We’ve been exploring the uses of the min7b5 chord, a chord that doesn’t seem to get a whole lot of play. And that’s a shame, because it’s got a sound all its own. This time out we’ll use the min7b5 in a ii V I going toward a minor key center.

Time for a little background info. What is a “ii V I”? It’s a mini chord progression that sets up a key center. After you play a ii V I — Like Am D7 G, for example — you instantly know that G is the most important note, the key center.

There are minor ii V Is and major ii V Is. Minor ii V Is typically use a min7b5 for the ii — because the ii chord in a common minor scale, the harmonic minor, is a min7b5. Check out the chords in A harmonic minor:

A min, B min7b5, C major, D minor, E7, F major, G# dim

See how B min 7b5 is the second (ii) chord? And notice the V: E7. Now let’s use that min7b5 and V7 to move toward the One minor:

|-------|-------|------|
|-3--3--|-3--3--|-1----|
|-2--2--|-1--1--|-2----|
|-3--3--|-0--0--|-2----|
|-2--2--|-2--2--|-0----|
|-------|-0--0--|------|

If that’s a little dry, let’s try this, which uses add bit more flavor to the plain B min7b5, to make a B min7b5 add 11.

|--------|-0------|------|
|-5-3----|-3-3----|-0----|
|-2-2----|-1-1----|-5----|
|-3-3----|-0-0----|-4----|
|-2-2----|-2-2----|-0----|
|--------|-0-0----|------|

That’s it for this time. Thanks for reading.

Copyright © 2008 Darrin Koltow

This first appeared in the Guitar Noise News - November 1, 2006 newsletter. Reprinted with permission.

Hello to everyone and welcome to the latest Guitar Noise Podcast! And my thank you to all for your patience in giving me a little time off since the last one.

Our seventh GN Podcast picks up right on the heels of the sixth, working with the Am to G to D progression in 3 /4 timing that closed our last podcast. This time out, though, we add the technique of crosspicking (using individual notes instead of strumming or partial chords) to give some variation and interest that basic strumming wouldn’t cover. Finally, we also work in the walking bass lines from GN Podcast #6 to our crosspicking, making things even more interesting!

As in our previous Guitar Noise Podcasts, I’ll be walking you step by step through the lesson. So don’t think that you ain’t going nowhere, get your guitar, get down on that easy chair and come along and play! And, as always, please let us know what you think.

Peace

 

 Guitar Noise Podcast #7 - A little crosspicking... [30:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Unfortunately, due to David’s busy schedule and travel plans, we’re not able to bring you a new podcast this week.

In less than two months we’ve added six podcasts. I think that makes this a good time to review what we’ve covered so far. Please keep your comments coming as they help us along the way.

Our next podcast will be available on April 28.

We’re looking again at the often over-looked min7b5 chord. Last time we saw how it can replace a dom 7 chord. This time we’ll see how it replaces a tonic minor chord.

The point of doing this substitution is to give ourselves some fresh-sounding options to play, rather than trudging through the same old sounds.

What is a “tonic minor chord” anyway? It’s a minor chord that’s set up as the central, most important chord — even if only for a short time. A non-tonic minor chord is just like a pitstop: we’re just passing through it on our way to something else. An example will better illustrate.

Play a D minor, E7, then A minor. That A minor is a tonic minor. Even if we follow it with a G7, then, C. That A minor feels like a significant place, in whatever musical journey the song it appears in takes us on. Contrast with this: play a G major, A minor, D minor, G7, C. That A minor doesn’t grab our attention in the same way, does it? Same chord, different context, different function, different *feeling.*

Back to our mission here: replacing the tonic minor with a minor 7b5. Let’s try this:

|-1--1--|-0--0--|-0----|
|-3--3--|-3--3--|-1----|
|-2--2--|-1--1--|-2----|
|-0--0--|-0--0--|-2----|
|-------|-2--2--|-0----|
|-------|-0--0--|------|

|-1--1--|-0--0--|------|
|-3--3--|-3--3--|-1----|
|-2--2--|-1--1--|-2----|
|-0--0--|-0--0--|-2----|
|-------|-2--2--|------|
|-------|-0--0--|-2----|

The first progression uses the A minor, but the second uses F# min7b5 in place of the A minor. Hear the mysterious edge that F# min7b5 gives?

How would we know that it’s okay to do this kind of substitution? In other words, it *sounds* pretty cool, but are we just plucking chords out of nowhere and settling on one that sounds good?

No. The F# min7b5 shows up in the A melodic minor scale. And the chords themselves have these notes in common: A, C, and E. Remember our maxim regarding chords substitution? If two chords have two or more notes in common, they can often substitute for each other.

Next time: part three of our mini series on the min7b5: using it as the ii in a minor ii V I progression.

Thanks for reading.

Copyright © 2008 Darrin Koltow

This first appeared in the Guitar Noise News - October 15, 2006 newsletter. Reprinted with permission.

This chord doesn’t get a lot of press, but it’s pretty useful. We’re going to look at the min7b5 chord. First, a pattern for it:

|------|
|-6----|
|-5----|
|-6----|
|-5----|
|------|

That’s the D min7b5. And here’s an arpeggio pattern for the same chord. Use this to solo:

|-------------4-8-|
|-----------6-----|
|-------5-7-------|
|-----6-----------|
|-5-8-------------|
|-----------------|

Where can we use the min7b5? Let’s look at three different uses: 1) replacing the dom 7, 2) replacing a tonic minor chord, and 3) in a minor ii V I progression.

Here’s an example of the first usage:

|------|------|------|
|--6-6-|-6--6-|-6----|
|--8-8-|-7--5-|-5----|
|--6-6-|-6--6-|-5----|
|--8-8-|-8--5-|-6----|
|------|-6----|------|

This progression is as follows: F minor 7 in bar 1, Bb7 and D min7b5 in bar 2, and Eb 6/9 in bar 3. In other words, a ii V I in Eb major.

Look at bar 2. We’re substituting the D min7b5 in place of the Bb7 here. The Bb7 was also included, so you can compare the similarity of sounds. Why do the Bb7 and D min7b5 sound alike? Look at the notes:

D min7b5: D F Ab C
Bb7: Bb D F Ab

Three notes in common definitely make for a similar sound. Next time: usage 2) replacing the tonic minor chord.

Thanks for reading.

Copyright © 2008 Darrin Koltow

This first appeared in the Guitar Noise News - October 1, 2006 newsletter. Reprinted with permission.

Hello to everyone and welcome to the latest Guitar Noise Podcast!

Is this really the sixth GN Podcast? Amazing how time flies, especially when it’s spent doing something this enjoyable! I hope you’re all having fun with these podcasts as well.

This time out, we begin looking at 3/4 timing. First, using the chord progression G - Em - C - Am, we will employ a “bass/strum” pattern and then add in a bit of a walking bass line to move things along. We’ll then tackle a “straight eighth note” approach to the bass strum, using alternate picking to create a more flowing strumming pattern. For this part of the podcast, we’ll be using a G to D chord progression and then switch to Am - G - D. And if this sounds at all familiar, just consider yourself a lucky man (or woman) to have good ears!

Finally, we’ll combine both this straight eighth note strum with a walking bass line to have an impressive sounding bit of music!

As in our previous Guitar Noise Podcasts, I’ll be walking you step by step through the lesson. So don’t think that you ain’t going nowhere, get your guitar, get down on that easy chair and come along and play! And, as always, please let us know what you think.

Peace

 

 Guitar Noise Podcast #6 - 3/4 Timing [30:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

We covered the major chord with a sharp 5 last time, and this time we’ll cover its “sister” chord, the #11. Where does the term #11 (pronounced “sharp eleven”) come from? Look at the notes in the G major scale. Yes, that’s not a typo: the G major, not the C major scale:

C D E F# G A B C D E F# …etc

Counting up from C to the second F#, you’ll see the F# is eleven. And since it has a # (sharp) after it, we get the name sharp 11 (#11). Making a major chord from this, we take every other note, starting with C:

C E G B D F#

That looks like a lot of notes for a chord, doesn’t it? We guitarists like 3 and 4 note chords, generally, as far as ease of playing goes. So we can eliminate some notes, being sure to hang onto the F#. We can play patterns like these:

|-2------|-5----|
|-5------|-5----|
|-4------|-5----|
|-2------|-4----|
|-3------|-3----|
|--------|------|

The second one is better for strumming. And it has the 13 added, yet another extended chord “color.”

Where to use major chords with a #11? Try them in place of unaltered major chords. They won’t sound right in every situation, but they could add a fresh change of pace from the usual 1 3 5 major.

Thanks for reading.

Copyright © 2008 Darrin Koltow

This first appeared in the Guitar Noise News - September 15, 2006 newsletter. Reprinted with permission.

In a previous post we tinkered with a chord’s 9. This time we take a look at a major chord’s 5.

Five, Nine? What are these? Quick refresher. Let’s see the notes of a chord and the numbers we refer to them with:

C, E, G
One, Three, Five

Take a look at the bigger picture: ONE of the scales that includes the C major chord:

C D E F G A B C D

If you count to the D, you’ll see it is nine. But back to the fifth of the chord. Here’s what happens when you increase the fifth of a C major chord by one half step, or one fret:

---
-1-
-1-
-2-
-3-
---

That’s a C Major Augmented or a C+5. What can you do with such a creature? How about put it in place of a regular C major chord:

|-1-1--|--------|
|-3-0--|-1-1----|
|-2-0--|-1-0----|
|-0-3--|-2-2----|
|------|-3-3----|
|------|--------|

You won’t find a C+5 in any major scale — that’s one of the reasons it might sound kind of surprising to you. You will find it in these two minor scales: harmonic and melodic minor. And because it shares two notes with the minor chord whose root is a third below the root of the plus 5 chord, you can experiment with substituting the plus 5 for that minor chord. Here’s an example:

|-----|------|
|-6-6-|-5----|
|-7-7-|-5----|
|-7-6-|-6----|
|---7-|-3----|
|-7---|------|

Have fun exploring the Major Augmented chord. Thanks for reading.

Copyright © 2008 Darrin Koltow

This first appeared in the Guitar Noise News - September 1, 2006 newsletter. Reprinted with permission.

Hello to everyone and welcome to the latest Guitar Noise Podcast!

In this, our fifth GN Podcast, we’ll continue to make our playing more interesting by adding walking bass lines into our chord progression strumming. We’ll first work on a generic exercise to get ourselves geared to the task of adding a bass line. This involves altering our basic “bass / strum” pattern very simply.

From there we’ll use a progression of G to Am to C and back to G and work up to the following strumming pattern:

As in our previous Guitar Noise Podcasts, I’ll be walking you step by step through the lesson. So don’t think that you ain’t going nowhere, get your guitar, get down on that easy chair and come along and play! And, as always, please let us know what you think.

Peace

 

 Guitar Noise Podcast #5 - “Adding a Basic Walking Bassline” [30:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Last time we took a major chord shape and transferred it from strings 2 to 5, to strings 1 through 4. The purpose of doing that is to expand your knowledge of the fretboard. When you learn one shape, whether a scale, chord or something else, you increase your fretboard navigation skills if you translate that shape to as many different places as possible. When you can move around the fretboard with ease, you get a sense of being a solid guitarist.

We’re going to cover the flip side of Bump It Down in this installment. We’ll take a pattern that falls across that gnarly difference in tuning between strings 2 and 3, and move it down in pitch. We translated a chord last time, so let’s do a lick this time.

|-8-7-6-4-5-------|-----------|
|-----------6-----|-----------|
|-------------8-7-|-5-----5---|
|-----------------|---6-7-----|
|-----------------|---------8-|
|-----------------|-----------|

|-----------------|-----------|
|-8-7-6-4-5-------|-----------|
|-----------5-----|-----------|
|-------------8-7-|-5-----5---|
|-----------------|---6-7-----|
|-----------------|---------8-|

These are all eighth notes.

Look at the differences between the two tabs. Really, the only place you need to look is at strings 2 and 3. Obviously, nothing remains on string 1 in the second tab. The transferred lick starts on string 2 now. All the fret numbers are the same, for string 2, as they were for string 1, in the original lick.

Now look at string 3 on the transferred lick: its one note, at fret 5, is one fret less than the corresponding note of the original lick, which is on string 2, fret 6.

Beyond string 3, all other fret numbers are the same. In other words, strings 4 and 5 of the original lick transfer exactly, fret for fret, from the pattern on strings 3 and 4 of the original lick.

Look more closely at string 3 of the transposed lick. What did we do to transfer the notes used to be on string 2? All we did was slide back the fret one.

Put it another way: whatever pattern you have on string 2 that you want to duplicate on string 3, shift that complete pattern “left” one fret. “Left” is in quotes because if you’re fretting notes with your right hand, left is going to be right.

Thanks for reading.

Copyright © 2008 Darrin Koltow

This first appeared in the Guitar Noise News - August 15, 2006 newsletter. Reprinted with permission.