Darrin Koltow

The nature of bass chords is they sound a bit muddier. In this example, we’ll play a Dm instead of a C because it sounds good with the whole progression.

We’ve been playing the C ionian or C major sound with chords whose melody notes sit on string 1 or string 2. Let’s try out some C Io chords that cover all twelve frets.

Last issue we covered diatonic (within a key) C major chords whose melody notes lay on string 1. A natural progression for us this time would be chords for string two.

We’ve been exploring modes, the C Ionian mode in particular. Now let’s take a look now at moving from one position to another, as we stick to making the C Ionian sound.

We’ve used chords and arpeggios to convey the C Ionian sound, and have started on using scales to convey that sound. Let’s continue our exploration of modes.

So far we’ve been looking at how to get a C Ionian or C major sound through arpeggios and chords. Now let’s look at different ways to convey those sounds.

This is the second in a series of articles on modes. Specifically, we’re building exercises that focus on getting the Ionian, Dorian, Mixolydian, and Phyrgian sounds into our ear and under our fingers.

This is the start of a series of articles on practicing modes. We’ll cover a routine you can use to explore, understand and apply modal thinking to your music.

Here’s a melodic idea you might enjoy exploring. You might want to brush up on your arpeggios before working on the tab.

Expanding on last week’s tip, let’s take out the repeated note and play the three note arp now as a true, three note arpeggio.

This tip concerns a Bb 7 arpeggio without the Bb. I wanted to show you an alternative to the standard 4-note arpeggio with the root.

Here’s a scale exercise you might especially helpful if you’re interested in improvisation, especially modal improvisation.

Have you ever not reached a goal because it looked too easy to do, or because there wasn’t enough struggle involved in reaching it?

The fatigued you is not the ideal, guitar-practicing you. Even if you’re not a “morning person,” you may still feel that anything is possible in the morning.

Here’s a habit that doesn’t relate directly to playing guitar, but can have a great impact on your practice and playing: Keep a journal.

Putting chords to a melody is one of the most rewarding aspects of making music. Even if you can’t play chords on your guitar, you still can play arpeggios.

You’ll want to have a large repertoire of different kinds of songs to help you grow as a musician. Here are some thoughts about which songs to learn.

If you’re more comfortable thinking with fret numbers than note names, the chart in this tip will help. Use it the next time you learn a tune’s chords from sheet music.

When you learn a chord progression, try doing so in a way that helps you understand and apply it effectively, and helps you understand better how music works. That way involves learning the root movements between the chords.

How do some guitarists seem to barely move their hand when they change chords? The answer is inversions. Learning how they work can give you a “slowhand.”