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Practice

Note recognition (octave method)

  1. Know your bottom E string well
  2. Find the note you are looking for
  3. Follow the octave pattern up/down the fretboard

Backing track

Note recognition

  1. Pick a natural note, then play it on each string (down and up) on frets 1 through 12. Do this 3 times, and move to another note. Then do this for frets 12 through 20. Once you have done all the natural notes twice, go to ex #2.
  2. Use a metronome at 40 BPM. Play one note per beat, and repeat ex #1.
  3. Repeat ex #2, but do it for the accidentals.
  4. Choose any two notes. Play UP in one note (across each of the six strings) and DOWN on the other note (without stopping). Use the metronome @ 40 BPM. When it feels easy, go to ex #5.
  5. Write seven 7 notes in random order. With the metronome @ 40 BPM, play the first note going up, and the next note going down, etc. etc. for all 7 notes. (without stopping). When it feels easy, go to Ex #6
  6. Repeat the exercises 2 through 5 at BPM speeds 50 / 60 / 70 / and 80. When you can do Exercise #5 at 80 BPM you are finished.

sing notes before you hit them

  • try and improvise over a couple of chords, and before you hit each note of the improvisation, hum the note. this is important to learning what each string+fret on the guitar will sound like.

Interval recognition

  • see a fretting interval between 2 fingers and recognize what interval it is.

  • interactive practice

  • minor 2nd

  • major 2nd

    • 52xxxx

  • minor 3rd

    • 53xxxx
    • 5xx5xx / x5xx6x
    • x0xx1x

  • major 3rd

    • 5xx6xx / x5xx7x
    • 3xxx0x

  • perfect 4th

    • 55xxxx
    • 5xx7xx

  • tritone

    • 56xxxx
    • 5xx8xx
    • 5xxx4x

  • perfect 5th

    • 57xxxx
    • 5xxx5x

  • minor 6th

  • major 6th

  • minor 7th

  • major 7th

    • 5x6xxx

  • octave

    • 5xx2xx / x5xx3x / xx5xx3

Scales

Over a backing track playing a certain chord (important), play each of the notes, recognizing them by their interval. Play the 1 and notice how that sounds and feels. Play the interval between 1 and 5, see how it feels. Move around different areas of the fretboard hitting those notes.

Chord shapes

major/minor variations:

  • 6th chords
  • 7min chords
  • 7maj chords
  • 9th chords

3 string chords (GBE)

Improve fretting technique

Gain better control over pinky

Be more deliberate about which fingers I am using to hit which notes in a sequemce

Improve finger picking

Cowboy guy

  1. finger pick an open chord using all 5 fingers
  1. anchory with pinky, and on way down, use thumb on lowest and second string, then on way back down, use index finger on third and second string.
  1. anchor with pinky, 3 fingers climb up, then climb down
  1. anchor with pinky, then go down in sets of 3, thumb thumb index, then once at the top top, reverse with index index thumb
  1. alternating thumbs

Paul Davids

Chord transitions

identify some transitions that are hard to make and make a habit of forming them in the most efficient way.

  • in other words, change the way you form chords to optimize how quickly they can be formed