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Why do they use those chords?

9/29/2014

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When my students reach the intermediate level of playing I often have them spend some time examining the chordal structure of songs they have learned. I admit this can be a bit “dry” but I think it’s important to understand the very basic concept of why certain chords are found together. This is valuable not just for practice purposes but also for the ear. It is one of the most important first steps in “playing by ear,” i.e., being able to figure out which chords are used in a song just be listening to it.

Of course, as with almost all musical concepts there are very few instances of always. What I mean by that is you can make educated guesses about which chords will be present but if there were hard and fast rules music would be very boring, indeed! A much better word is…. Usually.

Some time ago I wrote about how major diatonic scales are constructed and how the triads (chords) come out of those scales. Without getting into the concept of modes, it breaks down like this:

In any Major key, the I, IV and V chords are Major. The II, III and VI chords are minor. The VII chord is diminished, but in many instances in various forms of popular music the root of that VII chord is lowered by ½ step, turning it into a Major chord. This is usually referred to as the “flat VII chord.”  Here are the scale-line triads (including a flat VII rather than the naturally occurring diminished chord):

Key of G Major (Major diatonic scale: G, A, B, C, D, E, F#):

G Major, A minor, B minor, C Major, D Major, E minor, F Major.

Another example. Key of D Major (Major diatonic scale: D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#):

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

Think about songs you may know in those two very common keys and I’ll bet the majority of the chords – if not ALL the chords – are listed. This is no accident. In Western music, for the last four hundred years or so melodic structure has been based for the most part on the Major Diatonic Scale and the chords above are constructed on ONLY notes in a given key (the exception being that bVII chord, which includes one note – the root – not in the key). So in a nutshell, those chords sound “good” to our ears in that key. Our musical brains are just programmed that way, from a very early age!

Of course there are exceptions, some of them quite wonderful. For example, what made the Beatles music so refreshing and different was that they very subtly altered a chord or two in certain songs, making our ears go – whoa, what was that?! In the beautiful John Lennon song “In My Life” the chords begin totally within the scale but then suddenly a minor is substituted for the Major IV chord. The change is only one note, a flatted 3rd, but it adds a new “color” to the song. Shortly after that a Major chord is substituted for the minor II. But in each case, those subtle changes are immediately resolved on the next change with a scale-line chord, making our ears go, ahhh….that’s nice! Pure genius in pop music and quite revolutionary at the time. Did John think that through? Who knows, but I’ll bet their legendary producer George Martin had something to do with it.

The challenge for the songwriter in popular music is to insert small changes, but nothing too jarring. The more notes that are outside the Major key that are found in chords, the more they sound strange to anyone who only listens to pop music. This is why many people find jazz quite challenging. In modern jazz the conventions of the Major Diatonic Scale and the matching chords are often abandoned entirely. This is why many advanced players love jazz, though. The rule book is thrown away and the doors to creativity are thrown wide open.

But for most music lovers and many guitar players, sticking to the tried-and-true is much more pleasing. There is nothing wrong with this! Take some time to examine the songs you play and make note of the chords that are used. You may even use this scale-line triad concept to begin writing songs of your own. But keep an open mind – and open ears.

Peace & good music,

Gene

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Be prepared, be prepared!

9/26/2014

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After my last post about playing weddings I got to thinking about what happens BEFORE I do a gig. Not the playing, hopefully I’ve practiced enough to not embarrass myself! No, I’m talking about gear. What to bring, and what to leave behind.

OK, I’ll admit it. I am a pack rat. I probably have at least two of everything I need for a performance. Is this really necessary? Probably not, but (and this is just me….) nothing rattles me before a performance or during one quite as much as equipment failures. So here’s my basic list. As I said in that previous post – learn from my mistakes, ha! By the way, these suggestions are just as valid for attending a local jam session too.

Of course, my guitar. Sometimes I bring along two but now that I do acoustic music almost exclusively I leave the electric at home. I know there are plenty of professional players who routinely bring along a couple guitars but I try to avoid that, although there are times it’s nice tow switch up for a different sound. I’m just too lazy, I guess.

My amp. Right now I’m using one of the new Carvin acoustic amps and it sounds pretty good and is not overly heavy or bulky. Some players prefer to go through a small PA system, which makes sense in a larger room and some systems like the Bose sound fantastic and aren’t too heavy. I will probably buy one of those at some point but for now my Carvin is just fine as it has three inputs (one of which is designed for either a low-Z or high-z mic) and enough power to fill any small to medium size room.

Accessories. Now here’s where things get a bit tricky because if you’re going to have a breakdown of any sort it will probably be with one it these items. A spare set of strings is a must but also bring a small set of pliers with which you can pull the bridge pins if they are stuck and also cut the excess string. I am religious about keeping fresh strings on my guitar and also being primarily a finger-style player I seldom break strings while playing. But you never know…

A spare capo is always in my case or gig bag. More than once I’ve left a capo behind at the gig and only discover this when I’m setting up for the next one. Arrgghh!!! A spare digital tuner is a good idea too. With the small clip-on type tuners from companies like Snark so inexpensive and easy to carry, it just makes sense. However, be sure to check the battery in that spare tuner if it’s been sitting in your case for a long time.

Speaking of batteries, this item is an absolute must. I use a Red Eye pre-amp that uses a standard 9v so at least one of those is with me at all times. Also, a small Allen wrench to open the back of the pre-amp to replace the battery if needed.

A bunch of different size and thickness flat picks reside in my guitar case although I don’t need them often. Good to have though, especially if a musician friend shows up and wants to sit in and I need to accompany a mandolin, banjo or another guitar.

Probably the items that have given me the most fits over the years are connecting cables. I need a fairly long one and also a short one to run from the per-amp to the Carvin. I swear, cables die all on their own and without warning, even fairly new ones. Don’t try to save a few bucks on cheap cables. I like the ones made by Monster Cables because they are durable and supposedly transmit the signal from my guitar to the amp most efficiently. Also, cheap cable have the disturbing tendency to pick up radio waves and other interference. I once played a gig with a cheap cable and every time a police car would drive by his radio transmissions would suddenly start coming out of my amp. It made for some interesting reactions from the audience but not exactly the kind I was looking for!

Various length extension power cords. I carry a few in my truck and a shorter one in my gig bag. Be sure to use fairly heavy duty ones as they too can transmit radio signals and the longer the cable, the more of a “power bleed” you will experience. Grounded cables are a must (the 3-prong type) but also bring along a couple 3-to-2 prong adaptors. Almost all outlets these days are the 3-prong grounded type (a must in new buildings) but living on Cape Cod where I may play in a structure that is very old and has not been updated – even though it’s supposed to be! – and those adaptors have saved me more than once. However, remember that those ungrounded plugs can lead to a shocking experience. Literally.

A guitar stand. I discovered a very cool folding guitar stool that has a built-in stand a few years ago and I always use it. Plus the guitar looks pretty cool nestled against the stool when I take a break. I’ve had many guitarists comment on it and they all wanted one. It’s essential to have a stand because leaning your guitar against a wall or leaving it flat on a chair is a recipe for disaster. By using my stool/stand I eliminated carrying one piece of gear, which was very nice.

If you’re going to need to read music or lead sheets you’ll need some kind of music stand. I use a heavy duty one when I have to rather than the flimsy folding type. You can also buy small ones that attach to the sides of mic stands, if you use a mic when you play. Here’s a big hint: always keep a bunch of clothes pins in your gig bag because if you play outside you don’t want to be chasing your wind-blown music down the street. If you use an IPad for your music as many players to these days, there are some cool mic stand holders for those, too.

Well, that’s all I can think of at this moment. My guess is that if I dug around in my guitar case or gig bag I’d find more stuff like current or old set lists, business cards, CDs. OK, way too much stuff! I told you I was a pack rat.

Peace & good music,

Gene

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Playing a wedding?

9/24/2014

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I’ll bet that in the last twenty years or more you’ve been to at least one wedding ceremony that featured someone playing acoustic guitar. It’s a nice touch and given the portable nature of an acoustic it makes sense from the perspective of the bride and groom, who may be planning an outdoor wedding or a ceremony in a location where a keyboard is just not practical. Also, unless someone has their heart set on the tradition of an organ playing “Here Comes the Bride” or any of the traditional classical pieces a guitar can set a mood that is mellow and totally compliments the proceedings.

I’ve played many dozens of wedding ceremonies over the years and I was recently a father-of-the-bride myself so I know that while weddings are joyous occasions they are also a time of some stress for the those planning the event. Here are a few things I’ve learned. If you happen to be asked to play a wedding, or perhaps are planning one yourself and want things to go smoothly I hope this will help. Or put another way, learn from my mistakes!

The wedding planners and various books on the subject will say to book the music at least a year in advance. This is a good idea because it gives everyone plenty of time to plan and quite frankly, dealing with the bigger issues such as food, the facility and unending small details will be higher on the list of important issues than the guitar player at the ceremony. But don’t be surprised if over the course of that year the bride changes her mind about songs she’d like. To minimize this somewhat annoying tendency I have a special CD that I send to the bride and groom with some nice arrangements of a dozen or so well-known songs and suggest which work best for the processional and recessional. Alas, this strategy doesn’t always work and there is often a “special” song that the bride would like to use for walking down the aisle. That’s OK, it’s important to be flexible. Just give me enough time to arrange and learn it – don’t email me a week before the ceremony with a new request!

As with any other one-time business arrangement, be sure to get something like a contract with all details clearing laid out. Always, always, always ask for a non-refundable deposit to secure the date.  If you’re lucky enough to get a good reputation for providing good music for wedding ceremonies you will get quite a few inquires and a deposit is standard. It should be in the range of 25% of the total fee.

If you’re expected to do a rehearsal, add about 50% to the cost of doing the ceremony alone. At the risk of sounding crass, time is money so don’t short change yourself! Base your fee not only on the time you’ll be expected to spend at the wedding and possibly the rehearsal but also your travel time. In a few cases I have even been offered overnight accommodations for doing weddings that involved a lot of travel. I am not going to discuss actual fees I charge but suffice to say, unless I am playing a wedding of a relative or good friend, I make it worth my while. Don’t be embarrassed to ask what you think you’re worth and if possible, network with other musicians in your area to determine the going rates. Believe me (again, speaking as someone who just walked his daughter down the aisle), weddings are expensive propositions these days and the bride and groom, or whomever is writing the checks expects to pay a reasonable fee for all services involved with the event.

Be prepared for almost anything when it comes to the service itself. I recently played a wedding (a casual outdoor affair) where it was immediately obvious that no one had thought through details like the order of entry for the mother of the bride, grooms parents or the wedding party itself. Compounding the confusion was that the bride wanted different songs for the entrance of those various people. Also, the officiate was a family friend who had never done a wedding before. So I had to basically take over the organizational aspects of the ceremony – this was a time when it definitely was a good investment on their part to pay me to attend the rehearsal.

The other end of the spectrum is the bride who has thought through every tiny detail of the ceremony but at the rehearsal it becomes obvious that some plans just won’t work. This is when you need to be as diplomatic as possible to not ramp up the stress the bride is already feeling. Things work out. That should be your attitude. Even when the priest is downright hostile to you because you’ve invaded his church and are in his view taking a paid gig away from his organist!

A final thought. I’ve learned that at times the bride and groom go way overboard with music requests. I do my best to remind them that it is NOT a concert. Guests are there to be part of their very special day. The music should enhance but not intrude on the proceedings. I provide incidental background music as guests are being seated, then a special song or two for the entrance of the bridal party, then a recessional at the end of the ceremony followed by more background music as the guest depart. Occasionally I have provided back-up for a singer/friend of the bride and groom in the middle of the ceremony but frankly, I discourage this because it tends to break up the flow of the ceremony, and it means more rehearsal time with the singer, who may or may not be quite as wonderful as the bride and groom imagine. Again, time is money. Sorry!

Weddings are wonderful, special events. I know my daughter’s wedding was one of the highlights of my life. Guitar music is a natural and almost organic option to enhance the special day. The trick is knowing how to use it to its best advantage.

Peace & good music,

Gene

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Friday stuff

9/5/2014

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Time to wrap up another week with various random bits and pieces. Hey, remember that song? Dave Clark Five. Not a great song but my guess is that every budding drummer in the mid 1960s learned how to hit a snare drum hard, fours beats to a measure, by playing along with that one!

I’ve been working with a few of my students on the important concept of dynamics. There was a television commercial that aired some years ago (a perfume company, I think). I may have mentioned this before but it had the tag line: “If you want to get someone’s attention, whisper.” Many guitarists who get to the point they want to play out in front of audiences could learn something from that idea. I was certainly guilty of playing everything at the same level in the beginning but I hope I’m better at varying my volume/intensity there days. There’s sometimes a reason that we sometimes have to play loudly, mostly having to do with the room. A loud, noisy bar is not the place to attempt a soft ballad. Likewise, playing every song at low volume in a “listening room” demands a lot from an audience.

Perhaps I’m misstating the concept a bit. Volume does not necessarily equate with intensity. One of my favorite songwriters, Lyle Lovett, does a masterful job of playing his most introspective songs with great intensity – listen to what he does with “North Dakota.” Along with developing an interesting set list in terms of mixing slower and faster songs, drawing the listener in with variations of volume (even within an individual song) will result in a compelling performance.

More random Friday thoughts. We have a GREAT radio station in the area that often introduces me to new and interesting acoustic music, WUMB, based out of UMass Boston. They also have live streaming at WUMB.org. Especially in the afternoon and evenings they play not just pure acoustic “folk music” (whatever the heck that is….still trying to define that term after 50 years of listening to it!) but also quite electric stuff including some classic blues by the masters and new stuff by indie songwriters and bands that may not feature an acoustic guitar at all. But last night as I was driving home from a fishing trip I heard a couple classic Joni Mitchell songs from the early 1970s. Wow. I’m embarrassed to say I usually don’t play Joni much these days but her songwriting genius becomes more and more apparent to me as the years pass. Yes, her voice can be off-putting for some people but there is absolutely no question that she sings from her heart and her deepest emotions are right there for all to see. I also deeply admire lyricists who can evoke many layers of meaning with very few words. “A Case of You” is a perfect example. If you haven’t listened to Joni in a while, take the time to do so. I’ll bet you’ll find something new even in songs you’ve heard for years.

Brief hits….

I need a new book about music to read this fall. Anyone have any ideas?

As usually happens, the muggy weather that we often get in September has returned to Cape Cod. Result: my Martin M-36 and Gibson J-15 both sound like someone stuffed pillows into them Ugh. This will pass but in the meantime it hardly makes playing a pleasurable experience!

I’ve forced myself to begin an actual list of songs that I want to learn or perfect. This is a good thing because I’ve found there are tunes that make me go: oh, yeah, I wanted to learn that one! Somehow songs get pushed to the back of my mind these days. Is that an age thing or am I slipping into the habit of just playing the same-old, same-old? God, I hope not! Anyway, keeping a list of potential tunes is probably a good idea for all of us.

That’s all for a muggy Friday on Olde Cape Cod.

Peace & good music,

Gene

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Neck shape

9/2/2014

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A couple of posts back I talked about neck width and the effect it has on playing. Today I’m going to throw out a few opinions and observations about neck shape. This is a long-standing debate among guitarists and I want to stress that these are totally for-what-its-worth ramblings and you may well disagree but here goes.

Start with the simple fact that the human hand comes in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Because of this there is no perfect guitar neck shape for everyone. My hands are of average size and while I am blessed with fairly narrow fingers, alas, they are not terribly long. So after many decades of playing I think I’ve finally figured out what works best for me, i.e., what is the most comfortable and non-fatiguing neck shape. This is what is normally described as a “soft-C” shape. Martin calls it their Low Profile. I’ve also come to like the shape of the Gibson acoustic neck, which is closer to a subtle D-shape.

What I absolutely do not care for at all are the V-shape necks. It is curious to me that many custom and limited edition Martins (plus quite a few guitars from the boutique makers) are made with this neck profile. The reason I can’t stand that profile is quite simple. I play some tunes in first position using “cowboy chords” (G Major, C Major, D Major, A minor, E minor, a few 7ths…) but I’m often up the neck playing partial or complete barre chords. Correct technique demands the pad of the thumb be placed directly below the neck, centered beneath the barring finger and a V-neck is really uncomfortable when playing those chords. Add to that the fact that most V-necks are fairly deep/thick and my technique suffers, big time. One of my students has a beautiful custom Martin 00-28V with such a neck and in spite of its beauty and great sound I know that she will struggle when we get to songs that require a lot of barre chords. I will break the news to her gently!

On the other extreme are the necks found on most Taylor guitars, which are quite flat in the back. Sounds like a good thing for barre chords, right? Yes – to a degree. In Bob Taylor’s great book, “Guitar Lessons” he describes how he and his luthiers came up with that profile, wanting to make an acoustic guitar that would appeal to players who may have come from an electric guitar background where barre chords are the norm. The problem I have with Taylor necks comes back to the previously discussed question of nut width. Remember, I have fairly short fingers and with Taylor’s standard 1 ¾” nut plus that almost flat neck I have to make some fairly radical adjustments when playing a tune that combines first position open-string chords with barre chords. It can be done of course, and often Taylor’s come through with great action (string height above the neck) but the constant and somewhat radical repositioning of my hand and wrist when playing a Taylor is distracting at best.

Some manufacturers have tried taking the concept of the flat neck to the extreme. Back in the lat 1970s, Peavey (mostly known for their amps, not guitars) came out with a line of electrics that had necks so thin it was almost silly. Their fatal error was making those necks not only thin but also flat and wide. Barre chords where easier to play but chording in first position and fast lead playing where tough, to say the least. Those guitars pretty much faded away in a few short years when players discovered this.

Way back in the 19th century and well into the early 20th century most acoustic guitars had very thick C- or V-shaped necks. Guitars from Gibson, Martin, Epiphone, Washburn and others from those eras command high prices these days and some players profess to like those almost baseball bat size necks, but unless you have quite large hands I would advise staying away from those vintage instruments. They may sound and look spectacular but you want to be able to play thing, right?! (I know vintage guitar enthusiasts are rolling their eyes about now as they read this!) There are exceptions among vintage instruments of course. But I would certainly advise playing or at least getting an accurate measurement of neck depth and shape on any super expensive vintage guitar you’re considering.

One other small but important consideration is not just the depth and shape of the neck, but also its edges. Some guitars have very sharp edges on the fretboard and this can be downright painful on the inside of your hand. One of the reasons I’ve come to really like the Gibson acoustic necks is that they slightly round those edges, making for a very comfortable playing experience.

That’s really the take-away here. It’s important to consider the type of songs you’ll be playing (and not just what you’re playing now – what you hope to play in the future too) and your hand shape and size when selecting a new guitar. Many guitar companies claim to have “fast, easy action” and while that might be true for some players, it might not be for you.

Peace & good music,

Gene

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