When you look at the beginning of a song, there is usually a series of sharps or flats on the staff. If you ever looked at it carefully you would know that they are laid out in a very specific order. So first I will give you the order of sharps.

F, C, G, D, A, E, B.

The order of flats are:

B, E, A, D, G, C, F.

Now the way to remember the order of sharps is Fat, Charlie, Gets, Drunk, After, Every, Beer.

The order of flats obviously spells the word BEAD and then you have GCF after bead. I find if you say the word BEAD and then GCF the GCF kinda sounds like a hairball caught in your throat or something, damn hairballs. You wont forget the order of flats now.

So what you can do is draw a circle with c on top and go around it on the right side with the sharps (which is the circle of fifths), and the left side with the flats, (cycle of fourths. Now C obviously has no sharps or flats, so you need to number them starting with G as one. On the flats F would be one.

Now when you look at a piece of music and you see a series of sharps or flats, count them and you will know what key you are in. To know what sharps or flats they are simply follow the order of sharp or flats and you will have your answer:) So in the key of A there are three sharps. They are F#, C#, G#. So you could write out C Aeolian and replace the f, c, and g, with sharps. This is important when you are writing a particular piece. You can create chords with each key very easily. Lets look at G major. Here is how you can do it.

So all I have done is follow the formula for the major scale w, w, h, w, w, w, h.

Follow the formula for the harmonized major scale Maj, Min, Min, Maj, Dom, Min, Dim.

And I plugged in the modes with the note placement. It is really that simple.

If you need to contact me my email address is jimmy@americanguitarinstititue.com. And if you live in The Memphis area and you need the best instruction money can buy please sign up for lessons before all my slots are filled. Thank you and enjoy the column and my others.

Key Changes was written by Jimmy Hudson for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

Cmaj7, Dmin7, Emin7, Fmaj7, G7, Amin7, Bmin7b5

So the basic formula is maj7, min7, min7, maj7, 7, min7, min7b5. This works in every key. The harmonized scale is also what most composition is based off of. You will hear allot of jazz guys say that is a ii,v,i progression in C maj. What they are saying in essence is Dmin7, G7, Cmaj7. So that leads us to the modes of the major scale. In order to fully get the modes out you must have a chord or triad behind you. Otherwise you would simply be playing the scale. So here are the modes of the major scale.

So as you can see it is a pretty simple concept. You simply take a note out of the major scale and play it as if that where the root. So if you start on C and end on C you are in C Ionian. Now to find your relative minor simply go down three scale degrees from your root or up five. The relative minor is the Aeolian, you can go down 3 frets on a guitar to find it. So the Relative minor of Cmaj is Amin. To find you relative major if you are in minor do the opposite. It also sounds really cool to play the major scale and it’s relative minor at the same time. This is called harmonizing. So really there is no mystery in modes or theory at all. The only reason why there is a so called mystery is because on guitar for some reason people start off learning songs and that is generally all they ever do is learn songs and copy licks instead of actually learning their instrument. If you follow my practice schedule and you study my columns I promise you will never need tablature as a crutch again. There are also modes to the harmonic and melodic minor scales. You can get a copy of these and more at the Guitar Grimoire book of scales and modes. It is a very extensive knowledge based book and I think that a law should be passed for every guitarist to own it. Now that you have the formula for modes try writing out the modes in every key. Also come up with as many progressions as possible, try a II, V, I, IV, VII, or a III, II, I, you can make up all kinds of progressions using modal thinking.

Modal Thinking was written by Jimmy Hudson for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

This is what music consists of:

“1% magic
99% stuff that is
explainable;
analyzable;
categorizeable;
doable”

So I thought that, from popular request, I would cover usable theory in this column. Like I said, intervals are the distance between two notes. So you can pick any note to start and that will be your root note. These are the intervals in chromatic order. At first, only read the left two columns, ignore everything in the right columns for the moment.

Now when you have intervals like nine and thirteen what you are doing is going up an octave, but keep counting. SO a root is 8, a 2nd is a 9th, a fourth is an 11th, and a 6th is a 13th. You will only see 9, 11, and 13 as the other intervals are already there because they are required to be there to make a 7th chord. The intervals in parenthesis are optional as guitar only has six strings so sometimes you have to omit tones.By using intervals you can build any chord or scale anywhere on the neck, in any key. So if you want a major scale you would have a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. The way you build chords is by taking the 1, 3, 5, & 7 out of the scale you are using. Here is a chart on different chords and scales built by intervals. This chart only touches on the tip of the iceberg there are much more thorough lists out there, these are a few chords and scales. The Guitar Grimoire series has a fairly thorough list as well. Sometimes you may see a different spelling for the same note, such as a minor sixth is the same as an augmented fifth, see augment means to sharp, or go forward. Something like in a Diminished 7 chord you will need a double flated 7 written as bb7 so if you take a minor seven and subtract one you have a major six, but in order to call it a seven chord we have to fit it into a bb7.

Below is an Interval chart showing you all the intervals on the neck rooted off of F:

If you notice the one is a different color. It is different so you could easily find the root. So if we want to build say a Major triad rooted off the fifth string you can play 1st fret on the 6th string, then play the 5th fret on the 6th string so you have your 1 and your 3, now we need a five, it is on the 3rd fret 5th string, then your octave is on the 3rd fret 4th string, now we play the third which is on the 2nd fret third string, then the 5 which is on the 1st fret 2nd string then the root 1st fret 1st string and finally our third on the 5th fret 1st string.

Now the great thing about intervals is there are so many ways you can voice any chord or scale on the neck, the main thing is to memorize the formula and be creative building it. Obviously we don’t always play rooted off of F. Suppose we want to build a major scale off of G, it is simple we take our root on F and we move it up 2 frets to G so we can create a new map rooted off of g, the formulas stay the same you just move the root. Here is a chart rooted off of G:

So to build a G major scale we need a 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 and octave we can say on the 6th string play the 3rd 5th and 7th frets, then on the 5th string play 3rd, 5th and 7th frets, then on the 4th string we shift to 4th, 5th, and 7th fret, 3rd string we play the same thing 4th, 5th, and 7ty fret, then on the 2nd fret I useually shift up to the 5th fret and play 5th, 7th and 8th frets, same on the first string 5th,7th, then 8th. So we have built a major triad in F, and a Major scale in G.

Good luck with your new found skill on building chords and scales, practice playing these chords and scales in as many different places as possible, the important thing is to look at the fretboard as a giant map. The first note you play does not have to be the root either, you can start on the third or any note you want. Use visualization to visualize where youre intervals are. Thank you Krystel for making these wonderful charts, I would have no hope with computer graphics, I was going to write it out and scan it.

A Study On Intervals was written by Jimmy Hudson for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

I was primarily a bluesman until I was seventeen. As much as I love the blues there are a lot of techniques involved with untrained playing that can really affect your future playing and will cause serious damage to your wrists and fingers that are not curable allot of times. I know it looks cool to have a low slung guitar, but it is not efficient in any way, shape, or form. It forces your wrist to bend in a way that it shouldn’t, causing carpal tunnel and many other ailments. It is crucial to have your wrist as straight as possible while playing. If you are a beginner or intermediate student that has not ever taken professional guitar lessons before then you need to sign up immediately with a qualified teacher. Your best bet will be to go to a jazz or classical teacher in your area. Whether you like those styles or not that is pointless. You have to have someone watching you to point out what you should be doing to get proper technique. It is also impossible to pull off complex lines without good technique. This is why I am doing work on the Internet to get people out of the rut that they get stuck in. It happens to 99% of all guitarists at some point of time when they are stuck playing the same rehashed stuff over and over again.

So, now that, that is off my chest, I have already said that your wrist should always be straight. Not only should your wrist be straight, but your thumb should always be behind the neck. There is only one exception for that and that is when you go to pull off a soaring blues bend. Other then that it needs to be behind the neck at all times period. Now with the right hand I personally use a cross between the Shawn Lane style of picking where my hand makes a loose fist and I hold the pick at a slight angle and the Eric Johnson bounce techniques. I almost always anchor my hand on the bridge with a very, very light touch. My pick is held as close to my hand as possible. Being in this position it is nearly impossible to trip up anywhere. A lot of great guitarists anchor their finger on the body. I personally prefer to keep my hand in a fist for maximum balance and to keep my fingers from getting in the way. By doing it this way I can easily palm mute, do pinch harmonics, and reach everything very comfortably. The bounce technique is where you go up with the pick instead of through the whole string. This allows me to get to the other side of the string very quickly and efficiently. The key to doing this is to be able to lightly brush the string yet be able to get some power in it as well. Of coarse crosspicking should always be used religiously. This is where you do a downstroke with the pick, and the next note played you do an up stroke. As far as sweep picking I go through the note mute it with my palm and rest my pick on the next note, which of course will be on the next string. You do not want your notes to ring out while you are sweep picking. The way I utilize my right hand is a very complete method compiled from years of instruction, school, and even students. Just like everything else it is an on going learning process, but the essentials change. I mute all strings that are not being played on with my palm and extra fingers on my left hand.

Left Hand

As far as my left hand goes again efficiency is everything. My left hand is probably the strongest technique that I have. I usually do it the same way Vinnie Moore does it where you use the very tips of your fingers. After time you will develop muscles that you never knew you had. If you look at Vinnies fingers they are almost like sculpted mallets. I also encourage you to lift weights on both arms. Primarily curls and reversals to build you forearms so you will have stamina. Your left hand needs to always be able to go to the next move in an efficient manner. Use visualization heavily for really both hands. Visualize how you will play one passage to quickly be able to go to the next. I also mentioned visualization in my how to practice column. Of course always use a metronome to build maximum technique. With your thumb behind the neck you have a greater range of reaching for those far out there notes. You should be able to comfortably reach at least an eight fret span. Always look for a more sensible way to play something. If you are reading the tab for something and it has you going all over the place. Look for the same notes in a six fret span. You should be able to play any chord or scale in any given six frets. The only reason you should ever have to move out of where you are at is for different tones. You should come up with as many possible ways to play anything. Also practice getting your fingers in a normally uncomfortable situation so that you can get anywhere at anytime in a quick and fluent manner while still being in time.

That covers my basic technique. I’m sure I could sit here for hours on end covering everything, but I will have to save that for a book Thank you for all the kind Emails and you are always welcome to Email me if you have any questions.

Maximized Technique was written by Jimmy Hudson for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

The first thing you should work with is a metronome. Most guitarists hate them but trust me, they help. This is your constant drummer that never makes mistakes. If you want to get the most out of playing something, play it extremely slow with a metronome. You will find that if you play something slow it is actually harder than speeding through it. Get it perfect to where it sounds excellent slow. The speed will come on it’s own. If you do it this way, when you do get speed behind it, you will have note seperation and tone that you never had before. You also learn it quicker and more thoroughly.

If you are learning a particular piece and you have trouble with a particular part instead of playing the whole piece over and over again, pick out the problem area and play that part slowly until you get it down. What you are doing is seperating this part which allows you to learn the whole piece in equal time. This way you are not mastering everything in that song but the problem spot. That sounds horrible , you get out of time and all choked up and it just does not fit like it should. When it comes to practice you need to break everything down into time frames. The human brain can only give you an attention span that lasts between two and five minutes max. Use a timer and set it to fifteen minute per each subject of study. Don’t quit playing until the timer goes off. At that point stop playing and take a three minute break. This allows you to collect your thoughts and give your fingers and brain a little break.

Always take a day off from guitar every week. This will help freshen you up. Always remember to breathe when practicing or playing. A lot of people hold their breath when playing something difficult. When practicing try getting a visual image of what you will be playing. This is one of the most important tools of learning music. It is reffered to as visualization. When you are done practicing, always play something that you enjoy playing. This will keep your interest in doing the same thing the next day. Use the metronome and crosspick everything. You know that you are using the metronome correctly when you can’t hear the beeps. This does not mean to turn up louder than the metronome, that would be useless.

Here is a good practice schedule that will get you were you want to be quicker than anything else. Time is of the essence, so jump on it.

This schedule will get you further than you have ever been before. It is very similar to practice schedules given out by many colleges. For Scales I would highly recommend checking out a book called the Guitar Grimoire Scales and Modes by Adam Kadmon. This is by far the best book on scales I have seen. It is thorough and contains most of the scales that you will use. A really good chord book you should check out is Chord Chemistry by one of the masters of guitar Ted Greene (please release more music and books Ted). Be careful and make sure you get the one written by Ted Greene because it seems to me some moron stole that title and released a book not anywhere near as good as Ted’s. (He has also written a couple books on jazz soloing.) You should have all material for the schedule written and planned out before you start practicing so that you can go straight through without stopping until you switch subjects. This is a sample schedule you can break the subjects and times down to your liking, I have found this schedule to be thorough.

Good Luck!

Getting The Most Out of Your Practice was written by Jimmy Hudson for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise