Shades of Classical Part 2

        Written by:  Jeff Fiorentino

       Copyright © 2006 JFRocks   All rights reserved

These lessons are structured much the same way I do things on the main site JFRocks.com.  These lessons will cover various aspects of acoustic guitar and things to practice.  Mostly dealing with steel 6 string acoustic as that's what I play.  However, some lessons will deal with Nylon string acoustic guitar as well.  Either way the lessons covered here are interchangeable between the two guitar string types.  Although I recommend learning and practicing on Steel string acoustic.  This is because its more difficult to play and you will improve your electric playing immensely because you will build finger strength.  Also acoustic is less forgiving than electric.  Mistakes can and will be heard and are not covered up by effects or heavy reverb.  Updates to this page will be as often as I can.  I'm only human and while I have help with JFRocks.com, I'm on my own with this off shoot.  LOL  I will strive for an average update of 1 per week.  To be alerted of updates to this site or the main site, please sign up for our alerts on the main website.  You will receive an email when updates to either site have been made. 

 

 

Lesson Features
The song track	The Jam along track	The Video Guitar Lesson
Lesson MP3 song track	N/A N/A

 

Tabs & Lesson

 Original score by:  Jeff Fiorentino

  Transcription by:  Jeff Fiorentino

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This Lesson's difficulty level  1-10 scale

4

Performance notes

This is part 2 of shades of classical.  This lesson is in the key of D and it represents another way for you to mix portions of chords to get some cool sounding stuff.

I of course encourage you to embellish and mix what is written on the page with what I say on the video.  While it's important to try to understand the theory at play here.  What's really important is that you noodle around with this stuff and find out what works and what doesn't. 

This lesson is loosely based in spots on Dee from Randy Rhoads but I have re-written and altered the whole thing but it's a great example of starting with an idea and just going with it.

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Main Lesson

Key of D:  D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#.  <but we do add in a D# in one spot to create tension. 

Pieces like the one on the video are a mix of tension and release.  The tension mostly comes from 6th and 7th chords in this piece but 9th and 11th and 13th chords can also create tension. 

Main mother chords this whole thing stems from.

       D      G    Bm    Asus4   A

E__2___3___2_________________________________________
B__3___0___3____3___2________________________________
G__2___0___4____2___2________________________________
D__0___0___4____2___2________________________________
A______x___2____0___0________________________________
E______3_____________________________________________

SOME of the common Two note or three note chord portions or exploded chords used in this piece.

     D   Dmaj7   Bm     G6      D/F#   B7     D 3rd 5th   G       Em     Em7

E________________0_________2____5_____7____3____3__
B_7____7____3__________3___0_______________________
G______________________2______________0____________
D______________________4___1____________________0__
A_5____4____2______________________________________
E________________3______________2_____3____0____0__

As I state on the video lesson, it's great to analyze all this and know the chord names but really for your own education as far as practical guitar playing and making up stuff like this on your own, you should just explode chords and see what sounds good. 

A good tip is to stay in key and just mix notes.  If the chord pattern is D to G for example.  Then mix two notes at random from the D scale but have at least one of the notes in the two be the root.

For example see tabs below for altering and experimenting with a simple D to G chord change using notes from the D scale and including at least 1 root note or 1 D and 1 G for each chord change.

D scale:  D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#

     D add 4    G add sharp 4              D          G

E_3G___________________________________________
B_________2C#______________3____________________
G_______________________________0______________
D_0D______________________ 0____________________
A______________________________________________
E_________3G____________________3______________

As you can see our simple D to G to D to G chord pattern got a couple fancy names there for a second.  Well that's what I mean about experimenting and messing with this stuff.  It's just another way to look at it really.  You can experiment like this all day long.  I demo this a little bit on the video lesson for you. 

Use the example tabs below to mess around with this piece try to analyze it and see what it is and try moving some notes around. 

Bare in mind I didn't use any theory to write this piece.  I just played around with the chord pattern for a few minutes then afterward I went back and analyzed it to see what made it tick so I could make a mental note for the future.  Don't let the theory drive what you do use the theory to get out of a tight spot.  The theory here is very simple in reality.  I'm in key for 99.999% of this.  There's only one D# in the thing and that's just there to create tension.  A flat 2nd will do that for you.  If you're on a D and you want to create tension you can raise the D to a D# and that will create some serious tension.  In the case of the tab below I also incorporated parts of a B7 into that chord.  Because the chord change was going to a Bm. 

When you learn stuff like this it's a good idea to break it down for future reference.   

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Lesson Example Piece

Main intro section

        D      Dmaj7     Bm             G6          A add4             D/F#    

E_____________________0______________________________0___2-3-2-0_______
B__7~___7~____3~____________5-3--2__3___ 3______3_________________3_0___
G______________________________________2____2___2_____________________
D______________________________________4__4___________________________
A__5~___4~____2~____________0_________________________________________
E_____________________3_______________________________________________

I mis-spoke on the video due to brain deadness.  The optional "D" or open 4th string is what can make the Em an Em7 not the G as I said on the video.  Sorry bout that. 

       B7/D#                                                       Em Em7 optional (add open 4th)                  D      Gadd2              D    Gadd2

E___________0___2~________2_____3________3_3________3__5________5_5________5__
B______0______0_____0___0__________0___0______0___0_______0___0______0___0____
G____2___2____________2______________0__________0___________0__________0______
D__1_________________________________0__________0_____________________________
A_____________________________________________________________________________
E_______________________________0___________0__________2___________2__________

       G       D        Em        G6                    A add4    A11

E__7___5____3_____0____0_________________________
B____________________0______5-3--2~____3__________
G__0_______________________________0____<optional ending notes in italic__
D________________________________________________
A___________________________0>let ring________________
E__3___2____0_____3______________________________

Transition riff

     D                D add 4  D                               G                    G add#4 G

E__________________________________________________________
B_____7___7_8_10_______10_____0________0__2__3______0______
G___7___7___________7_______________0_____________0___0____
D_0_______________0_______________0_____________0__________
A__________________________________________________________
E_____________________________3________3__3__3_____________

    Bm                           A A add4 A               

E_____________________________________________________
B_3________3____2_3_5~___5_3~_2-3-2____________________
G____2___2__________________________4_2-4-2-0__________
D______0_____________________________________2_0_____
A_2_____________0____________________________________
E____________________________________________________

          G                                          A                    A/C#

E__________________________________________________
B_________________0___________2_______2____________
G________0______________________2_____2____________
D______0_______0___________2________________and repeat with slight Embellishment__
A_______________________0__________4_______________
E_2--3_______3______________________________________

Then repeat the intro portion again with slight Embellishment.