What’s the point of 3NPS?On guitar, the way notes are distributed across multiple strings makes all the difference in terms of technical facility. When we play scale patterns using the …
Allan Holdsworth’s 10 Most Usable Scales
▸Table of ContentsScale 1: D DorianScale 2: D Melodic MinorScale 3: A Harmonic MinorScale 4: A Melodic Minor #4Scale 5: G Dominant Diminished (Messiaen Mode 2)Scale 6: Bb Jazz MajorScale …
Articles
TechniqueConcerning 3NPS: The point about “3-notes per string” techniqueMusic Theory for GuitaristsThe Most Common Chord TypesList: major triad scalesOlivier Messiaen’s Seven Modes of Limited TranspositionEasy Chords for all GuitaristsThe Top …
C Major Scale on Guitar
Learning the C Major Scale is a worthy investment; it will serve you well for a lifetime! As you practice this scale, you be playing it Per String, with CAGED, 3NPS and 4NPS …
Groove Based Guitar Tapping Technique Exercises 001
IntroductionWhen I was around 13, I heard Steve Vai for the first time and was absolutely flabbergasted. I wondered how he did those amazing, out of this world, sounding passages.I …
History & Origins of the Standard Tuning for Guitar
From ancient Chitara, to six-course Renaissance Lute which seems to have been tuned E-A-D-F#-B-E quite often, to Vihuela tuned similarly, to the five-string Guitarra settling on A-D-G-B-E, The Standard Tuning …
List of Most Common Chord Types
▸Table of Contents Strict Triads Non-Strict Triads Strict Seventh Chords Non-Strict Seventh ChordsWithin the Fretboard Knowledge domain, we loosely define chords as “three or more pitched sounds played simultaneously”.In Western music …
Minor Pentatonic on Major Chord
Minor Pentatonic from the 6th DegreeThe minor pentatonic scale from the 6th degree is the same as the major pentatonic scale. Intervals: 1-2-3-5-6Minor Pentatonic from the 3rd DegreeThe minor pentatonic …
Olivier Messiaen’s Seven Modes of Limited Transposition
French composer Olivier Messiaen presented the “modes of limited transposition” in his book “La technique de mon language musical” (The Technique of my Musical Language). What makes these scales special, …
The All Fourths Tuning a.k.a. the P4 Tuning
The All Fourths Tuning, also known as the P4 Tuning, is a regular tuning which has a measure of popularity among electric guitar players in particular.The P4 ‘All Fourths’ Tuning …
The Am Pentatonic Scale
The A Minor Pentatonic Scale – All NotesThis is the scale most guitarists commonly start with.The A Minor Pentatonic Scale – All IntervalsCommon Scales which contain the Am Pentatonic ScaleMajor …
The C Major Scale – 3NPS
3 Notes Per String Fingering Patterns Patterns: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 1a What’s the Point with 3NPS? 3NPS Fingerings – 3 Notes Per StringPattern 1Pattern 2Pattern 3Pattern …
The C Major Scale – CAGED
The CAGED ‘System’ is the way the guitar fretboard (in the Standard Tuning only!) can be divided into manageable chunks for beginners. The main purpose is that you will be …
The Top 10 Guitar Chords
The 10 Guitar Chords Every Guitar Player Must KnowThese are my top 10 guitar chords every guitar player should know, in order to be able to play basic accompaniment for …
The Top 12 Easy Jazz Guitar Chords
The 12 Basic Jazz Guitar Chords Every Beginner Should KnowThese are the 12 most usable four-note seventh chord chord-shapes for guitar in the standard tuning, for jazz related styles of …
The Ubiquitous CAGED System
Table of Contents What It Is What It Isn’t The CAGED System in Common Scales What It IsWhat It Isn’t The CAGED system is in fact not a ‘system’ at …
Using Non-Diatonic Scales as Compositional Tools
In this lesson, we will discuss 8-note and 9-note non-diatonic scales and how to use them as compositional tools rather than just scales for improvisation. I will show examples that …
Without Allan Holdworth this website wouldn’t exist
Around 1997 I was studying jazz guitar at the Conservatory of Amsterdam which basically means I was practising jazz standards, playing an archtop guitar and listening to Pat Metheny, John …