Fretboard Rosette A Key To Mastering The Guitar

Fretboard Rosette:
A key to mastering the guitar
Antony Nispel
Paidia Academic Press

(408) 971-0810
awnispel@earthlink.net
895 N. 7th St.
San Jose CA 95112
This work is dedicated to two exceptional music teachers and friends who inspired
me: Edward Rodriguez and Arta Rollins
Copyright 2003 by Paidia Academic Press

All Rights Reserved
This volume may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without written permission
from the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
Foreword
The title, Fingerboard Rosette, is a play on words that captures the essence of this
book. The guitar fingerboard supports enumerable scales, arpeggios, and chord patterns
that evokes the image of the beautifully woven pattern that encompasses the guitar sound
hole, called a rosette. Also, the word rosette reminds me of the historically important
Rosette Stone, which served as a decoding document for reading ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. The goal of this book is to provide the aspiring guitarist with a key to understanding and mastering what appears to be a bewildering guitar fretboard. These concepts
should begin to crystallize with diligent practice, serving as a foundation for making sense
of the million and one variations the guitar is capable.
The idea for writing this book came about from a nagging discontent I had with my
conventional guitar knowledge: although I could play by ear and sight read, I did not feel I
had a good command of the guitar neck. The popular method book, The Mel Bay Modern
Guitar Method taught me that there were 12 positions on the guitar neck without discussing where these came from and why these and not others were important. The Carcassi
Method taught me how to play beautiful etudes in each key but it did not explain how
these keys are interrelated. So when I began to teach students of my own, it was natural to
think critically about how the guitar neck worked in order to help my students learn
quickly.
My findings are significantly different from most other guitar books, for I show that
the guitar lends itself to side-to-side analysis, rather than the traditional bottom to top analysis of the fretboard. This approach drastically conserves both the amount of fingering patterns the student must learn and the amount of hand movement involved in order to
master the guitar neck.
There are three parts to this book. The first part is practical: I introduce the beginning
student to the concept of lateral translation and apply it to the simple major, minor chords
and pentatonic scales. Next, the student advances by applying lateral translation to major
and minor diatonic scales, arpeggios and advanced chords. I limit the scope of the chord
demonstrations to only those in root position. I think these other items are best mastered
5
once you know how to sight read (see my companion book: Reading Rosette: A key to
mastering essential scales and arpeggios). Nevertheless, the essential concepts presented here will apply to those other chords and the diligent student should be able to
anticipate them without too much trouble. The second part will help a student to systematically develop their finger-picking coordination. Part three deals with the first principles of harmony. It covers the origin of the pentatonic and diatonic scales along with
their intervals. It also explores the properties of musical cadence so the student can better
understand and predict the chords of a song.
Fretboard Rosette: A key to mastering the guitar
Contents
Foreword 5
The Major and Minor Chords 9
Introduction: Pentatonic Scale Tones 15
Scale practice 16
Blues Improvisation Using the Minor Pentatonic Tones 20
Vertical Transposition 23
Lateral Translation for Scale Forms 27
Minor and Major Diatonic Scale Patterns 34
Triad Patterns 42
The Moveable Key Patterns 47
Complex Chords 53
Arpeggios 62
Developing Dexterity in the Picking Hand 69
Origins of the Pentatonic Scale 75
Origins of the Diatonic Scale Tones 78
Derivation of the Just Major Scale 86
Steps 88
Temperament 89
The Harmonic Scale: the Key to Music 91
The Cycle of Fifths 92
Dynamic Harmonic Elements 94
History of the Guitar 101
Fretboard Rosette Table of Contents
Contents
Fretboard Rosette Table of Contents
The Major and Minor Chords
CHAPTER 1
Practical Section

First there is the E chord
The guitar seems to be built with the E-major chord in mind, since the first and last "open" strings are
both E-notes. The open-position E-chord is illustrated as follows:
Figure 1: Open E chord
This chord also spells 6 tones of the harmonic series (See page 99) along the E string: E-E1-B-E2-B1G#-D-E3. If you produce harmonics by laying your left-hand finger lightly above the E string as you
pluck the note with your right hand at positions 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/5, 1/6, 1/1, you will hear the harmonic
series tones that make up the E chord. This is a remarkable fact about the guitar and serves as a corner
stone for your deep understanding of how it works. You only need to consider one other fundamental
property of the guitar to gain a comprehensive understanding of how all major and minor chords relate to
the E chord and its harmonic series of tones.
The Logic of the Guitar Neck
If you already know how to perform relative tuning on your guitar, you may be familiar with the concept I present here. The open string tones of the guitar (playing each string without any fretting) are organized so that as you jump from one to the next, the tone advances a sub-dominant interval. This simply
means that the subsequent tone sounds 4/3 the frequency of your previous tone. For example, from the
Fingerboard Hand Development
low E string to the adjacent A string is a subdominant interval. Again, from the A string to the adjacent G
string lies yet another subdominant interval, and so on until the B string (2nd string from the bottom).
Here, whoever designed the guitar, tweaked the formula in order to provide for the last string of the guitar
being able to end up on an E tone (which is why I said that the guitar was built with the E chord in mind).
Instead of a subdominant interval, you will jump a submediant interval between the G and B strings.
Finally, between the last two tones, the original formula resumes so that you jump a subdominant interval
again, between the B to E strings. Take a look at the illustration in figure below, that shows the guitar
property of lateral translation:
Figure 2: Tonal relationship between guitar strings
So what, you say. Well, the practical benefit of lateral translation is that you can pretty easily
deduce the shape and fingerings of many unknown guitar forms by translating the fingering shapes of
known forms laterally across the guitar neck. Not only will the new pattern feel familiar, it will be important from the standpoint of harmony. The most important tones of a scalethe dominant and subdominant
tones are located one string apart on the fretboard. Therefore, the primary chord change of most songs
will require a simple lateral translation. While the design of keyboards, such as the piano, is advantageous
for providing musicians a way to play separate bass and melody lines together, one of most underrated
advantages of the guitar is the fretboard property of lateral translation that allows you to conserve your
hand movement to achieve the essential harmonic changes in a song. The following section will demonstrate how the important major chords in open position translate across the guitar neck from the fundamental E chord. By studying and practicing the translation of musical patterns contained in this book, you
will develop a quick and easy capacity to play just about anything on the guitar.
10
A key is made up of tones according to a strict mathematical formula. Two of the most important
intervals within harmony are the root and subdominant intervals (see page 94), whose tones vibrate 4 / 3
frequency apart. But you know from the principle of lateral translation that the subdominant tone is
located at the string next door. This is very convenient because we can translate our root chord to its
subdominant by mapping each fingering one string over as shown below (See figure 3):
Figure 3: Lateral translation example of open position chord, E to A major.
This will maintain the 4/3 frequency difference necessary to create the subdominant chord tones.
Recall, however, that between the B and C string, there is a smaller interval, a major third, so that to
maintain a subdominant difference, you must compensate by moving up one fret when translating this
fingering. Take a look at the complete set of major chords in the open position and see
Like, I've never had guitar lessons, bass lessons, piano lessons, music-writing
lessons, song writing lessons, or horse-riding lessons, for that matter, or painting--I do some of that. I always jump into things, and so by the time I'm ready
for my first lesson, I'm beyond it. I always did try to have music lessons. I
always tried to have someone teach me to notate music, because I still
don't know to this day.
Paul McCartney
GP May "90
11
Translating the major open chord patterns
how they follow the principal of lateral translation:
Figure 4: Lateral translation of open position major chords
You might also be wondering what happens to the tone at the end right edge of the guitar neck (on the
1st string)? The guitar neck simply repeats itself, because this is an E notethe same E note you began
withbut two octaves higher. Therefore when you translate the fingering from this string, it becomes the
fingering of the A string (5th-string), once again. Also, you will notice that some of the fingerings are
optional. I do not recommend most of these because they change the normal order of the standard 3-note
chord where the root note should come first. When you can visualize subdominant chords by lateral translation, you have a nice way of remembering your chordsparticularly the important ones in the key of
songs that you learn. Of course you do not want to sit there thinking about each chord as you play your
song. Therefore I recommend that you practice the lateral sequence daily as a drill until you become
skilled at it.
Practice is the best of all instructors

Publilius Syrus
12
Translating the minor open chord patterns

Just as the major chords of the guitar correspond to the overtone-series, so does the minor chords,
select tones of the undertone series (see page 100): E4-Fb4-B3-A-E3-G3-B2-E2Like the major chord
Figure 5: Open Em-chord
scheme for demonstrating all major chord forms by the method of lateral translation, we can do the same
for the minor chords:
Figure 6: Lateral translation of open minor chords
The open minor series of chords should be easy to learn if you think of the principal of lateral translationespecially if you already know the major chord series well. Just work your way across the guitar
13
neck as you did for the open-major chord forms. You may find the chord form translation from Dm to Gm
less intuitive than the others because the guitar neck seems to run out of room. What happens is that we
reduce all the notes by 2 octaves so that the translated form begins to appear at the other side of the guitar
neck. You may study the figure above to see how the translation works.
Do you have an overall philosophy you try to impress on students?

No. In fact, my philosophy in terms of teaching has been to make people
aware of what their weaknesses are. But that is not really true, either,
because with each person it is different. Some people really need to be
encouraged that it is possible for them to become good players, and other
people need to be made aware that there are things that they should work on
other than what they have already got together. Players get to that interesting level where they can already play pretty good, and that is kind of a dangerous period because they tend to start playing only things they can play
well instead of things they can not play well. This is especially true of people
who are interested in improvisation. It is very difficult to masteror even get
together at allbeing able to play on chord changes. It is one thing if one is
a very good modal player, but to actually be able to play on changes is a difficult thing that sometimes gets ignored. Learning that can help your modal
playing too.
Pat Metheny
GP Dec. 1981
14
There is no scale as ancient, simple, and beautifully expressive as the pentatonic. Its harmonic integrity makes the playing of unpleasant melodies almost impossible (see page 75). Perhaps this is why most
popular musiccountry and blues, jazz and folk uses the pentatonic. Also, from the student point of
view, the pentatonic is useful because it serves as stepping stones to the more complex diatonic (7-tone)
scales (see page 86).
There are two sides to mastering the pentatonic scale tones: by practicing scales and by improvisation. These two ways of practicing the scale-tones are not interchangeable, for scales are used to achieve
fluency, while improvising helps you to achieve melodic excellence. First, I will explain how to execute
scales, then I present an improvisational approach to mastering the pentatonic tones.
Let us begin the important pentatonic scales in the open position.
What are the limitations of the guitarist?

Your own ability, your own incapacity, your own lack of inspirationas Paco says, you work, you
fight against these limitations in the hope that you have one night where you fly like an eagle. And
when that happens, it makes everything worthwhile. That moment of freedom is the happiest thing in
the world, the most satisfying, the most of everything you can think of.
John McLaughlin
GP March 1981
Chords underlying the open position pentatonic scale patterns

One of the important characteristics of the pentatonic scale patterns is that they can be thought of as
extensions to underlying chords (this is true for most other scales as well). For example, within the Em
minor pentatonic scale pattern, you will find the Em chord. This is a helpful feature for learning the various scales because you will be building on your chord knowledge to conquer the unknown scales. Moreover, when performing, you will often want to play the scale patterns between strumming the whole
chord that belongs to it.
To learn a new scale, assume the chord fingering as a general finger position reference and begin from
root noteusually the lowest note of the chord pattern. Study the Examples of the important open position
15
Introduction: Pentatonic Scale Tones
Introduction: Pentatonic Scale Tones
pentatonic scales and their underlying open chord patterns below:
Figure 7: Open position major and minor pentatonic scale patterns
Scale practice
Scales are the most efficient preparation for developing your hand strength and coordination over the
entire set of notes in order to improve your technical skill and tactile knowledge of the fretboard. We will
begin with a simple minor pentatonic scale in the key of E, played in the open position:
Figure 8: Open minor pentatonic scale pattern
Your first scale is simply ascending and descending two octaves from the root or first tone, as written
16
Scale practice
out in tablature below: For the sake of symmetry, play the simple country pentatonic scale too.

&

T
A
B
Figure 9: Simple Em pentatonic scale drill
Below is the open position country pattern for the key of G. Notice that it uses the same scale box as
the open-E blues pattern, but begins and ends on different notes:
Figure 10: Open G major pentatonic scale pattern
Ascend entire scale in open position, and return as written in tablature form below:
&

T
A
B
Figure 11: Simple major pentatonic scale drill
While scales are primarily played in sequence from the root to the octave note, there are many variations that will enhance your fingering technique. Not only will these scale variations strengthen your fretboard fingers to play nimbly, they will also coordinate them to play in sync with your string-plucking
fingers to achieve a smooth, confident sound.
17
Try the following patterns:

-- Ascend 2 notes and descend 1; when you arrive at the final octave, return.
Open Pentatonic Scale

(2 up; 1 back)
&c
T
A
B
&
0
&
13
&
Figure 12: Up 2, back 1 major and minor pentatonic scale drill
18
Scale practice
-- Ascend 3 notes, then descend 2, then when you get to the top, return:
Open Pentatonic Scale

(3up and 2 back)
&
T
A
B

&
9
17
&

0
Figure 13: Up 3, back 2 major and minor pentatonic scale drill
-- In general, ascend X notes and return X1 notes, up to X=7; then return.

If you master these ordered scale patterns, you will really make the pentatonic second nature. Hang in
there: while learning these patterns is tough going at first, if you are persistent, you will be surprised how
easy they become in a relatively short time. You will also find that you are able to transfer these ordered
patterns to other types of scales you know almost immediately. The table below shows you the general
scheme for playing these pentatonic scales, and any other type of scale, systematically.
-- Ascend one note at-a-time until you reach the 2nd octave, then return.
-- Ascend 2 notes and descend 1, then return.
-- Ascend 3 notes, then descend 2, then return.
19
-- In general, ascend X notes and return X1 notes, up to X=7; then return.
Blues Improvisation Using the Minor Pentatonic Tones

While scale practice is the most direct technique for developing your competence in playing musical
passages in any given key, the technique of improvising with the scale tones is the most fun. Instead of
playing the tones in sequence, you seek to play tasteful selections of tones as they spontaneously flow
from the finger tips.
In the beginning, it is best to limit the scope of notes you play. Try concentrating on three to four
notes, playing these is a variety of ways as a painter might experiment with their pallet of colors. As in
painting, there are stylistic techniques; those here listed will make playing the pentatonic tones really
come alive:
1) SlidingExperiment sliding into the fretted note to get a sizzling glissando effect.
2) BendingDrive the string up or downwards behind the fret to create sharpened notes,
characteristic of both the country and blues music.
3) Pull-offBend the notes until your finger lets the string roll freely to create a sort of
one-handed plectrum sound.
4) Hammering-onHammer down upon the string with the finger-tip prior to fretting to
get a pick-up note effect, opposite to the pull-off.
5) Two-note chordsFret two adjacent strings at the same time to achieve a micro-chord
effect.
It is easy to over-use some of these techniques, so use them sparingly! Of course, there are many
other techniques which you will develop as you listen, watch and copy the guitar masters. The combination of tones and technical attack provide an extremely rich range of musical sounds. In my experience, I
find improvisation with the pentatonic so entrancing, I do not consciously concern myself with copying
the guitar greats. Nevertheless, you are likely to perk your ears up more and more to hear how others get
their wonderful sounds. You will find yourself developing an appetite to learn some of the licks from
your favorite guitarist. Copy all you can (not necessarily note for note), since this will become a rich
vocabulary of riffs upon which to evolve your own technique.
12-bar blues cadence
In order to improvise using the blues tones, you will need to play the minor pentatonic tones along
with a background of rhythm chords. In blues, there is the essential 12-bar blues chord progression which
you find in many-a-rock n roll and blues songs. Consider, for example the following blues strumming
20
Blues Improvisation Using the Minor Pentatonic
pattern:
Am
Am
Am
Am
&c
5 D m6
Dm6
Am
Am
&
9 E7
Dm6
Am
E7
&
Figure 14: 12 bar blues cadence example in G
Notice how the Am-chord, which is the principal chord of the key, signified by the chord function I,
gets four measures before the Dm6-chord (chord function IV6) gets two measures, etc. Altogether, this
adds up to 12-bars or measures.
The general chord function formula for these 12-bar blues is:
12-bar blues cadence by chord functions
I
IV6
IV6
V7
IV6
V7
Of course the formulation above will describe 12-bar blues in any key. Have a friend perform these
rhythm chords or tape them yourself so that you can practice playing the lead or melody parts to the progression. Soon you will be able to improvise over the minor pentatonic scale notes while getting a wonderful feel for this music.
Helpful tips
The following are some helpful tips to improvise by:
1) As a beginner, it is easy to over-do the lead guitar playing. Remember that often times less is
more, so try sticking to two or three notes played slowly, soulfully, and evenly over this simple
rhythm.
21
2) Try to hum melodies just as you play them upon the guitar. Often we are more creative
when we hum than when mechanically running through scale tones.
3) Experiment with different degrees of loudness. Typically one increases volume when
the higher pitched tones are quickly executed in order to create tension. The opposite is
for relaxed passages. Listen to the guitar greats.
Country Cadence
Just as the blues has a standard 12-bar cadence, so does country music have its standard 16-bar
cadence, which you will readily recognize. Songs such as Blue Moon of Kentucky, I have Forgot to
Remember to Forget; the folk song, Crawdad, Honky Tonk Woman, and Rocky Raccoon, are good examples.
Men are born the same but made different by practice

Confucious
An example of the 16-bar chord progression is as follows:
&c
5 G
&
9 G
&
13 G
&
Figure 15: 16 bar country cadence example in C
22
Vertical Transposition
The country cadence chord-function form is generally as follows:

16-bar country cadence by chord function
I
IV
IV
IV
IV
As with the blues, improvising with the major pentatonic tones will cultivate your melodic ability. Try
playing country lead guitar using the major pentatonic scale patterns in different keys over the 16-bar
country cadence. Employ some of the blues techniques and tips as well.
While the lateral position shift is similar to transposition from one harmonic key to the next on the
piano, the guitar has the unique virtue of allowing the player to make a vertical transposition where the
hand position shifts along the length of the guitar neck, when shifting keys. Unlike lateral transposition,
vertical transposition of chord patterns does not alter their shape in any way. The concept of vertical
translation can best be demonstrated though an understanding closed chord and scale forms that follow.
Shoobey Doobey Doo

Frank Sinatra
Closed Chord Forms

The next logical step in mastering the guitar neck is to build on your knowledge of open chord forms
to learn the closed chord forms. Closed chord forms are those based on open forms, except that you play
them further up the neck where open strings seldom sound good. These chord forms look easier than they
actually are despite the fact that their shapes are similar to the open forms because you will need to fret
additional strings and use completely different fingerings than you are used to in the open forms. In the
following diagram on next page, see how the open major chord forms are changed to create the closed
ones.
23
Figure 16: Closed major chords derived from open chords
24
Again, see how the minor open chord forms are changed to create closed ones:
Figure 17: Closed minor chords derived from moveable open chords
I practice every daysometimes even longer than five minutes! You can
practice subconsciously, you know, and if you're watching TV, it's better to
have something strapped around your neck than not. But you're not gonna
get in there if you don't practice. You have to sit there until you get it right.
Jeff Beck
GP May 2000
25
Modal Playing: Following the Chord

As you improvise with the pentatonic scale tones, you will soon find that certain tones sound better
than others, relative to the particular chord that is being played. For example the C-note will sound good
when the C-chord is being strummed. The reason for this is that the pentatonic scale is built around the
chord which gives it its nameas you learned for the open position pentatonic scale patterns (See page
77). An extension of this principle is to play the pentatonic scale modallythat is, playing the scale tones
such that you shift to the scale pattern for each chord played in the cadence. For example, when the
rhythm chord is G, play the G-major pentatonic scale. When the chord switches to, say, C, play the Cmajor pentatonic scale. This modal playing also works well for the blues, however, beware: while providing greater refinement in your lead guitar work, it is a bit more tricky to handle. Remember that you can
always fall back on the single scale pattern of the key. You will not be able to do much modal guitar work
unless you know how to play a variety of closed scale forms, particularly with the pentatonic scale.
Basically, I learned through dividing the neck into positions, where the
chords were in their various forms. It's a good way to practice. Take E, for
example, and find the chord in each of its forms all the way up the neck.
Then learn the scale in each position to go with it. I see everything in visual
patterns in my mind. But it was always the chord that came first. For example, when I practice I'll play major, minor, diminished, and augmented
scales. I really don't know the technical names for them, and I don't know
what half the chords I use are. But I know for every chord there has to be a
scale that fits it. And I find those notes on every position on the neck. You
do this enough, you'll get the whole neck programmed into your mind.
Playing by ear really is a feeling. But it only comes with the knowledge of
the neck. It has to be ingrained in your mind ahead of time.
Roy Buchanan
Guitar Player Magazine
April 1983
Closed form pentatonic scales

Corresponding to the closed form chords are the closed pentatonic scale patterns that you would play
away from the guitar nut (the thick white fret at the beginning of the fretboard). For example, the Empentatonic pattern at fret zero (the "open position") played at the first fret becomes the Fm-pentatonic
scales, just as the Em- becomes the Fm-bar chord. (Note that the tones which were stopped at the nut
have to be fretted when moving horizontally. In effect, you learn to play the open positions as variations
of the moveable scale patterns). Finally, it is good to practice a scale pattern by progressing and regress26
to adapt to these fretboard differences.
Figure 18: Vertical translation of a pentatonic scale
Simple High and Low-finger Pentatonic Scale Patterns

The next set of charts (See figure 20) give you the complete set of closed pentatonic scale patterns in
one position. You can think of the guitar as having two basic kinds of scale patterns since either the low or
high pattern is translated laterally to generate the pentatonic scales of all keys. I recommend that you
study and practice the high and low major scale patterns that follow (See figure 20). One of the biggest
benefits of displaying all these scales on one page is that you can see their relationshipsboth likenesses
and differences. You should pay attention to the principal of lateral translation (see page 9).
Lateral Translation for Scale Forms

Once a scale has become second nature, you should get an idea of how the same scale pattern can be
shifted across the guitar to produce a similar tone pattern but at a higher pitchin other words, change
keys while maintaining most of the same scale pattern. You recall from lateral translation of chords (see
page 11) that shifting laterally across the guitar neck raises the scale a subdominant or dominant interval,
depending on which side you move. With lateral translation, you will maintain the scale pattern for all
notes, with the exception of the second or B-string. For example, the moveable Em-pentatonic scale
shown in the illustration below, has the same shapealmostto the Am-pentatonic scale, although it
27
ing one fret at-a-time on the neck: the fret spaces become increasingly small or large, forcing your fingers
begins on the next string overthe A string. The shape of the scale, which I will refer to as its pattern, differs only on the B-string. For example, in the fretted notes along the G-string, G and A, shift upward one
fret to notes C and D, during the lateral translation.
Figure 19: Lateral translation of a pentatonic scale
Once you can visualize this relationship and generalize it for other scale patterns, you will possess a
rich organizing principle of the guitar that will allow you to quickly acquire scale patterns and arpeggios
with little trouble. Of course, merely visualizing these patterns is not enough. You should also practice the
patterns you learned from lateral translation by playing adjacent scale patterns, one after another (i.e. Emto Am- to Dm- to Gm- to Cm- to Fm-pentatonic, etc.), in order to make these transitions second nature.
The following chart is the complete set of closed scale patterns for the minor pentatonic scale in a single position. Just as in the case when you learned the open position pentatonic patterns, you should imag-
I like to play rhythm guitar and then think about what the solo is going to be if I want
a really spontaneous, bluesy, rocky soulI will make an attempt. I can do that
sometimes...
Do you think playing Indian music and the Sitar has influenced your slide-guitar
playing?
Absolutely.
George Harrison
GP Feb. 1987
28
ine the underlying chord of each scale as a general reference.
Figure 20: Closed patterns minor pentatonic scale patterns with their underlying chords
You do not want to play like B.B. King, you do not want to play like Jas
Obrecht or somebody else. You want to be you. So what you do is listen
to Jas, listen to B.B., listen to anybody else you like. I do not use the word
steal, but try to borrow a little bit from each guy, if you can. You
apply that to yourself, like learning to read or write. You hear words
that you like, and you add that to your vocab, but you do not try to
always sound exactly like the other one. And like that you become you.
B.B. King
Jan. 1998
You will also want to learn the closed major pentatonic scale patterns as follows: Fretboard System of
29
Closed Chord Patterns:
Figure 21:
With lateral and vertical translation, you realize that similar fingering patterns occur throughout the
fretboard, where the tonal value changes. However, the fretboard also has the opposite characteristic
where the same notes can be played in a different fingering pattern.1 For example, an E major chord in the
open position sound similar to an E major chord played at the 3rd fret, having an entirely different fingering patterna closed D form. Keep in mind that the fretboard system of closed patterns is relative to where
you start on the fretboard: the name of the closed chord patterns depends on the fixed value of the root
note of the closed chordsin other words, the actual note on the fretboard over which you begin the closed
chord pattern. Furthermore, the system applies equally well for the scale patterns based on the underlying
major and minor chords, so that, for example, an open Em pentatonic scale pattern can be played as a Dm
1.These patterns are sometimes referred to as the CAGED pattern because the vertical sequence of chords spells -C-AG-E-D-
30
pentatonic pattern at the beginning of the 3rd fret.
Figure 22: The Fretboard system of closed chord patterns
31
Extended Pentatonic Scale Patterns

I have provided two sets of extended patterns of the pentatonic scales. The first set spans across 2
playing positions. The second set is longer, spanning across 3 or more playing positions. I present these
extended patterns in order to expose you to that feeling of freedom you get when gliding up the neck of
the guitar as you play. When playing hot licks in country or blues, you will feel an inclination to move
higher on the guitar neck as the melodic tension increases.
Figure 23: Short extended pentatonic scale patterns
32
Figure 24: Fully extended pentatonic scale patterns
33
Experimentation
By mixing both country and blues togetherplaying licks over country cadences and vice-versayou
will achieve a Rock-a-Billy sound. For example, play the A-minor blues tones over a country-C progression, just as a country-G scale sounds good over an Em-blues cadence.
Be sure to allow yourself to experiment beyond the simple norms recommended in this book. While
the fundamentals are an important spring board, the outstanding things you do are likely to be just a little
beyond the safety of the norms suggested here.
Minor and Major Diatonic Scale Patterns

The major and minor diatonic scales are built from the three principal chords belonging to its key (See
page 86). These are the chords which stand side by side in lateral translation. For example, the A major
scale consists of the notes from chords, E, A and D, as shown in the chart below:
Figure 25: The major scale patterns and their underlying chords
34
simply adding a 4th and 7th tones. For example, to a C major pentatonic scale, C-D-E-G-A-C, you would
add the F and B notes to create the 7-note diatonic major: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C. This fact should make it
easy to learn the various diatonic major scales. Below are the open pentatonic scale patterns with the diatonic notes added:
Figure 26: Open position major pentatonic scale patterns with diatonic notes added
Many people have asked me how to become an excellent guitarist. I

answer, Be a hard-working perfectionist, which personally makes up
for my lack of talent in a lot of areas. Our goal should be to overcome
what we lack in talent or ability by what we have in dedication and commitment. This takes self-disciplinethe ability to regulate your conduct
by principles and sound judgment, rather that by impulse, desire, high
pressure, or social custom. It is the ability to subordinate the body to
what is right and what is best. Self-discipline means nothing more than
to order the priorities of your life. It is the bridge between thought and
accomplishment, the glue that binds inspiration to achievement.
Chris Parkening
The Chris Parkening
Guitar Method, Vol. 2
35
Extending the pentatonic scale patterns to learn the diatonic scale tones
If you already know the major pentatonic scale patterns, you can readily learn the diatonic patterns by
Below are the closed pentatonic scale patterns with the diatonic notes added:
Figure 27: Closed major pentatonic scale patterns with diatonic notes
The characteristic of extending the pentatonic to create the diatonic scale patterns is also generally
true of the melodic minor scale patterns, however the resemblance is not striking: the 2nd, and 6th note
are added and the 7th note is raised the last note of the pentatonic scale. It is better to learn the minor diatonic scale patterns as altered major scales.
leave us that musical mode that would fittingly imitate the utterances and the
accents of a brave man who is engaged in warfare or in any enforced businessAnd another for such a man engaged in works of peace, not enforced but
voluntary
Plato
36
Diatonic Scale Patterns

The complete set of major scale patterns are posted below:
Figure 28: Low and high major scale patterns
The Melodic Minor

The melodic minor scales follow the same logic as the major scales, however they are complicated by
the property that you run up the scale differently than you run down. The ascending step pattern has half
steps (see page 88) between the 2nd and 3rd, as well as the 7th and 8th tones. Yet when you descend,
there are half-steps between the 2nd and 3rd, 5th and 6th tonesnot the 7th and 8th tones. The ascending
section of the scale is a compound of the natural minor scale for the first four notes, and the major scale
for the last four notes. The reason for the inclusion of the major scale pattern in the last four tones of the
ascending scale is an open question. Some musicologist argue that the imported half step between the 7th
and 8th tones of the major scale provides a leading tone push towards the final note of the scale. The
descending portion of this minor scale is the natural minor scale tones. The practical result of this asymmetric property is that you must learn two patterns for each keyone for ascending and another for
descending. Think of the minor scale pattern as a major scale where the 3rd tone is lowered a half step
(one fret), while traversing upward and lowered a whole step (2 fret) descending from tones #8 to 7 and 7
37
to 6. The following chart shows the minor scale patterns starting at the low finger position:
Figure 29: Minor scale patterns starting at low starting point
People have heroes, and they copy themI mean, we copied things very carefully when we started. But you do not get this picture and then do everything to
fit it. You do what you do. The musicians are there to contribute to the band
sound. The band isn't there for showing off solos or egos. A lick on a recordit
does not matter who played it. All that matters is how it fits. The chemistry to
work together like that has to be there. You have to work on it, alwaysfigure
out what to do with it. But basically it is not an intellectual thing you can think
up and just put there. It has to be there. You have to find it.
Keith Richards
GP Oct. 1976
38
The following chart shows the minor scale patterns starting at the high finger position:
Figure 30: Closed minor scale patterns
How important do you think chops areexecution, facility on the neck, dexterity?
I think it depends on what kind of music you want to play. If what really moves you is music that
has a lot of notes in it, then you have got a lot of hard work ahead of you. On the other hand, if the
music that really gets you is accompanying yourself on folk guitar, then there is not as much asor,
actually, I suppose you could put as much effort into that and become the greatest fold guitarist in
the world. To me, everybody finds their own path in terms of technique. It gets me when the technique becomes the featured item. It is almost like somebody who spends hours polishing the water
faucet thinking that is going to make the water pure or tastier. It does not really work like that. Just
from my own experience, I have found that I have never really sat down and worked on techniqueit
just kind of takes care of itself as you become a better musician.
Pat Metheny
GP Dec. 1981
39
Extended Diatonic Scales

It is helpful to learn scales that incorporate two adjacent patterns of the same key. These compounded
patterns I will call extended scales. For example, to play an extended E-major scale pattern, you could
play the low E-pattern and low D-pattern (with the root at E) in sequence. The diagrams that follow
illustrates the practical extended major and minor scale patterns. Notice that the final tone of the first pattern is replaced with the index fingering of the second pattern. This feature makes the fingering transition
between scale boxes smooth.
Figure 31: Extended major scale patterns
40
The practical extended minor scale patterns are the following:
Figure 32: Extended minor scale patterns
A Scheme for Practicing Major and Minor Scales and Chords

A comprehensive practice of the scale and chord forms is a wonderful way to improve your guitar
technique. A natural way to master these is to practice the various patterns according to the principal of
lateral translation. Also, since major and minor patterns are essentially mirror images of one another (see
page 94), you might want to alternate between major and minor patterns as you go. For example, the E
major triad is a mirror image of A minor. You could begin with the E major chord, then play the A minor
41
chord, then next, on to the D major, and so on. If you continue in this way, you will cover half of all the
major and minor chords as you advance across the fretboard. To perform the other half of the chords, you
would begin with the E minor chord and advance to the A major, and so on. Yes, this method also works
for scale patterns.
Triad Patterns
Galaxies within galaxies! Upon each note in a scale, a 3-note triad (see page 91) can be built. Your
knowledge of a key would not be complete without knowing how to play these because they will make it
easy for you to construct all kinds of complex chords and arpeggios. The following charts display the
major and minor triads, based on the closed scale patterns
Major Triad Charts
Figure 33: E/F-triad forms
Figure 34: A-major triad forms
42
Triad Patterns
Figure 35: D-major triad forms
Figure 36: G-major triad forms
Figure 37: C-major triad forms
43
Minor Triad Charts
Figure 38: E/F-form triads. Play the notes within the triangles only when they point in the direction you are advancing.
Figure 39: A-minor triad form
Figure 40: D-minor triad forms
44
Triad Patterns
Figure 41: G-minor triad forms
Figure 42: C-minor triad forms
Above all, strive for personal excellence. True success is not measured by
worldly accomplishments or by comparison with others. Rather, it is working with diligence, to the best of your ability, toward achieving excellence in
whatever task you have set before you.
Chris Parkening
Vertical triad forms
Another set of useful triad pattern are those built on the first three strings, advancing vertically up the
guitar neck. In the following diagram I have outlined the major and minor triad fingerings that can be
played in sequence or as short chords. Notice that these forms are limited to the feasible E- through Dforms (see page 46).
45
Figure 43: Vertical triad forms
46
The Moveable Key Patterns
I have never practiced scales in my life, so I could not do some of

these heavy metal runs. I figure a lot of that is just because the guys
are properly trained, and that is what they have learned -- scales.
Some of it, I think, is, well, boring. Some of it is just endless scales.
Paul McCartney
GP May 1990

The moveable key system is a practical way to comprehend the guitar fretboard when playing actual
songs. The basis for this system are the principal closed major chords: E, A, D, G, and C. Each moveable
key based on one of these chord patterns contains the fundamental chord and scale patterns belonging to
the key. However, the actual key name is relative to where you play these patterns on the guitar neck. For
example, the moveable C patterns could show the key of C where the root note of the C pattern begins on
a C note of the guitar neck. The moveable C key could also show the key of D, if you were to translate the
patterns so that the root note of the C form covers a D note. You will always find the root note of the
moveable patterns as the first note of the namesake chord pattern (see next page).
...I can say...that when I am on form and at ease with the instrument,
which is not always, I feel that the instrument is totally a part of me.
And when it is a part of me, I can express what I feel about life, about
philosophy, about many things, through the abstract quality of musical sound. Because I do not think I am a great artist, but I know I am a
good onethat I have got something to say, however modest. And I am
happy to be alive and to be able to say it with some degree of eloquence to people, people I do not know, strangersthis seems to be a
most wonderful gift and the most worthwhile thing to do in life. For
me at least.
Julian Bream
Guitar Review
Spring, Aug. 1982
47
Figure 44: Moveable E-key form
48
Figure 45: Moveable A-key form
49
Figure 46: Moveable D-key form
50
Figure 47: Moveable G-key form
51
Figure 48: Moveable C-key form
52
Now that you know allOK, most allthe basic fretboard patterns, lets take a look at how you begin
(and continue beginning) to learn such fancy chords as:
-- Diminished
-- Augmented
-- Sustained
-- Major and minor sixth
-- Dominant and minor seventh
-- Major seventh
-- Seventh augmented and diminished fifth
-- Ninth, with or without augmented or diminished fifth (not shown)
-- Eleventh, with or without augmented or diminished fifth (not shown)
-- Thirteenths of all sorts
-- And so on...(see page 99)
I believe the way to learn complex chords is to construct them and reconstruct them until they become
part of you. There are two methods that are helpful for constructing complex chords. The first is to use
the closed major patterns as a starting point. The second is to use the moveable major and minor triad patterns as a starting point.
Building complex chords from closed major chords
If you start with closed major chord patterns, you can add the higher overtones to create complex
chords. The hard part is knowing which finger positions to adjust in order to produce the proper upper
interval tones. The secret is to learn the interval value of each fingering within the closed chord patterns
for the simple closed chords so you can extend or retract the necessary tones needed. Suppose, for example, you wish to play an C7 chord. You would begin with a closed C major chord and extend the dominant-interval (the note on the 5th degree of the scale), represented with the roman numeral, V, 1-1/2-steps
53
Complex Chords
Complex Chords
(3 frets) as follows:
Figure 49: Example of complex chord construction
Once you know the interval size of the complex chord interval and you know the interval finger position of the closed chord forms, you can easily visualize where to place your fingers. Moreover, learning
the intervals of the closed forms is not so difficult once you know one form well. Simply use the principle
of lateral translation to learn the other closed chords. For example, take the E7 form: you learn to translate it across the fretboard to create the A7 form. Not only is this method a fast way to learn your chords,
it also is an ideal formula for keeping the root note in the bass stringswhere it belongs. You see, when
you build chords, you always want to consider the ideal orchestration of a chord (see page 99). Chords
that most closely follow the distribution of tones found in the overtone and undertone series sound best in
most cases.
The limitations of the guitar fretboard, with only six strings, makes the design of good sounding
chords sometimes challenging. Many times, you will have to compromise between practical fingering
and good chord orchestration. Nevertheless, I have found that through ingenuity and the use of lateral
translation, most of these chord fingerings work. For those occasional forms that do not follow the regular patterns, you will simply have to memorize these items separately.
Oh, the way to calculate the interval size on the fretboard is easy. Treat each string as a chromatic
scale where every fret equals a half-step (see page 88).
2nd
3rd 4th
5th
6th dom7 maj7
octave
Figure 50: Fretboard intervals
In the example above, you know (or can quickly find out) that the dominant 7th interval is 1-1/2 steps
above the dominant interval (V). So you move the fingering upward 3 fretsone fret for each half step.
What about intervals beyond the octavethe 9th, 11th, and 13th? For these you subtract the number 8
from them, to find the equivalent interval within the octave. A 9th interval is one more than 8the octave
note. You locate this note a whole-tone beyond the tonic. However, in keeping with good harmonic form,
it is best to place this note at least an octave above the tonic note. One of the nice things about complex
54
complex chord (see page 99). For example you can play a C9 chord while eliminating the C note, but
keeping the 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th notes. Nevertheless, not all complex chords are easily built from the
closed-form major and minor chords. Sometimes the complex interval cannot be conveniently reached in
one closed-form at all. You will have to try it in another.
Chord forms and their intervals:

Below are the possible intervals (see page 100) of laterally translated chord forms E/F to C. The
roman numerals indicate the interval degree within the scale. For example, to find a E-major chord within
the E/F-form, you would select the fingerings that constitute a major triad: I, III, and V. The actual chord
results are exhibited after the following interval chart:
Forms:
blank space
Figure 51: Intervals of chord form
The major and minor chord forms

Here are the essential major chord forms. You need to learn these forms and their intervals by heart in
order to systematically learn the more complex forms that follow. Also, do not forget to imagine how the
forms translate laterally across the guitar neck. This too will make your learning easier for the more com-
55
Complex Chords
chords is that you can forego the root note and sometimes even the dominant note and still create a nice
plex forms that follow:

Forms:
Figure 52: Major chord forms
In order to build a minor from a major form, lower the fingering for the third interval a half step to a
minor third. Where there is an X symbol, do not include the string when sounding the chord.
Forms:
Figure 53: Minor chord forms
56
Complex Chords
At first, he taught me a couple of things, and then he taught me how to

teach myself --and that's the right way.
Stevie Ray Vaughan

GP Oct. "84
The Sustained Four chord (a favorite of Who guitarist Peter Townsend) is created by raising the 3rd
interval a half step to the 4th. I prefer to raise the highest 3rd rather than the one closest to the root note to
get a better soundexcept where it makes the fingering awkward: There are a host of other less used susForms:
Figure 54: Sustained 4 chord forms
tained chords: 7Sus4, 13Sus11, etc. Also, although the charts show the chord fingerings for the closed
position, most of these chords sound best in the open position.
The Seventh chord forms

To build the dominant seventh forms, lower the tonic (I) interval a whole step; you may also advance
the fifth degree 1-1/2 steps to reach the seventh degree. Notice that the E7th form shows an optional 7th
57
note under the pinky fingering that is not translated to the other forms.
Forms:
Figure 55: Dominant 7 chord forms
To build the Minor 7th, you will need to drop the third back a half-step.
Forms:
Figure 56: Minor 7 chord forms
To build the Major 7th chord, advance the 7th degree by a half-step, or lower the tonic one whole
step. For the sake of uniformity, I include here a GM7 form that is a little unwieldy. You may wish to substitute an easier form that I do not show. Also be aware of the difference between the Dominant 7th and
Major 7th chords. The Dominant 7th has a strident quality due to the lowered 7th tone, while the Major
58
Complex Chords
7th has a rich harmonious quality with its raised 7th tone.
Forms:
Figure 57: Major 7 chord forms
Diminished and augmented chord forms:

Diminished chords require a lowered third and fifth degree. Notice that the rule of lateral translation
is broken between the D and G-forms. I did this in order to maximize the diversity of chord forms. Otherwise, the C-form would look exactly the same as the E-form.
Note that you can avoid sounding the X-marked strings by muffling them with the fleshy part of your
fingers, used for other fingerings. Note that the diminished G* and C*-forms are lowered one fret so that
it would fit in my restricted page space.
Forms:
G*
C*
Figure 58: 7 diminished 5 chord forms
59
The Augmented chord is built by raising the 5th degree a half-step and leaving the 3rd alone (unlike
in the Diminished chord).
Forms:
Figure 59: 7 augmented 5 chord forms
Sixth Chord forms:

The Major 6th chord is created by raising the 5th degree one whole step, or lowering the 7th degree
one half step. Some of the following chord forms could have been made orchestral chords by baring all
the way across the fretboard to produce a fuller sound. Notice that the rule of lateral translation is broken
between the D and G-forms by including the tonic in the later. A well orchestrated chord tends to place
the tonic and 5th degree at the bottom end.
Forms:
Figure 60: 6 chord forms
60
Complex Chords
The Minor 6th chord is exactly like the Major 6th, but with a lowered 3rd degree:
Forms:
Figure 61: Minor 6 chord forms
How to learn the chord forms

To learn complex chords well, you should go through the three stages that you did when you learned
the scales:
-- Understand the chord interval formula (see page 99)
-- Learn how to derive a chord form by adding appropriate intervals to the E/F-Major
form (see page 53).
-- Imagine how the rule of lateral translation produces the A, D, G and C-forms (see
page 11).
-- Practice the forms regularlyfirst with the diagrams, and then by rote until they
become second nature.
Have you ever taken a shot at singing?

I do not have the voice for it. I would love to be a singer, but I think my frustration of not being
able to sing comes out in my playingwhich I think is what causes me to communicate with
other people. That is the only explanation I can think of for why I had about 20 hit singles. It is
communication.
Duane Eddy
GP Feb. 1979
61
Arpeggios
I am a little uneasy about this section of the manual because I do not use arpeggios all that much in
my style of playing. Nevertheless, I believe whole-heartedly in the power of lateral translation approach
to make any fretboard object relatively easy to learn. So lets look at arpeggios. Arpeggios, in case you did
not already know, are small scales made of the notes within a chord. The C-Major arpeggio, for example,
is played by sounding all the C, E and Gs comprising a major triad in a given position along the fretboard
in sequence. Each chord type defines a unique arpeggio pattern.
You have already dealt with Major and Minor triad sequences built on each note of the diatonic scale
(see page 42). Build or alter these basic patterns in order to begin your arpeggios. To play an E-Major
arpeggio, use the E-Major triad you have learned and add the E Major chord fingerings beginning at the
root note:
Figure 62: Example 1 showing how arpeggios are built on the fretboard
Do you play any three-octave scales?

If you put a gun to my head and asked me to play a three-octave scale, I could not do it.
Now I am not recommending this to young players; they should learn all kinds of scales.
But I tell you this, if I am playing and I have to play a three-octave scale in order to get
out something that I am thinking of, I will get it out.
Herb Ellis
GP April 1979
The A-Major arpeggio is likewise made by adding the A Major triad to the A Major chord. Notice that
62
Arpeggios
you will also want to reach for a final A-note along the 1st string to complete the arpeggio:
Figure 63: Example 2 of how arpeggios are built on the fretboard
You get the idea. Although most do, not all Major and Minor arpeggio forms come together so tidy as
the examples given above.
Here are the rest of the major arpeggios in their entirety:
Figure 64: Major triad arpeggios.

Note that some diagrams are truncated to reduce the size of the graphic.
63
To what do you attribute your success?

I have been lucky. And I am a stubborn Dutchman. We were all stubborn kidsthe
whole damn family was stubborn. All the back generations were stubborn, too. Whatever we undertook was never done half-heartedly. I wrote something down recently that
I think in a way, is the Van Eps credo. It goes something like this: A target in life must
be very carefully chosen, and then pursued with every ounce of human effort. And
right or wrong we liked what we were doing. Now here is the luck part: It is just lucky
that someone else did, too. And for that I am grateful.
Van Eps
GP Aug.1981
The Minor arpeggios:
Figure 65: Minor arpeggio forms
64
Arpeggios
The Dominant 7 arpeggios:
Figure 66: Dominant 7 arpeggio forms
The Min7 arpeggios:
Figure 67: Minor 7 arpeggio forms
65
The Major 7 arpeggios:
Figure 68: Major 7 arpeggio forms
The Diminished arpeggios:
Figure 69: Diminished arpeggio forms
66
Arpeggios
The Augmented arpeggios:
Figure 70: Augmented arpeggio forms
The major and minor 6th arpeggios

The major and minor 6th arpeggios are the same as the major and minor pentatonic scales. If you
know these, you already can do the major and minor 6th arpeggios. Pat yourself on the back.
This will conclude the arpeggios that the beginner should know.
67
68
CHAPTER 2
Developing Dexterity in the Picking Hand

The previous section is about developing your fretboard sense. In this section, you will see how to
systematically develop your punteado (finger picking) skill. Note that I do not discuss plectrum picking here because it is relatively straight forward and it does not concern classical-style guitars.
I would suggest that you spend 10% of your practice time devoted to the exercises presented here
to increase the strength, dexterity and speed of your picking hand. It is the effective way to acquire a
professionally polished tone. The idea behind the exercises in this section is to maximize the natural
strengths of your playing hand.
Do you ever play in modes, or are you conscious of playing certain scales over
chords?
No, not particularly. I used to practice scales, but I think mainly in positions. I do
runs that go from position to position, basically around chord shapes. I can get
around pretty easily going from one position to another, and on a good night it
sounds pretty hot. Ill take chances. I seem to be able to end up on the wrong foot
and somehow get back again. Sometimes Ill trip over myself, but most times Im
lucky.
Albert Lee
GP May 81
The Architecture of the Hand

Your hand is functionally organized. The essential function of the hand is that of a pincer. The
thumb compliments the remaining fingers to grasp objects. The guitar player exploits this by using
the thumb on the top 2 or 3 bass strings in counterpoint with the other fingers working the bottom 3 or
4 treble strings.
You have 4 fingers which may work in tandem with the thumb, but the most important will be the
index finger since it is the most powerful and coordinated of the four. Therefore, the first drill will be
to play a scale up and down while alternating the thumb and index finger of the picking hand. You
will achieve a surprising level of speed and accuracy using this combination. Unfortunately your
69
thumb will need to move into the treble strings, loosing it strategic placement. Nevertheless, the following finger picking sequences, using the thumb are worth practicing. Try them here on an open string to
see how they feel. Then use the Tarrenga exercise ( see page 73) or any of the scale patterns you have
learned as an excellent drills for both hands.
Figure 1: Finger marking for picking hand
1. The standard pattern:

p
m...
2. For speed, accuracy & volume:

p
3. For better balance:

p
a...
i...
4. Quickest:
Now, let us suppose that the thumb is excluded from the analysis of the finger picking hand. What
remain are the four fingers: the index, middle, ring and pinkie fingers. While the ring and fourth fingers
are almost equivalent in length (measured from the wrist), a quick test of their coordination will demonstrate that they do not easily work together. Set your curved hand upon a flat surface as if to play a piano
and try moving the ring finger up and down while anchoring the others down. You should find that independent movement of your ring finger is difficult. However, this movement goes much easier when you
allow the pinkie finger to move freely along with the ring finger. You can perform this test with each of
the other 3 fingers, anchoring one and moving the others. These tests should demonstrate that you really
only have four usable fingers because the pinkie is hard to control. Therefore, in the following exercises,
you may decide to anchor the pinkie on the guitar, below the sound hole to serve as a hand guide.
70
Try some of the following sequences without the thumb.

5.
i
m...
6.
a...
7.
i
a...
8.
i
a...
These finger sequences should feel natural without much practice. With practice, they can be
downright mesmerizing as flamenco guitarist can prove. For real progress, practice these finger
sequences deliberately and consistently.
My fingerpicking is a sort of cross between Pete Seeger,

Earl Scruggs, and total incompetence.
Jimmy Page
July 1977
The Free and Rest-Strokes

There are essentially two ways to pluck the guitar string: they are the free stroke and rest stroke.
The free-stroke is what you are probably already using if you follow through, without hitting or resting your picking finger on the next string. It produces a brilliant twang-like sound.
Figure 2: Free stroke: before and after
In contrast, the rest-stroke usually takes some learning and it makes a softer and deeper tone. You
71
create it by picking upward on a treble string and follow through until coming to rest on the next string. In
this technique, the string you come to rest upon, acts like a aircraft carrier restraining chord, bringing the
moving finger to an elastic halt. The rest-stroke is played with a straight forefinger, bending at the
knuckle. If you have noticed how bass players finger pick, you have a pretty good picture of the reststroke. See pictures below:
Figure 3: Rest stroke: before and after
You can also perform a rest stroke with your thumb at the bass strings by striking downward and
away towards the next string where it comes to rest or rebounds for the next strike.
This is the best attitude for a writer to have: Look, Ive got something
to contribute to the instrument. Id like a book put out on itnot for me so
much, but for what it is going to do for people who play the instrument.
If they get the enjoyment and the approach I have, then maybe this will
be a lot of help to teachers and players. People who put out a book with
this attitude are the most successful....Write it, teach it, and try it out. If it
works out, then you have a successful idea.
Mel Bay
GP Nov 82
The Basic Drill Pattern

The Tarrega Triplet Exercise, on the following page, is an excellent drill pattern for developing the
picking hand. The tablature notation may seem complicated, however the formula for fretting hand is
72
really simple. Its a 2 up, 1 down sequence, with an occasional switching of strings.
Tarrega Exercise
# n #
& c # n # # # # # n # #
T
A
B
1 2
2 3
2 3
Fingering:
2 1 2 3 2 3 4 3 4 2 1 2
# 3 n 2 # 3 4
# #
15
4 5
&
9 10
# 3 4 # 2 n 1 # 2 3 2 3 #4 4 n 3 b 2 n 3 b 2 1 2 1 b 3 n 4 b 3 2 b 3 2 1 2 1 b 3 4
&
9 10 11 10
11 12 11 12
13 13 12 11
12
11 10 11
10
10
b3 2 3 2 b 1 n 2 b 1 3 b 4 3 b 2 n 3 b 2 1 2 1 0 b b
b n b
&
22
4 3
4 3
29
& b b n b b n b b .
1
Figure 4: Tarrega Exercise for coordination fingerboard hand
73
Putting Scales and Sequences Together for a Powerful Warm-up

A good warm-up really makes a difference. You could simply play the guitar for a half-hour or so; but
a quicker and more complete technique to warm-up is to practice the a variety of scales systematically.
An interesting way to play your scales systematically is to alternate major and minor chords and major
and minor scales as you play laterally translated patterns. For example, play a C major, then G minor,
then D major scale, and so on. By running through the scale patternsboth major and minorwhile varying the picking sequences, both your hands are exercised in just about every fingering possibility. You can
also use your scales to practice techniques like hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides and so on. You might have
some good ideas; try them.
Hard and Soft Hand Control
One of my favorite scale techniques, designed to enhance tone and volume, is to play a scale all the
way through with the picking hand applying a feather-light touch. With the fretting hand, press very
firmly so that the slightest tone is produced. Next, switch roles so that the picking hand briskly twangs
the strings, while the fretting hand hovers gently upon them, just enough to cancel out most of the vibration. This arduous exercise will help you cultivate a remarkably clear tone as it teaches your brain to relax
and strengthen each hand independent of each othersomething they do not seem to want to do automatically.
Nail Care
A well kept set of finger nails adds hundreds of dollars to the sound quality of your guitar. I spend
about 10 minutes every Sunday morning cutting and sanding my nails. Shape the nail to a gently rounded
profile, about 1/8 above the flesh of your fingertip, so that the nail edge is rounded and smooth. To
achieve this, I use clippers to get the general length about right. Next, I use a conventional nail-filing
board to smooth out the sheared edges left by the clippers. You may want to use 600-grade sandpaper
instead. Some guitarists even buff the nail edge.
The Fretting-hand Nails
Cut the nails so that tips of your fretting fingers are free from any nail protrusion. A long nail makes it
hard to fret a string. I would advise you to smooth these nails just as you do the playing hand fingers to
prevent them from chipping or splitting.
Strings
You can't win by buying cheap strings. A good set of strings (like nail care) adds hundreds of dollars
to your sound. I use the Savarez Aliance (about $15.00/set) for my classical guitar.
74
CHAPTER 3
Theory Section
Origins of the Pentatonic Scale

Perhaps you will get some pleasure in understanding how a single guitar string implies the logical
musical system of chords, scales, and cadences. The guitar is particularly suited for demonstrating the
elegant principles of music. I know I would not have written this book if I had not rediscovered the
ideas in this section and found them useful to learning the guitar. In order to demonstrate some of this
material, I will use arithmetic. Do not panic, for even if you find math unpleasant, you can profit from
the conclusions that come from these results.
The mathematical genesis of the pentatonic notes
To suppose that a scale has a mathematical genesis probably goes against the analytic spirit of our
age. Nevertheless, if you were to go back in time to ancient Greece, you would find this sort of speculation very fashionable. What follows is a demonstrationin the Greek spiritof how the pentatonic
scale logically evolves from a single note.
First, there is an originating notelet us say the D note (another note could be used, but it would
require the use of accidentals later in this demonstration). See diagram below:
Origins of the Pentatonic
Figure 1: Generating tone: D
You can imagine that this D produces two subordinate notes, A and Ga dominant and subdominant interval apart from itself (see page 76).
Theory Section
75
Figure 2: First generation: the dominant and subdominant notes
These notes produce supremely harmonious tones, relative to the generating tone because of their
simple mathematical ratios.
By reapplying the note generating scheme described above to the dominant and subdominant notes
themselves, you extend the note series to 5 notesthe notes that comprise the pentatonic scale. The dominant G note generates its dominant, C above. Below, the subdominant A note generates its subdominant,
E below. See the diagram below:
Figure 3: The second generation dominant and subdominant notes
To complete the order of the actual pentatonic scale there are two more steps: first, you need to transpose all of these five notes into one octave space, as shown below:
Figure 4: Transposing notes into one octave space
The second step is to choose your root notethe starting and ending note of the note series. Since
76
there are five notes in the pentatonic scale, there are five possible starting places for our note series to
begin. Each starting point would define a different mode of the pentatonic note series. The modes we
are interested in (at least in this book) are the ones that define the popular styles of country and blues
music.
The major pentatonic scale

In the case of country music, the pentatonic scale will begin and end on the second dominant
notethe C note in our example. The interesting thing about this mode of pentatonic scale is that it
features a major triad in the root position. Perhaps this explains the bright quality of country music
(See figureFigure 5:)
Figure 5: The major triad underlying the major pentatonic scale
The minor pentatonic scale

In contrast to the optimistic sound of country music, you get a moody sound in the pentatonic
mode that begins at the first subdominant notethe A note in our example. You can also see that this
Origins of the Pentatonic
pentatonic mode, features the minor triad in the root position. Therefore, from now on, I will refer to
this mode as the minor pentatonic scale. See the diagram below (See figureFigure 6:)
Figure 6: The minor triad underlying the minor pentatonic scale
Theory Section
77
Perhaps you will agree that the genesis of the pentatonic scale is mathematically speaking, elegant.
From the dominant and its inversethe subdominant interval, you can logically create a small group of
harmonious notes. These notes account for a wide variety of musical styles of which country and blues
are discussed in this book (see page 20).
Origins of the Diatonic Scale Tones

Derivation of the Triad
The physical essence of a tone is vibrating material and the slower the vibration, the lower the tone. It
was the ancient wise man, Pythagoras, who discovered that the lengths of strings constituting a major
chord upon a harp reduced to whole number ratios: 2, 3, and 5. This discovery reverberated throughout
the ages because it shows that musical elements like chords can be analyzed in terms of pure number.
The Octave
One of Pythagoras next discoveries after studying every conceivable tone relationship was that if
you take a string, divide it in half and pluck it, it produces the same note but at a higher pitch than the
original. Why is this important? Well, there are all kinds of tones whose relationships form very nice
numeric ratiossuch as those of a major chord ratios: 2, 3, and 5, discussed above; however, these do not
produce the same notes. Only tones whose proportions are 1:2, do! Of course there were many more
things that Pythagoras found out about tone. Yet he always said that the octave interval was the mother
of all tones. And here is why: If you begin with a notelet us say middle Cand then include the upper
octave C note, C1, and you calculate the frequency exactly in between these octave intervals, you generate
a new and important intervals. What he did was to add the frequency of middle C, which is 1, to the fredominant
1/1
subdominant
3/2
2/1
Figure 7: Dominant and subdominant interval graph
1. The octave multiple of the note will be indicated by an exponential number. For example, the note, C above middle C
will be shown as: C1.
78
quency of C, 2, and then divide this sum in half.

C
+ C 1- = 1----------+ 2- = 3------------------2
2
2
Figure 8: Derivation of the dominant interval
This new interval is called dominant. In the example we are using, the primary interval is middle
C, the dominant note created is G. Keep in mind that the middle C tone we chose for our unison interval in this illustration is arbitrary. We could have begun with, say a D, for example, and derived a different dominant tone. Nevertheless, the interval name is more important than the particular note we
use as an example. Any interval whose tone is 3/2 the frequency of another is always called the dominant interval. The particular G tone that we derived in this example simply represents the dominant
interval in the key of C.
Recall how we derived the new intervalthe dominant. Between the middle C and its octave
above, you get a G tone, having a dominant relation to the middle C. Is this the only interval we
derived? Look again. While its true that G has a dominant relation to C, it has quite another relation to
C1 above! Are you confused yet? The confusion depends entirely on which tone you play first and
which subsequent tone you compare it to. You see, when we derived the dominant interval, I assumed
that we sounded the lower C before the G tone. If, instead, we had sounded the G firstin other words,
played G as the root tone, we would have produced the subdominant interval. To calculate the frequency of this interval ratio we begin with the dominant ratio, 3/2, as the root and look for a ratio that
multiplies1 with this to produce the octave ratio, 2/1:
dominant
subdominant
octave
Note example:
C1
Interval ratio:
3/2 X
4/3
Origins of the Diatonic Scale
Interval Name:
2/1
Figure 9: Dominant and subdominant interval chart
Now, if we wish to hear the subdominant interval with C in the root position, we would have to
play an F tone, because F has a frequency 4/3 of middle C. For the guitarist, this concept of dominant
and subdominant intervals are important because the open guitar strings are tuned a dominant interval
between each pair, going from the high E string up to the low E string (see page 9). When you tune
1.When you add tones together as two lengths of vibrating strings, you multiply the ratios of their frequency. For
example, a G-tone(3/2) added to an F- tone(4/3) equals 3/2 x 4/3 = the octave (2/1).
Theory Section
79
your guitar using the relative tuning method you are using this fact about the guitar tuning already. Each
time you fret the guitar string at the 5th fret and use this as a reference for tuning the next string over, all
you are really doing is increasing the string frequency by 3/2, using this as a reference so that you can
tune the next string a dominant interval higher (except between the G and B strings). There is one thing I
forgot to mention, however, that may be confusing (or interesting, depending on your taste). The relations
between the guitar strings going from the high E, up to low the E, are mostly dominant intervals. However, if you were to tune your guitar from the low, down to the high E string across your fretboard, the
open strings would generally have the subdominantnot a dominant interval between them. In other
words the string above has a different relation to the string below, than the string below has to the one
above. Relativity dude! Einstein would have loved this. To answer the question: Why do you generally
tune the guitar by dominant intervals going up, and subdominant intervals, going down? The answer
is that when you relate two tones, the interval depends on which note is sounded first. This is a subtle, but
important distinction.
The Major and Minor Third Intervals
The major and minor third interval (also called mediant and submediant intervals) are those that lie
between the tonic and dominant intervals we have already derived: Therefore, we produce these new
mediant
1/1
submediant
5/4
3/2
2/1
Figure 10: Mediant and submediant interval graph
intervals by first finding the tone that lies mid-way between middle C and the dominant G. As before, we
determine the new intervals by adding their frequencies and dividing by 2.
1+ 3 2 5
=
2
4
Figure 11: Derivation of mediant interval
The major third interval is 5/4 the frequency of middle C, in our example. In the key of C, this interval is E. In order to derive the minor third interval, we must begin with the major third ratio, 5/4, as the
root tone and find the interval ratio that multiplies with 5/4 to produce the dominant interval ratio, 3/2. As
80
you can see in the following chart, the ratio we are looking for is 6/5:
Interval Name:
mediant
submediant
dominant
Note example:
Eb
Interval ratio:
5/4 X
6/5
3/2
Figure 12: Mediant and submediant interval chart
To hear the minor-third interval in the key of C, we must find out what note is produced at 6/5 the
frequency of C. In fact this note is E-minor. Therefore, in the key of C, there are the major and minor
third intervals indicated by the ratios: 5/4 and 6/5, producing the notes: E and Eb respectively.
So far, all the intervals of both the major and minor triads have been derived from first principles.
We now have all the elements we need to derive the diatonic major and minor scales, however, for the
sake of completeness, I will continue to demonstrate the orgin of the remaining incidental intervals.
The 6th and 7th Intervals
At this point, I wish to discuss the major and minor 6th intervals. First, lets see how the major 6th
interval is logically constructed. When we constructed the major third interval, represented by the E
note, over middle C, we did so by splitting the dominant interval in half. To find the E minor interval,
however, we reasoned that we could think of the E note as the root and G being the upper interval
note. In other words, the act of splitting the dominant interval leads to two possible intervals within:
the mediant and its complement submediant interval. I am reviewing the process of generating the
major third in order that you can learn the process and understand it as I apply it in a slightly modified
way to generate the major and minor 6th intervals. The modification is that we consider the major and
minor thirds as root notes of intervals that spannot to the dominantbut the octave. To see what I
mean, lets begin with the E note, representing the major third in the key of C. When we designate E as
the root note and then play the higher C note, we hear the minor 6th interval, whose frequency is 8/5
higher than the E note as demonstrated in the figure below:
major 3rd
1/1
minor 6th
5/4
2/1
Figure 13: Minor 6th interval graph
Theory Section
81
How did I figure 8/5? I am looking for a ratio that when multiplied by the major third ratio, 5/4,
equals 2/1the octave ratio. As you can see in the chart below, 8/5 is the answer:
Interval Name:
third
minor 6th
octave
Note example:
Ab
C1
Interval ratio:
5/4 X
8/5
2/1
Figure 14: Minor 6th interval graph
It turns out that the minor 6th interval defines the Ab note in the minor C scale. The accidental b
means that it lies 1/2-step (1 fret) below the A note.
With the construction of the minor 6th accomplished, we can now build the major 6th using the
method employed above. For the sake of symmetry, since we have already used the major 3rd to construct the minor 6th, we will naturally use the minor 3rd to construct the major 6th:
minor 3rd
1/1
major 6th
6/5
2/1
Figure 15: Major 6th interval graph
We are now looking for the interval ratio which, when multiplied by 6/5, the minor 3rd, equals 2/ 1,
the octave. The answer is 5/3:
Interval Name:
minor 3rd
major 6th
octave
Note example:
Em
C1
Interval ratio:
6/5 X
5/3
2/1
Figure 16: Major 6th interval chart
This completes the construction of the major and minor 6th intervalscousins of the major and minor
3rd intervals because they compliment each otherthat is, when added together, they span the entire
octave. Next we will consider the major and minor 2nd, as well as the major and minor 7th intervals. The
method should be clear to you by now and so the presentation will be abbreviated.
82
The story is that in the region of Naucratis in Egypt there dwelt one of
the old gods of the country, the god to whom the bird called Ibis is
sacred, his own name being Theuth. He it was that invented number an
calculation, geometry and astronomy, not to speak of draughts and
dice, and above all writing. Now the king of the whole country at that
time was Thamus, who dwelt in the great city of Upper Egypt which the
Greeks call Egyptian Thebes, while Thamus they call Ammon. To him
came Theuth, and revealed his arts, saying that they ought to be passed
on to the Egyptians in general. Thamus asked what was the use of them
all, and when Theuth explained, he condemned what he thought the
bad points and praised what he thought the good. On each art, we are
told, thamus had plenty of views both for and against; it would take too
long to give them in detail. But when it came to writing Theuth said,
Here, O king, is a branch of learning that will make the people of
Egypt wiser and improve their memories; my discovery provides a recipe for memory and wisdom. But the king answered and said, Oh man
full of arts, to one it is given to create the things of art, and to anther to
judge what measure of harm and profit they have for those that shall
employ them. And so it is that you, by reason of your tender regard for
the writing that is your offspring, have declared the very opposite of its
true effect. If men learn this, it will implant forgetfulness in their souls;
they will cease to exercise memory because they rely on that which is
written, calling things to remembrance no longer from within themselves, but by means of external marks. What you have discovered is a
recipe not for memory, but for reminder. And it is no true wisdom that
you offer your disciples, but only its semblance, for by telling them of
many things without teaching them you will make them seem to know
much, while for the most part they know nothing, and as men filled, not
with wisdom, but with the conceit of wisdom, they will be a burden to
their fellows.
Plato
The major and minor 2nd intervals

The 2nd intervals are the children of the major 3rd. If we take the average of the tonic ratio,1/1,
and major 3rd ratio, 5/4, we generate the major 2nd, 9/8:
1+ 5 4 9
=
2
8
Figure 17: Major 2nd interval derivation
Theory Section
83
The interval diagram looks like this:

major 3rd
major 2nd
1/1
9/8
5/4
2/1
Figure 18: Major 2nd interval graph
In the diatonic scale, we do not use a minor 2nd interval. However, it is clear how we would proceed.
To determine the ratio of the minor 2nd, we treat the major 2nd tone as the root, and the major 3rd as the
upper bound ratio. Our result is 10/9, as shown below:
Interval Name:
major 2nd
minor 2nd
major 3rd
Note example:
D^
Interval ratio:
9/8 X
10/9
5/4
Figure 19: Minor 2nd interval chart
The Dominant 7th

The dominant 7th is an important unit of harmony because it introduces a dynamic quality into a
chord, as we shall see (see page 94). Yet there is nothing special about its construction. We simply derive
the interval as the compliment of the major 2nd, as shown below:
major 2nd
1/1
dominant 7th
9/8
2/1
Figure 20: Dominant 7th interval graph
Next, we calculate the frequency ratio, which proves to be 16/9::

Interval Name:
major 2nd
dominant 7th
octave
Note example:
Bb
C1
Interval ratio:
9/8 X
Figure 21: Dominant 7th interval chart
84
16/9
2/1
And since there is only one 2nd interval in the diatonic scale (no minor 2nd), there is only the one
dominant 7th and no minor 7th here. Next we will find the semi-tone and the so-called major 7th. to
complete the set of intervals used in conventional western music.
The Semi-tone
As we build our system of intervals, there comes a point where the distinction of tones based on
these small intervals becomes problematic. More important, the introduction of each interval refinement, opens the door for doubling the quantity of notes. For these reasons, in western music, we recognize the semi-tone as the smallest interval. We derive the semitone using the same process as
before: first we derive the major semitone by taking the average of the tonic ratio, 1/1, and the major
2nd ratio, 9/8:
1 + 9 8 17
=
2
16
Figure 22: Semitone interval derivation
The minor semitone will be complimentary ratio that spans from the major semitone, 17/16, to the
major 2nd, 9/8. However, as in the case with the minor 2nd, the minor semi tone is neglected.
The Major Seventh
The major seventh is the final interval of our analysis. It bares the name, major seventh, because it
defines the seventh note within the major scale, just a half step above the dominant seventh and half
step below the octave. The major seventh, however, is unrelated to the dominant seventh in the sense
that it is the complement of the semitone, and not the 2nd interval. To derive the major seventh, 32/
17, we establish the major semi tone, 17/16, as the root ratio and the octave, 2/1, as the upper bounding ratio::
semitone
1/1
major 7th
17/16
2/1
Figure 23: Major 7th interval graph
Theory Section
85
Interval Name:
major
semitone
major 7th
octave
Note example:
C#
C1
Interval ratio:
17/16 X
32/17
2/1
Figure 24: Major 7th interval chart
With the derivation of the major seventh interval, we have covered all the essential intervals within
the octave.
Derivation of the Just Major Scale

The diatonic major scale is the common 7 note scale you hear in most music. It contains all the tones
of the major pentatonic scale, plus two more. Yet it is an elegant piece of architecture. Think of three pillarseach consisting of a set of triads. The first pillar is set upon the unison interval, which, in the key of
C, isyou guessed itC. The second pillar is set upon the dominant interval tone, G. The third pillar rests
on the subdominant interval tone, F:
Figure 25: Triads that make up the Just major scale
Each of the triad stacks consist of a tonic, major third, and dominant interval. The diagram below
shows you the relative frequency of each interval tone.
Figure 26: Frequency ratios of the major triad
When these three triads are combined according to interval size, and transposed to within the space of
one octave, the major scale is produced (see next page):
86
Figure 27: Triad notes that make up a major scale
The Minor Scale

Earlier, I showed you how the minor 3rd interval is the tonal distance (ratio) between a major
third and the major fifth (see page 80). For the purpose of demonstration, let us transpose this interval
to the tone in the key of C in order to eliminate the appearance of accidentals. We then have the minor
triad A-C-E (with no accidental because there are 1-1/2 steps between A and C). Using the same
architecture we used to construct the Just major scale, we will stack a minor triad on the dominant and
subdominant intervals and we get the Just minor scale in the key of Am is shown below:
Figure 28: Minor triads that make up the Just minor scale
Derivation of the Just Major
In this chart, you can see the interesting property that the C major scale is virtually identical to the
Am scale, except that it starts two note later. You can think of the two scales as different modes of the
same scale patternin other words, a mode is just the same set of notes played from a different starting
point. And since the minor scale is made of 3 minor triads and the major scale is made of 3 major triads, the same pattern of notes share 6 essential chords. More about this in the section on Keys (see
page 91).
Theory Section
87
I validated my existence before I got out of high school. People would ask,
What are you going to do when you leave school? I'd say, I'm going to play
with Michael Bloomfield and B.B. King. They thought I was crazy! I'd say,
Why are you laughing? They'd say, Man, you're tripping. No, you're tripping because you don't know what you want to do. I know what I want to do,
and I know who I'm going to be doing it with. And I'm going to play with those
people.
Carlos Santana
GP Oct. 1999
Steps
We have taken a look at intervals as they relate to middle C, but we have yet to consider the intervals
between successive notes in a scale, called steps. The staff notation misleads you into thinking that adjacent notes have equal tonal distances or intervals. For example, lets take a look at the C major scale again:
Figure 29: Frequency ratios of the Just scale
you might think that the intervals from C to D should be the same as that between notes E and F. But they
actually differ. The D exceeds the frequency of C by a factor of 9/8; the E exceeds D by 10/9 (9/8 and 10/
9 are virtually the same ratios in this case (see page 89)); but F exceeds E by only 16/15, as demonstrated in the chart below:
Figure 30: Interval sizes of whole and half steps
In fact, interval E-F (16/15) is nearly the square root of C-D (9/8). If C to D is declared a whole-step,
then E to F is a half step; for when you add steps, you are really multiplying interval ratios (see
88
footnote 2). So two half steps equals a whole step. Major scales always have a half step between the
3rd and 4th, as well as the 7th and 8th tones as a result of how we constructed the major scale. Thanks
to mathematics, you can understand how the whole and half steps differ, yet music teachers rarely use
mathematics to explain music theory (perhaps their students wouldnt keep coming back it they did).
Although mathematics is helpful to understand the principles underlying music, it is easier to show
musical element as steps. The following chart shows you the step-wise formula for the musical elements we are analyzing:
Step Formulas for Elementary Scales and Chords

Major Scale
Steps
1/2
1/2
Major Triad
Steps
1-1/2
Minor Scale
Eb
Ab
Bb
Steps
1/2
1/2
Minor Triad
Eb
Steps
1-1/2
Figure 31: The formula for elementary chords and scales by steps using the C scale
The guitarist can apply the step formulas to the fretboard by observing the rule that a half step is
one fret. For example, you play a major scale by beginning at an open string, advancing two frets (1
Temperament
whole step), advancing two more frets, then one fret (1/2 steps), and so on as shown in the formula
chart above. What might puzzle you is why there are two sizes for the whole steps: 9/8 and 10/9 in the
Just scale (See figureFigure 29:). Read on.
Temperament
Dont you think it is kind of neat how we built the scale from a system of triads; how the triads are
built from a system of intervals; and finally, how intervalsthe fundamental building blocks of harmony are themselves derived systematically from one tone. At this point, I am tempted to leave off
the topic and give you the impression that although the world is a tangled mess, here in the realm of
music, there is order, simplicity, and beauty unmitigated. Unfortunately, it would not be honest of me
if I did not disclose all. Perhaps you were wondering why I refer to our derived scale as the Just
Theory Section
89
scales. Just what does Just mean anyway?

When you think of the word temperament, you probably think of the disposition of a good dog. I suppose this sense of the word and the way musicians use the concept has some overlap. For what musicians
mean by temperament is how a set of scale intervals behave when played under different circumstances:
backwards, forwards, from the middle and so on. A good dog and a good scale dont bite no matter how
tough the going gets.
The Just major scale we derived is close to, but not exactly the one we use in modern music. The
modern major scale is officially called the equal tempered diatonic major scale. I showed you how to
derive the Just major scale because it was easy to demonstrate and it was better for showing you the way
the major scale works than the equal tempered scale. The reason we use the equal tempered diatonic
major scale today is that its intervals are..., well, equally tempered. This means that you can begin a scale
on any fret of your finger board of the guitar and the scale will sound good because the mathematical
ratio between any subsequent fret is constant. You see, with the Just scale, the subsequent whole note
steps are not constant. For example between tones C and D is a 9/8 interval step. Yet between D and E is
a 10/9 interval step. See the Just major scale chart (again) with its different whole tone ratios below:
Figure 32: Just major scale showing different whole tone ratios, 9/8 and 10/9
Although 9/8 is only a slightly bigger ratio than 10/9, a series of such disparate steps can produce some
chords whose temperament is so bad it will bite your leg off. In order to balance the scale so that all
whole steps are equivalent, certain intervals have to be stretched at the expense of others. The modern
solution is to force all whole steps intervals into the same size:
2,
so that when you add this internal to
itself (see page 79) six times, you reach the octave. Although this scheme distorts some of the pure harmonies among tones within our modern scale, it is hardly noticeable and you gain an advantage by being
able to play in any key without producing some vicious sounding chords. Besides, can you imagine how
much a guitar would cost if each string had to have a separate fret system to accommodate slightly different sized steps? Wed all be playing the accordion instead.
90
The Harmonic Scale: the Key to Music

Music really has two dimensions: one is the single note sequence that forms its melody, the other
is the chords which forms its harmony. While the major and minor scales consist of tones of three triads, the triads themselves work as a chord. It should come as no surprise to find that the fundamental
triads of a keythose built upon the tonic (the principal triad), subdominant and dominant tonesare
the principal harmonic elements in a key. Yet a key consists of 7 chords. The fundamental chord can
be thought of as home base, while the subdominant and dominant chords act as 1st and 3rd bag
(sorrythe analogy does not accommodate 2nd base). The subdominant and dominant chords help to
create the musical motion in a tune, with the tonic chord serving as the goal. For convenience, musicians symbolize the tonic, subdominant, and dominant chords with the upper-case Roman letters: I IV - V; the minor chords are symbolized with the lower-case Roman letters: i, ii, and iv. While the I,
IV, and V-chords constitute the principle chords of a key, there are also the latent ii, iii and iv-minor
chords which also harmonize within the key. These minor chords are built on the weaker tones in the
major scale that share the same set of scale tones. Below, the 3 major and 3 minor chords are grouped
together to show how they constitute the chords of the C major key.
The Harmonic Scale: the Key
Figure 33: Chords of the C-key
A step-wise ordering of these chords along the C major scale yields the following harmonic scale:
Figure 34: The harmonic scale in C
Note that the exceptional triad is B-diminished, which is a relative of no other chord, but is
Theory Section
91
uniquely composed of two intervals of 1-1/2-step length and is based on the seventh tone.
There is always something in the guitar which never ceases to amaze me, some
sick sound that I never heard before. That's what my job is, really. It is not playing
fantastic runs and trying to dazzle everybody, it is coming up with some little cheesy
trick. This is rock and roll.
Jeff Beck
GP May 2000
The Cycle of Fifths

The sequence of chords represented in the chords of the C-key diagram (See page 91) implies a very
useful tool for the musician and the guitarist in particular. The tonic tones Bb, F, C, G...etc. have a dominant relation going from left to right. This is the way your guitar fretboard is set up: each subsequent open
string, going from the high E string up to the low E string increases by a dominant interval! The Bb
tone is a dominant higher tone than F; F is a subdominant higher tone than C, and so on. The practical
result is that when you change chords in a particular key, you simply apply the rule of lateral translation
(see page 9). Your guitar fretboard is designed so that the chords within a given key are situated right
next door to one another, eliminating the need for large position changes.
Do you think jazz improvisation can be taught?
Well, the crafts and the tools, the intellectual part of it, can certainly be taught.
Methods to improve yourself to increase your harmonic sense can be taught, and your
technical ability can be improved. Even things such as starting at a certain point, not
permitting yourself too much, and then working up to a high point of enthusiasm can
be taught. But after you take all that stuff away, if you dont have that thing to move
people, that feeling, then all that other stuff doesnt count.
Herb Ellis
GP April 79
The following chart is called the cycle of fifths because it presents a complete circuit of chords related
by the dominant interval (sometimes called the fifth) in the clockwise direction. Conversely, it shows
chords related by the subdominant interval (sometimes referred to as the fourth) in the counter-clockwise
direction. Although the chord numbers are assigned to the key of C, the relations hold as you dial to a new
key. For example, in the key of G, G becomes the tonic, consisting of the chords: G(I), D (V), C (IV),
92
(vi), Am (ii), Bm (iii). (see page 93) Em
The Cycle of Fifths
Figure 35: The cycle of fifths
Theory Section
93
Dynamic Harmonic Elements

Ships have sails, cars run on gas, and sex makes the world go round, but how does a song move? If
you listen closely to a melody, you notice how it rises and falls. You might also notice that certain notes
anticipate others. There is a magnetic force in tones that draws or repels them together or apart. In this
section of the book I will demonstrate how the mathematical symmetry of the intervals determines their
behavior.
The subdominant and the Dominant Generation
When we constructed the dominant and subdominant interval, we found that they compliment each
otherthat is, the addition of the two intervals equals one octave. We could have represented complimentary intervals as the upward and downward generation of middle C. The interval generated upward is G at
3/2, while downward complimentary interval tone is F at 2/3 the frequency of C (C is the blackened note
in the chart below).
Figure 36: The generation of dominant and subdominant intervals
The Minor and Major Third Generation

When the major and minor third intervals are generated, the interval generated upward is the major
third, E at 5/4, while the downward complimentary interval tone is the minor sixth, Ab at 4/5 the frequency of C.
Figure 37: The generation of major and minor third intervals
The Push of the Minor Triad; The Pull of the Major Triad
When we combine the results of the dominants and thirds shown above, you get a 5-note column. The
94
lower chord, spelled F-Ab-C looks like the mirror image of the upper major triad, spelled C-E-G:
Figure 38: The generation of the major and minor triads
Playing the two chords in sequence will confirm their complementary relationship. The theory is that
the dominant interval gets resolved by playing the subdominant interval, and visa-versa; likewise, the
major third resolves to the minor third, and visa-versa. See for your self that this is true by playing a
Figure 39: The generation and separation of the major and minor triad
minor dominant triad, like Fm, before a major dominant chord the G major triad. Next, reverse the
order of the chords you play. You should sense the push and pull of these chord forms.
The Push of the Major Second; The Pull of the Dominant Seventh
The development of harmony by composers through history has generally been a record of
including more and more dynamic (some say dissonant) intervals in song writing. About the time of
the Renaissance, composers began to include the dominant seventh and major second intervals reguDynamic Harmonic Elements
larly. These intervals represent the next logical stage in our interval generation scheme. The dominant
seventh is represented by Bb; the major second, D:
Figure 40: The generation of the dominant and major second intervals
The major second and dominant seventh along with the major and minor triad represent a com-
Theory Section
95
plete set of harmonic intervals that we cover in this text:
Figure 41: The generation of the dominant 7th and minor 6th chords
The upper four intervals, beginning at C and extending to Bb, constitute the dominant seventh chord.
The lower four intervals, beginning at F (sic), constitute a minor sixth chord. The importance of the subdominant asserts itself as the root tone so that the seeming major second interval is heard as a major sixth
above the minor triad built on F.
Figure 42: The generation and separation of the dominant 7th and minor 6th chords
Try playing a subdominant Fm6 and then a C7b. These chords should anticipate one another with
vigor. The magnetic character of the chord elements suggested in each of the examples above underlie
most of the harmonic dynamic of music heard today. In the next section, I will show how these elements
work in two actual musical examples.
Happily, nothing is perfect. And though obviously one has got to retain very high ideals in terms of technical finish and production in one is performance, finally, these
are only tools towards a greater significance. And it is that greater significance in
music which Im after. But I am always and forever honing my chisels and sharpening my plane-blades.
Julian Bream
Guitar Review
Spring, Aug. 1982
Analysis of Chords within Song Examples

It may come as a surprise to some that you can not only enjoy a song, but understand how it works.
There are a few benefits to this: you can learn songs quicker and even write tunes yourself that sound half
96
decent. To study a song, the trick is to find out what key the song is in and then write down the chords
as you play them. Take, for example, the song that dominated the pop charts in San Francisco in the
fall of 1964, All my Lovin, by the Beatles:
All My Lovin (abridged)

F(IV)
G(V)
C(I)
Am(VI)
Close your eyes and Ill kiss you, Tomorrow Ill miss you,
F(IV)
Dm(ii)
Bb(IVIV) G7(V7) F(IV)
G7(V7)
Remember Ill always be true,
And then while Im away,
C(I)
Am(VI)
Ill write home every day,
F(IV)
G7(V7) C(I)
And Ill send all my lovin to you...
chorus:
Am(VI)
C(I)
Am(VI) G7(V7)
C(I)
All my lovin, I will send you, All my lovin darlin Ill be true.
Figure 43: Song cadence analysis example 1
Studying this example, you will discover that although the song begins in F, the song is key is C.
Why? For one thing, a song usually ends on the chord of the key (the I-chord). For another thing,
most of the chords of the song are found within the C-key. It wouldnt have been a bad assessment if
you concluded the song is written in the key of F because there are many of those chords here too. But
if you refer to that rosetta stone of music, the Cycle of Fifths (see page 93), you will see that Am, F,
C and G7, pretty well point to the key of C. The way the song works is that the F and Dm act as the
subdominant, pushing towards the dominant chord. The Dm is almost exactly the same as an Fm6
(which you can see for yourself on the guitar). Now the G7 pulls back again towards C and Am and so
on. So basically, that is what this tune is about. Yet there is a surprise. In the 3rd line, just when we
were ready to push up to a dominant chord after playing a Dm, they throw us a curve by handing out
a Bb. It fools us into thinking that we are now in the key of F (where Bb, C, and Dm live). This clever
modulation is what makes this tune catch your ear. Such techniques are common in popular music
and are sometimes referred to as hooks. Do they work? Ask anyone around San Francisco in 1964!
Theory Section
97
Let us look at another examplethis one, a classical guitar etude from the Carcassi Guitar Method:
Etude in C
C(I)
Am(V I)
C(I)
Dm (II)
G7(V ) Mateo Carcassi
Dm6

& c
f
T
A
B
0
2
C(I)
0
2
A7
Dm(I)
1
3
1
0
F6
G(V )
G7(V )
&
0
3
0
2
0
3
0
1
3
1
0
3
0
0
3
T
A
B
C(I)
0
1
0
3
Figure 44: Song cadence analysis example 2
As you can see, the etude includes most of the chords from the key of C. Moreover, it begins and ends
with a C. So you can pretty well conclude that the piece is written in the key of C. You will also notice on
line 2, that the piece modulates to the key of Dm briefly. It does this by altering the Am chord to an A7,
which strongly implies Dm as the new tonic. But not for long: although F is within the Dm key, it also
belongs to the C key. By altering F to F6, the push of the sixth interval strongly implies the key of C
again.1
The point of this section is to show you the main lines of how song cadences behave. There are other
more subtle mechanisms that are used (like how diminished chords behave as multi-purpose dominant
seventh chords), but you will discover these easily, once you get the big picture. You should find the principles of the sixth and seventh chord push and pull in all sorts of musical examples of your own. Knowing how a song works will not only help you to memorize it more quickly, you will improve your ability
1. By the way, if you desire to read music for the guitar, you might try my Reading Rosette: a key to mastering essential
scales and arpeggios which is partially based on the Carcassi Methodparticularly the scales and etudes that cover each of the
24 keys. I personally use these for my daily guitar study.
98
to figure out the chords of new songs or write your own tunes.
The overtone harmonic series
One of the most striking qualities of stringed instruments is their ability to produce harmonic
tones. These are very pure, clear, wringing tones, evoked by lightly touching the string at fundamental
divisions of the string. These divisions correspond to the harmonic series: 1, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4,...1/n. The
significance of this series is that it shows us the proper distribution of tones in a chord without having
to do any math. For example, although you already know that a C-chord contains the tone triad of C,
E, and G, you may not know that the best distribution of the first six tones is actually: C, C1,G, C2, E,
G1. Take a look at the chart of the harmonic tones, based on C:
frequency
note
C1
G1
C2 E2 G2 Bb2 C3
Figure 45: Harmonic overtones of C
Fortunately, many of the most often used guitar chords follow this distribution very well. For example the open E chord contains: E, A, E1, G#, B, and E2. This follows the harmonic series, based on E
(see page 9), note for note, starting at the 2nd harmonic of the series until the 7th harmonic. That is
why so much of flamenco guitar music is based on the key of E. If you play the E chord on the guitar,
you will hear the fullest possible sound your instrument produces. The practical result of this demonstration is to establish a measure of how good a chord can sound. Chords that follow the distribution
of harmonic tones sound healthy to the degree that they follow the pattern. Most of the time, you will
Theory Section
99
Figure 46: Harmonic overtones notes along the bass and treble staffs
need to use chords that compromise between the limitations of your fingering possibilities and the natural
harmonic distribution of tones. For example, even the open E chord does not cover the fundamental E
tone of the distribution; it begins on the higher, E1.
The undertone harmonic series
As the father of soul, James Brown, once put it: you cant go over until you go under. Just the same
for harmonics. The list of harmonic tones would not be complete without the undertone harmonic series,
for when you combine them with the overtone series, all the tones of the scales are accounted for. The
only catch is that there really is no such thing as an undertone harmonic series because it is impossible to
generate harmonics with a frequency less than a whole tone. For example, you can not induce an undertone harmonic on your guitar, since it implies a position greater than one whole guitar string. Nevertheless, the series does exists in abstract, and you can even artificially create such tones on your guitar string
if you imagine that one of the higher harmonic tonesthe 16th, for exampleis the fundamental whole
tone. See chart below:
frequency
note
1/16 2/16 3/16 4/16 5/16 6/16 7/16 8/16
C1
F1
C2 Ab2 F2
D2
C3
Figure 47: Harmonic undertones of C
Figure 48: Harmonic overtones notes along the bass and treble staffs
The undertone series provides the other half of the interval spectrum that serves as an arch-type for building chords and scales. For every overtone, you have a complimentary undertone as illustrated in the fol-
100
lowing chart:
overtones
C C1 G1 C2 E2 G2 Bb2 C3
undertones C C1 F1 C2 Ab2 F2
D2
C3
Figure 49: Overtone and contrasting undertones
You basic chords are based on these tones (See Practical Section:The Major and Minor Chords).
History of the Guitar

Mythological and Archeological Explanations
The guitar, perhaps because of its simple form, has a rich historical and mythological origin.
Among the Greek myths it was held that Mercury, the god of manual dexterity contrived an eightstringed lyre by stripping a tortoise of its shell and dedicating each of the applied strings to one of the
eight muses. Proud of his fine new instrument, Mercury presented it to Apollo in exchange for the
caduceus (a rod intertwined with two serpents). Perhaps Mercury, the god of manual crafts, signifies
the dexterous aspect of virtuosity, which when combined with the harmony or artistic sensibility
attributed to Apollo, describes the essential qualities entailed in mastering the instrument.
As for the empirical account of the guitar's origin, archeologist speculate that primitive huntsmen
twanging their bow strings for its pleasurable sound, initiated the evolution of modern multitude of
stringed instruments. A hapless, slow-moving tortoise may indeed have supplied the original sounding chamber of the first guitar.
Early History
Many guitar-like instruments arose among the early civilizations. For example, the Assyrians
played the catarrh; the Hebrews, the kinnura,; the Chaldeans, the guitra; the Persians, the sitar, and
the Greeks, the kithara.
While most of the ancient musical devices were forgotten with the collapse of the Roman Empire,
gypsies and traders from Persia are thought to have re-introduced various stringed instruments to
Western Europe during the early medieval era. At this time (700 A.D.) the Moors invaded Spain and
there introduced the rebeca bow stringed instrument with a remote likeness to the modern guitar.
Moreover, in the twelfth-century, the Crusaders had acquired many lute and vihuela instruments from
their sojourns in the near east.
Theory Section
101
The Renaissance
By the sixteenth century, 4- and 5- stringed instruments distinct form the lute were being played
throughout Europe. In Spain, the four-stringed guitarra is alleged to have been invented by the Catalans,
while the more sophisticated 5-stringed version was said to have been invented by the Spaniards. These
instruments had their counterparts throughout Europe, however, it was only in Spain that the simpler guitarra succeeded when the popularity of the lute began to wane throughout Europe.
Compared to the lute, the guitarra was regarded as somewhat vulgar. Only when the tonal complexity
of lute compositions exceed its technical capacity did it subside as the favored plucked instrument. Meanwhile, the addition of the fifth set of strings and the refinement of the plucking style (the Punteado as distinct from the 4-stringed Rasgueado strumming) enabled the Spanish guitar to succeed the lute's concert
hall niche.
Modern Guitar
By the late eighteenth century a sixth string was added to the bass somewhere in Italy or France. This
innovation led to the enlargement of the sound chamber. Other features occurring about this time include
the mechanical tuning pegs, gut strings, fixed frets, the single hollow sound hole, the flat back and the 44-4-3-4 tuning sequence.
Despite the obvious appeal that the guitar has enjoyed among both amateur and the performing artist,
it has been a difficult instrument to compose for by non-players. Indeed, the great nineteenth-century
composer, Berlioz made the critical remark that non-playing composers give it things to play...of small
effect. Perhaps this explains why it took accomplished virtuosos of the instrument like Fernando Sor,
Dioysio Aguando and later, Fernando Tarrega (all Spaniards incidentally) to write technically advanced
music that enhanced the reputation of the concert guitarist.
By the early 19th-century, Spanish guitar maker, Antonio de Torres Jurado had made significant
improvements on the classical guitar through careful experimentation and modification. He introduced
among other things, the rectangular saddle, the modern bridge and most important, he perfected the fanlike configuration of struts which support the lower face of the classical guitar, contributing to the size
and tonal enrichment of the instrument. Except for the use of nylon strings introduced in 1946, this form
of the guitar has remained the standard up to our day.
Capitalizing on the potential of the classical guitar innovations, Francisco Tarrega developed a innovative apoyando or rest stroke technique which won admiration throughout Europe. Following in his
foot-steps, Tarrega's disciple, Andre Segovia has made great gainssome say the greatestfor the stature
of the guitar. Besides being the pre-eminent virtuoso of the instrument, he has adapted many great works
102
into the fine weave of the classical guitar technique, improving the relatively confined repertoire of
the concert guitarist. His transcriptions include works by such diverse composers as Manuel Ponce,
Hector Villa-Lobos, Alexander Tansman, Mario Castelnuvo-Tedesco, Joaquin Rodrigo, Federico
Moreno-Torroba and Joaqun Turina to name only a few. In addition, Segovia has inspired many guitarist around the world including, Germany's Siegfried Berend, Italy's Oscar Ghiglia, Venezuela's
Alirio Diaz and USA's Christopher Parkening.
Popular Guitar
Much has been said about the evolution of the classical guitar, however, it would be odd to ignore
the tremendous wide-spread popularity of the modern steel-stringed guitar and its amplified brethren,
the bass and electric guitars. These forms compensate for the relatively delicate sound of the classical
guitar. Indeed, it seems as though the early distinction between the popular rasgueado and the more
sophisticated punteado playing techniques which gave rise to the 4- and 5-string guitarra persists
today through the dual genres embodied in both the classical and steel string guitar forms. The instrument has naturally developed according to the demands of these two modes of music making. The
steel string guitar's sturdy construction yields a brilliant ring that enlivens the familiar sounds of the
country, folk, bluegrass, blues and rock forms of music, while the delicate nylon-string guitar lends
itself well to the studious medium of classical music.
Theory Section
103
104
If ever there were a silver bullet to mastering the guitar, this is it. Fretboard
Rosette: The key to mastering the guitar fretboard is an essential frame of
reference for learning the many basic chord, arpeggio and scale patterns
that you need to know to play all musical styles on the guitar.
While the octave interval dictates the shape of the guitar neck, the sub dominant dictates the tuning of the guitar. Therefore, in order to master the
instrument, you need to develop a working knowledge of how scales,
chords, and arpeggios are inter-related according this side-to-side tuning
pattern of the fretboard. Good guitarists learn these relationships through
years of playing without necessarily being able to explain what they do. This
book demonstrates and explains these important relationships explicitly by
providing you with:
Numerous fingerboard charts
Clear explanations and examples
A thorough treatment of first principles
Antony Nispel has been teaching recreation guitar in the Santa Clara valley since 1992,
carrying on the work of his acclaimed teacher, Edward Rodriguez. Antonys two other
guitar manuals include: Beginning Guitar for the New Millenniumco-written with Mr.
Rodriguez, and Reading Rosette: A key to mastering essential scales and arpeggios
the sister volume to this text.

Fretboard Rosette A Key To Mastering The Guitar

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Fretboard Rosette:

A key to mastering the guitar

Paidia Academic Press

Copyright 2003 by Paidia Academic Press

Fretboard Rosette: A key to mastering the guitar

Fretboard Rosette Table of Contents

Fretboard Rosette Table of Contents

The Major and Minor Chords

The Major and Minor Chords

Figure 1: Open E chord

Fingerboard Hand Development

Figure 2: Tonal relationship between guitar strings

Fretboard Rosette: A key to mastering the guitar

Figure 3: Lateral translation example of open position chord, E to A major.

Fingerboard Hand Development

The Major and Minor Chords

Translating the major open chord patterns

how they follow the principal of lateral translation:

Figure 4: Lateral translation of open position major chords

Practice is the best of all instructors

Fretboard Rosette: A key to mastering the guitar

The Major and Minor Chords

Translating the minor open chord patterns

Figure 5: Open Em-chord

Figure 6: Lateral translation of open minor chords

Fingerboard Hand Development

Do you have an overall philosophy you try to impress on students?

Fretboard Rosette: A key to mastering the guitar

What are the limitations of the guitarist?

Chords underlying the open position pentatonic scale patterns

Fingerboard Hand Development

Introduction: Pentatonic Scale Tones

Introduction: Pentatonic Scale Tones

pentatonic scales and their underlying open chord patterns below:

Figure 7: Open position major and minor pentatonic scale patterns

Figure 8: Open minor pentatonic scale pattern

Fretboard Rosette: A key to mastering the guitar

Figure 9: Simple Em pentatonic scale drill

Figure 10: Open G major pentatonic scale pattern

Figure 11: Simple major pentatonic scale drill

Fingerboard Hand Development

Try the following patterns:

Open Pentatonic Scale

Figure 12: Up 2, back 1 major and minor pentatonic scale drill

Fretboard Rosette: A key to mastering the guitar

Open Pentatonic Scale

Figure 13: Up 3, back 2 major and minor pentatonic scale drill

-- In general, ascend X notes and return X1 notes, up to X=7; then return.

Fingerboard Hand Development

-- In general, ascend X notes and return X1 notes, up to X=7; then return.

Blues Improvisation Using the Minor Pentatonic Tones

Fretboard Rosette: A key to mastering the guitar

Blues Improvisation Using the Minor Pentatonic

Fingerboard Hand Development

Men are born the same but made different by practice

An example of the 16-bar chord progression is as follows:

Fretboard Rosette: A key to mastering the guitar

The country cadence chord-function form is generally as follows:

Shoobey Doobey Doo

Closed Chord Forms

Figure 16: Closed major chords derived from open chords

Fretboard Rosette: A key to mastering the guitar

Fingerboard Hand Development