-

K.

L .

M.

POINTERS

A most common mlstake ls to blame the left hand when the rlght hand lc atfault, or vice versa. Watch out for this.

Get the progression off the paper and Into your head as 3oon ar posrlble.Memorizlng the chord changes allows you to focus all of your attentlon on whatyou are playing rather than readlng the muslc.

The objectlves put forth In this book are attalnable only lf the reader followseach step of the pnogram without deviation from the schedule (that means nomlssed days, hourr shortened, tlmc frames dlsobeyed, key centerl mlsr€d,Introduclng hammer-onrs, pull-offls, before stated, playlng dotted elghth cix-teenth notes instead of elghth noter, etc., etc.) lf you do it, you get lt. lfyou donrt; you donrt.

ln the Growth Process, we all go through perlods in which we lre actlvatlng newnerve fwrctlonr, both ln the braln and throughout other partr of the body.Thls type of grcwth work drawr a tremendou3 amount of systentlc energles. Theoverall physlcal feellng ls llke pulllng a traln uphlll, and the psychologlcrilspln-off ls the feellng that we are gettlng nowhere. Thls will perslst for someperlod of tlme. We then tend to go Into a natural state of rest, fra plrteau.rlDuring thls rest period, we tend to feel that we have the world by the tall andgreat progress ls taking place. Actually the reverse ls true. The progresswas made durlng the uphill climb, not durlng the rest period. The rest perlodwlll contlnue for some perlod of time. Donrt worry about lt. Then the road wlllbecome very rough agaln, and we wlll begln to becorne aware of our weaknegt€g.This wlll last untll we select the speclflc lrea to attack flrgt. We wlll then beglnthe uphlll cllmb agaln and plateau again only to meet our deflclencies face toface agaln. So, on and on lt goes, but your practlce reglmen must remaln congtant.

Rest Self-Plateau Questlonl

Self-Questlonl

N.

o.

PO NTERS

Coping ttith The Mental Hazards Of Developing A High Degree of Facility lnlmprovising. lt is extremely important to cerrectly place the blame when thingsseem to be going wrong. For example, your guitar may sound out of tume, whichis certainly possible. However, keep in mind that it may actually be in tune withitself, but out of tune with an air conditioner, refrigerator motor, or traffic noises--'from outside. When your music sounds bad to you, the natural reflex is to stopplaying. So before you blame yourself for a problem, make sure that you haveaccounted for elements in your environment that may be superimposing asubliminal orchestration over what you are playing. Learn to ferrot out thereal problems.

There seems to be something about the guitar. at least for the serious performer,that creates an overload of humility. A certain amount of this is okay and self-questioning is essential to oners progress, But do not fall into the trap, as manydo, of blaming yourself when something else is wrong, as this wil l not cure hiddenproblems.

Also be aware of your bio-cycles. Every person has natural high and low pointsrunning in approximately monthly cycles. During low periods, you may feel verydown and discouraged, but this must not interrupt the regularity of your prac-tice routine, as far as the project lessons in this book are concerned. You mustcontinue to practice with controlled discipllne, no matter how you feel aboutthings from day to day.

You will find that once you reach a given level of speed, and maintain playingat that level or faster, for approximately 2l days, on a daily basis, -- theabil i ty acquired during that period of t ime wil l be permanently imprinted andassimilated by your nervous system. You could lay off for six months, comeback and practice hard for about 2-3 weeks and it will come right back. lt seemsthat once this ability is programmed clearly, the rest is mostly a matter ofmuscular strength and agil i ty.

Practicing an hour a day 6 days a week is great, but 12 hours is better. Therewill be some days when you may feel like playing for long periods of tlme. Thisis great when you feel l ike i t , but donrt force it .

An'Accelerator -- form a group of other guitar players. Exchange solos andcomping. Trade off in sequence. The group dynamics is superior to privatestudy for a program of this sort.

Another hazard to watch out for -- when tunes are played with a specific feel,i .e. steady eighths or dotted eighths, sixteenths (shuff le) or tr iplets (12181 ,etc., they tend to have slow, medium and fast tempos that are just right forthat particular rhythm feel and any other tempos inbetween feel awkward anddifficult to play on. This applies even to the most experienced players. Youshould expect that, during the process of building up your speed, you willencounter long periods when the tempo feels awful and, from time to time,points where the tempo is just r ight. Donrt blame yourself -- just be awareof the real problem.

R .

P .

a.

s.

T.

U.

18

HOW TO DO PROJECT LESSONS FOR WEEKS ONE THROUGHqtx

A. Play only eighth notes, continuo'rt: and uninterrupted. No rests. No phrasing.No hammer-onrs. No pull-offls. No other ornamentation. ttNothingr but stead-yeighth notes.

Use Alternate Picking only. No two strokes in the same direction, .e. str iveto make up strokes sound as strong as down strokes.

Do nol set your metronome to a desired speed and try to rise to meet it. Rather,use the metronome only to track your progress. Keep a daity record of yourlempos in the boxes provided. (NOTE: Your tempo may vaiy stower or fasterfrom day to day. This is to be expected.)

D.o-ea9h proiect lesson for six consecutive days, with one day off. Avoidskipp.ing

" 9"y , for whatever reason. The effect is hazardous to progress.Regularity is essential. Follow the steps faithful ly as given.

T!re- key centers bracketed in the chord prog-ressions represent only one analysisof the progression. other views may be apptiea as welt. ror exari ldlo, *, i l tencounter key center brackets in which a given chord could be viewed a's a lllorVl chord of one key, but indicated as a l l chord of another. In these situationsoners individua-l preference can- prevait. ltts just a matter of where you want thechange of tonality to occur. Also, there are ilmost unlimited scale and chordsubstitution possibilities. Feel free^to use any harmonic devices at your dlsposal.l f theyrre_ rlght, they wil l sound right and if ihey,re wron!;, you wif l know i iimmediately.

The chord voicings shown in the proiect lessons are comrnon guitar voivings whichare intended to assure a clear understanding of the progressi-on and, in aldition,may serve as a good.study in the application of I'garden-variety'r guitar chords.However, other voicings may be used at your own- discretion.

The week end tempo obiectives shown at the top of each project lesson arescheduled to increasg by two metronome points'daily. lt'may be good to rememberthat these are only obiectives. Care shoutU be takin not to sac"i"fi".

"""u""ryand precision in order to meet the tempo goals. These will always come in time.The tempo obiective plan is symmetricar, 6ut the learning curve' is not.

Play Legato. Hold each note as tong as possible

Great attention should be given to holding steady time. Do not rush or dragthe tempo.

c.

D.

E.

F .

G .

t9

WEEK ONE PROJECTLESSON I-A

= 60Week End Tempo Obiective J

PREPARATION

Step I

Step 2

Step 3

50 MINUTE PROGRAM

Step 4 2 min

Step 5 10 m in

Step 6 2 m in

Clear your work area of all things not pertaining to thislesson.

Tune your guitar.

Warm up. Play notes slowly at all parts of the fingerboard.Objective: To eliminate any Iflamstr between the right and lefthands.

Play eighth notes once through the progression to establish yourtempo of the day - the speed at which you can play through thepiece without mistakes. Mark down the day's tempo in the appro-priate box below.

LOG OF DAILY METRONOME SETTINCS

Pre-record yourself playing the chord changes (sustained - norhythms), with the metronome nearby so that i t wil l sound on thetape l ike aplick track. Rcpeat the progression non-stop for l0minutes.

Break! Set the guitar down. Stand up and rewind the machine.Focus yoffihord prdgression. Know the keycenters and memorize the progression. r'Get it off the paper andinto your head'r.

Play uninterrupted eighth-notes over the progression as it isplayed back, to the conclusion of the pre-recording.

Break! Set the guitar down, stand up and stretch, etc.

Play uninterrupted eighth-notes to the conclusion of the pre-recording.

Break! Rest aw6y from the guitar. Lie down, etc.

Play uninterrupted eighth-notes to the conclusion of the pre-recording.

Break! Lie down. Relax all parts of the body. Close your eyes.Breathe deeply and rhythmically, Practice visualizing yourseifplaying the project the way you wish you had.

Check off each step as it is finished20

Step 7

Step I

Step 9

Step

Step

Step 12

10 m in

2 m in

l0 m in

2 m in

10 m in

2 m in

r0

l l

Total 50 min

EXAMPLE FOR PROJECT LESSON I -B

Remembert This exampte and alT other examples for the prciectlessons are qqdels of ttre type of solo line to be improvised. Thelmportant cdfrGiiiEiatlon is ine spontaneous Invention of your ownsolo line. The point of the project lessons is to hone y6FtEch:nique to a level that will facilitate and not hinder the tmmediatereproduction of any and alt of your musical ideas. Use the exam-ples as source material and for reference, but when doing theproiect lessons, itts rrevery man for himselft,

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HOW TO DO PROJECT LESSONS FOR WEEKS FIFTEEN, SIXTEEN AND SEVENTEEN

(21 DAY REVTEW)

9p t9 now, our goal has been to gradually rach a tempo of ) = lltwith ctean executionby the end of the fourteenth week. - Whether you have or have not attained this tempo,write d.o*l the present maximum metronome setting (the setting at which you ortlfiy

-through the project lessons free of mistakes).

,a fiorlq?Frnr

@@Following is a 2l day "gestationrr period aimed toward affixing your present maximumtechnique as a permanent reflex capability, a point at which

-one may go without playing

for_ long p_eriods of time, but with about two to three weeks of practic6, regain ttrefull technique.

The following here is a suggested schedute (you may change the order at will).

WEEK F IFTEEN Day OneDay TwoDay ThreeDay FourDay FiveDay Six

tt,EEK SIXTEEN Day OneDay TwoDay ThreeDay FourDay FiveDay Six

WEEK SEVENTEEN Day OneDay TwoDay ThreeDay FourDay FiveDay Six

Review Project Lesson l-AReview Project Lesson l-BReview Project Lesson 2-AReview Project Lesson 2-BReview Project Lesson 3-AReview Project Lesson 3-B

Review Project Lesson t-AReview Project Lesson 4-BReview Project Lesson 5-AReview Project Lesson 5-BReview Project Lesson 6-AReview Project Lesson 6-8

Review Project Lesson l-AReview Project Lesson 4-AReview Project Lesson 2-AReview Project Lesson 5-AReview Project Lesson 3-AReview Project Lesson 6-A

78

*r

WEEK SEVENTEEN PROJECT LESSON REVIEWI

Week End Tempo Obiective 1 = t,12

PREPARAT ION

Step I

Step 2

Step 3

50 MINUTE PROGRAM

Step 4 2 m in

t ^eP 5 l 0 m in

Step 5 2 m in

Step 7 l 0 m in

Clear your work area of all things not pertaining to this lesson.

Tune your guitar,

Warm up. Play notes slowly at all parts of the fingerboard.Obiective: To eliminate any I'flams" between the right and lefthands.

Play combinations of eighth notes and eighth note triplets oncethrough the progression to establish your tempo of the dav - thespeed at which you can play through the piece without mistakes.Mark down the dayrs tempo in the appropriate box below.

LOG OF DAILY METRONOME SETTINGS

Pre-record yourself playing the chord changes (sustained - norhythms), with the metronome nearby so that i t wil l sound on thetape l ike a cl ick track. Repeat the progression non-stop for 10minutes.

Break! Set lhe ggitar down. Stand up and rewind the machine.Focus your attention on the chord progression. Know the keycenters and memorize the progression. rrGet i t off the paper andinto your head" .

Play uninterrupted eighth notes and eighth note tr iplets over theprogression as i t is played back, to the conclusion of thepre-recording.

Break! Set the guitar down, stand up and stretch, etc

Play uninterrupted eighth notes and eighth note tr iplets to theconclusion of the recording.

Break! Rest away from the guitar. Lie down, etc.

Play uninterrupted eighth notes and eighth note tr iplets to theconclusion of the pre-recording.

Break! Lie down. Relax al l parts of the body. Close your eyes.Breathe deeply and rhythmically. Practice visualizing yourselfplaying the project the way you wish you had.

Check off each step as i t . is f inished.

Step

Step

Step

Step

Step l 2

Total

2 m in

10 m in

2 m in

l0 m in

2 m in

8

9

10

il

50 min

WEEKS EICHTEEN, NINETEEN AND TWENTY (REVTEW)

r^""= --*morr'r, il.t DEs

Up to this point in the pnogram, our technical resources have been limited to (a) alternatedown and up strokes and (b) duple tlme and trlple time. Now letrs expand the resourcesto include (a) hammer-onrs, (b) pull-offrs and (c) glissandi or slides-

By introducing these devices into your work studles. you can expect an almost immcdiate,dramatic acceleration of technique in general. One main reson for this ls that theduties of the picking hand are greatly reduced. in that 2 sr urore tones can be phyedwlth only onc picklng stroke. ln Example 15,. seven notes are sounded ulth one attackof the plck. The picking stroke shown as ( $ ) means either a down or up stroke maybe used.

Example 18

| |.o.3

For those of you who have been playing for someUme, hanmer=onrs pull-offr, andslides arc nothing new. But for those who may not be so famillar with them, thefollouing examples briefly describe and demonstrate the basic principles.

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82

HAfitt'lEnisilr5":r ':

: :The Hammer-on technique itself is a very straight sh€ad move. (a) Strike . not€beinq presssd with the lst, Znd, or 3rd finger (b) while the string is stil{ vibrating,

slam-(irsmmer) your 2, l, or 4th finger &wn on the sam€ string. This t'strong

hammer-like action" produces another tone {hiEher in pitch} without having tostrike the string again. Thus wG are able to sound 2 or more not€s for the priceof one picking stroke. NOTE: Not only is it important to hammer-on stronglyenough to sound like a plucked string, but the rhythmic character of the PassEgcmust-be precise.

Example l9

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tt shor,lld ba pointed out that it k poeuiblc ts sound any ton€, group of to*rer orchords without any initial pick stroke at all, if the hammer-on is forceful anough.Thls ie efpccislly trtre lf-the amplifier is turned up to a hlgh vslurne eetting.

s3

. F{JLL*SrF:IS

The Pult-off technlque involy*:. f i1g:ring preparatio-n. {ai Fress down the primary:31: g_I"",ly.}oic rine with the rii. zfii, #.i':J:;;;"};, il; ffii;; "iir'"#iiil.,ethat tone, (bl press down a prepariatory tone (higher in pitch on the same strinolwith the Znd, 3rd, or t l th f ingers. {c} pluck the preparatory thieher} tone and"'y-lr j*. :n* str ing is vibrating,.(dl pult the f inger {ptaying the higFer pitch} awayrrom the str ing, toward the side of the f ingerboard in a pluckindaction. Thisal lows the lower note (st i l l heing h€ld) to sound, ln other wordi, pick the str inqa second time-wlth the fingerin{ hand. rtt* buil-off shoutd be ,t*Tri^"nil;h'i;"RT:_ou:*__"_:olicl tone a.pp.roximating the loudness of the origina! {pickEc striig}.Also'-.great care should be taken to maintain rhythmic contlol otine puli-ofi."'"uon't rush, or drag the t ime. " Keep the rhythmic character of the phrase precise,

Exarnpte 20

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Example 21 cornbinations of Harnmer-on's and pull*off's,

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SLtDES (CL |SSANDt )

The execution of- the gliss (or glissando) simply involves stiding from one note toanother. The slile may cover oneor more frets, either ascendi-ng or descendingand may be used for chords as well as single note playing. pick the first note jr- -rtes and, without lifting the finger(s), slide up or dbwn to a new note or notes.

re slide is indicated as a line connecting one note to another.

Example 22

HOW TO DO PROJECT LESSONS FOR WEEKS EIGHTEEN, NINETEEN AND TWENTY

Review the following Proiect Lessons incorporating hammer-oflts, pult-offrs and slides.not break away from the-pnogram or time frames. The following is

" "rgt.rt".L-;redule (you may change the order at will)

WEEK EIGHTEEN Day OneDay TwoDay ThreeDay FourDay FiveDay Six

WEEK NINETEEN Day OneDay TwoDay ThreeDay FourDay FiveDay Six

WEEK TWENTY Day OneDay TwoDay ThreeDay FourDay FiveDay Six

,l

Review Project Lesson l-AReview Project Lesson l-BReview Project Lesson 2-AReview Proiect Lesson 2-BReview Project Lesson 3-AReview Proiect Lesson 3-B

Review Project Lesson 4-AReview Proiect Lesson 4-BReview Project Lesson 5-AReview Project Lesson 5-BReview Proiect Lesson 6-AReview Project Lesson 6-8

Review Proiect Lesson l-BReview Proiect Lesson tt-BReview Proiect Lesson 2-BReview Proiect Lesson 5-BReview Project Lesson 3-BReview Project Lesson 6-8

85