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Return from Vacation; Guitar Catch up…
Filed Under (Chords, Practice, Practice Session, Random, Random Thought) by Frank on 11-12-2008
Tagged Under : Chord, Chord Theory, Chords, fretting, General, Guitar, Mexico, Music, music notation, Practice, sight reading, Vacation, Win
My wife and I got back from vacation last weekend. We had gone to Mexico for 8 days and for the entire 8 days I didn’t touch a guitar. I had a surprising desire to play and fiddle on a guitar. Ultimately, I did make it the entire eight days without going though guitar withdrawal.
Now that the vacation is over, I’ve been trying to get back in to the groove of daily guitar practice. Even though while I was on vacation I wanted to play guitar, it has been a challenge to go back to my guitar routine (not to mention my work and general-life routine).
I started by re-practicing most of my “harder” material. I only had to go back a few pages in my book. I started with a slower tempo and was able to play though the Ode To Joy without a problem. The Ode To Joy was a milestone marker for me. I quickly worked the tempo back to what I was playing it at — 95 BPM.
After Ode To Joy, I picked up where I left off. I progressed further and I’m now in to playing the High E, B, G and D strings while sight reading whole, half, quarter and eighth notes. That is amazing progress for myself. A few weeks ago I had huge trouble with just the High E and B strings (while sight reading)… I was always fumbling either my fretting or picking hand and screwing something up.
I am also suppose to memorize the following pattern as it is suppose to help with finding chords and other musically important information.
A C E G B D F
In upcoming posts, I’m hoping to be able to explain why memorizing this pattern is useful. From what I understand right now, it has to do with chord theory. Keep an eye out for more in this.
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Hello Frank,
What good book or material would be recommended for “memoriz[ing] the following pattern”? I am looking for a beginner but good book to make sure that I step to the next level properly.
MJK (Mike)s last blog post..Pickstroke Link Directory
Hey Mike,
I actually don’t have a book suggestion. I’m learning about this from my instructor at The Music Room.
Regards,
Frank
Thanks for the site. I will check them out.
MJK (Mike)s last blog post..Pickstroke Link Directory
I’m just starting in music theory so this will likely be close but not perfect so bring on the corrections
My guess is those letters are chord triads in the CMaj scale (the scale uses only the white keys on the piano).
ACE = Am
CEG = C
EGB = Em
GBD = G
BDF = Bdim7
DFA = Dm
FAC = F
C=I D=ii E=iii F=IV G=V A=vi B=vii
C,F,G are major chords
D,E,A are minor chords
B is a dim7 chord
Anthony,
Yes the order is to help to identify chords with the root, third and fifth pattern. It is suppose to help identify major chord triads.
Though I’m not sure if the Bdim7 or the minors are right. They may be, I’m just not sure. I thought, but am not sure, that all of the triads equated to major chords. Assuming I’m reading my reference book properly you’d have to flat the third to make any of them minor chords.
If anyone out there knows one way or another, we could use the help!
Either way, I hope to be doing a detailed post on this once I fully understand the information.
Best Regards,
Frank
If you count semitones you will see that the 3rd is flat, I thought the same thing when I learned this but if you sit down and count the semitones, it all works out.
You need to count out the semitones for the C triad first and then see how the triads line up and you’ll see the chords are in fact minor chords.
(C) – C# – D – D# – (E) – F – F# – (G)
(D) – D# – E – (F) – F# – G – G# – (A)
(E) – F – F# – (G) – G# – A – A# – (B)
(F) – F# – G – G# – (A) – A# – B – (C)
Enjoy.
Here is the full set of Cmaj chords, so you can see the minor chords and how the last B chord is different from the rest.
(C) – C# – D – D# – (E) – F – F# – (G)
(D) – D# – E – (F) – F# – G – G# – (A) min
(E) – F – F# – (G) – G# – A – A# – (B) min
(F) – F# – G – G# – (A) – A# – B – (C)
(G) – G# – A – A# – (B) – C – C# – (D)
(A) – A# – B – (C) – C# – D – D# – (E) min
(B) – C – C# – (D) – D# – E – (F)
I found one mistake the looked wrong once I looked at my last post
The last B chord is Bdim not Bdim7 since there isn’t a 7th.
thx for the info… i like music but i hard understand about it,,hufhh
Hasis last blog post..Jimi Hendrix’s Guitar
Yes, this pattern can be understood on the piano by pressing a C Chord and keeping the same hand formation until you reach an octave.
It results in
C: 1 3 5 – relative to the scale of C Major
Dm: 1 b3 5 – relative to the scale of D Major
Em: 1 b3 5 – relative to the scale of E Major
F: 1 3 5 – relative to the scale of F Major
G: 1 3 5 – relative to the scale of G Major
Am: 1 b3 5 – relative to the scale of A Major
Bdim: 1 b3 b5 bb7 – relative to the scale of B Major
Phil´s last blog ..List of All Guitar Chords