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DVD

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A CHEMICA
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FRETBOARD SECRETS
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By Richard
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ThE CHAPTER 1

A CHEMICA
EXPANDING YOUR PALETTE:
Playing walking bass on the guitar

GUITARIST CHAPTER 2
RIDING SATAN’S TRITONE:
How the devil’s interval makes all
things possible

UNLOCKED! 2
CHAPTER 3
FRETBOARD SECRETS STACKED THIRDS:
Chord qualities and vertical strength

CHAPTER 4

X
AN ALCHEMY OF SWEET PATTERNS:
Working with diatonic thirds, sixths
and 10ths

CHAPTER 5
TRIAD ARCHIPELAGOES:
Modular routing up the fretboard

CHAPTER 6
OPEN ACCESS:
Double pull-offs and hammer-ons
in open position

CHAPTER 7
THE SINGLE-STRING MAGESTERIUM:
Learning scale patterns one string at a time

CHAPTER 8
GETTING INTO SHAPES:
The secret behind the circle of fourths/fifths
progressions

CHAPTER 9
ADVANTAGE POSITION:
Intervals, pedaling and chord arpeggios in
positional play

CHAPTER 10
THE WAR ON ERROR:
Using pentatonic bends to make your playing
mistake free

CHAPTER 11
ANCHOR STEAM:
Gaining chord power with “finger anchors”

CHAPTER 12
TRIPLE PLAY:
A study in triad inversions
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EXPANDING YOUR PALETTE
PLAYING WALKING BASS ON THE GUITAR
»
CHAPTER 1
Guitarists are not usually very
good bass players. Mostly they
play guitar lines on the bass.
But the greatest classic rock
guitar players certainly knew
how to play bass lines on the
guitar. For example, Jimi Hendrix’s
“Manic Depression” is almost
completely composed of bass lines
played on the guitar, and the end of
his solo in “Hey Joe” consists of bass
lines. For that matter, Led Zeppelin’s
“Black Dog” is written from a bass line
developed by John Paul Jones. I could
go on naming examples like these.
Those of us who play guitar and
perform with bassists need to respect
their knowledge of the instrument,
because it’s something that most of
us don’t have. I want to remedy that.
In this chapter of the DVD, I’m going
to demonstrate a few simple tricks
that bass players use when they craft
bass lines, and in doing so, help you
dramatically expand your guitar
playing and intuition when it comes
to choosing which notes to play over a
given chord.
In this chapter, I’m going to show
you a very simple pattern developed
out of chromatic “walking” bass
lines, walking meaning the notes
are constantly changing in a steady
rhythm, usually quarter or eighth
notes. If followed diligently, it can
really broaden your palette and show
you how to sound like a bass player
when you play that instrument, rather
than like a guitar player on the wrong
instrument.
Although some bass players,
especially inexperienced young
players or guitarists who pick up the
bass, tend to just pedal the root notes,
great bassists use all sorts of tricks and
walking lines to develop interesting
support for the other musicians, and if
you remove all the other instruments
except the drums and the bass, you
can still hear the song. We’re going to
take that approach with the guitar, so
here we go:
First, of course, we have the triads
that contain the root, or tonic (1), the
mediant (3) and the dominant (5)
(FIGURE 1). We can play those three
notes forever, along with the octave.
But we can do more than that.
Between the mediant and the dominant
are the subdominant (4), which lives
3 GUITAR DVD
in the major scale, and the diminished they’re extraordinarily simple to play
fifth (f5), the note we add to a minor because they use all four fingers in
pentatonic to yield a hexatonic, or so- positional play. Plus, you can play them
called “blues scale,” which reintroduces either up or down. Using chromatic
the tritone against the tonic. So from passing tones between scale degrees 3
scale degree 3 we can walk straight and 5 on one string and between 6 and
up with our four fingers and play a 1 on the next higher string yields the
chromatic run that contains the 3, 4, f5 THESE pattern illustrated in FIGURE 3.
and 5 of a given key. The octave is on To do the same thing with the IV
the next string, and we can play it by SIMPLE and V chords in a I-IV-V progression,
flattening our pinkie against that string. TRICKS WILL you could either shift the FIGURE
Let’s assume that we’re playing not 3 pattern up or down the neck or
jazz but rock and roll, which is for the HELP YOU alternatively stay in the same position
most part played in the Mixolydian GREATLY and make a fingering change, using
mode. This mode contains a flatted the pattern shown for the IV chord in
seventh degree, or f7, so we can add EXPAND FIGURE 4. For the V chord, use the
that, giving us the standard walking YOUR GUITAR same fingering two frets, or one whole
bass line (FIGURE 2). To that pattern step, higher.
we can add the submediant (6) and PLAYING AND FIGURE 5 shows a “big-picture”
leading tone (natural 7) as passing INTUITION. aerial overview of the two chromatic
tones. This gives us another four-note walking patterns from FIGURES 3 and
chromatic thread, which ends with 4 transposed to the key of A. Notice
the octave root note of the chord. This how they take up almost the entire
gives us eight notes to work with, and fretboard.
FIGURE 1 key of A FIGURE 2 key of A
3fr 5fr 7fr 3fr 5fr 7fr
& + –,
( * ( *
& &
FIGURE 3 key of A
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
( *
+ &
( *
+ &
( *
+ &
FIGURE 4 key of D
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
+ &
( *
+ &
( *
+ &
( *
FIGURE 5 key of A
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr 15fr
( * + &
+ & ( *
( * + &
+ & ( *
( * + &
+ & ( *
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RIDING SATAN’S TRITONE

HOW THE DEVIL’S INTERVAL MAKES ALL THINGS POSSIBLE

»
CHAPTER 2

I want to start this chapter by
telling you an ancient story
from the esoteric musical
tradition that I follow. It’s
called the story of the “Cosmic
Sacrificing Satan.” major scale:
It goes like this: In the beginning,
God wanted to create a universe for his
enjoyment. But being God, he could
create only a perfect universe, which
disappeared instantly; anything that
is perfect has no reason to move or
change and therefore is dead and—
poof!—gone. God tried over and over
with no luck. Finally he asked his
firstborn son, Lucifer, to do him a favor:
to diminish himself and become a kind
of universal resistance that would
prevent any created thing from ever
reaching perfection.
Out of his love for the Creator,
Lucifer agreed and became the
diminished, or “flatted,” fifth, which
stands opposite the I in the cycle of
fifths/fourths. Because the diminished
fifth stands between the perfect fourth
and perfect fifth in the major scale,
it prevents any created thing from
reaching perfection and is thus called
“the opposer”—or, more familiarly to Now I am going to say something
us, “the devil’s interval.” startling: Without the devil and his
We can get a good sense of how interval, nothing would exist, either
Lucifer does his job by looking at the in music or in the universe. Without
ratios created by the intervals in the the devil, nothing would move what-
soever, and the whole universe would
disappear. And then God wouldn’t be
1:1—the tonic: very happy!
perfect To demonstrate how this works in
2:1—the octave: music, I’m going to show you tritone
perfect resolution in fourths and fifths so that
3:2—the dominant, or fifth: you can see how this once-forbidden
perfect interval is really the force behind all
4:3—the subdominant, or fourth: musical movement.
perfect First we will go through the cycle of
5:4—the mediant, or major third: fourths using two notes at a time on a
not perfect pair of adjacent strings tuned a perfect
6:5—the minor third: fourth apart. As you’ll see, tritone
not perfect, somewhat resolution comes through contrary
dissonant motion: as we resolve the paired notes
9:8—the major second, of the tritone, one note will move up
or whole step: while the other moves down. FIGURE
quite dissonant 1 depicts a complete cycle of fourths
16:15—the minor second, starting from E on the D and G strings
or half step: at the 14th and 13th frets, respectively.
very dissonant FIGURE 2 shows the tritone resolution
32:45—the tritone, sequence through the cycle of fifths,
or devil’s interval: which is essentially the opposite of
extremely dissonant what we did in FIGURE 1. Notice

FIGURE 1 cycle of fourths

(D 7) (G )
E E7 A A7 D D7 G G7 C C7 F F7 B B 7E E 7 A A 7D C 7 F F 7B B7 E
* * * * * * * *
* * * *

* * * * * * * * * * *

T
A 13 13 14 12
14 12 11 11
11 11 12 10
12 10 9 9
9
10
9
8
10
7
8
7
7
8
7
6
8
5
6
5
5
6
5
4
6
3
4
3
3
4
3
2
4
1
2
1
1
2
B
*tritone

FIGURE 2 cycle of fifths

(A 7)(D )
E F 7B C 7 F G 7 C E 7 A B 7E F7 B C7 F G7 C D7 G A7 D E7 A B7 E
* * * * * * *
* * * * *

* * * * * * * * * * *

T
A 1
2
3
2
4
1
4
3
3
4
5
4
6
3
6
5
5
6
7
6
8
5
8
7
7
8
9
8
10 10
7 9
9 11 12 12
10 10 9 11
11 13 14 14
12 12 11 13
13
14
B
FIGURE 3 A7 A7 tritone thread
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr
& (
–, –,
( (
–, –,
4 GUITAR DVD
* (
& –,
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzTHWA * * * * * * * * * * *

T
A 13 13 14 12
14 12 11 11
11 11 12 10
12 10 9 9
9
10
9
8
10
7
8
7
7
8
7
6
8
5
6
5
5
6
5
4
6
3
4
3
3
4
3
2
4
1
2
1
1
2
B
*tritone

FIGURE 2 cycle of fifths

CONTINUED (A 7)(D )
E F 7B C 7 F G 7 C E 7 A B 7E F7 B C7 F G7 C D7 G A7 D E7 A B7 E
* *

RIDING SATAN’S TRITONE

* * * * * * * * * *

HOW THE DEVIL’S INTERVAL MAKES

* ALL
* THINGS
* POSSIBLE
* * * * * * * *

CHAPTER 2 T
A 12 32 41 43 34 54 63 65 56 76 8
5
8
7
7
8
9
8
10 10
7 9
9 11 12 12
10 10 9 11
11 13 14 14
12 12 11 13
13
14
B
in both examples how the tritone FIGURE 3 A7 A7 tritone thread
intervals alternately expand to a minor 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr
sixth and contract to a major third. & (
To see how this applies to a specific –, –,
progression, let’s take the popular ( (
I-IV-V blues form. In functional –, –,
harmony, the V chords have a f7 in * (
them. A tritone exists between the & –,
f7 and the 3 of the V chord. You can
always find the tritones because
they form a diagonal line across the D7 D7 tritone thread
fretboard, except between the G and B 3fr 5fr 7fr 3fr 5fr 7fr
strings, where the line jumps two frets. –,
FIGURE 3 illustrates three neck & (
diagrams for A7, D7 and E7—the I, IV –, –,
( (
and V chords of a blues progression
& –,
in the key of A, all three chords being
(
dominant sevenths. The shaded notes
show how the tritone thread extends
through the chords. Notice that the
threads for D7 and E7 are, respectively, E7 E7 tritone thread
5fr 7fr 9fr 5fr 7fr 9fr
one fret below and above that for A7.
–,
Notice also that none of the tritones & (
contains the root notes of the chord, –, –,
which are implied and are assumed by ( (
the listener’s brain. & –,
In the video portion that goes (
with this chapter, you’ll see how this
knowledge can be applied. Once you
get it under your own fingers, you
will be, in essence, riding the devil,
but without having sold your soul to
anyone. Occasionally my students
ask me where I got this knowledge.
Sometimes I tell them that I befriended
the devil and tricked him into giving
me his understanding.

5 GUITAR DVD
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STACKED THIRDS
CHORD QUALITIES AND VERTICAL STRENGTH

»
CHAPTER 3

In this chapter, I’m going to

teach you the structures of
FIGURE 1 triads
major: 1 3 5 minor: 1 3 5 diminished: 1 3 5 augmented: 1 3 5
various types, or qualities, A minor third Am major third A minor third A+ major third
of chords and show you
some exercises that have you
playing them as single-note
arpeggios up and down one string. major third minor third minor third major third

The exercises will not only give you a T 5 5 5 5 4 4 6 6

deeper understanding of how chords A 6
7 7
6 5
7 7
5 5
7 7
5 6
7 7
6

are structured because of the inherent B

visual-aural connection, they will also FIGURE 2 single-string triad arpeggio exercise
help you build strength and dexterity repeat each bar several times, using hammer-ons and pull-offs wherever possible
in your fret hand by having you use major: M3 m3 minor: m3 M3 diminished: m3 m3 augmented: M3 M3

multiple hammer-ons and pull-offs in E Em E E+

combination.
A triad is a three-note chord
structure consisting of a root, or tonic,
which we will refer to as “1,” a third
and a fifth, the third and fifth being the
third and fifth degrees of a seven-note
diatonic scale, such as the major scale
or one of the minor scales. A triad is
formed by taking the first five notes of
the scale and omitting the second and
fourth—1(2)3(4)5. The three notes (1, 3
and 5) can be thought of as “stacked”
third intervals, or simply stacked
thirds. As you already know, there are
two types of thirds, major and minor.
Stacking them in various combinations
yields four different possible triad
qualities: major, consisting of a major
third and a minor third stacked on top
of it, minor, which is the opposite—a
minor third on top of a major third—
diminished, which is two consecutive
minor thirds, and augmented, which is
two major thirds (see FIGURE 1). the previous exercise, FIGURE 3
In our first exercise (FIGURE 2), we
will begin by ascending and descending
a major arpeggio repeatedly, using the
open low E string as the root note and
fingering the third and fifth with the
index and ring fingers (or index and
pinkie) at the fourth and seventh frets,
respectively, employing hammer-ons
and pull-offs wherever possible. From
the open string to the fourth fret is a
major third, the span of four frets, and
on top of that you’re adding a minor
third, three frets’ distance, from the
fourth fret to the seventh.
Repeat this sequence several times
then switch to minor. Now you have
lowered your index finger to the third
fret, with a four-fret span between the
index finger and pinkie.
From minor, we morph to diminished
and a 0363 ascending/descending fret
pattern. Finally we have augmented, the
fret pattern being 0484.
T
A
B 0 4 7 4 0 4 7 4
FIGURE 3 single-string seventh chord arpeggio exercise
major seven: M3 m3 M3 dominant seven: M3 m3 m3
Emaj7 E7
T
A
B 0 4 7 4 0 7 11 7 0 4 7 4 0 7 10 7
If you play that entire exercise on
each of the bottom four strings (the
low E, A, D and G), you will be moving
up in fourths, and your fret hand will
get quite a workout.
A seventh chord is formed by
stacking an additional third upon a
three-note triad structure, using the
formula 1-3-5-7, expressed in terms
of scale degrees. Similar in form to
is a drill that has you surveying five
different types of seventh chords.
Here we begin with major seventh,
which is intervallically spelled 1, 3, 5,
7. As you can see, this chord quality is
constructed from the interval stack
major-third, minor-third, major-third,
or M3-m3-M3. Next is dominant
seventh, spelled 1, 3, 5, f7, its interval
stack being M3-m3-m3.
From there we lower the third to
yield minor seventh, spelled 1, f3, 5, f7,
or m3-M3-m3. Next is minor seven flat-
five, also known as “half diminished
seven,” spelled 1, f3, f5, f7, or m3-
m3-M3. The exercise concludes with
(fully) diminished seven, spelled 1, f3,
f5, ff7, or m3-m3-m3. This gets a little
weird, because the double-flat seven is
the same pitch as the sixth. A variation
on this exercise would be to play each
arpeggio straight up and down, tapping
the top note (the seventh) with your
0 3 7 3 0 3 7 3 0 3 6 3 0 3 0 3 0 4 8 4 0 4 8 4
minor seven: m3 M3 m3 minor seven flat five: m3 m3 M3 diminished seven: m3 m3 m3
Em7 Em7 5 E 7
0 3 7 3 0 7 10 7 0 3 6 3 0 6 10 6 0 3 6 3 0 6 9 6
pick-hand index or middle finger.
We could add the augmented chord
to the end of FIGURE 3, even though
it cannot be a four-note chord because
the fourth note is the octave root.
However, the augmented triad (see
FIGURE 2) helps by harmonically
pulling us toward the next key in the
VERTICAL cycle of fourths, in this case, A
KNOWLEDGE We can also begin FIGURES 2 and
3 on the low E and then progress up
IS A in fourths by moving over string by
MUST FOR string until we get to the G. We can’t
go any further, however, because the
PLAYING next string (B) is tuned a major third
CHORD higher rather than a fourth, but if we
wanted to, we could begin on the B
INVERSIONS string and then move to the E, A, D
AND and G strings.
If you incorporate these exercises
UNDER- into your practice regimen your
STANDING fret-hand strength and dexterity will
increase enormously and your ear
CHORD training and theory skills will receive
FORMATION. a continual review and sharpening.
This requires some thinking while in
movement but it’s well worth it. In
addition, you can play all of the thirds
by starting on a fret other than the
open string. (I demonstrate this in the
video for this chapter.) This vertical
knowledge is a must for playing chord
inversions and understanding chord
formation.

6 GUITAR DVD
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v
»
AN ALCHEMY OF SWEET PATTERNS
WORKING WITH DIATONIC THIRDS, SIXTHS AND 10THS
CHAPTER 4
In the last chapter, we looked at the way in which diatonic (scale-based) thirds can be
stacked to form triads and seventh chords, which we then played as arpeggios, moving up
and down one string only. In this chapter, I’m going to show you the pattern structures
of the intervals thirds, sixths and 10ths as they fall on pairs of strings, and in doing so,
introduce you to some absolutely magical ways to think about and use them. Once you
learn these structures, your musical knowledge will advance toward what is called deep
functional harmony; in other words, we’re going to pack a giant punch into a group of rather
THIRDS
As you recall from chapter three, there
are only two types of thirds: a major
third, which is two notes two whole
steps apart, or the distance of four frets
on a single string, and a minor third,
which is two notes three frets away
simple pattern structures. This will open a huge shortcut to a vast body of musical knowledge on from one another, or the distance of
the guitar that otherwise might take you years to figure out… and lots of guitarists never figure a whole step and a half step (or a half
this stuff out! So fasten your safety belts. Here we go. step and a whole step). So if we were
to take a major scale and add a third
to each degree or note in the scale, we
would end up with a formula like the
following, with the numbers indicating
FIGURE 1 diatonic thirds on the low FIGURE 2 diatonic thirds on the FIGURE 3 diatonic sixths on the low the scale degrees and each dash
E and A strings, key of G G and B strings, key of B E and D strings, key of G representing a half step:
FIGURE I
1 iidiatonic thirds on the low
iii IV V vi vii o I
FIGURE
I
2 iidiatonic thirds on the
iii IV V vi vii o I
FIGURE
I
3ii diatonic sixths on the low
iii IV V vi vii o 1 — — — — 3 major third
implied I
E and Bm ACstrings, keyFof GG G and
Dm BE strings, keyA of BB AmE and
Bm DC strings,
D EmkeyF of G
chords: G Am D Em B Cm F Gm G G 2———4 minor third
FIGURE
implied
I 1 diatonic
ii thirds
iii IV V on
vi the o I
viilow FIGURE
I 2 iidiatonic
iii IVthirds
V on vii o I
vi the FIGURE
I 3ii diatonic
iii IVsixths
V on vii olow
vi the I 3———5 minor third
chords: G E and
Am BmACstrings,
D Em key Fof GG B G and
Cm Dm BE strings,
F Gm keyA of B
B G E and
Am Bm DC strings,
D EmkeyF of G
G
4 — — — — 6 major third
implied
I ii iii IV V vi vii o I I ii iii IV V vi vii o I I ii iii IV V vi vii o I 5 — — — — 7 major third
interval
type:
chords: G m3
M3 Am m3
Bm M3
C M3
D m3
Em m3
F G
M3 B m3
M3 Cm m3
Dm M3
E M3
F m3
Gm m3
A M3 B G Am Bm C D Em F G
6———1 minor third
Tinterval T 3 4 6 8 10 11 13 15 T 7———2 minor third
Atype: M3 m3 m3 M3 M3 m3 m3 M3 A 3M3 5m3 7m3 8M3 10M3 12m3 14m3 15M3 A 5 7 9 10 12 14 16 17 Now we are going to look at the
BT 2 35 57 78 109 10 12 14 BT 3 45 67 88 10 11 13 15 BT 7 8 10 12 14 15 17 19
interval 3 12 14 15
pattern structure as if we were in a
Atype: M3 m3 m3 M3 M3 m3 m3 M3 A 3M3 m3 10 12 14 15
m3 M3 M3 m3 m3 M3 A 5 7 9 10 12 14 16 17
FIGURE
B 2 4 3diatonic
5 7sixths
9 on10 the
12 14 FIGURE
B 5 diatonic sixths on the FIGURE
B 6 diatonic sixths on the G and helicopter, looking down at crop circle
T 3 5A and 7 G8 strings,
10 12key14of A 15 T 33 45D and 6 B8 strings,
10 11 13of 15
8 10 12key D T 7 8 high 10 E12 14 15
strings, key 17
of G19 patterns in a cornfield. Unless a guitar
A
FIGURE I 2 4ii 3diatonic
iii5 IV7sixths on the o I A 7
FIGUREI 5 iidiatonic sixths
V on
14 15
vi the
vii o I
A 5
FIGURE 7 9 10 12 on
I 6ii diatonic
iii IVsixths
14 16 G
V vi the
17
vii o Iand
B A 3 Bm5A and C7 m D
V9 vi
G8 strings,
10 vii
E10 F12key
12 14
m G14of A15
A B D Em D and
iii IV
F mBGstrings,
A Bm keyCof DD B G7 Am8 high
BmE12
10 Cstrings,
14
D 15 key 17
Em Fof G19
G
has 24 frets, it is not long enough to
enable you to see two complete one-oc-
FIGURE
I 4ii diatonic
iii IVsixths
V on vii o
vi the I FIGUREI 5 iidiatonic sixths
iii IV V on vii o
vi the I FIGURE
8va
6ii diatonic
I throughout
iii IVsixths
V onvi the o I
vii G and tave patterns side by side up and down
A BmA and
C mGD strings,
E F keym G of AA D D and
Em F mBGstrings,
A Bm keyCof DD G Amhigh
BmE Cstrings,
D keyEm of
F GG
8va throughout the neck. So we’re going to look at the
I ii iii IV V vi vii o I I ii iii IV V vi vii o I I ii iii IV V vi vii o I
pattern as though we’re viewing it from
A Bm C m D E F mG A D Em F m G A Bm C D G Am Bm C D Em F G
3 5 7 8 10 12 14 15 a great distance. Major thirds will be
T T 3 5 7 8 10 12 14 15 T 8va throughout represented by the capital letter “M,”
A 2 4 6 7 9 11 13 14 A 4 5 7 9 11 12 14 16 A 43 55 77 98 11 12 14 16
10 12 14 15
BT 4 5 76 97 119 12 14 16 BT 3 5 7 8 10 12 14 15 BT 4 5 7 9 11 12 14 16 and minor thirds with a lowercase “m.”
A 2 74 diatonic
FIGURE
11 13 14
10ths on the low A 4 8 5diatonic
FIGURE 7 910ths
11 on
12the 14 16 A
FIGURE 95 diatonic 10ths on the D and Looking at the patterns from this per-
B
T
4 5 7 9 11 12 14 16
E and G strings, key of G B
T 3 5A and 7 B8strings,
10 12 key14of C15 B 3
T 4 5 high
7 8 10 12 14 15
E strings, key of F spective gives us the following formula,
A I2 7ii4 diatonic
FIGURE 6 7 9 11 13 o 14
iii IV 10ths
V onvi the
vii low
I A I 4 8ii 5diatonic
FIGURE iii7 IV910ths
V11 on
vi12 the
14o I16
vii A I 9ii diatonic
FIGURE 7 9 11 12 14 o 16
iii IV10ths
V on vi the
vii D Iand
which repeats in successive octaves:
B G4 Am
5 E and
7
Bm 9 strings,
G
C 11
D 12 14
EmkeyF of16G
G B C DmA and Em FB strings,
G Amkey B of C
C B F Gmhigh AmE Bstrings,
C Dm key Eof F F M m m M M m m, M m m M M m m, M
FIGURE
I 7ii diatonic
iii IV10ths
V onvi the o I
vii low FIGURE
I 8ii diatonic
iii IV10ths
V on vii o
vi the I FIGURE
I 9ii diatonic
8va iii IV10ths
V onvi the o I
viiD and m m M M m m, etc
G AmE and
Bm GC strings,
D EmkeyF of G
G C DmA and
Em BF strings,
G AmkeyB of C
C F high
Gm AmE Bstrings,
C keyDm of
E FF The great thing about a third is that
I ii iii IV V vi vii o I I ii iii IV V vi vii o I
8va
I ii iii IV V vi vii o I it clearly and economically implies a
G Am Bm C D Em F G C Dm Em F G Am B C F Gm Am B C Dm E F chord with only two notes. Taken in
58va 6 8 10 12 13 15 17 context, the above formula of diatonic
T T 5 6 8 10 12 13 15 17 T
A 4 5 7 9 11 12 14 16
A A 35 56 78 8
10 10
12 12
13 14
15 15
17
thirds suggests the set of diatonic
B
T 34 55 77 89 10 12 14 15 B
T 35 56 78 8
10 10
12 12
13 14
15 15
17 B
T triads I ii iii IV V vi viiº without the
A 11 12 14 16
A A 3 5 7 8 10 12 14 15 inclusion of the fifths.
B
T 3 5 7 8 10 12 14 15 B
T
3
5
5
6
7
8
8
10
10
12
12
13
14
15
15
17 B
T
5 6 8 10 12 13 15 17
Take care to note and remember that
A 4 5 7 9 11 12 14 16
A A 3 5 7 8 10 12 14 15 the minor thirds (m) always come in
B 3 5 7 8 10 12 14 15 B 3 5 7 8 10 12 14 15 B pairs while the major thirds (M) can
show up as either singles or pairs, and
that counting from the first degree,
or tonic, will produce a formula that
goes major, pair of minor thirds; pair
of major thirds; pair of minor thirds
and then the single major third again.
Instead of thinking from the one (I), we
should think from the pattern, which
is mostly pairs, and the consecutive
pairs are all whole steps apart from one
another—the half steps show up only

7 GUITAR DVD
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzTHWA
CONTINUED
AN ALCHEMY OF SWEET PATTERNS
WORKING WITH DIATONIC THIRDS, SIXTHS AND 10THS
CHAPTER 4
between the minor iii and major IV, and
between the minor viiº and major I.
Now we can arbitrarily pick a key
and look at an example. (Note that as
we move from thirds to sixths to 10ths,
some of the shapes of the major and
minor thirds will change. This can
lead to some confusion because major
thirds relate to minor sixths and vice
versa, but we won’t worry about that
for now.) I’m going to put our first
example in the key of G (FIGURE
1). This fretboard pattern structure
for diatonic thirds applies to all pairs
of adjacent strings that are tuned in
fourths; that is, E-A, A-D, D-G, and
B-E. We will need a different pattern
structure for the G-B pair, however,
because these two strings are tuned
to a major third, one half step lower
than a perfect fourth. This tuning
discrepancy is important because it
affects the physical/visual shapes on
the fretboard.
When playing through FIGURE 1,
don’t think about the notes so much as
think about the pattern structure, or
sequence—M m m M M m m. We want
to learn as much as we can without
introducing unnecessary cognitive
dissonance. As Einstein put it, “As
simple as possible, but no simpler.”
FIGURE 2 illustrates the pattern
structure for diatonic thirds as they
lay on the string set G-B, beginning
in third position in the key of Bf for
comparison with the previous set of
shapes depicted in FIGURE 1, which
also begins in third position.
You should learn each of these two
fretboard patterns thoroughly and
learn it as a circle, in other words, learn
to start on all the different degrees
of the scale: start with two pairs of
minors, then with one minor followed
by one major followed by the pairs, etc.
In other words, learn it thoroughly in
all modes.
SIXTHS
Sixths are built from the same two
notes as thirds, only inverted—meaning
the higher note is either transposed
down an octave or the lower note is
transposed up an octave—so that the
third degree is now on the bottom.
Intervals are named from the lowest
note, so 345671 is called a sixth, but it
still only contains the same two notes—
the third and the one, or root.
The formula for sixths going
through the major scale will look like
this, again with numbers indicating
8 GUITAR DVD
the scale degrees and the dashes
representing the number of half steps:
3———————1
4—————2
5—————3
6———————4
7———————5
1—————6
2—————7
3———————1
Again, we find the same formula in
terms of “major” and “minor” shapes
so that the whole thing still follows
the diatonic pattern M m m M M m
m. However, at this point I need to
disclose a little theoretical caveat that
I hope won’t confuse or bewilder you,
and that is that major intervals, when
inverted, technically become minor
intervals, and vice versa. So a major
third contains the same two notes
as a minor sixth, albeit in different
registers, and a minor third becomes a
major sixth when inverted.
Now that we have that pesky
theoretical disclaimer out of the way,
let’s look at diatonic sixths. FIGURE
3 illustrates the fretboard pattern for
diatonic sixths in the key of G on the
low E and D strings. Remember that
all of these pattern structures are key-
independent on the guitar, that is, they
can start anywhere, and they can start
anywhere within the pattern, meaning
in any mode of the parent major
scale. In this example I’m showing
sixths in the key of G for the sake of
comparison to FIGURE 1. Notice that
we’re starting with the third on the
lower string and the root, or I, on the
higher string.
Regarding right-hand technique,
as each pair of notes is played on
nonadjacent strings, you can either
dampen the middle string with your
fret hand and strum all three strings, as
you would do when playing strummed
octaves, or use hybrid picking, what
I refer to as the “claw” technique,
which entails picking the lower note
with your pick while simultaneously
plucking the higher note with your
middle or ring finger.
This pattern structure works on
two string pairs, E-D, which we looked
at in FIGURE 3, and A-G, shown in
FIGURE 4 in the key of A. When we
cross the “tuning anomaly” line of the
G and B strings, the shapes change, and
the following pattern structure works
for the string pairs D-B and G-E, both
shown beginning in third position in
FIGURES 5 and 6.
TENTHS
Tenths are just like thirds but with the
higher note, the third, transposed up an
octave: 1234567123. As this represents a
distance of 10 scale degrees, it’s called
a 10th. The first pattern structure
A GRASP I’m going to show you for 10ths only
OF DEEP works on one string pair, the low E
and G, because the notes can only be
FUNCTIONAL played three strings apart, and after
HARMONY this we encounter the G-B string
tuning anomaly. I will demonstrate
WILL OPEN this pattern once again in the key of
A SHORTCUT G (see FIGURE 7), beginning in third
position, but remember that it works
TO A VAST from anywhere on this string pair.
BODY OF As there are now two unused strings
between each pair of notes, you’ll need
MUSICAL to use the “claw” technique to play
KNOWLEDGE. 10ths. Note that the formula for 10ths
follows the same formula as thirds: M
m m M M m m.
The other pattern structure for
10ths works on the string pairs A-B
and D-high E. FIGURE 8 depicts the
pattern on the A and B strings in the
key of C, beginning in third position for
comparison with the previous set of
shapes. The physical pattern is identical
on the D and high E strings, and played
in this same position gives you 10ths in
the key of F (see FIGURE 9).
When it comes to functional
harmony, thirds, sixths and 10ths
serve essentially the same purpose.
They’re just different ways of playing
the degree tones 1 and 3 (or f3) and
implying diatonic triads. Now we can
really start to have some fun. First of
all, consider the textural and emotional
qualities of the three different interval
types. Thirds, as they are played
on adjacent strings, sound “tight”
and “solid.” A well-known example
of thirds is the intro lick to Van
Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl.” Sixths,
with an unused string and a fairly
wide gap between the two constituent
notes, have the third on the bottom and
impart a somewhat “romantic” feeling.
You can hear sixths a lot in blues and
country, and in practically every Dylan
song from his early electric period.
Steve Cropper’s signature intro guitar
lick in the Sam and Dave classic “Soul
Man” is a prime example of sixths.
Finally, we have 10ths, in which the
tonic and its third are separated by an
octave with two empty strings between
them. This builds on the romance of
sixths for something achingly “wistful.”
That’s why 10ths are used to such great
effect in the Beatles’ “Blackbird.”
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzTHWA

xTRIAD ARCHIPELAGOES
MODULAR ROUTING UP THE FRETBOARD
CHAPTER 5

» IF YOU DON’T KNOW what an

arpeggio is, don’t feel too bad.
When I was younger I called
it an “archipelago,” which is a
small string of islands! No mat-
ter how I tried, I just could not
get the word “arpeggio” to come out of
my mouth.
There was a certain amount of
surprisingly far simpler and clearer
than one would imagine.
In this chapter’s lesson, we’re
going to work with triads, which
come in four qualities: major,
minor, diminished and augmented.
Numerically, or intervallically, they
are spelled as follows, with the dots
representing the number of half steps
THIS WILL
INTRODUCE
YOU TO A
since the guitar has six strings, you
could play each shape three times
starting at each octave, or root note.
This will require positional jumping
of the index finger on the way up.
On the way down, whatever finger
is used to fret the top note, be it the
middle or ring, leads through three
octaves. Remember that these shapes
poetry in my error, however, as an between adjacent tones: are movable—they’re the same shapes
arpeggio is simply the intervallic WAY OF no matter what keys they’re in. This
degrees, or “islands,” of a chord, played major 1•••• 3•••5 approach is intervallic, so forget the
as single notes, one after the other. In minor 1•••f3••••5 PLAYING musical alphabet for the time being.
this chapter, I’m going to show you diminished 1•••f3•••f5 ARPEGGIOS On guitar, one should learn by pattern,
some ways of playing arpeggios up and augmented 1•••• 3••••s5 number and degree, and the alphabet
down the fretboard that will not only
THAT IS can come later.
make shredders shudder in delight FIGURE 1 illustrates how these four SIMPLE AND Now we’re going to learn these same
but also introduce beginners and triads lay on the fretboard as arpeggios. arpeggios in second inversion, starting
intermediate players to a methodology You will see that each arpeggio shape
CLEAR. each one from the “5.” This will place
of thinking and visualization that is incorporates two adjacent strings; the root note on the second, or higher,

FIGURE 1 root-position arpeggios

a) F major (numbers in circles indicate chord tones) b) F minor
1fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 1fr 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr
* *
& ( & –(
* *
& ( & –(
* *
& ( & –(

c) F diminished d) F augmented
1fr 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 1fr 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr
–* —*
& –( & (
–* —*
& –( & (
–* —*
& –( & (

FIGURE 2 second-inversion arpeggios

a) B–major b) B–minor
1fr 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 1fr 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr
& ( & –(
* *
& ( & –(
* *
& ( & –(
* *

c) B–diminished d) B–augmented
1fr 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 1fr 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr
& –( & (
–* —*
& –( & (
9 GUITAR DVD
–* —*
& –( & (
 * *
& ( & –(

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzTHWA
&
*
( &
*
–(

c) F diminished d) F augmented
1fr 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 1fr 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr
CONTINUED
–* —*

TRIAD ARCHIPELAGOES
& –( & (
–* —*
& –( & (
MODULAR ROUTING UP THE FRETBOARD
–* —*
CHAPTER
& 5 –( & (

FIGURE 2 second-inversion arpeggios

a) B–major b) B–minor
1fr 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 1fr 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr
& ( & –(
* *
& ( & –(
* *
& ( & –(
* *

c) B–diminished d) B–augmented
1fr 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 1fr 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr
& –( & (
–* —*
& –( & (
–* —*
& –( & (
–* —*

I M P
FIGURE 3 Django Reinhardt fingering
a) G major > = index B =middle b) G minor
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr 15fr 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr 15fr
> > > >
B B B B
> >
> B > B
> >
> B > B

c) G diminished d) G augmented
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr 15fr 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr 15fr
> B B >
B >
B
> >
> B
B B
> > B
> B > B

string of each pair (see FIGURE 2). the major chord scale follows the strings, making them easy to stack up.
Except for the diminished, which formula: major, minor, minor, major, Finally, in FIGURE 3 I show you a
has a shape that takes some getting major, minor, diminished. method of playing all four arpeggios
used to, this is fairly simple. The As you can see, this whole approach using only the first two fingers, à la
augmented is easy if you just use two to arpeggio playing requires quick the great Gypsy jazz guitarist Django
fingers, as demonstrated in the video
that accompanies this chapter, but you
jumps of the hand and wrist position.
But there’s a lot you can do with it, some
Reinhardt, who, due to a hand injury,
could use only two fingers. I have

probably won’t use the augmented of which I demonstrate in the video included arrows in FIGURE 3 to
arpeggio much in ordinary play. In fact, portion. There are several other ways designate movement of the middle
in playing up the diatonic chord scales you can play the arpeggios, but this is finger. These shapes and fingerings are
by arpeggio, you will only need the the simplest and easiest to understand, incredibly fun and useful once you get
major, minor and diminished, because as you have the full arpeggios on two the knack of them.

10 GUITAR DVD
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzTHWA

y
»
OPEN ACCESS
DOUBLE PULL-OFFS AND HAMMER-ONS IN OPEN POSITION
CHAPTER 6
IN THIS CHAPTER, we’re going
to look at pull-offs and ham-
mer-ons, in particular double
pull-offs and hammer-ons
played in open position, and
using the nut. I’ve employed
these techniques a great deal in my
own work, as have Jimmy Page, Jeff
Beck, Danny Gatton, many old blues
guitarists and, to a lesser extent, shred-
ders and metal players.
These exercises will strengthen
your fret hand and improve finger
coordination. They will also give your
fingers a thorough workout, as you
have to really dig into the strings to
execute them. Hammer-ons require
that you give the strings a hard tap,
while for pull-offs you must pull, or
“snap,” the string in toward your palm
as you let go of it. Back when I was
perfecting these techniques, I would
perform pull-offs and hammer-ons
until I got blisters on my fingers. These
eventually grew into calluses, which
then developed large dents. I suggest
that you make pull-offs and hammer-
ons a regular part of your practice
regimen, using the exercises in this
chapter as a foundation. But be careful
to not overdo it—the goal is not to hurt
yourself, but rather to gain the benefits
of strength, coordination, speed,
dexterity and endurance.
Let’s begin with pull-offs performed
on the high E string. Simultaneously
place your ring finger at the third fret
The tablature for this exercise is
extraordinarily simple (see FIGURE
1). Once you have this exercise under
your fingers, practice it on the other
strings using the same 3-1-0 fingering,
as shown in FIGURE 2. You’ll notice
that what you’re playing is not a proper
scale, but that’s okay, because you’re
just practicing the mechanics of the
double-pull-off here.
Now let’s look at double hammer-
ons. In our next exercise (FIGURE
3), double hammer-ons are performed
by picking the open string and then
quickly tapping, or slapping, your fret-
hand index finger down onto the string
at the first fret, followed immediately
by your fret-hand ring finger tapping at
the third fret. Hammer down as firmly
as you can so that the two hammered
notes are heard at the same volume as
the picked open-string note.
So far we haven’t concerned
ourselves with playing proper scales
with hammer-ons and pull-offs. Let’s
do that now. Looking at the cycle of
fourths/fifths, we see that there are
only three major keys that use all six
open strings in them: C, D and G. All
FIGURE 1
double pull-offs exercise etc.
3 1 0 3 1 0 3 1 0 3 1 0
T T
the other major keys have accidentals
that prevent you from pulling off to,
and hammering on from, an open
string. For example, the key of F major
contains Bf, and the key of A major
contains Gs.
FIGURES 4-9 illustrate open-
position double pull-offs and hammer-
ons played across the strings in the
THESE ARE keys of C, G and D major. Note that in
TECHNIQUES each case the note B is played twice in
a row, first on the open second string
THAT JIMMY and then on the G string’s fourth fret,
PAGE, JEFF or vice versa.
Keep in mind that the patterns
BECK, MANY I’ve shown you for these three major
OLD BLUES scales/keys also work for their relative
natural minor keys, namely A minor,
GUITARISTS B minor and E minor, as well as
AND EVEN their relative modes, for example G
Mixolydian, E Dorian and C Lydian.
SHREDDERS On the video portion of this chapter, I
AND METAL demonstrate how to play pull-offs and
hammer-ons in these keys, as well as
PLAYERS USE. in others that use accidentals. You’ll
find that, once you know how these
techniques look and sound, you’ll
start to recognize them in much of the
music you listen to.
FIGURE 2 FIGURE 3
double pull-offs across the neck double hammer-ons across the neck
310 0 1 3
310 T 0 1 3

and pre-position your index finger at A A 310

310 A 0 1 3
0 1 3

the first fret. Pick the string to sound

B 5fr B7fr 9fr
3 1 0
3 1 0 B013013
the third-fret note, then “snap” your 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
ring finger off the fretboard by pulling 5fr 7fr 9fr
the string slightly sideways, in toward
C FIGURE 4 FIGURE 5
1fr 5fr 7fr 9fr
the palm, as you remove your finger. double pull-offs in C major double hammer-ons in C major
Done properly, this pull-off will keep 310 0 1 3
the string vibrating and sound the note
T 310 T 0 1 3
A 420
320 A 0 2 3
0 2 4
at the first fret. Then pull your index B 3 2 0 B013023
3 1 0
finger off the first fret with another
5fr 7fr 3 9fr 3
aggressive downward/inward snap to 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

allow the open string to sound. This G FIGURE 6 FIGURE 7

snapping motion, in which the fretting 1fr 3fr 5fr 7fr hammer-ons
double 9fr in G major double pull-offs in G major
finger essentially re-plucks the string, 5fr 7fr 9fr
0 2 3 320
is critical to the pull-off technique, as T 0 1 3 T 310
it keeps the string vibrating enough to A 0 2 4
0 2 4
A 420
420
give the next note sufficient volume. If B023 0 2 3 B 3 2 0
3 2 0
you were to just lift the finger directly
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
off the string, the next note would be
barely audible. D FIGURE 8 FIGURE 9
I usually call this exercise “Figaro,” 1fr 3fr 5fr 7fr pull-offs
double 9fr in D major double hammer-ons in D major
because if you do it properly you
320 0 2 3
should be able to chant “Fi-ga-ro, Fi-
5fr
T 320 T 0 2 3
ga-ro, Fi-ga-ro,” as you play the three A7fr 9fr4 2 0
420 A 0 2 4
0 2 4

notes of the double pull-off repeatedly.

5fr
B7fr 9fr 4 2 0
3 2 0 B023 0 2 4
The phrase should be played as a
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
rolling triplet.

11 GUITAR DVD
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzTHWA

n
»
THE SINGLE-STRING MAGISTERIUM
LEARNING SCALE PATTERNS, ONE STRING AT A TIME
CHAPTER 7

IN THIS CHAPTER, we’re going

to return to the idea of using a
single string not only as a way
to learn major and pentatonic
scale formations, but also to
lay the foundation of chordal
Ionian
(major)
FIGURE 1 the major scale and its modes

Dorian FIGURE
&

' 1
3fr
'

3fr
the major scale
(
3fr
5fr
(

5fr
and)its modes
5fr
)

*
7fr

7fr

7fr
*

+
9fr

9fr

9fr
,
+

&
12fr
,

12fr

12fr
&

'

structure. Due to the manner in which Ionian & '

3fr (
5fr ) 7fr * 9fr + ,
12fr &
the guitar is tuned—in perfect fourths, (major)
Phrygian ( ) * + , & ' (
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
except for the second and third strings,
Dorian ' (
3fr ) 5fr * 7fr + 9fr , & 12fr '
B and G, which are tuned a major third Lydian ) * + , & ' ( )
apart—whenever you play a scale us- 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
ing more than one string, some of the Phrygian ( ) 3fr * 5fr + 7fr , &
9fr ' 12fr (
intervals in the scale formula become Mixolydian * + , & ' ( ) *
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
invisible as you cross strings.
Lydian ) *
3fr +
5fr ,
7fr & 9fr ' (
12fr )
The only way to see the complete,
Aeolian + , & ' ( ) * +
unbroken formula for a scale pattern (natural minor) 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
is to play it on a single string. The Mixolydian * +
3fr ,
5fr & 7fr ' 9fr ( ) 12fr *
ancients had a particular instrument Locrian , & ' ( ) * + ,
for doing this: the monochord, a 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr

single-string device with movable Aeolian + , & ' ( ) * +

(natural minor) FIGURE 2 the major pentatonic scale and its modes
frets, as on a sitar, on which one could 3fr
3fr 5fr
5fr 7fr
7fr 9fr
9fr 12fr
12fr
measure ratios and distances. Since the first mode
Locrian ,& & ' ' ( ( ) * * + + ,
&
major scale contains seven arithmetic (major pent)
modes, and there are 12 keys, learning FIGURE 2
3fr 5fr
the major pentatonic scale and its modes
7fr 9fr 12fr
the major scale thoroughly yields an second mode ' ( * + & '
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
understanding of 84 regular scales, in first mode & '
3fr (
5fr 7fr * 9fr + 12fr &
all the modes, both major and minor. (major pent)
third mode ( * + & ' (
The pentatonic scale, whether major or 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
minor, is a five-note scale. Of necessity, second mode ' (
3fr 5fr * 7fr + 9fr & 12fr '
it must contain five modes, starting fourth mode * + & ' ( *
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
from each of the five notes; since there
third mode ( 3fr * 5fr + 7fr &
9fr ' 12fr (
are 12 keys, learning the pentatonic
fifth mode + & ' ( * +
scale thoroughly yields knowledge of (minor pent) 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
60 pentatonic scales. Thus, learning fourth mode * + & ' ( *
the 84 major scales and the 60 FIGURE 3 triad qualities
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
pentatonic scales yields knowledge of a
fifth mode + 3fr & 5fr ' 7fr ( 9fr * 12fr +
staggering 144 regular scales. (minormajor
pent) & ( *
In actuality, however, you need to
learn just two scales: the major scale FIGURE 3 3fr
triad qualities 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
and the major pentatonic scale. minor & –( *
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
All the other scales can be derived

i
major & 3fr (
5fr 7fr * 9fr 12fr
from these.
To review, the formula for the diminished & –( –*
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
major scale is whole step, whole step, minor & 3fr –( 5fr 7fr * 9fr 12fr
half step, whole step, whole step, augmented & ( —*
whole step, half step—or W W H W 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
W W H—and this pattern continues diminished & –( –*
FIGURE 4 seventh chord qualities
infinitely in successive octaves. This is 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
spelled, intervallically, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1. 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
augmented
major seven && (( * —* , &
The natural minor scale is the Aeolian
mode, which starts from the sixth 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
degree of the major scale and gives FIGURE 4 seventh chord qualities
dominant seven & ( * –, &
you 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 (W H W W H W W). 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
FIGURE 1 presents a useful way to major seven & 3fr (
5fr 7fr * 9fr ,
12fr &
learn and review all seven modes of minor seven & –( * –, &
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
the major scale up and down a single
minordominant seven
seven flat-five & 3fr (
5fr 7fr * 9fr –, 12fr &
string, with each mode starting at the (half-diminished seven)
& –( –* –, &
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
minor seven & 3fr –( 5fr 7fr * 9fr –, 12fr &
diminished seven & –( –* ––, &
minor seven flat-five 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
(half-diminished seven) & –( –* –, &

3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr

12 GUITAR DVD
diminished seven & –( –* ––, &
 Aeolian + , & ' ( ) * +
(natural minor) 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
Aeolian
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzTHWA
(naturalLocrian
minor)
+
, &
,
3fr

3fr
&
'
5fr

5fr
'
(
7fr
)
7fr
( )
9fr
*
9fr
* 12fr
+
12fr
+
,

Locrian , & ' ( ) * + ,

FIGURE 2 the major pentatonic scale and its modes
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
FIGURE 2 the major pentatonic scale and its modes
first mode & ' ( * + &
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
(major pent)
first mode
CONTINUED & '
3fr (
5fr 7fr * 9fr + 12fr &
(major mode
second pent) ' ( * + & '
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr

THE SINGLE-STRING MAGISTERIUM

second mode
third mode
'
(
(
3fr

3fr
*
5fr

5fr
*
+
7fr

7fr
+ 9fr
&
9fr
& 12fr
'
12fr
'
(
LEARNING SCALE PATTERNS,
third mode ( *
ONE STRING
+
AT A TIME & ' 12fr (
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr
CHAPTER
fourth mode 7* +
3fr 5fr
&
7fr
'
9fr
(
12fr
*

fourth mode * +
3fr 5fr & 7fr ' 9fr ( 12fr *
fifth mode + & ' ( * +
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
(minor pent)
fifth mode + & ' ( * +
(minor pent)
FIGURE 3 triad qualities
FIGURE 3 triad qualities
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
major & ( *
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
major & 3fr 5fr( 7fr * 9fr 12fr
minor &
3fr
–( 5fr 7fr
*
9fr 12fr YOU NEED
minor
diminished
& 3fr –( 5fr 7fr * 9fr 12fr TO LEARN
& –( –*
diminished
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr JUST TWO
& 3fr –( 5fr –*
7fr 9fr 12fr
augmented & ( —*
SCALES:
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
augmented & ( —*
THE MAJOR
FIGURE 4 seventh chord qualities SCALE AND
FIGURE 4 seventh chord
3fr qualities 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
THE MAJOR
major seven & ( * , &
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
major seven & 3fr (
5fr 7fr * 9fr ,
12fr & PENTATONIC
dominant seven &
3fr
(
5fr 7fr
*
9fr
–,
12fr
& SCALE.
dominant seven & 3fr (
5fr 7fr * 9fr –, 12fr & ALL OTHER
minor seven &
3fr
–(
5fr 7fr
*
9fr
–, &
12fr SCALES CAN
minor seven –( –, 12fr
minor seven flat-five
(half-diminished seven)
&
&
3fr
–(
5fr 7fr
–*
* 9fr
–,
&
&
BE DERIVED
minor seven flat-five
(half-diminished seven) &
3fr
–(
5fr 7fr
–*
9fr 12fr
–, 12fr &
FROM THESE.
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr
diminished seven & –( –* ––, &
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
diminished seven & –( –* ––, &

first fret. You will notice here that I
have indicated the scale degrees as
they relate to each mode’s relative
major scale.
The formula for a major pentatonic
scale is W W m3 W m3 and is spelled,
intervallically, 1 2 3 5 6 1. The relative
minor pentatonic scale starts from
the sixth degree of major pentatonic:
6 1 2 3 5 6 (m3 W W m3 W). FIGURE
2 illustrates the pentatonic scale and
each of its modes played up and down
a single string.
Both scales are diatonic—that is,
each is comprised of just two types
of intervals. The major scale contains
only whole steps and half steps, and
the pentatonic scale has only whole
steps and minor thirds.
Chords also feature just two types
of intervals, major and minor thirds,
which are stacked atop one another.
Triads are made up of three notes:
the tonic (a.k.a. the root), the third,
which can be major or minor, and the
fifth, which can be perfect, diminished
or augmented. Each combination of
these interval types yields a different
triad quality, of which there are
four possible ones, all of which
are illustrated on a single string in
FIGURE 3. They are, in order shown,
major, minor (f3), diminished (f3 and
f5) and augmented (s5).
Now let’s look at seventh chords,
which are the four-note chords
made up of the odd scale degrees
within one octave. FIGURE 4 shows
the five most common seventh chord
qualities.
To practice this study, I advocate
using only one finger and sliding it up
and down any given string following
each formula. To learn all the regular
scales and most commonly used chord 
qualities, you need to know only four 
intervals: half steps, whole steps,
minor thirds and major thirds. Playing
them on a single string is the only
way to avoid the invisibility of intervals
and gain a complete grasp of this
concept. Remember that many famous
players spent some time learning on
a single string: Jimi Hendrix, Muddy
Waters, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker,
Magic Sam… The list goes on. Let it
include you.

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GETTING INTO SHAPES
THE SECRET BEHIND THE CIRCLE OF FOURTHS/FIFTHS PROGRESSIONS
CHAPTER 8
IN CHAPTER FOUR of my first
DVD, The Alchemical Guitarist:
Fretboard Secrets Unlocked, we
looked at the five-chord cycle,
which consists of the chords
E, A, D, G and C, played in that
order, forward and backward—that is,
FIGURE 1 fingerings for chords in open position
E A D G C

through the cycle of fourths (forward)

and fifths (backward). I also demon-
strated how you can barre the open 23 1 234 132 21 3 32 1
or 3 4 2 or 2 4 3 or 3 2 4 or 4 3 2
shapes of these chords and move them
up and down the fretboard to play ev-
ery other major chord in a five-chord
FIGURE 2 fingerings for barred shapes
cycle of fourths and fifths. E shape A shape D shape G shape C shape
In this chapter I’m going to show
you how to create minor chord shapes
(F) (B–) (E–) (A–) (D–)
in the same way. Then we’ll look at
how to use the cycle of fourths and
fifths to create perfect progressions, in
particular the ii-V-I, which is perhaps
the most important and famous
progression in jazz, and also in almost 134 211 112341 11 243 321114 143121
every style of Western music. This is

a
because the ii-V-I progression follows FIGURE 3 moveable minor shapes
the deepest law of music and allows
the greatest changes in chord tonality Em shape Am shape Dm shape Gm shape Cm shape
within the shortest distance in the
cycle of fourths and fifths.
(Gm) (Cm) (Fm) (B–m) (E–m)
Let’s begin by reviewing the five
major chord shapes in open position 3fr. 3fr. 3fr. 3fr. 3fr.
(FIGURE 1) and their movable barred
forms (FIGURE 2). Now let’s take
these movable shapes from FIGURE
2 and flat all the thirds to create minor 134 211 113421 11 342 21444 4213
voicings, shown in third position in
FIGURE 3. You will notice that the
first three shapes are barred, but FIGURE 4 the cycle of fourths and fifths
the last two—the “Gm” and “Cm”
shapes—are not. That’s because these E
two voicings have more than one A > B
flatted third in them and do not lend >K K
themselves to barre chord form. As
a result, we have to abandon some of
the strings to play them. The “Gm” D –K>> G–/F—
^^
shape is in first inversion, meaning the
third is the lowest note in the voicing.
The “Cm” shape is the most difficult
to finger, due to a rather wide pinkie
G –>>> k^ D–/C—
stretch. For now, you may find it easier
to play it in the higher positions where
the frets are closer together. Once you
have these minor triad shapes in hand,
practice playing them through the C –K> ^^^ A–/G—
cycle of fourths and fifths, forward and
back, up and down the fretboard.
Now let’s have a quick refresher in –>> k^^•
the cycle of fourths/fifths (FIGURE 4). F –K E–/D—
It’s here that we will see the reason for
all of our work. We can take any three
B–/A—
chords for this example, but I’ll take E,

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a b cE dshape
e f g hAi jklD
shape
mshape
n o p q Grshape
s t u v Cw shape
xyzTHWA
FIGURE 1 fingerings for chords in open position
E (F) A (B–)D G (E–) C (A–) (D–)
CONTINUED

GETTING INTO SHAPES

THE2 SECRET
3 1
BEHIND
2 3THE
4 CIRCLE OF1 3FOURTHS/FIFTHS
2 21 3
PROGRESSIONS
32 1
CHAPTER 8
or 3 4 2 or 2 4 3 or 3 2 4 or 4 3 2

FIGURE 2 fingerings for barred shapes

134 211 112341 11 243 321114 143121
E shape A shape
A and D. If E is the I, then A is the IV
D shape G shape C shape
beauty of it will become obvious. Thus, the ii to the V, which is major. So it is
and D(F) (B–)everything (E–)
is the fVII. If I move (A–) progression—
we have a five-chord (D–) within the ii–V–I progression that the
FIGURE 3 moveable minor shapes
one space “counterclockwise” through
the cycle, then A is the I, D is the IV
three minors followed by two majors—
that resolves itself at the tonic, which
greatest chordal changes occur. This
is the reason why this progression is
and E is the V. If I move it all one is the second major chord of the so important in music. As soon as you
Em shape Am shape Dm shape
more space counterclockwise, then D progression. GmTHESE
shape Cm shape
hear the changes over this progression,
SHAPES WILL
(Gm) (Cm) (Fm) (B–m) (E–m)
is the I, A is the V and E becomes the So why can’t we start with the viiº you will recognize them—or something
ii—a
1 3minor
4 2 1chord, Em.
1 1Thus,
2 3 4we1 have 1 1 and
2 4 create a3six-chord
2 1 1 1 4progression? close to them—in just about every tune
1
achieved a change in chord quality.
3 143121
This is because the viiº is a diminished
HELP YOU you come across.
Looking at the cycle, we see that,
FIGURE 3 moveable in minor
triad (1 f3 f5), and there is too great
shapes
APPRECIATE If you follow these two cycles, not
moving
weEmhaveshape
three minors
3fr.
counterclockwise, fourths,
in ashape
row—iii, Dm shape
3fr.
a change in chordal quality between
it and the iii.Gm In fact, the reason
3fr.
why
THE DEPTH 3fr. 3fr.
only will your chord playing facility
increase but you will also begin to
Am shape Cm shape
vi and ii—followed by two majors, V
(Gm) (Cm)
our five-chord progression works so
(Fm) (B–m) (E–m)
OF THE CYCLE see and appreciate the depth of the
and I. In the key of C this progression well is because there is no change cycle of fourths and fifths, as well
would be Em Am Dm G C. Once you in chord quality from the iii to the OF FOURTHS as understand why I use it as the
3fr. the natural3fr.
play this progression, 3fr.ii; the change comes
vi to the 3fr. from AND FIFTHS.
3fr. backbone to everything I teach.

134 211 113421 11 342 21444 4213

134 211 113421 11 342 21444 4213

FIGURE
FIGURE 4 the 4 theof fourths
cycle cycleandof fifths
fourths and fifths
E
A > B E
>K
A K > B
D –K>>
>K G–/F— K
^^

D –K>> G–/F—
G –>>> k^ D–/C— ^^

C –K> ^^^ A–/G—

G –>>> k^ D–/C—
–>> k^^•
F –K E–/D—
B–/A—

C –K> ^^^ A–/G—

–>> k^^•
F –K E–/D—
B–/A—

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ADVANTAGE POSITION
INTERVAL STUDIES, PEDALING AND CHORD ARPEGGIOS IN POSITIONAL PLAY
CHAPTER 9

IN THIS CHAPTER, I’m going

to show you three methods
for practicing interval stud-
ies, using what is known as
“positional play,” or what we
commonly call “the boxes.” Though
which will help to strengthen your
fretting fingers. In addition, we will
concentrate on vertical movement
within positional play. Note that when
playing in position, there should be no
movement of the wrist whatsoever, and IF YOU
I’ve spent a lot of time discussing ways each of your fingers should be assigned WORK AT
in which to get your playing out of the to one fret within the position. THESE
boxes, positional play is useful and You can practice this methodology
necessary as it enables you to access in any position, key or mode. For these
EXERCISES,
a wealth of notes without ever having examples, I’ve chosen fifth position and YOU WILL
to move your fretting hand out of one the key of A major, using the A major START TO
position. scale (A B Cs D E Fs Gs). FIGURE DISCOVER
In the first portion of this lesson, 1 shows the intervals written out in
we’ll study intervals by playing through tablature. Be sure to play each pattern
MANY
thirds, fourths, fifths, sixths, sevenths forward then backward, as indicated. MAGICAL
and octaves in a single position. (We’ll Remember that the key of A major TRICKS
skip major second intervals because is arbitrary—this works anywhere on UNDER
they often appear on the same string, the fretboard with any scale or mode.
and thus playing them adequately While you may feel discomfort from
YOUR
requires you to shift position, which learning to barre with all four of your FINGERS.
is not allowed in this lesson.) An fingers, the benefits of strength will
advantage to this method is that you come with time and practice.
must barre across two or three strings, Our second positional play exercise

(play each sequence forward, then backward)

FIGURE 1 A major scale, fifth position
a) thirds b) fourths *
  
4 5


5 7 5 7
4 6 4 7 6 7 4 6 7
4 6 4 7 6 7 4 6 7 4 6 7
4 5 4 7 5 7 5 7 4 5 7
5 7 5 7
*tritone interval
* c) fifths * d) sixths

4 5 4 5
5 7 5 5 7 5 7
4 6 7 4 6 7 4 6 7 4 6 7
4 6 7 4 6 7 4 6 7 4 6 7
7 4 5 7 4 5 7
5 7 5 7

e) sevenths f) octaves

4 5 4 5 4 5


5 7 5 7
4 6 4 6 7 4 4 6 7
6 7 4 6 7 7 4 6 7
4 5 7 4 5 7
5 7 5 7

FIGURE 2 pedaling
ascending
a) b) c)
   

4 4 6
4 6 7 4 6 7 4 6 7


4 5 7 4 5 7 4 5 4 7 4 4 4 4 4
16 GUITAR DVD 5 7 5 5 5 5 5 5 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
 (play each sequence forward, then backward)

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzTHWA FIGURE 1 A major scale, fifth position

a) thirds b) fourths *
  
4 5


5 7 5 7
4 6 4 7 6 7 4 6 7
4 6 4 7 6 7 4 6 7 4 6 7
4 5 4 7 5 7 5 7 4 5 7
5 7 5 7
*tritone interval
CONTINUED * c) fifths d) sixths
*

4 5 4 5
5 7 5 5 7 5 7

ADVANTAGE POSITION
4 6 7 4 6 7 4 6 7 4 6 7
4 6 7 4 6 7 4 6 7 4 6 7
7 4 5 7 4 5 7
5 7 5 7
INTERVAL STUDIES, PEDALING AND CHORD ARPEGGIOS IN POSITIONAL PLAY
CHAPTER 9 e) sevenths f) octaves

4 5 4 5 4 5


5 7 5 7
4 6 4 6 7 4 4 6 7
6 7 4 6 7 7 4 6 7
4 5 7 4 5 7
5 7 5 7

involves pedaling, or “oblique motion,” FIGURE 2 pedaling

in which the notes of a scale or melody a)
ascending
b) c)
move against, or alternate with, a
  4  

4 6
stationary or reiterated note. The result 4 6 7 4 6 7 4 6 7


4 5 7 4 5 7 4 5 4 7 4 4 4 4 4
sounds very baroque—not surprising, 5 7 5 5 5 5 5 5 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
as this was a technique favored by
composers like J.S. Bach. FIGURE 2 d) e) f)

7   
involves pedaling up from every degree 5 5 7
4 6 4 6 7 4 6 7
across on octaves and then down the 4 6 7 4 6 7 4 6 4 7 4 4 4 4 4
5 7 5 5 5 5 5 5 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
same way. You may find going down
more difficult because it requires that descending
g) h) i)
you barre your finger and then remove
  
4 4 5 5 4 5 5 5 5 5 5
the barre for the subsequent note. 4 6 7
5 7
4 6 7
5 7 7 5
7 6 4
For our third and last exercise 6 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7

of this chapter, we’ll play through

ascending and descending three-note
j) k) l)
triad chord–scale arpeggios in position,
  
4 4 4 4 4 4 4
7 5 7 5 7 7 7 7 7 7 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
as shown in FIGURE 3. Because we 7 6 4 7 6 4 7 6 4
7 6 7 6 4 7 6 4
cannot complete two octaves in this 7
single position, the final three-note
arpeggios will require position shifting.
m) n)

 
If you work at these exercises, you
will start to discover all sorts of magical 7 6 7 4 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 4 6 6 6 6 6 6
7 6 4 7 6 4

tricks under your fingers. In addition 7 5 7 5 4

to being useful in rock and roll, the

movements shown in FIGURES 2 and
o) p)

 
3 sound quite beautiful and “classical.”
I hope you enjoy playing them as much 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
7 6 4 7 6 7 4 7 7 7 7 7
7 5 4 7 5 4
as I do. 7 7 5

FIGURE 3 chord-scale triads in position

A Bm C#m D E F#m G#º A Bm C#m D E F#m G#º A
 
4 5 4 7 5 9 7 10 9 12


5 7 5 7 5 7 9 10
4 6 4 7 6 4 7 6 7
4 6 4 7 6 4 7 6 7
4 7 5 4 7 5 7
5 7
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

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THE WAR ON ERROR
USING PENTATONIC BENDS TO MAKE YOUR PLAYING MISTAKE FREE
CHAPTER 10
The technique discussed in this
chapter is exceedingly simple.
The story behind it goes back
to my earliest days of playing
the guitar, in New York City
in the 1960’s. My best friend,
Velvert Turner, was studying under
Jimi Hendrix, and he and I would get
together to practice the things that
Jimi had shown him. In the process, I
figured out a way to play a pentatonic
scale in three octaves using only the
index and ring fingers in a diagonal
pattern that slides up the fretboard
one whole step every other string,
beginning with three notes on the low
E string and two on the A. I’ve shown
you this “3+2” pattern before, so you
should recognize it in FIGURE 1. The
long, curved arrows connecting the
notes indicate finger slides, with the
ring finger sliding on the way up and
the index sliding on the descent.
At the time, it was more important
for me to avoid playing wrong notes
than it was for me to learn how to
play right notes. In the process of
discovering this pattern, I found places
within it where it was possible to
perform a bend—whole step, half step
or microtonal—that would never sound
out of key. This magic bend spot occurs
at the major second—the second note
within the pentatonic pattern shown
in FIGURE 1, as indicated by the
short, upward-pointing arrow. (When
bending with the ring finger, support
it with the middle finger or the middle
and index. Doing so will give you more
strength with which to pull or push the
string and thus better pitch control.)
FIGURE 2 illustrates a similar
and equally useful pattern. Here you
start with only two notes on the low
pinkie is free to play the next string so
that you get riffs like the one shown in
FIGURE 3.
Next, we discovered diagonal
patterns employing minor thirds,
and again using only the index and
step. Furthermore, if you slide up a
whole step from the minor third, that
note can also be bent a whole step. I
demonstrate this in the video.
The beauty of these patterns is that
once you’ve learned them, they can
ring fingers. The ascending pattern be used over any music you hear, even
depicted in FIGURE 4, which I’ve if you’ve unfamiliar with the tune or
shown you before, is based on a “3+2” don’t know what key it’s in. Simply
form consisting entirely of minor place your fingers on the guitar and
thirds and whole steps and is spelled
m3-W-W-m3-W. FIGURE 5 shows
SOON YOU’LL start hunting around for notes. Once
you find which notes you can bend
the descending pattern, which is a BE FLYING or slide, you can use them to bring an
little different, with the index finger “off” note up to pitch, and within a few
sliding down on the higher string of
UP AND seconds of playing this way you’ll find
the pattern in each octave. FIGURES DOWN THE a couple of correct notes from which
6 and 7 illustrate ascending and you can determine the key center.
descending “2+3” patterns for a fifth-
FRETBOARD, Soon you’ll be flying up and down the
string root pentatonic scale. ASSURED OF fretboard, assured of making absolutely
Notice that all the minor thirds no mistakes. That’s the magic of this
are surrounded by whole steps and
MAKING NO system—all the slides or bends are
therefore can be bent up a whole MISTAKES. whole steps.
FIGURE 1 G major pentatonic ( = root) FIGURE 2 C major pentatonic
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
FIGURE 3
hold bend
G

10
T 8 10 10 (10) 8
A 5 7 9
7 9
B 3 5 7
5 7

E string, play three on the A, via a  3 3  3  3 3  3  3(+2) 4 3(+2) 

finger slide, then repeat the same
“2+3” five-note shape through three FIGURE 4 G minor pentatonic, ascending FIGURE 5 G minor pentatonic, descending
octaves. In this case, the fourth note of 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 12fr
the repeating form, which again is the
major second of the scale, will be the
note you can bend.
Guitarists sometimes struggle for
years and never see this entire diagonal
pattern, especially if they have been
taught “the boxes.” I was fortunate
that I didn’t learn this way, and never
used a book to learn theory. Hell, my FIGURE 6 C minor pentatonic, ascending FIGURE 7 C minor pentatonic, descending
best friend was Jimi Hendrix’s protégé! 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr 3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr
What did I need a book for? Instead,
Velvert and I practiced these diagonal
patterns. Best of all, since only the
index and ring fingers are used, the

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ANCHOR STEAM
GAINING CHORD POWER WITH “FINGER ANCHORS”
CHAPTER 11

IN THIS CHAPTER, I’m going

to take one particular set of
chords and show you how
to quickly and easily learn
all the possible inversions,
so that you can move up and down
FIGURE 1 A7
2nd inv.

3
1
3fr
¢7
3rd inv.
5fr
1
5
3
root pos.
7fr

¢7
9fr
3

5
1st inv.

1
12fr
5

¢7
FIGURE 2 A7
2nd inv.

3
1
3fr
¢7
3rd inv.
5fr
1
5
3
the neck without having to do a lot 5 ¢7 1 3 5 ¢7

of thinking about the chord struc-

ture or where to put your fingers.
We’re going to use dominant seventh
chords for this study, which are four-
note chords, intervallically spelled 1
3 5 f7. Dominant seventh chords are
referred to by a letter name followed
by the number 7, for example, A7.
FIGURE 1 is a fretboard diagram
illustrating four different fingering
positions and shapes for an A7 chord
(theoretically spelled A Cs E G) on
the top four strings. Each shape is a
different voicing, or stacking, of the
chord tones: Root-position means
the root is the lowest note, and first-,
second- and third-inversion signify
that the third, fifth or seventh are the
lowest note, respectively.
Among these four shapes, or
“grips,” there are two of what I call
“anchor fingerings” that enable
you to conveniently alternate
between two adjacent shapes. The
first anchor, shown in FIGURE 2,
involves barring the index finger
across the top four strings to play
both the second and third inversions.
All that is required after that is to
shift the barre up or down three frets
and add the middle finger (or ring,
if you prefer) one fret above it on
either the high E string or the G.
When the added finger is on the
high E string, the chord is in second
inversion, and when you shift the
barre up three frets and move the
added finger over to the G string you
get the third-inversion shape. To
get these grips under your fingers,
practice toggling back and forth
between them several times.
FIGURE 3 depicts the second
anchor fingering, which provides
a finger-friendly way to alternate
between the root-position and
first-inversion voicings. Here we’re
fingering: 1 2(or 3)
FIGURE 3 A7
root pos. 1st inv.
7fr 9fr 12fr
3 5
¢7 1 3
5 ¢7
1 3
1 2 4 1 2 4
3 3
starting in root position, with the
index finger on the D string. In this
case, it is the ring finger and pinkie
that collectively serve as an anchor
on the G and high E strings. As you
can see, to play the first-inversion
voicing, you slide these two fingers
up three frets while the index and
middle fingers trade strings, the
index jumping from the D to the B
and the middle moving from the B to
the D.
Once you get the hang of these
two anchor moves you’ll see that
they’re a lot of fun to use and that
they bring incredible versatility and
nuance to the dominant-seven chord
quality, especially if you’re playing a
progression in which you’re called
upon to vamp for a couple of bars or
longer.
This finger-anchor technique also
works with another string set, the
low E, D, G and B, as illustrated in
FIGURE 4. Note that in this case it’s
imperative to damp the A string with
the fretting fingers as you strum the
bottom five strings. Here we’ll start
with the second inversion, meaning
that the fifth of the chord is on the
bottom, in this case at the 12th fret.
1 2(or 3) 1 2 4 1 2 4 1 2(or 3) 1 2(or 3)
3 3
FIGURE 4 A7
3rd inv. root pos. 1st inv. 2nd inv.
3fr 5fr 7fr 9fr
12fr
5 ¢7 1
1 3 5 ¢7
5 ¢7 1 3
¢7 1 3 5
1 2 3 4 1 2 4 1 2 4
2 3 3
1
The anchor fingers are the ring and
pinkie again, with the index and
middle fingers flipping as the entire
form moves down three frets to the
first-inversion shape.
The other two inversions shown
in FIGURE 4, the root position and
third inversion, can’t be linked so
easily, unless you use the thumb to
fret the low E string for the root-
position shape, which some people
have trouble doing, and barre the
index finger across the D, G and
B strings. The third inversion,
however, is particularly interesting
because the middle finger can be
used on either E string. (Compare the
first chords in FIGURES 1 and 4.)
I use this to great effect in the song
“Big Hole” on my most recent CD,
The Radiant Monkey.
So here you have a very common
chord type—dominant seven—that
is used in rock and roll, rhythm and
blues, country blues and blues of
all kinds. Taking that perky major
seven and “flattening” it so that it is
a dominant seven is done in almost
every kind of popular music except
jazz. And even jazz includes it half
the time.

19 GUITAR DVD
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»
TRIPLE PLAY
A STUDY IN TRIAD INVERSIONS
CHAPTER 12

IN THIS FINAL CHAPTER,

we’re going to look at triads
and learn their inversions by
following, as always, the cycle
of fourths and fifths. But be-
fore we begin, let me stress the dif-
ference between triads and chords. A
triad consists of three notes, whereas
a chord can contain three or more
notes. For example, barre chords
typically employ all six strings of the
guitar. For this lesson, we’re going
to focus specifically on triads, and as
you will see, each can be found with-
in fret-hand shapes that are already
familiar to you.
There are four different triad
qualities: major, minor, diminished
and augmented. The most significant
are major and minor. Ultimately,
followed by the B, G and D string set
(FIGURE 2). The third set (FIGURE
3) is written on the G, D and A
strings and is exactly the same as the
D, A and low E set.
If you follow the instructions
you will find it very easy to play
these shapes. You can seesaw back
and forth between two or three of
them, or just work your way up the
fretboard. The most important thing
is to move alphabetically in fourths
or fifths.
Now, let’s look at the minor sets.
FIGURE 1
E A D G C F
0 0 2 3 3 5
FIGURE 4 presents the shapes
for the high E, B and G string set.
FIGURE 5 shows them for the B,
G and D string set, and FIGURE 6
illustrates the shapes for the G, D
and A set, which will work as well
for the D, A and low E string set.
If you understand this lesson
and follow it correctly, you will find
yourself in possession of a serious
knowledge of the fretboard, and in
command of a brand-new approach
to what otherwise might be tired old
chords.
B¨ E¨ A¨ C# F# B E
6 6 8 9 9 11 12


you should learn them all, but I 0
1
2
2
3
2
3
4
5
5
6
5
6
7
8
8
9
8
9
10
11
11
12
11
12
13
this chapter we’ll focus on only the
major and minor triads. Once you
learn them, you’ll find you’re able to
play an astonishing variety of triad
FIGURE 2
patterns that are very different from E A D G C F B¨ E¨ A¨ C# F# B E
barre chords.


0 2 3 3 5 6 6 8 9 9 11 12 12
Triads consist of the tonic, the 1 2 2 4 5 5 7 8 8 10 11 11 13
2 2 4 5 5 7 8 8 10 11 11 13 14
mediant and the dominant, or as we
commonly refer to them, the 1, the
3 and the 5. These can be in three
different inversions: root position FIGURE 3
(1-3-5), first inversion (3-5-1) and E A D G C F B¨ E¨ A¨ C# F# B E
second inversion (5-1-3).


1 2 2 4 5 5 7 8 8 10 11 11 13
Triads are sounded by playing 2 2 4 5 5 7 8 8 10 11 11 13 14
2 4 5 5 7 8 8 10 11 11 13 14 14
notes on three strings. If you look
at each trio of adjacent strings,
you’ll see that, intervallicly, there
are three different types of groups, FIGURE 4
Em Am Dm Gm Cm Fm Bbm Ebm Abm C#m F#m Bm Em
or string sets: the first consists of 0 0 1 3 3 4 6 6 7 9 9 10 12


the low E, A and D strings, which 0
0
1
2
3
2
3
3
4
5
6
5
6
6
7
8
9
8
9
9
10
11
12
11
12
12
are tuned in fourths, as is the
neighboring set consisting of A, D
and G; the second type contains
the D, G and B strings, which are FIGURE 5
tuned a fourth and a third apart, Em Am Dm Gm Cm Fm Bbm Ebm Abm C#m F#m Bm Em
respectively; and the third type


0 1 3 3 4 6 6 7 9 9 10 12 12
consists of the G, B and high E 0 2 2 3 5 5 6 8 8 9 11 11 12
2 2 3 5 5 6 8 8 9 11 11 12 14
strings, which are tuned a third and
a fourth apart, respectively.
Thus, we have nine shapes:
three inversions for each of the FIGURE 6
three different types of string sets. Em Am Dm Gm Cm Fm Bbm Ebm Abm C#m F#m Bm Em
I have written them out for you in


0 2 2 3 5 5 6 8 8 9 11 11 12
tablature, starting with the high E, 2 2 3 5 5 6 8 8 9 11 11 12 14
2 3 5 5 6 8 8 9 11 11 12 14 14
B and G string set (FIGURE 1) and

20 GUITAR DVD