Lesson 11

In this lesson we will look at an A major scale in 2nd position, diatonic triads in F on strings 2 3 4, the circle of 5ths, some fun rhythms and inversions of Dm on strings 1 2 3

If you need, review lesson 10 and be sure to have somewhat of an understanding of the topics in this lesson before moving on to lesson 12.


Scales - A Major Scale

Lets start building an A major scale on the A string (5th string). Follow the formula:

W W H W W W H

We will end up with 3 sharps. So the A major scale has 3 sharps (F#, C# and G#)

 

A Major Scale

A Major Scale in 2nd Position (1 octave)

Now let's play it an octave higher and in 2nd position.


Key of A major has 3 sharps (F#, C# and G#)






A Major scale
2nd position

A Major Scale in 2nd Position (2 octaves)

Note this is your 5th position C major form from lesson 8.

2nd position A major scale.

 

Use this 2nd position scale to play the pattern below.

A Major Scale
2nd Position
2 octaves

Pattern

This pattern has us playing the A major scale up and down 2 octaves playing each note twice. Notice the key signature with the 3 sharps. The video below the staff shows the exercise.
Midi File


Theory - Circle of 5th

The circle of 5th's is used to make sense of the key signatures and scales we are learning. If we start on a C and move up a perfect 5th (7 half steps) we end up on a G. If we use our W W H W W W H formula to build the G major scale we find that there is one sharp in it and it is a F#.

If we continue up another perfect 5th from G we get a D and again if we use our major scale formula we end up with the D major scale having 2 sharps. F# and C#.

We can also call it the circle of 4th's because if you go counter clockwise you will be ascending intervals of a perfect 4th (5 half steps). Try taking a piece of manuscript paper and building a few of the scales on the circle to see if it works for you.

Circle of 5th/4th's


Diatonic triads

We have looked at building all the chords that belong to a key now in a few keys. What we have not done yet is apply them to the guitar. Let's do that now in the key of F major.

The root position F major triad to the right should look familiar to you. We touched on it and the inversions of a F triad in lesson 10. Use fingers 1 2 3

If we were to move the triad up one whole step we would have G major triad in root position. Because the key of F has one flat (Bb) we must make the triad minor. So we lower the 3rd degree. You will probably want to barre your first finger across strings 2 and 3 and then play the G with your 3rd finger.

Because the ii and iii chord are both minor we just have to move our G minor triad shape up one whole step and we have A minor.

F major

G minor

A minor

Bb major

C major

D minor

E diminished

F major

The video below goes through the diatonic triads in F and uses some fingerpicking:

Chord - Inversions

We looked at the inversions of a major triad on strings 2 3 4 in the last lesson (Lesson 10) and above we looked at the diatonic triads in root on strings 2 3 4. Let's now look at the inversions of a D minor triad on strings 1 2 3.

 

2nd Inversion Dm

Root Dm

1st Inversion Dm


Here is a video of the above inversions:

 


D minor bar chord

In the lesson 10 we learned the barred F chord in 1st position. If we were to move that chord to 10th position we would have a D major chord and if we lowered the 3rd (in this case the F# on the 3rd string to F) we would have a minor chord.

 

Dm


D Minor Arpeggio

To the right is the arpeggio based around the chord you learned above. We have added an F on both E strings.

You could try alternate picking this or just down pick everything until more comfortable with the shape. This is also a good shape to try sweep picking but we will save that for another lesson.

Notice on the staff below, we are playing the 3 notes of a D minor chord (D, F and A) over and over.

When you get to the top repeat the F and come back down. You should also try it without repeating the F.

D minor arpeggio
in 10th position


Drop D Tuning

Drop D tuning means to tune your low E string down one whole step to D. It will be one octave lower than your 4th string D. The easiest way to do this is to hit your 4th string D and then hit your low E and turn the low E tuning peg down one whole step until the sounds match one octave apart.

The power chord is now just one finger laying across the lowest 3 strings.

Click here for a video on how to drop the string and also how to play a tripfuse tune called In This Mess Again using your new Dm chord.

Slash Chords

Last lesson we looked at slash chords a bit. Here is another used in the tripfuse tune In This Mess Again and it will give us a chance to play our Dm chord. The chord this time is a Gm with Bb in the bass.

The 3 notes in the diagram to the right belong to the chord Gm but because a note other than the root (G) is in the bass it is written as a slash chord.


Rhythm

Remember that 2 sixteenth notes tied together would be worth the same value as an eighth note.

In each listening example you will hear 2 measures with the specified rhythm on the 1st beat only, then you will hear 2 measures with the rhythm on beat 1 and 3 of both measures. After that you will hear it on every beat and it gets faster until the end. The end tempo is 160.

4 sixteenth notes with the first 2 tied together to act like an eighth. eighth and 2 sixteenth notes.
=
Listen
4 sixteenth notes with the middle 2 tied together acting as an eighth. sixteenth, eighth and sixteenth note.
=
Listen
4 sixteenth notes with the last two tied together acting as an eighth note. 2 sixteenth notes and an eighth note.
=
Listen
This Listen link consists of 2 measures of each rhythm above plus one new rhythm. The last 2 measures are a sixteenth note rest and then 3 sixteenth notes (not shown above) which you would want to pick up, down, up.

White Zombie - Buy CD at CDNow!
1992
White Zombie

This riff is from the tune Thunder Kiss '65

I will get an mp3 of this riff up very soon.

Listen
Half Speed

Listen
Full Speed

The riff is just your low open E but on beat 3 of the 2nd measure it is a B and I would play it on the 2nd fret of your 5th string (A string). Then the next note is G which could only be played on the 3rd fret of your low E string. Then for beat 4 you back it up to play Bb and Gb. Bb would be the 1st fret of your A string and Gb would be the 2nd fret of your low E string.


Improvising


Soloing over the White Zombie riff above is quite fun as it is essentially just one note and leaves many options for scales when soloing. Let's review all of the scales learned thus far and try using them over this cool White Zombie riff.

We could use any C major scale like in lesson 8 to give us a phrygian sound (more on modes coming soon).

We could use any G major scale like in lesson 5 to give us a natural minor sound (probably the most common sound for playing over one note riffs).

We could use any D major scale like in lesson 6 to give us a dorian sound (it might take a minute for your ears to get used to this sound).

As we continue we will learn there are some other options too.


Practice Routine

Inversions of triads:

Dm on strings 1,2,3
F major on strings 2,3,4

Practicing the diatonic triads in the Key of F on strings 2,3,4 should be a part of your daily routine. Eventually we want to be able to get through the circle of 5th playing all our triads in all 12 keys.

Move on to Lesson 12

Back to Lesson 10

 

[Home][Members][Contents][Glossary][Support]
Copyright © 2000-2009 Teague Purtell Music Learning
Vancouver British Columbia Canada
604 357-3551

http://www.musiclearning.com
Musiclearning.Com Homepage Members Homepage Contents Glossary Support