Lesson Eight

Subjects Covered

• Chords
  • 50s rock in C (C, a minor , F , G)
• Scales
  • The C major scale on the 7th fret
• Musicality
  • Mixing the major pentatonic and the blues scale
• Exercises
  • Volume exercises, the new pentatonic scale and more chord picking patterns

The main points for this whole course are

• keep your hands relaxed
• keep your guitar in tune
• play in time, with the rhythm
• musicality always beats technicality
• practice too slow instead of too fast
• play along to records whenever you can
• play with other people whenever you can

Chords - 50s rock in C

Points to remember

• keeping the rhythm is more important than playing all the notes
• play in time
• use the guide notes - keep your first finger planted until the last chord (G major), then use your pinky from the 3rd to the 4th chord.

The C major pentatonic scale on the 7th fret - a new pattern

There are other ways to play the same scale. In this case we are going to learn a new pattern to play the C major pentatonic scale. Remember that with the old pattern we played the C major pentatonic on the 5th fret.

Old C major pentatonic on 5th fret

This is the form we have been using for quite awhile.

New C major pentatonic on 7th fret

This form is the same as G major pentatonic scale that we used in the last lesson. It is just on 7th fret instead of the 2nd fret.

The C major scale on the 7th fret

This is like the C major pentatonic scale on the 7th fret, but with a few more notes.

Musicality

1. Make a solo that sounds like a melody to a 50s rock n roll song.
2. Remember to add changes in volume to accentuate different notes.

Exercises

Picking pattern

Take the 50s chords in C and play the following:

One note per beat:
Chord : C
Strings : 5 , 4 , 3 , 2
Chord : a minor
Strings : 5 , 4 , 3 , 2
Chord : F
Strings : 4 , 3 , 2 , 1
Chord : G
Strings : 6 , 5 , 4 , 3

If you can do that, then play two notes per beat and repeat each pattern twice

Remember : play slowly and in time!