Two String Warm Up Exercises

These exercises are designed to work on picking technique and left hand position shifts.

I use these exercises with both classical and pick style students.  

If you are using a pick I would recommend alternate picking starting with a down stroke. If playing classical guitar technique I always suggest to alternate between i and m fingers and also to play all of the exercises with first the rest stroke (Apoyando) then free stroke (Tirando).

Once you have memorised your left hand position shifts always play with a metronome. This will quickly identify shifts or sections you are not sure of. 

I recommend you take one exercise per week for the next five weeks. This gives you time to master the stretches and position shifts that are involved in each shape. 

Strings E and B

Strings B and G

Strings G and D

Strings D and A 

Strings A and E 

Seven String Jazz Guitar Part Three - Phrygian

Last week we looked at the second chord of C major and its corresponding scale. This week we will study the third chord of C major which is E minor 7 and its corresponding scale E Phrygian (E minor flat two).

Before we pick up the guitar lets look at the scale in plain English. 

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

To help understand what this means lets analyse the scale and see how it relates to the first scale of the series, C Major. 

In the following analysis I have chosen to not place the octave of the tonic for ease of identifying the sequence. 

C Major  C - D - E - F - G - A - B - 

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

By changing the order of the notes of the scale we create a new sound. It works In much the same way as an anagram does. For example if I write the word, 

GUITAR 

and then write the same word with the letter I (the third letter) at the beginning I make the word, 

ITARGU

A new sounding word without adding or subtracting any letters. 

I will cover this concept in more detail in another blog for now however lets talk about the Phrygian sound we have created. 

One octave Phrygian Scale.

When hearing this scale for the first time many students tell me it sounds Spanish. I agree with them, it does have a Spanish sound and I always encourage students to label what they hear for ease of identification. 

As your fingers get used to the shape and ears get used to the sound lets add another octave. 

E Phrygian Two Octaves 

As we add octaves it is important we take our time and memorise the left hand fingering. 

Now lets add a third octave and once again the seven string range really becomes apparent. 

E Phrygian Three Octaves

This the  E minor 7 arpeggio shape spread across seven strings.

The last step is to learn the accompanying E minor 7 chord form. 

Notice the chord shape is identical to last weeks D minor 7 chord only this time it is played a whole step higher.

Next week we will examine the iv chord of C major and its corresponding Lydian scale.

Links to previous posts in this series:

Seven String Jazz Guitar Part One - Major         

Seven String Jazz Guitar Part Two - Dorian

Autumn Leaves Day 26

For the start of the chromatic descending pattern. The triplet comes as a welcome break from all of those eighth notes.

Autumn Leaves Day 25

Moving on to the B7 flat nine chord. This intervallic line is a tip of the hat to the jazz great Joe Diorio.  This line also works well out of context as a technique exercise.

Autumn Leaves Day 24

This minor 7 flat five line works perfectly as a phrase that you can use in other songs.

Seven String Jazz Guitar Part Two - Dorian

Continuing on from last weeks introduction to the seven string guitar which started with the C major scale, C Major 7 chord and arpeggio this week I would like to look at the ii chord of C major which is D minor 7 and it’s corresponding scale D Dorian (D minor sharp 6)

First lets look at the notes in plain English. 

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

As you can see this scale is made up of the same notes as the previous scale (C Major) however this time we start on D and account for the first seven letters of the alphabet until we get back to the tonic D. 

In music and on the fingerboard it looks like this.  

D Dorian One octave

Once your fingers and ears are used to this sound it’s time to extend the range to a two octave scale.

Pay attention to the left hand fingering written underneath each note. 

Only when you can play the previous exercise fluently should you proceed to the three octave scale bellow. As you can see this scale covers all seven strings.  

Before moving on it is advised that you say every note as you play. This should be done as you ascend and descend the shape. This helps with memorisation of the scale and has the added benefit of making you play slower and as a result play cleaner. 

The following D minor 7 arpeggio covers three octaves. Once again the advantage of the extended range that the seventh string offers really starts to show. 

Notice how the first six notes lay out on the fingerboard. The fingering is similar to our old friend, the "classic" minor pentatonic scale shape.

Finally lets learn the D minor 7 Chord.

   

Once both the Major and Dorian scales, arpeggios and corresponding chords are memorised they should be practiced one after the other to gain complete control of each shape.

Next time I will cover the third chord of C major and its corresponding scale.

Autumn Leaves Day 23

Today is the second bar of the G Major 7 chord. Both bars could be used to complete a ii-v7-i in G Major.