Beginnerguitarcourse Firstpart

Deepaks Guitar Blog Beginner Guitar Course Part I

www.onlineguitarschools.com/guitarblog

Preface ............................................................................................................. 6 2nd Part ............................................................................................................. 7 Chapter 1 Getting Started - Basic concepts of guitar ..................................... 7 Parts of a Guitar ............................................................................................ 7 Names of the guitar strings ........................................................................... 8 Tuning your guitar ......................................................................................... 9 Playing the guitar .......................................................................................... 9 Reading tablature and musical notations ...................................................... 9 Practicing the guitar .................................................................................... 11

Chapter 2 Western musical notations in depth Learn to read 1st and 2nd string notes of guitar on a staff. ...................................................................... 11 Different types of notes ............................................................................... 13

Chapter 3 Learning the 3rd and 4th strings notes on your guitar ................... 14 3rd String Notes ........................................................................................... 14 4th String notes ............................................................................................ 15 Practice tip .................................................................................................. 16

Chapter 4 Learning 5th and 6th String Notes of a Guitar | Understanding Sharp and Flat Notes. ..................................................................................... 16 5th String Notes ........................................................................................... 16 6th String Notes ........................................................................................... 17 Sharp Note .................................................................................................. 17 Flat Note ..................................................................................................... 18

Chapter 5 - Learning Different Type of Rests in Western Music is an Integral Part of Learning Guitar. .................................................................................. 19 Whole Rest ................................................................................................. 19 Half Rest ..................................................................................................... 20 Quarter Rest ............................................................................................... 21 Eighth Rest ................................................................................................. 21

Chapter 6 1st and 2nd String Exercises on your Guitar Using the Whole Note ....................................................................................................................... 22 Time Signature ............................................................................................ 22 1st string (e) exercises using whole note ..................................................... 22 Exercise 1 ................................................................................................... 23 Exercise 2 ................................................................................................... 24

Chapter 7 2nd String Exercises on Guitar using Whole Note .......................... 24 Exercise 1 ....................................................................................................... 25 Exercise 2 ....................................................................................................... 26

Chapter 8 3rd String Exercises on Guitar using Whole Notes ......................... 26 Exercise 1 ....................................................................................................... 27 Exercise 2 ....................................................................................................... 27

Chapter 9 4th String Exercises on Guitar using the Whole Note ..................... 27 Exercise 1 ....................................................................................................... 28 Exercise 2 ....................................................................................................... 29

Chapter 10 5th String Exercises on the Guitar using the Whole Note ............. 29 Exercise 1 ....................................................................................................... 30 Exercise 2 ....................................................................................................... 31



Chapter 11 6th String Exercises on Guitar using Whole Notes ....................... 31 Exercise 1 ....................................................................................................... 32 Exercise 2 ....................................................................................................... 33

Chapter 12 1st String Exercises on Guitar using Half Notes ........................... 33 Exercise 1 ....................................................................................................... 34 Exercise 2 ....................................................................................................... 35

Chapter 13 2nd String Exercises on Guitar using Half Notes .......................... 35 Exercise 1 ....................................................................................................... 36 Exercise 2 ....................................................................................................... 37

Chapter 14 3rd String Exercises on Guitar using Half Notes........................... 37 Exercise 1 ....................................................................................................... 38 Exercise 2 ....................................................................................................... 39

Chapter 15 4th String Exercises on Guitar using Half Notes ........................... 39 Exercise 1 ....................................................................................................... 40 Exercise 2 ....................................................................................................... 41

Chapter 16 5th String Exercises on Guitar using Half Notes ........................... 41 Exercise 1 ....................................................................................................... 42

Chapter 17 6th String Exercises on Guitar using Half Notes ........................... 42 Exercise 1 ....................................................................................................... 43 Exercise 2 ....................................................................................................... 44

Chapter 18 1st String Exercise on Guitar using Quarter Notes ....................... 44 Exercise .......................................................................................................... 45 Exercise 2 ....................................................................................................... 46

Chapter 18 1st String Exercise on Guitar using Quarter Notes ....................... 46 Exercise .......................................................................................................... 47

Chapter 19 2nd String Exercise on Guitar using Quarter Notes ...................... 47 Exercise .......................................................................................................... 48

Chapter 20 3rd String Exercise on Guitar using Quarter Notes ....................... 48 Exercise .......................................................................................................... 49

Chapter 21 4th String Exercises on Guitar using Quarter Notes ..................... 49 Exercise 1 ....................................................................................................... 49 Exercise 2 ....................................................................................................... 50



Chapter 24 1st String Exercises on Guitar using Eighth Notes ....................... 53 Practice Tips ................................................................................................... 53 Exercise 1 ....................................................................................................... 53 Exercise 2 ....................................................................................................... 54

Chapter 25 2nd String Exercises on Guitar using Eighth Notes ...................... 54 Exercise 1 ....................................................................................................... 55 Exercise 2 ....................................................................................................... 56

Chapter 26 3rd String Exercise on Guitar using Eighth Notes ......................... 56



Exercise .......................................................................................................... 57 Chapter 27 4th String Exercise on Guitar using Eighth Notes ......................... 57 Exercise .......................................................................................................... 58

Chapter 28 5th String Exercise on Guitar using Eighth Notes ......................... 58 Exercise .......................................................................................................... 59

Chapter 29 6th String Exercise on Guitar using Eighth Notes ......................... 59 Exercise .......................................................................................................... 60

Chapter 30 1st String Exercises on Guitar using 4 Different Type of Notes .... 60 Exercise 1 ....................................................................................................... 61 Exercise 2 ....................................................................................................... 61

Chapter 31 2nd String Exercises on Guitar using 4 Different Type of Notes ... 62 Exercise 1 ....................................................................................................... 62 Exercise 2 ....................................................................................................... 63

Chapter 32 3rd String Exercises on Guitar using 4 Different Type of Notes.... 63 Exercise 1 ....................................................................................................... 64 Exercise 2 ....................................................................................................... 65

Chapter 33 4th String Exercises on Guitar using 4 Different Type of Notes .... 65 Exercise 1 ....................................................................................................... 66 Exercise 2 ....................................................................................................... 67



Chapter 36 Understanding 4 Different Type of Rests and Tie Notes in Western Music for Guitar .................................................................................................. 71

4 Different Type of Rests ............................................................................ 72 Whole Rest ................................................................................................. 72 Half Rest ..................................................................................................... 72 Quarter Rest ............................................................................................... 72 Eighth Rest ................................................................................................. 73 Exercise on Rests ....................................................................................... 73 Ties ............................................................................................................. 73

Chapter 37 Learning Different Type of Dotted Notes in Western Music for Guitar ................................................................................................................. 74

What is a Dotted Note? ............................................................................... 74 Dotted Whole Note ...................................................................................... 74 Dotted Half Note ......................................................................................... 75 Dotted Quarter Note .................................................................................... 75 Dotted Eighth Note ...................................................................................... 76 Dotted Notes Exercise ................................................................................ 76

Chapter 38 Understanding Sharp and Flat Notes on the 1st String (e) of Guitar | Sharp and Flat Notes Exercises ....................................................................... 77

Important Facts about Sharp and Flat Notes .............................................. 78 Natural Note ................................................................................................ 78



Sharp Notes on 1st String (e) of Guitar ....................................................... 78 Tablature Version of the Above Exercise .................................................... 79 Flat Notes on 1st String (e) of Guitar........................................................... 79 Tablature Version of the Above Exercise .................................................... 80 Sharp Notes Exercise ................................................................................. 80 Tab .............................................................................................................. 81 Flat Notes Exercise ..................................................................................... 81 Tab .............................................................................................................. 82

Chapter 39 Introduction to Guitar Scales | Building Major Scales | Learning C Major Scale ........................................................................................................ 82

What is a scale in Western Music? ............................................................. 82 Understanding 2 Kinds of Scales ................................................................ 82 Learning C Major Scale on Guitar ............................................................... 83 C Major Scale Notated on the Staff ............................................................. 84 Names of Scale Degrees ............................................................................ 84 C Major Scale on Tab ................................................................................. 84 Chromatic Scales Building a Chromatic Scale from C Major Scale ......... 85 Chromatic Scale Notation on the Key of C .................................................. 85 Tab for Chromatic Scale on C Major ........................................................... 86

Chapter 40 Building the 3 Principal Chords from the Key of C Major Diatonic Scale on Guitar .................................................................................................. 86

Tonic Chord C Major ................................................................................ 86 Tab Notation of C Major Chord ................................................................... 87 Sub-Dominant Chord F Major .................................................................. 88 Tab Notation of F Major Chord .................................................................... 88 Dominant Chord G7 ................................................................................. 89 Tab Notation for G7 Chord .......................................................................... 90 Formula for Building a Major Chord ............................................................ 90

Chapter 41 Practicing the Principal Chords and Scale in the Key of C on Guitar ........................................................................................................................... 91

Practice Tips ............................................................................................... 91 Exercise 1 Practicing the 3 Principal Chords ........................................... 91 Different shapes of the 3 principal chords ................................................... 92 Slash Notation of Chords ............................................................................ 92 Exercise 2 Practicing Arpeggios of the 3 Principal Chords ...................... 93 Exercise 3 Practicing the Scale ................................................................ 95

Chapter 42 Learning A Natural Minor Scale and its 3 Principal Chords on Guitar ................................................................................................................. 96

Relative Minor Scale ................................................................................... 96 A Natural Minor Scale (as per the above formula) ...................................... 97 Tab for A Natural Minor Scale ..................................................................... 98 The 3 Principal Chords in A Natural Minor Scale ...................................... 98 Am Chord .................................................................................................... 98 Tab for Am Chord ....................................................................................... 99 Dm Chord .................................................................................................. 100 Tab for Dm Chord ..................................................................................... 101



E7 Chord ................................................................................................... 101 Tab for E7 Chord ...................................................................................... 102

Chapter 43 Practicing the 3 Principal Chords and A Natural Minor Scale on Guitar ............................................................................................................... 102

Practice Tip ............................................................................................... 102 Exercise of the 3 Principal Chords ............................................................ 103 Different Shapes of these 3 Chords on the Fret-Board ............................. 104 Arpeggio Exercise ..................................................................................... 105 Exercise of the Scale ................................................................................ 107

Chapter 44 Importance of Understanding Different types of Musical Intervals in a Scale while Learning Guitar .......................................................................... 108

Musical Interval ......................................................................................... 109 Tab ............................................................................................................ 110 4 Main Types of Intervals in Music Major, Minor, Diminished and Augmented ................................................................................................ 110 Tab ............................................................................................................ 111 Consonant Intervals .................................................................................. 111 Tab ............................................................................................................ 112 Dissonant Intervals.................................................................................... 112 Tab ............................................................................................................ 113

Chapter 45 Understanding Different Types of Minor Scales in Western Music while Learning Guitar ....................................................................................... 113

Harmonic Minor Scale ............................................................................... 114 Tab ............................................................................................................ 114 Melodic Minor Scale .................................................................................. 114 Tab ............................................................................................................ 115 Mixed or Combined Minor Scale ............................................................... 115 Tab ............................................................................................................ 115 Hungarian or Gypsy Minor Scale .............................................................. 116 Tab ............................................................................................................ 116

Chapter 46 Learning G Major Scale and its 3 Principal Chords on Guitar .... 116 Understanding G Major Scale ....................................................................... 117 G Major Scale Notation with Tab .................................................................. 117 3 Principal Chords in this scale ..................................................................... 117 G Major Chord Fret diagram, Notation with Tab ....................................... 118 C Major Chord ........................................................................................... 118 D7 Chord Fret diagram, Notation with Tab ................................................ 119

Chapter 47 Exercises of Principal Chords and Scale on the Key of G Major on Guitar ............................................................................................................... 120

Chords Exercise ........................................................................................ 121 Different Chord Shapes of these 3 Principal Chords ................................. 121 Arpeggio Exercise ..................................................................................... 122 Scale Exercise .......................................................................................... 123

Chapter 48 Understanding the 3 Different Patterns of C Major Scale on the Guitar Fret-Board ............................................................................................. 124

1st Pattern.................................................................................................. 124



2nd pattern ................................................................................................. 125 3rd Pattern ................................................................................................. 125

Chapter 49 C Major Scale Exercises & Learning Different Kinds of Scales of the C Family ..................................................................................................... 126

Exercise 1 ................................................................................................. 127 Exercise 2 ................................................................................................. 128 C Natural Minor Scale ............................................................................... 128 Position 2 .................................................................................................. 129 Position 3 .................................................................................................. 130 C Harmonic Minor Scale ........................................................................... 130 C Melodic Minor Scale .............................................................................. 131 Major Pentatonic Scale ............................................................................. 131 C Major Pentatonic Scale .......................................................................... 131 Minor Pentatonic Scale ............................................................................. 132 C Minor Pentatonic Scale .......................................................................... 132 Blues Scale ............................................................................................... 133 C Blues Scale ........................................................................................... 133

Chapter 50 C Major, Minor Pentatonic and Blues Scales on a Different Position on Guitar .......................................................................................................... 133 Chapter 51 Exercises on C Major and Minor Scales in 4 Patterns for Developing Speed ............................................................................................ 138

Practice Tips ............................................................................................. 138 Chapter 52 Learning to play the A Natural Minor Scale in Different Patterns on Guitar ............................................................................................................... 141 Chapter 53 Learning to Play Different Type of Scales of the A Family on Guitar ......................................................................................................................... 143 2nd Part ......................................................................................................... 148 Recommended Guitar Learning Resources .............................................. 148

Preface Though many people dream of becoming an expert guitar player, most of them fail to accomplish it and sadly their dreams remain just a dream for ever. The reasons are many it may be due to lack of sustained interest, hard work, consistency or due to unavailability of an affordable and systematic course. The internet has a lot of information on learning guitar, but they are all scattered all over and not systematically arranged which is absolutely useless for beginners. Learning guitar should be a continuous and systematic process especially in the beginning stages otherwise it is hard to sustain the interest and build a solid foundation. I do agree that there are sites that have arranged their lessons in a systematic format - for beginners, but, they are either incomplete or not that easy to follow.



This guitar course has some useful guitar lessons capable of lifting you up from an absolute beginner to a much confident guitar player with a good foundation capable of playing chords, scales and songs.

2nd Part You can get the 2nd part of this eBook by signing up to my email list here You can also check out my guitar blog where I will be adding new lessons and tips on a weekly basis, so please visit my site once in a week. Since this is a one man effort you might not find my course to be of immaculate quality as a paid guitar course online. But I will always strive to make this as perfect and easy to follow as possible for you. I am sure you will find this course helpful to get started with your dream of becoming a killer guitar player. Please do let me know your suggestions and feedbacks on [email protected].

Chapter 1 Getting Started - Basic concepts of guitar

Parts of a Guitar Before you begin to learn guitar you must know your guitar. Here I have shown an acoustic guitar. An electric guitar will have additional parts than this like pick ups, tremolo arm, volume, pick up and tone controls. But to start with you just need to know the parts of an acoustic guitar. This picture will give you a good idea about the different parts of the guitar. I need not explain much here as it is self explanatory.



Names of the guitar strings A guitar has six strings, the 1st string e- is the thinnest the closest to the ground when you hold your guitar and the 6th string E is the thickest the farthest from the ground. Both the strings are E, the thinnest e will have a lower pitch and the thicker E will have higher pitch. Thats the only difference. This graphical representation will give you a better idea about it.



Tuning your guitar You can tune the guitar either manually or using an electronic tuner that you can get it from any music store - or using a keyboard. But I would always recommend the first one, i.e. manual tuning as it is not dependent on any external devices but your ears. Manual tuning -In manual tuning we use the 6th string(E) as a reference point to tune the rest.

Tuning the 5th string(A) - Place your finger on the 5th fret of the 6th string and play the 6th string and open 5th; listen carefully to see if they sound the same, if not then adjust loosen or tighten - the tuning peg of the 5th string until it sounds exactly like the 6th string. So now you have tuned the 5th string

Tuning the 4th string(D) - Place your finger on the 5th fret of the 5th string and play the 5th string and open 4th; listen carefully to see if they sound the same, if not then adjust loosen or tighten - the tuning peg of the 4th string until it sounds exactly like the 5th string. So now you have tuned the 4th string.

Tuning the 3rd string(G) - Place your finger on the 5th fret of the 4th string and play the 4th string and open 3rd; listen carefully to see if they sound the same, if not then adjust loosen or tighten - the tuning peg of the 3rd string until it sounds exactly like the 4th string. So now you have tuned the 3rd string.

Tuning the 2nd string (B) - Here there is a slight difference, instead of 5th fret you have to place your finger on the 4th fret of the 3rd string and play the 3rd string and open 2nd ; listen carefully to see if they sound the same, if not then adjust loosen or tighten - the tuning peg of the 2nd string until it sounds exactly like the 3rd string. So now you have tuned the 2nd string.

Tuning the 1st string (e) - Place your finger on the 5th fret of the 2nd string and play the 2nd string and open 1st; listen carefully to see if they sound the same, if not then adjust loosen or tighten - the tuning peg of the 1st string until it sounds exactly like the 2nd string. So now you have tuned the 1st string.

Playing the guitar Guitar can be played using a plectrum a small triangular plastic piece or using your finger tips.

Reading tablature and musical notations Guitar tablature is an alternative to traditional musical notations and a graphical way to depict musical notes developed exclusively for guitar players. The guitar tablature will have six lines that represent the 6 strings of the guitar on which numbers are used to denote the frets. But I would highly recommend you to learn



the traditional musical notations first and use the tablature along with it because tablature when used alone has few drawbacks that I will discuss later.

In traditional western musical notation, the musical symbols or notes are placed on a staff or a stave which is a set of 5 horizontal lines and spaces representing different musical pitch.. The staff starts with a clef sign and a time signature. In guitar we use G Clef or the treble clef. The below pictures demonstrate the musical and tablature notations of the six open strings in a guitar. I will be covering more on reading traditional music notations in the next chapter. Open String = If a string is played without pressing any fret, then it is open string.



Practicing the guitar In this section you need to just practice the open strings repeatedly until you are comfortable and fluid with it. If you want you can even try out with frets. But I would recommend you to stick with open strings for the time being.

Chapter 2 Western musical notations in depth Learn to read 1st and 2nd string notes of guitar on a staff. In the 1st chapter we saw a brief introduction to musical notations and also denoting the open string notes - of a guitar - on a staff. In this chapter we will learn western musical notations in detail. As we have discussed in the earlier chapter, in traditional music notation the notes are placed on a staff. The lower pitched notes will appear on the lower lines or spaces of the staff and high pitched ones on the higher lines and spaces. Thats all you need to know now. Now in this chapter we will see the notes on 1st (e) and 2nd (B) strings on the guitar and also the different types of notes - written on the staff. The picture below shows the 1st string (e) notes are on the staff. The tablature notation is also given along with it for your convenience.



The picture below shows the 2nd string (B) notes are on the staff. The tablature notation is also given along with it for your convenience.



Different types of notes There are 4 main types of notes in western music a whole note, half note, quarter note and an eighth note. Whole Note A whole note gets 4 beats i.e. you will play the note only once and then count 3 beats. In the example below I have taken an open string note, the 1st string (e). A whole note is denoted by an open circle.

Half Note A half note gets 2 beats i.e. you will play the note once and just count the 2nd beat. 2 half notes will make a whole note. In the example below I have taken an open string note, the 1st string (e). A half note is denoted by an open circle and a stem.

Quarter Note A half note gets only one beat i.e. you will play the note for that beat. 4 half notes will make a whole note. In the example below I have taken an open string note, the 1st string (e). A quarter note is denoted by an closed circle and a stem.



Eighth Note An eighth note gets only half a beat, so you need to play 2 eighth notes in the timing of 1 quarter note to get 1 beat and it takes 8 eighth notes to make a whole note. In the example below I have taken an open string note, the 1st string (e). An eighth note is denoted by a closed circle with a stem and a flag. So it is also known as a flag note.

Chapter 3 Learning the 3rd and 4th strings notes on your guitar In the previous chapter we discussed the 1st and 2nd strings notes of a guitar and 4 different types of notes in music; now in this chapter we will check out the notes on the next 2 strings i.e. G and D.

3rd String Notes There are only 2 main notes on the 3rd string of a guitar they are G and A. The first note is open string note G and the 2nd note is A which played by pressing the



2nd fret. This doesnt mean that there are no more notes on a string. You can play all the notes A B C D E F G A on all the strings, on different octaves.

4th String notes The 4th string has 3 notes D, E and F. D is the open string note, E is on the 2nd fret and F is on the 3rd fret.



Practice tip It is highly recommended to practice your guitar on a regular basis at least 1 or 2 hours daily rather than spending 8 or 9 hours on a weekend. Initially you will get a sore finger, but never give up, just take and break and keep practicing. Revise on what you have learned and try playing around with your instrument for a while, it is exciting and you will be amazed to discover many new interesting things on your guitar every single day. Excelling as a guitar player is all about being persistent and regular without losing your interest and morale when you meet with a challenge.

Chapter 4 Learning 5th and 6th String Notes of a Guitar | Understanding Sharp and Flat Notes. In the previous chapter we checked out 3rd and 4th string notes of a guitar. In this chapter we will learn how to denote 5th and 6th string notes on a staff. We will also learn sharp and flat notes in western music.

5th String Notes The 5th string notes are A, B and C. A is the open string note; B is played by pressing the 2nd fret and C is played by pressing the 3rd fret of the 5th string. The below figure will make things clearer. Please check out the following staff and Tab notations below.



6th String Notes The 6th string notes are E, F and G. E is the open string note; F note is played by pressing the 1st fret and G is played by pressing the 3rd fret of the 6th string. Please check out the following staff and Tab notations below.

Sharp Note A sharp note in western music is half step or half tone higher than the original note. For e.g. If you want to play F Sharp note, you just need to go one fret (half step) higher i.e. on the 2nd fret of the 1st string. Check out the notations below to get a better idea. A Sharp note is denoted by a # symbol. Its not necessary that every note will have a sharp. The sharp note for the first string e is F that is a half step higher, so there is no sharp note for e. So in technical terms e Sharp is enharmonically equivalent to F natural note. A note without a sharp or flat is called a natural note. Half Step or Half tone One fret higher ( e to F on 1st string or E to F on 4th string) Whole Step or Whole tone Two frets higher (F to G on first string or 6th string)



Flat Note A flat note in western music is half step or half tone lower than the original note. For e.g. If you want to play G Flat note, you just need to go one fret (half step) lower i.e. on the 2nd fret of the 1st string. Check out the below picture to get a better idea. A Flat note is denoted by a b symbol. Hey, by the way did you notice something? G Flat and F Sharp are one and the same. Interesting isnt it? So we in technical terms F# and Gb are enharmonic equivalents. Just like Sharp notes, its not necessary that every note will have a flat. The flat note for the first string notes F is e that is a half step or tone lower, so there is no flat note for F. So in technical terms F Flat is enharmonically equivalent to e natural note.



Chapter 5 - Learning Different Type of Rests in Western Music is an Integral Part of Learning Guitar. In chapter 2 we learned different types of notes whole note, half note, quarter note and eighth note. In this chapter we will learn different types of Rests notations in western music and how to identify them on a staff. A Rest in music means a pause or silence for certain number of beat(s) - equivalent to a note value. There are 4 different types of rests Whole rest, half rest, quarter rest and eighth rest - equivalent in lengths to the different types of notes that we learned in Chapter 2.

Whole Rest A Whole Rest is denoted by a thick hyphen hanging from the 2nd line of the staff which indicates a 4 beat silence and is equivalent to a Whole Note.



Half Rest A half rest is denoted by a thick hyphen sticking above the 3rd line of the staff which indicates a 2 beat silence and is equivalent to a Half Note.



Quarter Rest A Quarter Rest indicates the silence of a single beat and is denoted by a symbol and is equivalent to the value of a Quarter Note. Please check the figure below.

Eighth Rest An Eighth Rest indicates the silence of a half beat and is denoted by a symbol and is equivalent to the value of an Eighth Note. Please check the figure below.



Chapter 6 1st and 2nd String Exercises on your Guitar Using the Whole Note In this chapter you will learn the 4/4 time signature. I have also given 2 exercises to practice on the first string using the whole note.

Time Signature Time signature is denoted next to the treble clef sign (which indicates that the notes are of higher pitch). The 4/4 time signature is the most widely used time signature in western music. There are many other forms of time signatures 3/4, 2/4, 6/8 and so on, but I will just discuss 4/4 here. I will be discussing other commonly used time signatures in the future chapters. The 4/4 time signature is also known as common time and denoted by a C like symbol. The upper number 4 indicates that there are 4 beats in a measure. Each measure a.k.a. bar is separated by a line. The bottom number 4 indicates the type of note. In this case it is a quarter note. The four beats can be a combination of a half note and quarter notes or a whole note. The double bar (a thin line and the other thicker) indicates that it is the end of that musical piece.

1st string (e) exercises using whole note In these exercises all the four notes on the first string that we learned in the previous chapter need to be played using a whole note in different combinations.



Exercise 1



Exercise 2

Practice tip: Always start off playing any exercise on your guitar in a slow and steady manner, and never hurry up for gaining speed. It will make your playing imperfect and sloppy. Your focus should always be on getting full control, speed will follow automatically.

Chapter 7 2nd String Exercises on Guitar using Whole Note

In the previous chapter we learned 4/4 (common time) time signature and two practice exercises on the 1st string using the whole note. In this chapter I have 2 practice exercises on the guitar for the 2nd string using the whole note.

Practice these exercises until you are absolutely thorough with the whole notes on the 2nd string(B). Practice it slowly and get a good control over the instrument. The speed will follow.



In the next chapter we will check out the whole note exercises on the 3rd string (G).

Exercise 1



Exercise 2

Chapter 8 3rd String Exercises on Guitar using Whole Notes

In this chapter I have prepared two exercises on 3rd string (B) of the guitar using the whole notes. In the previous chapter we checked out the whole notes exercises on the 2nd string.

Practice it until you are thorough and confident with it.



Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Chapter 9 4th String Exercises on Guitar using the Whole Note

In the previous chapter we checked out the 3rd string exercises using the whole notes on guitar. In this chapter we will check out couple of interesting and easy exercises on the 4th string using the whole note.



Exercise 1



Exercise 2

Chapter 10 5th String Exercises on the Guitar using the Whole Note

In this chapter we will check out 2 easy exercises on the 5th string (A) of the guitar using the whole note. In the previous chapter we checked out 2 exercises on the 4th string using whole notes.



Exercise 1



Exercise 2

Chapter 11 6th String Exercises on Guitar using Whole Notes

In the previous chapter we saw 2 exercises on the 5th string of the guitar using the whole notes. In this chapter i have included 2 exercises on the 6th string using the whole notes. This completes the exercises on whole notes for all the strings. You can create your own random exercises with your imagination using the whole note with different combinations of notes on each string.



Exercise 1



Exercise 2

Chapter 12 1st String Exercises on Guitar using Half Notes

In the previous chapter we checked out the whole note exercises on the 6th string that summed up the whole note exercises on all 6 strings. In this chapter we will start with the half note exercises, beginning with the 1st string (e).



Exercise 1



Exercise 2

Chapter 13 2nd String Exercises on Guitar using Half Notes

In the previous chapter we saw 2 exercises on the 1st string of the guitar using half notes. In this chapter we will check out 2 exercises on the 2nd string using half notes.



Exercise 1



Exercise 2

Chapter 14 3rd String Exercises on Guitar using Half Notes

In the previous chapter we checked out 2 exercises on the 2nd string using the half notes. In this chapter we continue with the half note exercises. Here you can practice 2 exercises on the 3rd string of your guitar using half notes.



Exercise 1



Exercise 2

Chapter 15 4th String Exercises on Guitar using Half Notes

In the previous chapter we checked out 2 exercises on the 3rd string using half notes. In this chapter we will check out 2 exercises on the 4th string of the guitar using half notes.



Exercise 1



Exercise 2


In the previous chapter we checked out 2 exercises on the 4th string using half notes. In this chapter we are continuing with half notes and will check out 2 exercises on the 5th string of the guitar using half notes.



Exercise 1


In the previous chapter we checked out 2 interesting exercises on the 5th string of the guitar using half notes. This chapter has 2 exercises on the 6th string ending the half note exercises on all six strings.

Please practice all the exercises on all the six strings until you are absolutely comfortable with them. Remember, speed is not what you want initially. Speed will follow if you practice slowly and gain total control over the instrument.



Exercise 1



Exercise 2

Chapter 18 1st String Exercise on Guitar using Quarter Notes

In the last few chapters we checked out the half note exercises in western music on guitar on all six strings. This chapter starts with the quarter note exercises. Lets begin by checking out an interesting exercise on the 1st string of the guitar using the quarter notes.



Exercise



Exercise 2

Chapter 18 1st String Exercise on Guitar using Quarter Notes

In the last few chapters we checked out the half note exercises in western music on guitar on all six strings. This chapter starts with the quarter note exercises. Lets begin by checking out an interesting exercise on the 1st string of the guitar using the quarter notes.



Exercise

Chapter 19 2nd String Exercise on Guitar using Quarter Notes

In the previous chapter we started off with the quarter note exercises on the guitar and checked out 2 interesting exercises on the 1st string. In this chapter you can check out this interesting quarter notes exercise on the 2nd string.



Exercise

Chapter 20 3rd String Exercise on Guitar using Quarter Notes

In the previous chapter we checked out 2 quarter note exercises on the 2nd string. In this chapter we will check out this exciting exercise on the 3rd string of the guitar.



Exercise

Chapter 21 4th String Exercises on Guitar using Quarter Notes

In the previous chapter we checked out 2 exercises on the 3rd string (G) of the guitar using quarter notes. In this chapter we are continuing with the quarter note exercises and will check out 2 interesting exercises on the 4th string (D).

Exercise 1



Exercise 2


In this chapter you will get to play 2 exercises on the 5th string (A) using the quarter notes. In the previous chapter we had checked out 2 exercises using the quarter notes on the 4th String (D).



Exercise 1

Exercise 2


In the previous chapter we checked out 2 exercises on the 5th string (A) using quarter notes. In this chapter you can practice 2 exercises on the 6th String (E) of the guitar. With this chapter the quarter note exercises are completed.



Keep practicing all the exercises on all the strings until you are absolutely perfect with them. Dont hurry up for playing in speed, it will make your playing sloppy ! So practice slowly and the speed will automatically follow.

Exercise 1

Exercise 2



Chapter 24 1st String Exercises on Guitar using Eighth Notes

In the previous chapter we completed the quarter note exercises on all 6 strings, which ended with 2 exercises on the 6th string (E). This chapter we are starting off with eighth note exercises on the 1st string (e) of the guitar.

Practice Tips

Initially you can practice these exercises slowly to gain full control, then you can start building up speed. The speed will automatically build up as you keep practicing on a regular basis. I would request you to spend at least an hour or two daily initially for your guitar practice. This will help you to hone your guitar playing skills and become a perfect guitar player. You can increase the practice duration later on as you progress in your learning.

Exercise 1



Exercise 2

Chapter 25 2nd String Exercises on Guitar using Eighth Notes

In the previous chapter we started off with the eighth note exercises and checked out 2 exercises on the 1st string (e) of the guitar. In this chapter you can listen and play 2 exercises on the 2nd string (B) using eighth notes. Enjoy and practice hard!



Exercise 1



Exercise 2

Chapter 26 3rd String Exercise on Guitar using Eighth Notes

In the previous chapter we checked out two 2nd string(B) exercises on guitar using eighth notes. In this chapter we are continuing with the eighth notes and will check out a short exercise on the 3rd string(G) using eighth notes.



Exercise

Chapter 27 4th String Exercise on Guitar using Eighth Notes

In the previous chapter we checked out an interesting exercise on the 3rd string using eighth notes. In this chapter we will check out another interesting exercise on the 4th string using eighth notes.



Exercise


In the previous chapter we checked out an exercise on 4th string using eighth notes. In this chapter we will check out an interesting exercise on the 5th string using eighth notes.

Practice Tip You can play the strings using up and down strokes (alternate picking) with your pick (or plectrum) while practicing eighth note exercises on your guitar. This picking style is easier than just downward picking and helps you gain speed.



Exercise


In the previous chapter we checked out an exercise on the 5th string(A) using eighth notes. In this chapter we will check out another exercise on the 6th String(E) using eighth notes. This chapter concludes the eighth note exercises on all six strings of the guitar.

Note: Please listen to the exercise for better understanding of the exercise.



Exercise

Chapter 30 1st String Exercises on Guitar using 4 Different Type of Notes

In the previous chapters we checked out different exercises using 4 major type of notes in music theory i.e. whole note, half note, quarter note and eighth note. And, the last chapter covered the 6th string exercise on guitar using eighth notes.

This chapter starts with some interesting and exciting exercises using all the 4 different type of notes in music theory and we are starting off with 2 exercises on the 1st string(e) of the guitar here in this chapter.

Note: Please listen to the exercises repeatedly(and carefully) to learn how they are played before practicing them. I am repeating this point start practicing slowly until you get full control and sync over the left and right hands, i.e. the fingering patterns and string picking before thinking of speed.



Exercise 1

Exercise 2



Chapter 31 2nd String Exercises on Guitar using 4 Different Type of Notes

In the previous chapter we started off with the exercises using the 4 main type of notes in western music and checked out 2 easy and interesting exercises on the first 1st string(e).

Here in this chapter you will get to play 2 exercises on the 2nd string(B) of the guitar using those 4 different note types. So please listen to the exercises and practice. Enjoy !

Exercise 1



Exercise 2

Chapter 32 3rd String Exercises on Guitar using 4 Different Type of Notes

In the previous chapter we checked out 2 interesting exercises on the 2nd string(B) of the guitar using 4 different type of notes. In this chapter we will check out 2 other exercises on the 3rd string(G).



Exercise 1



Exercise 2

Chapter 33 4th String Exercises on Guitar using 4 Different Type of Notes

In the previous chapter we checked out 2 exercises on the 3rd string(G) of the guitar using 4 different type of notes. In this chapter we will check out 2 other



interesting exercises on the 4th string(D) again using the 4 major type of notes in western music whole notes, half notes, quarter notes and eighth notes.

Exercise 1



Exercise 2


In the previous chapter we checked out 2 interesting exercises on the 4th String(D) of guitar using the 4 major type of notes in western music. In this



chapter we will check out 2 other exercises on the 5th string(A) using those different type of notes.

Exercise 1



Exercise 2


In the previous chapter we checked out 2 exercises on the 5th String (A) of the guitar using 4 different type of notes. In this chapter we will conclude the exercises on the different type of notes by checking out 2 more exercises on the 6th String(E).



Exercise 1



Exercise 2

Chapter 36 Understanding 4 Different Type of Rests and Tie Notes in Western Music for Guitar



In the previous chapter we checked out 2 exercises on the 6th string using 4 major type of notes in western music Whole note, half note, quarter note and eighth note. In this chapter we will cover the following topics

1. 4 Different type of rests 2. Ties

4 Different Type of Rests

Just like 4 different type of notes that we saw in one of the earlier chapters, there are 4 different type of rests Whole rest, Half Rest, Quarter Rest and Eighth rest, having the same time interval as the 4 different notes.

Whole Rest

A whole rest is notated as a thick hyphen hanging down from the 4th ledger line of the staff, as seen in the figure below. A whole rest has the equal time interval of a whole note i.e. 4 beats, but unlike a whole note, there is complete silence for the 4 beats.

Half Rest

A half rest is notated like a hyphen sitting on the 3rd line of the staff and has the same time interval of a half note i.e. 2 beats.

Quarter Rest

A quarter rest is denoted as a symbol across the 2nd, 3rd and 4th lines of the staff as shown below in the figure and has the same time interval as a quarter note i.e. 1 beat.



Eighth Rest

An eighth rest is denoted as a symbol sitting on the 3rd line of the staff as shown below in the figure and has the same time interval as an eighth note i.e. beat.

Exercise on Rests

Ties

A tie is a curved line that combines the time values of two notes of the same pitch. The first note is played and the second notes time value is just counted and not played.

In the example below you can see the first tie between two quarter notes(A) on the first string and the second tie between a half note(e) and a whole note(e).

Note: Please listen to the following piece to learn how to play tied notes.



Chapter 37 Learning Different Type of Dotted Notes in Western Music for Guitar

In the previous chapter we checked out the different type of rests and ties in western music. In this chapter you will learn what are dotted notes in western and how to play them on guitar.

What is a Dotted Note?

A dotted note increments the time value of a note by half of the notes original value. Here I have explained the 4 major types of dotted notes in this chapter.

Dotted Whole Note

As you know that the time value of a whole note is 4 beats. So, if you put a dot after a whole note, the time value is incremented by 2 beats and the total time value of a dotted whole note becomes 6 beats.



Dotted Half Note

As you know that the time value of a half note is 2 beats. So, if you put a dot after a half note, the time value of the note is incremented by 1 beat and the total time value of a dotted half note becomes 3 beats.

Dotted Quarter Note

As you know that the time value of a quarter note is 1 beat. So, if you put a dot after a quarter note, the time value of the note is incremented by beat and the total time value of a dotted quarter note becomes 1 and beats.



Dotted Eighth Note

As you know that the time value of an eighth note is beat. So, if you put a dot after an eighth note, the time value of the note is incremented by beat and the total time value of a dotted eighth note becomes beat.

Dotted notes are not restricted to just these 4 type of notes, you can create dotted notes out of any note type.

Dotted Notes Exercise

You might be wondering why there is a tie from the whole note to the half note towards the end of the exercise, right? But dont be confused, the tied whole note is actually a dotted whole note. Since the exercise is on 4/4 (time signature), a single measure cannot accommodate a dotted whole note which is six beats in length, hence a tie to a half note which is 2 beats in length making it equivalent to the rhythmic time value of a dotted whole note i.e. 6 beats.



Chapter 38 Understanding Sharp and Flat Notes on the 1st String (e) of Guitar | Sharp and Flat Notes Exercises

In one of the earlier chapters of this beginner guitar course I have explained the sharp and flat notes in western music in brief. But in this chapter I have 2 exercises that will explain you the sharp and flat notes concept in detail using the 1st String (e) notes of the guitar. These 2 exercises will help you learn how the sharp and flat note concepts work on a guitar fret.



Important Facts about Sharp and Flat Notes

A note will have a sharp note only when there is whole tone or whole note interval with the next note.

For e.g. The tonal interval between the notes E and F is half, so E wouldnt have an E sharp. So if you say E sharp, you will play the note F.

In terms of a guitar fret, a half step note would be the adjacent fret and a whole step note would be one fret apart.

Similarly a note will have a flat note only when there is whole tone or whole note interval with the previous note.

For e.g. F wouldnt have an F flat note because the tonal interval with its previous note i.e. E is only half step.

Natural Note

A natural note is nothing but a note which is neither a sharp nor a flat. This becomes necessary if you want a note to remain as it is in the midst of sharp and flat notes.

Sharp Notes on 1st String (e) of Guitar



Tablature Version of the Above Exercise

Flat Notes on 1st String (e) of Guitar



Tablature Version of the Above Exercise

Sharp Notes Exercise



Tab

Flat Notes Exercise



Tab

Tip: If you have understood the sharp and flat notes concept on one string then it is very easy for you to make out sharp and flat notes on all the other strings and frets (or positions) on the guitar.

Chapter 39 Introduction to Guitar Scales | Building Major Scales | Learning C Major Scale

Scales are the building blocks in music and form the foundation of different type of modes and chords that you will be learning in the future in this course. In this chapter you will be introduced to scales and will learn how to build a Major scale. The first major scale you will learn here is C Major Scale.

What is a scale in Western Music?

Scales can be defined as a succession of tones, consisting of the notes belonging to a key, starting and ending with the key note. Scales are also known as the alphabet of music.

Example Key of C Major

Understanding 2 Kinds of Scales

1. Diatonic Scales 2. Chromatic Scales



In western music there are 2 kinds of scales Diatonic Scales and Chromatic Scales. The diatonic scales are popularly known as a Major Scales and follow a certain pattern of whole tones and half tones or semitones. In a diatonic major scale semitones are found between the 3rd and 4th and 7th and 8th degrees ( or notes).

A naturally occurring diatonic major scale is C Major Scale. A diatonic scale is built up using 3 whole tones and 2 half tones i.e. 8 notes, arranged in the following order.

IMPORTANT: This is the formula for building a Major Scale in western music

W = Whole Tone (or Whole Step)

H = Half Tone (or Half Step)

W W H W W W H

Learning C Major Scale on Guitar

Lets build C Major Scale using the above formula. In any scale, the first note is known as the Key Note or Root Note. In C Major Scale, the Key Note will be C. C Major scale is the first diatonic major scale in the major scales table and is the naturally occurring diatonic scale i.e. without any flat or sharp notes.

In the below figure, we apply the Major Scale formula to derive the notes in C Major scale, which are C- D- E- F- G- A- B- C.

Note: If we talk in terms of guitar fret, a Whole Step interval means the 2 notes are one fret apart and Half Step means the 2 notes are on the adjacent frets .

e.g. C to D or D to E are 1 fret apart and E to F and B to C are on the adjacent frets.



C Major Scale Notated on the Staff

Names of Scale Degrees

Lets take the example of C Major Scale

1st degree C Tonic

2nd degree D Supertonic

3rd degree E Mediant

4th degree F Sub Dominant

5th degree G Dominant

6th degree A Sub Mediant

7th degree B Subtonic

C Major Scale on Tab



Chromatic Scales Building a Chromatic Scale from C Major Scale

As you have just learned that there are 5 Whole Tones and 2 Semitones in a diatonic scale. To build a chromatic scale if you divide the 5 whole tones into semitones or half tones.

The following figure will help you understand how the 5 whole tones have been divided into half tones to get 12 semitones in total using a C Major Diatonic scale.

Chromatic Scale Notation on the Key of C

When you play a chromatic scale upwards sharp notes are used and while playing downwards the enharmonic equivalent notes or flat notes are used. Thats why you see both sharp and flat notes on the notation.



Tab for Chromatic Scale on C Major

Please do check out this free chords chart that contains thousands of chords and chord shapes that you can learn, and do not forget to bookmark it, its really an invaluable tool for guitar players.

Guitar Scale Mastery Course There are numerous techniques and concepts about scales that will help you achieve mastery over scales on the entire fret board which Guitar Scale Mastery course has fully covered. Please click on the link to find out more on this course.

Chapter 40 Building the 3 Principal Chords from the Key of C Major Diatonic Scale on Guitar

In the previous chapter we started off with learning scales Diatonic and Chromatic Scales in guitar and learned how to build a major scale and how the first diatonic major scale i.e. C Major Scale is built.

In this chapter you will learn to derive the 3 principal chords in a key and how they are built. You will learn the 3 principal chords on the first diatonic major scale C Major Scale that we learned in the previous chapter.

The 3 principal chords in every key are Tonic, Sub-Dominant and Dominant.

Tonic Chord C Major

The Tonic Chord is built on the first note or key note of any key. So if we take the example of the C Major Diatonic Scale, the Tonic Chord will be C Chord.

Please check out the different shapes of C Major Chord



Tab Notation of C Major Chord



Sub-Dominant Chord F Major

The Sub Dominant Chord is built on the 4th note or degree of any key above the Tonic. In the scale of C Major, the 4th note above the Tonic is F (C-D-E-F), so F chord is the Sub-Dominant chord.

Please check out the different shapes of F Major Chord

Tab Notation of F Major Chord



Dominant Chord G7

The Dominant Chord is built on the 5th note/degree above the Tonic. So, in the scale of C Major, the 5th note/degree above the Tonic is G(C-D-E-F-G), and the dominant chord is G7 or also known as G Dominant 7th (G Dom 7) Chord. Now you must be wondering why G7th? right? Thats only because the dom. 7th chord sounds pleasing to our ears in the I IV V (i.e. Tonic, Sub-Dominant, Dominant) chord progression in a scale than a G Major chord. You can play it out and find out for yourself.

One of the reasons for using a 7th as the dminant chord is this, during the chord progression, after the listener hears the Dominant 7th Chord, he will have a natural tendency to hear a sound that resolves to the tonic or root chord (in case of C Major Scale it is C Major Chord), which is then satisfied by playing the C Chord again.

While building a Dominant 7th Chord, the root is G and not C. So if you count the 7th note from G, you get the F note, add it to the G Major Triad and you get a G Dom. 7th Chord. You can also build a dominant 7th chord by lowering the 7th degree of a Major scale starting at dominant degree(in this case G) a half step(flattening). By flattening the 7th degree of a G Major scale we get a natural F Note.

So, the formula for building a Dominant 7th Chord from a Major scale is 1-3-5-b7 i.e a Major Triad(1-3-5) plus a Minor 7th note(b7).

7th Chords are excessively used in Blues and Jazz chord progressions. These 7th chords give that bluesy feel to a blues song.

Please check out the different shapes of G7 Chord



Tab Notation for G7 Chord

Formula for Building a Major Chord

There is a very simple formula for building a Major Chord from any key. A Major Chord is built by placing 2 Thirds, A Major Third and Minor Third placed one over the other.

Formula for Building a Major Chord = Major Third + Minor Third = Major Triad

Where,

Major Third = 2 Whole Tones

Minor Third = Whole Tone + Half Tone

So if we have to build a C Major Chord from the Key of C i.e. C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C

Major Third = C to D (Whole Tone) + D to E(Whole Tone) = C to E = 2 Whole Tones

Minor Third = E to F(Half Tone) + F to G (Whole Tone) = Whole Tone and Half Tone = E to G = 1 Tones



And, we get a C Major Triad (or the C Major Chord) C E G , so the 3 notes of a C Major Chord is C,E and G.


Chapter 41 Practicing the Principal Chords and Scale in the Key of C on Guitar

In the previous chapter we learned how to build the Tonic, Sub-dominant and Dominant Chords on any key and learned how to build the 3 principal chords on the key of C.

In this chapter I have 3 interesting exercises for you that will allow you to practice the 3 principal chords Tonic, Sub-Dominant and Dominant chords, *Arpeggios and the C Major scale itself.

*Arpeggios playing out the notes of a chord individually.

Practice Tips

You must always practice in a tempo that you are comfortable with and then gradually increase the speed. Dont hurry up and try to push yourself to the limit, it will only make your playing sloppy.

Guitar Tuner - Its good to buy a simple guitar tuner from a music store that will help you tune your guitar with ease and keep it in perfect tuning.

Metronome - Metronome is a small device that emits a ticking sound on a regular interval based on a preset Beats-Per-Minute (BPM) setting. It is really helpful and highly recommended to practice the exercises with a metronome. It makes your playing more streamlined and perfect by forcing you to stay in the preset BPM. By the way, there is no need to go for a complex metronome; a simple one would be just fine. It is also better to buy one that produces a Ticking or Clicking sound rather than the Beeps which becomes really irritating later on while practicing.

Exercise 1 Practicing the 3 Principal Chords



Different shapes of the 3 principal chords

C Major Chord

F Major Chord

G7th Chord

Slash Notation of Chords

Chords can also be notated in the form of slashes instead of the regular notations. This allows the musician to fill the bar in any way he wants in that time signature. It is also called comping.



Exercise 2 Practicing Arpeggios of the 3 Principal Chords



Exercise 3 Practicing the Scale




Chapter 42 Learning A Natural Minor Scale and its 3 Principal Chords on Guitar

In the previous chapter we covered 3 different exercises using the 3 principal chords and the scale itself using the first diatonic major scale i.e. C Major Scale. In this chapter we will learn the relative minor scale of C Major Scale and the 3 principal chords in that scale.

Relative Minor Scale

A Relative Minor scale is built on the 6th degree or note of a major scale and it shares the same notes as its parent Major scale. In the case of C Major Scale, the 6th degree (C-D-E-F-G-A) or note is A, so the relative minor scale of C Major Scale is A Minor. The specialty of A Natural Minor scale is that it doesnt have any sharp or flat notes in the scale.



It is interesting to note that there is only one type of Major Scale in western music that is a Major Diatonic Scale and all major scales follow the same tonal pattern of a Diatonic Scale, but there are 5 different types of minor scales in western music Natural, Harmonic, Melodic, Mixed or Combined and Hungarian (Gypsy). But in this chapter we will only learn the Natural Minor Scale. The rest will be covered in the future chapters.

First we will check out the formula for building a natural minor scale and then we will see the notes in that scale.

W => Whole Tone

H => Half Tone

Formula for building natural minor scales is W-H-W-W-H-W-W

A Natural Minor Scale (as per the above formula)

From the above notation you can learn the tonal intervals on the A Natural Minor Scale as per the formula.

A B is a Whole Tone

B C is a Half Tone

C D is a Whole Tone

D E is a Whole Tone

E F is a Half Tone

F G is a Whole Tone



G A is a Whole Tone

Tab for A Natural Minor Scale

The 3 Principal Chords in A Natural Minor Scale

You can refer to Chapter 40 to see how you can build the 3 principal chords Tonic, Sub-Dominant and Dominant Chords from a scale as well as building a Major Chord from it.

Formula for Building a Minor Chord - Any Minor chord can be built by placing a Minor Third over a Major Third.

The 3 Principal Chords on the scale of Natural A Minor are A Minor (Am), D Minor (Dm) and E7

Am Chord



Tab for Am Chord

Please do check out the different shapes of Am Chord



Dm Chord



Tab for Dm Chord

Please do check out the different shapes of Dm Chord

E7 Chord



Tab for E7 Chord

Please do check out the different shapes of E7 Chord

Chapter 43 Practicing the 3 Principal Chords and A Natural Minor Scale on Guitar

In the previous chapter we checked out the A Natural Minor scale and the 3 Principal Chords on that scale. In this chapter there are 3 exercises that will help you practice the 3 principal chords and the notes of that key.

Practice Tip

When you are practicing the chords its recommended to use UP and DOWN strokes while you strum the chords. For that keep your right shoulder, elbow and wrist loose enough to get that easy up and down motion for strumming



Always focus on control and never be in a hurry to speed up your exercise. Speed will easily follow when you have full control over a riff or an exercise. The control comes through slow, systematic and regular practice.

Playing along with a Metronome is highly beneficial and will transform you a streamlined and perfect guitarist. A simple metronome is enough for you to practice, but ensure that it produces a clicking sound than Beeps.

Exercise of the 3 Principal Chords



Different Shapes of these 3 Chords on the Fret-Board

Am Chord

Dm Chord

E7 Chord



Arpeggio Exercise



Exercise of the Scale



Chapter 44 Importance of Understanding Different types of Musical Intervals in a Scale while Learning Guitar

In the previous chapter we checked out 3 important exercises on the A Natural Minor Scale for practicing the 3 principal chords in that scale as well as the scale itself on your guitar.

In this chapter you will learn about musical intervals and how to identify these intervals on any scale. Every scale and chord in western music is built on different combinations of these intervals. Understanding musical intervals is very



important as part of your guitar learning venture that will easily enable you to understand and build different types of chords on the fly without depending on any diagrams.

Musical Interval

An Interval in western music can be defined as the difference of pitch or tone between 2 notes. The scales and chords are formed by the combination of different notes having different pitches or tonal difference, just like a word is formed of syllables. An interval can also be defined as the tonal difference between two notes.

E.g. C to D is a Whole Tone, C to E is a Whole Tone and E to F is a Semi-Tone

First we will check out the intervals in general on a scale and then we will go in depth and check out the 4 main types of intervals in music i.e. Major, Minor, Diminished and Augmented. We will also check out Consonant and Dissonant intervals.

We will learn the intervals with the help of the first diatonic major scale i.e. C Major Scale.

The following notation figure shows you the actual intervals between the root or tonic note (i.e. C) to the other degrees in C Major Scale. If you can refer back to the C Major Scale chapter by clicking on the above link or the link given at the bottom of this chapter, you will understand these intervals much clearly.

Note: The word Unison or Prime mean that the tonal difference between the two notes is Zero or both the notes are the same. 2nd indicates that D is the 2nd degree or note on the scale, 3rd indicates that E is the 3rd degree or note and so on.



Tab

4 Main Types of Intervals in Music Major, Minor, Diminished and Augmented

In this section we will learn the 3rd and 5th of Major, Minor, Diminished and Augmented intervals. You have already seen how to form a Major 3rd and Minor 3rd in Chapter 40 Building the 3 Principa

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