Theory Guitar Lessons
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2:26
Mixolydian Ear Training - Intro
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Rock
Today we're going to use just a handful of notes to understand modes. We're going to explore the Major 9th, Major 3rd, and Minor 7th scales degrees to better understand E Mixolydian!
Let's begin,
AJ
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3:39
Mixolydian Ear Training - Tensions
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Rock
Understand that for every mode you explore there are chord tones and other intervals that make that mode sound the way it does. All other tones are used as "passing tones".
Passing tones are used to embelish the intervals that color particular modes...
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1:23
Mixolydian Ear Training - Major 3rds Phrase
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Rock
The major 3rd is a chord tone and can be used by itself. Keep in mind that it needs to reseolve to the tinic or root note by the end of any given phrase.
You'll also notice that you can embelish the major 3rd by bending it up to the 4th scale degree...
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0:58
Mixolydian Ear Training - Major 9ths Phrase
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Rock
The 9th scale degree is actually the "2nd" scale degree yet and octave up past the 8th(octave) scale degree making it a 9th from the root.
Notice how the 9th too likes to resolve to the tonic or root note. You can prolong this action by moving up to...
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1:22
Mixolydian Ear Training - Minor 7ths Phrase
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Rock
The minor 7th likes to resolve up to the root. Once again you can prolong your phrase and move through the different chord tones before ending the phrase properly.
Notice at this point a scale acts just like that. It's balanced perfectly. The ...
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2:00
Mixolydian Ear Training - Wrap Up
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Rock
Notice at this point a scale acts just like that. It's balanced perfectly. The farther out say 9th or 6th degree, the weaker the movement and most times feels the need to hit say the 3rd or 5th before resolving down or up to the root. Chors tones alw...
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1:34
Mixolydian Ear Training - E Mixolydian Backing
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Rock
MIXOLYDIAN EAR TRAINING
This backing track has been remastered... Enjoy!
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1:51
Intervallic Licks Round II - Lick1
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Rock
Here's another round of licks I'm visualizing using shapes as well as using intervallic pivot points (by ear) to gauge my position when phrasing my lines.
Lick #1 is based on another 7th arpeggio shape. This like any other arpeggio can be transposed...
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2:18
Intervallic Licks Round II - Lick2
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Rock
Lick #2 is based on another one of the same shapes as in the first video, only being tapped this time. We start with Gmaj7 then fall down to A7. The A7 arpeggio starts on the b7 degree. Analyze this shape and try it diatonically through the scale or ...
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1:35
Intervallic Licks Round II - Lick3
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Rock
Lick #3 is a 6th intervallic exercise. I'll explain more in depth in the video so you can see exactly what I mean...
When you're ready, go to the next page for the backing track! Thanks for stopping by guys!
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1:04
Intervallic Licks Round II - Backing Track
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Rock
INTERVALLIC LICKS ROUND II
Here's the backing track to this tutorial. Let's get shredding!!!!
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3:07
Songwriting - Chromatic Movement Explained
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Rock
This month we're going to talk about one of my most used songwriting devices. Plainly speaking, when writting music I like to take a common chord progression and spice it up a bit.
In this video, I explain how you can take an ordinary chord progress...
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3:20
Songwriting - Chromatic Movement - Functional Harmony
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Rock
Functional Harmony is simply creating a chord from every note in the key. For instance, you have C major. C-D-E-F-G-A-B.
C Major - C-E-G
D minor - D-A-F
E minor - E-G-B
F Major - F-A-C
G Major - G-B-D
A minor - A-C-E
B diminished - B-D-F
The ...
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3:15
Songwriting - Chromatic Movement - Example 1
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Rock
In Examples 1-3, we have this base chord progession: Dm - Am - C - G - F ---> Dm
However, in this Example 3, we'll play the above progression then move our third chord C Major up a half step and finish the progession as closely to the original as...
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2:24
Songwriting - Chromatic Movement - Example 2
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Rock
In Examples 1-3, we have this base chord progession: Dm - Am - C - G - F ---> Dm
However, in this Example 3, we'll play the above progression then move our third chord C Major up a half step and finish the progession as closely to the original as...
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4:15
Songwriting - Chromatic Movement - Example 3 & Wrap Up
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Rock
In Examples 1-3, we have this base chord progession: Dm - Am - C - G - F ---> Dm
However, in this Example 3, we'll play the above progression then move our third chord C Major up a half step and finish the progession as closely to the original as...
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2:01
Listening Up! Guitar Philosophy - Intro
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Hello Folks,
This month I want to go a different route. Let's take a minute and think about our musical journey and the most important aspects of becoming our very best potential. What got you started on this journey? What has this journey taught yo...
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6:06
Listening Up! Guitar Philosophy - Technique
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Is technique all that important? When first discovering technique, did you ever stop to think about what you're capable of outside the metronome culture?
Technique is super important but even more so a distraction. In this video I'll show you why th...
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6:06
Listening Up! Guitar Philosophy - Rhythm
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Most of us know that without a good sense of rhythm, music can be played but not expressed. Rhythm is in and throughout everything that is. Think about how you speak to your lawyer as opposed to children. Think about how you speak to your spouse as o...
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5:10
Listening Up! Guitar Philosophy - Modes
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Modes are a lot like rhythm in a sense that they should be explored and expressed. Learning modes won't make you more melodic just because you learned them on the fretboard. Modes posses a texture that needs to be constantly explored. In this video I...
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7:54
Listening Up! Guitar Philosophy - Songwriting
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
I truly enjoyed my musical freedom growing up. My family was always writing and creating music. I have no intention of cramping your musical style. However, those of you experiencing difficulty getting your ideas down should think more freely. Try to...
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1:36
Listening Up! Guitar Philosophy - Wrap Up
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Thanks for listening!
Once again I want you to reflect on the freedom of this tutorial. No exercises. No study material. Just self reflection. This should become a part of your everyday. The understanding should permeate your practice sessions, jam ...
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4:31
Modular Phrasing Techniques: Introduction
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Rock
In this tutorial, I'm going to show you the quickest way to make the licks you spend so much time mastering a part of your playing.
We're going to take three of my favorite shapes and move them diatonically to expose their various forms and qu...
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0:52
Modular Phrasing Techniques: Module 1
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Rock
Here we're using a two-stringed phrase or shape (Major Scale 1-6). Let's see how the first shape changes as we move diatonically up the fretboard and down.
You should start seeing the following sclaes: Mixolydian-Aeolian-Locrian-Ionian-Dorian-Phriyg...
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0:53
Modular Phrasing Techniques: Module 2
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Rock
Here we're using a two-stringed phrase or shape (Major Triad). Let's see how the first shape changes as we move diatonically up the fretboard and down.
You should start seeing the following Triads: Major-Minor-Diminished-Major-Minor-Minor-Major
Doi...
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0:51
Modular Phrasing Techniques: Module 3
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Rock
Here we're using a two-stringed phrase or shape (Major Triad 1-6). Let's see how the first shape changes as we move diatonically up the fretboard and down.
You should start seeing the following sclaes: Major-Minor-Diminished-Major-Minor-Minor-Major
...
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0:29
Modular Phrasing Techniques: Mixing it Up!
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Rock
In this module we're going to vary it up a bit.
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1:48
Modular Phrasing Techniques: Wrap Up
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Rock
Remember to practice these in different modes as well.
You'll notice for triads there are only three types: Major, Minor, and Diminished. For all modes these just cycle in order starting from a different spot.
Ex. Mixolydian - 5,6,7,1,2,3,4
...
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1:33
Modular Phrasing Techniques: Backing Track
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Rock
Remember to practice these in different modes as well.
You'll notice for triads there are only three types: Major, Minor, and Diminished. For all modes these just cycle in order starting from a different spot.
Ex. Mixolydian - 5,6,7,1,2,3,4
...
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1:05
Creating Instrumental Music: Intro
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Creating any kind of music is a wonderful experience. That feeling of expressing yourself through music is just too addictive to comprehend. Although this is true, so many of us get caught up in the "dos and don'ts" of even the simplest aspects of th...
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2:10
Creating Instrumental Music: 3 Steps To A Full Work
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
I can't tell you how many of my students have told me they've either started an idea and can't finish it, or they want to start but just can't get an idea going. The thing is there are always ideas floating around. In my case I always have ideas goin...
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4:04
Creating Instrumental Music: Road Map
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Notice:
1. I finished the whole song or "outline" first. Having a guitar handy definitely didn't hurt any.
2. Take note the fact that I wrote a chord melody so by default I have both the chords and melody telling me what to do next.
3. Listen to y...
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4:10
Creating Instrumental Music: Instrumentation/Arrangement
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
1. We have our "instrumentation", the choice of color for the piece of music
2. Notice how the bass guitar, the drums, and guitar are not in each other's way.
3.Notice how the drummer keeps the high-hat closed for quite parts and open to introduce ...
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6:28
Creating Instrumental Music: Wrap Up with Lead Guitar
Instructor: Al Joseph
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
I hope this helped you guys. Remember to push though this stage and do not stop until you are FINISHED with your composition. Also, keep in mind not to go too overboard where you never finish a song either. The idea is to get you writing and writing ...
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1:43
From Scales to Chords - Part 1
Instructor: Chris Feener
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Hi guys,
For this lesson, I'd like to back-track and offer a different way of visualizing how we learn chords. So often, I see players who cannot identify chords within a diatonic progression, yet know scales and modes like no tomorrow.
The main go...
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0:41
From Scales to Chords - Part 2
Instructor: Chris Feener
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Assuming we're still in A minor, let's try a different set of strings.
This time, rooted on the A string, let's try out each set of chords, layering first with simple 5ths, an added octave, thirds, and so on.
Just because the first note of the chor...
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0:33
From Scales to Chords - Part 3
Instructor: Chris Feener
Level: Advanced
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
1) Let's try a different chord structure. Rather than layering the chord in the "root - fifth" format, let's try harmonizing the root directly and solely with it's 3rd.
2) From here, it's very simple to add other harmony other than a perfect 5th. In...
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0:40
From Scales to Chords - Part 4
Instructor: Chris Feener
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Let's try starting from open-position, and this time, let's try something a little more "out-side" with regards to harmony; Sus4 chords.
The root note is in tact, as is the chords 5th (highlighted on the high E string) and we're raising the third up...
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0:21
Exploring the Sixth - Introduction
Instructor: Martin Miller
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Welcome to another tutorial!
This time we’ll be dealing with an interval called the sixth. Just to give you a brief theoretic explanation: an interval is the distance of the pitches of two notes. The sixth (unlike the fifth or fourth) is not a...
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3:49
Nashville Numbers - How They Work
Instructor: Jody Mac
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Theory
Now that we know the chords of the diatonic key (naturally occurring chords within the major scale), we can apply the follow roman numerals to each of the chords:
I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, vii.
The uppercase...
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2:12
Setting Yourself Apart - Sight Reading: Intro
Instructor: Jody Mac
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Hey Guys!
This tutorial is an introduction to sight reading. It assumes that you are already familiar with standard notation on the treble clef. If you aren't ready to dive into it yet, be sure to check out the audio lessons under Robert Mussa...
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2:28
Setting Yourself Apart - Sight Reading: Rhythm
Instructor: Jody Mac
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
This example is a rather tedious, but highly beneficial exercise to work into your practice routine. It uses a repeated note (open b string) and cycles through four single meters - 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 and 5/4. We will leave out compound (6/8, 9/8, 12/...
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2:44
Setting Yourself Apart - Sight Reading: Jazz Phrase
Instructor: Jody Mac
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
The last example is a Jazz phrase over a II/V/I chord progression in the key of Db Major. It begins to tie together the concepts of rhythm and notation reading. I've intentionally put it in a key with five flats to add an extra challenge to your read...
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5:15
All About Harmonics - Introduction
Instructor: Richard Lundmark
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Greetings Guitar Slingers!
Welcome to yet another (long) tutorial from yours truly. This time we will dive deep into the wonderful world of Harmonics! The theory, concepts and practice of harmonics in all its various incarnations are more often than...
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2:52
Natural Harmonics - Part 1
Instructor: Richard Lundmark
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Welcome to part 1 of the theoretical part of natural harmonics. The first thing we need to cover and understand is the physics of the string – String Theory. The first thing we need to acknowledge is that when you play a note (be it an open str...
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6:10
Natural Harmonics - Part 2
Instructor: Richard Lundmark
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
In this part you will have to keep a close eye on the Table of Harmonics as well. As you can see, the 1/3 division is always the perfect 5th up from the ½ (or the perfect 4th down from the ¼ division). That is, a harmonic on the 7th fre...
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4:43
Natural Harmonics - Part 3
Instructor: Richard Lundmark
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Before going into this part, it would be wise to re-visit (or visit) my set-up tutorial where I discuss Intonation, and the equal temperament system of the guitar, as opposed to true temperament. You can find that part of the tutorial HERE.
Then, yo...
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6:50
Natural Harmonics - Part 4
Instructor: Richard Lundmark
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
In this part, I just reinforce the fact that the string's length is not relevant, only its pitch. Regardless if the string is divided by fretting a note, or elongated say on a bass, the positions of the harmonics will ALWAYS stay the same, that is &f...
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Intervals and Building Chords - Introduction
Instructor: Mike Edwin
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Hello Guitar players. I hope you're ready to learn!
During this tutorial we will be taking a close look at a number of intervals available to us within the Major scale. We will also be using each of these intervals to create unique voicings of both ...
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1:13
Scale Degrees
Instructor: Mike Edwin
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Scale Degrees.
The term 'Degree' is used to identify a particular note in a scale. The point of using this terminology is that it can make life a whole lot easier when trying to identify chords and intervals in new keys.
As outlined in the video. I...
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0:55
Intervals - Major Third
Instructor: Mike Edwin
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
The Major Third.
The Major third can be found by combining the first and third degrees of a major scale.
You can create this harmony over any note by simply counting up 3 degrees of a major scale.
For example. In the video, I began on C and counte...
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1:29
Intervals - Perfect 5th ( maj triad )
Instructor: Mike Edwin
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Major Triad.
The next interval we need to look at is our Perfect 5th. Otherwise represented as 'P5'.
We can create this harmony by combining the first and 5th notes of any major scale. In this video we used C and G as an example. But for contrast, ...
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2:04
Intervals - Maj 7th
Instructor: Mike Edwin
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
The Major 7th. A Major 7 chord is built with the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th degrees of a major scale.
At this point, I want to begin introducing chord formulas. The formula for our Major 7 chord is: 1 3 5 7. These numbers are referring to degrees of the...
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1:25
Intervals - Maj 2nd ( sus 2 )
Instructor: Mike Edwin
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
The Major 2nd - Sus 2 chord.
We are now up to the Major 2nd. When stacking intervals from the major scale, we don't always wind up with a Major chord. Here is the first example.
A harmonic interval of a Major second comes from combining the 1st and...
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1:17
Intervals - Perfect 4th ( sus 4 )
Instructor: Mike Edwin
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
The Perfect 4th. Suspended 4.
This interval is found by adding the 1st and 4th degrees of a major scale.
Used in context of a chord, the Sus4 chord is a great representation.
Exactly like our sus2, the sus4 is a Major chord whose 3rd has been repl...
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1:47
Intervals - Maj 6
Instructor: Mike Edwin
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
The Major 6.
Used in a chord, this is one of my favorite sounds.
We identify the Major 6 by playing the first and sixth degrees of the Major scale. The formula for this chord in full would appear like this:
1 3 (5) 6 (7) - typically you might fin...
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1:41
Intervals - Maj 9
Instructor: Mike Edwin
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
The Major 9. The Major 9th interval comes from moving 9 scale degrees away from the root of the Major scale.
As you will notice, the 9th scale degree is the same as the 2nd. When using this interval in a chord, it is important to pay attention to ...
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Intervals - Conclusion
Instructor: Mike Edwin
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Over the past several lessons, we have taken a close look at a series of intervals available to us when harmonizing the Major scale. Every interval so far has been put in context to the Root of the scale.
There is still a lot to cover though. In the...
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2:01
Time Signatures: Introduction
Instructor: Sean Conklin
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Hello and welcome! In this tutorial we're going to take a very in-depth look at time signatures. This is a rather large tutorial, but don't let that overwhelm you. I'd encourage you to go through it slowly so you can digest all the information.
Firs...
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0:52
Time Signatures: 4/4 - Overview
Instructor: Sean Conklin
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
With time signatures, we will always see 2 numbers in the form of a fraction. (Yes, music has math too!) So we'll see a number on top, and a number on the bottom. The top number represents how many of a certain note, and the bottom number represents ...
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0:34
Time Signatures: 3/4 - Overview
Instructor: Sean Conklin
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
We now continue exploring the quarter note time signatures with 3/4. With the top number being "3" and the bottom number being "4", we can conclude that the 3/4 time signature represents three quarter notes in a measure.
You can count the beats of a...
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0:38
Time Signatures: 5/4 - Overview
Instructor: Sean Conklin
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
The last quarter note time signature we're going to look at is 5/4. With the top number being "5" and the bottom number being "4", we can conclude that the 5/4 time signature represents five quarter notes in a measure.
You can count the beats of a 5...
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0:46
Time Signatures: 6/8 - Overview
Instructor: Sean Conklin
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
We're now going to look at our first eighth note time signature, 6/8. With the top number being "6" and the bottom number being "8", we can conclude that the 6/8 time signature represents six eighth notes in a measure.
You can count the beats of a 6...
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0:51
Time Signatures: 7/8 - Overview
Instructor: Sean Conklin
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
We're now going to look at the 7/8 time signature. With the top number being "7" and the bottom number being "8", we can conclude that the 7/8 time signature represents seven eighth notes in a measure.
You can count the beats of a 7/8 time signature...
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0:49
Time Signatures: 9/8 - Overview
Instructor: Sean Conklin
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
The last eighth note time signature we're going to look at is 9/8. With the top number being "9" and the bottom number being "8", we can conclude that the 9/8 time signature represents nine eighth notes in a measure.
You can count the beats of a 9/8...
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0:50
Time Signatures: 15/16 - Overview
Instructor: Sean Conklin
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
We're now going to look at our first sixteenth note time signature, 15/16. With the top number being "15" and the bottom number being "16", we can conclude that the 15/16 time signature represents fifteen sixteenth notes in a measure.
You can count ...
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0:50
Time Signatures: 19/16 - Overview
Instructor: Sean Conklin
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
The last sixteenth note time signature we'll be looking at is 19/16. With the top number being "19" and the bottom number being "16", we can conclude that the 19/16 time signature represents nineteen sixteenth notes in a measure.
You can count the b...
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3:12
The Major Chord
Instructor: Mike Edwin
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Building Major Chords is quite simple, and with this video I hope to show just that.
We begin by picking the chord we want to build. In this case it will be a CMaj chord.
Play the Major scale which begins on the same root note as the Chord your aft...
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2:58
The Minor Chord
Instructor: Mike Edwin
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
So now that we have built a Major triad and Major7th chord. Lets make a minor chord!
The process of building minor chords is exactly the same, bar one thing.
If the chord is a 'minor triad' (meaning it has 3 notes) we must make sure that the 3rd is...
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1:55
Chord Progressions - Introduction
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Many times, people put together chord progressions based off of how they sound together. Some people rely on intuition. Others base their progressions off of songs that they already know. The latter is what I tend to gravitate towards a lot of the...
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1:15
Chord Progressions - Root Movement
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
The main propulsion for harmonic movement in your chord progression will usually occur between the bass notes which are either a perfect 4th or perfect 5th apart. Here is a version of a I, IV, V again showing how the bass notes move in 4ths and 5ths....
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1:01
Chord Progressions - Common Tone Substitution
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Hello and welcome to part 3 of this exciting tutorial on Chord Progressions, where we will be talking about Common Tone Substitution. *cue dramatic intro music*
Any harmonized scale contains notes that are shared within other chords found in this sc...
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2:04
Chord Progressions - Harmonic Rhythm
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
"...and now back to 'Chord Progressions' where we last left them..."
Putting chords together isn't really enough. You also need some good harmonic rhythm, which is how long a chord will last within your progression Here's an example of poor harmon...
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1:40
Chord Progressions - Secondary Dominants
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Another technique involves inserting dominant chords before other chords to create a stronger sense of movement to the next chord. The root of a secondary dominant is going to be a perfect 5th away from the chord that the secondary dominant is going...
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1:13
Chord Progressions - Diminished Chords
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Now, in the previous lesson, we learned that both V chords and vii chords can function as Dominant chords, but when using diminished chords, these can be put in the place of a V chord and that diminished chord can resolve up a half step to the root o...
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2:00
Chord Progressions - Tri-Tone Substitution
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Now, one thing we have to understand is what exactly the tri-tone substitution is. It's basically where we substitute a dominant chord that is a tri-tone away (#4/b5) from the root of the original dominant chord. An example of this would be substit...
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1:07
Chord Progressions - Changing Chord Quality
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
This is the final installment of this tutorial, and this one is going to be a very simple way of enhancing your chord progressions, which is changing the quality of any chord, whenever you like. Experiment with making a Major chord minor or dominant...
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5:36
Reading Music For Guitar - Rhythmic Ability Part 1
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
The hardest thing for a guitar player to do is to read standard notation. For a lot of guitar players, this is something they would rather not do because it's "too hard." But if you wish to grow from just a guitar player into a musician, music read...
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2:28
Reading Music For Guitar - Rhythmic Ability Part 2
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
In this lesson, we will be continuing our look at the different notes that you are going to encounter, as well as incorporate these new notes in with the ones you previously learned.
The next note division we are going to look at is the Eighth Note,...
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1:30
Reading Music For Guitar - Rhythmic Ability Part 3
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
We are now going to dive into learning dotted notes and dotted rests, as well as tied notes and slurs.
The thing we have to remember about dotted notes and dotted rests is that whenever you see one, that note is held out half a beat longer than usua...
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0:32
Reading Music For Guitar - Rhythmic Ability Part 4
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
We are now going to go through a few exercises to give you more practice with all of the things we have learned so far. The way this is going to go, is that I am going to start these off simple, and the farther you go through these examples, the har...
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2:46
Reading Music For Guitar - Quarter Note Time
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
We are now going to dive into the world of understanding Time Signatures and how they are made up. This is also a continuation of your ability to recognize and count different rhythmic variations. We touched on the 4/4 time signature in the first l...
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1:46
Reading Music For Guitar - Eighth Note Time
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Now, we are going to dive into the realm of Eighth Note Time Signatures, but not without a little understanding of how this is made up.
We know that within a time signature, the top note indicates how many notes are in a measure, and the bottom indi...
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Reading Music For Guitar - The Open Position
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
We are now going to start getting into actually reading music on the guitar, so grab your axe, cause it's time to blast off into the world of melodic reading!
The easiest way that I can see of starting your journey is with the open position and more...
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Reading Music For Guitar - Open Position Exercises
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
This lesson is going to contain a few exercises that you can go through for practice with the open string notes that we learned in the previous lesson. These start off simple and with only the 3 string groups. The first example will use the High E, ...
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0:56
Reading Music For Guitar - Low E String Notes
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Ok, peeps. Here we are going to go over the notes of the open position of the guitar, starting one string at a time, and we are going to begin with the notes on the low E string, which are the Open E, F and G notes.
Shown below are where these notes...
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0:36
Reading Music For Guitar - Open A String Notes
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Ok, we are now going to tackle the notes on the open A string.
As before, shown is the fretboard and where the notes are on it. Make sure that you have these notes memorized before you go onto the example.
Once you have them memorized, you can pla...
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0:28
Reading Music For Guitar - Open D String Notes
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Now, we are going to tackle the notes on the open D string. As before, make sure you have these notes properly memorized before moving on to the example.
Once you do, you can go to the example below. This one not only combines the notes we have le...
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0:35
Reading Music For Guitar - Open G String Notes
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
We are now going to move onto the notes on the open G string. One thing to note is that the B note on this string is the same as the open B string, so now you have 2 choices when it comes to playing that B note. As before, memorize these notes befo...
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0:35
Reading Music For Guitar - Open B String Notes
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Now we are going to add on notes from the open B string. As before, make sure that you have these notes memorized before tackling the example below.
For the below example, we are going to add in all the notes we have learned so far along with the 2...
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0:44
Reading Music For Guitar - High E String Notes
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Hooray!
If you have made it this far, you are on the final leg on your journey through the open position. This one is going to be comprised of the notes on the high E string. As before, make sure that you get these memorized before moving on to th...
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2:35
Metal Riffing with 16th Note Triplets - Introduction
Instructor: Sean Conklin
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Hey everyone! Welcome to the "Metal Riffing with 16th Note Triplets" tutorial.
Today we're going to focus on a group of rhythmic notes called 16th Note Triplets, also known as sextuplets. First off, let's go over what 16th note triplets actually are...
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2:04
Ascendance of the Spheres - Bar by Bar Analysis
Instructor: Rick Graham
Level: Advanced
Topic: Theory
Style: Rock
Right then! Let's take a closer look at the solo.
Solo overview
Whenever I am learning a piece using a score, I always take time out to make some important observations indicated within the score rather than diving headfirst into it and potentially...
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2:19
16th Note Displacement - The Basics
Instructor: Sean Conklin
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Welcome to the 16th Note Displacement Tutorial!
What are 16th notes? 16th notes add up to 4 counts in one beat. So you have a total of 16 counts in a measure that has 4 beats.
Full 16th note measure: "1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a"
Pronounced: ...
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2:20
16th Note Displacement - Mixing It Up
Instructor: Sean Conklin
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Now, let's mix it up a little bit. In the last lesson, we learned how to omit specific 16th note counts consistently throughout a single measure. Now we're going to omit different 16th note counts throughout a single measure. Make sure you count the ...
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Intervals Pt.1 (Intro - Major and Perfect Intervals)
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Before any of you start to delve into chords, scales, or arpeggios, you must first understand the basis of what and how intervals are formed. In a nutshell, an interval is the distance between any two notes.
There are only two types of intervals: ha...
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2:25
Intervals Pt.2 (Minor, Diminished and Augmented)
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Hello and welcome to part 2 of this lesson on Intervals.
The next 3 intervals we are going to talk about are the Minor, Diminished and Augmented intervals. These 3 intervals are made by altering the major and perfect intervals by either raising or ...
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3:04
Intervals Pt.3 (Intervals on the Fretboard, Rule of 9)
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
The notes on a guitar fretboard are not easy to find because every note may have as many as 5 different places where you could play it. On a piano, it's easier to see where these notes are because they are all laid out neatly for you, but on a guitar...
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1:48
Intervals Pt.4 (Determining Interval Quality)
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
In this lesson, we will be going over how to determine the quality of any interval if you should ever encounter one that you need to figure out. Here are some steps you can follow to help determine the type of interval you are looking for:
Step #1-...
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3:37
Intervals Pt.5 (Practical Uses of Intervals)
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Many times, intervals are used as chord fillers in between chords and lead lines and the most common of these are 3rds and 6ths(which are just inverted 3rds). Here are a few 3rd and 6th shapes that are on the neck that you can use:
The cool thing ...
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3:06
C Major Scale Harmonization
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Most songs are built from chords that have their start in the major and minor scales. Each scale can be harmonized to produce different chords. Notes are stacked on top of each other in 3rds using only the notes from that scale or mode you're harmo...
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1:11
Natural and Harmonic Minor Scales
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
In the harmonized natural minor scale, the I, IV, and V chord are minor. For practical purposes, the V chord is usually played as a dominant chord. This is here to help give us a stronger sense of resolution or pull to the I chord. The bIII and bV...
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Major Scale Modes - Introduction
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Hi, and welcome to this exciting lesson on The Modes: Music's Rubix Cube. So fasten your seat belts people!
We know that the major scale is defined by the arrangement of half steps and whole steps within the 12 tones of western music. Another way to...
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3:17
Major Scale Modes - Ionian
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Every mode has notes in it that make it different from the other modes, which are called character pitches. In the Ionian mode, the character pitches are the major 3rd and the Major 7th.
|----One Octave----||----Extensions----|
1–2–3&n...
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2:27
Major Scale Modes - Dorian
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
The Dorian mode is the second mode of the major scale. In the case of this mode, the character pitch is the major 6th and is also characterized by the minor 3rd and minor 7th.
|---------Octave---------||-----Extensions-----|
1–2–b3&ndas...
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0:38
Major Scale Modes - Phrygian
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
The Phrygian scale is the third mode of the major scale and has a unique sound to it because of the minor second. This mode has a minor tonality because it also has the minor 3rd and minor 7th included. When the minor 2nd is raised an octave, you get...
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2:12
Major Scale Modes - Lydian
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
The Lydian scale is the fourth mode of the major scale. This mode is very important in jazz music because it contains the raised 4th and in jazz, this mode is usually what is used to solo over a major chord. The Lydian mode is exactly like the major...
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2:47
Major Scale Modes - Mixolydian
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Mixolydian is the 5th mode of the major scale. This is another important mode because it contains the major 3rd and the minor 7th. The interval that occurs between these 2 notes is called a tri-tone, which is also known as a #4 or b5. This is the s...
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2:12
Major Scale Modes - Aeolian
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Aeolian is the sixth mode of the major scale. It's also known as the natural or relative minor scale. It's related to the major scale because the root of the Ionian mode is a minor 3rd up from the root of the Aeolian mode. You could also say that ...
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1:14
Major Scale Modes - Locrian
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Intermediate
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
The Locrian mode is the last mode derived from the Major Scale. It is not a mode that is used too often because of the way it is built. One of the distinguishing features of this mode is the lowered 5th. By respelling the b6 as a #5, an augmented in...
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3:01
Clefs and Notes on The Stafs
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
This lesson will be sort of a short one and cover the Treble Clef, the Bass Clef, Specialty Clefs, and the notes on the staffs. To start off, the 2 main clefs we will look at now are the treble and bass clefs. The treble clef, like all other clefs,...
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6:02
Note Values and Basic Notation
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Hello. In this lesson, we will be taking a look at note values and basic notation.
The most basic note is called the whole note (Ex.1). In a 4/4 time signature (which we will get to in another lesson), this note is the only note on the staff and is ...
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2:13
Circle of Fifths
Instructor: Robert Mussatti
Level: Beginner
Topic: Theory
Style: Any Style
Hi there you lovely people. I now bring you a lesson on the circle of fifths. The circle of fifths is a quick way to see just how many sharps and flats each major key and its corresponding minor key have. Going clockwise around the chart below take...
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