Understanding the Strings of the Guitar

Here is the latest installment in the "Understanding" series for guitar teaching reference. Click Here For Printer Version.

GHS Coated Boomers: Guitar String Review CB-GBXL

          Hello! My name is Jesse A and I am now a contributor to  Guitar Corners: A resource for all things guitar related.
          Today we will be discussing the GHS Coated Boomer (set CB-GBXL) for electric guitar .009-.042". The test instrument is a Fender Telecaster with standard Tele components ala 1952. The test amplifiers are a Fender Princeton Reverb and a Roland JC-77, one tube the other transistor respectively.
         The strings are individually packaged in single paper envelopes as per usual for GHS. Each string wound up nicely on the Tele and right away I could feel that these are not your uncle's coated  string, cough...Elixir...cough. Coated Boomers have a soft and supple quality that the Elixir strings do not seem to have. If you have tried the original GHS Boomers you probably remember the rock-and-roll finger biting that happens when you are playing them during the break-in period, the Coated Boomers have no such issue.

       Once installed these strings came up to pitch within 30 minutes and after a letting the Princeton warm up we were ready. The clean tones are fantastically sparkly with good balance of low and high frequency content. Harmonics are excellent and with a kick of the TS-9 the lines flowed with great sustain. Both neck and bridge selections sound like they are supposed to for each pickup, great tones!
      Now for the JC-77, being a monster clean amp we heard more sparkling highs and actually needed to re-adjust the EQ (both Mike and I are "knobs at 12 o'clock" kind of guys) but the good tones were still happening. Played through the JC-77 with the quartet this set of strings produces a characteristically bright and articulate tone with a definite emphasis on the upper frequencies, i.e. definitely cuts through.
      These strings are a great alternative to the standard Boomers and are certainly different than the garden variety coated set. I recommend you give these a try if you are looking to experiment a little.

D'Addario Chromes: Guitar String Review

      In the local the region D'Addario Chromes flatwound guitar strings are certainly the most readily available flatwound set in music shops. The popularity of this string is probably due in part to their comparatively low price (around $12) and the association with the famous D'Addario brand name.

       I have used Chromes more often than any other string becuase they are widely available and they are affordable so in the search for the ultimate flatwound string I chose these to review. I have played chromes on nearly all of my guitars: Gibson ES-175, Fender Telecaster, G&L ASAT Classic, Yamaha RGX-A2, Epiphone Broadway and Casino and various Fender Stratocasters. The feel and tone are always consistent; flat finish with a slight texture created by the winding process. And the tone is mellow with a distinct edge to the notes in the upper midrange area.
       Using all of the gauges (.010s-.013s) I can say that this consistency holds true through all of the line. On the ES-175 the Chromes did not have enough of the clear articulation that I prefer on a jazz box. The Tele, Strats and RGX-A2 were given a nice addition of mellow bass enhancement and a little bit of thump to the bass strings that the round wound strings do not exhibit. Depending on the style you play and the amplifier you use this tone may be good or unfavorable. With Chromes I think the tone is best when using overdrive (no joke). I do not think that the dullness they impart can stand up to the DR Legends or the Thomastik Jazz Swing set playing clean. Also, I think they have too rough a texture for my tastes.
      I urge anyone interested in flatwounds to give these strings a try, you may find that these are just the ticket for your sound.

Minor Pentatonic Scale: 5 Modes (Patterns)

This sheet was made to outline the 5 modes or patterns of the minor pentatonic scale. The scale forms are laid out in order from the minor pattern first. Click Here For Printer Version.

Chords are: i (minor) - bIII (major) - IV (suspended 2 or 4) - v (minor) - bVII (suspended 2 or 4)

DR Legend Flatwound Strings: String Review

        This review marks another step in the journey to find the ultimate flatwound guitar string. Today we will asses the DR Legend flatwound strings FL12 .012-.052 for electric guitar. The test subject is a 2012 Fender Telecaster MIM with '52 style appointments: ash body, maple fingerboard, brass barrel saddles and vintage output pickups.
     

Reading the information on the package of strings one will learn all about the unique approach DR has to string making; the strings are handmade and are wound over a hexagonal (versus round) core wire. This handmade quality leads to a very consistent string feel and an incredibly quick stretch time (regarding time required to stay in tune). The hexagonal core is different in that the mellow tone of the flats is complemented by excellent articulation. DR states that the hex core string is a little brighter and tighter than a round core and this is especially apparent in chording situations; less of the loose feel.
     The DRs strung up very well on the Tele; the large .012s were not too big for the saddle grooves, nut slots or tuning posts (vintage split style). After about an hour they were settled into tune nicely and sounded with their "initial edge" for about 2 days. The texture of the string is smoother than D'Addario chromes but a little rougher than the Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Swing strings.
     Plugging into my Fender '65 reissue Princeton Reverb and playing the strings I realized a more mellow tone than the chromes as well, more like the sound of the '60s. Both pick and fingers feel good against the strings and tonal balance from 3rd to 2nd (wound to plain) strings is not overly noticeable.
     After 2 months the strings are still holding strong and mellow, the treble strings are just barely starting to show some fret lines. I will continue to play these until the trebles are done for (and I may actually just replace those two and keep the 4 wound strings on). Overall, I rate these strings as better than the Chromes and not quite as good as the Jazz Swings; I will start calling these a "poor man's Thomastik". I recommend you give them a try.

Understanding The Musical Alphabet

The latest in my series for students is a simple theoretical explanation of the musical alphabet. This sheet introduces accidentals as well and clearly illustrates the concept. I find the circular method the easiest way to visualize how the musical alphabet works. Click Here For Printer Version

The Anatomy of The Acoustic Guitar

Here we have a chart of the fundamental anatomy of the acoustic guitar (steel string in this photo). All parts are named according to terms most commonly used in the present day. Click Here For Printer Version

Understanding The Staff

This chart has recently been completed to fill the demand by my students for a clear and concise reference as to how they may understand the staff. With this particular chart I have added all the basic information for understanding the fundamentals of the staff in treble and bass clefs. Click Here For Printer Version

8 Stave Manuscript Paper (My Personal Favorite)

This is my personal favorite staff paper, it is 8 stave and is great for lead sheets and/or general notation. Please feel free to print as many copies as you would like.

8 Stave Manuscript Paper (Printable Version)

Chord Diagram Blanks (5 Fret Range)

Here are the 9-to-a-page chord diagram blanks that I use regularly in my teaching. Feel free to click, enlarge and print as many as you like! Click Here For Printer Version

Fretboard Diagram Blanks (15 Fret Range)

For all of you visually oriented learners (that would mean guitarists) I have made these 15 fret range fretboard diagram blanks. Click For Printer Version

Roland Cube 15xl: Gear Review

When you play a lot of jazz you need to have an amplifier that is clean, loud enough for the playing situation, and can accurately reproduce the sound of the instrument. This combination is found in the Roland Cube 15xl which offers a myriad of other pro features which we will discuss later. But first the amp and its specifications:

- 15-watt guitar amp with 8” high-performance speaker
- Two channels: independent Clean and Lead
- 3 authentic BOSS Lead tones including METAL ZONE, plus new EXTREME
- Power Squeezer for full gain at low volume
- AUX IN jack to connect portable music players

- Width (W) 335 mm/13-3/16 inches

- Depth (D)240 mm/9-1/2 inches

- Height (H)335 mm/13-3/16 inches

- Weight 7.2 kg/15 lbs. 14 oz.

My first impression of this amp, which was purchased for my lovely girlfriend for her Christmas gift, was very good. I was happy with the built quality, compactness, and rugged look of the amp. Of course I assumed that this amp was only large enough for the practice room, but I was mistaken. After plugging in with my Fender Telecaster I was pleasantly surprised at the capable volume this amp puts out. I would be comfortable playing with a trio with brush drums and bass (maybe even a piano quartet). All this only on the clean channel!

The Tele also ran through all the distortion settings, all of which are very nice and usable. I personally do not use much of the overdriven sounds these days but my personal favorite on this amp is the "Overdrive" preset. This selection is a mild, mid range enhanced classic tone. My guess is that it is modeled after the Boss OD-3 pedal. The "distortion" is based on the DS-1, the "Metal Zone" is obvious and the "extreme" may be based on the Boss ML-2 Metal Core.

Once I plugged the old ES-175 into this amp and switched to clean then put all the EQ controls at 12 o'clock I had the classic "Polytone" jazz sound. This tone is warm, dry, detailed, bell-like in the highs and slightly thumpy in the lows (due in part to the flat wounds) and most of all very clean!

One point of suggestion I may add is that due to this combo's 8 inch speaker you may experience some speaker distortion (breakup) as you increase the volume. My remedy to this is to decrease the bass (down to "0" if you can handle it) and slightly boost the middle control past 12 o'clock. This will prevent speaker breakup and still sound full.

I tend to be impressed by the finer details in gear so here is what I observed: light weight, rugged construction (metal grille, big corner protectors), heavy duty control knobs, real jacks, simple control layout, power switch on top (not on back leaving you feeling around for 10 seconds), line cord attached (so you don't get to a gig 20 miles away without it), long line cord (8 1/2 feet), double insulated line cord (has 2 prongs yet is grounded so you can play out in the sticks at Uncle Grumpy's hamburger joint with plugs from the 1840s and not get zapped), line cord retainer (so you don't trip on your cord as you are leaving Uncle Grumpy's and fall in the hamburger grease), closed back design for a tight sound in a small package.

The Roland Cube amp series is just an incredible value and provides a road worthy, good sounding amp in any of the models. This one is a great unit for the money and really does have a professional sound. This company reminds me of the watch I wear, a Casio G-Shock; they are built right, no frills, does the job, never fails and lasts forever. If you have never played a Cube I suggest you do so; every one I have played is great!

The Twentieth-Century Guitar: An Essay

The following essay was prepared for a college course I took in pursuit of my Bachelor's degree of music performance (classical guitar). The essay deals with the nylon-stringed variant of our favorite instrument and may be insightful to curious readers. Enjoy!

Guitar Literature and History

March 27, 2011

The Twentieth-Century Guitar

           

The era of modern guitar essentially began upon the death of legendary Spanish guitarist and composer Francisco Tárrega. By the time of his death in 1909 Tárrega had set precedents that guitarists were to follow for the better part of the century (Wade).

Echoes of Tárrega and his standardization can first be seen in the modern era of guitar beginning with the Spanish guitar maestro Andres Segovia (1893-1987). From the outset of his concert career Segovia, who never actually met Tárrega showed much respect for the manner in which Tárrega programmed his recitals. Also carrying out this same style of a program which selects a number of shorter works from various time periods and composers was a famous pupil of Tárrega, Miguel Lobet (1878-1938). Interestingly during this time instrumental recitals did not follow the chronological order of programming as came to be a standard in later years (Wade).

In the decade from 1920-1930 the classical guitar saw an ever-expanding volume of new repertory that was created for it. Segovia in particular had a way of inspiring the composers, both with knowledge of the guitar and without, to write a piece for him to play. Very notably were the pieces written for Segovia by Manuel Ponce (1882-1948), Roussel (1869-1937), Ravel (1875-1937), Grovlez (1879-1944), Turina (1882-1949), Torroba (1891-1982) and Falla (1876-1946) (Wade).

With the advancement of technology during the first half of the twentieth-century guitarists for the first time in history were able to record their music by electrical means. The Paraguayan guitarist Augustin Barrios Mangore is thought to be the first classical guitarist to have been recorded. These examples date back to 1913. Miguel Lobet recorded fifteen discs in his lifetime beginning in 1925. Segovia began his first recordings in Havana, Cuba in 1923 with his first commercial recordings being released in 1927 to rave reviews (Wade).

During the years of 1924-1930 Segovia began editing new pieces by the contemporary composers and rearranging or transcribing classic works. These included works by Bach, Torroba, Ponce, Mozart and Turina and helped to expand the guitar repertory.

Meanwhile, as Segovia focused his energies on works of many different periods, Emilio Pujol (1886-1980) did much research in the way of Renaissance and Baroque guitar. An interesting difference of opinion between Pujol and Segovia regarding the usage of fingernails when playing the guitar occurred when Pujol published his infamous “Dilemma on the Timbre of the guitar” in 1930. In this work Pujol asserts that the sound of the nail striking the string is “…conical, pungent, and nasal…” while striking with the fingertip “…possesses an intrinsic beauty…” Of course, Segovia vehemently disagreed stating that plucking with fingertips is a “…detriment of the full rendering of the guitar’s characteristic qualities…” And in the end Segovia would win this battle (Wade).

During the following years of the late 1920’s to mid 1930’s the guitar repertoire continued to expand most notably with a guitar concerto by Castello-Nuevo Todesco. In 1937 Segovia acquired one of the finest guitars ever made, a German-made 1937 Hermann Hauser I (1882-1952). This guitar would be called by Segovia, “the greatest guitar of our epoch”, and he would continue to play Hauser guitars for many years to come. Another guitar concerto, the “Concierto de Arjuanez” by Rodrigo was debuted in 1940; it later became the most popular large-scale work for guitar (Wade).

Also in 1940 the Brazilian composer, Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) presented to Segovia his “Six Preludes” one of which was very sadly lost. Fortunately, these five preludes were well received by the public and have gone on to become some of the best music for guitar.

In 1945 a great innovation took place in the realm of the guitar string. Until this point guitarists had used gut (catgut) treble strings and metal-wound spun silk for basses. These strings were plagued with constant breakages, intonation and tuning issues and thus had guitarists and luthiers seeking a better alternative. After meeting luthiers Albert Augustine (1900-1967) Segovia encouraged the maker to research nylon material for strings and in 1947 the product was copyrighted.

As time passed and many of the composers Segovia worked with had died, his fame increased exponentially and he continued to edit works and make recordings. A new generation of younger players including Yepes (1927-1997), Presti (1924-1967) and Bream (1933) began to rise to success under the carefully established techniques of the Maestro Andres Segovia.

During the 1950’s Segovia continued began teaching summer-school guitar classes, thus giving the younger generation a chance to study with him. He also continued editing pieces, and wrote the preface to the famous “Douze Etudes” by Villa-Lobos which were to be published in 1952.

Julian Bream was by the late 1950’s beginning to achieve much popularity and reputation. He, like Segovia, began to have pieces written for him to play in concert and thus made a greater name for himself in his 20s. By this time the son of Hermann Hauser I, who had since died, was building guitars in the vein of the work of his father. Hermann Hauser II (1911-1988) made what would be the guitar that Bream made famous in 1957.

In 1958 John Williams (1941) had gone to study at the Segovia summer-school program. The Maestro was greatly impressed by the young Williams and labeled him as the most promising young guitarist. In the coming years both Bream and Williams were to record commercially successful albums and give the public a point of comparison between Segovia and the new generation.

            A turning point in the guitars of Segovia was to occur in 1960 when Jose Ramirez III (1922-1995) convinced Segovia to play his instruments. The Maestro put aside his 1937 Hauser and would play Ramirez instruments for the remainder of his life. After seeing and hearing Segovia play the unique guitars with a red cedar soundboard, many other artists also switched to Ramirez guitars.

            As time wore on the new generation of guitarists including Bream, Williams, Los Romero’s, Barrueco, Barbosa-Lima, Galbraith, Isbin, Rak, Ghilia, and others have risen to fame. Luthiers with innovative and traditional ideas have added to the ever-changing technology of the guitar including Fleta, Romanillos, Rubio, Bouchet, Smallman and others. Composers such as Lauro, Brouwer, Domeniconi, Tippet and Takemitsu have all come to prove their artistry through the guitar. Only time will tell the fate of our favorite instrument, but judging by historical evidence, it seems that a bright future is ahead.

References

Wade, Graham. A Concise History of the Classic Guitar. Pacific, MO: Mel Bay Publications, 2001.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Williams_(guitarist)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narciso_Yepes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa-lobos

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emilio_Pujol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turina

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torroba

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_de_Falla

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Hauser,_Sr.

http://www.cinellimusic.com/imgclick.asp?src=GuitarFamilyTree_large.jpg

http://www.hauserguitars.de/

Understanding Time Signature

The fundamental concept of time signature is illustrated here; although not exhaustive it serves as an excellent foundational reference for all students. If a question may arise do not hesitate to ask. Click Here For Printer Version

Understanding Guitar Tablature

The interesting and widely popular system known as guitar tablature is explained in its fundamental form here. Note: many slight variations exist in the usage of symbols with the tablature system. It is due to these non-standardized practices that symbology is not covered here. As always, feel free to ask if you have any questions. Click Here For Printer Version

Understanding Chord Diagrams

In this installment we are looking at the full explanation chart of the notational system guitarists use known as chord diagrams. If there are any questions you may have, feel free to ask! Click Here For Printer Version

Left Hand Positions

Here we have the full explanation chart of the concept of left-hand positions on the guitar. If you have any questions feel free to ask! Click Here For Printer Version

Berklee Melodic Rhythms: Study #15-16-17A

The example here finds us on page 31 of the Berklee Melodic Rhythms book. For this lesson I have recorded the accompaniment slowly for practice and quicker for uptempo practice.

Next we have the faster accompaniment.

Blues Comping #6: Chromatic passing tones

In this example we will explore the possibility of adding chromatic passing tones in between the chords of a jazz blues comping style. For a refresher, the jazz blues utilizes the following chords:

I7	IV7 IVdim	I7	Vm7 I7
IV7	IVdim	I7	III7 VI7
IIm7	V7	III7 VI7	II7 V7

Our notated example is in the key of F. Please note that it is very important to be comfortable with the blues and jazz blues in all keys.

As for the given example we have a typical rhythmic pattern of dotted quarter, eighth, and half note rest. This regularity provides an important foundation for the soloist to play over. But it is wise to practice and play with other rhythmic patterns as well.

The fun begins when we start using chromatic passing tones to get from the lowest note of one chord to the next. You will see these 4 eighth notes in measures 4, 6, 8, 11 and 12. The extra notes are a welcomed tension in these already harmonically active measures and the chromaticism provides some excitement as well. To benefit from the full effect be sure to hold the chord notes so they ring while the passing tones sound.

Click the image to enlarge and print.

Berklee Melodic Rhythms: Study #13A

The Berklee book for guitar entitled "Melodic Rhythms" is a collection of over 100 melodic rhythm exercises and is an excellent sight reading and playing edition. In this book one finds many examples which resemble standard tunes in both form and style.

On page 27 we find exercise #13 A which is a 34 bar AABA format tune with a 2 bar ending.

Here is the accompaniment played at a slow tempo for practice.

And in a walking bass style.

And as stated in the book, play the melody 8va for practice in upper registers.

Things Ain't What They Used To Be: As Played by Herb Ellis

As a tribute to one of my favorite guitar players I thought it would be nice to share my transcription of the head of this Duke Ellington classic as played by Mr. Herb Ellis. We are in the key of Eb for this version.Click Here For Printer Version

In this tune Herb plays some simple but effective chordal accompaniment which is a good example of a trio playing guitar style. The video here is a 30 minute program which is great to watch in its entirety but the tune we are talking about starts at about the 12' mark which is preceded by a nice rubato solo by Herb.

The fingering that Herb uses might be a little different than what I would use but I can't argue with the master, I just play more horizontally in this case. I do use the economy picking style on adjacent strings which gives the melody a nice "zip". I have taken some liberties with the exactitude of the transcription but for the most part it is what Herb plays. Enjoy!

Fender Champion 600: Amp Review

I purchased a new Fender Champion 600 brand new in 2007. With a retail price of $179 it was a sound investment (no pun intended) towards a small recording and small venue duo gigging amp. Armed with the original Electro-Harmonix 6V6 tube and 12AX7 tube I recruited this amp into full duty service with my then active jazz guitar/sax duo for practice and small gigs.

Several studio recording sessions with a jazz combo and a light rock quartet were made successful with the recipe of simple ingredients: Epiphone Casino, cable and amp; Epiphone Broadway, cable and amp; and Fender Stratocaster, cable and amp. The thick clean sound when turned low and through the amps low  input and the growling crunch when cranked up to 12 (yes the single volume control goes to 12) and through the amps high input were always agreeable when laid down onto tape.

The small size and low power make the amp a great fit in small venues when playing for background music. I can easily tilt the amp up for more sound dispersion or place it on top of a grand piano. Also, in the studio I made use of the amps speaker output which allows connection of an external speaker enclosure. To harness the full overdrive potential of the amp I took the output into my Marshall 4x12.

Effects pedals are put to good use in the studio when put in front of this amp. I have used a Boss RV-5 for a little depth and an Ibanez TS-9 for an edge in fusion style playing. After playing the amp regularly for 3 years I changed out the EHX 6V6 to a vintage 1950s Zalytron smoked glass 6V6. This noticeably warmed up the mid range and makes the amp more useful for jazz tones.

Now that these amps are discontinued we will have to cherish the ones we have. I am happy with this amp and continue to use it for recording and small gigs to this day. If you have never tried one you might be surprised at the punch this 5w amp with a 6" speaker can put out.

Blues Comping 5: Play with Voicings

In today's installment of Blues Comping we have 12 bar pattern with a swing feel in the key of C. This pattern is moveable and uses no open strings. It begins as a pickup on the "and" of the last 8th note of the previous bar.

It utilizes a technique which I find particularly effective in combo playing which is to use a relatively "thin" texture of voicings to not overlap the other chordal instruments.

Also, I like to make things interesting by adding some extensions to the simpler 7th chords and "jazz up" the rhythm a little.

The first video shows the comping at a normal tempo, the next video shows the voicings a little clearer as they are played slower.

Although I have played the example in a swing feel it can also be played with a straight feel. I personally like to make everything more staccato as it gets faster and straightens out.

Peerless Sunset: Guitar Review

I purchased the Peerless Sunset guitar used approximately 6 months ago. It replaced my Epiphone Broadway as my teaching guitar as the Broadway has been played to the bone. I have been very impressed by the quality thus far and have several things to share about this guitar.

The Sunset is a 16" body which is large enough to be acoustically active but not overly large. The fully hollow body is remarkably thin measuring 1 3/4" deep. These dimensions make the guitar very comfortable to play, hold and transport. The top is laminated spruce and sides, back and neck are flamed maple (body woods laminate). The two set humbuckers have a tone not unlike the Gibson 57' classic pickups. The rosewood fingerboard holds acrylic inlays and a bone nut. And the sunburst finish is complimented well by the tortoise pick guard.

The size of this guitar makes it ideal for the small-ish teaching studio and it is loud enough (even with D'Addario Chromes .013) to play unamplified with acoustic or electric guitars of my students. When it comes to playing live this guitar sits well in the piano/guitar duo I play in as well as a quartet with drums and bass. I generally use a Fender Champion 600 for the small duo gigs and a Fender Princeton Reverb for the quartet and through both amps a warm yet articulate tone shines through. From standards, bebop, blues, funk, and light fusion this guitar is capable of many tones.

The quality and craftsmanship of this Korean-made instrument make it a very good value, especially when buying a used model. The high gloss lacquer which protects all surfaces has an especially upscale feel on the back of the neck. And the looks are very high-class as well (everyone who sees this guitar asks "what kind of Gibson is that?").  I must also mention the smooth Rotomatic-style gold tuners which work great. Mine is a 2007 and everything is original and in good health. I would also like to add that the headstock shape reminds me of the Gibson Pat Martino model.

So, if you are in the market for a budget-priced ($895 new) gigging and/or teaching guitar with a versatile voice this may be worth taking a look into.

Whole Tone 3-Octave Pattern

Today we will examine a pattern derived from the 2 whole tone scales. This pattern which spans the range of 3 octaves will make a great addition to your improvisation technique. It begins with the whole tone scale on F (F-G-A-B-C#-D#) also known as the B whole tone scale. Bring your attention to the fingerings and shifts. Strict alternate picking is used.

Next the whole tone pattern is played in complete retrograde but now using the whole tone scale beginning on C (C-D-E-F#-G#-A#) also known as the C whole tone scale.

And when we combine the ascending and descending patterns we have the final result.

Have fun and enjoy! 

Blues Comping #4: Equinox (Coltrane)

This installment of Blues Comping has us playing through a minor blues form. This tune which features saxophone by John Coltrane, drums by master Elvin Jones and the unmistakable piano of McCoy Tyner.

McCoy uses several interesting voicings to evoke the sense of mystery this tune has. I have adapted what he plays to guitar and taken some liberties to give the same vibe as he does.

First, we have the comping over the head of the tune:

Next, we have some ideas inspired by McCoy's famous quartal voicings.

And last but not least, sit back, relax and listen to the original tune.

Whole Tone Scale Exercise 12 B

Here is a great exercise from Nicolas Reinoso's book:

Jazz Improvisation: Studies for Technical Development

I have adapted it for guitar which I have demonstrated in the video. This exercise draws its notes from the Whole Tone scale and is useful for development in the following areas:

-Usage of patterns from the whole tone scale
-Finger stretching
-Position extension
-Alternate picking

The up-tempo version:

And the slower version:

One will note that this exercise has a pattern as follows:

1. Up a maj 3rd

2. Down a maj 2nd

3. Up a maj 3rd

4. Down a maj 2nd

5. Up a maj 3rd

6. Down a maj 2nd

7. Up a maj 3rd

8. Down a min 2nd

Repeat this pattern again, followed by the exact reverse of the first two patterns.

Jim Dunlop JazzTones 205 Picks: Review

After years and years of guitar playing and experimenting with different guitar picks I have finally found what I believe is the most useful of them all (at least at the present time).

Before getting into the nitty-gritty let me explain the background. The first picks I used were by Fender (as many of us still use). The Fender in normal 351 size were never comfortable for me regardless of gauge. I also disliked the glossy texture of the classic tortoise picks.

Next, I moved on to Dunlop's tortex .88mm (green turtle), then the Gator Grip .96 mm and finally on to the Dunlop Nylon 1.0mm (black with raised molded grip surface. Then I encountered the Jazz III picks. These were a great finding as their smaller shape was very well suited to my "closed fist, no anchor" right hand style. I like the Jazz IIIs still to this day and they would be my backup if the JazzTones ever are discontinued.

Enter the JazzTone. If there is one message I would like to convey most it is that in my opinion these picks are as close to the sound of a thumb that I have heard. I like the matte type finish of these picks and, on the 205 in particular, the semi-sharp tip. It is not as sharp as the Jazz III and the material is different, gauge thicker and tone is mellower. I find this to be the best of all worlds. One caveat is the molding process leaves a small indention on the top side of the pick. This may or may not be an issue but since they last so long (especially playing on flat wound strings) you may wish to lightly sand this down so you won't even think about it.

I think any player can find a JazzTone that suits their style, as you can see they make a whole mess of sizes.

Blues Comping #3: The Man From Toledo (Benson)

This blues tune with a straight feel comes from the "Benson Burner" record by George Benson and friends. I feel it is a great example of a "less is more" approach to comping that actually adds to the groove of the tune.

Because the comping is so sparse I have added in the head of the tune as well.

Here are the shapes followed by some additional ideas you might try.

And finally groove on with George on the original track, key is G.