Lead Guitar Wizardry Lesson On Chromatic Scale, Major Scale And Scale Note Intervals

Posted on by Dwayne Jenkins Posted in Featured, Uncategorized
John Petrucci

When it comes to learning to play lead guitar and create jaw-dropping guitar solos, you must know your scales. Chromatic scale, major scale, and major scale intervals. As well as understand the sacred formula that allows you to see very clearly what notes make up the scale.  This is very important because without it you’ll be lost on where to play and what to play.

The Chromatic Scale.

It all starts with the chromatic scale.  Every note on the fretboard or every note in the musical alphabet. This consists of 12 notes.  A-G#.  All notes right next to each other spanning 12 frets.  This is important to know so that you can find the sharps and flats within the scale.

A-A#-B-C-C#-D-D#-E-F-F#-G-G#

Out of the chromatic scale, we take 8 notes to create a major scale. This is the scale that is the most familiar because of the Do Ra Me that we learn as a kid in grade school.  The reason for this is because this is like the trunk of the musical tree.  All scales and chord progressions branch out from here.

The Major Scale.

So if the major scale is the trunk of the musical tree than the chromatic scale would be the roots.  Because everything really comes out of the chromatic scale. Then moves onto the major scale and so forth from there. If there are 12 notes in the musical alphabet (the chromatic scale) then the major scale has 8 notes.  These 8 notes are taken directly out of the chromatic scale.

Just like words are created out of our regular 26 letter alphabet, so is such with our musical alphabet.  We start with the major scale.  And this goes for any key no matter if it is major or minor.  In each major scale, there are also roots to be aware of as well.  These are the notes that will stand out when your creating guitar solos.

For example.  Let’s say we use the key of A major.  The 8 notes in this key will be A-B-C#-D-E-F#-G#-A.  These are the 8 notes previously mentioned.  We can clearly see they are notes taken out of the musical alphabet to create the A major scale.  We also can see that some of the letters are sharp (#) this is because they need to fit within the Do-Ra-Me format to sound harmoniously correct.

Major scale intervals.

After learning the 8 notes that make up the major scale (and for this example, we are using the A major scale) we want to learn about the major scale intervals.  This is the distance between the notes.  This is very important information to know because it allows us to not only understand the scale better, but it also allows us to create any major scale we choose.

A distance of one fret is considered a “half step” and a distance of two frets is considered a “whole step” and by knowing this sacred incantation, we can discover “why” the notes in the major scale are as such.  It is because of this little nugget of knowledge, that allows us to find out what the sacred formula is for the major scale.  Any major scale!

Secret scale formula.

Since we now know about half steps and whole steps and what they represent, we can find the secret formula.  The A major key once again is A-B-C#-D-E-F#-G#-A.  The reason why it is these notes because it must be diatonically correct to sound right to the ear.  This sound is Do Ra Me Fa So LaTe Do.  Notice how there are 8 notes and 8 syllables.  Each note relates to a syllable.  Notice how there are two A’s and two Do’s in the syllables and letter equation?

Now let’s give these a number value.

       A     B     C#    D     E     F#     G#     A

      Do   Ra  Me   Fa    So   La      Te     Do

       1      2      3      4      5     6        7        8

If we look at our musical alphabet we can see that there is a distance of two notes (a whole step) between A & B.  That is because we have an A# in between.  So that tells us that between the 1st and 2nd note in the scale is a whole step.  We can also see that between the B & C# is also a whole step because there is a C note in between.  But between the C# and D, there is no other note so we can conclude that this is a half step.  So, up to this point, we have a W-W-H in the secret formula.  Do you understand this concept?

Between the D and E is another whole step, between the E & F# there is a whole step and between the F# & G# is another whole step.  We can come to this conclusion by looking at the notes in the musical alphabet and how they line up.  And between the F# & G note is another half step.  So now we have the whole major scale “secret formula”  which works for any major scale.

      A     B     C#     D     E     F#     G#     A

      1      2      3        4     5       6        7        8

        w       w     h       w      w      w       h

We now have the whole secret formula and can create the A major scale at will!  Actually, if you get this down well enough you’ll be able to create any major scale.  Because it works for all of them.  In fact, if you get the concept down well enough, you’ll be able to create major scales, minor scales, harmonic scales, diminished scales, etc, etc, etc.

That is the beauty of this sacred knowledge.  It allows you to create guitar magic at will!!  Now that my friend is the power of Lead Guitar Wizardry!

Lead Guitar Wizardry.

Lead Guitar Wizardry

Lead Guitar Wizardry is a comprehensive course on lead guitar mastery.  From finger exercises to picking techniques, scale patterns and fretboard knowledge.  A simple step-by-step method with diagrams that make it easy to understand and make it a quick study.  In doing so you get quick results.

This book of spells and incantations will provide an essential guide on your journey to becoming a great lead guitarist.  It will show you the secret formulas, scale patterns, and techniques used by lead guitar wizards to create jaw-dropping solos that capture the listener with magic.

Combine the study of this training manual with a regular daily practice routine and you will begin to develop skills you once thought were beyond your ability.  Before you know it, you will be casting your own brand of guitar magic that will leave those listening in amazement.

Lesson Conclusion.

In this lesson, we have learned some very important skills.  What the musical alphabet is, how many letters it is made up of and how to use certain notes to create a major scale.  Any major scale.  In addition to that, we have learned how to determine what notes are in a major scale (any major scale) by knowing the secret scale formula.

Knowing this information will give us insight into how music works and how we can bend it to our will.  How we can make it work for us to create our own brand of musical magic.  If you feel you need help in lead guitar playing, be sure to grab my book on the topic.  Volume 1 will introduce you to the fundamental principles need to build a solid foundation for future learning.

And as always, if you have any questions about anything that you are learning here or anywhere else no matter if it is lead or rhythm guitar do reach out and let me know.  I am here to help.  You can email me through my site here or contact me through social media.  Either or is fine and if you need a video of the lesson I will be happy to do that too.

Best of luck and until or next lesson, take care.

Sincerely, Dwayne Jenkins.

 

 

 

 

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Lead Guitar Wizardry Music Notation, 12 Bar Blues & Lead Guitar Riffs

Posted on by Dwayne Jenkins Posted in Featured, Uncategorized
Wizard

Lead Guitar Wizardry volume 1.

To be a lead guitar wizard one must have the most serious commitment to the craft of lead guitar playing. They must have the most focus on attention to detail. Acquire hours of study and practice and fully understand the spells and incantations associated with lead guitar magic.

Rhythm is the foundation of the song and does require discipline as well and a different set of skills to get down proficiently but lead guitar is a little bit more.  That is why it gets the spotlight.  Very much like a quarterback of a football team.  The other positions are just as important (right guard, receiver, running back, etc) but it is the quarterback’s position that requires more study.

In this lesson of the book Lead Guitar Wizardry, we are going to be looking at the fundamental principles of how to play lead guitar. How to understand music notation, the 12 bar blues, and lead guitar riffs. These are the elements that you want to study to get familiar with playing guitar solos.

Why learn other people’s solos?

It is a great idea to learn guitar solos from your favorite players because it teaches you many things.  Guitar solos are harder than rhythm because rhythm repeats itself many times throughout the song so it sticks in your mind easier, as where guitar solos usually come through just once.  And because of this, they are much harder to master and remember.  That’s why it is important to keep your fingers in shape.

This is because they are a song within a song and that is why they get the spotlight.  When starting out playing lead guitar it is recommended by me that you start out playing solos from your favorite players so that you learn how they are constructed.  How the elements of guitar solos are put together.

This also gives you insight on how you can use these secret elements to create your own solo of wizardry.  But in order to do so, you need to learn the fundamental principles of how they are put together.  Very much like baking a cake.  You wouldn’t just throw ingredients together.  You would mix and match them in a certain way at certain intervals.  Same goes with guitar solos.

Notation & tablature basics.

In the tablature example below we have 6 lines that represent the 6 guitar strings.  The only thing is that the bottom line will represent your biggest string which is on top of your guitar (see video lesson) and the reason for this is that in the written word, the lowest note is always on the bottom.  So you’ll have to remember this when reading the sheet music.

Tab basics

Tablature is great because it is designed specifically for guitar players so it is a lot easier to read than standard notation (which is for any instrument) once you get the hang of it.  Hence this lesson on how to read it.  With tablature, we will be working with numbers instead of symbols.

As you can see from the diagram above we have two numbers.  A 3 and a zero.  The three is written on the first string and the zero is written on the sixth string.  These will represent where our finger placement is on the fretboard.  The 3 will represent the third fret on the first string and the zero will represent open.

Open means that we do not put a finger down on the fretboard.  we just play the string by itself.  This is called open and is represented as such in the diagram.  So as we can see, we play on the strings and frets and the notation will indicate these two things.  Which string we ate on and what fret we are playing.

As time goes on this notation will get more complex as we learn songs but that’s ok because I will be here to help you figure it out.  So with all that being said, just take some time to wrap this concept around your brain and it will all make sense as we progress with this sacred study.

The musical alphabet.

All western music is made up of 12 notes.  These 12 notes make up the musical alphabet and it is what all musical concepts come out of.  Major, minor chords and all different types of scales.  When it comes to chords and scales there are thousands of them we could create.  Crazy huh?  I know.  But we don’t need to learn that many, just the most common ones to start.  So let’s look at these 12 notes that we will create all our musical recipes from.

                  A  A#  B  C  C#  D  D#  E  F  F#  G  G#

All musical concepts will be derived from these 12 notes so make sure to get these memorized because they are the magical properties that you will be using to create your lead guitar wizardry magic.  These are what you will need to know to create your major scale, and your minor pentatonic scale to start off with.

The more you know these notes of the musical alphabet, the more you will be able to use them to your benefit.  You will be able to construct them in ways that will move yourself as well as the listener.

12 bar blues.

The 12 bar blues is very important to learn because it provides a starting point progression to solo over.  It is a three-chord musical rhythm progression that is widely used to sing and solo over.  The reason why it is so popular is that when you listen to it you can tell where it is going before it even gets there.

This chord progression is made up of the 1-4-5 of the key that it is being played in.  For instance, if it is being played in the key of A minor the chords would be A, D & E.  A is the 1 of the scale, D is the 4 of the scale and E is the 5 of the scale.  A  B  C#  D  E  F#  G#  A.  If you give these letter a number value, you can clearly see what I’m talking about.  The 1 is the A, the 4 is the D and the 5 is the E.

These are three chords that go together well in any key and that is why it is important to learn them.  As you head down the journey of lead guitar wizardry, you will see what I’m talking about and it will begin to make more sense.  For now, just learn this concept and you’ll be ok.

Lead guitar riffs.

These are another thing that you want to get started on as these will provide the foundation for your guitar soloing as well.  Lead guitar riffs.  These are a perfect thing to play over the 12 bar blues progression that we talked about in the last paragraph.

If we stick with the key of A minor, this is the first part of the lead guitar riff that you would play over the first chord.

                                 A                            (4 times)

Lead guitar riff 1

                                D                              (2 times)

Lead guitar riff 2

                                 A                             (2 times)

Lead guitar riff 1

                              E                                  (1 time)

Lead guitar riff 3

                               D                               (1 time)

Lead guitar riff 2

                                A                                 (1 time)

Lead guitar riff 1

              Turn around                     ( 1 time)

Lead guitar turn around

As you can see, this is played over 12 bars of music. and that is why it is called a 12 bar blues lead guitar riff. I recommend you practice this, play each section for the number of times I have described and you will hear how it sounds and recognize how it works.

If you do this, it will give you the building blocks for setting up a solid foundation for becoming a lead guitar wizard.  And that is what this training is all about.

Lesson conclusion.

Now that you have all that down practice, practice, practice!  Study.  build up your practice routine, study the notation.  Learn your notes and get familiar with the 12 bar blues lead guitar riff.  You should already be familiar with the 12 bar progression.  If not, no worries go back and learn it and the lead guitar riff that is presented to play over it will all make sense.

Thanks so much for your time being here reading, learning and allowing me the opportunity to teach you.  And as always, if you have any questions about anything in this lesson or anything else your learning, feel free to reach out.

Best of luck and till the next lesson, take care.

Dwayne Jenkins

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Rock Guitar 101 Book Review Lesson 7 Classic Rock Riffs With Power Chords

Posted on by Dwayne Jenkins Posted in Featured, Uncategorized
Tony Iommi

Rock Guitar 101.

Is a great training method for getting started playing rock guitar. It is a simple 7 lesson method book that is easy to understand and provides quick results with full-color pictures and diagrams that anyone can learn from. especially if they have no prior music knowledge or training.

Rock Guitar 101 wi teach you how to acquire the right tools, how to tune your guitar, easy to play chords, establishing a rhythm, picking hand development and how to play classic rock riffs. All this in an easy simple method for all beginners. Not to mention free video lessons to go with the book available on my youtube channel. Which will allow for even easier learning and even quicker results.

By lesson 7 you should know.

The tools that are needed to get started. This includes the right type of guitar (certain guitars are best for playing rock guitar) cable and amplifier. These three tools are vitally important as they set up the foundation for your whole learning journey.

How to tune the guitar with an electronic tuner (which is recommended to start) by knowing which one is best to choose, where to get it either online or off and how to use it to tune your guitar.

You should have learned how to get a good solid rock tone which is also very important for this style of music. Plus additional training on how to get this out of a guitar effects pedal. This is an alternate way of getting your rock tone if you can’t get it out of the amp.

Easy rock chords.

By this time you should know how to form your simple open and closed power chords that are the fundamental chord types for this style of music. Open and closed power chords are the easiest you can form and the most common for playing rock guitar.

After learning these, you should have learned how to switch between these and move them along the fretboard for creating chord progressions that are the foundation of playing songs. As well as learning how to develop your hands and fingers to hold and move the chords better.

Establishing rhythm.

Once you have gotten comfortable playing chords on the fretboard you then need to be able to establish a rhythm. This is something you should have down as well. Rhythm playing is the foundation for playing songs of any type in any style of music and rock music is no exception.

Being able to establish and hold rhythm is a very valuable skill to learn and develop and should not be overlooked. It is like the concrete foundation that holds up a house, but in this instance, it is the music that is being held up. And this establishment of rhythm is set you up for what is coming next, an intro to lead guitar playing.

Intro to lead guitar playing.

Since this is a starter book I don’t go into major detail about this but I think it is important to introduce you to the fundamentals of lead guitar playing in-case in the future, you want to get into playing guitar solos. This can be done with learning the minor pentatonic scale.

The minor pentatonic scale is the one that all great guitar players of the past have used and should be learned by you. This scale is very versatile.

By this time you should have all that is stated above down physically and a well-rounded understanding of their concepts and principles.  If you do, great we can proceed.  If not I recommend you go back and get down what is needed to understand lesson 7.  Playing classic rock riffs.

Lesson 7. Playing classic rock riffs.

Rock riffs are a section of music that catches attention.  It is usually a part of the song that repeats and sticks in peoples head.  It is usually this rock riff that makes people want to play guitar in the first place.  That is why classic rock music is so appealing to rock guitar players.  It has plenty of rock riffs to catch our attention.

So in this lesson, we are going to look at a couple easy rock guitar riffs that will put all we’ve learned to use and allow us to actually play some music.  Because what good is learning all the chords and putting in the hours of development if we can’t play songs?  Makes no sense.  Rock Guitar 101 is designed to get us developed to eventually have fun playing songs and here is where we are going to start.

Smoke on the water.

This is the number one rock riff of all time so we will start here.  I’ve written it in closed power chords so that it is easy to play.  If you’ve done your homework, this should be quite easy to master.

Smoke on the water riff

This is the main riff of the song and is repeated several times.  It is suggested that you listen to the song to get the timing down.  Once you feel comfortable playing the riff, try playing it along with the song.  This is a bit challenging at first but I guarantee you that it will pay huge dividends in the long run.

Highway to hell.

This is another classic guitar riff that is very recognizable and not too difficult to play.  Although a bit harder then smoke on the water.  I say this because of the timing that is needed to execute the song properly.

Highway to hell riff

Once again I have presented this in easy power chord format.  This is originally played with natural chords and can be a bit tricky for a beginner.  That is why I present it in this format.  So that you can get used to playing your closed power chords.

As I mentioned before this is a nice riff to practice your timing skills.  Notice the space between the first and second part.  Without this, the riff won’t sound right.  So listen to the song and get down the groove.  AC/DC are known for their groove and if you are ever to play their hor rocking songs, you need to master this.  There is no exception.

Lesson conclusion.

If you want to get started playing rock guitar or know anyone who does, Rock Guitar 101 is an excellent starter book.  With everything needed to get you progressing forward at a rapid rate with no previous music knowledge necessary. Once you get the fundamentals down you will be able to springboard from there.  And in doing so you will build a skill set that can last you a lifetime.  In fact, you might even be able to pass it along to someone you love in the future.

Free video course on Youtube.

In addition to the book, you can also get a free video course on my tube channel of the same name as my website.  Dwayne’s Guitar Lessons.  Here you will find a video lesson for all the lessons in the book to help further your understanding and help you to get quicker results.  And as always, if you need additional help feel free to reach out as I am always happy to help.

You can get this book on Amazon or through my eBay store.  If you get it through my eBay store I will personally sign it for you.

Best of luck and until next lesson, take care.

Sincerely, Dwayne Jenkins

 

 

 

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Supro Boost Pedal Review How To Enhance Your Guitar Tone

Posted on by Dwayne Jenkins Posted in Featured, Uncategorized
Tom Morello

How to enhance your guitar tone.

One of the things that guitar players are always doing is working on learning how to enhance their guitar tone. After all, having the right guitar tone can make all the difference in your willingness to do what it takes to learn how to play the instrument.

There are many things that can help you to enhance your guitar tone. You can get familiar with your guitar itself as this has a lot of options for tone control. In fact, most guitars have controls on the instrument itself to help in this area.

Guitar Tone controls.

Most guitars have both a volume and a tone control knob. This gives the guitarist a wide variety of options. The volume knob turned all the way up can give a loud hard tone.  But if rolled down a bit, it can give a much softer sound. And if barely rolled up at all, it can give you a nice shift in the dynamics of the music.

The tone knob, on the other hand, can give you some variety as well. When rolled up all the way it gives a nice bright tone that can be very beneficial for some applications in the type of music being played with the guitar.

When the tone knob is rolled down it can give more of a darker tone that might work well in different places of the song or for different styles of music. Since you get a different sound from the guitar with the tone knob rolled down, you get inspired to create in a different way than when it is rolled all the way up.

The pickup selector switch.

On most guitars, you also have a pickup selector switch that can give you some nice ways to enhance your tone as well. This switch allows you to select which pickup you want to play. As they give you different tone options. Usually, you have a neck pickup and a bridge pickup. Sometimes you might have a middle pickup too.

These different pickups allow you to really shape your tone which can shape your style of playing. That’s the thing that is great about playing electric guitar, is that you can create your own sound and style that is known only to you.  Another way to enhance your guitar tone is through using effects pedals.

Boosting your signal with effects pedals.

Enhancing your tone with guitar effects pedals is probably the most common way to do so.  Some of the pedals that are great options are guitar pedals such as Reverb, Delay, Overdrive, Distortion, Wah pedal & signal booster.

These types of pedals can do a world of good to your tone.  But when it comes to getting a nice clean boost for enhancing rhythm or playing guitar solos I recommend you try out the Supro Boost pedal.  This pedal is an excellent choice for this option.

Supro Boost pedal.

The Supro Boost pedal.

Supro Boost pedal

This pedal is great for this option because of its transparency to drive a nice amplifier.  Especially if that amplifier is a tube amp.  The J-Fet based pedal design delivers up to 20dB of noiseless gain boost plus optional high pass or low pass filtering to contour your over-all tone when the pedal is engaged.

The Supro Boost pedal is also straight forward and effective at remaining clean & sweet at all settings no matter what tone you are currently using or which pedals you have in the pedal chain before it. The Supro Boost pedal will always deliver a nice clean boost without compromising your guitar tone.

It also remains frequency linear as the gain is adjusted, allowing you to set the desired amount of boost with a nice big knob.  This knob allows for easy visibility when making adjustments on the fly without any need for adjusting any other volumes in pedals or at the amplifier.

The Supro Boost pedal is well constructed out of aluminum so it is lightweight but road worthy if need be.  It can be powered by a 9v adapter or it can be used with a 9v battery.  The pedal has a nice, easy access compartment on the side if you choose to power the pedal this way.  This makes for easy portability and quick setup.  Just plug it in and you’re ready to go.

Lesson conclusion.

So as you can clearly see that there are many ways to enhance your guitar tone.  From the knobs on the guitar to using guitar effects pedals.  Too many to list in this lesson but if you do use pedals, make sure you learn how to set them up properly. Also, be sure to keep your hands and fingers in shape.

Make sure also that you acquire the right amplifier for playing rock music as well as take some time to learn about your guitar and all the neat things it can do for you on its own.  If you set guitar goals and work on these things I have taught in this lesson, you will be able to get the tone you are looking for and boost the signal with the Supro Boost pedal.

Also remember to keep practicing daily and keep learning new things about music, your guitar.  Also, take time to learn about how to maintain your guitar so that is will always be ready to play with peak performance.  This is something I can’t stress enough as it will serve you well over the years.  Just take a little time and work on it when you can and you’ll see how learning to maintain your guitar will affect your guitar playing.

And as always, if you’re having any issues with anything that you are working on, feel free to reach out.  You can shoot me an email here, or contact me on social media.  I will do my best to help you get over that hurdle.

Thanks again for reading and until our next lesson, take care.

Dwayne Jenkins

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How To Find The Sharp Or Flat In Any Major/Minor Key-Music Theory Lesson

Posted on by Dwayne Jenkins Posted in Featured, Uncategorized
scale note intervals

One of the key elements in playing guitar or any instrument for that matter is knowing the principles your working with and how to use them to get the most out of the instrument. For instance, knowing how to find the sharp or flat in any major/minor key.

The key of C major.

This is done by knowing the secret formula for the major key. And this can be learned by looking at the key of C major. The reason why we start with the key of C major as our foundation key is because it has no sharps or flats in it.

Now I know what your thinking. How are we going to find the sharps or flats from a key that doesn’t have any? Good question, read on.

What the key of C major is going to teach us is the secret formula that all major and minor keys use to determine the note intervals that make up the scale.

Let’s look at this in a little more detail:

Key of C major: C D E F G A B C
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Eight notes and eight numbers. These numbers will help us to determine the intervals (distance between two notes) that reside within each of the notes in the scale.

Intervals.

An interval is a distance between two notes and it is this interval that is very important to know to determine the sharps and flats (which are the same by the way, depending on which way you move through the scale) within the key that we discussed earlier.

Now when we have a single fret distance between two notes that is called a semitone or half step. To keep things easy to understand we will use the term half step. When we have a distance of two frets between two notes, this is called a whole tone or whole step. Once again we will use the term whole step for easier understanding memory retention.

If we look at the key of C major again and look at the distance between the notes and determine if they are whole steps or half steps, we can figure out what the secret formula is for the major scale. And once again, it is this formula that is going to tell us what sharps or flats reside in any given major scale. Our relative minor scale will help us with the minor scale formula. But more on that later.

The C major scale intervals.

What are the intervals of the C major scale? Well, let’s take a look. We first need to know our musical alphabet. Which is:

A  A# B C C# D D# E F F# G. As we can clearly see, there is a sharp after every note except B & E. This is very important to know because it is going to tell us why there are no sharps or flats in the key of C major.

look once again at the C major scale. C D E F G A B C. The intervals of this scale determine this because every major scale must have the Do Ra Me that we learned in grade school.  When we play the notes of the C major scale we notice right away that this is so.  If we added any sharps or flats it would give us the Do Ra Me and that would mean that it is not a major scale.

As we learned earlier, a whole step is two frets and a half step is one fret.  So what is the secret formula for the major scale?  Well, let’s dissect the scale and see what it is. This is why a good practice routine will help you tremendously.

Between the first and second tone degree (the C & D note) we have two frets.  So this tells us that this is a whole step.  Between the D & E is also a whole step.  But between the E & F is a half step because there is no sharp between the two.  So far, we have two whole steps and one half step.

Nw we continue through the scale and find that between the F & G is a whole step, between the G & A, is a whole step.  Between the A & B is a whole step and between the B & C is another half step.  So this sacred information tells us that the secret magical formula for the major scale (which lets us know what sharps or flats are in a key) is, w-w-h-w-w-w-h.

If we look at this in more detail it is:

C    D    E    F    G    A      B    C

w     w     h   w    w      w    h

Can you see how this works?  By knowing this information we can determine what sharps or flats are in any key.  So,…… lets test this theory out shall we?

The G major intervals.

Key of G major:   G   A   B   C   D   E   F   G

Does this key have any sharps in it?  Well to find out, we need to look at the secret major scale formula.  In the key of G it would look like  G w A w B h C w D w E w F h G.  Since there is a half step between the 7th & 8th tone degree this tells us that this would not be an F note but an F# note to fit diatonically correct within the Do Ra Me scale.  The major scale.  Remember, it must sound like Do Ra Me to be correct.  If it doesn’t, something is wrong. You must know your notes.

Lesson Conclusion.

By learning this secret W W H W W W H major scale formula, you will be able to determine what notes are sharp or flat (depending on which way you’re moving within the scale up or down) are in the scale.  Any major scale.  Other scale formulas will be different but this is the scale formula for the major scale and this is where it all starts in music aside from the chromatic scale which is the 12 note musical alphabet.

By doing all this you increase your knowledge of the guitar fretboard and your ability to understand how the mechanics of notes work together to create music.  The more you study this, the more it will come to you and you will begin to see how you can use this information in your own playing and magical music creation.

If you need additional help, feel free to shoot me an email through my website or you can connect with me on social media (I’m on just about every one of them) and I will help you. Thanks again for reading and be sure to keep studying the fun of playing guitar.

Best of luck and until our next lesson, take care.

Sincerely, Dwayne

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How To Keep Your Guitar Strings Clean And Sounding Great With GHS Fast Fret

Posted on by Dwayne Jenkins Posted in Featured, Uncategorized
GHS Fast FRET

When playing guitar it is very important that you maintain your instrument. Learn how to keep your guitar strings clean with GHS Fast Fret string cleaner.

Keep your strings maintained.

This a great product that should be in every guitar players toolbox. As it will provide a couple of things that will help your strings stay clean and make your guitar tone last longer. Which a lot of it comes from the pickups that pick up the vibration of the guitar strings.

So the shape that the guitar strings are in is a very important part of your tone. If your strings are corroded with finger sweat and have been on the guitar for a long time and are flat (from being stretched on the fretboard) it will affect your overall tone.  And not inspire you to want to play.

GHS Fast Fret

GHS Fast Fret is a quality product that helps prevent this problem. When using fast fret you put a coating on the strings that allows them to sound brighter and allow you to play faster. This also allows for less hand fatigue as you won’t need to have to work so hard to get a good tone out of your strings.

GHS Fast FRET

Easy application.

Fast Fret is a great product in the fact that it is not a typical spray can. Most string cleaners you need to spray on (which is fine) but Fast Fret is a little bit different. It comes with an applicator that allows you to just wipe it onto the strings (see the video of this example above) and take the cloth that it comes with and just wipe it off.

Easily portable.

With the canister that it comes in you can just toss it into your guitar bag and have it ready to be used whenever you need it. Since it is not a spray can, it won’t spill or break. Which can be very handy if you move around a lot like when you play gigs playing in a band.

Specially formulated.

Since it is a different type of product than most on the market, it will work on all stringed instruments because it is specifically formulated to give you the lubrication you need to help you play faster and sound better.  Since it is specially formulated it will help you in many ways.

  • Cleans strings
  • Lets you play faster
  • Brightens your sound
  • Prolongs fingerboard life
  • Long lasting
  • Won’t damage your finish
  • Won’t soil or stain
  • Cleaning cloth included

Lesson conclusion.

With all this that this product does, I highly recommend you look into acquiring it for your guitar.  No matter if you play acoustic or electric.  GHS Fast Fret is a great product that will keep your playing and sound at peak performance for many years to come.

And if you are serious about your playing (which I’m sure you are or else you wouldn’t be here) you want to make sure you have in your possession all the right products to help you sound your best.  Of course, the best product for that is your hours of practice you put in.   But you already have that down right?

That’s what I figured.  Now if you don’t I’d get that going as quickly as possible.  Because there is no maintenance product or any other learning product on the market will make up for string time put in.

And as always if you need additional help with your playing, feel free to contact me here or on social media and be sure to check out my books on Amazon. These will help in all areas of learning guitar.  From getting started on the path to guitar greatness to improving your rhythm creation and understanding the mysteries of lead guitar playing.

Best of luck in your studies and until the next lesson, take care.

Sincerely, Dwayne Jenkins

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Morley Maverick Mini Wah Review

Posted on by Dwayne Jenkins Posted in Featured, Uncategorized
Jimi Hendrix playing the wah

Morley Maverick Switchless Wah

This is a great item to add a spark of inspiration to your guitar playing.  The Morley Mini Wah pedal is probably second to the distortion pedal for enhancing the creativity of the guitar player.  Made popular in the ’60s by Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton when he was in Cream.

Jimi Hendrix

Eric Clapton playing guitar

The wah pedal can be heard on classic songs such as Voodoo Child by The Jimi Hendrix Experience & White Room by Cream.  This cool little gizmo was first introduced by Vox and was actually an organ pedal.  But over the years it has morphed by many different companies into a very cool way for guitar players to express themselves.

The Maverick Morley switchless wah is one of these examples.  This wah is great because it needs no on/off switch.  This is something that most older models have.  Sometimes this could become an issue as you weren’t always sure if it was on or off.

Morley solved this problem by creating a Wah that activates the minute you step on it and deactivates the minute you take your foot off.  Absolutely no need to worry or wonder anymore. This is good because the guitar player can now concentrate on his guitar playing.

Activated By the Foot.

Like most pedals that guitar players use to enhance their sound, the Morley wah is set on the ground connected to the guitar and amp with guitar cables and activated by stepping on it. As you step on the effect pedal you gently rock it forward to produce a nice sweeping effect that adds treble to the overall tone.

You can also rock it back to add a bit of bass to the tone as well.  All while producing a kind of wah sound.  Back and forth, back and forth.  How far you do so determines how much of the effect you produce.  This effect is like no other.  It is a classic sound enhancer and can be found on most pedalboards.

Wah Made Popular By Jimi Hendrix.

When you listen to the music of Jimi Hendrix you notice right away that his inspiration is tops along with his understanding and control of his guitar.  His playing and performance superb and his creativity in his music unlimited.  This is what made Jimi Hendrix the best!

He was always pushing the boundaries of what the guitar was capable of.  In fact, he was always doing things that nobody had even thought of yet.  Playing behind hid back, with his teeth, between his legs, and always knocking out great blues.

His most famous effect pedal beside his fuzz pedal (which made him sound like he was out of this world) was his wah pedal.  He used this wah pedal to great extent and made it an integral part of his sound.  So much that millions of other people over the years have decided to do the same.

Mini Wah Takes Up Less Space.

One thing that is great about the Morley Mini Wah is its size.  Most wah pedals are a bit big and tend to take up quite a bit of room on your pedalboard.  While the Morley min wah does not.  This pedal goes along with the mini pedal trend that most pedal manufacturing companies have come to create.  A whole line of mini pedals.

These take up less room and can be stored easily and ready for application in a cinch.  Sometimes when you perform on stage, at least in the beginning before you become a rockstar and tour around the world playing arenas and stadiums, you’ll be playing on small stages and you won’t have a lot of room so these mini pedals really help out.

Well Made Metal Construction.

Along with its mini size, the Morley mini wah is also constructed of quality metal and built like a tank.  You could probably throw it across the room and it wouldn’t even hurt it.  Although I don’t recommend you do that. It also offers a LED light for those dark stages.

One of the things that you want to make sure of when adding components to your guitar sound is that they are well made. And if you plan on playing in a band and possibly going on the road, you’ve got to have products that are road worthy and stand up to being played every night.  This Morly Mini Wah will do this with no problem.

Hybrid of Vintage/Modern Sound

The Morley Mini Wah was designed to give a nice warm hybrid sound of both vintage and modern tone.  This way it can deliver a wide variety of application.  From the vintage tone of the ’60s to the tones of more modern players, the Morly Wah can deliver the goods.

Wah Pedal Conclusion.

In my opinion, the Morley Mini Wah is a great product that will enhance the creativity of any guitar player.  No matter if you play for a hobby at home just having fun by yourself, or if you’re playing in a band in the garage or possibly professionally touring around the world.

The Morley wah can spark your inspiration to become a better guitar player.  It can help you to come up with ideas for your songwriting or even ways to duplicate your favorite players who use a wah pedal in their songs.  Although I only mention Jimi & Eric, There are a ton more players who use a wah and I’d recommend you do some research on them.

Thanks for reading and be sure not to forget to set your guitar goals for steady progress and keep up with your practice routine.  And if you need any help, be sure to reach out to me here or on social media.  Also be sure to visit my youtube channel for more great videos and check out my books on Amazon to help you with your learning.

Best of luck,

Dwayne Jenkins

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Rock Guitar 101 Lesson 6 Intro To Playing Lead Guitar

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Looking past the fundamentals of rhythm playing

Once you get the fundamentals of playing rhythm guitar down, you can then look into what it takes to play lead guitar.  Rock Guitar 101 shows you this in lesson 6.  Lead guitar is more about melody and this is created by learning how to play guitar scales.  Scales are the foundation for playing guitar solos.

Lead playing is a bit more advanced than playing rhythm.  In my experience, it requires more string-time, more commitment and much attention to detail.  The dedication and patience needed to be a good lead guitar player are greater because a guitar solo in a song only comes through once and does not repeat as rhythm does.

A chord progression that produces the rhythm of the song repeats over and over to provide the foundation for the melody to stand on, as where the guitar solo is just a small piece of music within itself to enhance the rhythm.  This is why it requires more work but also gets more attention as well.

Now when it comes to guitar scales for playing guitar solos, there are literally thousands to choose from.  I know, crazy huh?  But for our purposes today just getting started we only need to know one.  The most common and that is the minor pentatonic scale.

The minor pentatonic scale

The most common scale that is used by all the great rock guitar players is the minor pentatonic scale.  The reason for this is because the notes fit together in such a way that they work over many chord progression that makes up the rhythm of all rock and blues songs.

Once you get this scale (fretboard pattern) down and be able to visualize it on the fretboard, it will come very clear to you how they use it to create those jaw-dropping solos. And when this happens a light bulb will go on above your head and you’ll see how you can use it too.

Minor pentatonic scale in the first position.

Minor Pentatonic Scale

This means that it is being played at the first fret.  Now what we want to do is get real familiar with this scale or box pattern as it is sometimes called.  In fact, I’d recommend you think patterns as it will make the guitar easier to learn and understand.  Study this diagram.  Know it, see it on your fretboard and get to where you can execute it on any fret.  The 8th fret, the 12th fret, the 5th fret, etc.

Here is another way of looking at it in tablature format:

minor pentatonic scale in A

Here we have the same scale pattern presented at the fifth fret in A.  We call it A because the note on the sixth string at the fifth fret (the note we start the scale with) is an A note.

What is great about this pattern is that it stays the same no matter where you play it.  The notes change, but the scale stays the same.  This is a great place to start for creating guitar solos.  So run through it from time to time as you’re learning your rhythm techniques.

Once you can play this pattern up and down across the fretboard with ease, you will then want to learn your personality licks.  What are personality licks?  These are little guitar phrases that give the scale personality.  And this is when it really begins to get fun and interesting.

When you play the scale by itself, it sounds good.  But when you add the personality licks such as hammer-ons, pull-offs, bends, slides, trills and so forth you get the scale to sound like music.  And that is what you are after.

In addition to learning this scale, you also want to develop your dexterity and motor skills through finger exercises.  These will help you to get your hands in shape for future study on this subject.  Since this is a beginner book we will stop here as far as lead guitar goes.

Lead Guitar Wizardry

But if you want to learn more about what’s necessary for playing lead guitar and creating lead guitar solos, I recommend you look into my book Lead Guitar Wizardry Volume 1 that gets the beginner started on the path to lead guitar playing.  It teaches the fundamental principles and secret techniques needed to play jaw-dropping guitar solos.  It will allow you to build a solid foundation of understanding in theory and practice.

You will learn finger exercises, picking techniques, scale patterns, and fretboard knowledge.  Among many many other things to help you develop the mindset and skillset to become a great lead guitar player.  And if you take it one step further and really study and put in practice time, you’ll become a lead guitar wizard!

Lesson Conclusion

Lead guitar playing takes work.  There is absolutely no doubt about it.  Playing rhythm does as well but I think lead playing is a bit more.  Especially if you would like to play some of the guitar solos that your favorite players who inspire you to play have written.  Which I highly recommend you do.  But this my friend, takes dedication and commitment to the most serious.

But for now, just learn the minor pentatonic scale.  For this is a great place to get started and I guarantee you that it will serve you well for years to come.  And once you get it down clearly in your mind and you watch some of your favorite players on video or in concert, you’ll see them using it and how.

Thanks for reading and if you need any help in anything that you’re working on, feel free to reach out.  here or on social media.  Also be sure to join my guitar club.

Best of luck and until our next lesson, take care.

Sincerely, Dwayne Jenkins.

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Tips On How To Maintain Your Guitar Fretboard

Posted on by Dwayne Jenkins Posted in Featured, Uncategorized
guitar cleaner

Tips On How To Maintain Your Guitar Fretboard

Why do guitar maintenance?

Guitar maintenance is important because many things can affect the way the guitar plays.  Like for instance, the guitar neck is designed to move so that it can hold up to climate changes.  That is why all electric and acoustic (except classical) guitars have a metal rod through the guitar neck (called a truss rod) so that this adjustment can be made from time to time.

Also, since tuners and guitar bridges are held in place by screws, these can tend to get loose as well over time due to playing the guitar.  So these might need some maintenance as well.  Not to mention sweat from your fingers can corrode the strings over time from hours of playing.  Along with beverages being accidentally spilled on the guitar body.

All this activity can cause a guitar to not play at it’s best.  That is why preventive maintenance is important from time to time throughout the life of the guitar.  If you take care of your guitar, it will take care of you and last for generations to come.

Maintain the fretboard.

When changing strings it’s a good idea to check the fretboard.  A lot of times sweat and grime get on the frets from playing the guitar and it needs to be cleaned from time to time.  Sometimes you might need to clean the fretboard with a non-scratch soft brillo sponge to make it look good.

This is a good thing to have in your guitar maintenance toolbox.  Can come in handy in other areas of your guitar playing as well.  Like maintaining your amp and pedals if you use any.

In addition to that, you might see that the fretboard is a bit dehydrated.  The guitar, after all, is wood and wood can be subject to all kinds of climate changes.   Especially if you travel with the guitar.  If you keep it in your room and that’s the only climate it deals with then your probably ok.

But if you go from a humid area like Florida and then take the guitar to somewhere like Colorado or Arizona where the climate is dry.  The fretboard could get a little dehydrated due to climate change.  That’s why it is a good idea to sometimes if need be, rehydrate your fretboard with some lemon oil.  This will refurbish the fretboard, make it look good and smell nice.  I recommend using Gerlitz fretboard honey oil.  Designed to protect the fretboard from moisture sweat and grime.

The guitar tuners and bridge.

Periodically the screws that hold the tuners in place (some models are held in place by pins) will tend to get loose.  This is another preventive maintenance item you can check from time to time.  And it’s best to have a set of small screwdrivers in your maintenance toolbox to keep these in check.

Also from time to time, you want to check the bridge of the guitar.  As this is held in place by screws also.  In addition to that, the string height can be adjusted at the bridge but requires a different type of tool than the screwdriver.  It requires an Allen wrench.  And a very tiny one at that.  So it is a good idea to get a set of Allen wrenches as well.  To make sure the strings are at the correct height for maximum playability.

These come in both metric and standard and would be best to get both as they will come in handy for other projects you’ll run into.

Polish the guitar body

It is also very important to keep the finish of the guitar looking nice as well.  This can be done with the all-in-one Music Nomad Guitar Cleaner.  Specifically designed to keep your guitar looking good at all times while protecting the finish by removing stains of all kinds.

By keeping the guitar looking good you’ll always be inspired to want to pick it up and create magic with it.  Whether that be learning a song your favorite artist wrote or expressing yourself through a song that you have created yourself.  Keeping your guitar looking good will make you want to spend maximum time with learning and playing it.

Change strings regularly.

One thing that can make a world of difference in your guitar playing and one of the most important of all the maintenance duties is to keep fresh guitar strings on your guitar at all times.  Especially if you play a lot.  Changing out your strings regularly will help to prevent string breakage, dull sound and unwanted corrosion from hours of playing.

If you reside in a humid area or possibly a really hot area, this can wreak havoc on your guitar strings which affect your guitar tone and inspiration to want to play.  Some strings that are great to have in your maintenance toolbox are:

Ernie Ball Regular Slinky, Ernie Ball Super Slinky

For electric and Ernie Ball Earthwood for Acoustic.

And last but not least……..

Lubricate all moving parts

The guitar is designed with a lot of little parts all working in harmony with each other to produce great guitar magic.  So it is a good idea to once in a while keep all moving parts in good working order by keeping them lubricated as well.

Like for instance anywhere there are parts touching.  Like the guitar strings touching the nut or saddles on the bridge.  The volume and tone knobs tend to get a little dist in them.  Things like that.  So I recommend you keep this part of your guitar maintained with products like Big Bends Nut Sauce which,

  • Ends Pitch Drift
  • Ends String Breakage Problems
  • Stops Wear & Tear at Bridge and Nut
  • Increases Sustain and Harmonics
  • Improves Overall Performance of ALL Stringed Instruments

And for keeping the electronics sounding great at all times I recommend you use Electronic Contact Cleaner which,

  • Cleans protects, lubricates, and improves conductivity
  • Reduces intermittent connections, arcing, and RFI as well as wear and abrasion
  • Safe for use on all metal connectors and contacts and will not harm plastics
  • Dispensing Type: Spray
  • Volume: 5 oz

Maintenance Conclusion.

If you take some time and keep your guitar maintained in the areas mentioned above, I guarantee that your guitar will perform well for years to come.  Preventive maintenance is one of the things that will make your guitar sound good every time you play it, look good and inspire you to want to learn it and perform as it should while creating your guitar magic or replicating your favorite players.

Always be sure to keep progressing forward in your learning.  Keep up with your finger exercises and hand warm-ups as these will allow your hands and fingers to stay in shape.

Keep progressing at learning your guitar chords and discovering different things you can do with them and why as this will enhance your creativity and fretboard knowledge. If you like to play rhythm, this is a great place to start.  As all music is based on good quality rhythm creativity and understanding the inner workings of chords and timing.

If you’re into playing guitar solos, study techniques used by the masters to enhance your guitar solos.  Learn what they do and put those ideas into your playing.  That’s what they did with the people they were inspired by.

And always remember to have fun with your learning.  Whatever works for you is best.  Everyone is different and it is best to find what works for you.  If you need help with learning guitar no matter if it’s acoustic or electric, check out my book Learn Guitar Simple Method.  It’ll help guide you along the way.

If you need help with your lead guitar playing, check out my book Lead Guitar Wizardry Vol 1.  Which will help get you going in the right direction.  And if you need accessories for your guitar playing, check out my eBay store Dwayne’s Guitar World.  Where you’ll find all kinds of items to help fuel your inspiration.

Thanks again for your support and until next lesson, take care.

Sincerely, Dwayne Jenkins

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Finger exercises And Hand Warm-Ups To Get In Shape

Posted on by Dwayne Jenkins Posted in Featured, Uncategorized
Finger exercises

When it comes to playing guitar, you want to make sure you do what athletes do, you warm up and get your fingers in shape.  This is very important for forming and holding guitar chords and playing guitar scales.

By working on effective exercises for developing your finger dexterity independent finger motion.  This is very important to develop for playing such things as barre chords (which use all fingers and can be very challenging to form and play) as well as for extended chords like add7#9 which can demand finger stretches.  These are just a couple examples that finger exercises and hand warm-ups can help to improve while learning guitar.

So let’s look at a few examples that can get your hands and fingers in shape, ready to tackle those tricky guitar parts.

Example #1

Finger exercise #1

In this example, you want to use all four fingers and start on the 6th string.  One finger per fret. Index finger on 1, second finger on 2, and so on.  This will help you to develop a stretch for your fingers.  It might be a bit challenging at first, but if you really apply yourself like a true warrior who wants to get better, I guarantee it will pay dividends in the end.

Example #2

Finger exercise #2

In this example, you start on the 1st string at the 5th fret.  Once again use all four fingers and go across all strings.  This will be a bit easier than the first one and feel a bit different because you’re starting on the first string instead of the sixth.  It will also help you to train your ear to hear certain notes.

Example #3

Finger Exercise #3

In this example, you keep the fret positioning the same but you change up your fingers.  Instead of doing 1 2 3 4, you want to do 1, 3, 2, 4.  This will allow you to develop finger independence.  Not to mention your brain needs to think differently as well. This is the discipline that is needed to accomplish what I stated in the first paragraph of this lesson.

In order to really play certain things on the guitar, your fingers and hands need to be disciplined and have the ability to do whatever you need them to do.  Some chords can be difficult to form and certain scales and guitar licks will require advanced finger discipline.

Finger exercise conclusion

This is just the nature of the instrument.  The guitar is a wonderful instrument in the fact that you can approach it from many different aspects.  But in order to do certain things on it (the really cool stuff) your hands and fingers need to be disciplined.  Especially if you want to play guitar styles like flamenco or classical guitar.  These are very disciplined arts.

Even if you just want to play simple chords, it’s always a good idea to warm up your hands, wrists, and fingers. And these examples along with many others (I’m sure you can figure out more on your own) will help you to do just that.  Keep your guitar hands in shape.  Just like a runner or any other type of physical activity. Keep yourself in shape and you will come out a winner.

One more thing,

Now if you are interested in learning more about what to do with your fingers and hands once they’re developed or what to learn in the process of developing them, you can check out some of the books that I’ve published on playing guitar.

Rock Guitar 101

Rock Guitar 101

Which is a great starter book for beginners who want to get up and running quickly in the art of rock guitar.  It’s a very simple book that covers the fundamentals in 7 easy to understand lessons.  With full-color pictures and diagrams for quick study and solid foundation development.

Learn Guitar Simple Guitar Method

A simple step-by-step method for beginners that is an easy study for those who want to learn either electric or acoustic guitar.  This book teaches the fundamental principles needed to get started on the right path to guitar playing success. A starter guide book designed for the total beginner with everything you need to start having fun playing guitar today. No matter your age.  This book can benefit you.  With full-color pictures and diagrams for quick learning and fast results.  This book will get you playing and having fun in no time.

Lead Guitar Wizardry

Lead Guitar Wizardry

This book is designed for those looking to head down the path of lead guitar playing.  A comprehensive course on the inner workings of lead guitar playing.  From finger exercises to picking techniques, scale patterns and fretboard knowledge.  Lead Guitar Wizardry will show you the secret formulas, and incantations used by lead guitar wizards to create jaw-dropping guitar solos that will capture the listener with magic.

So if you are interested in improving your guitar playing in any of these areas, I recommend you pick up one of my books on Amazon.  They come in both digital and paperback format.  And as always, if you have any questions about anything that I have taught in these lessons on my site or in my books, feel free to reach out.  That is what I’m here for.  To help you improve your guitar playing.

Thanks for reading and best of luck in your studies.

Sincerely,

Dwayne Jenkins.

Dwayne Jenkins standing in studio

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