Hargreaves G - Guitar Academy. 1 (2004) PDF

Unit One
Course contents
© copyright G C Hargreaves 2004

Month One Month Two
Week one Week one

Open Chords F Half barre chords
exercises exercises
round the mountain - traditional Free Bird - Lynard Skynard
Hey Jude - the Beatles G Mixolydian scale
Week two Week two
Amazing Grace - traditional gospel G minor Natural
G major scale First position barre chords
Week three Exercises
Live forever - Oasis Week three
G minor natural Here comes the rain - Eurythmics
Week Four Full blues scale
Candle in the wind - Elton John Week four
G minor pentatonic Revise scales
Half barres to barres
Maggie may - Rod Stewart
Month Three Month Four
Week one Week one

Second position half barres Chord theory One
Exercises Tablature
Nights in white satin - Justin Hayward Exercises
Week two Week two
A rooted chords Exercises
sharps and flats Basic blues
Second position barres Week three
Week three Paint it Back - The Rolling stones
Combine first and second positions Revise blues scale and in A
exercises Week four
Rent - The Pet shop boys Crocketts theme electric - Jam Hammer
Week four Crocketts theme acoustic - Jam Hammer
Basic blues chords
Exercises
Yesterday - The Beatles
Month Five Month Six
Week one Week one

Repeats Rock exercises
Hey Jude (with rhythm) - The Beatles Rock and grunge techniques
Week two Week two
Exercises Rock exercises
Who is like thee o Lord - Jewish Folk Smoke on the water - Deep Purple
Week three Week three
About a Girl - Nirvana Livin on a prayer - Bon Jovi
Week four Grunge Punk exercises
Chord theory two Week four
Space oddity - David bowie Smells like teen spirit - Nirvana

Month Seven Month Eight
Week one Week one

Country exercises Blues exercises
Week two Week two
I walk the line - Johnny Cash Steam roller - James Taylor
Reggae exercises Blues scale exercise
Week four Week four
I shot the sheriff - Bob Marley Improvisation
Review of techniques
exercises
Month Nine Month Ten
Week one Week one

Finger picking basics Alternating bass line exercise
Exercises PIMI Susans song - Sad Fantasy
Picking Duet Week two
Week two Exercise
Rain - Sad Fantasy House of the rising sun - The Animals
Introduce the annular finger Blocking exercises
Exercises Week four
Nights in white satin - Justin Hayward 4/4 time exercises
Week four Nowhere man - The Beatles
Alternating bass line
Exercises
Everybody hurts - REM
Month Eleven Month Twelve
Week one
Week one
Reading rhythm
Fifth chord theory
exercises
exercises
time signatures
slurs
Week two
Week two
Bends
Hammering on
House of the Rising Sun (Lead)
Paranoid - Black Sabbath
Summer time (lead)
Week three
Staccato and mutes
Pulling off
Week three
Manic depression - Jimi Hendrix
Wonderful tonight - Eric Clapton
Picking directions
Week four
Week four
Wonderful land - The Shadows
Zombie - The Cranberries

Introduction
Tuning
and
month one
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Introduction
In order for any guitar course to be successful,
you must practise.
practise practise practise practise practise practise
Getting started
machineheads
top nut
frets
neck and fingerboard
position markers
body
pickups
sound hole
tailpiece or bridge
fingering map left hand
x
top nut string should
not be played
frets
finger placed
strings between
1
the frets
Left hand
finger number

fret map
E F F# G G# A
B C C# D D# E
G G# A A# B C
D D# E F F# G
A A# B C C# D D# E F
E F F# G G# A A# B C
Tuning
Before you start, it is important to tune your guitar. Even if youre playing correctly the guitar will sound wrong if it is
out of tune. As time goes by you will start to recognize when your guitar is out of tune yourself. If you have a
friend who can tune your guitar for you, it may be a good idea to let them do it for you until you become accus-
tomed to the sound of the guitar. But if not dont worry.
There are many electronic tuners on the market that will tell you when your guitar is out of tune, or you can use
tuning pipes or an electronic keyboard to get a reference note to tune from. We have provided a free tuner that
will give you three different types of tones to tune your guitar from.
When tuning your guitar remember to turn your machineheads by very small amounts and re-pluck the string to
see if it is tune, if you turn your machineheads to fast, to far, you will break your strings.
middle C
E A D G B E
The thinnest string is referred to

as the top E string because it
sounds higher than the other
strings.
The thickest string is referred to

as the bottom E string.
Hint. To remember the names of the strings you can use one of these silly sayings.
Every Angry Dog Growls and Bites Eventually
Elephants And Dogs God Blesses Everything

tuning the guitar to itself
Sometimes only a one or two strings will be out of tune or you may not have access to a reference note from
which to tune your guitar. In either of these instances you can tune the guitar to itself, using the other strings as a
reference point to tune from. This is the most common method for tuning guitars.
1. Until you have more experience of tuning your guitar you will
need to use your tuner to get a string in tune, preferably, the top
E string. Tuning the E string Tuning the B string
2. Place your finger in the FIFTH fret of the next string down the
B string. Play this note shortly followed by the top E string and
repeat this several times. If the B string is in tune, the two notes
will sound the same. If the notes are different, then you will need
to adjust the B string and then repeat the process until the notes
sound the same.
The B string should now be in tune.
IMPORTANT.
You are listening for the pitch of the notes. The tone of the note
will always be a little different. Don t press too hard on the
strings, because you can bend the string slightly making the
note inaccurate.
3. Place your finger in the FOURTH fret of the next string down the G string, and play this note shortly followed by
the B string and repeat this. If the G string is in tune, the two notes will sound the same. If the notes are differ-
ent, then you will need to adjust the G string and then repeat the process until the notes sound the same.
The G string should now be in tune.
4. Place your finger in the FIFTH fret of the next string down the D string, and play this note shortly followed by
the G string and repeat this. If the D string is in tune, the two notes will sound the same. If the notes are differ-
ent, then you will need to adjust the D string and then repeat the process until the notes sound the same.
5. Repeat this pattern using the FIFTH fret for the last two strings.
6. Compare the top E string and the bottom E string. As they are both E, they are octaves and have a
unique sound. Firstly listen to them on free tuner provided as we know the tuner is in tune. Eventually you can use
this sound as a double check, because if you have made a mistake on any of the other stings the two notes will
not sound correct.
Tuning the D string Tuning the A string Tuning the E string
The best way to learn to tune

Packaged with this course is a third party digital tuner, the Guitar Academy tuner and the tuner game.
1. Play the tuner game as many times as it takes for you to get 6 out of 6 several times. The tuner note and the
guitar note have different tones to make the game more realistic.
2. Then tune your guitar with the Guitar Academy tuner, using the tuner notes as a reference point to tune your
guitar to.
3. Finally check your guitar with the digital tuner. The digital tuner is the quickest and easiest way to tune, but if
you only use the digital tuner it will be years before you hear tuning problems for yourself.

using a pick (plectrum)
How to hold your plectrum
There is no right or wrong way to hold your plectrum.
Everyone will prefer there own style and sound of guitar music.
There is however a standard method to work from. Dont feel
you need to copy this method exactly it is just a good starting
point.
1. Bend your fingers into a fist and lift your thumb.
2. Place the plectrum on the first knuckle of your

index finger so that it points towards the guitar.
3. Hold the plectrum firmly in place using your thumb.
When playing with a pick the motion should come from the
wrist, the whole arm should not move up and down. When
strumming the motion comes more from the elbow.
For stability and to aid with locating the strings without needing
to look down, some players either rest the hand or arm on the
guitar. Another approach to to rest your fingers on the guitar,
scratchplate or place your little finger on a pickup if you have
an electric guitar.
Which plectrum to use.

Plectrums come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but they are
usually marked with the thickness, which is helpful. Remember
though that the thickness is just a guide, plectrums will play dif-
ferently depending on what material they are made of. At this
stage of your learning it is probably a good idea to buy a sev-
eral to find out which one is best for you.
1mm is a common thickness of plectrum. It is a good all round

plectrum.
Plectrums over 1mm will not bend very much, if at all. They pro-
duce a more bassy tone and they can be more difficult for
strumming.
Plectrums under 0.7mm can bend a lot. They produce a bright-

er tone and are ideal for strumming as they are more forgiving if
your plectrum accuracy isnt perfect.
IMPORTANT
As you get use to your pick look at the position youre holding it in every time you
practise. If the pick position changes every time you play it will take you a lot longer
to get used to it.

Lesson One
open chords
A Am Am7 A7 A7
X X 1 X 1
X X
1 2 3 2 3 2 1 2 1
B7 C C7 D Dm
X 1
X 1
X 1 X X X X 1
2 3 4 2 2 1 2 2
3 3 4 3 3
D7 Dm7 E Em E7
X X 1 X X 1 1 1
2 3 2 2 3 1 2 2
Em7 F Fm G G7
X X 1 X X 1 1
1 2 1 2
3 3 2 3 3

exercises
Play the following open chord exercises.
Then repeat them until the chords sound clean and the changes sound smooth.
C Am G7
X 1
X 1 1
2 2 3 2
3 3
C - - - Am - - - C - - - Am - - - C - - - G7 - - - C - - - Am - - -
D G A Em
X X X
1 2 1 1 2 3 1 2
3 2 3
D - - - G - - - D - - - A - - - D - - - G - - - D - - - Em - - -
Dm G7 C Am
X X 1 1 X 1
X 1
2 2 2 2 3
3 3 3
Dm - - - G7 - - - C - - - Am - - - Dm - - - G7 - - - C - - - C - - -

tunes
Introduction
Bellow is a BAR. A bar is a representation of time used in music, and all music is
made up of bars. To start with, the bars we are using contain 4 beats (they are 4/4
time). It is important that the length of time for each bar remains the same and there-
fore I recommend downloading the metronome and practicing trying to play the
chords as accurately as possible on the first beat of the bar.
1 2 3 4
beats
G
bar
Try the following; G G G G
Remember that their is no break between th bars, every beat should remain the
same, and therefore the beat should sound constant.
Sometimes you will find that their is more than one chord in a bar, in this instance play
the second chord on the THIRD beat of the bar (for now). As you get better and start
to play more advanced pieces, you will find any number of chords in a bar.
For example 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
D7 A7 A7
The arrangement
Every tune has an arrangement. An arrangement is the order in which a tune is
played. For example, verse, chorus, verse, chorus. By listing arrangements the tunes
are kept smaller, neater and easier to follow. You will also gain a better understand-
ing of music for when you eventually want to write your own. Music can be made up
of any number of sections in any order, here are some of the section names.
Intro (introduction), Verse, Chorus, Bridge, transition, Solo, Coda (end).

month one
Week One
Now, lets try and put together some of what you have learned to play our first pieces
of music. The two tunes bellow are in 4/4 time, so their are FOUR beats per bar.
1. Play the chords a few times until you are happy with the changes.
2. Try playing with a metronome in 4/4 time, using a slow setting (between 40 & 80)
tune
Shell be coming round the mountain
G G G D
G C D G
HEY JUDE - the beatles
verse
D A A D
G D A D
chorus
D7 G Em A7 D
D7 G Em A7 D
D7 A7 A7
coda
D C G D repeat and fade
arrangement verse - verse - chorus - verse - coda

month one
Week Two
This tune is in 3/4 time, which basically means that their are THREE beats per bar. Try it
with the metronome set on 3/4. The way to count for this piece will be as follows.
beats 1 2 3 1 2 3
bar
Amazing Grace
G G C G
G G D7 D7
G G7 C G
G D7 G G
exercise - G major scale

Scales are the DNA of music and everything you do when you play your guitar either
directly involves the use of scales or has been derived from a scale. Scales are
played as single notes in succession, however all the notes will be put together on a
scale map to help make the pattern more clear.
Play the following notes in order and then repeat, try to increase speed and flow.
1
G major
2 2
3rd fret scale map
1 1
2 2
3
1
4 4 4
3rd fret
3
4 4

month one
Week Three
This first month needs to be spent mastering open chords. As you play different tunes
with different combinations of chords, your changes and speed should improve.
1. Play the chords a few times until you are happy with the changes.
2. Play with a metronome in 4/4 time, using a slow setting (between 60 & 100)
tune
Live Forever - Oasis
verse
G D Am7 C D
G D Am7 C D
chorus
Em D Am7 C D
Em D Am7 Am7
Am7
coda
Em D Am7 C D
Em D Am7 Am
repeat and fade this line

Am7 Am Am7 Am
solo
arrangement verse - chorus - verse - chorus - verse - chorus - verse - coda

exercise - G minor (harmonic) scale
This time playing the scale should take less explanation, play
this scale the same way as you did the G major scale in the
last lesson. Play the scale both ways this time, from the bottom
to the top and then from the top to the bottom. Keep practising 1 1
the G major scale as well.
2
It is very important to use the correct fingers. 3 3 3
4 4
If you need to hear the scales, they can be listened to with the
multimedia program provided with the course.
Rite
The thumb is in the center of the neck
and the fingers are putting pressure
on only the string required.
Wrong
The thumb is around the neck and the
fi nger s ar e l ay i ng agai nst str i ngs
which are not intended to be played.
Note
In both cases you can see how the
fingers naturally sit in a position above
the cor r ect fr ets. Thi s i s why y ou
should use the correct fingers.

month one
Week Four
tune
Candle in the wind - Elton John
verse
G G C D7
G C G C C
G G C C
G C G C C
chorus
D D G C
G G D D
C C Em Em
D C C C
instrumental
G G D D7
G D C G
coda
Em D C c
Arrangement
verse - chorus - verse - chorus - instrumental - verse - chorus - coda

exercise - G minor pentatonic
Practice this scale the same way as you did the G major scale
and the G minor natural scale in the last lesson. Play the scale
both ways, from the bottom to the top and then from the top to
1 1 1 1 1 1
the bottom.
It is very important to use the correct fingers.

3 3 3
4 4 4
Revision
Play these scales until you can remember them.
The open chords will naturally re-occur as you play more tunes, therefore it isnt as
important to memorize them, however the scales will only be used in relation to theo-
ry, so you may forget them if you dont practise them regularly. A second advantage
in practising your scales is that, when we start learning lead guitar techniques, your
fingers will already be adept at paying single notes.
G major G minor G minor

harmonic pentatonic
1 1
2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
3 2
4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3
4 4 4 4 4

month two

month two
Week One
F shape half barre chords
F Fm F7 Fm7
X X 1 X X 1 X X1 X X1
2 2
3 3
You might have noticed that two of these chords appear in the open chord chart
you were given in the first lesson. The F major half barre chords often appears in
open chord charts though strictly speaking a chord should contain an open string to
be a true open chord. The reason it appears in open chord charts is that there is no
open chord alternative for an F chord.
exercises
Play these exercises using the open chord you have allready learned. The F chords
should be played as the half barre chords listed above.
exercise 1
C F Am G
C F Am Am
exercise 2
G7 Fm C Am
G7 Fm C C
exercise 3
C7 F7 C7 F7
C7 F7 C7 Dm

tune
Free Bird - Lynard Skynard
This tune gets very complex towards the end, so for the time being we will learn the
verse and chorus which make up the first half of the tune. This should be good prac-
tice of our open chords and the F major half barre chord.
Verse/chorus
G D Em Em
F C D D
G D Em Em
F C G D
arrangement verse - chorus - verse - chorus - verse
exercise - G mixolydian scale

Play this scale the same way as you have for all the previous
scales in the last months lessons. Play the scale both ways, from 1 1
the bottom to the top and then from the top to the bottom.
2 2 2
Keep practising the your other scales as well. fret 3
It is very important to use the correct fingers.

4 4 4
If you need to hear the scales, they can be listened to with the
multimedia program provided with the course.

month two
Week Two
exercise - G minor natural scale
Note.
their is only one
1 1 1 notes differ ence 1 1
fret 3 between the G fret 3
2
mi n o r h a r mo n i c
3 3 3
a n d t h e G mi n o r 3 3 3
natural. 4 4
4 4
E string rooted barre chords

G Gm G7 Gm7
1 1 1 1
fret 3 fret 3
2 2
3 4 3 4 3 3
Try playing these chords a few times. If you cant get them perfect, dont worry as
you play them they will get better (it may take weeks).
Hints
Do not push to hard with the thumb, the pressure should be applied by the fingers.
Do not tense your first finger too much, otherwise it will curve away from the strings.
E string rooted barre chords are so called because the root of the chord is on the
E string. The root of a chord (or scale) is the note that gives the chord or scale its
name. For example, Looking at the chords above you will see that the first finger is in
the third fret of the bottom E string. If you then look at your fret map you will see that
the name of this note is G. This is why the chords above are all G chords.
If you play one of the chords above on a different fret it will take on the name of the
E string note for that fret. For example, playing the G major shape in the fifth fret is
A major, and playing the Gm7 shape in the fifth fret is Am7.

WRONG RIGHT
The position of the thumb should The position of the thumb should
not be allowed to go around the either in the center of the back of
guitar because the fingers will be the neck or towards the floor. This
restricted. will allow your fingers to stand off
the fingerboard.
WRONG RIGHT
The first finger should be as straight If you can keep your first finger
as possible across the fingerboard parallel to the frets the tone will be
and the fingers should be as close easier to maintain. If the fingers
to possible to the center, between are as central as possible between
the frets. the frets then you will not need to
press as hard on the strings.

Note map of the E string
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
exercises
Practise each of these exercises, repeating them until you are happy with them. If
your hand, thumb or wrist starts to hurt take a rest, but dont be concerned because
this is quite normal when learning barre chords.
exercise 1
c Am F G
1
fret 1
1 1 2 1
fret 8 fret 5 fret 3
2 3 4 2
3 4 3 4 3 4
C Am F G
exercise 2
Am7 Gm7 F
1
fret 1
1 1 2
fret 5 fret 3
3 4
3 3
Am7 Gm7 Am7 F
exercise 3
Am G F E
1 1
fret 1 OPEN
1 1 2 2 3
fret 5 fret 3
2 3 4
3 4 3 4
Am G F Em

major minor 7th minor 7th
1 1 1 1
root root
2 2
3 4 3 4 3 3
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
exercises
By remembering the four first position barre chord shapes G#m7
and the names of the notes on the E string, you should be
able to play 32 new chords. 1
fret 4
For example.
G#m7 = g# is on the fourth fret and the minor 7th shape. 3
Bm = B is on the seventh fret and the minor shape.
Try playing the following;
exercise 1
Bm G A Bm
exercise 2
G Am F G
exercise 3
Am Bm7 C Bm7
exercise 4
Am G#m Gm7 C

month two
Week Three
tune
Here come the rain - Eurytmics
Play this using first position barre chords. The piece contains only a few chords, and
you might think that once you have played the intro and chorus you can move on. I
encourage you however to use this tune to build the strength in your hand. Play the
whole tune or as far as you can, several times with the backing before moving on.
intro
Am Am F F
G G Am Am
repeat once
verse
Am Am F F
G G Am Am
repeat once
chorus
F F C C
repeat three times
D D G G
arrangement intro - verse- chorus - intro - verse - chorus
note: the C chord can be played as an open chord if your prefer.
Note map of the E string
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

exercise - G pentatonic blues scale
This scale is probably one of the most important scales
you will come across if your music of choice is rock,
blues, county or much of modern pop. We will be
1 1 1 1 1 1
doing several lessons using this scale in this year, so it fret 3
would be a good idea to practise this scale until you 2
can play it from memory.
3 3 3
Whilst the correct name is pentatonic blues scale, 4 4 4 4

most people simply refer to it as the blues scale.

month two
Week Four
G minor G minor
G major natural pentatonic
Revision
You now have every 1 1
scale you will need
2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
for the first year of the
course. 3
4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3
4 4 4 4 4
G minor G pentatonic
G mixolydian harmonic blues
1 1
2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
2 2
4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3
4 4 4 4 4 4
exercises - half barres

Half barre chords can be treated in the same way as first position barre chords in
that they are rooted on the E string and therefore can be moved up and down the
neck to produce a range of chords. In some instances they can be used as a
replacement for barre chords.
examples. G Am F
X X 1 X X 1 X X 1
2 2
3 3 3
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

tune
Maggie May - Rod Stewart
F#m Em7
This tune should be played all as OPEN CHORDS X X
with the exception of F#m. F#m is the same as 1 1
the Fm half barre however it is played in the sec-

ond fret.
3
intro
D Em G D
D Em G D
verse
A G D D
A G D D
G D G A
Em F#m Em7 F#m
chorus
Em A Em A
Em A D D
Coda
Em A Em A
Em A G7 D
D Em G D
D Em G D
arrangement
intro - verse- chorus - verse - chorus - verse - chorus - verse - chorus - coda - intro

month three

month three
Week One
A shape half barres
Bb Bbm Bb7 Bbm7
x x 1
x x 1
x x 1 x x 1
2 2
2 3 4 3 4 3 4 3
The Bb major chord can be played with a number

Bb Bb
x x x x of fingering options. Try to find the one you are
1
most comfortable with and stick with it.
This chord shape isnt one of the most important
3 4 2 3
you will come across and therefore this chord is a
rare exception where I say . . . If you have a lot of
trouble playing them, skip them.
exercises
Play these exercises using open OPEN CHORDS with the exception of the Bb chords.
exercise 1
C Bb Am Am
Bb Am C C
exercise 2
Dm Bb C C
exercise 3
F Bbm Am Am

tune
Nights in white satin - Justin Hayward
B F
This tune should be played using OPEN CHORDS
X X X X 1
with the exception of F and B. The F is a half
barre chord and the B is the same shape as Bb, 1 2
only played in the second fret.
3
This piece is 6/8 time. SIX beats to the bar.

2 3 4
Try it with the metronome in 6/8 time.
verse
Em D Em D
repeat verse
C G F Em
A A C C
Em D Em D
instrumental
Em Em
repeat line
Em D C B
Em C Em C
Am B Am B
Em D C Em
D Em D Em
Em
arrangement verse - verse - instrumental - verse - instrumental

month three
Week Two
the A string root
The A shaped half barre chords are rooted on the A string and therefore derive their
name from the A string note names. For example the names of all the chords you
have studies this week are all Bb (B flat), this is because they are rooted n the first
fret , and the name of the note of the first fret of the B string is Bb.
A Bb B C Db D Eb E F
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Sharps and Flats
We have briefly looked at these previously, however it is important you understand
what a sharp is and what a flat is.
A sharp is UP a semitone or a fret b

A flat is DOWN a semitone or a fret #
Certain notes can have two names, for example Bb can be A#. This is because
when you move B down a fret (Bb) and A up a fret (A#) they end up on the same
fret (fret 1). Some notes where this can happen are;
A# = Bb C# = Db D# = Eb F# = Gb G# = Ab
the explanation of when to use the sharp or the flat note name will come later in the
course.
A string rooted barre chords

These are the last barre chords you will be learning in the first year.
The SECOND POSITION or A string rooted barre chords can be treated in the same
way as the first position barre chords, in that they can be moved up and down the
guitar to produce different chords. This time however the root of the chord is on the
A string and therefore the chords get their name from notes on this string.
A Bb B C Db D Eb E F
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Using the first and second position barre chords between the 1st and the
8th fret you can now play ever major, minor, dominant 7th and minor
7th chord.

x 1
x 1
x 1 x 1
root root
2 2
2 3 4 3 4 3 4 3
C C
x x The second position major shaped chord is the
1 1
fret 3 hardest chord we have learned so far. Many
people have difficulty with it. One of the alterna-
3 4 2 3 tive fingerings might make the it easier for you if
you are having trouble playing it.
exercises
Practise each of these exercises, repeating them until you are happy with them. If
your hand, thumb or wrist starts to hurt take a rest, but dont be concerned because
this is quite normal when learning barre chords.
exercise 1 D A Bm G
x 1 1
x 1 1
fret 5 fret 5 fret 2 fret 3
2 2 2
2 3 4 3 4 3 4 3 4
D A Bm G
exercise 2 A D E
1
x 1 x 1
2
3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4
A D E D
exercise 3 Dm Am C G
x 1 1
x 1 1
fret 5 fret 5 fret 3 fret 3
2 2 2
3 4 3 4 2 3 4 3 4
Dm Am C G

month three
Week Three
E rooted -1st position
1 1 1 1
root root
2 2
3 4 3 4 3 3
A rooted -2nd position

x x x x
1 1 1 1
root root
2 2
2 3 4 3 4 3 4 3
note map for the bottom two strings
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
exercises
note. from now on all underlined chords should be played as second position.
exercise 1
F Dm G C
exercise 2
Bm G D A
exercise 3
Dm7 Cm Gm F

tune
Rent - the pet shop boys
Play this using first position and second position barre chords, remembering that the
underlined chords are second position. The E and Em chords should be played as
OPEN chords.
intro open
C F Bm E
F G
repeat line four times

Am F G Em
verse open
Am F G Em
Am F G E
C F Bm E
F G Am Am
chorus
F G
repeat line
Am F G Em
coda
C F Bm E
F G Am Am
F G repeat coda
repeat line three times

Am Am F G
arrangement intro - verse - chorus - verse - chorus - verse - chorus - coda

month three
Week Four
exercises
tune
The Basic Blues
This basic blues sequence we will be looking at over a number of weeks in various
forms, however initially try these chord sequences using some or all of the possible
chords you have learned so far. To remind you, the chords are bellow.
Sequence 1
A A D A
E D A A
E D A A
Sequence 2
A7 A7 D7 A7
E7 D7 A7 A7
E7 D7 A7 A7
A A7 A7 D D7 E E7
X X X X X X X 1 1 1
1 2 3 1 2 1 1 2 2 3 2 3 2
2 3
A A7 D D7 E E7
x x x x
1 1 1 1 1 1
2 2
3 4 3 2 3 4 3 4 2 3 4 3 4

tune
Yesterday - The Beatles
Play this tune using only BARRE CHORDS. It is a difficult tune at this stage, however it
is an excellent tune to learn because it contains virtually all the barre chord shapes.
So even if you find it too hard to play with the backing, just go through it and locate
all the chords. The experience will be invaluable.
verse
F A7 Dm Bb C
F Dm G7 Bb F
chorus/coda
A7 Dm Gm C F
A7 Dm Gm C F
F A7 Dm Bb C
F Dm G7 Bb F F G7
Bb F
arrangement verse - verse - chorus/coda
note map for the bottom two strings
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

month four

month four
Week One
Chord theory one
the major chord triad
All major chords are made up of TRIADS. The triad of a chord is the FIRST, THIRD and
FIFTH note of the scale with the same name.
For example, the notes of the C major scale are; The note names are marked
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 on this chord map. You can
see that all the notes in the
chord are from the triad.
X G E
The
C
1st 3rd 5th C major
The triad is the FIRST, THIRD and FIFTH note. chord E
C
triad = C D G
the minor chord triad

The principle is the same for minor chords however for a minor chord it is essential to
use a minor scale. A major scale produces a major triad and chord, and a minor
scale produces a minor triad and chord.
For example, the notes of the A minor scale are; A minor
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
X A E
C
E A
1st 3rd 5th
The minor triad is still the FIRST, THIRD and FIFTH note.
triad = A C E
fret map
E F F# G G# A
B C C# D D# E
G G# A A# B C
D D# E F F# G

Tablature
In this course you are learning tablature instead of regular music notation. Dont be concerned
though because tablature is rapidly becoming the regular form of notation for the guitar and whatev-
er music you enjoy you can easily find tablature for that gandre or group.
The staff is six lines, each line represents a string on your guitar. Remember the bottom string of your
guitar is the bottom E string (the thickest string) and therefore the bottom line of the tablature will be
the bottom E string.
E (top, thinnest)
A
6
D
G
3
B
E (bottom, thickest Bar line

separates the
The numbers on the strings bars or phrases.
represent the frets where you
should place your fingers.
exercises
exercise 1 twinkle twinkle
3 3 5 5 3
6 6 5 5 3 3
5 5 5
exercise 2 G major scale
2 4 5
2 3 5
3 5
exercise 3 arpeggio
5 5
2 5 5 2
2 2

month four
Week Two
exercises
For the following exercises and tunes, the numbers in red represent the fingers you
should use to play the notes. In some cases the tunes are famous old tunes in order
to help you recognize your own mistakes.
exercise 1 frera Jaqua
1 3 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 2 4 1 2 4
3 3 3 4 6 3 4 6
3 5 3 3 5 3
4 1 4 2 1 1 4 1 4 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
3 3
6 6 4 3 6 6 4 3
3 3 3 3 3 3
3 3
exercise 2 pop goes the weasel
1 1 3 2 1 4 1 1 1 1 3 2 1 1
3 4 3 6 3 3 4 3
3 5 3 3 5 3
1 1 3 2 1 4 1 1 1 3 2 1 1
3
3 4 3 6 3 4 3
3 5 3 5 3

exercise 3 finger exercise, to help strengthen your little finger.
1 2 3 4 3 2 1 2 3 4 3 2
3 4 5 6 5 4 3 4 5 6 5 4
tune
The basic blues
Try playing the following basic blues sequence using the metronome in open timing
at about 60 bpm. Try to play it so that the notes are played on the clicks of the met-
ronome and then try to play it with the backing track.
2 1 4 1 2 1 4 1
A7 A7
4 5 4 4 5 4
4 7 7 4 4 7 7 4
5 5
D7 A7
4 5 4
4 7 7 4 4 5 4
5 4 7 7 4
5
2 1 4 1 2 1 4 1
E7 D7 A7
6 9 6 4 7 4 4 5 4
7 5 4 7 7 4
5
4 1 2 1 4 2 1 4
E7 D7 A7
4 5 4
7 7 5 4 4 7 4
7 5 0 0 0

month four
Week Three
tune
Paint it black - the Rolling Stones
This tune is how a typical piece of music might be made up. It has tab for single
notes open chords and barre chords all in it. The barre chord is the second position
B chord which can be played either full or half barre.
intro 1 2 4 2 1 4 3 4 1 4 3
0 2 3 5 3 2 0 2
5 4 5 5 4
0
repeat once
verse
Em Em B B
Em Em B B
Em D G D Em Em
Em D G D A7 B
coda
B E
arrangement intro - verse - verse - intro - verse - verse - intro - verse - coda
a reminder of the B major chord

B B
x x x
1 1
fret 2 fret 2
2 3 4 2 3 4

alternative intros
alternative intro 1
In this intro, in the 3rd bar you slide the fourth finger up from the 5th fret to the 7th fret.
1 2 4 2 1 4 3 4 4 2 1
0 2 3 5 3 2 0
5 4 5 7 5 4
0
repeat once
alternative intro 2
This intro is more difficult, you only need attempt it if you feel you are ready.
Em
2 3 5 3 2 0
5 4 5 7 5 4
4 4
4 4
0
repeat once
exercises
Revise the blues scale and try to play it in the 5th fret
The G blues scale is called G because, like the barre chords the root of the scale
gives the scale its name. The root of the G blues scale is the first note you play when
playing from the bottom of the scale, the 3rd fret on the bottom E string (G). If you
move the whole scale pattern up by two frets, so you start on the 5th fret the scale
becomes the A blues scale. Practice the A blue scale until you can play it fluently.
G blues scale A blues scale
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
fret 3 fret 5
2 2
3 3 3 3 3 3
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

month four
Week Four
tune
Crockets theme -Jan Hammer
This tune is a good introduction to lead techniques. The reason their are two versions
of this tune is that on most acoustic and classical guitars frets above the 12th fret are
either impossible or virtually impossible to play, and this piece is based above the
12th fret. So if you have an acoustic guitar play the acoustic version, If you have an
electric guitar play the electric version.
Their is also a technique used in this piece called finger tremolo where you repeat-
edly bend the string very slightly to produce a vibrato effect. It is denoted as a wavy
line, and can make you sound more experienced than you are, so practise it.
finger tremolo or vibrato

electric version (original)
CHORDS
You dont need to practise these unless you want to, but they will help you follow the
tune and would make good practise. When playing along with the backing, the
intro is very long and boring, so playing the chords can make it more fun to play.
intro and verse
Em G D F Dm Am
Em G D F Dm Am
Em Em
bridge
F C G F
G F G F
G Bm

theme 1
1 4 1 1 3 1 3 3 1 3 1 3 1 3
12
15 12
12 14 12 14 14 12 14 12 14 12
14
1 4 1 1 3 1 3 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3
12
15 12 12
12 14 12 14 14 12 14 12 14 14 12 14 12
14
theme 2
3 1 3 3 1 2 2 4 1 2 4 1
12
12 13 13 15 13 15
14 12 14 14 12
bridge
1 1 1 3 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 3
1 1 1 3 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 3
arrangement (verse = theme 1 - theme 1 - theme 2)

intro - verse - bridge - verse - bridge - verse - bridge - end
note on the bridge.
The bridge can be played using the first finger across both strings which you can
then slide up.
electric version acoustic version

x x x x 1
x x x x x x x x 1
x x x x
fret 1 fret 6
1 1

acoustic version
intro and verse
repeat once
Am C G A# Gm Dm
Am Am
bridge
A# F C A#
A# C A# C
C Em
theme 1
1 4 1 1 3 1 3 3 1 3 1 3 1 3
5
8 5
5 7 5 7 7 5 7 5 7 5
7
1 4 1 1 3 1 3 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3
5
8 5 5
5 7 5 7 7 5 7 5 7 7 5 7 5
7
theme 2
3 1 3 3 1 2 2 4 1 2 4 1
5
5 6 6 8 6 8
7 5 7 7 5
bridge
6 6 6 8 6 6 6 8 6 6 6 8
6 6 6 8 6 6 6 8 6 6 6 8
arrangement (verse = theme 1 - theme 1 - theme 2)

intro - verse - bridge - verse - bridge - verse - bridge - end

month five

month five
Week One
repeats and terminals
Up until this point we have been simply writing repeat above the place in the score at which you
should go back and repeat. The correct way to denote repeats is probably easier to understand
and it is a clearer where you repeat from. The repeat sign is the same in tab as it is in music and it is
denoted by a double dot and double line.
repeat from here repeat to here a terminal is the end of a line or phrase
To make this completely clear look at these examples. The bars have been marked with letters and
then the order they should be played in is marked underneath.
example 1
A B C D
A B C D A B C D
example 2
A B C D
A B C D C D
example 3
A B C D
A B C B C D
example 4
A B C D
A B C B C D A B C B C D

tablature and chords
As you get more experienced with the guitar and advance onto more difficult music, you will find that
the chords are written into the tab (tablature). There are many reasons for this, but one of the most
common reasons is that many tunes are written using partial chords or broken chords. The exercises
bellow are all based on chords, however the chord names are written above the tab for you.
tune
Hey Jude - The Beatles
To start off easily here is a tune youve already looked at. The red number are the count.
verse
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
D A A D
2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2
3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
0 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0
G D A D
3 3 3 2 2 2 0 0 0 2
0 0 0 3 3 3 2 2 2 3
0 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 0
2 2 2 0 0 0
3 3 3
chorus
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
D7 G Em A7
2 2 3 3 0 0 0 0
1 1 0 0 0 0 2 2
2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2
2 2 2 2 0 0
3 3 0 0
D D7 A7 A7
2 2 2 0 0
3 3 1 2 2
2 2 2 0 0
0 0 0 2 2
0 0
ending
D C G D repeat and fade
2 2 2 0 0 0 3 3 3 2 2 2
3 3 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 3 3 3
2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2
0 0 0 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 3 3 2 2 2
3 3 3
arrangement verse - verse - chorus - verse - coda
Try playing this tune with the backing track. Because you are now playing more than one chord in a
bar, you will have to get use to changing more quickly.

month five
Week Two
exercises
Try the following exercises combining all the different techniques we have learned to
date.
exercise 1
D C Em D
2 2 0 0 0 0 2
3 3 1 1 0 0 3
2 2 0 0 0 0 2
0 2 2 0
3 2
0
exercise 2
C Am Dm G7
0 0 1 1
1 1 3 0
0 2 2 0
2 2 0 0 0
3 3 0 0 2
3 3
exercise 3
Dm Am
1 0 1 3 1 0
3 1 1
2 2
0 2
0
Dm G7
1 0 1 3 1 1 0 1 3 1
3 0
2 0
0 0
2
3
Am Am
0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3 1
1 3 1
2 2
2 2
0 0
Am Am
0 0 1 3 1 0
1 1
2 2
2 2
0 0

Am7
exercise 4 Fill from live forever. X 1
This exercise is all played on one chord, however the tune is produced by only
playing selected notes from the chord. The numbers in red represent the beats 2 3
of the bar and the dots between the numbers are the half beats. To count these
beats so you can play along more accurately say the dots as and for exam- 4
ple. Counting along to this I would be saying one and two and three and four
and.
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
Am7 Am7
3 3
1 1 0 1 1 0
2 2 2 2
2 2
tune
Who is like thee Lord - Jewish folk (Christian chorus)
intro
Em Em Em Em
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
0 0 0 0
verse
Em Am Em Em
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
2 2 0 2 2 2 2
0 0 0
Am Am Em Em
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
0 0 2 2 2 2
0 0
chorus
Am Em Am Em
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0
2 2 0 0 2 2 0 0
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
0 2 2 0 2 2
0 0
Am B7 Em Em
0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
2 2 1 1 2 2 2 2
0 2 2 2 2 2
0 0
arrangement intro - verse - chorus - verse - chorus

month five
Week Three
tune
About a Girl - Nirvana
main theme
This is the rhythm that repeats all the way through the tune wherever Em and G are alternating, for
example the intro. and the verse both consist of this theme. The bracketed notes are optional.
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
Em G Em G
0 0 3 3 3 0 0 3 3 3
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0
2 2 0 2 2 2 0 2 2 0 2 2 2 0
0 0 0 3 3 3 0 0 0 0 3 3 3 0
intro
repeat once
Em G Em G Em G Em G
verse
repeat once
Em G Em G Em G Em G
chorus
See if you can work out from the tab how to play these chords, and note that in the bar with the
F#7add4 chord in it, it is the same chord all the way through the bar.
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
C# C#/G# F#7add4 repeat once

0 0
6 6 6 6 0 0
6 6 6 6 3 3 3 3 3 3
6 6 6 6 4 4 4 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 4 2 2 2 2
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
Em A C
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 2 2 1
0 0 0 0 2 2 0
2 2 2 2 2 2 2
2 2 2 2 0 0 3
0 0 0 0

solo
in the solo you may notice the H symbol and the slur between the 5th and the 7th fret, this is a ham-
mer on. A hammer on is where you pick only the first note in the sequence and then the second note
is created be hammering the second note down quickly against the fingerboard. So in this instance
you pick the 5th fret, but then hammer down your finger into the 7th fret to produce the second note.
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
Sl. Sl. repeat x4
H H
7 7 9 9 9 12 12 12
7 7 9 9 9 12 12 12
5 7 7 7 9 9 9 12 12 12
5 7
0
bridge
C C C C C C C C
end
Em
arrangement
intro - verse - chorus - intro - verse - chorus - solo - chorus - verse - chorus - bridge - intro - end
Note. The reason the open string notes in the main theme are in brackets is that they are
optional to play. They are open strings that are played between the chords to keep the rhythm
going and at the same time give you time to move your fingers, ready for the next chord.
Em G Em G
0 0 3 3 3 0 0 3 3 3
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0
2 2 0 2 2 2 0 2 2 0 2 2 2 0
0 0 0 3 3 3 0 0 0 0 3 3 3 0
The new chords

The C# chord bellow is a standard second position barre chord as you have learned in previous les-
sons, however notice that you dont need to play the whole chord. The C#/G# is a C# chord with a
G# bass. An emphasis is put on the bass in order to make it sound clearer and the top one or two
strings are not played.
C# C#/G# F#7add4
X X X
1 1 1
3 3 3 4

month five
Week Four
Theory two 'sevenths'
Quick revision. So far you have looked at the 'triad' a triad being the notes that any
major or minor chord are made up of. The triad is the first, third and fifth note of a
scale. Because the major and the minor chords are the most common and funda-
mental of the scales, we will call them our primary chords.
The Major Seventh chord
The major seventh chord like all major chords starts with the major triad, however this
time we find the seventh note of the same major scale we got the triad from and
add it to the chord.
For example, to create a Cmaj7 we start with the The note names are marked
scale of C major, then we find the first, third and on this chord map. You can
fifth notes so we have the triad. Finally we find the see that all the notes in the
seventh note so we have a Cmaj7. chord are from the triad.
X G B E
The notes in Cmaj7 are C E G B. The
Cmaj7'
chord E
C
1st 3rd 5th 7th
The Minor Seventh Chord
The minor seventh chord follow exactly the same pattern of Am7
logic as the major seventh chord with the exception that you X A G E
have to use a minor scale rather than a major scale. C
For Example, to create an Am7 we start with the scale of A E

minor, then we find the first, third and fifth notes so we have
the triad. Finally we find the seventh note so we have an Am7.
The notes in Am7 are A C E G

Am7
X A
C
1st 3rd 5th 7th E A
This is why you can have several variations of one chord, but G
they will all contain the same notes.

The dominant Seventh Chord
The dominant seventh chord is without doubt the seventh chord we use the most,
however it has the most complex theory of all the seventh chords. So, for the sake of
the first year of the course we will use a simplified theory.
The dominant seventh can be created in the same way as the major and minor sev-
enth, however we use the mixolydian scale as its source.
G7
For Example, to create a G7 we star t with the scale of G
mixolydian, then we find the first, third and fifth notes so we have D G B
the triad. Finally we find the seventh note so we have a G7. F
B
The notes in G7 are G B D F
G
1st 3rd 5th 7th

fret map
E F F# G G# A
B C C# D D# E
G G# A A# B C
D D# E F F# G
study some of the 7th chords you have played

B7 C7 Am7 A7 A7
X 1
X 1 X 1
X X
2 3 4 2 2 1 2 1
3 4 2
D7 Dm7 E7 Em7 G7
X X 1 X X 1 1 1
2 3 2 2 1 2

tune
Space Oddity - David Bowie
rhythm
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
C Em
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
intro
C Em C Em
intro/verse
C Em C Em
Am Am7 D7 repeat once
verse
C E7 F Fm C
F Fm C F
bridge
Fmaj 7 Em7 Fmaj 7 Em7
Bbmaj 7 Am G F
instrumental
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
C F G A C F G A
0 0 1 1 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 0 0
1 1 1 1 0 2 2 1 1 1 1 0 2 2
0 0 2 2 0 2 2 0 0 2 2 0 2 2
2 2 3 3 0 2 2 2 2 3 3 0 2 2
3 3 2 0 0 3 3 2 0 0
3 3
C E7 F Fm C
F Fm C C

bridge 2
C E7 F Fm C
F Fm C F
G Eb7 Am Am7 D7 C
arrangement
intro - intro/verse - verse - verse - bridge - verse - instrumental - bridge 2 - bridge - instrumental
chords
Bbmaj7 Eb7 Em7 Fmaj7

X X 1
X X 1
X X 1
1 2
2 2
3 4 3 4 3

month six

month six
Week One
styles rock
Rhythms for every style of music are very diversified, and especially now there is more overlap than
ever before in styles of playing. This overlap makes each music style more interesting in itself. Over
the next few lessons we will scrape the surface of several styles of music to get a basic idea of the
techniques are used to produce the sounds.
Rock.
Rock rhythms are concentrated mainly on producing power from the guitar, and strangely you get a
more powerful sound from the guitar by using less notes per chord rather than more. Most rock
chords consist of two or three notes, usually around the bass.
eye of the tiger

exercise 1
try to make these chords sound powerful using barre chords only play the bottom two or three strings.
Am - - - Am G Am - - - Am G Am - - - Am G F - - -
This signifies a
DOWN strum or pick
exercise 2
try playing just this bass note in groups of three,
touching the strings slightly with the right hand This signifies an
to mute the note a little. This is called palm muting.
UP strum or pick
5 55 5 55 5 55 5 55 5 55 5 55 5 55 5 55 5 55 5 55 5 55 5 55 5 55 5 55 5 55 5 55
exercise 3
Put the two previous exercise together to produce the famous riff.
Am Am G Am G Am G F
7 7 5 7 7 5 7 7 5 3
7 7 5 7 7 5 7 7 5 3
5 5 55 5 5 5 3 5 5 55 5 5 5 3 5 5 55 5 5 5 3 1 1 11 1 11 1 11
Practice this until you can play this as it is written, with only partial chords, then try to play it with the full
barre chords. It is surprising that by putting more notes into the chords you actually weaken the
impact of the chord, where as just two or three notes gives the chord greater impact.

styles
rock, grunge and punk techniques
When playing rock and grunge styles of guitar it is quite normal to cheat when playing barre chords.
If you look at the exercises we have done so far it is clear that you rarely play the top strings and
therefore their is no need to finger them. Also because you can easily find yourself playing entire
tunes in barre chords it may be important to make it as easy as possible to play them.
E string rooted A string rooted

Power chord fingering for the first x x x x x x
and second position barre chords.
1 1
3 3
clicks
A click is a style of what is called percussive strumming. This is when you use the guitar to create a
rhythm. A click isnt a true note, it is the sound generated when you strum the strings when they are
muted.
To produce a click simply rest your left hand on the strings over the frets, without pressing down and
strum the strings. It should sound like a clicking sound.
x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x
Note. Their are no fret numbers denoted because it isnt important, because you cant hear the tone.
exercise
exercise 1
Try the following exercise to get used to applying and releasing pressure when going between clicks
and chords. Remember you can keep the chord shape if you want during the clicks, just dont press.
F
3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x
3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x
1 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 x
exercise 2
F G A
33 x x 33 x x 55 x x 55 x x 7 7 x 7 7 x 7
33 x x 33 x x 55 x x 55 x x 7 7 x 7 7 x 7
11 x x 11 x x 33 x x 33 x x 5 5 x 5 5 x 5

month six
Week Two
exercises
Rock shuffle (based on the twelve barre blues in E)
Practise this sequence, playing it palm muted. The chord names above the tab are only the chords
that are reflected in the backing, you dont have to try and play them.
E E
22 44 22 44 22 44 22 42 22 44 22 44 22 44 22 42
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
A E
22 44 22 44 22 44 22 42
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 22 44 22 44 22 44 22 42
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
B E
44 66 44 66 22 44 22 42
22 22 22 22 00 00 00 00 22 44 22 44 22 44 22 42
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
The Spirit in the sky - Norman Greenbalm
G C Bb G Bb C
5 3 3 5
5 5 5 5 5 5 3 5 5 5 5 5 3 5
5 5 5 5 5 3 5 5 5 5 5 3
3 3
Typical Van Halen style riff
H H
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 3 3 3 0 3 3 3

tune
Smoke on the water - Deep purple
intro
G C G C# C G C G
3 5 3 6 5 3 5 3
5 3 5 5 3 6 5 5 3 5 3 5
5 3 5 4 3 5 3 3 5
3 3 3 3
verse
Gm F Gm
3 3 3 3 1 1 3 3
3 3 3 3 1 1 3 3
3 3 3 3 2 2 3 3
5 5 5 5 3 3 5 5
5 5 5 5 3 3 5 5
3 3 3 3 1 1 3 3
Gm F Gm
3 3 3 3 1 1 3
3 3 3 3 1 1 3
3 3 3 3 2 2 3
5 5 5 5 3 3 5 5
5 5 5 5 3 3 5 5
3 3 3 3 1 1 3 3
chorus
C G# G C G C# C
5 3 5 3 6 5
5 6 5 3 5 5 3 6 5
3 6 5 3 5 4 3
4 3 3
C G# G C G C# C
5 3 5 3 6 5
5 6 5 3 5 5 3 6 5
3 6 5 3 5 4 3
4 3 3
G C C G arrangement
intro
verse - chorus
3 verse - chorus
5 5
5 3 5 5 5 verse - chorus
5 3 3 5 instrumental
3 3 verse - chorus
intro - intro

month six
Week Three
tune
Livin on a prayer - Bon Jovi
Main theme Where an Am appear in blue, play the main theme
Am G Am G
7 7 5 7 7 5
7 7 5 7 7 5
5 5 0 3 5 5 0 3
intro
Am Am
verse
Am Am Am Am
repeat once
F G Am Am
bridge
F G Am F G Am
F G Am F G
chorus
repeat once
Am F G C F G
instrumental
repeat once
F F F F G
arrangement
intro - verse - bridge - chorus - verse - bridge - chorus - instrumental - chorus (repeat and fade)

styles grunge and punk
Grunge and punk started off sounding very similar, in that they were a counter culture where the
messier the music style the better. However as time has gone by the grunge sound is becoming more
rock inspired ( in general) with more accuracy and skill involved. The examples bellow are more
punk and early grunge inspired.
exercise 1 a typical open chord movement.
D A E A
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
D A E A
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
exercise 2 The main riff of Anarchy in the UK - The Sex pistols
C F E C F E
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
10 9 10 9
10 10 10 9 10 10 10 9
10 10 8 7 10 10 8 7
8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
exercise 3 Song two - Blur.

Intro/chorus
F Eb Ab Bb C F Eb Ab Bb C
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
10 10 10 13 13 15 17 17 10 10 10 13 13 15 17 17
10 10 10 13 13 13 13 15 17 17 10 10 10 13 13 13 13 15 17 17
8 8 8 13 13 11 11 13 15 15 8 8 8 13 13 11 11 13 15 15
11 11 11 11
verse
F Eb Ab Bb C F Eb Ab Bb C
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
8 8 8 8
3 3 3 8 8 6 6 8 10 10 3 3 3 8 8 6 6 8 10 10
3 3 3 6 6 6 6 8 10 10 3 3 3 6 6 6 6 8 10 10
1 1 1 4 4 6 8 8 1 1 1 4 4 6 8 8

month six
Week Four
tune
Smells like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
intro
semi acoustic
F Bb G# C# F Bb G# C#
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
xx xx 3 3 xx xx 6 6 xx xx 3 3 xx xx 6 6
3 3 xx xx 3 3 6 6 xx xx 6 6 3 3 xx xx 3 3 6 6 xx xx 6 6
1 1 4 4 1 1 4 4
electric repeat x 4
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
1 1 4 4 1 1 4 4
verse repeat x 3
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
1 1
1 1
chorus
Fm Fm Fm Fm
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
repeat x 6
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
1 1 4 4 1 1 4 4

F F# F Bb F F# F Bb
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
3 3
3 3 1 3 3 1
3 3 3 4 3 3 3 3 1 3 3 3 4 3 3 3 3 1
3 3 3 4 3 3 3 1 3 3 3 4 3 3 3 1
1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1
solo
1 1
1 4 4 4 2 1 2 1 1
1 3 1 3 3 1 0
1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0
3 3
coda
Fm Fm Fm Fm
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
1 1 4 4 1 1 4 4
F feedback
3
3
1
arrangement intro - verse - chorus - verse - chorus - solo - verse - coda

month seven

month seven
Week One
styles country
Again, because of style overlap over the last few year it is impossible to generalize on any specific
style of music however hopefully this section will give you an idea of what makes that country sound.
But remember because of the overlap in styles, even if you hate country music, the techniques are
important to learn. The country music influence can be heard strongly music from Bob Dylan to Guns
n Roses.
Country.
The main thing we will concentrate on in order to get a country sound is the bass line. Many country
tunes have a strong walking bass line and this gives a unique character to the music.
exercise
exercise 1
0 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 0
3 3 3 3
3 3 3 3
0 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 020 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 020
0 2 0 2
3 4 3 4
3 3
0 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 0
3 3 3 3 3
3 3 3
exercise 2
G
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
2 2
3 3
Em
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2
2 2
0 0

exercise 3
C F C G
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
1
0 2 2 0
2 2 3 2 2 0
3 3 2 2
3
C F C G
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
H
H H
0 2 H
0 2 2 0 2
2 3 2 0 2
3 3 2
3
exercise 4
C C C C
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
3 3 3 3 3 2
Am Am Am Am
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
0 0 0 0 0
0
F barre F F F
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
3 3 3 0
1 1 1 1 1
G7 G7 G7 G7
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 2 2 0 2
3 3 3 3

month seven
Week Two
tune
I walk the line - Johny Cash
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
G7 C
1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2 2 2 2
3 2 0 2 2 2 0 2 3
3
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
G7 C
1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2 2 2 2
3 3 2 0 2 2 2 0 2 3
3
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
F C
1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
2 0 3 3 3 2 0 2
3 3 3 3
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
G7 C
1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 2
3 2 0 2 2 0 2 3
3 3

month seven
Week Three
styles reggae
The reggae guitar rhythm is mostly off the beat. This means that the chord is played not on the
count of the beat (1 2 3 4), but in the gap in between the beats. To make life easier it is a good idea
to start counting to the drum beats or metronome beat in this fashion.
one - and - two - and - three - and - four - and
If you play when you are saying and, you will know that you are playing off the beat.
Reggae chords are usually barre chords, and they are nearly always muted directly after playing to
give a sharp shack sound. When playing chords you should also only strum the top three or four
strings unless otherwise told by the tab.
exercise
exercise 1
a simple off the beat exercise using barre chords
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
Am Am
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
G Am
3 3 3 3 5 5 5 5
3 3 3 3 5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5
5 5 5 5 7 7 7 7
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
F G Am
1 1 3 3 5 5 5 5
1 1 3 3 5 5 5 5
2 2 4 4 5 5 5 5
3 3 5 5 7 7 7 7

exercise 2
First and second position bare chords
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
Dm Am
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5
7 7 7 7 5 5 5 5
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
C G
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
5 5 5 5 3 3 3 3
5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
exercise 3
to make the rhythm a little more interesting a very fast double strike is added.
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
Dm Am
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 55 5
6 6 6 6 6 5 5 55 5
7 7 7 7 7 5 5 55 5
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 77 7
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
G Am
3 3 33 3 5 5 55 5
3 3 33 3 5 5 55 5
4 4 44 4 5 5 55 5
5 5 55 5 7 7 77 7
exercise 4
now add a bass not on the first beat of the bar.
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
Am Am
5 5 5 5 5 5 55 5
5 5 5 5 5 5 55 5
5 5 5 5 5 5 55 5
7 7 7 7 7 7 77 7
5 5
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
G Am
3 3 3 3 3 5 5 5 5
3 3 3 3 3 5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5
5 5 5 5 5 7 7 7 7
3 5

month seven
Week Four
tune
I shot the sheriff - Bob Marley
intro / bridge
7 5 7 5
7 5 7 5 7 5 7 5
8 8 5 8 8 5
chorus
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
Am Dm
5 5 55 5 5 5 5 5 5
5 5 55 5 6 6 6 6 6
5 5 55 5 7 7 7 7 7
7 7 77 7 7 7 7 7 7
5
5
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
Am Am
5 5 55 5 5 5 55 5
5 5 55 5 5 5 55 5
5 5 55 5 5 5 55 5
7 7 77 7 7 7 77 7
5 5
verse
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
F Em Am F Em Am
1 0 0 1 0 5
1 0 1 1 0 5
2 0 2 2 0 5
3 2 2 3 2 7
3 2 0 3 2 7
1 0 1 0 5
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
Am Em Am F Em Am
5 0 0 1 0 5
5 0 1 1 0 5
5 0 2 2 0 5
7 2 2 3 0 7
7 2 0 3 2 7
5 0 1 0 5
3 times
arrangement intro - verse - chorus - bridge - chorus - intro

rhythm technique summary
DOWN strum or pick. Moving your strumming hand down towards the floor.
UP strum or pick. Moving you strumming hand upward away from the floor.
x CLICK. Strum the strings whilst keeping them muted with the fingering hand.
m MUTE. We havent used a damp, it is when you mute the strings with the
strumming hand after strumming them.
pm PALM MUTING. Is when you rest the strumming hand lightly against the strings
in order to mute them slightly. Palm muting can be done at the same time as
strumming Some tablature you will come across use the m symbol to men the
same as pm.
exercises
Some very simple strumming and rhythm exercises, you only need try these if you think you are strug-
gling or just need the extra practice. Use any chord you want.
exercise 1
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
exercise 2
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
exercise 3
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
exercise 4 needs to be a barre chord because of the click
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
x x x x x x x x x x

These exercises involve half beats.
exercise 5
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
exercise 6
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
x x x x
exercise 7
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
m m m m m m m m
exercise 8
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
pm

month eight

month eight
Week One
styles blues
Blues is most known for the blues shuffle type sound (which we will look at). However blues was the
starting point of virtually all modern music, and because of this fact we will studying the blues style in
some depth. Blues techniques and sounds are reflected in rock, grunge, soul and motown, country
and western, and numerous other types of music.
exercise
exercise 1 hoochy koochy man
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
2 0 2 0
2 0 2 0
2 2 2 2
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
exercise 2
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
0 0
2 0 2 0
2 2
0 0 0 3 0 0 0 3
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
0 0
2 0 2 0
2 0 0 2
0 2
0 0 0 3
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
0 0 0 0 0
3 2 1 2 0
2 0
2 0
2 0 2 0
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
0 0
2 0 2 0
2 2
0 0 0 3 0 0 0 3

exercise 3
C C
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
0 2 3 2 0 2 3 2
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
3 3 3 3 3
C C F F
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
1 3 4 3 1 3 4 3
0 2 3 2 0 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3
3 3 3 3
C C G F
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
3 5 6 5 1 3 4 3
0 2 3 2 0 2 3 2 4 4 4 4 2 2 2 2
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 5 5 3 3
3 3 3 3
C C G C
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
3 0
3 1
0 3 2 1 0 4 0
2 2 2 2 2 5 2
3 4 5 3
1 2 3
Whilst this exercise is marked with chords, their is no need to play them as full chords.
Bellow are suggestions of how to play the chords with the temporary fingering posi-
tions being marked in red. If you feel happier using different fingering than that sug-
gested it perfectly acceptable.
C F G
X X X X X 1
X X X 1
X
2 2 2 2
3 4 3 4 3 4
4 4

month eight
Week Two
tune
Steam roller - James Taylor
E A E E
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
2 4 5 4
2 4 5 4 0 00 00 00 0 2 4 5 4 2 4 5 4
0 00 00 00 0 0 00 00 00 0 0 00 00 00 0
A A E E
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
2 4 5 4 2 4 5 4
0 00 00 00 0 0 00 00 00 0 2 4 5 4 2 4 5 4
0 00 00 00 0 0 00 00 00 0
B7 B7add6 B7 A E E
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
2 3 2 0 0 3 2
0 0 0 2 2 3 2
2 2 2 2 2 3 2
1 1 1 2 2
2 2 2 0 0 0 2 4 5 4 2
0 00 00 00 0 0
arrangement verse - verse - verse
chords
B7 B7addG C9 B9
X 1 X 1 XX X X X X
2 3 4 2 3 1
4 1

month eight
Week Three
exercise
exercise 1
1 1 1 1 1 1
Revise 2
1. the blues scale in A (5th fret).
3 3 3
2. the blues scale in G (3rd fret).
4 4 4 4
exercise 2
3 6
3 6
3 5 6
3 5
3 4 5
3 6
6 3
6 3
6 5 3
5 3
5 4 3
6 3
exercise 3
5 8
5 8
5 7 8
5 7
5 6 7
5 8
8 5
8 5
8 7 5
7 5
7 6 5
8 5
exercise 4
5 5
5 5
7 5 8 7 5 7 5
7 7 5 7

exercise 5
5
5 5 7 5 7 7
5 5 7 5 7 7
5 8 8
5 5 8 5
5 5 8 5 8 8
5 7 5 7 7
8 5 5
8 8 5 8 5 5
7 7 5 7 5 5
7
7 5 7 5 5
7 7 5 7 5
8 5
exercise 6
8 5 8 5 8 5 8 5 5 5 5 5
8 8 8 8 8 5 8 5 8 5 8 5
8 5 5 8 5 5
8 8 5 8 8 5
7 5 5
7 7 5 7
exercise 7
5
5 7 8 8 7 5
7 7
5 7 5
7 7 5 7
6 7

month eight
Week Four
tune
Basic blues (again)
Improvisation
Improvisation is the art of making it up as you go along. This may sound like some-
thing only gifted musician can do, who have been playing for many years, but that
isnt the case. To improvise effectively you just need to know what scale to use with
what chord sequence and this can be learned by anyone.
How to Improvise with the blues sequence in A.
1. make sure you can play the blues scale up and down from memory.
2. play the blues scale in A along with the extended blues backing. Note how it fits
perfectly even if you start late or early.
3. try taking the noted of the scale out of order, perhaps in a similar way to the pre-
vious exercises, or use bits of the exercises if you want.
4. you are now improvising. Just keep practising, taking the scale out of order to
produce what you are happy with. Remember everybody finds their own way to
improvise and their own riffs and note preferences.
Hints.
Dont be scared to try new things
You dont have to stick tightly to the rhythm. Make some notes long and others short,
holding a note for a time can give you time to think about your next move.
Dont worry about repeating the same notes several times, this is a technique used
by most good guitarists.
Listen to your favorite guitarist and see if you can pick out what they do.

month nine

month nine
Week One
finger picking
Finger picking is a technique that can open up the way to many diversified styles such as classical,
folk, flamenco and advanced rock, with tunes such as Nothing else matters - Metalica and stairway
to heaven - Led Zeppelin. Unfortunately it will take a few week to master the basics, but it will be well
worth the effort.
M
I A
Fingers
I have illustrated both hand to make clear L
the difference between them, however you
should know the fingers of the left hand by now.
P
P = primary
I = index
M = middle
A = annular
L = little
The finger names are important.

Above the tab you will see something written like P I M I this tell you which finger to use.
fig.1 fig.2
fig.1
1 The thumb rests on
the string.
fig.2 The thumb plucks

the string downwards
towards the floor.
fig.3 fig.4
fig.3
3 The fingers rest on
the string.
fig.4
4 The fingers pluck
upward toward the roof.

exercises
exercise 1 PIMI
D
2 2 2 2
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
0 0 0 0
exercise 2 PIMI
C Am
0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
3 3 0 0
Dm G7
1 1 1 1
3 3 3 3 0 0 0 0
0 0
3 3
exercise 3a PIMI
A Asus
2 2 3 3
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
0 0 0 0
A E
2 2 0 0
2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1
0 0
0 0
A Asus
2 2 3 3
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
0 0 0 0
A E A
2 0 2
2 2 1 1 2 2
0 0 0
0

exercise 3b PMIM
A D
0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2
2 2 3 3
0 0
0 0
A E
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 2 0 0
0 0
0 0
A D
0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2
2 2 3 3
0 0
0 0
A E A
0 0 0 0 0 0
2 0 2
0 0 0
0
exercise 3 and 3a continued

A Asus Asus
X X X
For the Asus chord simply slide the
third finger up by a fret, or if you 1 2 3 1 2 1 2 3
prefer you can use the fourth finger.
3 4
exercise 3b
you can play exercise 3a and 3b in succession to create a tune, and if you have a
friend who can play the guitar you can play a duet where the guitars start on a dif-
ferent exercise.
GUITAR ONE A - B - A - B - A - B
GUITAR TWO B - A - B - A - B - A

This tablature shows how both guitar parts would be displayed at the same time
A Asus
2 2 3 3
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
0 0
0 0
A D
0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2
2 2 3 3
0 0
0 0
A E
2 2 0 0
2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1
0 0
0 0
A E
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 2 0 0
0 0
0 0
A Asus
2 2 3 3
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
0 0 0 0
A D
0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2
2 2 3 3
0 0
0 0
A E A
2 0 2
2 2 1 1 2 2
0 0 0
0
A E A
0 0 0 0 0 0
2 0 2
0 0 0
0

month nine
Week Two
tune
Rain - Sad Fantasy
With the the Cadd9 nine chord simply place the fourth finger down in the third fret.
Dont try any other fingerings for this chord because adding and removing the fourth
finger is by far the quickest way to get the chord, and chord change speed is
important when finger picking if you want the tune to sound smooth.
For the Am add9 simply remove the first finger.
Cadd9 Amadd9
X 1
X
2 2 3
3 4
The pause symbol
This symbol is a pause and it comes from wind instruments and lit-
erally means take a breath, so when you see this symbol pause for
about the time it takes to take a breath. Unlike a rest the time you
pause for is down to personal interpretation of the tune.

PIMI
C Cadd9 Am Amadd9 Am
1 1 3 3 1 0 1 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
3 3 3 3 0 0 0 0
1 1 3 3 1 0 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2
3 3 3 3 0 0 0 0
E Am E Am
0 0 1 1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 2
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
D Am D E
3 3 1 1 3 3 0
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1
0 0 0 0
0 0
0 0
D Am E Am
3 3 1 1 0 0 1
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 2 2
0 0
0 0 0 0
0 0
1 1 3 3 1 0 1 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
3 3 3 3 0 0 0 0
1 1 3 3 1 0 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2
3 3 3 3 0 0 0 0

month nine
Week Three
finger picking. the annular finger
So far you have only picked with the PRIMARY, INDEX and MIDDLE fingers, now we will introduce the
ANNULAR finger, which gets its name from the fact that it is the ring finger.
exercise 1 PIMA
Am Dm
0 0 1 1
1 1 3 3
2 2 2 2
0 0
0 0
G7 C E7
1 1 0 0
0 0 1 0
0 0 0 1
3 2
3 3
Am Dm
0 0 1 1
1 1 3 3
2 2 2 2
0 0
0 0
G7 C
1 1 0
0 0 1
0 0 0
3 3
3 3
exercise 2 PAMI
Am Dm
0 0 1 1
1 1 3 3
2 2 2 2
0 0
0 0
E Am
0 0 0
0 0 1
1 1 2
0 0
0 0

PIMAMI
Em A
0 0
0 0 2 2
0 0 2 2
0
0
Dsus2 D
0 2
3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
0 0
Em A
0 0
0 0 2 2
0 0 2 2
0
0
Dsus2 D
0 2
3 3 3
2 2 2
0 0
G A7
3 3
0 0 2 2
0 0 2 2
0
3
Dsus4 D
3 2
3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
0 0
Em A
0 0
0 0 2 2
0 0 2 2
0
0
Dsus2 D
0 2
3 3 3
2 2 2
0 0

tune
Nights in white satin - Justin Hayward
This is our second look at this piece of music, so hopefully you know the chords and will therefore be
able to concentrate on the finger picking aspect of the tune.
verse
e PIMAMI
Em D Em D
0 2 0 2
0 0 3 3 0 0 3 3
0 0 2 2 0 0 2 2
0 0
0 0
C G F Em
0 3 1 0
1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0
0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0
3
3
3 0
A A C C
0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
0 0 3 3
Em D Em D
0 2 0 2
0 0 3 3 0 0 3 3
0 0 2 2 0 0 2 2
0 0
0 0
instrumental
See if you can work out the finger picking for the instrumental, the pattern should stay the same how-
ever the bass note will have to vary depending on the chord. The only thing you need to know is that
the recommended bass note is the root of the chord or the first note played when you strum the
chord
Em Em
repeat line
Em D C B
Em C Em C

instrumental continued
Am B Am B
Em D C Em
D Em D Em
Em
arrangement verse - verse - instrumental - verse - instrumental
month nine
Week Four
alternating bass lines
Whilst it is recommended to play the root of the chord as the bass note when finger
picking, you can alternate the bass line to make a tune more interesting.
exercise 1 PIMI
A A
2 2 2 2
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
0 0
0 0
exercise 2 PIMI
A A
0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
2 2
0 0
exercise 3 PIMI
Em
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 2
2
0

exercise 1 PIMA
C C
0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0
2 2
3 3
Am Am
0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2
2 2
0 0
Dm Dm
1 1 1 1
3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
0 0
0 0
G7 G7
1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
2 2
3 3
exercise 2 PIMA
In this exercise the bass alternates between three strings.
G
3 3 3 3
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
0
2 2
3
Em
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
2
2 2
0

exercise 3 PIMA
G
3 3 3 3
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
0
2 2
3
Am
0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2
2 2
0 0
C
0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0
2 2
3 3
D
2 2 2 2
3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
0 0
0 0

tune
Everybody hurts - REM
intro PIMAMI
D G
2 2 3 3
3 3 3 3 0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
0 0
3 3
verse 1
D G x 3 times
2 2 3 3
3 3 3 3 0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
0 0
3 3
D G
2 2 3
3 3 3 3 0 0
2 2 2 2 0 0
0 0
3 3 2
chorus
Em A
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2
0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2
0 0
0 0
Em A
0 0 0
0 0 0 0 2 2
0 0 0 0 2 2
0 0
0 0
verse 2
D G x 6 times
2 2 3 3
3 3 3 3 0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
0 0
3 3

bridge
Em A x 3 times
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 2 2 2
0 0 0 0 2 2 2
0 0
0 0
F# Bm x 3 times
2 2 2 2 2
2 2 3 3 3
3 3 4 4 4
4 4 4 4 4
4 4 2 2 2
2 2
C G
3 3
5 3
5 4
5 5
3 5
3
C Am
3 3 0 0
5 5 1 1
5 5 2 2
5 5 2 2
3 3 0 0
arrangement
intro - verse 1 - chorus - verse 2 - bridge - verse 1 - chorus - intro (repeat and fade)

month ten

month ten
Week One
Dm P I M A M I
1 1
3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
0
0
C
0 0
1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0
2
3
Dm
1 1
3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
0
0
C
0 0
1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0
2
3
F C
1 0
1 1 1 1
2 2 0 0
3
3
Dm
1 1
3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2
0
0
F C
1 0
1 1 1 1
2 2 0 0
3
3
Dm
1
3 3
2 2
0 0

tune
Susans song - Sad Fantasy
PAMI
Am Dm C Dm
0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1
1 1 3 3 1 1 3 3
2 2 2 2 0 0 2 2
2 0 2 0
0 0 3
Am Dm C Dm
0 0 1 1 0 0 1
1 1 3 3 1 1 3
2 2 2 2 0 0 2
2 0 2 0 0
0 0 3
G7 C G7 Am
1 1 0 0 1 1 0
0 0 1 1 0 0 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 2
2
2 3 2 0 0
3 3
G7 C G7 E
1 1 0 0 1 1 0
0 0 1 1 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 1
2
2 3 2
3 3 0 0
Am Dm C Dm
0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1
1 1 3 3 1 1 3 3
2 2 2 2 0 0 2 2
2 0 2 0
0 0 3
Am Dm C G7
0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1
1 1 3 3 1 1 0 0
2 2 2 2 0 0 0
2 0 2
0 0 3 2
3
Am
0 0 0
1 1 1
2 2 2
2
0 0 0 0

month ten
Week Two
A7 P A M I M A A7
0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2
0 0
2
0
D7 D7
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
2 2
0
0
G7 G7
1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0
0 0
2
3
C E7
0 0 0 0
1 1 0 0
0 1
3 2
A7 A7
0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2
0 0
2
0
D7 D7
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
2 2
0
0
G7 G7
1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0
0 0
2
3
C
0 0
1 1
0
3 3 3

tune
House of the rising sun - The Animals
PIMAMI
Am C
0 0
1 1 1 1
2 2 0 0
0 3
D F
2 1
3 3 1 1
2 2 2 2
0 3
Am C
0 0
1 1 1 1
2 2 0 0
0 3
E7 E7
0 0
0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1
2
0
Am C
0 0
1 1 1 1
2 2 0 0
0 3
D F
2 1
3 3 1 1
2 2 2 2
0 3
Am E7
0 0
1 1 0 0
2 2 1 1
0
0
Am E7
0 0
1 1 0 0
2 2 1 1
0
0

month ten
Week Three
finger picking . two or three stings
It is not uncommon to play two or three notes at once when finger picking. This can be done by sim-
ply picking the two strings at the same time with different fingers. We can show this in the finger pick-
ing pattern like this
PIM Here you can see the index and middle fingers both play strings at the same time.
exercise 1 P IM IM
C Dm
0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 3 3 3 3
2 0
3 0
G7 C
1 1 1 1 0 0
0 0 0 0 1 1
2 3 3
3
exercise 2 P I MA I
C Am
0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2
2 2
3 0
Dm G7
1 1 1 1
3 3 0 0
2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
0
0 2
3
C
0 0
1 1
0 0 0 0
2
3 3 3

exercise 3 P IMA IMA
A7 A7
0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2
0 0 0 0
2
0
D7 D7
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2
0
0
G7 G7
1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
0
3
C E7
0 0 0 0
1 1 0 0
0 0 1 1
3 2
A7 A7
0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2
0 0 0 0
2
0
D7 D7
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2
0
0
G7 G7
1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
2
3
C
0 0
1 1
0 0
3 3

month ten
Week Four
Finger picking 4/4
Whilst most of the strumming tunes we have covered have been in four four time,
most of the finger picking patterns we have covered have not. Most of the finger
picking patterns we have done so far have been in 3/4 time and 6/8 time. So to
close the finger picking section we will take a look at 4/4 finger picking patterns.
exercise 1 PIMAMIPI (note the thumb is used twice)

G Em
3 0
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0
2
2
3 0
C D
0 2
1 1 3 3
0 0 0 2 2 2
2 0
3 0
exercise 2 PIMAMIPI
G D
3 2
0 0 3 3
0 0 0 2 2 2
0
2 0
3
C D
0 2
1 1 3 3
0 0 0 2 2 2
2 0
3 0
C Am
0 0
1 1 1 1
0 0 0 2 2 2
2 2
3 0
D G
2 3
3 3 0
2 2 2 0
0
0
3

tune
Nowhere man - The Beatles
Try these different finger picking patterns and see which one you like the most.
PIMAMIAM PIMAMIMA
C C
0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0
3 3
PAMIAMIA PIMAIMAI
C C
0 0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0 0
3 3
verse
C G F C
F Fm C F
C G F C
F Fm C C
chorus
Em F Em F
Em F F G7
coda
C F Fm C
arrangement verse - chorus - verse - chorus - coda
note.
Dont worry if you find yourself clicking the last note of each bar or missing it com-
pletely. This is quite normal, especially when the chord change is difficult. If you lis-
ten to the best musicians you will hear clicked bar endings which are only really
noticeable if you listen for them.

month eleven

month eleven
Week One
The fifth chord (power chords)
The fifth chord is the chord most used in rock and grunge. Because of the sound it produces is is also
known as the power chord and certainly in barre chord form it deserves this name. We have already
used power chords in the rock section of this course, though without referring to them by their correct
name 5th chords.
With fifth chords their is no difference between major chords or minor chords, or in other words there is
no such chord as a fifth minor.
The theory behind the fifth chord.

The fifth chord only has two notes in its structure, the FIRST (root) note and the FIFTH note.
C major scale 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1st 5th
Why their is no fifth minor
A major scale 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
You can see clearly that
the note that makes the
1st 5th difference between the
major and minor chord
is the thir d, so if we
A minor scale 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 r emov e the thi r d, the
two chords can no lon-
ger be di ffer enti ated
between.
1st 5th
fifth barre chords

First position Second position
(E rooted) (A rooted)
X X X X X X
1 1
3 3

some fifth open chords
G5 A5 C5 D5 E5
X X X X X X 1 X X X X X X
1 2 1 1 2
2 3 4 3 4 3
This raises the question of how to mute a note in the middle of a chord. The simple answer to that is
to let the finger on the string nest to the string to be muted hang over onto it. This will take some prac-
tice because you need to maintain the pressure on the fingered note at the same time as muting the
string next to it.
exercises
tr y the following exercises, using barre chords. Remember that the
underlined chords are second position.
exercise 1
A5 D5 A5 D5 C5 A5 D5 E5
exercise 2
A5 Db5 G5 Cb5 A5 Db5 G5 Cb5 A5
exercise 3
A5 D5 F5 C5 G5 A5 D5 F5 C5
The slur symbol

The slur symbol means that two or more notes are joined together in some way. If a note carries
across from one bar to another then a slur will occur to show that it is one note. If a note is slid or
hammered to another note where the guitar is only picked once for the two notes then a slur will
occur.
P sl
7 5 7 5 7 7

month eleven
Week Two
hammering on exercises
exercise 1
First to second finger
H
H H H H H
5 6
5 6
5 6
5 6
5 6
5 6
H
H H
5 6 H
5 6
5 6 H
5 6 H
5 6
5 6
exercise 2
first to third finger
H
H H H H H
5 7
5 7
5 7
5 7
5 7
5 7
H
H H
5 7 H
5 7
5 7 H
5 7 H
5 7
5 7
exercise 3
(very hard) first to fourth finger
H
H H H H H
5 8
5 8
5 8
5 8
5 8
5 8

tune
Paranoid - Black Sabbath
intro
A5 x 4 times
H H
H
7 7 7 H 5 7 5 7
7 7 7 5 7 5 7
5 5 5
theme one
A5
H
H
5 7
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 5 7
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
G5 C5 G5 A5
5
5 5 7
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 3 5 7
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 5
theme two
A5 F5 G5 A5
7 3 5 7 (7)
7 3 5 7 (7)
5 1 3 5 (5)
theme three
A5
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
G5
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
arrangement intro - one - two - three - one - one - one - one - two - one - two

month eleven
Week Three
pulling off
Pulling off is in effect the reverse of hammering on. To pull off you have to pluck the
string with your left hand (fingering hand) as you take your finger off the note,
remembering to have the next finger in place to allow the note to ring.
P
.example
7 5
To pull off from the 7th fret to the 5th fret as is required
by this tab. Place both the first and third finger in place
then play the 7th fret note. Soon after pull the third fin-
ger away plucking the string as it leaves.
exercises
Note.
The H and P symbol can appear on the tab itself or above the tab, this depends
on the publisher of the music you are reading. The difference is only small and the
meaning is the same.
exercise 1
Second finger to first finger.
P
P P
6 5
6 5 P
6 5 P
6 5 P
6 5
6 5
P
P P P P P
6 5
6 5
6 5
6 5
6 5
6 5
exercise 2
Second finger to fist finger.
P
P P
7 5
7 5 P
7 5 P
7 5 P
7 5
7 5

exercise 3
Fourth finger to first finger.
P
P P
8 5
8 5 P
8 5 P
8 5 P
8 5
8 5
exercise 4
The G pentatonic scale
H
H H H H H
3 6
3 6
3 5
3 5
3 5
3 6
P
P P
6 3
6 3 P
5 3 P
5 3 P
5 3
6 3
exercise 5
the A blues scale
H H H H H H H
5 8
5 7 8
5 7
5 6 7
5 8
P
H
P P P
5 8 8 5
8 5
8 7 5
P
P P
7 5 P
7 6 5
8 5
Note.
in this exercise you are having to hammer on and pull off two notes in a row. This
can be very difficult, especially in pulloffs, so be patient and practice this exercise
over several weeks or months if necessary.

tune
Manic depression - Jimi Hendrix
note 3/4 time
intro
5 6 7
5 6 7
P P P P P P P P
7 5 7 5 7 5 7 5 7 5 7 5 7 5 7 5
5 5 5 5
theme one
4 7 2 5 5 6 7
5 3
P P P P P P P P
7 5 7 5 7 5 7 5 7 5 7 5 7 5 7 5
5 5 5 5
the two H P
2 2 5 5 3 5 3
0 4 3
H P P P
P P P
5 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 4 7
3 1 3 1 3 1 3 5
intro
2 5
3
arrangement
intro
theme 1 - theme 1 - theme 2 - theme 1
theme 1 - theme 1 - theme 2 - theme 1 - more to come

Picking
When you use plectrum it is a good idea to get use to playing alternating plectrum
directions. down, up, down, up etc. By playing alternating plectrum directions you
will find that your playing is faster, smoother and more accurate. We have been
using arrows to show down and up strums, however the correct way to denote plec-
trum directions is this;
These shape come from
DOWN UP a violin bow where the
tip is pointed and the
exercise 1 tail is square shaped
Alternating plectrum directions
3 6
3 6
3 5
3 5
3 5
3 6
exercise 2
Picking and hammering
H
H 5 7
H 5 7 5 7
5 7 5 7
5 8
H
H 5 8 5
5 8 5 8
5 7
P
P
8 5 P
8 5 8 5
7 5 7 5
7 5
P
P
7 5 P
7 5 7 5
8 5

month eleven
Week Four
tune
Zombie - The Cranberries
intro
Em Cmaj7
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 000
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 000
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 000
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
0
Gmaj6 Gmaj6/f#
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 000 0 0 0 0 000
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 000
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 000 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 000
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
chorus 1
E5 C5
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
G5 D/F# { X3 TIMES FOR CHORUS 1 }
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Em
0 0
0 0
0 0
2 2
2 2
0 0
H H H H P
7 8 5 7 3 5 2 3 2
3 3 (0)

verse
Em C5
0 0 0
0 0 0
0 0 5
2 5 5 5 5 5 5
2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3
0 0 0 0 0 0
Em Dmaj9/F#
0 0
0 3 0
0 0
0
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2
Em Cmaj7
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
2 2 2 2
3 3
0 0
G/B Dmaj9/F#
0 0
0 0 3 0
0 0 0
0 0 0
2 2 0
2
last chorus
E5 C5
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
G5 D/F# x 4 times
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Em
0 0
0 0
0 0
2 2
2 2
0 0
arrangement
intro - chorus - verse - chorus 1 - verse - chorus - verse - last chorus

month twelve

month twelve
Week One
Reading rhythm
For now when it has been necessary for you to read the rhythm we have been using counts above
the tab. However in a proper music score this would not be the way to denote rhythms. Most tab
either has the score in conventional music underneath it, or the tab rhythm above it, either way the
rhythm is denoted in the same way.
Each note has a measure of time and that measure of time is denoted as follows. Note that this is on
a standard musical staff now and not tablature, which is why their are five lines.
4 beats
1 semibreve
2 beats
2 minim
1 beat
4 crotchet
1/2 beat
8 quaver
1/4 beat
16 semiquaver
1/8 beat
32 demisemiquaver
You are already aware of the fact that music is broken down in to bars and that a bar consists of a
pre-defined number of beats, Any combination of the note lengths above can be used in a bar, but
they will always add up to the number of beats in the bar, and or overflow into the next bar.

Try these chords using the rhythms provided. Note how the tail on the note goes
down if the note is over the half way line, this doesnt effect the value of the note.
exercise 1
E A D D
exercise 2
Em A D D
Em A D D
G A7 D D
Em A D D
exercise 3
G D C C
G D C C
Em D Am Am
Em D C C
Em

time signatures
Time signatures have been mentioned over and over again as we have gone through this unit and
they are something you cannot ignore. A time signature tells the musician how the piece of music
should be counted and they come in the form of a fraction.
4
4
The way to interpret the information given in a time signature is as follows.
The TOP number represents the number of beats in the bar.
The BOTTOM number represents the value of beat.

For example we have use 4/4 time in many of the tunes you have learned, and 4/4 time is in the
example above. The top 4 means that their are 4 beats in the bar, the bottom 4 tells us that the beat
value is four or a crotchet. So 4/4 time means that their are 4 crotchets per bar.
List of note Values

1 semibreve
2 minim
4 crotchet
8 quaver
16 semiquaver
32 demisemiquaver
examples
4 Four crotchets in a bar

4
3 Three crotchets in a bar
4
2 Two crotchets in a bar
4
6 Six quavers in a bar
8
2 Two minims in a bar
2
6 Six semiquavers in a bar
16

month twelve
Week Two
bends
To bend a string simply push the string upwards, or if it is one of the bottom two or three strings pull it
downwards. Remember though that the you should be bending to a pre-defined note and not just
into space. Nothing sound worse than a bend which does not reach a not, but is simply the string
being bent out of tune.
Bends look like this in the tab.

Bend up and then kill the note Bend up and release the bend Bend up and then hold
5 5 (5) 5
Most tab will tell you how far the bend is expected to be bent.
Beware and look at the tablature explanation before starting.
On some tab 1 means 1 fret or a semitone, whereas on other tab it means 1 tone
which is 2 frets. We will use 1 to mean a full tone (2 frets).
exercise 1
This exercise will help you learn to judge when you have bent the string by a tone (2 frets), try and get
your bend intune with the seventh fret note.
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
7 7 7 7
10 10 10 10 7 7 7 7
9 9 9 9
exercise 2
1 1
1 1
7 7
10 10
7 9 7 9
7 9 7 9
H H H
7 9 (9) 7
7 9 7 7 9 7 9 9

exercise 3 House of the rising sun
H 5
7 5
5 7 7 7 7
7
1 H
H
5
5 8 8 8 5 8 5
1
H 1
5 8 8 8 8 5
7 5
7
1/2
H 5 7 (7) 5
5 7 7
5 7
exercise 4 Summertime
1
P
5 5
5 7 7 5 7 5
7
7
H
5
5 7 5 5 5 4
7 7
1
P
5 5
5 7 7 5 7 5
7
7
1/2
5 5 5 7 (7) 5 5 5
5 7 7 7 7 7
7

mutes and staccato
Staccato is a musical term for a very short and sharp note, and it is usually signified by a dot over the
note needing the staccato. To play a staccato note simply play the note and kill it as quickly as you
can, this can be done by either releasing the pressure of the string or by muting the string.
We have also briefly looked at palm mutes, a palm mute being when you touch the strings slightly
with the palm of you picking hand so that the string is muted. Palm muting can also be used as a form
of staccato.
staccato palm muting
pm
3 3
5 5
5 5
exercise 1
pm
5 5 5 5
8 8 5 8 8 8 5
7
7 7 7 7
pm
5 5 5
8 5 8 8 5 7
7 5
7 7 5 7 7
7
exercise 2
pm
3 5 6 5 3
3 4 6 6 4 3
3 5 5 3
3 5 6 5 3
3 4 6 6 4 3
3 5 5 3
exercise 3 Walking on the moon - The police
3
3
5
3 3 2
3 3 5 3

month twelve
Week Three
tune
Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton
intro
1 1 1 sl
7 8 12 10
10 (10) 8 10 10 (10) 8 10 (10) 8 10 8 10 13 12
9
1 1 1
10 (10) 8 10 10 (10) 8 10 (10) 8 10 3 0

9 2
fill one
1 1 1
7 10 (10) 8 10 10 (10) 8 10 (10) 8 10 3 0

9 9
fill two
1 1 1
sl
10 (10) 8 10 10 (10) 8 10 (10) 8 10 12 13 15 17 15

9
1 1 1
10 (10) 8 10 10 (10) 8 10 (10) 10

9

fill three
1 1 1 sl
7 8 12 10
10 (10) 8 10 10 (10) 8 10 (10) 8 10
9
1 1 1 sl
7 8 12 10
10 (10) 8 10 10 (10) 8 10 (10) 8 10 8 10 13 12
9 12
verse
G D C D
G D C D
C D G E
C D
chorus
G G C D
G Em C D
C D G
coda
G Em D C
arrangement
intro - verse - fill one - verse - chorus - fill two - verse - coda - fill three

month twelve
Week Four
tune
Wonderful Land - The shadows
15 13 12 15 13 12
15 13 15 15 13 15
5 5
5 5 7 7 4 7 7 5
5 5 8 7
5 6 6 5
5 7 7 5 7 7 7 7
5 5
5 5 8
5 5 7
7 5 5
H P
6 5 6
5 4 4 4
6 5 5 5 5 5 5
7 7 7
5 555
5 5 7 777 4 7 7 5
5 5 8 7
5 6 6 5
5 7 7 5 7 7 7 7

pm
8 7 8 8 7 8
8 10 10 8 8 10 10 8
9 7
10
pm
12 10 7 8 10 8 7
10 8
9 4 4 4
5 5 5 5 5
7 7 7
5 55 5
5 5 7 777 4 7 7 5
5 5 8 7
5 6 6 5
5 7 7 5 7 7 7 7
pm
8 7 8 8 7 8
8 10 10 8 8 10 10 8
9 7
10
pm
12 10 7 8 10 8 7 7 7 7
10 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
9 9 9 9
15 13 12 15 13 12
15 13 15 15 13 15
15 13 12
15 13 15

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Hargreaves G - Guitar Academy. 1 (2004) PDF

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Unit One

© copyright G C Hargreaves 2004

Week one Week one

Month Three Month Four

Week one Week one

Month Five Month Six

Week one Week one

© copyright G C Hargreaves 2004

Week one Week one

Month Nine Month Ten

Week one Week one

Month Eleven Month Twelve

© copyright G C Hargreaves 2004

neck and fingerboard

fingering map left hand

© copyright G C Hargreaves 2004

The thinnest string is referred to

The thickest string is referred to

© copyright G C Hargreaves 2004

The best way to learn to tune

© copyright G C Hargreaves 2004

1. Bend your fingers into a fist and lift your thumb.

2. Place the plectrum on the first knuckle of your

3. Hold the plectrum firmly in place using your thumb.

Which plectrum to use.

1mm is a common thickness of plectrum. It is a good all round

Plectrums under 0.7mm can bend a lot. They produce a bright-

© copyright G C Hargreaves 2004

© copyright G C Hargreaves 2004

© copyright G C Hargreaves 2004

Try the following; G G G G

Intro (introduction), Verse, Chorus, Bridge, transition, Solo, Coda (end).

© copyright G C Hargreaves 2004

HEY JUDE - the beatles

D C G D repeat and fade

arrangement verse - verse - chorus - verse - coda

© copyright G C Hargreaves 2004

exercise - G major scale

© copyright G C Hargreaves 2004

repeat and fade this line

© copyright G C Hargreaves 2004

It is very important to use the correct fingers. 3 3 3

© copyright G C Hargreaves 2004

© copyright G C Hargreaves 2004

It is very important to use the correct fingers.

Play these scales until you can remember them.

G major G minor G minor

© copyright G C Hargreaves 2004

All rights reserved, unauthorized copying, reproduction,

© copyright G C Hargreaves 2004

arrangement verse - chorus - verse - chorus - verse

exercise - G mixolydian scale

It is very important to use the correct fingers.

© copyright G C Hargreaves 2004

E string rooted barre chords

© copyright G C Hargreaves 2004

© copyright G C Hargreaves 2004

Am7 Gm7 Am7 F

exercise - G major scale

G major G minor G minor

E string rooted barre chords

Bm = B is on the seventh fret and the minor shape.

Note map of the E string

the Fm half barre however it is played in the sec-

A string rooted barre chords

A rooted -2nd position

exercise 2 G major scale

a reminder of the B major chord

G blues scale A blues scale

Crockets theme -Jan Hammer