We have seen how in the previous ‘Funk Tips’ video we can build a simple line and make it Funky…here I show example using muted notes and ghost notes. Simple but effective, and it’s all about the feel, so listening to the masters is a must.
Author: Gianni C.
Factorial Thinking (Combinations applied to music)
Today’s’ tip has to do with mathematics applied to music…we have already seen how in the finger combinations exercises we have used all the possible combinations of 2,3 and 4 fingers of our left hand to make sure we cover every possible motion. This is not only a great warm up and technical exercise, but also a way to keep your brain connected.
Let’s see how we can now apply this to notes, chords, arpeggios, and so on. These are the combinations we have see in the previous post:
Finger combinations (combinations of all numbers from 1 to 4 as left hand fingers are numbered that way on guitar)
12 13 14
21 23 24
31 32 34
41 42 43
123 124 132 134 142 143
213 214 231 234 241 243
312 314 321 324 341 342
412 413 421 423 431 432
1234 1243 1324 1342 1423 1432
2134 2143 2314 2341 2413 2431
3124 3142 3214 3241 2413 2431
4123 4132 4213 4231 4312 4321
Let’s apply this to a 7th arpeggio: I will replace all the 2 with 3s, the 3 with 5s and the 4 with 7s.
Combinations applied to Chord Tones
13 15 17
31 35 37
51 53 57
71 73 75
135 137 153 157 173 175
315 317 351 357 371 375
513 517 531 537 571 573
713 715 731 735 751 753
1357 1375 1537 1573 1735 1753
3157 3175 3517 3571 3715 3751
5137 5173 5317 5371 3715 3751
7135 7153 7315 7351 7513 7531
Let’s make an example in the key of C: this is Cmaj7 every possible combination of the four notes.
Combinations applied to Chord Tones of Cmaj7
CE CG CB
EC EG EB
GC GE GB
BC BE BG
CEG CEB CGE CGB CBE CBG
ECG ECB EGC EGB EBC EBG
3GCE GCB GEC GEB GBC GBE
BCE BCG BEC BEG BGC BGE
CEGB CEBG CGEB CGBE CBEG CBGE
ECGB ECBG EGCB EGBC EBCG EBGC
GCEB GCBE GECB GEBC EBCG EBGC
BCEG BCGE BECG BEGC BGCE BGEC
Obviously this is not music as such, but I always find that incorporating things like these in your daily practice routine can lead you to discover new material, or just find faults to fix in your playing. As an example go through the combinations and find a combination you like and that sounds more musical to you…play in all 12 keys, apply it to a tune like ‘Autumn leaves’ taking it around the changes and modifying it to match the chord of the moment.
Good luck!
Funk Guitar Comping Tips
In this video lesson I show some ideas for funk comping. The video is pretty self explanatory, so I’ll just sommarize by saying
1. try not to use massive chords with 6 notes, less is more.
2. break up bigger chords in smaller parts, double stops are great.
3. leave space for snare and think of your part as a piece of a bigger collage
4. look for 4ths inside chords and scales, those work great.
more tips to come in part 2…coming soon! Stay tuned.
Intervals Explained pt 2: practical application on guitar.
We have seen in this post https://www.giannichiarello.com/intervals-explained/ what intervals are in theory and how the simplest and safest way to identify an interval is by calculating the number of semitones between the two notes. Again, this is the table for you to ‘do the math’:
|
N.of halfsteps |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
6 also |
7 |
8 |
8 also |
9 |
10 |
10 also |
11 |
12 |
|
Interval |
m2 |
M2 |
m3 |
M3 |
P4 |
4aug |
5dim |
P5 |
5aug |
m6 |
M6 |
6aug |
m7 |
M7 |
P8 |
|
Example |
C Db |
C D |
C Eb |
C E |
C F |
C F# |
C Gb |
C G |
C G# |
C Ab |
C A |
C A# |
C Bb |
C B |
C2 C3 |
where m=minor, M=major, P=perfect, dim=diminished, aug=augmented.
If you look closely, you will notice that the notes that are contained in the C major scale (being the example from the note C) are all a major or a perfect intervals.
C-D Major 2nd
C-E Major 3rd
C-F Perfect 4th
C-G Prefect 5th
C-A Major 6th
C-B Major 7th
This stands true for all the major scales in every key. So another quick way to find at what interval distance two notes are, is to calculate from the major scale.
How do I calculate intervals on guitar?
To calculate intervals on guitar is not difficult at all as everything translate in exactly the same way. If I know the notes on the guitar neck this is all very simple as all I need to do is make the calculation like I did above. (Eg: if I am playing a C on the 3rd fret, 5th string and an F# 4th fret 4th string , that is a augmented 4th, just like above).
After a while you will see a some recurring ‘shapes’ and you will learn to quickly recognise an interval by the shape it draws on the fretboard, just like you do with chords: the following is an attempt to summarize all these shapes. Maybe not complete, but I hope it will help.
Click on the images below to download the interval charts PDF files:
Both these resources are from ‘The Guitar Kit Pro’, where the files will be higher resolution and unbranded: read all about it here: ‘The Guitar Kit Pro’ . Keep supporting this site by purchasing the products on the Shop page, thanks!
TC Electronic Toneprint Pedals
From time to time I bump into something new in terms of gear and I want to share it on the site. TC Electronic has been producing some new interesting things recently, one of these is the Toneprint pedals. Everybody seems to want the classic stuff nowadays, trying to copy vintage boxes or reissuing yet another limited version of the Tube Screamer. Here TC Electronic goes in that direction, but adding a feature that I had only seen in much bigger units, definitely not is this size stompboxes, you can plug the pedal through a usb cable into your computer and download different patches made by famous artists.
Check out the video: