How to use the Diminished Scale Pt 1

In this guitar lesson I am going over a scale that is widely used in the jazz and fusion circles and creates quite a distinctive sound. Actually…it is not a single scale, but two. The two scales are very similar and in my opinion this is something that can create some confusion. These two diminished… Continue reading How to use the Diminished Scale Pt 1

Basic Music Theory for Beginners Pt 2:on Guitar, Practical Application.

Basic theory knowledge pt 2: on Guitar! Let’s now go back to the basic theory post (quite successful over 10k views just the day I posted!) , and let’s see how things apply to guitar…just read the explanatins in red and watch the videos! Let’s start again: The natural sounds are: English C D E F… Continue reading Basic Music Theory for Beginners Pt 2:on Guitar, Practical Application.

Basic Music Theory for Beginners

Basic theory knowledge What follows is just a brief summary of basic theory and harmony necessary to understand practical applications on your instrument. The natural sounds are: English C D E F G A B You might also find in some books the name of these notes in Italian (nothing to do with ‘solfege’!) Do,Re,Mi,Fa,Sol,La,Si… Continue reading Basic Music Theory for Beginners

Triad Combinations (also known as Triad Pairs)

You can get quite a modern sound by alternating and combining major and minor triads. In the video I use variuos combinations like C minor and D major that touch different degrees of the key of the moment.  Try different combinations and write down those that sound more interesting to your ears. You can find… Continue reading Triad Combinations (also known as Triad Pairs)

Getting into the studio by Guy Gardner

  This is a guest post: by Guy Gardner. Gifted jazz pianist and author, Guy’s début recording as a leader is ‘Emma’s Dream’ with Bassist Jeff Clyne and Drummer Trevor Tomkins, featuring original material. ‘New Directions’ will be available later on this year. You can find more about him @ www.GuyGardner.co.uk  It’s a cold November morning, and we’ve… Continue reading Getting into the studio by Guy Gardner

Jazz-Rock, Fusion, Jazz and blues Guitar Backing tracks

When learning songs, I always suggest using a simple metronome or, best of all, getting together with some other musicians, to keep yourself motivated and focused…but when you cannot do that, this is a great site that has a great variety of guitar backing tracks for you to learn some jazz-rock, fusion, jazz and blues… Continue reading Jazz-Rock, Fusion, Jazz and blues Guitar Backing tracks