite a few of my students were there tonight. After watching Plastered in Paris I hope they understand why I encourage them to get into a band and get on stage. TA, TC and James all know and use the modes and the full extent of the fretboard. If you think music reading and scales are pointless exercises let me tell you all the three guitarists in P.I.P. can read music and utilise their scales. They’ve put everything I have ever taught into their energy and music.

Andy and Jo, two of my ex-students were there and it was lovely to hear they will both playing guitar in the morning.

Avina’s photo’s to follow soon. Well done P.I.P.

Don’t forget to follow my blog by clicking the ‘follow’ button on the right and tell all your friends too, please.

Len Collins author of Len Collins’ Guitar Breakthrough

To visit the Guitar Breakthrough website click the image below.

Guitar Breakthrough DVD

If you don’t mind I’ll just find a few positives from things that are going wrong. Further down this page you’ll find a rhythm track for you to strum along with. The whole point of the Flash adventure was I thought that the only way to get a backing track uploaded into WordPress was to make it into a Flash movie, upload it to YouTube then embed it here.

I then thought if it’s going to be a movie I might as well add some cartoons and dialogue. This I duly did. Then everything went beyond pear-shaped when the audio and the graphics went out of sync after about 500 frames. I then discovered this blog can play an MP3 file if the music is already online.

I separated the audio from the video, uploaded it to the Guitar Breakthrough site and, as you can see – it’s here. Yay me!

OK. That’s that for now. What’s the rhythm track all about?

I don’t want people using rhythm patterns. Nobody real uses the things, only people who fail to think with the part of their brain in charge of independent thought.

Originally there was to be the one complete track: it still is and you can join in with it at the end.

I decided to divide it up into 4 easy segments so you can play along before trying the whole thing.

The graphic below shows chord sequence.

I’ve kept it simple because that’s all it needs to be. This article is really for those just starting out. If you already have rhythm playing under your control please read the earlier posts while the beginners are busy catching you up.

As you can see the chord sequence is in the scale of G. How do you know?

At the start of the music, between the treble clef and the time signature there is a single, solitary sharp sign. The only scale with 1# is the key of G.

If you know, and use your modes it is quite clear that the chords are natural to the key of G.

There’s a carefully worded hidden subliminal message waiting for you at the end of this blog encouraging to purchase my DVD or streamed guitar lessons so you can really understand what’s going on.

Meanwhile, back to the task in hand. Here are the chords.

Chord sequence

The 1st time round I just strum 4 strums in each bar.

Please strum along. It only plays once. You can press the button again and as if by magic you can hear it again.

Here are the chords again for you.

Don’t write down the chord sequence remember it.

Of course you can memorise it, that’s why we have a memory, remember. Else we’d have a forgetory. (Do you think there two t’s in forgetory?)

Chord sequence

The 2nd time round I strum 4 strums with some up strokes added to create the rhythm. This is the simple rhythm my students learn to get them started. After that they make rhythms up for themselves.

The down beats don’t make it rhythmic only the up strokes do that.

Remember don’t write down the chord sequence.

On the 3rd time round I make each bar a little more exciting.

Please try to copy my rhythm. It can’t be done so just enjoy trying a mixture of up and down strokes until you get close.

The most powerful tool in music is silence (read my book TING! to understand that statement – it’s free and it’s here for downloading. TING! just passed the 400 reader mark. Yay me, again!

As I was saying the most powerful tool in music is silence.

The 4th time round I add silence into each bar.

Here’s the whole thing.  Explore, experiment, hold your plectrum properly.

See Part 1 of this lesson to learn how to hold your pick

Creativity belongs in every part of guitar playing. Add some into your rhythm playing.

Hold the plectrum properly

Repeat each little section throughly. Adding different rhythms as you continue to experiment. You can only make your plectrum go up and down, loud and soft, that’s all. From that simple fact you can discover the wonderful world of rhythm. It’s your own world that you are discovering. So you don’t need to copy anyone else.

Find a song with chords that you are comfortable playing, sing the song out loud and see what the rhythm gives you. You don’t patterns or anything that offers an easy way to fix something that is already easy.

Try hard.

A special word for Michael. He’s growing into the guitarist that I said he would be on his first lesson. Great stuff.

Len Collins author of Len Collins’ Guitar Breakthrough

To visit the Guitar Breakthrough website and buy the DVD or the streamed lessons click the image below.

Here’s the subliminal message. It’s hidden in these words (somewhere)

Being able to play guitar without knowing what it is you’re doing is like swimming the English Channel with your swimming trunks over your head, covering your eyes: You’ll still get to France but you won’t know how you did it and you’ll have nothing to cover your embarrassment when you get rescued. (End of subliminal message)

Guitar Breakthrough DVD

Copyright © Len Collins 2012

• Week 1 The fretboard
• Week 2 Reading music
• Week 3 Scales
• Week 4 Chords

This way there are no surprises. It’s not that I expect any new student to remember, or use much of this information in the very early days, all that matters is it’s there somewhere in their heads. After that there is no lesson plan, no structure just a constant stream of information that fits in with what they want to play and what I need them to know.

2011 produced a wonderful crop of beginners: all were complete beginners. Not one of them asked for or got a rhythm pattern to work with. That’s not really true, I do have a ‘One Week Only’ pattern to get them underway. After that, rhythm patterns are never used or even mentioned.

They sing, or I sing (I hope you never, never have that experience. Never! Ever!)

As I’ve said before if they don’t I do.

To be a great rhythm guitarist, and that is a must, you have to get your chords in place, on time. The tonal quality of the chord at a beginners stage doesn’t bother me . I’m not going to hold people back for weeks on end while we wait for the perfect sound.

So off we go, singing a simple song that one of us knows. Weeks pass, chords soon begin to clear up, chord changes begin to gather pace.

I don’t teach rhythm. I play; they do their best to copy the sound my right hand is creating when the plectrum passes over the strings. Because of the speed, I always play a song at the correct tempo, they can’t actually copy, they must do what they think is right. They, and I can tell whether it’s working or not: If it is we get to the end of the song smoothly.  If it isn’t we still get to the end of the song this time without the smoothness. After a bit of tinkering and experimenting we start again.

There’s a lovely moment one I really enjoy: At the end of a song, a song when all the chords were clean and the rhythm was rolling and I have just played a lovely guitar solo I will ask a simple question. ‘What did you think of my guitar solo?’

‘Good,’ comes the reply.

‘Who made is so good?’

‘You did.’ They say to me.

‘No, you did. You’re the rhythm player. I take my lead from you.’

A lead guitarist must feed off the sound and style of the accompanying chords. If the lead guitarist in your band plays consistently brilliant while the rest of the band sometimes have an off day or two then they aren’t listening to the music. They are no good. Should the band be lacking in drive and purpose so too must the soloist.

My fledgling students have to throw themselves out of the nest and join me in the music. Apart from one or two they usually do, actually it’s only one and the good news is although it’s taken some time he’s as good as all the others now. Soon everybody is strumming away happily without a single solitary pattern being followed.

The success of a chord sequence depends on a few basic rules.

1. Knowing which scale the chords in a song belong to.
2. To hear the different styles built into major and minor chords.
   Augmented and diminished chords follow when the time is right.
3. To be able to keep up with the chord changes.
4. The ability to so several million different things at the same time.

Let’s hang about on point 4 for a little while.

There’s not much in this life that involves doing so many diverse things at once as does playing guitar .

Driving a car is totally mind consuming too. That comes close.

Here’s a list of things to do when playing guitar.

1. Keep time
   1a. This includes foot tapping and mentally keeping the beat.
2. Clean chord changes
   2a. Correct fingers.
   2b. Neat finger positions.
   2c. Checking what the next chord is. If you don’t see what’s coming you are in for a big surprise.
   2d. Checking how long before you change to the next chord. You must know how many beats before the next chord.
3. Holding the plectrum.
   When playing rhythm there is only one correct way to hold the pick. This way!
   If you hold the pick properly your wrist is free to move and swing in a relaxed manner. You hardly use any energy gripping the plectrum when you strum using this method.
   

   Holding the plectrum

   I used this graphic in the last blog. Sorry, but I needed it again.

   

   How to hold your pick

   

Next up, strumming the right amount of strings.

My students know what three notes make up a chord.  They learnt this in fourth lesson so to them it is quite clear why some chords have 6 strings to strum while other chords have 5, others have 4.

Here are a few examples.

The chord of G spans all 6 strings.

G Major: Strum all 6 strings

The chord of Em also spans 6 strings.

The difference is Em is a more dramatic chord and should be played that way.

E minor: Strum all 6 strings

The chord of Am spans 5 strings.

Being a minor chord it needs a dramatic feel but not as much drama as the previous chord Em.
The E note on string 6 is part of the chord (Am = A C E) but is lower than the root note so we don’t use it.
Play it to prove it!

A minor: Strum only 5 strings

The chord of D spans 4 strings.

The E note on string 6 isn’t part of the chord (D = D F# A) so we don’t strum it.

The A note on string 5 is part of the chord of D but it’s lower than the root note so don’t use it.
Play it to prove it doesn’t sound too good!

D Major: Strum 4 strings

So, now we have clear chords each strummed using the right number of strings. We have fingers trained to arrive at the same time.

The thing about fingers getting to their notes on the fretboard together is essential. It is often perceived that some chords are easier to remember than others because the amount of fingers uses, that’s not true.

Your brain sends out instructions saying play or don’t play to all fingers whatever the chord is. Every chord is as easy, or as hard as you tell yourself it is.

Educate those fingers: get the co-ordinates for the chords and guide your fingers here.

Four messages, one to each finger gets Em there on time that’s the same for the chord of D. If this wasn’t true why don’t the unused fingers try to join in?

Finger Messages

Practise isn’t fun. Practise is there for a reason: To take you where the fun and excitement is.

Talking about co-ordinates: Why are those fingers placed where they are on the fretboard to become the chord of Em or D for example?

For new readers of this blog I’ll state the facts again.

A chord is harmony;  named notes not TAB numbers.

What is this? Can you play whatever it is somewhere else on the fretboard?

e——0——2
B——0——3
G——0——2
D——2——0
A——2——x
E——0——x

A chord contains sounds and those sounds have names. You have a name. Would you prefer a number not a name?

Em and D major with notes named

If a finger is lagging behind the others say its note name out loud, put your finger on the target fret and say, ‘go here, please. Just a little quicker next time else it’s back in the glove for you until things start to improve.’

All this information is taking place every single beat of a song. It’s not easy.

Why would you need me if it were easy?

Me

I’m going to sneak in a subliminal message at this point. Because of the nature of this type of message you won’t know you’re reading it until you find yourself on the Guitar Breakthrough DVD website buying the 2 disk set or streaming one of the 7 lessons. The 7 lessons will explain everything I’m going on about. (Click here)

The subliminal message has gone now.

Part 2. Tomorrow. The sound of rhythm.

Happy New Year to all my readers.

Happy New Year from Guitar Breakthrough

Don’t forget to follow my blog by clicking the ‘follow’ button on the right and tell all your friends too, please.

Say no to rhythm patterns. Part 2

Len Collins author of Len Collins’ Guitar Breakthrough

To visit the Guitar Breakthrough website click the image below.

Guitar Breakthrough DVD

copyright © Len Collins 2011

All you have to understand is where any particular note fits in the general scheme of things.

We must begin with the Chromatic Scale.

A chromatic scale is a scale made using all semitones.
Here is the chromatic scale of G.

A chromatic scale is made up entirely of semitones.

Chromatic scale G. All semitone steps

I’ve highlighted the 3rd string in the illustration below (G).

A Chromatic scale can begin on any note.

Chromatic scale of G

Play the chromatic scale of G using only the 3rd string.
Use the fingers indicated in the graphic that follows.
As always, if you only use TAB this wont mean anything to you.

The correct fingers for chromatic scale

From the chromatic scale of G I’ve extracted the Diatonic scale of G major -
G A B C D E F# G.

Chromatic to diatonic

Play the Diatonic scale of G on the fretboard.
Use the notes highlighted in blue as a guide.

Here is the correct fingering

• Finger 2 to play the G on the 4th string.
• Finger 4 to play the A on the 4th string.
• Finger 1 to play the B on the 3rd string.
• Finger 2 to play the C on the 3rd string.
• Finger 4 to play the D on the 3rd string.
• Finger 1 to play the E on the 2nd string.
• Finger 3 to play the F# on the 2nd string.
• Finger 4 to play the G on the 2nd string.

Scale of G

Next, extract from the Diatonic scale the three notes that make up the chord of G:
G – B – D (triad)

Triad: G major G - B - D

Here you can see how those three notes make the chord of G.
The G note circled in red is the root note: the lowest G note in the chord.

When you improvise over a chord the three notes that make up the chord are the sounds you can stay for the longest amount of time.

G major chord

Now we come to the notes that are in the scale of G but not in the chord of G.
These are called passing notes.

Passing notes

Passing notes are where the interesting bits of a solo are found. They don’t blend with the chord as perfectly as the three notes of the triad. These sounds add colour to the improvisation. You have to use your judgement when deciding how long to hang on to a passing note before landing one of the 1 3 5 notes from the scale. Basically a passing note passes between the 1 3 5 notes – and the octave G at the end of the scale.

These are the ‘wrong’ notes, the 5 notes not used in the Diatonic scale of G.

G# – A# – C# – D# – F

Wrong notes: G# - A# - C# - D# - F

This is where we get to the point of the article. Hooray!

You can use the ‘wrong’ notes too. It’s very much touch and go, literary.

You can’t hang around on a G# – A# – C# – D# or an F note.

I’m going to use the clock example.

If the note you are playing in the solo is either G – B or D and the chord of G major is being played, you can stay on the note for an hour: all 60 minutes of it. (It’s all relative – as you will shortly in a minute.)

Clock on the hour

If the note you play is a passing note you have less time to use it. Let’s say 30 minutes.

30 minutes for a passing note

Back to the top of the hour

If the note you play is one of the ‘wrong’ notes (G# – A# – C# – D# or an F note) in relative terms you’ve got about 5 minutes to use it. After that your fingers should be rushing off to a passing note or a note in the chord.

That's it for a wrong note. 5 mins

So really there aren’t any wrong notes at all. Everything is playable, if you’re careful.

The complete set: All the way from the Chromatic Scale

This works in all scales and you have to take note of the effect the modes play in all this.
Everything is possible. Everybody can be great.
It takes a quick brain and lively fingers to carry out the instructions.

Now we move on to mistakes.

Up to now I’ve talked about using the ‘wrong’ note deliberately. What happens when you make a mistake?

Everybody makes mistakes.

Why would I need for a spell-checker if I was a perfect speller?

Before you get a chance to read this post I run the spell-checker over it every few minutes. Even though I expect to see them I’m always surprised when I find I’ve dropped a letter or simply got the word wrong. The main reason is I type and think very quickly. Unlike my guitar playing the communication between my brain and fingers on the laptop keyboard is very inaccurate.

There’s nothing to be gained from making a mistake when you’re typing. Spot it, chop it, get rid of the thing.

When playing guitar you take quite a different approach to a mistake: a mistake is an opportunity, something not to be missed.

If you panic when you miss the note you’re aiming at you’ll more than likely rush straight into another wrong note. Two wrong notes following each other and you’re in a different key. That’s not good.

How far away from a wrong note is a right note?

Not very far, next door in fact. Let’s say you play an F note by mistake. A semitone back from the F is an E.
A semitone up from the F an F# is waiting for you.

As the E and the F# are passing notes you complete the cover up by going down to a D (from the E) or up to a G (from the F#).

I’m assuming, once again that you know your fretboard and your scales. Why I assume this I really don’t know?

Anyway, you’re never far away from being right and never anywhere near being wrong.

One reason why mistakes are useful is mistakes make you listen to what you’re playing. Other people have to listen to what you play so why don’t you?

You can’t detach yourself from your music. It’s part of you and you are part of it. Mistakes keep you alert. Never worry about making them. The more you concern yourself about the errors you may, or may not make the higher the risk of making one.

Too many guitarists are so scared of making mistakes they will never be able to improve or improvise. They learn a sequence, a pattern, master it then refuse to leave it. As the years and years pass they convince themselves, and those listening that by mastering one single scale they have everything they need. Sadly this is more than likely true: they will play to the same 3 friends, in the same pub until the limelight fades and goes out. Then they are left in the dark.

In music mistakes are our friends.

Analyse the notes that went astray. Think about them: In another song would those notes make a good ending? Could those mismatched sounds be something useful in the future when you need to create an inventive intro?

If I make a mistake I hide it very quick indeed. If I don’t think I done a good job in masking the slip up I repeat it and make it look like it was deliberate.

One last thing, should you play a note that is out of key, and you decide to repeat that note again at the same point in the music add the note into the chord that’s providing the rhythm. In music two wrongs make a right. This is where the 9 chords etc. come from.

Good luck. I’ve checked this piece several million times but I bet there’s still a mistake or two in there somewhere.

Len Collins author of Len Collins’ Guitar Breakthrough

To visit the Guitar Breakthrough website click the image below.

Guitar Breakthrough DVD

Copyright © Len Collins 2011

]]> http://guitarbreakthrough.wordpress.com/2011/12/30/guitar-lessons-mistakes-what-mistakes/feed/ 1 guitarbreakthrough Chromatic scale G Chromatic scale of G The correct fingers for chromatic scale chromatic to diatonic Scale of G Triad G major G major chord Passing notes divider Wrong notes Clock on the hour Clock 3:30 divider Clock on the hour Clock 3:05 The complete set divider divider flat Guitar Breakthrough DVD http://guitarbreakthrough.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/guitar-lessons-what-an-audience-needs/ http://guitarbreakthrough.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/guitar-lessons-what-an-audience-needs/#comments Tue, 27 Dec 2011 23:23:10 +0000 guitarbreakthrough http://guitarbreakthrough.wordpress.com/?p=554 ]]> Today we learn how to use emotion, expression and good technique to build a bond between you, a guitarist and someone with a ticket.

A comedian will make you laugh. An actor can make your cry.

When performing it’s up to you to get the audience to believe tonight’s gig is unique; devoted solely to their entertainment. It’s so very important they feel the show is dedicated to them personally: a one-off gig. Miss it and it’s gone forever.

The paying public must believe it. They have to believe the  person on stage believes it too.

Picture this. A cold Tuesday evening 9:30pm in a Blackpool theatre. Name your own time and place, it doesn’t really matter. On stage a comedian is making you laugh. Tears roll down your cheeks as you listen the tale of an elderly nun as she struggles to get back to the convent after a hard night out drinking with the boys.

It’s funny, it’s personal, it’s well worth the price of the theatre ticket.

The production company is banking on a simple fact: That it’s not likely you have bought a ticket for the tomorrow night’s show. If you have, you will see the same comedian, right on the bell of 9:30pm making you laugh with the same joke. To be honest you might not think it so funny the second time around.

People waiting to get in out of the rain, waiting for the curtains to rise expect this from all funny people. We’ve got a ticket. You make us laugh.

In a cinema the public sitting in the dark expect to have their heart wrenched by skilled actors who carry their last surviving relative away from the scene of some tragedy.

This might come as a complete surprise but it’s also expected from musicians.

Actors gain an understanding of the part they’re about to play by reading the script aloud with only themselves for company. Then, to learn their lines they hand the pages to someone else who will prompt and remind. They work hard to stress the meaning of words with directors and produces screaming at them from off stage.

Then comes the hard bit: to communicate, with expression the words to the audience or the camera. The words are somebody else’s words. The author needs a mouthpiece. The story needs a hero.  They are acting. Everybody who is on stage putting on a performance, or standing in front of a camera is acting.

You act when you are at school or at work. Friends might ask: ‘How are you?’

Unless you want the world to know how worried you are about your pet guinea pig – it’s a true story, I thought one of my GPs was a gonner on Christmas day, but fear not, he and I survived the scare – you tend to say, ‘I’m Ok.’ That also is acting.

Real actors do this by putting on a crown. ‘I am king, you will bend your knee as I pass.’

The commoners have to believe you are the king else all is lost, sire.

Musicians have to think this through very carefully. Every step of the way you should monitor, and motivate your performance skills. An audience will rate you by the way you talk to them between songs as much as the songs themselves. In some cases even more.

It takes an age before the lyrics of a song are remembered. The best tunes have catchy introductions; it gives the punters something to hang on to while they wait to learn the words. The same is true in the way you introduce each song.

Give it all you’ve got. ‘Here’s one I composed especially for the woman I intend to marry. (That will get them interested) She’s here somewhere tonight. (That will get them even more interested and looking around) It’s a beautiful song for a beautiful girl.’

Girl performers please genderfy the last paragraph.

Listen up: You have to give them something to remember you by after you’ve left the stage. It takes a pinch of psychology, a lot of effort and letting go of your real-life values to achieve this.

Two girls who saw you perform last week see a poster for this week.

Sound. Roll camera and Action!

‘Ooh, look,’ James Thingy’s on at the Gizmone Hall on Friday.’

‘Who’s he?’

‘You remember, he’s the one with the blue eyes and the smile what made me forget what me mum told me before I went out.’

‘Ooh, him. You’re right about that smile. I want to have his babies.’

‘No Barbara, you can’t. You have to be a fully qualified child minder before you can look after other people’s children. I’ve told you that before.’

Anyway. A mumbled, ‘an now we’re gonna play’ does nothing to make the populus want to see you again. Quite the opposite it gets you ignored.

The words you want to say between songs should be written out, tested and rewritten with as much energy as a lead guitar solo. Everything has to be rehearsed to death. Life’s a never-ending rehearsal. If you’re going to stand in front of people to entertain them you have to be articulate and do things the audience can’t do for themselves. Even if the crowd is made up of professional guitarists you have to out perform them.

For those of you that have waited for this bit, here it is.

Performance is everything, that’s what this article is all about. Understanding what you are playing is even more important.

Knowledge is the powerhouse behind confidence. Confidence is the powerhouse behind performance.

When faced with a room full of professional guitarists if you are musically inept, under rehearsed, inarticulate or open the gates of hell boring they will very soon point out the error of your ways and the door.

Learn your instrument properly.

Do not for a second believe you know it all. Not when all you have is a few scantily clad facts that barely cover a postage stamp to rely on. It’s not a waste of your precious time to have an educated set of pathways linked directly to your fingertips.

What is a waste of time is to get to the point of no return only to discover you’ve left your brain behind on a computer workstation desk.

Where, or when is the point of no return? The point of no return is the moment you are beckoned on stage and invited to play your music. By the way, if you don’t sing please start doing it now. It’s OK if you’re not the world’s best singer. You can share the singing duties with the ‘real’ vocalist in the band but you mustn’t be dependant on other people. Anyway, how do you know you’re not going to be a fine singer if you haven’t tried?

Here’s another quick sidestep.

Never practise an improvised guitar solo.

If you’re rehearsing a song that has a solo set in stone, a tune for the lead guitarist to play, being note perfect is essential. It’s an exact piece of music. However, should the solo be an opening for you to be spontaneous then that’s not the way to go.

Before the improvisation begins you should, as the rhythm guitarist, have played all the chords. If so you know where all the modes are. (Right?) All you have to do now is wait for the bar when the solo starts and just make something up right there on stage.

That’s what I do: make it up right there on stage with everybody watching.

How do you think you’re ever going to learn the relationship between scales, modes and chords if you want to take forever to learn them? Study them. Insert them where they can do the most good then do it where it can all go wrong. It won’t. It might. Hey ho.

There’s something about music that in times of need, fear of failure will propel a star forward overcoming all odds. You have to try it, I insist!

A fine line to balance on

You might think you can make life easier for yourself by playing an endless stream of cover versions but the problem is: are they clapping you or the song?

There’s no future in covers only a past. Covers are fine, a few at a time. If you have reworked a couple of them into your own style then the credit for the composition belongs to the composer while the arrangement is totally yours. It proves you know a good song when you hear it.

The only way forward is to write your own material. This is, of course a harder plan to sell. Expecting the audience to simply lap up everything you give them isn’t really going to happen. They want covers. Covers make them feel safe.

Originality questions their way of thinking. Do they like, or want something new? Are you asking the sheep to think? (Sheep don’t think, they follow.) Sorry sheep, it’s only a stereotype thing.

Looking as cute as a kitten with your curly hair and captivating blue eyes goes some way, but not all the way to the top. The only way you are going to look perpetually cute is to sit in front of a mirror and practice it.

Yes indeed, that slightly lop-sided grin has to be cultivated along with the pathos in your voice and the twinkle in your eye. When you sing about the one who lives next door to the one who lives next door the audience must shout: ‘Good luck, son’ or ‘Go get him darlin’, I’ll drive you?’

Here’s a plan.

Do some cultivating of your emotions for an hour or so then go downstairs. Sit at the kitchen table, place your elbows on the table, rest you chin on the back of your hands, look at your mum and smile your cutest smile. Judge by her reaction to see if the plan is making progress.

If she looks

• Bewildered.
  You should have told her that you were likely to be doing something like this.
• Embarrassed.
  You have told her but her advice not to do it in public seems good.
• Encouraged.
  You can continue to smile and ask what time’s tea.

Repeat this on the hour, every hour until even your father believes there might be some hope for you and that he might retire on your success.

Once again: back to your bedroom. Work hard at your songs and your diction. Slovenly words mean a slovenly mind. If a word has a T on the end of it pronounce the letter T clearly.

Here’s another plan.

Read out loud some of your lyrics or try this…

Say/sing these words: ‘I think that you are beautiful. I want you by my side.’

If it comes out sounding like ‘I fin tha you are beauiful. I wan you by my si,’ you’ll probably be driving your father to an early grave not an early retirement home somewhere warm by the sea.

So far we’ve been working on your cuteness and making  the words crisp and clear.

Next. Look through the Google list of pigeonholes and choose one that makes you feel comfortable. This is important. Before you can become who you want to be, you must first be mentioned as being like someone else.

As in .. ‘Ooh, you sound just David Broodlaven when he was good.’

This is not the same as doing covers. You need to make your audience feel they know you. Add a little variation into your professional personality: something that hints of a different ending to a familiar story. Try using a hat, maybe.

Play at venues that suit your stage persona. The originality in your songs will help convince those listening they are witnessing the birth of a new beginning to something that they already love.

Next, and this is very important: talk to the people. Tell them how good you are. Don’t leave it to them to find out for themselves. If you do they might not agree.

It goes something like this. ‘Good evening (smile – remember it’s not ‘g evein.’ it’s Good with a D at the end and evening with a ning to finish the word off)

‘Good evening. Tonight’s set consists of 3 original songs, that I’m sure you’ll want to hear again plus my take on a song you’ve heard many times before although never like this!’

People are paying for some quality entertainment. Tell them that’s why you’re here; to entertain them. They can anticipate the quality by the clothes that you wear and the guitar that you carry. Every stage dwelling inhabitant does it: The sleaziest rockers who scream that the chicken will get it in the neck if they don’t give a good response to the next song do it. A barbershop quartet does it by dressing up in white. Even educated fleas do it, so why not you?

Introduce the music positively: ‘My first song is a beautiful track that will remind you of the first time you met the most important person in your life.’

Change the smile to sad intensity.

You chords too must show the sad intensity of the music. If an audience are to believe in you, you have to believe in yourself too.

Each of your songs must have an interesting intro. Create a guitar riff that will spring through your fingers on to the strings and from there attach itself, like a grappling hook into the mind of your would-be fans. Once caught firmly and carefully reel them in.

Your guitar is a very sensitive instrument. Chords mustn’t be treated simply as clear sounds played in the correct place. We must give them style gleaned from all the colours of the rainbow.

Minor chords are melancholy, poetic or peaceful depending on the nature of the piece. Major 7 chords add a little sugar to the accompaniment or create a BeeGee buzz for your disco feel.

Like the song, or the show, chords wont do anything without your guidance. You chose the chords when you wrote the music; now bring the best out of their harmony with the rhythms you choose to play.

This is for all those who think a rhythm pattern is of any use.

‘Stop it! Stop it now! Rhythms patterns don’t work!’

Sorry about that. I get all in a twizz when I hear those two awful words.

Here’s a better plan.

1. Sing your song as loud and as clear as is necessary.
2. Strum each chord in its proper place in the tune. One strum per chord. No attempt at a rhythm.
3. Close your eyes. Take yourself to a better place.
4. Hold you plectrum properly. (See below)

Keeping your wrist flexible lightly strum down. This does not create a rhythm. The up strokes will do that.

OK, are you doing it?

Gently introduce a few up strokes between two down strokes.

Like Down, downupdown. Down, downupdown. Don’t plan it just let it happen.

1. Keep singing.
2. Keep swaying.
3. Keep your eyes closed.
4. Picture the audience watching.

At the first sign of progress go downstairs and entertain the family. When you get the rhythm right you will find words and chords will gel together perfectly. Get it right for one song and, in principle it will work for all the others.

How to hold your pick properly when playing rhythm

Holding the plectrum in the correct way will free up your wrist. Ignore this at you peril. Only one of us here knows what we’re talking about. Guess who it isn’t? This theme will reappear all through your musical lifetime. Producers know best. Directors know best. Sound engineers know best and the hardest pill to swallow is that your mum knows best.

If you listen you will learn. If you don’t I hope you know how to sell a good cheeseburger.

A boring 4 bar intro with nothing of interest inside it will guarantee that when you look up nobody will be there watching. Don’t look down anyway. There’s nothing cute about the top of your head.

You have to draw the waiting, excitable hoards into your world. Play with expression. Highlight your emotion. Share out the temporary state of your mind. It has to be a temporary state of mind; you will be using a different one in the next song. When you sing, sing like it’s a true memory not what is really is: something you made up while waiting for your hair to dry.

Use your voice and your rhythm to create channels of sound. Each channel is separate but like harmony they will work together perfectly.

Next. Get them to clap along. No, this doesn’t make you a cop-out. What it does do is get you asked back. Get asked back a few times and you’re in business. Each time you do a return visit step a little further away from the pigeonhole. Not so much as anyone will notice until you suddenly appear, butterfly like on wings of musical greatness. Ha!

Last thing.

When you do a cover of someone else’s song remember to love it likes it’s one of your own not an adopted, or adapted outsider.

Yes, that is me. A very long time ago.

For the sake of your progress as a guitarist and a musician please take heed and do it.

Len Collins author of Len Collins’ Guitar Breakthrough

To visit the Guitar Breakthrough website click the image below.

Guitar Breakthrough DVD

Copyright © Len Collins 2011

Gradually, like the last kangaroo on the wrong side of Australia realising it’s too late now to turn back and jump across the growing divide, a guitarist will soon catch on that the promised land is not just unreachable but probably doesn’t exist. It’s a mirage that keeps hovering at a safe distance away from you. The nearer you get to it the happier it is to tease. Either way nobody ever gets the chance to lay their hands on it.

Keep smiling this will prove not a bad thing.

Every guitar player starts with big plans and little idea of what is involved. Some believe you have to be born with the skills.

They think along these lines: If their most distant ancestors came down from the trees without a carved guitar clutched in their little furry mits there is no point in starting something you can’t finish. They believe the odds are stacked against them before they even pick up the instrument. Pick it up. Put it down.

Positive thinkers openly laugh at these pessimists. To them, the guitar seems an easy instrument to learn. In fact they have already made plans for their first clarinet lesson only a month after buying the guitar. They reckon the piece of wood is a piece of cake.

Doubters, the people who can’t see success even when the applause is drowning out their insecurity think it’s funny how every member of the cheering throng is wrong.

There are guitarists even further down the evolutionary chain that gives up playing after seeing someone who has been playing for years play like someone who has been playing for years. What is wrong with these people?

So where is the true answer? How long is it going to take to make a reasonable job of playing the guitar? Who knows? Probably everybody’s right. There is a little bit of everything in there somewhere. It’s going to take some time and that’s a fact.

OK, let’s start sorting it out.

A journey of a thousand miles starts by buying a ticket or a car. In this case it’s a guitar.

Just a passing thought. One of my students, Brenda (read my post about Brenda here.) suggested that TAB is like using a SatNav: It got you there but you couldn’t explain the route to someone else. Nor does it help you read a map. Clever girl.

Like all long journeys, playing guitar is full of anticipation. It also involves a lot of waiting while connections are made. Sometimes you travel under moonlit skies. Other times the progress is so very slow you think that you may have stopped altogether.

To make something out of nothing takes perseverance. It’s more a game of snakes and ladders really.

A good teacher will help you, encourage you and explain what you have to do and why you have to do it. When the learning hour finishes and the teaching is done you are now on your own. That’s when you have to make the right decisions.

I offer a selection of decisions:

Putting practising off till tomorrow never works. Staring at your fingers waiting for some kind of celestial intervention that never works either. Waiting to be saved by a phone call from a band or an invitation by text to come and jam is simply not going to help or happen.

Answer me this: Who was it that chose to play the guitar in the first place? You.

Now this: Who will reap the rewards when you are brilliant? You.

Who is in the driving seat for success? Yep, it’s still you.

That’s the last transport metaphor. I promise. I’ll have to think of something else instead.

Ok, let’s get back to your work ethic. Or rather let’s go to a recording studio.

When you listen to a recording of your favourite band, or even your least favourite band, a good time seems to be had by all.  To be honest you’ll find the inside of your garden shed a more interesting place to be than a recording session.

A track takes maybe two minutes to listen to.  To create this illusion of perfection will take even the most accomplished musician hours, days or even months. Even if you are completely rehearsed out when you walk through a studio door a giant mental magnet they keep in the entrance erases everything except will power from the musician parts of your brain.

‘Just one more time, please,’ the producer smiles. ‘Ready? From the top.’

The rest of the band isn’t there. They have either completed their part and have gone home to recuperate or sitting around waiting to replace you under the unforgiving eye of the 24 track digital mixing desk. There’s a track out there with a name on it and that name is yours.

When the producer calls, ‘Time,’ the band retreats to a place where its not wanted. Technicians move in to glide the sliders up and down. Nimble fingers twiddle to the left, then the right. Pan left, right and centre. Do you want a bit more bass or a little less vocal from the backing singers?

Suddenly, if days can be counted as suddenly the woven magic forms a cloth of gold. Music will respond when the loose ends are tied. Musicians glow: One track in the can seven more to go.

Nothing’s easy. There is no let up from the work, the stress or the possibility of something better waiting to be found.

Day one is repeated endlessly like Groundhog Day. You make a little progress. You take a little dive. It’s a serious can of worms you open when you ask for a guitar. Music has no interest in age. All it cares about is the time you give it. Music doesn’t want you to love it. It wants you to challenge it. It dares you to ignore it. Ignore it at your own risk. It might pack its bags and go.

Why isn’t it a bad thing that there is no end to a beginners dream? The answer is another question. Why is chasing a runaway balloon more fun than catching it? You spend a lot of time and energy chasing the thing yet you are happy for its freedom when it sails out of sight.

Music needs its freedom to grow just like you do.

A young girl strumming on a summer’s day surrounded by blue sky, green grass and a handful of admirers has to earn her day in the sun.

Len Collins author of Len Collins’ Guitar Breakthrough

To visit the Guitar Breakthrough website click the image below.

Guitar Breakthrough DVD

copyright © Len Collins 2011

One, a nice lady called Eran struggled a bit today with the ways of the Capo. The name Capo is a shortened version of the italian word capotasto which translates into ‘The head of the Fretboard.’

capo

Basically, when you clip a Capo on the fretboard it creates a new set of sounds for the open strings. The Capo creates a new starting note for each of the 6 guitar strings. Thus changing the tone of the open sounds.

When using standard tuning the open strings (without a Capo) are – from low to high.

E   A   D   G   B   E.

When the Capo is on the 3rd fret the E   A   D   G   B   E notes can no longer be heard. That’s because the Capo is in the way. What we hear are the notes where the Capo clamps down on the strings. In the example below the Capo is on the 3rd Fret. The open notes G   C   F   B    D   G are heard when the 6 open strings are strummed with your plectrum.

Not with your thumb as Eran’s daughter would prefer.

Put the Capo on the 7th fret when you play the open stings the Capo has changed the sounds to B   E   A   D   F#  B

Position of Capo on fretboard

The Capo can, of course  be placed on any fret. You can use the fretboard graphic from an early post of mine to work out the notes that you hear when you strum the open strings. (Fretboard graphic)

The Capo is a genuine musicians tool. Once I had to play guitar for a solo singer who was more used to a piano than a guitar. It was only for one song but it was an important occasion. Over a week I worked out an accompaniment that I knew would satisfy myself and the vocalist. It was very complicated. On the way to the rehearsal I popped a Capo into my guitar case.

After the first verse we decided to raise the pitch half a tone from G to A. This normally wouldn’t be a problem because I can play anything in any key. The problem was the intro utilised open chords to give a full rich sound to the song before switching to Barre chords and closed notes for the little solos I incorporated into the rhythm.

The rehearsal and the performance went extremely well. Without the Capo it wouldn’t have been the same.

Now it’s time to slip from the higher echelons of music to slide, once again, down into the depths when musicians haven’t a clue what they are doing. Eran is already far ahead of most guitarists when it comes to understanding the theory behind guitar playing and today she teetered giddily between how, and why a Capo works with brave uncertainty.

For Eran, and for you, I will clear it up.

Many printouts of words and chords from the internet  state at the top of the page play chord of G, Capo 3rd fret. Just like the image below.

A Chord with no names

Above the words will be a chord sequence. Like so.

OK. The Capo is on the 3rd fret and you are playing the chord of G. Can anyone tell me what is wrong with that statement?

Well done the people I teach and anyone else who has a good teacher. The chord you are playing cannot possibly be the chord of G. It might look like a G but the chord of G it isn’t.

The 3 notes that make the chord of G come from the 1st – 3rd – 5th notes of the scale of G.

Here is the scale of G highlighting the 1st  3rd  5th notes.

The 3 notes (triad) of the G chord G – B – D.

Here they are in the G major chord with the root note ringed in red.

So far so good. I should point out that the root note is the lowest name of the chord. In this case the low G.

Think back to the first illustration.

With the Capo is on the 3rd fret, the open strings change to

G   C   F   B    D   G

not

E   A   D   G   B   E
(without the Capo).

So this is not the chord of G, is it?

No, it can’t be the chord of G major. It is the same shape but doesn’t use the correct collection of sounds.

Now I will fill in the blank notes.

Now you can see it’s not the chord of G. The red ringed root note is B.
below is the scale of B highlighting the 1st  3rd  5th notes. The 3 notes of the B chord.

The chord might look like G but it sounds like B.

Back to the song.

In fact isn’t right at all. What it really is is this

Written below is more acceptable because you can see the real key as well the shapes you know well.

Capo 3rd fret.

As part of the last post I relied heavily on subliminal messages to urge you to buy the Guitar Breakthrough lessons as this blog can’t go into too much depth. (click here) I’ve decided not to do that today. I think you should make up your own mind. It’s only fair.

Now the important question. Why does any of this matter and who does it matter to? (I know that’s two questions.)

For a start it doesn’t really matter to you, much.

Picture the scene… You are out playing at a local venue happily singing and strumming away. Capo firmly attached to the neck of your guitar at the 3rd fret. I hope you are not only picturing the scene but are reliving the scene from a day or two ago.

If you are not on stage, you are not anywhere!

The applause fades away and you prepare to meet your admiring crowd. Before you can step lightly from the stage a voice calls out.

‘Don’t go, mate. Let’s play that song again. I’ll join you on the keyboard. I love that tune.’

Fair enough. You stay.

‘What key you in?’ Asks the keyboard player.

‘G,’ you reply. Honestly believing this is correct.

The audience move a little closer. The loves of your life wait for the excitement to start. Two heroes on one platform.

‘Ready. 1 2 3 4.’

You strum the first chord and begin to sing. On the keyboard ten fingers play the  notes that make up the chord of G.

The excitement turns to puzzled amazement. It sounds terrible. Worse than terrible, it sounds like me singing!

‘You said it’s in G.’ shouts the keyboard player.

‘It is, look.’ You shout back.

‘That’s not G that’s B. Listen. You strum your first chord while I’ll play B on here.‘

You strum your guitar defiantly from 6th string to 1st  but sadly there is no getting away from the fact that the keyboard chord and your guitar chord now harmonise.

Ignorance is never an excuse for making a mistake. You can’t help making mistakes, that’s all part of a live performance. Mistakes, and the way you cover them up help produce a quick thinking brain and fingers that do as they are told.

Not knowing your instrument is unforgivable.

As the love in your life disappears up its own G-string and quickly begins to focus on the keyboard player you slip quietly out into the dark, lonely night.

There is nothing left for you to say except maybe I should buy the Guitar Breakthrough lessons. (click here)

Things are not what the seem to be. Things are what they are.

Happy Christmas Eran. I’ll see you in the New Year. Well done. I know you understand everything in this post.

Len Collins author of Len Collins’ Guitar Breakthrough

To visit the Guitar Breakthrough website click the image below.

Guitar Breakthrough DVD

A lot of people say they can read music. This is true and the end result is always the same: They can play the tune.

This is not my purpose when teaching my students to read the music.  Being able to read music is a very useful, but for most people it is a very limited experience. I want to expand the possibilities of the lines, spaces and dots and take the stave to a place where you never imagined it could survive. The rock world.

All my experiences as a guitarist are based on how I finally mastered the instrument. No one taught me. I worked it through by myself. It took a long time. In those days teachers of the guitar knew what they were doing – I know that is a big generalisation saying that most of the teachers today don’t know what they are doing but I’m going to stay with it – but sadly no-one in my family was willing to pay for it.

If you are taught the TAB word or shown chord pictures with no link to a scale then I am right. If, on the other hand you make good and quick progress month on month and have a respectable knowledge base let me know and I’ll happily give your teacher a link.

OK. Let’s get on. Your fretboard needs to be a working, living map that helps you find the sounds you need to play. If not then sadly it’s just a lump of wood with 6 strings on. Not good.

I’ve made it quite clear in every blog I’ve ever written that TAB is a waste of time and talent. So, today I’m not going to say it.

In the world of pop and rock music reading the black and white stuff is associated with something much like the sticky thing I once found in the boot of my car when I took out the spare tyre. Not needed. Not useful. Not wanted. Once, in a different time when music reading was looked upon in a totally different light musicians worked hard to transfer sound to paper in the most efficient way possible. They succeeded.  Today, at least by rock musician standards reading music it is something not to be touched.

I will show you how music written on the stave will add up to more than all the TAB numbers put together.

I want you to think about your targets: What you are looking to achieve as a guitarist? Puzzle for a moment at why you’re not even reaching the dizzy heights of under-achieving and listen up.

Here is some music written by my son for the Users Area of the Guitar breakthrough website.

Colin' s tune copyright © decmusic 2009

I guess what you’re asking me, even though I can’t possibly here you, is how will this make you into a great lead guitarist. Well, on its own it doesn’t. You have to learn the secrets and then it does. As we move further down this post I’ll explain the links that change a simple written down melody into the most useful tool imaginable for creative purposes. It will also fill in the gaps in your knowledge that are letting you down.

Switch off  the working parts of your brain that are thinking about your stomach, your computer games or the love of your life and concentrate. What I’m about to tell you will put bucket loads of food on your plate as well as provide the cash for all the games in the world and excite the love of your life too.

All you have to do is listen to what you’re reading and put it into practice. You won’t get the rewards unless you earn them. There is no quicker fix than this and this fix takes time. The main point is that you have to know where your fingers are supposed to be when you want to improvise.

All guitar music starts with a treble clef – Treble means high. Clef is French for key. Any instrument that has a high voice uses the stave (the 5 lines) with a treble clef at the beginning. To extend the range of the stave 3 extra ledger lines are placed above and below it. Every note on the fretboard has a home on the stave.

Treble Clef

Look at the TAB written below. How does it help you play the notes anywhere except where the TAB says?

e —————————-0
B —-2–2–0 —————
G 0————2–0—0—-
D —————————-
A—————————-
E—————————-

Now. I’ve named the notes on the stave.

Now watch…Play the tune above using the note names and the timing. The notes in blue are the notes on the stave. You don’t have to know a song to play it.

Play the blue notes

Now play it here.

Play tune again here, please

Let me hear it one more time.

Third time lucky

One last thing. Using the same notes in each of the different positions muddle them up to create a tune of your own.

Hey, look your improvising! Clever you. I’m not doing anything. You are!

Next to the Treble Clef is the Key Signature: This shows the key the tune is written in.

Key signatures: G (major) 1 sharp F# F (major) 1 flat B

The importance of this is of the highest magnitude. maybe even higher.

Music on the page is the quickest way to learn scales. Playing scales will give you fast, light fingers. The stave will help you name those notes.

As a lead guitarist you have to be quick to assemble the best notes for a solo without a mindful of clutter. Before starting any piece of music you have to make a note of the scale, else it doesn’t sound right. So here is the first link: Read the music, learn the scale, control your fingers.

The key signature shows the number of sharps or flats used in the song. These notes are particular to one scale. Every scale is different.

In the example above I have circled first, the single sharp that represents the scale of G and the single flat that is the key signature of F. No two scales have the same key signature. No two scales are the same. Whether you are playing a guitar solo or reading a melody the same rule applies.

Scale of G:    G A B C D E F# G
Scale of F:    F G A B C D E F

Key signature G with the F # highlighted and the scale of F with the B highlighted

The tiny example above is in the scale of G. All the F notes must automatically be played as F#.
The same goes for the B notes in the scale of F they all must be played B .

When you read songs written in the scale of G you must remember to sharp the sharp.

Next time you’re with your band and they want you to solo in the key of G? Yep, you sharp the sharp. Not only will you know what it means, and what to do, you also know where to find them. Clear enough?

Briefly, and maybe a tad too simplistically, a melody written in G uses the notes G A B C D E F# (G). So too does a lead guitarist when improvising. You don’t have to use all of them and a few extra notes from other scales can be thrown in to add a little seasoning.

Playing a piece of music teaches you how to mobilise a scale, how to turn that scale into something tuneful and where the notes are on the fretboard. I told you that it’s useful.

The more music you read the quicker you understand how to make a scale work for you. When you need to create an intro, outro and any other tro you fancy you will remember what the music taught you. TAB has no key signatures. To become an everlasting legend you must first become a tuneful lead guitarist .

Shed the blinkers, go buy some short,simple sheet music.

You can’t be a session musician if you don’t know your scales.

Look at the TAB below. What does this mean? How do you use it?

e————————————————
B—————————-5—7—8———
G————4—5—7————————-
D–5—7—————————————
A———————————————–
E———————————————–

This is what it looks like in real life.

Scale of G in blue

And this…

Scale of F in blue.

Next up are the bar lines and the reason why we need them. I think I deserve a medal for doing all this. Better still buy the lessons. Ha Ha!

Time signatures and bar lines

A series of bar lines divide the stave into equal measures containing a certain number of beats (not notes). How many beats in each bar is determined by the time signature.

Timing of notes.

Value of notes

What the big pic above is showing you is that a minim (2 beats) lasts half the length of a semibreve (4 beats) so it’s called a half note. A crotchet (1 beat) lasts for a quarter of the time of a semibreve and a quaver lasts for an eighth of a semibreve

When the time signature says the two numbers (top and bottom) each tell you something different. The bottom number 4 means the pulse of the song uses ¼ notes (crotchets 1 beat) as its base. If the time signature is the bottom number indicates ½ notes (Minims 2 beats) are at its base.

Here comes a subliminal message: If you want to get a full explanation you will have to buy the Guitar Breakthrough lessons. Buy if here. End of subliminal message. Didnt notice that. Did you?

The top number of tells you how many – in this case crotchets – there are 4 in each bar. This is what your drummer calls out at the start of a song. It doesn’t matter which notes are to be played in the song, the beats in the bar cannot exceed the length of 4 crotchets.

Bottom number: which type of note is used.
Top number: How many. Reading music helps you visualise it clearly. You can see what 4 beats in the bar looks like.

Time signature and length of notes. Add up the value of the notes above.

This part of reading music helps you get a better feel of what the drummer is telling you and what everybody else is doing.

Read the music. Learn the timing. Be a better guitarist.

One last thing. I’ll repeat the subliminal message at the end of the post – Oh, I forgot you wouldn’t have seen it. Ignore what I just said.

It is assumed that a piece of music uses a million notes. Not true. A piece of music uses a few notes a million times.

The G notes below are played in the same place on the fretboard. You have a choise of 3 positions  – open 3rd string – 5th fret on the D string – 10th fret of the A string – they all produce the same frequency for that G note. Once you know where it is, it’s always there.

G notes on a stave

Here’s a whole bunch of C notes.

C notes written on the stave.

There are dots that tell you where and when to repeat.

Signs that tell you to take it from the top. Da Capo 

Signs that tell you to take it from the sign. Del Segno

Signs that tell you to take it to the end. Little Coda to Big  Coda

In fact if you need it it’s on the stave. If you don’t need it, it isn’t.

Reading music will make you think. Reading music will challenge you. Reading music will make you learn the notes on the fretboard and from there into a tuneful heavy rocking, blues blasting, country singing, bluegrass ringing, jazz and pop sensational lead guitar player who can also play the dots when asked.

Music written on a stave is not something to be frightened of. Be brave and make a start. I’m always here if you need help.

Thank you for hanging in there.

You wont notice this, but you are reading my subliminal message: If you want to get a full explanation you will have to buy the Guitar Breakthrough lessons. Buy if here. End of subliminal message. Got you again, didn’t I?

Len Collins author of Len Collins’ Guitar Breakthrough

To visit the Guitar Breakthrough website click the image below

Guitar Breakthrough DVD

The next post is to be about reading music and the skills needed to play lead guitar.  The importance of which is that you can’t be a good one without the other.

Because of the amount a graphics I have to create so I can explain how to build a smooth bridge between sound written down and improvisation I’m afraid you will all have to wait.

Sorry about that.

While I’m here I will introduce you to the stars of these particular posts. Below, holding up what must be a very lightweight Kayak is John who, in fact built the craft. Below John’s photograph are photos of Shiloh and Holly.

John with lightwieght, handmade Kayak

There’s a most beautiful song called In the hills of Shiloh sung by Judy Collins that you should listen to. It would be nice for you to listen to except I can’t find it on YouTube anywhere. Don’t try to find it yourself: There is someone doing something really awful to it on what might be a violin if he could play it. I once put my son’s violin in the loft for making the same sort of sounds.

One day, about a month after the event, he was 4 1/2 years old when he asked me where his violin was. I climbed the rickety ladder and fetched it down.  That was the beginning of a musical career (playing to grade 8 standard the church organ, viola, piano, cello and singing in the manner of dreams) that led to him performing around the world, gaining a 1st at Oxford and now 23 years later a professional singer.

On his 4th birthday he waited patiently for the violin he had asked for as his main present. Just before I gave it to him I told him music is not an indoor entertainment and, if you want the instrument we play to the people. And so he did. And so he does.

You have to practice what you preach.

He used to play air cello (again aged 4 until he got his own one) whenever he was taken to watch orchstras play. After one concert the cellist came up to him  and congratulated him on the way he played.

I’ll be working on the next step of John and Shiloh’s Christmas extravaganza in the morning. Be patient, it’s well worth waiting for.

Len Collins author of Len Collins’ Guitar Breakthrough

To visit the Guitar Breakthrough website click the image below.

Guitar Breakthrough DVD