Kim Richardson - Guitar

Today's lesson was about combining chords and scales in one song. We looked at Bold As Love by Jimi Hendrix because it incorporated simple barre chords and pentatonic scales that we all knew. A new technique we learned was using our thumbs to hold notes on the bottom E string. It was difficult as I'm not used to it but I have seem this technique in songs before so it wasn't completely new to me. I think I will use this technique more often so that I'm not always using barre shapes. Another advantage to this technique is that you don't play the A string which makes the chord sound less bulky and subsequently a bit nicer. The rest of the song involved a lot of hammer ons while holding other notes which was knew to me; I think I should practise this more and it seems to be a recurring technique in Hendrix songs and I'd like to be able to play more of his stuff. As part of my home practise this week I am looking at From Eden by Hozier because it is the next song...

Our lesson today was about sight reading which we haven't covered much this year. We talked about reading rhythms such as semibreves, minims and crotchets and how they fit within a bar. I already knew about this because of my music GCSE and my time learning guitar with Yamaha. The song of choice was Cold Sweats by James Brown and it was simple. I picked it up quite quickly as this was a skill we used every week at Yamaha - we'd start a new song and learn it with help from the tab and as we became secure in playing it we would cover up the tab and read from the notation. Doing it this way helped me to learn the notes on the fretboard a lot so I would like to continue practising it. It will help me achieve my goal of knowing all the notes on the fretboard and will also make me more versatile as a musician because if I work a session guitarist in the future, I will be able to quickly work out something I've been given to play. Overall I found the lesson helpful but as I comple...

Today we put everything we learnt in blues in to practice. All the guitarists, bassists and drummers were in the same room so we could play blues together and see how it all fits together in a real jam session. I started off by playing a rhythm section in C; so the chords were C, F and G. I found it easier to keep track of the 12 bar structure because we had a drummer. It was also easier to stay in time and keep the strumming pattern steady. It was nice to hear a piano playing blues too; I liked how we were really playing a blues song for once rather than improvising without any backing. We went around the structure 4 times before swapping over - I played a solo part. Soloing was a bit more difficult with a band because you had to leave a lot of space as so much of it was already filled up by the bass and keyboard. I had to use shorter licks and more repetition as to not over complicate the song. We discussed that blues is really about having your own way of playing it; for example e...

Today we rehashed over the blues stuff we did because next week all the musicians are going to play blues together. We practiced playing the shuffle chords and soloing over the top. We reminded ourselves of what the blues scale is and how to switch between major and minor pentatonic scales. One thing I need to remember is that the blues note is always the flat 5th. I also need to keep practicing my major pentatonic scales because I was unsure of the shape in G and even more unfamiliar with how to switch between the two types. We touched on our goals for the end of the year. One of my goals is to be able to play The Longest Wave up to speed which I am still practicing. I might re-film me playing it nearer the end of the term so that I can see how I've improved. Another goal was improving my listening skills and being to work things out by ear more and I did that last weekend with a new song that we are learning for the next gig. It is called Brazil by Decl...

Our final lesson of the term was about putting modes in to context. We started off by learning the chords to 'Good Times' by Chic which were Em, E7, A7 and A6 and they looked like this.                                               I got in to the rhythm well -  keeping that funk strumming pattern is easy for me so I enjoyed it. At first I struggled with the chord changes but I got used to them fairly quickly. The next task was to find a scale that would work over the top of it. We figured out that the key of this song is D because it uses an A7. Because the first chord is an E minor we were able to use an E Dorian scale, starting on the 12th fret of the bottom string and we had a go soloing in that. Similarly we could use a Mixolydian D scale starting on the fifth fret of the bottom string. At first I just ran up and down the scales while somebody played the c...

Today we looked at modes in scales on the guitar which is something I've not learned about before. I only really knew that a mode was a scale but starting on a different note; for example if you were playing the C scale but you were to start on D, that would be a mode. We started with the major scale which is this pattern of tones and semitones: T - T - ST - T - T - T - ST A mode would be moving the first 'T' to the back of the list and playing from the second 'T'. T - ST - T - T - T - ST - T So if we were in C major the scale would've gone from: C - D - E - F - G - A - B to D - E - F - G - A - B - C instead. The major scale is the first mode which is called the Ionian mode. The second mode as shown here would be called the Dorian mode, and so on. There are 7 modes in total and they come in this order: Ionian (Major) Dorian (Minor) Phrygian (Minor) Lydian (Major) Mixolydian (Major) Aeolian (Minor) Locrian (Minor) Each mode has a dis...

The lesson today was all about documenting our home practise so we filmed videos to show what we have been working on. I played a couple scales I have been working on using the five steps technique which has really been helping me to learn positions of pentatonic scales. The next step for me is to move away from using scales with a root note on a dotted fret so that I can use the patterns anywhere on the neck. I am going to continue practising this at home so that in the future I will be able to solo using all five positions of a pentatonic scale. I have also been working a song called The Longest Wave by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It is a riff that uses arpeggios and chords and I have been practising it since I first heard it. The recording is played very fast so I am mainly practising with a metronome but today I videoed it so that when I do get it up to speed I can visibly see improvements. This is the first part of the song I have learned:   ...

Today we began to look at Funk! Last week we were given a song called Cissy Strut by The Meters to look at which included two riffs and used the 12 bar blues that we have previously been looking at. We noted that Funk is largely made up of semi quaver beats and lots of upstroke strumming on beats 2 and 4. This is what makes a song sound 'funky' but the fast tempo and horn sections differentiate it from Jazz or Reggae. So for the first part of the lesson we practised the two riffs of Cissy Strut; it was in C minor so from learning about blues I know that the first chord is Cm, the second is Fm and the third is Gm. I could also use a C minor pentatonic to improvise over the solo. The second funk song we looked at today was Papa's Got A Brand New Bag by James Brown. This song uses 9th chords which I have seen a lot of before in funk music but they are awkward chords to play if you haven't played them. I figured out that by keeping the end of my third finger flat on t...

Today we filmed our blues videos and I think it went okay. Beforehand we practised the G pentatonic and learned the relative E minor scale so that we had more to experiment with in our solos. We also recapped on the G7 chords and the shuffle riff. I am comfortable with the riff now as it is easier to use my first. second and fourth fingers to play it. This is because you can stretch your first and second fingers than your third and fourth. We filmed our videos in pairs and I was with Kyle. We ran through the 12 bars a few times, taking turns to play the solo and the riff or chords and then filmed it. I think it went okay, I was just nervous.

Next week we have another video assessment so today's lesson was about preparing for it. We will have to show what we've learned about blues over the last half term so today we recapped over everything we've done so far. We began with scales in G minor. I confidently know the first position of G minor off by heart but I am unsure of the other positions on the neck so we spent the first 10 mins of the lesson figuring it out. I used a previous method we had learn to work it out - playing the fist five notes of the scale and then moving up two frets. I am familiar with other patterns that scales take so by using that (and also some trial and error) I was able to figure out another two positions of G minor! I will now be able to discuss this in my video assessment next week. Position 1 was the one I already knew and I learned 2 and 3 in the lesson. I can run up and all 3 positions confidently now. Positions 4 and 5 are what I will work on over the next week so that I can ...

Today we refreshed looking at keys and we discussed why you wouldn't have A# instead of Bb and now I understand the idea more clearly. I'm going to practise writing scales out at home and maybe even memorise them. Doing this will also help me learn the notes on the fretboard. For the bulk of the lesson we looked at arpeggios and practised playing some. I've never really been familiar with arpeggios but I learned that they are very common in most types of modern music. I was given some G7 arpeggios to practise and I found them quite confusing because 7ths sounds neither major or minor so I didn't feel like I was playing the right thing as they never sound resolved. They were also difficult because unlike pentatonic scales, there was no pattern or symmetry to them. For the last part of the lesson we went back and played a G major arpeggio over a blues in G however this time it was different because every time we play G7 we would solo in the arpeggio and then on the C7...

Today we continued with our exploration of blues music. We began the lesson with theory and wrote down 12 bar blues structures for several different keys. I found this easy because I have learned that for blues songs, you commonly use the first, fourth and fifth chord in the key. Secondly we practised playing these structures in different ways; for example with power chords, open chords and barre chords. We even went as far to explore the chords in the CAGED system, which I am beginning to understand a bit more. As always, we practised soloing over these chords progression but today we kept everything the the key of G. To spice up our solos we alternated between the G minor pentatonic and the G blues scales; the only difference between them being the blues scale has extra notes. We were given a sheet with several different blues licks for us to try out and potentially use in our own solos. My favourite on was this: E ---6p3-------------- B ---------3----------- G ------------5^--...

 In today's lesson we went over the blues stuff again but instead we did everything in the key of G. This meant that the chords were G, C and D. We revised the structure of 12 bar blues which follows the pattern: We practised finding the 7th chords in different positions on the neck using the CAGED system again which I am beginning to get the hang of. We successfully played 2 inversions of the 7th chords and then we practised playing them in the 12 bar structure. Then we learned a blues shuffle riff which was difficult because you have to stretch over 5 frets to play it but I managed it in the end; we also played that in the blues structure. I found that easier than the 7th chords because the changes are smaller. Finally we put it all together and took turns soloing over the chords using the G minor pentatonic. We practised a famous blues lick and incorporated that in to our solos to make them sound really bluesy and authentic. The lick looks like this...

Today's lesson focused on blues music. We studied the 12 bar blues, pentatonic scales and 7th chords. I learned about the CAGED system which will help me learn the notes on the fretboard. First we decided that we would play a 12 bar blues in the key of E. I learned that in blues you use notes 1, 4 and 5 as the chords so our chords were E, A and B but we made them in to 7th chords. Blues is a genre that uses both major and minor tonalities in the same songs so using 7th chords adds to that because they are ambiguous. Dominant 7th chords are made up of major triads with a minor seventh on top. We practised playing E7, A7 and B7 using the CAGED system which was confusing but once I get the hang of it I think it will help me learn the fretboard better and make me more confident with improvising blues. We took turns improvising over a 12 bar blues with an F# minor scale and an A blues scale. They're the same pentatonic but by adding in the F# changed the feel of the solo which...

Today we started a new topic which is about practise schedules. We identified different categories that we need to focus on during our practise time and how to organise our time so that we get the most done rather than noodle for an hour. Having a practise schedule will mean that we cover all important aspects of playing guitar regularly and our playing will improve broadly over a shorter period of time than if we just practised casually. Our categories are: Sight reading Ear Training Exercises and Techniques Chords Rhythm Improvisation Scales Repertoire Then I made a rough plan of how I will organise my practise schedule and what I might do for each categories. Sight reading: I could re-learn a song but I would read it from sheet music, so I would already know what the notes are but by recalling them from a stave I would begin to learn the notes on my fretboard. I could also learn a tab but have the sheet music underneath then cover up the tab when I've learned...

Over the weekend I made a draft of what I wanted to say for my video because I felt it wasn't as good as it could've been. I wanted to talk more about changing strings because that is the most common maintenance procedure that you carry out with a guitar. Most people know how to change a string but they might not be comfortable with adjusting the action or intonation. I wanted to be detailed with what I was talking about because that would show that I understand it more than someone else for example. Also by doing my video a second time I would be more relaxed and comfortable because I am more sure of what I am supposed to be doing. I am happier with my second video recording because I don't feel I rushed it like last week. I approached the video with the same structure but by being more secure on what I was going to say I could pace it better, rather than rushing to get all my ideas out. I was calmer because I knew what to expect and overall I feel it was more successful...

Today we recapped over everything we've done this term because had to start filming our video assessments. We warmed up using the chromatic scale and the mechanical chords and made sure we knew what woods our guitars are made of. Warm up 1: Chromatic E |-------------------------------------------------1-2-3-4-|-4-3-2-1------------------------------------------------| B |---------------------------------------1-2-3-4-----------|---------4-3-2-1----------------------------------------| G |-----------------------------1-2-3-4---------------------|-------------------4-3-2-1------------------------------| D |-------------------1-2-3-4-------------------------------|-----------------------------4-3-2-1--------------------| A |----------1-2-3-4----------------------------------------|---------------------------------------4-3-2-1----------| E | 1-2-3-4--------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------4-3-2-1-| Warm up 2: Mechanic...

Today our lesson was highly technical and required a lot of thinking. I enjoyed it! To start, we recapped over health and safety but thought about it in a lot more detail. We distinguished between environmental and physiological hazards when playing guitar. Physiological hazards included repetitive strain injury, hydration and posture. Repetitive strain injury can damage your wrist in the long term so it is important to have good technique and to not play for hours on end each day. Similarly, posture is important because playing in a slouched position and damage your back and can prevent you from playing longer, better shows. Hydration is crucial to keep your mind fresh in rehearsals and on stage, since both settings can become super warm. Dehydration can hinder your concentration too, which could lead to making mistakes or even fainting, at the most extreme. For environmental hazards, we identified tripping over wires, water around electricity and heavy lifting. Tripping over wire...

Today in our guitar lesson we practiced our warm ups, including our A minor pentatonic. We discussed maintenance again and Kyle changed a string since he wasn't here last week. We talked about what we are planning to do in our video assessment. For mine I would like to change one of my strings to demonstrate that I can do it successfully and I will clean off my fretboard with lemon oil. I might also talk about how you shouldn't use lemon oil on a maple neck to show my understanding of different guitar woods. I will talk about my guitar's truss rod, how and why you adjust it and how important it is to be careful because your guitar is ruined if you break the truss rod. When I've changed my string and tuned it up I will demonstrate some of the warm-up techniques we have been practicing in these lessons. I will probably demonstrate my favourite ones and the ones that I feel have helped me the most. My preferred warm ups are the chromatic scales where you move back a fret...

We began the lesson by re-capping about warm ups and health safety. In the last week I have hurt myself on string ends twice so in terms of health and safety this is something I need to watch. Cutting string ends as short as I can is something I need to remember to do. One of the main activities for today's lesson was guitar maintenance so we each changed a string on either Tom's or Mia's guitars. I found this task easy since I change guitar strings as part of my weekend job. I was glad to be able to help my classmates who had only ever changed their strings a couple of times. The second activity was discussing our personal goals for these guitar lessons and the most common goal was learning the fretboard off by heart. The most common way to learn guitar now is by videos and tabs on the internet but a lot of online teachers miss out the theory parts to playing guitar, which is the downside to not having proper lessons. Because of this, our main goal as a group is to lea...