Tools For The Guitar Student

http://www.jimhickeymusic.com

THE NAMES OF THE STRINGS!

You SHOULD have 6 strings on your guitar. If you have less than that you have a

broken one!

Each string has a pitch and a number associated with it.

The skinniest string at the end is the E or 1, then B (2), G(3), D(4), A(5) and E(6)

I remember the string names going from “Fat to Thin” as

Eddie (6), Ate (5) Dynamite (4) Good (3) Bye (2) Eddie (1)

E (1)

B (2)

G (3)

D (4)

A (5)

E (6)


Fret #

B

4th 5th

E

B

G

D

A

E

E

G

D

A

GUITAR TUNING: Relative Tuning

Owning an electronic tuner should be part of every musicians gig-bag.

If you do not have one (yet) you can still tune the instrument to itself to

get on with things by using the Relative Tuning Method.

Assuming your low-E (6th) String is tuned to pitch, Play the fifth fret of the 6th (low E) string and then play the open 5th (A) string and let both notes ring together. Their

pitches should match exactly. If they don't seem quite right, determine whether the 5th string is

higher or lower than the fretted 6th string. If the 5th string seems lower, or flat, turn its tuning

key with your left hand to raise the pitch. If the 5th string seems sharp, or higher sounding, use

its tuning key to lower the pitch.

Repeat this 5th fret tuning process until you reach the G String. USE THE 4TH FRET TO

FIND THE PITCH OF THE B STRING. Then, back to the 5th fret for the high E (1) String.


PRACTICE THE FINGER EXERCISE

ACENDING AND DECENDING THE PAT-

TERN FROM THE LOWEST NOTE (OPEN

STRING) TO THE HIGHEST NOTE AND

BACK AGAIN.

• Go slow at first making sure you are fretting

the note with no “buzzing” sound

• Practice ALTERNATING PICKING with this

exercise

E

B

G

D

A

E

2 4 3 0 1

Lowest note Highest note


PRACTICE TIPS:

Not sure what, when or how to practice?

Here are some suggestions.

• Beginners should schedule 30 minutes a day for practice. Practicing a little every

day is more effective than practicing once a week for a long time. Suggested times: before bed, first

thing in the morning, after homework, after work, lunch break, during TV time, before going

out...turn off the cell phone and practice!

• All other students, intermediate or advances players, should practice AT

LEAST 30 minutes a day.

• Always ask yourself before you sit down to practice “what can I do better?”

and practice that activity that challenges you the most. Here are common items to practice for the aspiring musician. Studying the notes on the fret board. Sight Reading. Chord Tran-

sitions. Alternating Picking. Strumming patterns. Work on a song or chord progression. Barre

Chord Forms. Scales. Do you have these items mastered yet?

• Always pick one activity from your lesson and master it before moving on to

another activity.

• Electric students should practice while using their amplifier.

• How about practicing your Finger Exercises, Alternating Picking and other

“motor skills” while watching TV?

• Make a list of questions you would like to review with your instructor.

JIM HICKEY MUSIC LTD

WWW.JIMHICKEYMUSIC.COM

Practice Agenda To be the best musician you can be, you have to practice. Set aside a minimum of 30 minutes

a day to work on the assignments given to you by your instructor. This sheet has been pro-

vided for you to record your practice time. Put down the video game and PLAY!

DATE LESSON

ASSIGNMENT

MON TUE WED THR FRI SAT SUN OK?

STUDENT NAME:_________________________________ DAY AND TIME_________________



1

2 3

X

2 3

X

2 3

2

1

X X

1

2

3

Am

E7

A7

1

2

3

X

4

X X

1

2 3

2

3

1

C7

D7

G7

X X

1 2

3

D

2 3

1

E

1 2 3

X

A

1 1

2

3

X X

X

1

2 3 4

1

2

3

X

2

3 4

G

C

F

B7

Dm

Em

X X

1

2 4

3

D Form

X

3 3 3

1 1

A Form

2

3 4

1 1 1

G Form

3 4

1 1 1

2

E Form

2

3

4

C Form

1 1 1

CAGED FORMS

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

1 & 2 & 3 &

1 & 2 & 3 &

1 & 2 & 3 &

1 & 2 & 3 &

1 & 2 & 3 &

1 & 2 & 3 &

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &

A# Bb

B

C# Db

F

G# Ab

F# Gb

D# Eb

C

A

E

G

D

The Notes…

Learning the notes of the fret board re-

quires a little effort. On the left are all the

notes in western music.

I have highlighted the E, A, D, G, and

B notes which are the open strings of a

6 string guitar in standard tuning.

Each ascending note is one fret

(or 1/2 step) on the guitar neck.

To find the notes on each string, simply

follow the arrows until you return to

your original note.

Example: to find the notes on the D

string, follow the notes from D to the

bottom of the page, then return to the

top and continue until you return to the

D again. That will give you every note

from the open string to the 12th fret

from D to D!



E

E

A

D

G

B

Fill in the blanks with all the notes

on the 6 string guitar neck

1st Fret

2nd Fret

3rd Fret

4th Fret

5th Fret

6th Fret

7th Fret

8th Fret

9th Fret

10th Fret

11th Fret

12th Fret

HTTP://WWW.JIMHICKEYMUSIC.COM


Major 7 Minor 7th

Common Root 5 Barre Chord Forms

Minor Major 7 (Dominant)

Sus 4

Sus 2



Minor

Common Root 6 Barre Chord Forms

7 (Dominant) Major

Major 7 Minor 7th Sus 4

7 Sus 4



Suspended/sus Chord Forms (Open)

D Sus 2 D Sus 4

C Sus 4

G Sus 4 E Sus 4 G Sus 2

A Sus 4 A Sus 2

C Sus 2

Major Root On

E 1

Major Root On

B 2 Major Root On

G 3

Minor Root On

E 1

Minor Root On

B 2

Minor Root On

G 3

TRIAD CHORD FORMS

E (1),B (2), AND G (3) STRINGS

These chord forms contain the same notes of the chords you would

play in open position. These CHORD INVERSION forms are widely

used in soloing and rhythm guitar to embellish a chord progression.

It is important to know where the notes are on the E, B, and G strings

to make these chords work for you.

Root Note =

Major Root On

E 6

Major Root On

A 5 Major Root On

D 4

TRIAD CHORD FORMS

E(6), A(5), AND D (4) STRINGS


play in open position. Learn these CHORD INVERSION forms to em-

bellish a chord progression.

It is important to know where the notes are on the E, A, and D strings


Root Note =

Minor Root On

E 6

Minor Root On

A 5

Minor Root On

D 4

Major Root On

D 4

Major Root On

G 3 Major Root On

B 2

TRIAD CHORD FORMS

D(4), G(3), AND B(2) STRINGS


play in open position. These CHORD INVERSION forms are widely

used in soloing and rhythm guitar to sometimes brighten up a chord

progression.

It is important to know where the notes are on the D, G, and B strings


Root Note =

Minor Root On

D 4

Minor Root On

G 3

Minor Root On

B 2

Major Root On

D 4

Major Root On

G 3 Major Root On

B 2

Major Root On

E 6

Major Root On

A 5 Major Root On

D 4

Major Root On

E 1

Major Root On

B 2 Major Root On

G 3

RECAP: MAJOR INVERSIONS

Minor Root On

E 1

Minor Root On

B 2

Minor Root On

G 3

Minor Root On

E 6

Minor Root On

A 5

Minor Root On

D 4

Minor Root On

D 4

Minor Root On

G 3

Minor Root On

B 2

RECAP: MINOR INVERSIONS

��

A�

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

�

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

�

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

�

��

�

�

��'#�

�!&"�

��

��

��

��

��+��,��

�-�� %��)�� (�

�� ,��

�� 5 8��9�� 6�� )��5��9��1�� .�� :��3��) ��)��

&��.��;��) ��<�� .�� , �� ,��, 8��

��,��*�.�� ,��%��)��/ ��

��

��

JIM HICKEY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

53

One of the most common questions asked...People being people, we learn things in different ways so below is a diagram displaying how modes work as it pertains to the Major Scale. The example below is in the Key of C Major

Modesô How do they work together?

C D E F G A B

D C E F A B

E

G

G C F A B D

F G C A B D E

G C A B D E F

C B D E F G

C B D E F G

A

A

IONIAN

DORIAN

PHRYGIAN

LYDIAN

MIXOLYDIAN

AEOLIAN (Minor)

LOCRIAN

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

2 1 3 4 6 7

3

5

5 1 4 6 7 2

4 5 1 6 7 2 3

5 1 6 7 2 3 4

8 7 2 3 4 5

1 7 2 3 4 5

6

6

IONIAN

DORIAN

PHRYGIAN

LYDIAN

MIXOLYDIAN

AEOLIAN (Minor)

LOCRIAN

Jim Hickey Music Ltd

http://www.jimhickeymusic.com/

IONIAN/MAJOR

DORIAN

PHRYGIAN

LYDIAN

X

LOCRIAN

MIXOLYDIAN

AEOLIAN/MINOR

X

X

= Root Note

= Use Either/Or in scale



IONIAN/MAJOR (DO)

DORIAN (RA)

PHRYGIAN (ME)

LYDIAN (FA)

OR

LOCRIAN (TE)

MIXOLYDIAN (SO)

AEOLIAN/MINOR (LA)

= ROOT NOTE

OR



MINOR PENTATONIC

MAJOR PENTATONIC

MODE 3

MODE 4

MODE 5



0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

A

So, for the key of A Minor, you would apply the modes as such:

A(1) = Minor; C (2) = Major; D (3) = Mode 3; E (4) = Mode 4; G (5) = Mode 5

The notes in the A Minor Pentatonic Scale are A,C,D,E and G. If we were

to spread out these notes on the E string of the Guitar, it would look like

this:

The intervals are A=1, C=2, D=3, E=4, G=5, as illustrated below:

Studying the notes in the scale and recognize those notes as intervals will help you

apply and use the Modes more effectively.

Notes and Interval Relationships: Pentatonic Scale

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

A

The pages to follow have diagrams of the

Minor Pentatonic scale in the remaining 11 keys.

After recognizing the intervals, fill in the blanks with

the note names as they correspond with interval

numbers and mode names.

The Major Pentatonic modes can be applied by

starting on interval number 2 as that is the Major

Pentatonic interval from the Minor Pentatonic scale.

E D C A G E

4 4 3 2 1 5



0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

A #/Bb

So, for the key of A#/Bb Minor, you would apply the modes as such: __(1) = Minor; __ (2) = Major; __ (3) = Mode 3; __ (4) = Mode 4; __ (5) = Mode 5

So, for the key of B Minor, you would apply the modes as such: __(1) = Minor; __ (2) = Major; __ (3) = Mode 3; __ (4) = Mode 4; __ (5) = Mode 5

So, for the key of C Minor, you would apply the modes as such: __(1) = Minor; __ (2) = Major; __ (3) = Mode 3; __ (4) = Mode 4; __ (5) = Mode 5

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

C#/Db

So, for the key of C#/Db Minor, you would apply the modes as such: __(1) = Minor; __ (2) = Major; __ (3) = Mode 3; __ (4) = Mode 4; __ (5) = Mode 5

4 3 2 5 1 2

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

C

4 3 5 1 2

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

B

3 4 3 5 1 2

4 3 5 1 2



D

So, for the key of D Minor, you would apply the modes as such: __(1) = Minor; __ (2) = Major; __ (3) = Mode 3; __ (4) = Mode 4; __ (5) = Mode 5

D#/Eb

So, for the key of D#/Eb Minor, you would apply the modes as such: __(1) = Minor; __ (2) = Major; __ (3) = Mode 3; __ (4) = Mode 4; __ (5) = Mode 5

E

So, for the key of E Minor, you would apply the modes as such: __(1) = Minor; __ (2) = Major; __ (3) = Mode 3; __ (4) = Mode 4; __ (5) = Mode 5

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

F

So, for the key of F Minor, you would apply the modes as such: __(1) = Minor; __ (2) = Major; __ (3) = Mode 3; __ (4) = Mode 4; __ (5) = Mode 5

4 3 2 1 5

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

1 4 3 2 5 1

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

4 3 2 5 1

4 3 2 5 1

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12



0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

G

So, for the key of G Minor, you would apply the modes as such: __(1) = Minor; __ (2) = Major; __ (3) = Mode 3; __ (4) = Mode 4; __ (5) = Mode 5

4 3 2 1 5

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

F#/Gb

So, for the key of F#/Gb Minor, you would apply the modes as such: __(1) = Minor; __ (2) = Major; __ (3) = Mode 3; __ (4) = Mode 4; __ (5) = Mode 5

4 3 2 1 5 5

So, for the key of G#/Ab Minor, you would apply the modes as such: __(1) = Minor; __ (2) = Major; __ (3) = Mode 3; __ (4) = Mode 4; __ (5) = Mode 5

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

G#/Ab

4 3 2 1 5



0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The pages to follow have diagrams of the Major scale in

the remaining 11 keys. After recognizing the intervals,

fill in the blanks with the note names as they correspond

with interval numbers and mode names.

F G E C D E A B

The notes in the key of C Major are C,D,E,F,G,A, and B.

If we were to spread out these notes on the E string of the

guitar, it would look like this:

The intervals are C=1, D=2, E=3, F=4, G=5, A=6, B=7. Illustrated below:

Studying the notes in the scale and recognize those notes as intervals will help

you apply and use the Modes more effectively.

So, for the key of C Major, you would apply the modes as such: C (1) = Ionian; D (2) = Dorian; E (3) = Phrygian; F (4) = Lydian; G (5) = Mixolydian; A (6) = Aeolian; B (7) = Locrian

Notes and Interval Relationships: Major Scale

“What about the Minor Scale?”

As the minor scale is the 6th mode of the Major scale, it

would be redundant to chart that out. Simply change

the 6th interval to a number1 and change the rest of the

ascending notes to 2,3,4,5,6,7. Then you have it.

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

4 5 3 1 2 3 6 7

C



0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Below each illustration, fill out the Notes that are in each scale next to the interval number:

E

So, for the key of E Major, you would apply the modes as such: __(1) = Ionian; __ (2) = Dorian; __ (3) = Phrygian; __ (4) = Lydian; __ (5) = Mixolydian; __ (6) = Aeolian; __ (7) = Locrian

F

F#/Gb 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

So, for the key of F#/Gb Major, you would apply the modes as such: __(1) = Ionian; __ (2) = Dorian; __ (3) = Phrygian; __ (4) = Lydian; __ (5) = Mixolydian; __ (6) = Aeolian; __ (7) = Locrian

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

G

So, for the key of G Major, you would apply the modes as such: __(1) = Ionian; __ (2) = Dorian; __ (3) = Phrygian; __ (4) = Lydian; __ (5) = Mixolydian; __ (6) = Aeolian; __ (7) = Locrian

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

So, for the key of F Major, you would apply the modes as such: __(1) = Ionian; __ (2) = Dorian; __ (3) = Phrygian; __ (4) = Lydian; __ (5) = Mixolydian; __ (6) = Aeolian; __ (7) = Locrian

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7



0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

G#/Ab

So, for the key of G#/Ab Major, you would apply the modes as such: __(1) = Ionian; __ (2) = Dorian; __ (3) = Phrygian; __ (4) = Lydian; __ (5) = Mixolydian; __ (6) = Aeolian; __ (7) = Locrian

A

So, for the key of A Major, you would apply the modes as such: __(1) = Ionian; __ (2) = Dorian; __ (3) = Phrygian; __ (4) = Lydian; __ (5) = Mixolydian; __ (6) = Aeolian; __ (7) = Locrian

A#/Bb

So, for the key of A#/Bb Major, you would apply the modes as such: __(1) = Ionian; __ (2) = Dorian; __ (3) = Phrygian; __ (4) = Lydian; __ (5) = Mixolydian; __ (6) = Aeolian; __ (7) = Locrian

1 2 3 4 5 7 6

1 2 3 4 5 7 6

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

5 1 2 3 4 7 6

B

So, for the key of B Major, you would apply the modes as such: __(1) = Ionian; __ (2) = Dorian; __ (3) = Phrygian; __ (4) = Lydian; __ (5) = Mixolydian; __ (6) = Aeolian; __ (7) = Locrian

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

5

4 5 1 2 3 4 7 6



0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

C#/Db

So, for the key of C#/Db Major, you would apply the modes as such: __(1) = Ionian; __ (2) = Dorian; __ (3) = Phrygian; __ (4) = Lydian; __ (5) = Mixolydian; __ (6) = Aeolian; __ (7) = Locrian

4 5 3 1 2 6 7

D

So, for the key of D Major, you would apply the modes as such: __(1) = Ionian; __ (2) = Dorian; __ (3) = Phrygian; __ (4) = Lydian; __ (5) = Mixolydian; __ (6) = Aeolian; __ (7) = Locrian

D#/Eb

So, for the key of D#/Eb Major, you would apply the modes as such: __(1) = Ionian; __ (2) = Dorian; __ (3) = Phrygian; __ (4) = Lydian; __ (5) = Mixolydian; __ (6) = Aeolian; __ (7) = Locrian

2 4 5 3 1 6 7

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

2 2 4 5 3 1 6 7



Instructor Notes: Date:



Documents

Tools For The Guitar Student