Lesson Six

Subjects Covered

• Chords
  • Blues progression in G and chords (G7, C, D7)
• Scale
  • The G blues scale on the 3rd fret
• Musicality
  • More blues playing stuff
• Exercises
  • String skipping notes

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 - Blues progression in G

Points to remember

• keeping the rhythm is more important than playing all the notes
• These chords sound a little corny for the blues but in a couple of lessons we will be playing more 'bluesy' chords
• memorize this progression
• play in time

Blues = 12 bars

Remember from last lessons that a blues is usually 12 bars (or measures) long. There are many different ways to play a blues progression.

The G blues scale

It’s a pentatonic scale with one added the note - the 'blue' note. Play it along to the recorded track.

Musicality

Groove-based solo

Pick two notes. Make a rhythmic solo out of just the two notes. Now add a third note. Remember to bend the notes.

Make your guitar sing

Try to make the guitar sound like a person singing. Use bended notes and play different notes at different volumes.

Exercises

Strumming patterns

1. Take the G chord and down pick using this pattern :
   String : 6 , 5 , 4 , 3
2. Now pick using this pattern: 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6
3. Now try combining the two like this:
   6 , 5 , 4 , 3 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6
4. Use a metronome. Play one note per beat, then play two notes per beat.
5. Play as slow as needed.