a Non-Jazz Approach - Berklee College of Music Archives

Guerrilla Tactics for Guitar
Improvisation:
a Non-Jazz Approach
By David Villarreal
Masters in Contemporary Performance Candidate
Supervisor: Enric Alberich
Berklee Valencia
July 2015
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
iii
1. INTRODUCTION: The book I Would Have Loved to Have
1
2. SHAPES OF THINGS
5
2.1.
2.2.
2.3.
2.4.
Why Focus on Guitar?
A Non-Jazz Approach?
Julio Cortázar’s “Rayuela”: a Lesson in Organized Chaos
Defining the Rules
3. THE PROJECT’S CONTENT
6
9
11
14
16
3.1. The Basics
3.1.1. CAGED System
3.1.2. Warp Refraction Threshold
3.1.3. Connecting it All
17
17
25
29
3.2. Guerrilla Tactics
3.2.1. Melodic Tactics Example
3.2.2. Rhythmic Tactics Example
3.2.3. Harmonic Tactics Example
3.2.4. Pentatonic Tactics Example
3.2.5. Guitar-Specific Tactics Example
3.2.6. Mixing Between Tactics Example
32
33
35
36
37
39
40
3.3.
41
Appendix
4. CONCLUSION
48
Bibliography
50
Webography
51
ii Acknowledgements
I would like to thank all the teachers I have had in my lifetime, part of who I
am is because of you. From Berklee Valencia I would like to give special thanks to
Israel Sandoval, my guitar guru here in Valencia and the best teacher I’ve EVER
had. I would like to thank Enric Alberich for his advice, Brian Cole for his patience,
Perico Sambeat, Polo Ortí and Víctor Mendoza for the inspiration.
I would like to thank also (in no particular order) all of those guitar teachers
who had the biggest impact in my life: David Fiuczynski, Jon Finn, Jon Damian,
Hittar Cuesta, Adolfo Montenegro, Julien Kasper, Diego Celi, Jim Kelly, Mauricio
Noboa, Greg Howe, Prashant Aswani, Tim Miller, Norman Zocher, Joe Stump, Tomo
Fujita and Ricardo Aguiar.
Thanks to Peter Eddins, Gonzalo Eyzaguirre, Ji Won, Peter Eddins, Shane
Del Robles, MT and David Acosta for helping me recording this project’s backing
tracks.
Finally thanks to God, my family and friends for their constant love and
support.
iii 1. INTRODUCTION: The Book I Would Have Loved to Have
Music has been a crucial part of my life ever since I can remember. At
age 11 what started out as a child’s game, playing the guitar, soon became
something much more serious, a middle point between an addiction and a
challenge to master. Soon enough I was hungry for hearing the masters play
and I can vividly remember the moment I first heard Steve Vai; it was a
shocking experience, I had only heard a few seconds of “Juice” and my world,
as I knew it had changed forever.
I decided to become a musician that day.
At first I had many objections from my family but eventually they would
be left behind and I counted with their full support. With their help I could
study Music as my career at Universidad San Francisco de Quito’s IMC and
those years were marked by a huge improvement of my musical skills… as
well as being stained by a huge internal crisis against all things related to jazz.
To this day I believe some of my teacher’s educational approach while
I studied there were utterly wrong. Instead of showing me all the wonders and
the beautiful music lurking in so many jazz records I was forced to embrace
jazz as “the thing to play” if I didn’t want to be mediocre as it seemed all those
musicians I admired were for them. My renegade personality hated jazz; my
immature thoughts couldn’t envision the knowledge I could acquire beyond
“resigning” to my supposedly true nature. I almost quit playing music
altogether.
1 Luckily for me shortly after finishing my studies at IMC many
circumstances would lead by rebel attitude towards a deep curiosity.
Strangely enough a new turning point in my life came to me after seeing
Steve Vai live for the first time; his total command of the instrument
transcended technique prowess or harmonic clarity, I had never seen any
human being feel so free onstage.
I decided to become the best improviser I could be that day.
My learning process shifted 180 degrees, my practice routines shifted
more and more from developing a better technique to visualizing fretboard
patterns and playing melodies I liked in real time. Playing the changes was
the new challenge to master.
I realized my driving force was not a passion for the guitar but a deep
love for music as a whole. I wanted to become a more “musical” (in my
opinion) musician rather than a one-act virtuoso. I had to practice differently
too in order to drift my efforts that way.
I was a beginner again. I was learning how to be free by putting fences
around my skills and me; such was my journey to achieve freedom of musical
expression through improvisation.
Once I decided to make this shift I encountered a different kind of
difficulties to overcome, particularly playing through chord changes and
“visualizing” the guitar shapes associated with such skill.
After IMC I had the chance to study again in Berklee Boston. I had so
many great teachers there and their unique approaches gave me material to
study even to this day.
2 There’s no substitute to experience. After finishing Berklee I worked for
a year and a half in Miami, playing in pretty much any gig I could find. My
improvisation skills were of utmost importance to help me pay my bills.
Although a new challenge, being versatile and proficient in many styles,
appeared, improv was always there to remind me how much more I needed to
study.
Now I am in Berklee Valencia and I have the luxury of having a teacher
like Israel. His fresh approach towards understanding complex things in the
simplest way has ignited my passion for exploring my instrument once more.
I set up two goals to accomplish as a student here in Valencia: to play
with as many people as I could and to increase my improvisation language,
focusing both goals in being as versatile as I can. To be able to play well in
any musical situation, using the correct phrasing and language associated
with different musical styles.
Thus, I decided to share this knowledge, this those tools and concepts
I’ve learned along the way (particularly while studying in Berklee Boston and
Quito’s USFQ) in a book aimed to guitar players who want to be better
improvisers but who don’t want to focus necessarily on playing jazz (I haven’t
seen such book yet).
My original proposal was to provide a sort of reference book, a
“dictionary” of “guerrilla tactics” for aspiring improvisers and experienced
guitarists alike. To create the book I would have loved to have when I started
out on my quest as an improviser.
3 As this project took shape my advisor, Enric Alberich, envisioned it
could be better suited for a different media, maybe a web page or an app,
given its non-linear approach.
For now I’ve kept the project in a book format until all the information
will be properly organized and revised, prior to be released. I must admit I
don’t know (yet) how to design or create a web page or an app. Given the
time constraint and the different focus I had for my studies in Valencia,
acquiring such skills has been delayed for a future date; I also had a different
theme for my thesis during the first months of study.
This project is a compilation of the most relevant lessons I’ve been taught
concerning improvisation and knowledge of the guitar, along with some
strategies and tools I found out on my own. I hope it helps all of those
guitarists who are feeling like outcasts because they are not (or are not yet
like in my case) interested in jazz but at the same time they want to become
better improvisers.
My CE describes the processes that will lead me to make such project
a reality, the reasoning behind its main concepts, the pedagogical tools it will
use as well as samples of some of its content.
4 2. SHAPES OF THINGS
I think entropy is really important. Rather than discussing the wonders
of the second law of thermodynamics (which wouldn’t belong here at all in the
first place) I’d like to invite whoever is reading this to think for a moment about
the necessity for change and constant improvement in our lives.
“Shapes of Things” is a song originally recorded by the English Rock
band The Yardbirds. It is considered one of the band’s most influential songs
for Rock history, in fact it was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s
museum permanent exhibit of the “Songs That Shaped Rock N’ Roll”1. After
being released with The Yardbirds several different versions have been done,
most notably are those released by its ex members Jeff Beck and Jimmy
Page. Its not only a song that influenced many people like Paul McCartney
and Jimi Hendrix, it is also a clear example of how we can embrace change to
improve upon things, to give them shape both literally and figuratively.
In a way any research should be just like that: open to change and able
to embrace new things as it is revised and corrected.
My hypothesis, or main research question, is that music improvisation
on the guitar can be learned with much ease once a deep understanding of
the fretboard’s logic has been acquired; once this knowledge has been
mastered the path chosen to work upon improvisational skills can be
accommodated to each person’s needs, taste and goals. That’s the reason
1
“Experience the Music: One Hit Wonders and the Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll”, Rock
5 I’ve decided to call “Guerrilla Tactics for Guitar Improvisation” to a collection of
suggestions and lessons to follow such path.
In order to create “Guerrilla Tactics for Guitar Improvisation” I have to
define clearly its scope and its objectives first. Doing so has led me to new
questions and potential new answers, this whole process will help me
organize my ideas better and create a coherent didactical work that will be
both easy to understand and deep in its contents.
But, just like the song “Shapes of Things”, this process must be
constantly inspected, revised and improved.
2.1. Why Focus on Guitar?
As a guitar player I can relate to the difficulties the instrument presents.
In order to give the potential readers of the project a collection of techniques
for improvisation, I had to go back in time, remembering where my starting
point was.
I found out in my experiences both as a student and as a teacher that a
deep comprehension of the guitar fretboard eases the learning process of all
musical material such as scales, chord voicings and arpeggios; unfortunately
this knowledge is not available (or known) for many people, thus a tedious
memorization routine of such material is enforced rather than understanding
the logic within.
The key concept for the first part project is visualizing the fretboard; this
means the ability to visually relate any scale, chord or arpeggio anywhere on
the neck to the tonal center in use.
6 The guitar has two main problems. The first one lies in the way it is
tuned: all strings are tuned a perfect fourth apart (from lower to higher strings,
this means the 6th string is a low E, therefore the 5th string is an A, and so on)
except the 3rd and 2nd strings, which are tuned a major third apart (the 3rd
string is a G and the 2nd a B). This creates incoherent patterns to be played
on by the fingers as we cross the strings; this is called vertical movement in
guitar lingo.
The second difficulty of the instrument is that it has multiple octaves
that can be played on different parts of the neck and in different strings. This
means the same note can be located in 2,3,4 or even more places of the
neck; if you add to this the previous tuning-related problem you’ll encounter
that all the chords, scales and arpeggios look way differently on different parts
of the neck (unlike a piano for example) as you move along it; this is called
horizontal movement.
Because of this, as a whole, the guitar can be considered an “upside
down” instrument: if you want to go down in pitch you have to move “up” the
strings and vice versa, also if you want to play higher pitches you’ll have to
play “down” the fretboard; add to all of this the possibility to move diagonally
over the fretboard and the puzzle the guitar’s fretboard represents is evident.
Before understanding some abstract concepts such as pacing or
harmonic substitutions these issues have to addressed. Even if some
chapters of the project will not relate to them directly, knowing and
understanding the guitar fretboard will boost any guitar player’s skills
considerably.
7 One of the most popular methods to explain the guitar’s logic is the
CAGED system. A device of unknown origin (although it is said to have been
developed by studio musicians in LA during the 50’s) that uses the basic triad
shapes C, A, G, E and D in sequence as a starting point to relate all scales to
a chord shape in the same fretboard position; it helps also to translate such
knowledge to any key, thus helping guitar players to perform in different
tonalities with ease. This is a really good method, but it only addresses the
fretboard’s horizontal logic.
I was fortunate enough to attend Jon Finn’s Modern Rock Guitar
Improvisation Lab while I was in Boston. In this class, Finn explains what he
calls “The Warp Refraction Threshold”, a method of his own that explains how
the guitar accommodates its tuning difference between the 3rd and 2nd strings
and then helps in visualizing the chord and scale shapes as a whole rather
than individual patterns that work on certain places of the neck. This method
addresses the guitar’s vertical logic majestically.
My contribution for the guitar community is to unify both systems to
create a better understanding of the fretboard thus giving my readers more
tools to adapt any chord, scale or arpeggio shape easily anywhere on the
fretboard and in any key.
Although it is planned to include these methods for fretboard
understanding on separate chapters of their own, a section of guitar-specific
improvisational techniques will be incorporated in the project; this is because
they are applied to certain guitar ways of playing the guitar (three note per
string scales for example).
8 2.2. A Non-Jazz Approach?
I love music. Period.
Unfortunately a lot of people tend to love labels rather than the artistic
and intrinsic aesthetical qualities of what they hear, sometimes obscuring their
objective critical thinking. I find this can be particularly dangerous (in my
opinion) when such people, because of tradition or because of a common
practice, associate certain musical styles as synonyms of an ethical or artistic
device; in other words, I don’t think that all people who enjoy Norwegian Black
Metal (for example) are Satanists that burn churches or that Improvisation
belongs exclusively in Jazz, in fact I strongly believe such affirmations are
harmful, to say the least.
Somehow along the way a sort of myth has been created, that music
improvisation cannot be learned and those musicians who are able to
improvise can only do so for playing Jazz. I say this out of my personal
experience; I have met many who think this way, even musicians who think
they cannot become good improvisers just because they don’t like Jazz at all.
The project attempts to make a contribution against this false dogma. It
wants to help guitarists in becoming better improvisers in whatever musical
medium they feel comfortable performing.
In my personal consideration improvisation is a part of music itself, in
any genre. Although its use is obviously more present in Jazz, its undeniable
for me that improvisation has been at the core of musical creation since
forever.
Probably because improvisation is a big part of the Jazz language,
most of the information available about improvising is related to Jazz. There
9 are many wonderful books available that have helped many musicians over
the years, classics such as Hal Crook’s “How to Improvise”, the Jamey
Aebersold series, the Jerry Bergonzi “Inside Improvisation” series; although a
good deal of their topics are directly linked to developing a jazz language,
they also contain a lot of universal knowledge and concepts that can be
applied to any musical style. The project shares some of those concepts with
a universal musical appeal, giving access to them to a broader
Also, I’ve been fortunate enough to have private lessons with many
great teachers; I’ve put many of their lessons into use in a variety of musical
contexts with a good degree of success. The project includes some of the
most important lessons learned from them.
As a teacher and an ongoing student myself, I have also encountered
some techniques or practice habits that have helped me, or my students,
immensely. Of course the project must include these techniques as well.
In sum, the project wants to include the best of both worlds: a
compilation of those private lessons that I found particularly helpful in my
development, a selection of passages from known books that can be applied
into any musical style; as well as some routines I have created for myself or
for some of my students.
I want to create a resource that appeals to those who feel unease in
many music schools (as I did) because they “don’t get Jazz”, or at least not
yet, as it was in my case… The principles and musical lessons “Guerrilla
Tactics” contains must have a wide reach into which they can be put into
practice.
10 2.3. Julio Cortázar’s “Rayuela”: a Lesson in Organized Chaos
Literature and Philosophy are among my favorite hobbies. In them I’ve
found a never-ending source of inspiration.
One of my favorite novels of all time is Cortázar’s masterpiece
“Rayuela” (or “Hopscotch” as it was translated to English), an award-winning
book that had a unique feature the time it was released: it could be read in a
normal order (following the chapters in sequential order) or it could be read in
another suggested random order, the book subtly encourages its readers to
come up with new and different ways of organizing its contents; in a way it’s a
book that contains a multitude of books within. Each lecture is unique and it
creates a special resonance with its reader-creator as it is developed.
I believe that educational tools, in some situations, could be used just
like that: instead of enforcing a preset path to be taken, a multitude of
didactical options (lessons) could be given to those interested in learning so
that they can apply them to their individual needs or limitations. Even though a
suggested, sequential order could be followed; I think sometimes we could
learn better by using a collection of paths (lessons) to be taken towards
achieving what we desire, in the order we chose.
Having Literature as inspiration couldn’t be enough for a serious
project. After careful research I found a strong pedagogical foundation in the
Constructivist philosophy of education.
Constructivism is, in simple terms, a theory of knowledge that believes
we generate knowledge and meaning through an interaction between our
experiences and ideas, or as Audrey Gray explains “Constructivism is based
on the belief that knowledge isn't a thing that can be simply given by the
11 teacher at the front of the room to students in their desks. Rather, knowledge
is constructed by learners through an active, mental process of development;
learners are the builders and creators of meaning and knowledge”2.
This school of teaching can embrace a non-linear approach for learning
materials; after all if we consider the way we have learned a lot of our daily
routines, we have been following a non-linear approach for a long time. For
example, when we learn how to eat we are not told “you can learn how to eat
meat only after you have learned how to chew properly your vegetables… and
only once you have mastered how to eat meat you can learn how to eat ice
cream. Also don’t forget you can learn how to use a fork only after you
mastered how to use a big spoon and then a little spoon”, although the
example might see silly it shows clearly how we don’t necessarily follow a
sequential structure to acquire new knowledge or skills. As McMahon put it:
“knowledge should not be divided into different subjects, it should be
discovered as an integrated whole” (McMahon, 1997).
I realized also that a project like this would require its users to be guitar
players of a medium level of skills (or higher) with a basic understanding of
harmonic concepts; mainly because a more advanced player understands
better what his/her goals are; after all let’s not forget another Constructivist
point of view: “The learners should be actively involved in their process to
better construct their understanding” (Von Glaserfeld, 1989).
Once this project is published, rather than claiming to be “the ultimate
guide” for improvisation on guitar (I don’t believe in products that make that
2
Audrey Gray, “Constructivist Teaching and Learning”, Saskatchewan School Boards
th
Association, Accessed July 4 , 2015,
http://www.saskschoolboards.ca/old/ResearchAndDevelopment/ResearchReports/Instruction/
97-07.htm#What is Constructivism?
12 kind of promises), my goal is that it can become a useful tool for aspiring
improvisers. Constructivism believes in the instructor and content of
instruction material as facilitators, thus “the emphasis turns away from the
instructor and the content and towards the learner” (Gamoran, Secada &
Marrett, 1998).
Of course a starting point must be taken before embracing on such
journey, just like in “Hopscotch”. In the project there will be a starting point
that will deal with fretboard logic (both horizontal and vertical) and being able
to visualize its patterns with ease by using the aforementioned methods. After
that a selection of practice routines, or tactics, will be given. These tactics
could be adapted, like being tailor-designed, to work on specific situations.
Thus, I decided to name this pedagogical strategy Guerrilla Tactics for
Guitar Improvisation.
Its important to state that the tactics that will be given do not contradict
between themselves, in fact a combination of different tactics (approaches)
can create complex musical ideas; one again there is a Constructivist
foundation to support this process: Robert Gagné’s learning prototype known
as chaining (a process where a learner connects individual associations in
sequence)3
All this path had cleared my mind, the project could now formulate a
hypothesis, or main research question: once a proper understanding of the
guitar’s fretboard (its vertical and horizontal logic) is achieved, a guitar player
can embark with greater ease on a journey of improvisational improvement by
3
“Robert Gagne’s Five Categories of Learning Outcomes and the Nine Events of Instruction”,
th
International Center for Educator’s Learning Styles, Accessed July 4 , 2015, http://www.icelseducators-forlearning.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=73#main
13 using different tactics, which could provide new practice routines or musical
points of view for their playing. These tactics could be followed in any
particular order, according to each guitarist’s goals and needs.
2.4. Defining the Rules
So far the general terms for my project were settled: to write, as for
now, an instructional book on improvisation specifically designed for guitar
players who are not interested solely in Jazz. To broaden its scope, and given
its non-linear structure, the project could be adapted to a different media
(namely a webpage or an app) but that decision is not to be made yet since
the project’s completion and release date are not defined yet in a short term
period.
This project must be easy to understand and its core contents - called
“Guerrilla Tactics” - could be read in any order after completing a section that
will be called “The Basics” - because it works as a starting point for the
project-.
The next logical step was to define how the work will be set up, the
procedures it will follow as well as the “common ground” which will give it
coherence as a whole.
Some of the ideas to be implemented are:
•
The language used must be simple and direct, using first person
when possible, just like emulating a guitar lesson being taught
physically.
•
All the examples should be easy to compare between them,
therefore throughout the book the tonalities of C Major, A minor (its
14 relative minor key) and their dominants (G7 or E7) will be used
accordingly.
•
Berklee’s notation system will be used throughout.
•
The book will have three main sections: The Basics, Guerrilla
Tactics and an Appendix. The Guerrilla Tactics section will be
organized into subcategories (which will be explained later in this
document).
•
The Appendix section will cover basic notions of harmony but it will
not represent by any means a detailed guide on the topic. Its
purpose is to be a reference guide solely.
•
Guitarists tend to use minor pentatonic scales often. I will use this
resource to my advantage by creating a section solely on new ideas
for applications of pentatonic scales.
•
As an additional resource, backing tracks will be provided to put the
tactics into practice.
•
The backing tracks shouldn’t last more than three minutes, as Mick
Goodrick suggests in his book “The Advancing Guitarist”
•
The backing track’s tempo would be 92 bpm as Hal Crook
suggests.4
•
The backing tracks must include many different musical styles.
•
Some of the tactics could be intertwined together to create more
complex ideas.
4 “These are primarily instructive play-along CDs which are intended to be used as
accompaniment for practice with specific topics and exercises (…) rather than an as
accompaniment for a potential set of tunes such as would be played on a gig; there area
already countless play-along CDs available for that” (Crook, 1999, p. 210). Also “When
testing the play-along material (…) I discovered that 92 bpm was the tempo at which the
majority of beginner and intermediate level students could improvise accurately using the
widest array of rhythm values” (Crook, 1999, p. 210).
15 3 – THE PROJECT’S CONTENT
Regardless of the final media in which this project will be published (as
a book, web page or an app), its structure will consist of three main parts:
1. The Basics: The starting point that will ensure a solid foundation
upon which everything else in the project can be explained. It will
focus exclusively on understanding the guitar’s fretboard and being
able to visualize chord and scale “shapes and patterns”. It will use
the CAGED system to explain the neck’s horizontal logic and Jon
Finn’s Warp Refraction Threshold system to explain its vertical logic.
I will add to this the connection both systems have between them. It
is strongly recommended to the project’s users to start from here
before checking the rest of the material.
2. Guerrilla Tactics: The main body of work. It consists of independent
lessons that focus on five key areas for guitar improvisation. The
lessons can be mixed between them to elaborate more complex
musical ideas. This section could be used in any order, according to
its user’s goals and particular interests.
3. Appendix: This section will have a quick reference of terms used
throughout as well as brief explanations of harmonic concepts used,
it is not meant to be used as a harmony supplement but rather a
quick reminder of things.. A collection of backing track recordings
was also done to provide supporting material for practicing the
material presented.
16 3.1. The Basics
As stated in the main hypothesis, this Culminating Experience Project
is based on a deep understanding of the guitar’s fretboard as a starting point
for studying improvisation.
This section will cover explanations of the guitar neck’s horizontal logic
(across its frets) as well as its vertical logic (across the strings) and then a
connection between them.
3.1.1. CAGED System
Although its exact origin is unknown (some people say it was
developed by studio musicians during Hollywood’s golden era in the
beginning of the XX century but it has been corroborated), guitarists have
used this system to understand the way the guitar works and the relationship
between chords and scales, this system also helps guitar players to transpose
their repertoire to different keys with ease.
The system gets its name from the triad shapes used as a reference
point to locate the notes on the fretboard5. These triads are:
5 IMPORTANT: The CAGED System works only in standard guitar tuning or if all strings are
raised or lowered by the same pitch (Eb tuning, down one step, etc.)
17 The diagrams represent the guitar’s fretboard: the vertical lines
represent the strings (with the low E on the left), while the horizontal lines
represent the frets. The black dots indicate the finger’s position, the diamonds
indicate each triad or chord’s root, the white dots represent open strings to be
played and an X indicates not to play that string at all. Unless a thick black
line is put at the top of the horizontal lines (representing the guitar’s nut), the
starting fret position will be indicated.
The first step is to relate all those triads to the same key:
Notice how each shape overlaps with the previous one. It’s like the
diamonds (roots) connect and link together all the C triads across the
fretboard. After the last “D” shape the cycle starts again (C shape, A shape
etc.) only an octave higher.
Now let’s build more upon this knowledge. To do so, we will relate a
major scale to each shape. Remember the key is visualizing the notes on the
guitar:
C Shape:
C Shape Major Triad
C Shape Major Scale
18 To practice and understand how this system works, it is advised to
imagine and think in your head how the C Triad’s notes are contained within
the Major Scale while playing it. Once this is achieved another good exercise
is locating in the same way where the Root, major 3rd and perfect 5th of the
triad are within the scale. The key to truly understand the fretboard is this:
focused practice and concentration.
The same procedure should be repeated with the remaining shapes:
A Shape Major Triad
A Shape Major Scale
G Shape Major Triad
G Shape Major Scale
E Shape Major Triad
E Shape Major Scale
D Shape Major Triad
D Shape Major Scale
19 Notice that some scale shapes begin one fret before their triad
counterpart, although you could play the scale beginning on the same fret by
adjusting a note or two from it, playing the scales this way will help you
memorize them quicker because they are following a logical pattern (which
we’ll uncover on the next section of this writing) as well as training your hand
in positional playing 6
So far we’ve located all the notes of C Major (or A minor) in any
location in the fretboard by relating them to a triad shape. The beauty of the
CAGED system is that it makes transitioning to any other key extremely easy
once you can visualize the notes related to each shape. The principle is as
simple as playing a barre chord: the same shape can be related to any key
once you locate its root position in the appropriate place on the neck.
Lets analyze deeper the following example in C major (already given):
C Major Triad (A shape)
C Major Scale (A Shape)
C is located on the 5th string, 3rd fret and in the 3rd string, 5th fret,
therefore the A shape is the only one that can fit in this position.
6
Positional Playing is a way of playing the guitar avoiding excess movement from the left
hand as much as possible by “locking” the hand’s position over a certain fret, trying to move
your fingers only one fret above or below your four finger span if necessary. If your first finger
is on the third fret, you’ll be playing in third position, and so on.
20 To change the scale and triad pattern of an A shape to a different key,
Eb Major for example, all we have to do is move our fingers so that the roots
of the shape match the new key (Eb is located in the 5th string, 6th fret and in
the 3rd string 8th fret):
Eb Major Triad (A shape)
Eb Major Scale (A Shape)
Using this procedure you can play any major scale and chord
anywhere on the fretboard. From here you can take things to the next level by
adapting your chord and scale shapes to the musical needs of the song rather
than the other way around, which is common among guitar players with a very
limited chord and scale vocabulary.
You can use the CAGED system to locate other triads and scales in the
fretboard. Remember this system is used to visualize the notes on the
fretboard and to understand its logic, although all the given minor shapes
could be used, people seldom use some of them because the voicings are not
so comfortable to play. Nonetheless it is important to keep in mind the shapes
where all the information comes from.
Here are the minor shapes using the CAGED system, to make
comparison easier, all the examples would be in C too:
21 C Shape:
C Minor Triad
C Minor Scale
C Minor Triad
C Minor Scale
A Shape:
G Shape:
C Minor Triad
C Minor Scale
E Shape:
C Minor Triad
C Minor Scale
22 D Shape:
C Minor Triad
C Minor Scale
Notice that the minor scale patterns are the same as some of the major
scale patterns we saw previously but with the root position in a different place.
This makes sense once you realize these scales are the relative minor of a
major scale located a minor third above (Eb in this case), in other words, C
minor and Eb Major have the exact same notes, just like A minor and C Major.
If we try to locate the A minor shapes within the previous C major shapes
shown, it is clear how everything is related. The fretboard will make much
more sense once this relationship is understood.
The CAGED system can be used to locate any chord you can think of.
Here are the shapes for the most common seventh chords (all in C again):
Major 7th (Maj 7), Minor 7th (-7), Dominant 7th (7) and Minor 7th flat five (-7b5):
C Shape:
C Maj7
C-7
C7
C-7(b5)
23 A Shape:
C Maj7
C-7
C7
C-7(b5)
G Shape:
C Maj7
C-7
C7
C-7(b5)
C-7
C7
C-7(b5)
E Shape:
C Maj7
D Shape:
C Maj7
C-7
C7
C-7(b5)
24 Of course this are not all the chord and scale patterns there are, as I
mentioned before, this system can be applied to any scale or chord; in other
words, the five “sectors” of the fretboard could become the platform upon
which any guitar player can unleash their chord and scale arsenal.
Knowledge of the fretboard will grow exponentially once you’ve
understand and have these shapes under your fingers, after this point
expanding your knowledge can be achieved by finding the relationship in
other scales and chords, another suggestion is to switch between positions
while improvising or comping, as well as visualizing chord progressions within
the same position (similar to the relationship between Major and its relative
minor previously described).
3.1.2. Warp Refraction Threshold
I have been lucky enough in my life to having had private lessons with
Jon Finn, one of Berklee College of Music’s most sought after teachers in the
Boston campus. He is one of the best pedagogues for rock guitar in the world
and his course on Modern Rock Guitar Improvisation is always packed with
eager students. In this class one of the staples taught are what he calls the
“Warp Refraction Threshold” (WRT).
While the CAGED system shows us how to understand the fretboard
horizontally (across its frets), this principle will show us how to understand the
fretboard’s vertical logic (across the strings).
The main idea behind the Warp Refraction Threshold (WRT) is that a
lot of the guitar’s inherent problems to understand its logic are caused the way
25 it is normally tuned7: all the string’s pitches are located a perfect fourth when
you move from your low E (6th string) to your high E (1st string) except when
you move from your G string (3rd) to your B string (2nd), the distance between
those two is a Major third instead.
Jon, who is a very humorous guy, refers to this as if two “alternate
universes” coexist within your guitar. Hence everything you play in those two
“parallel dimensions” will share the same logic and rules; luckily those two
dimensions work in the same way (the distance between the 2nd string and the
1st is also a perfect fourth). The borderline between those two universes is the
“Warp Refraction Threshold” (WRT), shown by the arrow:
With this difference in mind we can unlock the fretboard’s secrets if we
can adjust it to the same logic that works on the “two universes”, visualizing
and understanding the guitar as a whole using
the same thinking process.
Remember that refraction experiment
where you put a pencil into a glass of water? It
looks like it is twisted but it’s an optical illusion
created by the water’s density and how light
7 This principle works on standard tuning, please refer to footnote #5 for more information
26 goes through it.
The guitar’s fretboard it’s just like that: Just like the pencil does not
change when it is put into the water, the musical note’s order also do not
change at all; in both cases the object refracted (the pencil, the musical notes)
looks different from its original form because the medium where it is located
(the water, the guitar’s warp refraction threshold) made it look like that.
This is easier to understand by analyzing the following example:
All the shapes for an interval of a fifth across the strings are shown,
notice how all the shapes look identical except when you cross the WRT; this
is because in order to accommodate to the tuning difference of one half step
(or one fret) less when crossing the WRT, the fretboard “adds” one extra fret.
To maintain things under the same logic, we should compensate within
our heads the lack of a half step (or one fret) difference that occurs when we
cross the WRT by “sliding” the neck one fret further when we cross it, once
this has been understood the fretboard’s mystery becomes actually pretty
simple.
Let’s compare this graphic with the previous one:
27 On this example the guitar neck’s diagram has been modified to show the
way things would look without the tuning compensation created by the WRT.
Notice how all of the shapes look exactly the same now.
The WRT system can be applied to scales as well. Just like in the
previous example, the half step tuning difference is accommodated by
“adding” one extra fret whenever the WRT is crossed.
Here is a 3 note per string fingering for a Mixolydian scale on the
guitar, as we know it. The shape of the fingerings looks slightly different on
the last two patterns:
If we compare that graphic with the following one, where the WRT is
not present, we can corroborate how all the fingerings have always been the
same:
Evidently, by understanding the WRT it can be deduced that the
guitar’s fretboard follows a uniform logical pattern all the time and that it
applies to intervals, scales and chords (to be explained on the next section).
Just like the CAGED system, Jon Finn’s WRT is a tool that helps guitar
players to visualize the fretboard in a more coherent way.
28 One of its clear advantages is that it makes learning scales a lot easier
because only one fingering must be memorized and then it can be easily
adapted anywhere on the neck. This is also the reason why the scale
fingerings shown in the previous section (regarding CAGED system) were
chosen: if examined closely, all of them had two sets of equal fingerings in
two strings (124 and 134 respectively) that was followed on the next string
with only two fingers located a whole step apart. Its important to remember at
this point that, because the guitar’s 1st and 6th string are tuned to the same
pitch (E), the system repeats all over itself; therefore only a five string
fingering is needed to cover up all scale possibilities in the neck.
With practice, a correct understanding of Finn’s WRT will lead towards
understanding the guitar’s neck in a “circular” way. Every scale, chord,
arpeggio or interval shape will eventually overlap itself and connect like puzzle
pieces just like the CAGED shapes do across the frets.
3.1.3. Connecting it All
So far the guitar’s fretboard horizontal logic has been explained
through the CAGED system and its vertical logic by using Jon Finn’s WRT.
One of my contributions for the guitar community with this project is to unify
both systems. Although these are not, by any means, the only ways in which
the guitar’s logic could be explained; the scope and reach of using and
interweaving these systems is quite vast and will require a considerable effort
and dedicated time from anyone interested in doing so.
To make this connection we’ll have to apply the WRT’s knowledge into
the basic triadic shapes that form the foundation on the CAGED system. The
29 following example (shown only on four strings to make comparisons easier as
it crosses the WRT) starts with a G shape, with its root on the 6th string. When
playing that same shape, but starting on the 5th string, it will look different in
order to accommodate to the WRT, in fact it has been “transformed” into a C
shape to do so. If the same process is repeated on the next string, the shape
will be “transformed” into an E shape:
The following chart shows what the shapes would look like if the WRT
didn’t exist:
As it is evident, all the shapes are in fact the same!
Although it might seem logical at this point, I’ve found out from my
personal experience while learning and teaching that most guitarists don’t
know this information at all. This lack of knowledge has made it harder for all
of us to learn how to play the guitar because it seemed like the amount of
information to learn and memorize was a lot greater than it actually is.
The comparison between these two graphics also shows another
advantage of understanding the WRT: chord shapes can be “recycled”,
30 meaning only one fingering must be learned and then it can be adapted to
different positions on the neck with ease.
To continue exploring with the connection between CAGED and WRT
systems let’s apply to E, the other shape with its root on the 6th string:
In this example the E shape turns into an A shape when played on the
5th string and into a D shape when played on the 4th string. With this, all five
CAGED shapes have been shown on the fretboard.
Now let’s compare the last diagram with this one that indicates what
happened if the WRT wasn’t applied:
As expected, the same results have been obtained: the shapes didn’t
change at all.
At this point the connection between both systems should be evident,
but it can be much more so if is also taken into consideration that, since both
the 6th and 1st strings are tuned to E, in fact the second example is a
“continuation” of the logical pattern of repeating the shapes on the next
available set of strings. As mentioned before, practice and comprehension of
31 this information eventually leads towards understanding the guitar’s fretboard
as having a “circular” inherent set of rules and logic that applies to it.
3.2. Guerrilla Tactics
The main body of the project will consist of this section. In my personal
experience as a musician and a guitar player, our learning process with the
instrument usually relies a lot on repetition, imitation and observation. In the
same manner teaching improvisation is often approached with a “repeat this
licks on these keys, eventually you’ll come up with ideas of your own” or
simply by stating which scales (or a selection of so called correct notes from
them) sound better over certain chord qualities.
Both pedagogical approaches could be improved by incorporating
focalized activities into practice routines, giving the student beforehand a clear
conception of the points to be worked upon on a certain exercise.
The name “Guerrilla Tactics” came because, in general terms, they
dissect a musical problem into its core components so that the student can
work upon them in isolation before incorporating new material into his/her
musical language.
Although this section of the work could be worked upon in any order, it
needs to be organized thematically for ease of reference. The Guerrilla
Tactics will be divided into five sub-sections:
1. Melodic Tactics: A collection of resources to create melodies and
to enhance melodic playing.
2. Rhythmic Tactics: This section will focus on the use of rhythm as a
foundation to create strong musical ideas.
32 3. Harmonic Tactics: Harmonic substitutions, use of triads and
arpeggios to imply a chord-scale relationship will be covered here.
4. Pentatonic Tactics: Different usage of minor pentatonic scales as
well as modifications on its fingering patterns to accommodate to
different chord qualities will be covered in tis section.
5. Guitar-Specific Tactics: This tactics will suggest new ways of
playing scales and arpeggios based on guitar specific resources,
knowledge of CAGED system and Finn’s Warp Refraction
Threshold will come handy to get the best of this section
Each tactic must be explained in the simplest possible way, preferring
the exposition of abstract concepts instead giving prewritten licks (unless they
need to be used as an example).
What follows is an example from each tactic, as well as an example of
how different tactics can be mixed. Please note they will be written just like
they would appear in the finished product in order to represent a closer
sample of the project’s vision; therefore the writing style in them will be slightly
different.
3.2.1. Melodic Tactics Example
Developing Sequences
A musical sequence is a melodic device that creates a sensation of
continuity.
33 This resource is often used when improvising to build longer phrases
that share a similar, simple motif between them. It can be applied to scales
and arpeggios although its much more common to find it used in a scalar way.
The first step to create a sequence is to assign a number to every note
of the musical scale or chord that will be used. The following example shows
how the numbers will be on a C major scale (C=1, D=2, etc.):
Note that the first number was repeated on the octave of the scale, this
is because the scale will repeat from that point onward. If the musical example
to be sequenced follows an uncommon order or if it spans more than one
octave, the numbers assigned to it must continue until a point of repetition or
its ending is reached.
The next step is to create a numerical sequence, usually consisting of
2-5 numbers, and apply it on the scale or arpeggio’s notes accordingly,
always repeating the pattern on the next note. The following example uses the
most basic sequence, 1234, over the C major scale’s numbers that were
assigned on the previous example:
Notice how the pattern repeats exactly but on each subsequent note.
Remember each pattern can be inverted: for example a 1234 pattern’s
inversion would be 4321, a 1235 pattern inverted would be 5321 and so on.
Its important to note that the inversions don’t necessarily have to be played in
a different direction, so each one of them could be played either ascending or
descending.
34 Besides using more complex sequences, another way to create more
interesting lines using this tactic is to apply them in rhythmic groups of
different subdivision; for example playing a four note sequence pattern using
triplets or quintuplets and vice versa. Playing sequences like this also avoids
making them sound predictable or too mechanical.
The following example illustrates this by using an ascending 1235
pattern (four notes) in triplets (rhythmic groups of three):
3.2.2. Rhythmic Tactics Example
Stealing Rhythmic Ideas From Songs
There’s an old saying that says “Good artists copy. Great artists steal”8.
Rather than being an invitation towards plagiarism, this tactic looks toward
finding inspiration or new materials for studying in pretty much any song or
tune you like.
To do so the first step is taking an excerpt from the melody of any
song:
8
The exact origin of this phrase is unknown and has even been a reason of debate. Although
it is generally attributed to Pablo Picasso, there are records of similar iterations of it by Igor
Stravinsky, T.S. Elliot and William Faulkner among many others. For this reason the exact
author of the phrase has not been cited. For more information please refer to this article
http://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/03/06/artists-steal/
35 The example shows the first two bars of “Jingle Bells”. Notice there is
no harmony written at all.
Now we’ll proceed to dissect that fragment into its rhythmic
components only:
Now, for this tactic we’ll use this rhythmic idea as the foundation for our
improvisation, just like in the following example:
Keeping our musical ideas strictly under this premise forces our
creativity to come up with more concrete, solid lines.
3.2.3. Harmonic Tactics Example
Triad Pairs Within Altered Scales
The Melodic Minor Scale contains in its 4th and 5th degrees two triads,
they are located a whole step apart from each other; therefore an Altered
Scale will have those two triads as well.
The Altered Scale is located a major seventh above a Melodic Minor
(its it’s 7th mode) but it might be easier to think of this as being a half step
“before” the same scale. Therefore, the triad pairs in an Altered Scale will be
located in its #11 and #5 degrees.
Between them these triad pairs contain 6 of the 7 notes from the scale,
while spelling out a unique sound of their own.
36 Check the following example, it uses an E Altered Scale because it
resolves nicely to an A minor chord. Each triad’s notes will share the same
colored arrow:
If we group the notes from each triad they will spell out Bb anc C:
For this tactic we’ll use these two triads exclusively in order to create
lines like this:
Notice that each triad occupies two beats, or half a bar, in order to
have their two contrasting sounds constantly in motion. Lines like this present
an extra technical challenge if you try to play tem within the same position.
3.2.4. Pentatonic Tactics Example
Creating New Pentatonics for Altered Sounds
An altered scale contains a minor pentatonic located a minor third
above the root (as discussed on another tactic)9. This tactic will show us
another approach to spell out an altered sound by using different pentatonics.
9
I put this just as an example of how can different tactics could reference each other. For this
present document only this one will be shown.
37 The simplest way to come up with new pentatonic scales is to change
one note from a minor pentatonic scale. For this particular example we will
use a minor pentatonic with a lowered fifth. Please compare these two
graphics:
Minor Pentatonic Scale:
Minor Pentatonic b5:
For comparative purposes the pentatonic b5 scale shared the same
root as the shape where it came from; but actually this scale spells out an
altered sound when it is played a whole step below the root of an altered
chord; just like in the following example (shown as E7 Alt because it resolves
perfectly to an A minor chord):
38 Notice the roots of the chord were spelled with an X, the reason is
because they are not played at all in this scale. This is why having a strong
foundation in visualizing the shapes in the guitar is so important.
3.2.5. Guitar-Specific Tactics Example
2-1 Scales
This tactic has a very simple, and “guitaristic”, approach to use the
scale shapes you already know into a very unorthodox and unique way. The
idea is very, very simple: choose any scale and play 2 notes from it on a string
and only 1 note on the next one; there is not a “correct” group of notes to
choose from so get creative and try to come up with patterns that truly are
your own.
To illustrate this we’ll use a three
notes per string fingering of A minor as our
starting point. Three notes per string scale
fingerings work particularly well with this
tactic; check the diagram on the right:
The next diagram shows a 2-1 tactic
applied to the same pattern, remember that
the notes chosen could be different, use
your ears to get the results you prefer:
39 The sounds we get from using scales in this way are unpredictable: it’s
like a crossing between an arpeggio, a scale pattern and a pentatonic, yet
having a flavor of their own. The following graphic shows a written version of
the previous example:
To get the most out of 2-1 patterns, they should be treated as a
separate scale rather than just a gimmick. Only by doing that you can come
up with cool licks like this one:
3.2.6. Mixing Between Tactics Example
This example will not be featured in the final project, because does not
constitute part of the tactics themselves. It is included in this current writing for
demonstration purposes, to show how can different tactics be combined to
create interesting lines.
The last example of section 3.2.5 (Guitar-Specific Tactics Example),
shown at the end of it, just above these paragraphs is in fact a combination of
different tactics.
If we dissect it with the tools so far provided we could deduce it is a
sequenced version (Melodic Tactics Example) of the 2-1 Scale (GuitarSpecific Tactics).
40 This will be easier to understand if we examine the following example,
please remember also in the last chapter it was advised to use 2-1 as a scale
as a separate scale rather than just a gimmick, also that in the melodic tactics
example it was advised to apply numbers to be sequence until we reach the
end of the musical example:
Having that information as a starting point a 1234 pattern was created.
It will be easier to analyze if we have its numbers underneath, just like in the
following example:
Before finishing with this section I’d like to state again that, in my
opinion, any complex idea can always be broken down into smaller fragments;
thereby one of the paths a musician can use to develop his musical language
is to approach things in a reverse order: work on simple ideas first and mix
them to build up a more complex vocabulary.
3.3. Appendix
This last section of the project consists of a quick reference guide and
an album of backing tracks to put the tactics into practice.
The reference guide will deal mostly with explanations of harmonic
concepts (like modal interchange or how scales are constructed) but it is not
41 meant to be a harmony book because the explanations given will be short and
concise, thereby its name “quick reference”.
The album consists of 12 backing tracks that were recorded in the
Berklee Valencia’s facilities following these guidelines:
•
They were recorded in a variety of styles like funk, reggae, latin,
blues and heavy metal. Jazz backing tracks were not recorded
to follow the project’s general structure.
•
All of the backing tracks feature a full band.
•
Each track focuses on a different feature like one chord vamps
or chordal resolutions.
•
All tracks were recorded at 92 bpm10.
•
Tracks don’t last more than 3 minutes in order to maintain focus
while studying.
The recorded backing tracks were:
•
A Maj7 vamp
•
A -7 vamp
•
A -7(b5) vamp
•
A7 vamp
•
A7 alt vamp
•
A7#11 (Lydian b7) vamp
•
Alt to minor
•
Alt to major
•
Major to minor exercise
10
See footnote # 4
42 •
Melodic minor jam
•
Resolving altered chords
•
Lydian b7 Blues
One chord vamps tracks are self explanatory, the rest of the backing
tracks follow the same underlining principle: start with a slower harmonic
rhythm (two bars per chord), repeat the basic idea twice and then repeat the
same process but with a faster harmonic rhythm (one chord per bar). Here are
their charts:
43 44 (Medium Swing)
Major to Minor Exercise
David Villarreal
45 (Medium Swing)
Resolving altered chords
David Villarreal
46 (Medium Swing)
Lydian b7 Blues
David Villarreal
47 4. CONCLUSION
I’m convinced that anyone who has ever taught something to another
person, who has shared his/her knowledge with other people, knows for a fact
how that is actually the best way to truly learn something.
As a student and then as a teacher myself I’ve found over and over
again how knowledge has a mysterious way of “recycling” itself, how the
teacher must become the apprentice in order to truly transcend over
ourselves (actually, maybe education is the only turning point that reconciles
Nietzsche’s and Hegel’s diverging points of view about life).
Embarking on this project led me to remember my own learning
process as well as “teaching myself again”, through concentrated
remembering, which lessons were the ones that shaped me as a musician
and as a guitar player.
All that introspection revealed a new take on the guitar and how it could
be learned in a more efficient way for me. I sincerely wish this contribution will
aid many people with its contents.
I have been a very fortunate human being. I still remember how during
my teenage years Berklee seemed to be some sort of sacred music temple
where some of the best musicians were shaped, polished and forged.
Although maybe that idealistic point of view was subjective and far-fetched, I
know for a fact how Berklee has shaped me to become the best version of
myself, rather than a mediocre version of somebody else.
48 Esse Quam Videri, to keep things not only as a motto or as a catchy
phrase that adorns my beloved school’s shield but having it really into my
essence.
This project reinforced my admiration for those who have been there
on my path to help me improve and become a better guitar player, a better
person and a better human being: from the bottom of my heart I cannot be
grateful enough with all the teacher’s I’ve had in my life.
Of course a project of this dimensions and scope will lead to many
revisions and updates, in fact I think that is part of the beauty of maintaining a
true learner frame of mind: to be open to change, to fully embrace those
moments out of my comfort zone.
Once released I hope this work will open new doors for me, both
professionally and personally. I can’t wait to see what life has in its plans for
me.
49 Bibliography
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to Play Jazz and Improvise. New Albany, IN: Jamey Aebersold, 1992.
Bergonzi, Jerry. Melodic Structures. Sunland, CA: Advance Music, 1992.
Bergonzi, Jerry. Pentatonics. Rottenburg N., Germany: Advance Music, 1994.
Crook, Hal. How to Improvise: An Approach to Practicing Improvisation.
Rottenburg N., Germany: Advance Music, 1991.
Crook, Hal. Ready, Aim, Improvise! [Rottenburg N., Germany]: Advance
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Damian, Jon, and Jonathan Feist. 2001. "The Guitarist's Guide to Composing
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Finn, Jon. Advanced Modern Rock Guitar Improvisation. Pacific, Mo: Mel Bay
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Gambale, Frank. The Frank Gambale Technique. Book I Book I. Van Nuys,
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Gambale, Frank, and Gene Dinkins. The Frank Gambale Technique. Book 2
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Gilbert, Daniel, and Beth Marlis. Guitar soloing. Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard,
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Nachmanovitch, Stephen. Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art. Los
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Sokolow, Fred. Fretboard roadmaps: the essential guitar patterns that all the
pros know and use. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard, 2000.
50 Webography
“Experience the Music: One Hit Wonders and the Songs That Shaped Rock
and Roll”. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Accessed June 29, 2015.
http://rockhall.com/exhibits/one-hit-wonders-songs-that-shaped-rockand-roll/?flavour=mobile.
“Good Artists Copy; Great Artists Steal”. Quote Investigator. Accessed June
30, 2015. http://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/03/06/artists-steal/
Gray, Audrey. “Constructivist Teaching and Learning”. Saskatchewan School
Boards Association. Accessed July 4th, 2015.
http://www.saskschoolboards.ca/old/ResearchAndDevelopment/Resea
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Hase, Stewart. “Learning Is Non-Linear. Why Not Curriculum?”.
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http://www.teachthought.com/learning/learning-non-linear-curriculum/
Robert Gagne’s Five Categories of Learning Outcomes and the Nine Events
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51