The Method For Beginning Guitarists: Kale Good

The Method for Beginning Guitarists
A Guide for Learning To Play
Kale Good
March 6, 2016
Philly Guitar Lessons

YouTube Channel Donate!
Part I.
The Basics
Kale Good Guitar Studio 2

Contents
I. The Basics 2
Introduction 5
1. Your Setup 7
2. Basic Chords and Basic Rhythms 11
3. More To Come! 13
4. A Song on Two Strings 14
5. Technical Goals of Book 1 17
6. i 18
7. i 21
8. Four Finger Chromatic Exercises in Scales 22
9. i 23
10. i 25
11. i 27
12. 29
13. song 31
14. i 33
15. i 35
16. Primary Chords in The Key of G 36
17. i 37
18. i The Blues in A 39

19. i 41

Introduction
First of all, thanks for downloading my free method book. I have high hopes that, working
together, we can get you where you want to be as a guitarist. Before we really get going, there
are a few things you need to know.
How This All Got Started (and what it means for you)
Ever since my early days of teaching, I’ve found incredible problems with all the method books
I found for general use. So I decided to make my own and make it available to potential students
in the Philadelphia area to preview via my website sometime in 2010. It wasn’t March of 2016
that I realized thousands of people from all over the world download this method book every
year. This is both incredibly fantastic and hugely problematic! The method book was designed
for beginners who would come to lessons with me; it wasn’t designed for self-study. Fortunately,
the internet allows a happy medium.
How to Use This Method Book

This method book is designed to be used along with my YouTube channel, which you can sub-
scribe to here. To view the video for a lesson, you can either search my channel for the appro-
priate video (using the lesson title) or, more conveniently, simply click the title of the lesson (or,
occasionally, the subtitle) to be taken to the video auto-magically.
Note that title chapters are blue; this is because they link to items outside of this method book,
usually webpages. You will also notice red text in the method book; this links to material found
inside the method book. For example, the table of contents lists the lessons in red. Clicking on
any lesson in the table of contents will auto-magically take you to that lesson.

Staying Up-To-Date
Any decent teacher is always working to improve their method. This means a few things:
• When the method book is updated, the YouTube playlist will likely take a bit to be re-
ordered (if necessary); for this reason, it is best to use the links in this method book which
will take you through the videos in the appropriate order.
• Make sure you’re using the latest version of the method book; the date of “printing”
for each version is on the title page of the method book and right here: March 6, 2016.
You can check and download the newest version at http://phillyguitarlessons.com/
method-book/Beginner-Book1-web.pdf
• Note that until this book completely transitions from a Use-With-Teacher to a Use-With-
YouTube format, there will be lessons that do not have corresponding videos on YouTube
(all the more reason to stay up to date!). These videos will not have blue, linked titles.
They will be standard, black text.
A Final Word
It would be fantastic if you left your comments and questions over at YouTube so I can continue
to improve this method book. I hope this method book helps you.
If you find this method book helping you, there are a few ways you can help me!
• Tell your friends, like the videos on YouTube, share it on Google+, Facebook, and any-
where else you can imagine.
• Let that YouTube video ad run all the way through and avoid the “Skip This Ad” button;
when that gets clicked, I get no dollars at all.
• Donate! There’s a link at the top of each page you can use.
• Buy some of my recommendations off of Amazon using the links I provide; I’ll get a small
cut.
Thanks again! Now, on to rockin’.

Lesson 1 Your Setup

This lesson is going to go over the basic gear you’ll need to build your skills (and keep your
guitar healthy) as well as how to hold the guitar, pick, and right hand placement.
1.1. Gear
First off, you’re going to need a few things to get started. So here is the basic run-down of gear
that every guitarist needs, along with a budget option and a high-end option.
A Metronome
A metronome keeps a steady beat, helps you develop solid rhythmic skills, and is the most basic
musician’s tool. Basic, but powerful; metronomes are used by music therapists to help stroke
victims regain the ability to walk. Rhythm is processed in the same part of the brain as motion;
the metronome helps prime the patient for movement. Additionally, the steady beat helps stroke
patients anticipate the next step forward; the therapist then slowly speeds up the tempo until the
patient can walk again. You’ll be using this same idea to develop speed yourself, however, it will
be speed in scales.
A good metronome will also have the ability to subdivide the beat into varying patterns of 8th
notes, 16th notes, and triplets. This is incredibly useful for developing speed.
You can download a free metronome on your phone; however, they may not be as accurate
as a dedicated metronome, especially on budget phones where differences in hardware make it
difficult to program an accurate metronome.
Solid choices for a metronome are:
• Korg Metronome: Korg Metronome

– Korg is a solid brand, and this metronome has something that is very useful for gui-
tarists; volume and lots of it. When strumming chords, it can be difficult to hear the
metronome.
• Boss Metronome: Boss Dr. Beat

– This is a top-of-the-line metronome. You don’t need this (I’ve never used one). But
its fun to know about these sorts of things.
A Tuner
Always tune your guitar before playing. Always. Otherwise, you’ll sound lousy and blame it
on yourself. While you can and should learn to tune by ear, I advise beginners to buy a tuner so
they can get playing in-tune much faster.

I personally like clip-on tuners; they’re small convenient, and can stay attached to your guitar
so you’re always ready to tune and never wondering where your tuner is.
Again, a word of warning on using your smartphone. I’ve personally bought a tuning app
developed by the best-in-the-business company, Peterson. It was a disappointment to say the
least; to say it was less accurate than my (incredibly accurate) Peterson Stroboclip tuner is an
understatement. It couldn’t get my guitar anywhere near a satisfactory tune. This is because the
microphones on a phone are designed to pick up vocal frequencies; they are a poor choice for
guitar.
Here are some solid choices:
• Snark makes a solid tuner at a very reasonable price. Can’t argue with that.
• Peterson’s Stroboclip is a top-of-the-line clip-on tuner. It is a digital strobe tuner which

is accurate to 1/1000th of a half-step (the distance between 1 fret and the next). With all
that acccuracy, they can do something that other tuners can’t; their tuner has a variety of
“sweetened tunings” which are slight varieties to tunings that factor in the unique physical
characteristics of each instrument to produce a far-superior tune. Pair it with a new set of
strings, and you’ll sound golden.
• Peterson is know as the leader in tuning technology. This is what I like to call over-the-
top-of-the-line. You should just know it exists.
Combo Units
If you’re like me, you like to save money. And I think that’s a safe bet, given that you’ve down-
loaded a free method book. So if you want to save money, here is my advice.
• Buy a Korg Tuner-Metronome; it has the capability to do both in one convenient form
factor. This may not have the volume of the dedicated, stand-alone metronome, but that’s
an easy problem to solve. Just plug in a pair of earbuds while you’re playing. This also takes
AAA batteries, which I much prefer over the button-batteries used in clip-on tuners. I use
Ni-MH rechargeable batteries because they’re awesome and save me even more money.
Humidifiers
I live in the Northeast United States. While we aren’t known for our particularly dry weather,
our winters can be brutal on a guitar. One winter day I realized my $3500 guitar had formed a
crack along the neck; please don’t let this happen to you. If you live in a dry environment, find
a way to humidify your guitar. Keep in mind that a hard-shell case will do a much, much better
job of keeping moisture in than a soft-shell case. If you’re unsure about your environment, call
the closest guitar shop you can find and get their advice.
• The easiest thing to do is get a zip-lock bag, cut a few holes in it, put in a damp sponge, and
put it in your case. I only do this in emergencies because it needs to be refilled every few
days and doesn’t actually control the humidity. It gets very, very humid inside the case in

the first day, then levels off over the next few. The cycle repeats when you re-moisten the
sponge.
• Oasis Humidifiers are a step-up from the sponge; they have a much, much higher water
capacity thanks to a special gel used. However, they still flood the case with humidity early
on and then taper off, much like a sponge.
• Planet Waves 2-way System are fantastic. They have a pouch for the neck and a pouch
for the body; both can cause problems, and this is the only humidifier I know of that
directly addresses that. These packets actually control the humidity in the case by releasing
moisture when it is too dry and absorbing moisture when it is too wet. The only down-
side is that they say the packets need to be replaced when they dry out. The good news
is that is total bollocks; I’ve rejuvenated a number of packets by simply putting them in a
zip-lock bag with a damp towel for a few days, making sure that the towel doesn’t touch
the packets (use a sponge to keep your guitar humidified while you do this). This is what
I use in my rental guitars.
• For my personal guitars, I use a DIY Whole-Room Humidifier. Its a fun project and, if
you have multiple instruments, can save you a pretty penny on humidifiers.
Miscellaneous:
• A Foot Stool will help get the guitar into the proper position and avoid tense calf muscles
(which happens more than you would think).
• A music stand will keep your music where you can see it and help avoid any unecessary
kinks in your neck. There are cheaper folding music stands and nicer solid music stands.
Get a solid one if you want to read this on your tablet.
• A change of strings is necessary every few months to keep your playing sounding fresh and
fantastic. Note that there are different types of string compositions which will produce a
different tone. Experiment until you find one you like.
1.2. You and The Guitar

How to Hold the Guitar
I’m still working out the best text for this section, take a look at the video linked above for all
the info you’ll need.
How to Hold a Pick


Left Hand Placement


Lesson 2 Basic Chords and Basic Rhythms

How to Read Chord Charts
What we have below are chord charts; they’re the most direct way we have of teaching chords
and their shapes:
Am7(A minor 7) Em7 (E minor 7)
x o o o o o o o o
1
2 2
Lets look at E minor 7 first:

• Typically, chords use abbreviations when possible. So this E minor 7 will usually appear
as Em7. An E minor chord (which we’ll learn right-quick) would be Em.
• Note that some of the vertical lines are thicker than others; those thicker lines represent
the thick strings on your guitar. The thinner lines? You guessed it. The thin strings.
• The horizontal lines represent the frets. There are three horizontal lines here, representing
the first three frets.
• The dot with the number in it represents where your finger goes. The number is which
finger is used.
• There are a bunch of ’0’s above the strings as well; this are open strings (no fretted notes)
that you let ring while playing the chord. This are only indicated for open strings, becuase
fretted notes are always rung out (otherwise, why go to the bother of getting your fingers
there).
With this information, you can figure out how to play this chord. Stick your second finger on
the second thickest string on the second fret. Ain’t that just dandy? Give it a strum.
Now, lets take a look at the Am7 chart. There is only one new piece of information here; the
’X’ above the thickest string. This ’X’ means “Don’t let this note ring out!”; try not to strike
that string as you play.
Strumming Patterns
Here is a chart that contains the basic strumming patterns that you will use and master. These
strumming patterns are incredibly versatile and will contribute greatly to your speed later on.

Learn them well!
Strumming Pattern Notation
42
|: Mississippi Hot Dog :| |: ▼ △ ▼ △ ▼ ▼ :|
42
|: Jack-Rabbit Jack-Rabbit :| |: ▼ ▼△ ▼ ▼ △ :|
86
|: Butterfly Dinosaur :| |: ▼ △ ▼ △ ▼ △ :|
42
|: Mississippi Mississippi :| |: ▼ △ ▼ △ ▼ △ ▼ △ :|
Figure 2.1.: Basic Rhythms
Your First Chord Change

Memorize the Am7 and Em7 chord shapes using the following method; once you know ’em
cold, start to work on your chord changes. Here is a refresher from the material covered in the
video.
1. Copy it out on a chord chart.
2. Release and reapply pressure.
3. Release pressure and lift fingers slightly off fret-board, trying to maintain chord shape
(shake it off!)
4. Release pressure and fully extend the fingers (shake-it-out!), then place the chord shape.

Lesson 3 More To Come!

Ok, time for full-disclosure. As I said before, I recently noticed that my method book is
downloaded a lot. However, I’m not really sure if it is human beings or the robots that Google
(and others) use to crawl the world-wide-web. This is a bit of an experiment; if you (and enough
of the other hopeful downloaders) watch the YouTube videos I’ve listed, I’ll know its not robots
and keep making videos. Leave comments, questions, likes, and subscribes at youtube, too!
What follows is a short message that you’ll see at the end of future versions of this web version
of the method book and then the print version of the method book (which is currently under
heavy revision). Thanks for trying this out!
You beat me to it; the end of the method book. The version you’re using was last updated on
March 6, 2016. You can check the latest edition to see if it is more recent that what you’ve got.

Lesson 4 A Song on Two Strings

Ode To Joy
Beethoven
� = 100
0 0 1 3 3 1 0 0 0
T 3 1 1 3 3 3
A
B
5
0 0 1 3 3 1 0 0
T 3 1 1 3 3 1 1
A
B
9
0 0 1 0 0 1 0
T 3 3 1 3 1 3 3 1 3
A 0
B
13
0 0 1 3 3 1 0 0
T 3 1 1 3 3 1 1
A
B
4.1. Tuning the guitar

There are three basic pieces of knowledge you
need before you can tune your guitar success-
fully. In addition to these three pieces of
knowledge, there are some tips and pointers
that will help you succeed in tuning your own
guitar.
First, you need to understand how to read
a tuner. The fuel-gauge graphic Figure 4.1 Figure 4.1.: A Basic Tuner
shows a typical tuner. The string is in tune
when the tuner is centered. If it is on the left, the string is flat. This means it is too low in pitch
and needs tightening. If the string is on the right, the string is sharp. It is too tight and needs
loosening. Next, you need to know the names of the strings. Figure 4.2 has the name of each

� � � � � � � � � �
AA /B BC C /D D D /E EF F /G G G /A A
Table 4.1.: All The Notes
string listed at the top.

Finally, you need to know how to adjust the tension on the strings. This is done by turning
the tuners, located on the headstock. Turning the tuners counter-clockwise tightens. Clockwise
motion loosens the strings.
Basic Procedure
1. Play a string.
2. Make sure that the note indicated on the tuner

is the correct note for the string you are tun-
ing.
3. Observe the tuner’s reading and adjust accord-

ingly. Repeat until you are in tune
If the tuner displays an incorrect note, use Ta-

ble 4.1 to correct it. The table lists all the notes
from low (flat) to sharp (high). If you are tun-
ing to E and the tuner reads D, you’re very
flat. Tighten the string until the gauge reads
E, then use the basic procedure until you are
in tune (notes joined by “/” indicate a single
note that has two names).
Figure 4.2.: String Names
Tips
• Tuning your guitar every day will make the
tuning task easier and faster, as well as making
you sound better.
• Make sure that you are turning the right tuner!

This can be done by following the string up
to the correct tuning peg. I advise doing this
until you are very comfortable. If you don’t,
you might have the same experience that I had
when I was learning: Broken Strings!

• Some tuners don’t have a gauge, but use blink-

ing lights instead. The faster the light is blink-
ing, the further out of tune you are. As you
get closer to in tune, the blinking will slow
down.
4.2. Using the Metronome

Talk about how to use a metronome and metronome
marks. This should really come after the ex-
ercise, but I’m having some formating issues.

Lesson 5 Technical Goals of Book 1

Exercise Completion
Adduction Exercises
Tuning Using an Electric Tuner
Chromatic Finger Permutations
7th Chords: A7, E7, D7
D Major Scale
Using a Metronome
Strumming Patterns: 8ths & Ties
Alternate Picking
Major Chords: A, D, E
Major Chord G
Scale: C Major
Strumming Variations: Boom-Chuck, Chunka-Chunka
Chromatic Finger Variations 8ths @ 100 bpm
Strumming Patterns: All Chord Changes @ 100 bpm

Lesson 6 i
6.1. Developing Pick Accuracy
Prelude
Kale Good
� = 88
3 3 2 2 5 5 3 3
T 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B
5
7 7 5 5 8 8 7 7
T 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B
9
10 10 12 12 10 10 7 7
T 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B
13
8 8 5 5 2 2 3 3
T 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

6.2. Lateral Independence
A D E
x x x x x x x x x x x x
1
2 1 1 2 2
1 3 1 2 3
3
Prime (’)
x x x x
2 3
Double Prime (”) Practice the following five changes: A-D. A-E. D-E. A’-D’. A”-E’.
Table 6.1.: 5 Chord Prep Exercises
Take note of where fingers stay on the same fret and string (1st finger in A-D); leave these fingers
in place. Take note of where fingers stay on the same string (3rd finger, A’-D’); release pressure
from these fingers and, while retaining contact with the string, slide the finger to the next required
fret. Learn to look for these simularities on your own; it will greatly speed the process of learning
chords. Achieve buzz tones and bell tones while switching between note-pairs within a bar. Note
that these are three separate exercises rather than one continuous exercise.
6.2.1. Under Pressure

I can still vividly remember my time in college driving to my guitar instructor’s house for our
weekly lessons. Most of the year I drove there with the heat blazing, trying to make sure my
fingers stayed warm so that I could play my best. Regardless of how well I had prepared, I always
seemed to play the small (and large) mistakes that I fixed over the course of the week.
Now that I’m a teacher, I see this often with my own students. One of the most common
comments I get is “I played this better at home”. Students often feel like this is the musician’s
version of “The dog ate my homework” (and seem to worry that I don’t believe them), but the
truth of the matter is that every musician has experienced this in their own lessons. I’ve found

that it is relatively easy to tell the difference between a student who has not practiced and a
student who is having difficulty. Which is to say: Relax, I believe you when you tell me you had
it right at home!
There is a saying that the best playing gets done in the practice room, and its true! As soon as we
step outside of the practice room, we are under pressure to perform according to the exceptions
of the audience, whether it is a teacher, some friends, or an arena of adoring fans.
While there is a lot to be said for learning to deal with the nervous feelings and nervous energy
that accompany a performance, today I want to focus on a different way that you can prepare for
outside-the-practice-room playing. In this newsletter, I want to show you how you can practice
playing under pressure. This is, after all, the situation we encounter as soon as we leave the warm,
comfortable cocoon of our practice room.
• Record yourself: Knowing that you’ll have to listen back to yourself playing, mistakes and
all, is a great way to add some pressure (it also has a ton of other benefits)
• Play x-number of times in a row, without mistakes: If you’ve told yourself that you won’t
stop practicing until you play 10 times in a row without mistakes, you’re going to be under
a lot of pressure by the time you play 9 times in a row correctly. Number 10 better be right,
or else your back at 0!
• Play Cold: Our best playing happens when we’re all warmed up; unfortunately, guitar
lessons usually get started off cold. Find out what happens when you try to play without
any warm up, and investigate how you can prepare for playing cold.
• Tell a partner/roommate/parent that you will do a chore for them for a week (or a few
days, depending on the chore) if you make a mistake while playing the piece: This makes
you accountable to someone else, much like a lesson or performance. For added difficulty,
tell them that you have to play x number of times in a row!
These four pointers can help you prepare for under-pressure situations from lessons to perfor-
mances and beyond. Use them to help avoid the biggest source of in-lesson frustration.

Lesson 7 i
7.1. More Fingers, More Strings
Aura Lee
Traditional
� = 144
T 1 0 1 3 3 1 0 0 1
A 0 2 2
B
5
T 1 0 1 3 3 1 0 0 1
A 0 2 2
B
9
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
T 3 1 3
A
B
13
0 0 1 0 0
T 3 3 1 0 3 1
A 2

Lesson 8 Four Finger Chromatic Exercises

in Scales
The following groups may be played from the sixth string to
the first and back, beginning in the high positions near the body
1234 2341 3412 4123
and working gradually downward to the first position.
1324 2413 3241 4132
• Keep the weight of the arm under your hand at all times,
with the thumb approximately behind the second finger. 1423 2314 3142 4213
• Keep the weight on each finger until the next is placed, then 1342 2134 3421 4213
relax it. There is no need to actively “pick up” – that is to 1243 2431 3124 4312
say to extend – the relaxing finger.
1432 2143 3214 4321
• When changing strings, shift the whole arm straight up and
down from the elbow; the thumb will follow. There is no
need to bend the wrist or lift the elbow outward.
• Place each finger on its tip, adducting it. As you progress to

the wider frets you may place the first finger flat, in a “hinge
bar.” This will help keep the forearm suppine, the elbow
relaxed, and make placement of the fourth finger much eas-
ier, in addition to being a valuable skill in itself.
• A number of different right hand techniques may be used

over time as the left hand becomes more fluent.
• One may also combine these with slurring, shifting or other

left hand skills.

Lesson 9 i
A7 E7
x o o o o o o o
1
2 3 2
V Chord IV Chord
Table 9.1.: Your First Chords
9.1. Introduction To Rhythms

wave your arm around and say these rhythms:

There is a word for this: Strumming Pattern Notation

��
� �
Reference Rhythm [▼△▼△▼△▼△] 8
� ��
� �
|: Pie Apple Pie Pie :| [▼ ▼△▼ ▼ ] 8
� � ��
�
|: Pie Apple Pie Apple :| [▼ ▼△▼ ▼△] 8
� � ��
� �
|: Pie Pie Apple Apple :| [▼ ▼ ▼△▼△] 8
� ��
� �
|: Pie Apple Apple Apple :| [▼ ▼△▼△▼△] 8
D Major Scale
T 0 2 3 2 0
A 0 2 4
0 2 2 0
4 2 0
B

Lesson 10 i
Irish Song
Traditional
� = 100
0 2 3 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 3 2 0 0 2 0 0
T 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
A
B
5
7 5 3 2 0 7 5 0 0 2 3 2 0 0 2 0 0
T 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
A
B
9
0 2 4 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 4 2 0 0 2 0 0
T 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
A
B
13
7 5 4 2 0 7 5 0 0 2 4 2 0 0 2 0 0
T 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
A
B

A D E
1
2 1 1 2 2
1 3 1 2 3
3
Prime (’)
1
2 3 2 3
3
Double Prime (”)
Practice: A’-E”. A”-D”. A”-E. D’-E”. D”-E’. (note: not all chord variations are used)
Table 10.1.: 5 Chord Prep Exercises: Level II

Lesson 11 i
Name Note Rest Value

Whole Note/Rest � � 4 Pies
Half Note/Rest � � 2 Pies
Quarter Note/Rest � � 1 Pie
Table 11.1.: Notes, Rests, and Their Time Values

?????? ?????
��
??
� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �
8
T
A 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
2
0 2 4
0 0 0 0
B
6
��
� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �
8
T
A 0
4 4 4 4 2 2 4 2
2
4 4 4 4 4 4
B
��
��
11
�
8
T
A 4
2
0 2 4
0 0 0 0 0
4 4 4
2 2 0
2 0
B

Lesson 12
Kale! Centerline Images!
A Major E Major D Major

x o o o o o x x o
1
2 1 3 2 3 2 1
3
I Chord V Chord IV Chord

(The Tonic Chord) (The Dominant Chord ) (The Subdominant Chord)
Table 12.1.: Primary Chords in A Major
12.1. Chords: An Introduction

The names above the chord charts in Table 12.1 are the absolute name of the chords. These chords
are always A, D, and E, no matter what key you play in. The names below are the relative names
of the chords when playing in the key of A. These names tell us about the relationship between
the chords. These relationships will change depending on what key we are in. Consequently, the
relative names will change to fit the key we are playing in. To sum it up, the absolute name can
never change, the relative name can.
Place your fingers on the frets and strings indicated. Strum through the strings, being careful
to play the open strings indicated by an ”o” above the nut and avoiding open strings with an ”x”
above the nut.
These chord diagrams have the root note indicated in red. The root note is the note from
which the chord gets its name; the root note of the A major chord is A. Some chords seem to
have more than one root note indicated; the duplications are simply the root note in a higher or
lower octave.
The basic chords are made of a root note, a third, and a fifth. We’ll talk about this more when

we look at intervals and minor chords
12.2. Chord Exercises: Changes

Talk about it. 1 minute changes primarily.
12.3. Tone Production on The guitar

Lesson 13 song
Picking Pattern: [ ▼ ▼ ▼ , △ △ △ ]
0 0 0 0
T 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
A 2
1 1
4
2 2
6
4 4
4
2 2
B
5
0 0 0 0
T 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
A 2
1 1
4
2 2
6
4 4
7
6 6
B
9
0 0 0 0
T 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
A 7
6 6
6
4 4
11
9 9
9
8 8
B
13
0 0 0 0
T 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
A 7
6 6
6
4 4
4
2 2
2
1 1
2
B
13.1. D Major: More
D Major Extension
0 2 3 5 3 2 0
T 3 3 2 0 2 3
A
B
13.1.1. G major Chord Prep Exercises
Take note of where fingers stay on the same fret and string (3rd finger in G-D); leave these fingers
in place. Take note of where fingers stay on the same string (3rd finger, G-A); release pressure
from these fingers and, while retaining contact with the string, slide the finger to the next required
fret.

G (prep) D A E
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
1 1
1 2 2 2
2 3 3
Practice between G and all known chords (D, A, E).
Table 13.1.: Chord Prep Exericises; G Major

Lesson 14 i
??? ??? ????? ?????
��
� � � � � � � � � � � �
8
T 0 2 3 0
A 0 0
2 2 2 0 0
4 4 2 2 0
B
5
��
� � ��
8
T
A 2 2 2 0 0
4 4 4 2
2 2 2 0 0
4 4 4 2
B
��
� � ��
9
� � � � � � � � � �
8
T 0 2 3 0
A 0 0
2 2 2 0 0
4 4 2 2 0
B
Name Note Rest Value

Whole Note/Rest � � 4 Beats
Half Note/Rest � � 2 Beats
Quarter Note/Rest � � 1 Beat

�
Eighth Note/Rest � � 1/2 Beat
Table 14.1.: Notes, Rests, and Their Time Values

???? ??? ? ?????? ????

��
� � � � � � � � � � � � � �
8
T
A 4 2 0 2 4 4 4 2 2 2 4
2 2
B
5
��
� � � � � � � � � � � � � �
8
T
A 4 2 0 2 4 4 4 4 2 2 4 2 0
B

Lesson 15 i
Strumming Pattern Notation

��
� �
Reference Rhythm [▼△▼△▼△▼△] 8
� ��
� �
|: Pie –Pull Apple Apple :| [▼ △▼△▼△] 8
� � ��
�
|: Pie –Pull Pie Apple :| [▼ △▼ ▼△] 8
� ��
� �
|: Pie Apple –Pull Pie :| [▼ ▼△ △▼ ] 8
��
� �
|: Apple Apple –Pull Pie :| [▼△▼△ △▼ ] 8
C Major
T 0 1 0
A 0 2 3
0 2 2 0
3 2 0
B 3 3

Lesson 16 Primary Chords in The Key of G
G Major D Major
o o x x o
1 1 2
2 3 4 3
I Chord V Chord
(Tonic) (Dominant)
Table 16.1.: Primary Chords in G Major
The Primary Chords in the Key of G require the largest amount of cross-fretboard finger
independence yet! The G chord has many varieties; I’ve chosen one here that will allow you
to keep a finger down, at least between some of the changes! Use the skills and tool-sets you’ve
acquired in improving your other chord changes; 1-minute changes and using chord changes
during your rhythm guitar practice are both great ways to get these changes integrated into your
playing. As you might of guessed by now, we’ll be looking at some songs with these chords in
them in a few weeks, but this time, it will be Choose Your Own Adventure! The songs are really
exciting (read: they are by people who aren’t old enough to be your grandparents-or even your
parents). But until then, you can do rework some of the songs we previously learned and play
them with your new chords. Check it out below.

Lesson 17 i
Soldier's Joy
��
Traditional
� � � ��
�2
8
T
�
0 3 3 0
A 2
4
2
4
2 2 2
4
2
4
B
��
�
� � � � � � � � � � � �
4
�
8
0
T 0 3 3
A 2 2 2
2 2
4
2
4
2
B
7
��
1. 2.
�
�
8
2 0 0
T
�
3 2 3 3 3 0 3 3 3 0 2
A 2
��
B
10
� � � �
� �
�
8
0 2 3 5 2 0 2 3 0 0 2 3 5 2
T
�
3 3
A
B

��
� � �
13
�
8
0 0 2 3 5 2 0 2 3 0
T 2 0 2 3
A 2
B
16
��
1. 2.
�
�
8
2 0 0
T
�
3 2 3 3 3 0 2 3 3 3
A
B

Lesson 18 i The Blues in A

Rhythm: Chunka Chunka!
T.A. = Turn around (first 2 bars below). E = ending ( second 2 bars, under 1.—–| below).
fancy stuff can be either a turn around or an ending.
A7 E7 D7
x o o o o o o o x x o
1 1
2 3 2 2 3
I Chord V Chord IV Chord
Table 18.1.: 7th chords in A
Turn-around 3
0 0
T 2 5 4 3 2
A � 0
2 5 5 4 4 3 3
0
2 0 1 2
B 0 0
0
3 3 3
3 Ending 3
0 0
T 2 5 4 3 2
A 0
2 5 5 4 4 3 3
0
2 0 1 2
� �� 02
B 0 0 0 2 0 �0
0
3 3 3

I IV I I
IV IV I I
V IV T.A./E. (I) T.A./E.(V)
Table 18.2.: 12 Bar Blues

Lesson 19 i

The Method For Beginning Guitarists: Kale Good

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Method For Beginning Guitarists: Kale Good

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Method for Beginning Guitarists

A Guide for Learning To Play

Philly Guitar Lessons

Kale Good Guitar Studio 2

2. Basic Chords and Basic Rhythms 11

4. A Song on Two Strings 14

5. Technical Goals of Book 1 17

8. Four Finger Chromatic Exercises in Scales 22

16. Primary Chords in The Key of G 36

18. i The Blues in A 39

Kale Good Guitar Studio 3

Kale Good Guitar Studio 4

How to Use This Method Book

Kale Good Guitar Studio 5

Thanks again! Now, on to rockin’.

Kale Good Guitar Studio 6

Lesson 1 Your Setup

• Korg Metronome: Korg Metronome

• Boss Metronome: Boss Dr. Beat

Kale Good Guitar Studio 7

• Peterson’s Stroboclip is a top-of-the-line clip-on tuner. It is a digital strobe tuner which

Kale Good Guitar Studio 8

1.2. You and The Guitar

How to Hold a Pick

Kale Good Guitar Studio 9

Left Hand Placement

Kale Good Guitar Studio 10

Lesson 2 Basic Chords and Basic Rhythms

Lets look at E minor 7 ﬁrst:

Kale Good Guitar Studio 11

Learn them well!

Strumming Pattern Notation

Figure 2.1.: Basic Rhythms

Your First Chord Change

1. Copy it out on a chord chart.

2. Release and reapply pressure.

Kale Good Guitar Studio 12

Lesson 3 More To Come!

Kale Good Guitar Studio 13

Lesson 4 A Song on Two Strings

4.1. Tuning the guitar

Kale Good Guitar Studio 14

Table 4.1.: All The Notes

string listed at the top.

2. Make sure that the note indicated on the tuner

3. Observe the tuner’s reading and adjust accord-

If the tuner displays an incorrect note, use Ta-

• Make sure that you are turning the right tuner!

Kale Good Guitar Studio 15

• Some tuners don’t have a gauge, but use blink-

4.2. Using the Metronome

Kale Good Guitar Studio 16

Lesson 5 Technical Goals of Book 1

Kale Good Guitar Studio 17

Kale Good Guitar Studio 18

6.2. Lateral Independence

Table 6.1.: 5 Chord Prep Exercises

6.2.1. Under Pressure

Kale Good Guitar Studio 19

Kale Good Guitar Studio 20

Kale Good Guitar Studio 21

Lesson 8 Four Finger Chromatic Exercises