Using the 5 Day Guitar Routine with last weeks Double Whammy

[GerryB56]

Wow, you’re really taking it to the “next level”! Though I have been checking in each day and trying the challenges, I have wondered about how to connect the pieces eventually. For now I’m focused on establishing a consistent routine, and all Tony’s exercises are certainly helping me increase my musical knowledge and improve my finger dexterity. My primary goal for guitar was to learn songs that I could play and sing, so I have concentrated mostly on chords and strumming. But now I am realizing I need to learn how to inject those licks, chord embellishments and solos to make the songs more interesting. I’m very confident that TAC will guide me there.

[Cadgirl]

@GerryB56 , The daily challenge exercises are great. You’ll get your fingers where they can reach those notes. You just have to give it time. If you haven’t done the 5-Day Guitar Routine, I would recommend looking into it. It will explain the challenges a little more. I want to learn songs, but there are 1000s of tutorials on the internet for songs. But, to make the songs stand out a little more you need those ending licks. To make a song better, use transitions between the chords. I don’t even know if I made the song correctly. I’m guessing at it. But, I think i’m on the right track. Thanks for making a comment, I appreciate it. Adding to my goals is putting the challenges together at the end of the week and posting it. So far, I have 1 done 🙂

[N-lightMike]

Maybe you’ve only done one, but that one is extra credit. 😅

But seriously, working on stuff like this is how you understand more and get more skill in making the sounds you want to make. And posting is really cool. I appreciate it.

[Cadgirl]

@MikeGaurnier , I learned a lot doing this. For one, since I had to play the different sheets of music a billion times to see what sounded right I got a lot of finger exercises in. But, now I totally get it when Tony says the major notes are on the degree of 1 , 4 and 5. This week’s Key is B Minor so the notes will be the degrees of 2, 3 and 6 (i think). I did backtrack and figured out the scale myself, which will help strengthen my Music Theory knowledge. I thought the same thing, it’s got a little bluesy feel to it. I’m going to start figuring it out the challenges every weekend. I’ll will help me remember the whys, of how it works. I would still want to work with this version a little. The song doesn’t need a transition between each chord change. I like the way @Kitman did his Drop D Improv. something like that would be a nice add on. His improv was a great inspiration for the group.
Since it’s bluesy, I’m thinking a strum I learned for “Chocolate Jesus”. B (Basenote) D U, B, U, D, U. Just a slow and easy. Add in Kitman’s little shuttle. ha ha …. we got it.

[N-lightMike]

One thing that took me awhile to realize, @Cadgirl , about Tony’s titles for the Friday lessons.

B Minor does not mean B minor. It means the key of B, Minor chords. Or, the Minor chords in the key of B. It can be confusing. Ok, I just went back to the lessons and it seems this difficult to understand labeling system has changed. Now it actually says “Major Chords in the Key of B” and “Minor Chords in the Key of B”.

So, this weeks key is not B minor, but B major. They are simply the minor chords from the key of B major. By the way, technically, there’s no such thing as the key of B minor. In fact, technically, there’s no such thing as the key of B major. What’s that mean? It means they never gave a name to the keys, they simply used the major mode as the name of the key. There is only one key, the key of “5 sharps”. B major, C# Dorian, D# Phrygian, E Lydian, F# Mixolydian, G# Aeolian, and A# Locrian, are all in the same key. So if someone says “the key of C major” and “the key of A minor”, those are 2 names for the same key. They are not 2 keys, they are 2 names and one key. The key is “no flats or sharps”.

Now, there is a very good reason they called the key by the Ionian, or Major, mode. And there is a very philosophical reason for calling a key by the minor, or Aeolian, mode, and it’s literally imaginary. The argument is based on something that doesn’t exist in nature, ever. It is only theoretical. But in the end, it doesn’t matter as long as we recognize what the key is and what is a name. The “key of” is a set of 7 notes. The key of “C major” is a name that refers to a set of 7 notes.

This is one of the chief things that causes so much misunderstanding and controversy. Even the music schools will mislead on this topic. But if you push them, then they have to admit the truth. There are only 12 keys. There are 15 key signitures. 3 of the keys have to names, enharmonic names. Every note in the key of Db is exactly the same as every note in the key of C#, and every note name is enharmonic. “Do the math”. That is, write out the key.

Db, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, C, Db.

C#, D#, E#, F#, G#, A#, B#, C#.

Notice that “E#” is actually F, and “B#” is actually C.

Now, you can do the same for F# and Gb; then do B and C#. It’s instructive to go through these exercises.

Before I quit, let me give one more example. The “key of B” and “the key of B minor”. The 7 notes of B are B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A#, B. The 7 notes of B minor are (starting on the 6th degree) B, C#, D, E, F#, G, A, B. So the formula is the same, we simple started on a different degree. Major: (1) whole, (2) whole, (3) half, (4) whole, (5) whole (6) whole, (7) half (1). Minor: (6) whole, (7) half (1) whole, (2) whole, (3) half, (4) whole, (5) whole, (6). Notice that “whole” and “half” are actually spaces between the notes. That’s why I included the numbers representing the notes. There is a space of 2 half steps, or 2 frets between the 1 note and the 2 note. Etc.

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

Wow, that’s very cool, @Cadgirl . It must have a very bluesy sound to it, playing the notes of a G major chord with the chords of the key of B major. Very, very cool. I’d love to hear you play it. I’m gonna have to give it a go just to hear what it sounds like.

MG 😀

[Cadgirl]

@MikeGaurnier, I included a copy of the Nashville number system chart. I’ll just keep rehashing stuff and it will sink in. But this week’s challenges for the Humpty Dumpty’s Metamorphisis are Minor Chords in the Key of B which will be the 2, 3 and 6 degree. So we should be looking at C#m D#m and G#m. That is, if I’m looking at it right. I’m pretty sure I am. I’m reading a book that @the-old-coach recommended and it’s in simple English (no bull music theory for guitarists). I just hit a snag on the integers. So I have to reread that section. I understand it a little bit, but my head keeps saying…. ‘who cares’, so it was time to put it up.
As for my song, it’s very lame, I just wanted to figure out what Tony wanted us to do and I think I figured it out. Now, I have to spruce up the song. Which probably won’t happen on that challenge, but when I get better at it. i’ll start improvising a little more.

Nashville-number-system.jpg 133 KB Image File - Click to view

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[N-lightMike]

See, @Cadgirl , that’s why I’m going to do my Music Theory for the Beginning video series. That list is misleading and a crutch. If presented properly, it becomes easy to remember. This is the “proper” order of the major scales. This order, F, C, G, D, A, E, B, is the same for the modes as well as the accidentals. There are different acronyms, but once you see how to apply the acronym, you don’t need charts or circle of fifths. Everything is in the same order, always.

Order-of-Major-Scales.pdf 34 KB PDF - Click to view

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[Cadgirl]

@MikeGaurnier,I did download your chart, but it’s a little too much information for me right now. I did save it off into my Guitar file for later. I just wanted to know what the upcoming Minor chords were going to be for the Key of B, using the M M m m M M m Dim M from the Nashville number system. That way I could practice up on them a little early. Thanks for the information.

[N-lightMike]

All I was trying to demonstrate was there is a very good reason to always list the keys, chords, notes, whatever, in order. There is an order, and it’s not what we learned in english class. This is music. The order is not A, B, C, D, E, F, G; rather it’s F, C, G, D, A, E, B. That’s all. It’s really important to always see them in that order and burn that, not the other, into our brain.

All I did was list the keys in order. It’s just like the other list, but in a different order. By seeing any key you want laid out, you can see which ones are major and which one are minor. But I added the the M, m, m, M, M, m, dim, to the top of the list.

MG 😀

Order-of-Major-Scales-1.pdf 34 KB PDF - Click to view

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[Cadgirl]

I just use it as a cheat sheet. I only look it up a Key at a time 😉

[N-lightMike]

That’s what you think, @Cadgirl , but every time you look at the list your eyes will see more than you are consciously aware of. That’s why it’s so important for the list to be in the order that exists in the music we play, not simply some arbitrary, intellectual list of 7 things we can’t tie together and could never remember.

Anyway, I thank you for this little discussion. I have added some charts to the material I am going to present in my “Music Theory from the Beginning” video series.

MG 😀

[Cadgirl]

Good luck with your video. Will you be posting it on this site? I’m going to guess JMGs site? Right now I am piecing together a new song using this weeks challenges. I’m going to finger pick this one, but it’s so hard to hold the barre chords down without a buzz. That G#m is an absolute beast. I’m going to keep practicing because I’d like to play it and post it by Sunday.

[N-lightMike]

Nice, I like that. Always remember, you don’t have to hold full barre chord shapes when finger picking. If there is any string or strings you are not going to pick, then maybe you can find a way to “cheat”. Finger picking songs usually don’t use full barre chords. I do a lot on my own songs because I use finger picking patterns, so I tend not to skip any strings.

Anyway, I’ll look forward to hearing your song. And I am going to post my Music Theory on YouTube. I’ll put a link on JMG, but not here. That would be conflict of interest. But I’ll be sure to let you know when it’s posted if you want to watch.

MG 😀

[Cadgirl]

excellent. I used the pick similar to what Tony had on one of the days challenges. It seemed to work. Good luck on the video.

[N-lightMike]

👍🙏