Cool Flamenco Chords

A beautiful part of practicing your instrument is discovering new musical ideas, tricks, etc. Sometimes you come across these great little ideas, even by mistake, that really inspire you. Well, as I'm always coming across something, here's what happened this week:

I love flamenco music,  especially the guitar playing. They take a nylon string guitar to another level. The sound, tone, chords, etc. Its so raw and beautiful. One of my favorite flamenco guitarists is Vicente Amigo (link). I was checking out his Solea, Mezquita, from his album, Un Momento en el Sonido, and was struck by some beautiful chords. Check this out:

Beautiful, dark, E chord (no third) with a flat 9 (the 'F'). In fact its that flat 9 that gives it that biting sound as its a half step away from the E and rings against with a beautiful dissonance. You hear in all the time in flamenco music. 

Play with some of the notes around it like this (somewhat reminiscent of a bit what Vicente plays at the beginning of Sting's track, Send Your Love):

Take it a step further and lead it into another great E with a flat 9:

The above is close to what Vicente plays around :37 in Mezquita. Listen here.

Here are a couple more versions of the chord around the neck:

Have fun with it,

PA 

Scofield Fusion Lick

You probably know who John Scofield is, if you don't, stop reading this as you've got more important things to do. I've always loved his phrasing and his ability to fuse blues and jazz, among other things. Some phrases really show that off, so here's one I love from a live version of a tune called Hottentot (originally from the album, A Go Go, a fantastic collaboration with trio Medeski, Martin and Wood):

The line starts in a Bbm pentatonic zone, climbs up through some dorian (g natural in Bbm), moves through some chromatics and end with a little scale run into great bend. It has a lot of energy to it and really drives into a new section with the band. Its a great example of mixing pentatonics/blues and jazz elements.

Check it out. Mess with the fingerings and phrasing. I find that a little economy picking helps in the chromatic section. Enjoy.

PA

Here's a link to the video (line starts around 6:17).

Guitar Candy - Dirt Poor Robins

Always a fan of virtuosity, here is a burning, liquid line from guitarist Neil Degraide off the new album, The Raven Locks -Act 2 by Dirt Poor Robins. Its in the intro to the track, Maximilian Von Spee (more on Dirt Poor Robins below). Check the line out. Listen to it here (right at the beginning). Its a Cm lick that fits well in the standard pentatonic shape (G shape for you CAGED people) and uses a good deal of legato, slurs, hammer-ons and pull-offs, etc. Its great practice and has a cool major/minor pentatonic bluesy sound.

There are a number of approaches you could take in fingering it but I've landed on a hybrid picking with a bit of sweeping thrown in for good measure. Here's a fingering I like:

As you learn it, try breaking it into three sections:

Part 1

This line flows really nicely under your fingers. It mixes picking with your middle finger, a downstroke with your pick, and a backwards sweep. Go slowly and eventually it will sit really nicely and fluidly. In fact, this line works well on its own. Try moving it up and down the neck as it sounds impressive and is worth working out.

Part 2

This is similar to part 1 but a little shorter. Start with the middle finger and move into a backwards sweep. Again, a nice fast, fluid motion. Once you're comfortable with it, try putting parts 1 and 2 together. Just those two parts will sound impressive on their own.

Part 3

Then add the final section. Again, start with the middle finger, go into a backwards sweep and slide down to the final note. This part you could finger differently if you don't like the sweep, but try it out. The difficulty in this section is the move from the 4th string to the 5th string. You have to prep a little bar before you move to the 5th string. Experiment with what works for you.

You could break it up or finger it differently (it could work nicely with just fingers too), but hopefully this helps. Often we try and attack an idea we want to learn but bite off too much at first, get frustrated, and stop. Going slowly and breaking it up into smaller components can really help. And, as with any idea, move it around the neck, take bits and pieces of it and experiment with variations. Make it your own.

Also, if you don't already know of the Dirt Poor Robins, as a music lover you owe it to yourself to check them out. Even if its not your go-to style they are wildly creative, great musicians, and absolutely worth your time. There is plenty more great guitar playing to be heard too. Check them out here.

Have fun with the line and keep practicing!

PA

For the Church guitarist: Using a Capo Live

Capos? Yes, capos.

In the context of church playing, we use them all the time. They often have a bad rap for allowing players to "cheat," but I would argue that for the type of chord voicings most used in this context (open chords, open strings, etc) they can be a great tool.  Of course, it could be kind of cheating if you only know chords in the key of G and just move that around with a capo (but, hey, sometimes we just do what works). However, you can use a capo intelligently, for instance:

• Choose a particular sound you want for a song anywhere on the neck
• Help you get a bigger sound when playing with multiple acoustic players
• Use it for cool voicing tricks, i.e. cut capos
• As an electric player you can give yourself open strings for drones, etc. in keys that wouldn't normally have them
• Also, as an electric player, though you don't really need to use one, you can get unique, ringing sounds from a chord voicing that wouldn't be possible with out a capo

So anyway, they're useful.

I'll link soon to more detailed ideas for capo use in other posts, but for now I want to take a quick look at the capos and tricks I've found particularly helpful in live use.

Using a capo live

That tends to mean quick release style capos and ones that are easy to manage. Sure, in a studio something like a Shubb can be perfect to dial in the ideal tension for in tune playing and if you're a flamenco purist, you'll use one of these but often, we have about .24 seconds to make a capo change and start the next song. So, quick release is key.

In this context I tend to see people using the kyser capos . I tend to use them as well, in a live context, as they are quick and simple to use. The pain about these is that that tension is often so strong that it easily can take your guitar out of tune because its presses down so hard (especially higher up the neck)!

So, here's a tip on always getting a Kyser to not manhandle your guitar out of tune: put in on the fret wire.  OK, not right on the fret wire or else you can get a muted, thuddy sound, but right on the back of the fret wire. Mess around with it. Much of placement depends on how strong the capo actually is (some are ridiculous) so sometimes you may be on the back edge of the fret and sometimes closely behind. Use your ears.

The above is what I do with a kyser capo on an acoustic. For an electric guitar a kyser is almost guaranteed to take the lower string tension and mangle it wildly out of tune. So, here's what I found to help: if I have to use a kyser on electric I put the kyser capo right on top of the fret wire. Right exactly on top of the fret. Seems odd, but it works well with strong kyser capos and the sound stays clear (not muted). Again, play around with placement a bit but putting it right on top of the fret wire can keep an electric perfectly in tune as it doesn't get to press down, or pull, as far (as it would in the middle of the fret). Another benefit of the keyser capo is that you can turn them upside down and use them as a cut, or partial, capo (more on that soon).

So, you can use a kyser for acoustic and electric and still stay in tune. Try messing with your placement. It really helps.

Now for electrics, I much prefer these planet waves capos (again, for live use). They are weird looking, but they are quick release AND you can adjust the tension quickly . . . with a big wonky looking spring on the bottom. Anyway, they work well and I prefer them for electric. Yes, there are other options and others that work well, but for speed, I like these. I can set the tension perfectly for the guitar and its still have the benefit of quick release.

Honorable mention goes to these G7 capos. Though I've never used one they have some lower profile designs that look like they would work really well (and not hang so far below the neck). They apparently are pretty quick to put on and they even make a kyser-esque looking one. They are about twice the price of the kyser capos though.

The above tips prove to be really really important when using cut capos, or a capo AND and cut capo. Things can get annoyingly out of tune otherwise. Granted, on a recording I'll tune with the capo already placed to make sure everything is perfect, but for quick, live use I've found the above to work very, very well. Keep the capo as straight across the strings as possible and experiment with placement to, or on, the fret.

More on creative capo use in other posts soon but try out the ideas and keep practicing!

PA

P.S. Want a capo that will haunt your dreams at night? Try the spider capo. Never used it but it looks really intriguing and supposedly woks well for  altered tuning type tricks.

For the Church Guitarist - Understanding Chord Progressions (Part 2)

In the last post we looked at a bit of music theory and how you can number chords. This time, we're going to look at the numbering thing a little more deeply (really helpful), how to apply this to the songs you play, and how to practice it all.

Different approaches to theory have slightly different takes on numbering systems. Really, they just tell you if a chord is major or minor. Here are the two most popular (both can be really useful to understand):

1) Traditional Numbering System

This method uses Roman numerals. Uppercase/big for major chords, lowercase/small for minor chords."°" is diminished if you ever use it (not often in pop music). So the chord progression,

| C      | F      | G     | Am      |

(or with numbers: one, four, five, six) would be,

| I      | IV     | V     | vi      |

with traditional numbering. See how the lowercase "vi" stands for minor 6? Make sense? So all the chords in the key of C would look like this then:

C   Dm   Em     F     G    Am     B diminished

I       ii      iii     IV     V     vi       vii°

Here’s another method:

2) Nashville Numbering System

Nashville numbering uses plain old numbers. A minus sign "-" tells you a chord is minor. A small circle "°" is diminished (if you ever use it). So again, the chord progression

| C      | F      | G     | Am     |

would be,

| 1       | 4      | 5      | 6-      |

with nashville numbering. Notice that "-" on the 6- that tells you its minor? That's how it works. All the chords in the key of C then would look like this:

C   Dm   Em     F     G    Am    B diminished

1      2-     3-      4     5     6-     7°

Do you get the idea? Again, your chords take on number names. Certain chords are major and certain ones are minor and that is where the traditional or nashville systems can help you. Its very helpful to think this way.

Let's try a common chord progression for a song. Something with chords like this (key of C):

|  C    |  Am     |  F       |  G        |

Can also be thought of like this:

|  I      |  vi       |  IV      |   V       |   (using the traditional method)

or

|  1     |  6-      |  4        |   5       |   (using the nashville method)

You'll hear musicians talk all the time about "the one chord" or "the five chord" etc.. They are just talking about the numbers associated with the chords.

Try this one (key of G):

|  G           |               |  C            |                | Em         |               |  D          |            |                *(answers at the end of the post)

So, take your chord charts for the next couple months and write the numbers that correspond to the chord nearby until you don't have to think about it any more. It will happen faster then you may think. Even just think about it as you encounter charts. Or, just focus on one song a week (of course you can do more) and work out the numbers for the chords. You'll find it starts to come easily as most sections of songs repeat over and over again.

This is the first step. Do what you can. With consistent work it will become second nature and be very, very useful. Trust me. The next step would be to use it while playing to change the key of a song by sight without having to write the chords out. More on that later.

Practice up and let me know if you have any questions!

PA

P.S. If you haven't already, check out the rest of the series here.

*Answers:

Traditional:  |  I          |                |  IV             |                  |

                    |  vi         |                |  V              |                  |

Nashville:    |  1          |                |  4              |                  |

                    |  6-        |                |  5              |                  |

Getting Started with Ableton: Click, Cues, and Multitracks

I've recently taught seminar on using tech in leading congregational singing at the Sovereign Grace Worship God conferences. We looked at using Ableton and the options that gives you from running a simple click to full blown multitracks. We discussed what a creative tool it can be while at the same time were honest about the challenges and considerations for use in leading congregational singing.

We'll talk more about the considerations but right now, let's start with the tech side of things. There are lots of great resources out there for learning to use all this. To to save you some time, I’ve made a list of the resources that I have found particularly helpful (*its useful to note that to fully use this stuff, you need some sort of in ear monitoring system):

I. Getting to know Ableton

I recommend you check these out at some point, especially if you’re new to Ableton. It’s a program that is easy to use but will do everything it can to convince you otherwise when you’re just starting out! There are other programs you can use out there to run audio, loops and click but Ableton is by far the most powerful and flexible.

1. Here is a collection of helpful, accessible training videos by English worship leader and ableton guru, Kristian Ponsford. There are about 10 videos that will walk you through the ableton interface and other helpful things. Check them out here.
2. If you’re getting into ableton, using multitracks or loops, it won’t take you long to discover Loop Community.  Currently, they lean towards a big collection of user made loops (I tend to prefer multitracks), but their multitrack collection is growing and they have some very helpful tutorials on getting the basics of an ableton/loop rig up and running. 
3. Multitracks.com (more on them below) offers some nice intro videos as well. Check them out here.
4. Also, if you don't want to use Ableton or can't at the moment, here is some direction on using your iPod/ipad for this kind of thing. Also, there are great apps available be to run all this. More on that below in point 5 (Loops and Multitracks).

Once you know your way around a bit, you're ready to head to:

II. Building a click

1. Loop Community has a great, simple tutorial on how to build a click within Ableton. Check it out here.
2. I mentioned adding simple musical elements, like and ambient pad, to your click session in Ableton. Its easy to do. Haven't found a tutorial yet, so I may make one of my own soon. In the meantime,you can find some great resources for ambient pads from Karl Verkade here and here.
3. Here is a tutorial on subdividing the click (something you might want to consider on slower songs)

Next, you can work on,

III. Getting to the sound system

1. Get your hands on a very inexpensive, stereo Y cable (something like this). There are many other brands out there and of course you can look into the audio interface option, but this is by far the cheapest, very useable, and simple to use. Just connect from the headphone jack on your laptop, iPad, or iPod and follow the directions in #2 right below.
2. This is a useful diagram from loop community that shows a very simple way to connect to your sound system while separating your loop audio from your click or cues. Check it out here.

If you're interested in building more musical or arrangement elements, this becomes pretty necessary,

IV. Adding Vocal Cues

1. Vocal cues help remind you where you are in an arrangement. As you add more musical elements, you definitely do not want to get lost! Here are a couple of tutorials that will show you how to add vocal cues in Albeton. You can see how to add them to a track here. You can download them here.
2. Vocal cues become pretty necessary as you add more and more musical elements (multitracks, loops, etc.) though this is kind of the point at which you become committed to an arrangement and spontaneity, though not impossible, becomes more difficult. Although this is a little more advanced, here is some advice on spontaneity and how to jump around between sections of a song in arrangement view and session view (the two views in Ableton).

Now you can look into dealing with,

V. Loops and Multitracks

Loops and multitracks are basically the same thing. I tend to prefer multitracks though as they give you more flexibility. Loops are a premixed track you can play to. Often they include more of the supporting musical elements (not necessarily drums, etc.). They are pre-mixed and you can't alter the parts. Multitracks are like a loop that is broken up in to all the musical parts. Where you have one file for a loop, you'll have many more for a multitrack (i.e. maybe 12 tracks including drums, bass, keys, acoustic guitars, electric guitar, synth elements, etc.). In a multitrack you can mix each instrument and include (or not) as many as you like in the track. These are often the actual recorded parts from the albums too. Another plus to multitracks is that you can solo each part to hear what is really going on and can gain insights into production, arranging and coming up with parts. Anyway, here are some great resources for all of the above:

1. Loop Community offers the lion share of loops out there. Check them out here. They also have a growing number of artist multitracks. Check those out here.
2. Multitracks.com is an amazing resource for multitracks. They have a huge database of albums from musicians like Hillsong, Matt Redman, Dustin Kensrue, and many others. They also have a function called custom mix where you can buy a simpler, cheaper version of the multitrack that you can tailor to your own needs.
3. Check out both of these sites for songs as they have slightly different libraries. Both of them also offer apps for running loops as well. Playback from Multitracks.com and Prime from Loop Community. Both are excellent resources and can simplify your loop rig. Well worth your time to check them out.

Beyond that, here are a few miscellaneous links for putting it all together:

1. using multitracks live
2. warping tracks (an Ableton term for changing a tracks tempo, key, etc.)
3. transposing a loop or multitrack (i.e. changing the key)
4. Using a controller in mapping your keyboard or midi controller for triggering in Ableton

Once you've worked out all that, you can start on,

VI. Building a Song Library

If you find yourself using multitracks or loops, this will save you so much time. Basically you create a master Ableton file of all your songs and simply choose which one (or which arrangement) you want to use for that particular day. It can look something like this:

Ableton worship orlando guitarist

Here is some advice on how build a master library in Ableton.

Here are some brilliant templates you can buy to do so (you can build them your own but these can be useful in seeing more advanced setups):

- Kristian Ponsford's templates

- Loop Community's templates 

Each of the sites mentioned go much further and offer more training so I'd highly recommend exploring them further. Here they are again:

1. Kristian Ponsford's training tutorials
2. Loop Community's training tutorials
3. Multitracks.com training tutorials

Hopefully this can be a resource for you in getting started with loops and multitracks. In future posts I'll talk about the considerations, challenges and even potential idols that come to light in using these things to lead congregational singing.

Until then, always double check your inputs and let me know if you have any questions!

PA

P.S. An important quirk in Ableton you need to fix in preferences before you start. Go here.

P.P. S. And one more thing. There are three levels of Ableton: Intro, Standard and Suite. Standard is what I'd recommend if you want to build a library (more on that in point 6 above), though Intro can be useful to start and is cheaper (you can always upgrade). Suite is very expensive and I don't  imagine many would need it in this context. Check them all out here (you can also download a demo of Ableton here).