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| login | join now | forgot password | Sunday, July 06, 2008 |
Teacher Lounge
| This week's article is on: Blues Gutiar: 'RAW BLUES' by: MusicStaff.com Guest Writer, William Brownell |
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When it comes to learning, we're all different! I don't know about your students, but the attention spans and abilities of my students vary widely. In fact, they're all over the map! The 'perfect' student might be one that listens intently and practices diligently, however, my students are not all that way. In fact, I'm not that way either. When I was younger, there were times when I lived and breathed scales, progressions, and loved practicing, but other times, these things didn't excite me much. Sometimes I would become extremely frustrated trying to make my scales and riffs turn into something new, something original. Then, almost magically, someone would show me a riff that would open new doors. Maybe it would add a new texture to my style or guide me to a new position that I hadn't been using. Nevertheless, it usually started with a riff. It would be something short, easily attainable and different from what I was already doing. I would practice the new riff, and for a while, I would play it everywhere, trying to figure out where this new nugget would work the best. From the band, I would receive praise, when it worked, and laughter when it didn't. Someone inevitably would say, "Bill's got a new riff, look out!". I put together my Riff-A-Week website, for beginners, with the approach that worked for me. One little nugget of information at a time. Something that would be attainable, yet challenging. I've had students that for a while, would play scales religiously, but when asked to come up with a solo on their own, they couldn't do it. Then I would show them a riff and demonstrate how the riff was plucked out of the same 8 notes that they had been hammering away at and it seemed to translate more easily to them. They seemed to get the connection more quickly. Sometimes learning a riff at a time is the best way to demonstrate the practical application of the basic tools and concepts, such as scales. Many people who are working full time jobs or taking many courses at school, have very little time for practicing. Learning, even a small amount, each week is better than not learning anything. It seems the more one learns, the more they want to learn. Using this simple frame of mind of "practicing", might be a catalyst to bring about a more in-depth study of their instrument. |
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The Trinity
Aside from my Internet lessons, when I give a private lesson, I try and get my students to use what I consider, the three basic scales. These are, the Major Scale, Minor Scale, and Blues Scale.
I call this, 'The Trinity', because each scale is different, but also, the same. What I try to do is lay the ground work, in earlier lessons, that will lead up to using these
scales along with the very important Relative Major and Minor Scales. I
don't know why, but the concept of the Relative Major and Minor, can be a
difficult concept to grasp, but when a student does grasp it, it's exciting!
I love watching a student discover that they can play a major scale against
a tonic chord then slide down 3 frets (4 frets depending on how you count) and play a blues riff also! This blows their minds when they play the relative major scale against a
minor chord. All of a sudden, these seemingly dull 'Do-Re-Mi' scales take on some soul and excitement.
Once I have armed students with some fundamental theory, scales, chord
structures, and some basic progressions, then it's time to take the student onto the next level of a player. In my opinion, playing with other people is the real reason for
learning an instrument anyway. It's a communication thing. If I can get a
student to this point, then anything else is just babysitting, on my part. Pacing:
As a teacher, the hardest thing for me to remember is to hand out things
in small chunks. The flip side to that is to keep a more progressive student
interested and challenged. This is why I end up spending a lot of time customizing or modifying lessons for each student. I want each session to be at the pace and level that individual student is at, so the student gets maximum learning, without going over their head.
For the slow students, lessons have to be broken down into smaller, more attainable
steps, but must also deliver some degree of challenge so as to give them satisfaction. Keep an eye on the end goal and take small steps toward it.
My plan of attack is this. I introduce the concept, such as the major scale. I
demonstrate how it is constructed by intervals of ½ and whole steps. Next, I have the student, construct on paper, a series of major scales by themselves. If they're not 'catatonic' by now, or packing up their guitar, I'll demonstrate how, by using simple arpeggios, how the major scale can sound really cool! I'll have the student strum a chord and I'll just start playing short riffs right out of the scale I'm going to have them practice. Hopefully, this will give them some incentive to really practice the scale until it
becomes second nature.
Next, I'll head down the road to the 'moody' minor scale. Now, with the
introduction of the minor 3rd, we're heading in a blues direction. I try not
to introduce the blues scale before the minor scale because of the major/minor 3rd concept. Being able to know and hear the difference between the Major and minor 3rd is important because in a blues riff you might use the major 3rd as a passing tone. I use the same drill on the minor scale as I do the others. I have them construct some examples to demonstrate that they know how they are formed. Here's where the fun stuff starts! I will introduce the idea of using the relative major scale. I will have them play a minor scale against a minor chord, then the relative major scale against that chord. Hopefully, the puzzle pieces will start to fall together and I'll see a 'lightbulb' go on, as they start to realize, that even though they were
using different scales that sound different, they're the same 8 notes.
In Closing:
In a very general way, that's how I teach guitar. Over the years, I've tried to keep only the essential tools and concepts that will
get someone on their way to becoming a good guitar player. Equiping my students with the ability to improvise to songs that they haven't played and be good at 'faking' a song because of proper ear training, and having the understanding of how basic chord progressions work is what I try to accomplish.
I really get a thrill watching a student put the pieces together and then start to improvise and play. When using the word 'play', I mean that they have the tools to make music with other people. That's the whole 'enchilada'!
Billy B.
Bill Brownell publishes a weekly website called Raw Blues. His Riff-A-Week
method gives Internet students, a sense of instant gratification and accomplishment. Every week students receive an e-mail that includes tablature, sound file, and a step by step description on how to play the lesson. It's a great site and we encourage you to check it out.
For some examples of Bill's lessons, you can go to this page at his site.
Here are some complimentary links that you might find helpful:
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