Mark's Guitar Blog

Rhythm Exercises

2008-09-04T14:58:41Z

This is the second of my "helper" lessons from "Foundations for Guitar" on rhythm, and we are working on page 17. If you haven't done the first lesson on Time and Rhythm go here first: http://markweinguitarlessons.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=96&Itemid=35

The exercise here is tapping your foot on the pulse (the metronome beat which is set to 60bpm), counting out loud and clapping on the rhythms that are written...I explain it pretty fully in the video...if you don't own a metronome there are a few nice online ones that are free..check this out:

http://www.metronomeonline.com/

http://webmetronome.com/

http://www.pinkandaint.com/weirdmet.shtml

Click here for a printable version of this lesson.

Time and Rhythm

2008-08-28T16:55:27Z

As you can imagine I am very excited to announce that my book has finally been included on most of the major online booksellers. To "celebrate" the event I am going to do a series of "helper lessons" for my book "Foundations for Guitar". I am putting a few of these together to help you guys who are working from the book but are not able to study with a teacher.

This lesson is one of the most important parts of the book, where we define how time flows and how rhythms work....

Click here for a printable version of the lesson

Here are some of the places that "Foundations for Guitar" can be found online!

Mark Wein's Lulu.com Storefront

Foundations for Guitar Book 1
Foundations for Guitar is a modern method for learning to play the guitar. Beginning and Intermediate guitarists will learn "foundation skills" that are usable in all styles of music.

Topics covered include:

Music Theory
Rhythm Theory
Note Reading
Single Note Guitar Skills
Open Chords
Power Chords
Barre Chords
Partial and other movable chord shapes
7th and 9th Chords
Chart reading
Rhythm Guitar
Strumming in Eighth and Sixteenth Note Rhythms
Arpeggiated or "Broken" Chords
Alternate Picking
Buy Now @ Lulu.com

"Foundations for Guitar" is now available on Amazon.com and a bunch of other places!

2008-08-23T23:32:40Z

I just found out that my book "Foundations for Guitar" is now available through a host of online booksellers - Just click on the logos to check it out!

Legato Etude #2 Part 2

2008-08-21T15:08:07Z

This is the second half of Legato Etude 2, and I also have it put together as a whole piece at the end of the lesson. We are just continuing what we started last week and there really isn't anything new...just be sure to keep everything in time and as loud and crisp as you can make it!

Click here for a printable version of Part 2.

Here is the whole thing played up to speed. I am actually playing the piece quite a bit faster...instead of eighth notes at 60bpm I am playing it as sixteenth notes at 80bpm.

Click here for a printable version of the compete Legato Etude #2

Legato Etude 2 - Part 1

2008-08-15T15:01:09Z

    This is the first of a two part lesson. The reason that I am splitting it up is that this can be pretty hard on your hand if you work it too much and I think that its better to build the hand strength needed in this exercise more gradually.

    We are not using our right hand for anything in this piece of music. The entire etude depends on your left hand strength to sound the notes. We start with a first finger hammer-on to get things going and keep the string sounding with a combination of hammer-ons, pull-offs and slides. The exercise is in the key of G Major and it is also a good way to get used to playing a scale on only one string.

    Please excuse the phone ringing in the middle of the video...today has been crazy and I didn't have time to re-cut anything!

For a printable version of this lesson click here.

Here is an example of me using this technique in a solo from a recent gig:

Most of the really fast stuff is me using these legato ideas across two or three strings at a time...I definitely can't pick that fast!

Legato Etude #1

2008-08-07T15:00:32Z

This is an exercise to help strengthen your first and fourth fingers...make sure you do it slow with the metronome!

If you haven't already it probably wouldn't hurt to do the Legato Etude Primer Lesson and Technique Exercise #4 to get your hammers and pulls together!

Click here for a printable version of this lesson.

Legato Picking Etude Primer Lesson

2008-07-31T15:42:04Z

This is a "pre-lesson" or Primer lesson for the next series of etudes that will work your legato playing...I had to rush through it today so there are a few mistakes in the video but I think you will get the picture...

here is a definition of the term Legato:

Legato: adv. & adj. (Abbr. leg.)

In a smooth, even style without any noticeable break between the notes. Used chiefly as a direction.

Basically we are trying to play the notes without the hard attack we get when we use a pick. We achieve this through "hammering on" and "pulling off" notes.

If you need to work on your Hammer-ons and Pull offs I suggest trying these lessons first and then move into this one.

Technique Exercise #4 - Hammer ons and Pull offs

Technique Exercise #5 - Hammer ons and Pull offs in a Diatonic Scale

The most important thing is that you strive for making every note sound even...your hammers and pulls should not be much louder or quieter than the notes you are picking.

Click here for a printable version of this lesson.

Picking Etude #5 - Sixteenth Notes

2008-07-24T14:57:23Z

This is our last picking etude, and it is the most difficult. We have been doing a piece of music in each of the most common "subdivisions" of time including eighth notes, triplets and now sixteenth notes. This piece starts off with some pretty "scale wise" passages, where we are mostly just going up or down the scale note by note or with small skips. The second section we are skipping strings, and still needing to keep the alternate picking consistent. DO THIS VERY SLOW UNTIL YOU CAN DO THE WHOLE THING CORRECTLY. Then gradually bring it up to speed. If you rush through learning it you will miss the benefit of the etude, which is to get you consistently picking sixteenth notes regardless of the difficulty of the passage.

Part 1

Part 2

Click here for a printable version of this lesson.

This is also the last week to submit tracks and vote for the "Born Under a Bad Sign" solo contest on my forum...check it out at: http://markweinguitarlessons.com/forum/index.php?topic=56.0

Picking Etude #4 - Triplets

2008-07-19T09:47:02Z

This weeks lesson is on triplet picking...just one more of our little etudes to build your skills!

A "Triplet" is where we divide the beat into 3 smaller parts or "subdivisions". Count them like this:

ONE trip let TWO trip let THREE trip let FOUR trip let

The count happens on every metronome click. What is most important is that you are alternate picking all of the way through the exercise, like the other lessons in this series. If you are doing it correctly you will be playing down picks on beats "one" and "three" and up picks on beats "two" and "four".

Click here for a printable version of this lesson.

This is also the last week to submit tracks for the "Born Under a Bad Sign" solo contest on my forum...check it out at: http://markweinguitarlessons.com/forum/index.php?topic=56.0

Alternate Picking Lesson #3

2008-07-10T16:32:09Z

This is part 3 in our alternate picking etudes. The original idea of this lesson series was to come up with a bunch of parts that we would assemble into one big piece of music but as I am getting into it I am enjoying writing a small piece of music every week so I think we'll just do a batch of smaller pieces and explore a different technical issue with each one.

This lesson is about string skipping and playing some octaves...as with all of these pieces alternate pick everything and work towards playing this consistently with your metronome!

Click here for a printable version of this lesson.

In the forum this month we are having another solo contest, this time over the song "Born Under a Bad Sign" by blues guitarist Albert King.

Check it out at:http://markweinguitarlessons.com/forum/index.php

Picking Etude Lesson #2 - Alternate Picking Arpeggios

2008-07-03T14:27:04Z

This is the second in our series of lessons preparing us for our alternate picking etude. This lesson we are alternate picking arpeggios. Nothing too difficult but you want to make sure that every note is strictly alternate picked...

Click here for a printable version of this lesson.

Be sure to check out my forum...we'll be having a "Blues Solo" contest going up in a couple of days!

http://markweinguitarlessons.com/forum/index.php

Picking Etude Primer Lesson #1

2008-06-26T16:16:33Z

This lesson is designed to get your hands working a little better before we start working on our "Alternate Picking Etude". An "Etude" is a technical study....here is part of a definition that I stole from Britannica Online Encyclopedia

in music, originally a study or technical exercise, later a complete and musically intelligible composition exploring a particular technical problem in an esthetically satisfying manner.

This is a little snippet of an E minor scale that we are using to sharpen our alternate picking across two or three stings. As I say in the video please be sure to strictly alternate, no matter what note or string you are on!

Part 1

Part 2

Click here for a printable version of this lesson.

Fingerstyle Lesson #3 - Travis Picking

2008-06-19T15:21:44Z

This is a very (relatively) simple lesson on "Travis Picking", a style of playing guitar popularized by Country musician Merle Travis. Our example is a very repetitive pattern and not too much like a real Merle Travis guitar part but it will get you started with the concept.

One very important element is that we have your right hand thumb playing on each downbeat. It is alternating between the "Root" and the "Fifth" of the chord with the roots on beats "One and "Three" and the 5ths on beats "Two" and "Four". Everything else in the pattern is played by the other fingers and like our other fingerstyle lessons you want to "assign" fingers to specific strings...

Click here for a printable version of this lesson.

Be sure to check out my new forum at http://markweinguitarlessons.com/forum/index.php for guitar stuff and more!

Fingerstyle Lesson #2

2008-06-12T15:09:04Z

This is our second fingerstyle lesson. We are learning a right hand picking pattern that is similar to "Dust in the Wind" by the band Kansas, and applying it to the chords we used in the last lesson. One thing to think about is that the thumb is playing on every downbeat, or where you would tap your foot while you are playing. Notes either happen with the thumb (like on beat one) or in between thumb picks (beats two, three and four).

The pattern stays consistent throughout the example piece, although when we have the F and G chords we move the thumb to the 6th string for the notes on the 1st and 3rd beats.

Click here for a printable version of this lesson.

Intro to Fingerstyle

2008-06-05T16:51:41Z

This is a quick lesson on getting started with finger picking. The first thing we are going to do is name the fingers of your right hand "classical guitar" style. If we were to number them we might get confused about which hand we are talking about...this way I can specify a right hand finger to pick the note and a left hand finger with a number to fret it without too much explanation....

P = Thumb

I = Index finger

M = Middle finger

A = Ring finger

The letters come from the Spanish names for those fingers:

P for pulgar,

I for indicio,

M for medio

A for anular

I pretty much explain everything you need in the video, but the one thing I left out is that we are playing "free strokes" as opposed to "rest strokes", where the picking finger plays through the string and comes to rest on the next string up...we talk about that more in the next lesson but for now here it is!

For a printable version of this lesson click here.

Click here to check out our new guitar forums!

I am trying a new feature this month and adding a forum to the site. If it goes well and there is a decent amount of traffic on it I'll probably upgrade to a nicer forum system.

The first actual use will be for our upcoming "December" solo contest...I'm still working out the details but here is a little bit of info:

I thought it would be fun to post a backing track for the solo section of my song "December" and have you guys post yourselves playing over it! The track is the same length as the solo that is transcribed in this lesson and part of the challenge is coming up with something that gets the point across in just a few measures, just like the solo in a pop song should!

Click here for the "December" backing track

We will vote by Poll on the forum and I'll give out free copies of my book "Foundations for Guitar" to the three submissions that get the most votes.

You can either submit a Youtube video or a sound clip. If you don't have recording software there are free programs such as "Audacity" that will allow you to record over the backing track!

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

The deadline for submissions is Thursday June 19th and the end of voting will be Thursday, June 26th!

You can host submissions on a site like Soundclick (http://www.soundclick.com) or email them to me and I can host them here on our server...

If you have any questions please feel free to shoot me an email!

Mark

Dorian Lesson #3 - Solo for "December"

2008-05-29T15:36:20Z

This lesson is just about us using the Dorian mode in a rock solo. I picked a live version of my song "December" from a show we did at a shopping mall, of all places...look down at the bottom of this lesson about the contest for this song....

Here is the recording...its from a video camera but you can everything OK....the solo starts at 2:45 into the song.

http://markwein.com/soundfiles/December.mp3

The chord progression for the first 3/4 of the solo is just Am for a measure and D for a measure....this is a perfect progression to play A Dorian of because Am is the "i" chord and D major is the "IV" chord in that mode. If we were playing in regular old "A minor" (or" A Aeolian" or "A Natural minor", since all three names mean the same thing) the "iv" chord would be minor instead of major.

I get away with just playing A minor pentatonic over the 7th and 8th measures over the Am Am/G and D/F# chords but when we get to the F major and E major chords I really outline the chord tones...its a very strong sound!

Pt 1

Pt 2

Click here for a printable version of this lesson.

I am trying a new feature this month and adding a forum to the site. If it goes well and there is a decent amount of traffic on it I'll probably upgrade to a nicer forum system.

The first actual use will be for our upcoming "December" solo contest...I'm still working out the details but here is a little bit of info:

I thought it would be fun to post a backing track for the solo section of my song "December" and have you guys post yourselves playing over it! The track is the same length as the solo that is transcribed in this lesson and part of the challenge is coming up with something that gets the point across in just a few measures, just like the solo in a pop song should!

Click here for the "December" backing track

We will vote by Poll on the forum and I'll give out free copies of my book "Foundations for Guitar" to the three submissions that get the most votes.

You can either submit a Youtube video or a sound clip. If you don't have recording software there are free programs such as "Audacity" that will allow you to record over the backing track!

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

The deadline for submissions is Thursday June 19th and the end of voting will be Thursday, June 26th!

You can host submissions on a site like Soundclick (http://www.soundclick.com) or email them to me and I can host them here on our server...

If you have any questions please feel free to shoot me an email!

Mark

Solo Contest!

2008-05-27T14:54:08Z

I am trying a new feature this month and adding a forum to the site. If it goes well and there is a decent amount of traffic on it I'll probably upgrade to a nice forum system.

The first actual use will be for our upcoming "December" solo contest...I'm still working out the details but here is a little bit of info:

I thought it would be fun to post a backing track for the solo section of my song "December" and have you guys post yourselves playing over it!

I am probably going to have some way to vote (either by Poll on my website or I might put up a forum for us to post in) and I'll give out free copies of my book "Foundations for Guitar" to the three submissions that get the most votes.

You can either submit a Youtube video or a sound clip. If you don't have recording software there are free programs such as "Audacity" that will allow you to record over the backing track!

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

The deadline for submissions is Thursday June 19th and the end of voting will be Thursday, June 26th!

You can host submissions on a site like Soundclick (http://www.soundclick.com) or email them to me and I can host them here on our server...

Dorian Lesson #2 - Combining it with your Minor Pentatonic scale

2008-05-22T18:15:42Z

In this lesson we are going to combine the Dorian mode that we constructed in the last lesson (Click here for Dorian Lesson #1) with our Minor Pentatonic Scale.

The important thing to remember is that the only difference between the scales is that the Dorian mode adds a Major 2nd and a Major 6th to the Minor Pentatonic scale. The examples below will help you combine the vocabulary you already have with this new sound.

In our next lesson I will have a transcription of a solo using the Dorian Mode/Minor Pentatonic combination that I played on a live recording of the song "December" by my band "Felt". This is from a gig we played in a mall, of all places...not the greatest quality but I think we'll get some good vocabulary from the solo. Check it out here:

http://markwein.com/soundfiles/December.mp3

Part 1

Part 2

Click here for a printable version of this lesson.

Click here for the full archive of my lessons!

Dorian Mode Construction

2008-05-15T16:55:31Z

This is the first in a series of lessons on the Dorian mode. All we are doing is learning the construction of the scale and memorizing the fingerings in preparation for the next few lessons on applying the sound.

If you are unfamiliar with the concept of modes or have not done any of my prior lessons on the subject you should backtrack a little and work on the "Modes from the Major Scale" lesson.

The Whole step/Half Step formula for the Dorian Mode (which happens to be the second mode of the Major Scale) is this:

1 WS 2 HS 3 WS 4 WS 5 WS 6 HS 7 WS 8

Click here for a printable version of this lesson.

Check out the rest of my lessons at www.markweinguitarlessons.com

Free Webchat Wednesday 5-14-08

2008-05-08T23:02:47Z

I will be hosting a free video webchat in the "Classroom" on my website markweinguitarlessons.com next Wednesday May 14th from 6-7pm PST, so if you have any questions about my lessons, "Foundations for Guitar" or even random music questions please feel free to stop by! The chat room can handle webcams or just regular text chat...email me if you have any questions!