II-V-I Progression through the Circle of Fifths

Kon-ban-wah (Japanese for Good Evening), fellow beginning guitarists!

My apologies for the late posting, but I've been busy this weekend with attending (and writing a con report of) San Japan 8-bit, an anime convention here in San Antonio. I'm writing the con report for my friends at www.geeksofdoom.com, and it should be up and live in the next week or so, hopefully, so look for it.

This week, I'm taking on a big challenge, but a very fun one, in that I'm working on the II-V-I progression that I showed you last week, but this time, I'm playing through the circle of fifths, starting in the key of C major.

This is a 48-measure exercise, and it can be a wrist-breaker, so take your time, play slowly, listen to how the chord changes flow into each other, and have fun. I'll see y'all next week. Cheers!

GG

II-V-I Progression: Three Note Chords

Hello, fellow beginning guitarists (of which I consider myself a member of your august company). For my first posting in about five weeks (been keeping up the "Bass" end of this blog), I'm posting some simple triads in the standard II-V-I chord progression in key of C. The Chords are:

D Minor 7th

G Dominant 7th

C Major 7th

The first set of chord voicings are done on the upper position of the guitar, with the chords fretted as follows (forgive me, but I don't have tablature settings on my software anymore):
Dm7: E-10th fret; A-muted; D-10th fret; G-10th fret;
G7: A-10th fret; D-9th fret; G-10th fret;
Cmaj7: E-8th fret; A-muted; D-9th fret; G-9th fret;

The second set of voicings are in the first and second positions on the neck and the chords voiced as follows:

Dm7: D-3rd fret; G-2nd fret; B-1st fret (notice that this is an F major triad);
G7: A-5th fret; D-3rd fret; G-4th fret;
Cmaj7: A-3rd fret; D-5th fret; G-4th fret.

I've added text below the chords describing the parts of the chords being used for each triad. For example, on the Dm7 in the first measure, I used the root, flatted 7th, and the third on top; for the G dominant 7th in the second measure, I used the root, 3rd, and flatted 7th, etc.

This is a fun and simple way to introduce jazz voicings into your guitar practice. Take your time, get a feel for how the voicings sound, have fun, and I'll see y'all on the flipside next week.

Cheers,

GG

A Word of Encouragement

Konnichi wa, fellow bassists. This week, I'm posting early because I'm moving into four weeks of guitar exercises, in the interest of fairness (keeping up my end on the "Guitar" part of this blog, as well), so I wanted to leave you some words of encouragement while I'm working on the six-string duties.

Recently, I found a vlog on Youtube from a gentleman who will remain unnamed because I'm a nice guy. The aforementioned gentleman is a sound engineer who runs his own studio, and has very good, "sound" advice to give on running a studio (sorry, I can never resist a pun). However, there is a rather irritating side to this guy's vlog. He has severe issues with bassists. To put it simply, he thinks we (bassists) are all anti-musical, untalented, complete idiots. This is an unfortunate stereotype, one that is reinforced through experiences with too many lunkheads who do, unfortunately, play the bass.

There is a fine line between genuine, constructive criticism on the one hand, and outright hostility on the other. Just about every posting on this guy's vlog has one or more digs at bassists in general. In their seminal 1980 book, "The Platinum Rainbow" (Swordsman Press, 1980), writers Bob Monaco and James Riordan urge their readers (which especially includes would-be producers and sound engineers) to have "a professional attitude." While the Internet, and video-logs, didn't exist at the time the book was written, it still holds true, and one thing you should never, ever do, if you want to be taken seriously (especially as a sound engineer) is wear a t-shirt in your video posting that says that bass players are an (insert insulting, unmentionable profanity here).

So, how do we, as bassists, counter this type of unfair stereotyping? Very simple, my friends. Keep practicing. Learn your instrument, and learn it well. Learn to be a well-tempered, consistent, and at the same time, spontaneous and creative player. Learn everything you can about the theory behind your instrument, how it interacts with the drums to form a tight rhythm section, how to generate your own bass lines that are exciting and interesting and work to be the real foundation of any band you play a part in. Learn how your instrument is maintained, exercise best practices in string-changing, proper set up, amplifier use in a variety of live and recording settings, and learn about miking, when to use a mic, and when it's best to run direct through the board. Be a bass scholar. You don't have to be on the level of a Geddy Lee or Esperanza Spaulding, but you do have to be the best bassist you can be, and you'll only get there through regular practice and being curious about everything concerning the electric or stand up bass. Learn to not only play rock styles, but learn jazz, funk, and country stylings, learn proper playing techniques, including muting, slapping, and percussive effects. Grow as a musician, and show that in your hunger to grow, you are a musician, and a damned good one, at that.

Above all else, be professional in your attitude, even if you're not working professionally. Be the antithesis of everything this guy in his vlogs says bass players are. Prove him, and all the others like him, who think we are all useless idiots, wrong. Be the bassist he WISHES he could get in his studio (but you, being a professional, will never stoop to being in, because there are better options, and sound engineers/producers with better attitudes, who are a better fit for you, and a better investment in time and money).

Have fun, practice, learn. Don't be the "failed guitarist," be the successful bassist I know you all are.

Cheers,

GG

Bass Guitar: Dotted Quarter and Eighth Notes

Good afternoon, fellow bassists! As promised, this week I'm posting two simple exercises utilizing one of the most memorable hooks or licks in rock and pop: The dotted quarter note and eighth note.

You can hear examples of this all over the place, but the two most prominent songs that come immediately to mind, at least for this old-schooler, are Steely Dan's Rikki Don't Lose That Number from their 1974 album Pretzel Logic, and Fleetwood Mac's Dreams, which is found on their 1977 release Rumours.

I've created two exercises in key of C, in the same chord progression that I've used for the past several postings (I promise I'll be changing things up after this; REALLY, so bear with me for one more); play through these slowly, taking your time and getting a feel for the rhythm. This is an important rhythm exercise, because it follows a drummer's basic kick drum pattern in 4/4 time.

 Learning to play consistently and convincingly in this rhythmic feel will enable you to lock in with almost any drummer out there, and they'll love you for it, because you're "in the pocket" with them.
In the second exercise, I've added some passing notes to give the work movement and a sense of tension. These are also key virtues for any good bassist. Learning to use these tones judiciously and strategically, even in the simplest of compositions, will add to that composition and make you a much more valuable asset to the band. It will also establish your credentials with any band as a knowledgeable and credible bassist. Have fun!

Bass Guitar: Dotted Half notes with Quarter Notes

Good morning friends, sorry if I'm late in getting a post to you; I was going to post last week, but a number of things have happened, including doing a clean install on my computer of an older version of my OS (in which I inadvertantly erased a bunch of files I thought I had made back ups of, including my music files) and having to revert to an older version of the notation software I use to compose my exercises for guitar and bass on. Having said that, it's time to move on to this week's exercise on bass. This week, we're introducing the dotted notes, and we begin with the dotted half note.

A dot (.) at the end of a note adds an extra half count to its original value. For example, a half note counts as two quarter notes, but a dotted half note counts as three. So, instead of counting "one, two,..." for each half note, with a dotted half, you would count "one, two, three."

Here's a simple sixteen bar exercise, again using the simple C-G-Am-Em-F-C-F-G chord progression that I've been using in my other bass exercises. Play bars 1 through 8 slowly, getting a feel for the rhythm, then play bars 9 through 16, and see how the feel of the rhythm changes.

As I always say, take your time, work slowly at first, and have fun.

Next week, we'll look at how dotted quarter notes combined with eighth notes creates one of the most memorable and used bass hooks in the realm of pop and rock music.

Cheers!
G

Bass Exercise: Quarter and Eighth Notes

This week, I'm posting an exercise in quarter and eighth notes. A quarter note counts as one beat, while there are two eighth notes per beat. Play the first exercise through, getting it under your fingers, then try the second exercise, getting a feel for the difference in how the beat is expressed. Take your time, and have fun.

Bass for Beginners: Half and Quarter Notes

For this week's post, I'm going to start with some simple bass exercises. We'll start with an exercise in the key of C. I've sort of based the chord progression on Pachelbel's Canon in D, but transposed the exercise to C.

These are exercises in the first position (the open strings through the fourth fret) on the third and fourth strings, or A and E strings. The dotted double bar means you play the exercise through a second time before moving on to the next section. Start playing these slowly, with a metronome. As a bass player, it is essential that you develop good rhythm and meter. Playing in time is essential for bassists, because they are the real cornerstone of any good band.

When you are playing measures 9 through 16, notice how the feel of the rhythm changes. Take your time with these, get a good feel for the rhythm, and have fun. See you next week.

Guitar: One octave Intervals: Fourths in C Major

Today's posting is an exercise in Fourths. By now, you may have noticed that when played in descending order, the intervals shorten, 3rds become 2nds and fourths become 3rds. The tablatures shown here are generally written in first position, but you can transpose these to higher positions on the neck as shown in this example. Get these under your fingers first, then transpose them into the same key in different positions on the fretboard, and then into different keys. Take your time and have fun!

Guitar: 1-octave exercises - 3rds in C Major

In this first exercise, we'll explore thirds based on the C major scale. All of the forms shown in this first series are in key of C, but are meant to be movable forms, transposable to any key. I'm including the notation in tablature as well as standard notation. The intervals are meant to be played in ascending and descending order. The letters shown beneath the upper staff are fingerstyle directions of my own devising. The "p" is for thumb and "i" is for index finger. If, like me, you're just starting out on the instrument, take your time, work slowly, don't overdo on practice. Give your hands and fingers a chance to gain strength and facility. It will happen over time. Enjoy! -- GG

Introducing...Guitar and Bass for Beginners ... like me

Hi everyone,

Welcome to "Guitar and Bass for Beginners Like Me." This blog purposes to be a forum where I'll share what I'm learning on my own on guitar, what I've learned on bass, advice on equipment, gear, axes, and other fascinating subjects relating to the making of music. Introductions are in order, so allow me to explain myself:

My name is Glen Garcia. I've been a bass player for over thirty-six years. I didn't have the instrument "chosen" for me in some impromptu post-rehearsal meeting in a garage in my teens. I chose to play the bass because I thought it looked cooler, and fortunately for me, it turned out that I was a natural at it. I am a self-taught musician. Everything I learned was completely informal, so let me warn you at this point that I do not consider myself an "expert" in any way, but I have a love for playing music, and after thirty-six years of playing and learning, I have built up a knowledge base of sorts, and a strong desire to share it with others.

So if I have so many years of playing bass behind me, why do I call myself a beginner? Well friends, I'm a big believer in the idea that you never stop learning, and you should always strive to learn something new. I remember reading a book about the art of Aikido, in which the author urged his readers to cultivate a "beginner's mind." And it was with that idea in mind that I started learning guitar recently. In fact, you'll find that the first postings on this blog - and a big chunk of them, in fact - are and will be related to learning some basics on guitar. So, let's explore learning new things together, step out onto the mat, bring your "beginner's mind" with you, and let's have fun. Let's jam!