For a free one-week membership use this code: 5EBD720981

At this link: http://www.jamplay.com/card/

Ask Brendan is a seldom updated column where Guitar Educator, Brendan Burns, answers questions about music and the pursuit of Understanding and Mastering the guitar.

Chord Inversions (Tiny Triads)

August 2008

Q: I have been playing the guitar for 4 or 5 years.  I’m self taught and can’t read music (except tabs).  Typically, I get the tabs or chords on line and learn to play that way.  However, I have started playing with a friend who is quite a bit better. (a little intimidating, but a blast) We’ve played a couple different gigs but I usually just strum and he does all the fancy and fun things.  He understands the “music” concept which I am sorely missing.

Do you have any pointers on how to play along with someone, soloing, and so forth.  Obviously it’s not as appealing if we’re both playing the same G chord.  I know that I can play it as a barre chord as opposed to him playing it open. If he is playing a G chord how many different ways can I play it…etc?

I can keep up rhythm wise and can learn easy enough but I just DON’T KNOW how. I’m not sure how much lead I could do.  We play simple stuff mostly A,E,D — G,D,C.

B: One of the things that can push you out of the out the open chord and barre chord approach is to work on inversions.  The idea behind this is simple.  Essentially a major or minor chord is made up of only three notes.  If we stack these notes in different orders, we get the same function, but a slightly different sound.  If your friend is playing a G-open chord, then one thing you might want to do is play a G-chord somewhere else on the neck.  It will give some space between the two of you and open up your harmonic output.

Below is a PDF of the inversions for a G-major chord.  The first thing to start with is the big barre chord on the far left.  As you look across the sheet, notice that each 3-note grip is based on the big chord to the left.  With 3 main chord forms, you can get 12 little forms (I sometimes call these “tiny triads”).  The same principle applies for all keys and the minor chords, but start with these first.  Once you get the G-chord down, then move onto to other major chords that you use often.  After that, you’ll be ready for the minor shapes – they are a little bit different, but they use major chords as the foundation.

Best of luck,

Brendan

Assets: Chord Inversions for G Major

Members of the 2007-2008 Brendan Burns GUITARMY:

Austin Cohen
Myra Johnson
Helen Huang
Coco Wallace
Parker Wallace
Charlie Guerra
Neil Jones
Kavoi Mutisya
Christopher Zarins
Shaan Shivdasani
Sam Roffman
Masaki Norton
Isabel Wallace
Hadassah Stanhill
Olivia Siegal
Max Josef
Gabriel Mininberg
Daniel Getz
Nick Page
Alvin Taylor
Sarah Simon
Shani Breiman
Nico Jochnick
Claire Chin
Keir Shields
Elana Shlosman
Sophia Spirounis
Sam Mills
Aaron Corn
Micaela Corn
Greg Smith
Abby Fink
Maria Meletlidis
Vincent Webster
Eleni Papadopoulos
Yanni Papadopoulos
David Cohen
Tommy Larkin
Nick Gill
David Kahn
Jason Boyle
Livia Merrill
Cyril Vallet

Isabel Leader
Noa Leiter
Sam Altsher
Sarah King
Alex Horn
Alex Verbitsky
Kevin Wu

Students of Brookline Music School & Newton Music Academy

“With the new iTunes “Complete My Album” service, music fans can now upgrade their singles into complete albums and get full credit for the songs they have previously purchased from iTunes. “Complete My Album” is a wonderful new way that iTunes helps customers grow and enjoy their music collections.”

Now that’s what I’m talking about! I can’t wait till they open this up to TV shows.

In minor site news, I’ve added a new folder: /studentfiles, to collect all of the play-along recordings I make for students. These are not professional releases and they not always the best of my playing, but they’re there to help you if you need some guidance with a tune. Like classic play-along recordings the melody is panned to one side, the chords are panned to the other, and the time is in center. Up there now: Pink Panter, Bach’s Invention #13, Bach Talk from one of Bill Leavitt’s books (80bpm & 120bpm), & My Favorite Things (80bpm & 120bpm). I’m not going to update the blog every time I add something to this folder, but I wanted everyone to know it’s there in case you are looking for it.

Some good intro note reading exercises: The Dreidel Song & Jingle Bells. They also flow nice together when you play them back to back.

• Thomas Rothman – “These Boots Were Made For Walking,” by Lee Hazlewood
• Steve & Thomas Rothman -”The Edmund Fitzgerald,” by Gordon Lightfoot
• Laurens Schalekamp – “Eight Days A Week,” by The Beatles & “By Yourself,” by Laurens Schalekamp
• Yakir & Olivia Siegal – “When The Saints Go Marching In” & “Puff, The Magic Dragon,” by Leonard Lipton
• Alejandro Yegros & In Paik – “Mary Jane,” by Alanis Morrisette & “Guilty,” by Bonnie Raitt

“Combat discouragement with your desire to learn.”

Poetic imperfection

A bird does not ask, “Is my song pretty?”

“I don’t think you can ever do your best. Doing your best is a process of trying to do your best.” -Townes Van Zandelt

“Do what has to be done, when it has to be done, as well as it can be done, & Do it that way every time.”

“Ready, fire, aim.” -make adjustments after the launch -Hal Crook

“If you can talk you can sing, If you can walk you can dance.”

“After playing a wrong note accidentally, play the same note again like you really mean it.”

“From one thing, know then thousand things.” -Samurai Maxim

“Music can teach you everything you need to know.”

“To tune means to be in harmony.”

“Katsu – roar of a person who knows what it means to be alive.”

“When things fall apart, make art.”

“How you react to the unexpected reveals your true spirit.”

“You must develop comfort in good habits. You need not try to change everything you find wrong with yourself – start with one new habit: “Do one thing the right way one time.” When the next moment comes, make the same commitment. If you do this the bad habits will take care of themselves.”

“With practice our muscles develop their own intelligence, to the point where thought and action occur simultaneously. Our skill becomes natural.”

“Every single problem that you have in your life is the seed of an opportunity for some greater benefit.”

“In a hundred-mile march, ninety is about the half-way point.”

“Trees do not grow to the sky, but their roots continue to grow.”

“The key is not to think of doing things right every time; the thought seems too overwhelming. Just do it right one time; this time, right now. That’s all you have to worry about.”

]]> http://www.brendanburns.com/2006/zen-guitar-other-quotes/feed/ 1 http://www.brendanburns.com/2006/ponta-de-areia/ http://www.brendanburns.com/2006/ponta-de-areia/#comments Sun, 24 Sep 2006 01:08:59 +0000 Brendan http://www.brendanburns.com/blog/?p=95 I’ve been enjoying my Rhapsody subscription for almost a month now. I’ve been able to get back in touch with a lot of music that I forgot I loved.

I was going through a Wayne Shorter phase when I stumbled upon Ponta De Areia from his Native Dancer album. It was one of those tunes where I was like: “This tune is so beautiful. I have to learn this.”

Well, here it is:

(Click on the picture, for a bigger & printable version)