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G N N I T T T T E R A G T T I U G C I S S A I
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I
GETTING MEL BAY’S
T O
•••••••
CLASSIC GUITAR b y
BEN BOLT www.benboltguitar.com CD CONTENTS
1
Arpeggios Using Open Strings [1:53]
16
Amador [:53]
31
Saltarello [:36]
2
Tremolo [:20]
17
Gamboa [1:48]
32
Hark the Herald Angels Sing [:47]
3
Right-Hand Studies [3:55]
18
Sosa Hill [:37]
33
O Little Town of Bethlehem [1:03]
4
Classic Chord Progression [:14]
19
Santa Clara [:52]
34
Allegretto [:46]
5
Natural Notes 1st Position [:30]
20
Andante 3/4 [1:57]
35
Hallelujah Chorus [4:28]
6
Military Step [1:11]
21
Andante 4/4 [1:08]
36
A Scale/Alternating Open E String [:12]
7
Point of Reference [:17]
22
Hymn for Zadok [1:11]
37
Dominant Peddler [:26]
8
Pachelbel's Canon [2:03]
23
Streets of Paris [3:22]
38
Study [:45]
9
Double Note Dance [1:31]
24
Spring Morning [1:45]
39
Prelude in A [1:30]
10
Gavotte [3:18]
25
March [:47]
40
Allegretto [1:25]
11
House of the Rising Sun [1:04]
26
March [1:28]
41
Allegretto [1:49]
12
Danza Latino [1:02]
27
Allegretto [1:23]
42
Prelude in E [1:11]
13
Für Elise [:42]
28
Pinky Pivot [:50]
43
Spoof on a French Folk Song [1:35]
14
Anitra's Dance [:51]
29
Away in a Manger [1:16]
44
Study in Sixths [3:23]
15
Balboa [1:11]
30
Allegro Alla Renaissance [:39]
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 © 2006 BY MEL BAY PUBLICATIONS, PUBLICATIONS, INC., PACIFIC, MO 63069. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. RESERVED. INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT SECURED. B.M.I. MADE AND PRINTED IN U.S.A. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.
Visit us on the Web at www.melbay.com www.melbay.com — E-mail us at email@melbay ema
[email protected] .com
I
GETTING MEL BAY’S
T O
•••••••
CLASSIC GUITAR b y
BEN BOLT www.benboltguitar.com CD CONTENTS
1
Arpeggios Using Open Strings [1:53]
16
Amador [:53]
31
Saltarello [:36]
2
Tremolo [:20]
17
Gamboa [1:48]
32
Hark the Herald Angels Sing [:47]
3
Right-Hand Studies [3:55]
18
Sosa Hill [:37]
33
O Little Town of Bethlehem [1:03]
4
Classic Chord Progression [:14]
19
Santa Clara [:52]
34
Allegretto [:46]
5
Natural Notes 1st Position [:30]
20
Andante 3/4 [1:57]
35
Hallelujah Chorus [4:28]
6
Military Step [1:11]
21
Andante 4/4 [1:08]
36
A Scale/Alternating Open E String [:12]
7
Point of Reference [:17]
22
Hymn for Zadok [1:11]
37
Dominant Peddler [:26]
8
Pachelbel's Canon [2:03]
23
Streets of Paris [3:22]
38
Study [:45]
9
Double Note Dance [1:31]
24
Spring Morning [1:45]
39
Prelude in A [1:30]
10
Gavotte [3:18]
25
March [:47]
40
Allegretto [1:25]
11
House of the Rising Sun [1:04]
26
March [1:28]
41
Allegretto [1:49]
12
Danza Latino [1:02]
27
Allegretto [1:23]
42
Prelude in E [1:11]
13
Für Elise [:42]
28
Pinky Pivot [:50]
43
Spoof on a French Folk Song [1:35]
14
Anitra's Dance [:51]
29
Away in a Manger [1:16]
44
Study in Sixths [3:23]
15
Balboa [1:11]
30
Allegro Alla Renaissance [:39]
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 © 2006 BY MEL BAY PUBLICATIONS, PUBLICATIONS, INC., PACIFIC, MO 63069. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. RESERVED. INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT SECURED. B.M.I. MADE AND PRINTED IN U.S.A. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.
Visit us on the Web at www.melbay.com www.melbay.com — E-mail us at email@melbay ema
[email protected] .com
TABLE TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTENTS
C r ed i t s
4
Th e C l a s s i c G u i t a r
5
I n t r od u ct i on
6
Th e N ot e F i n d e r
7
Tu n i n g
8
Changing Strings Wh e n t o C h a n g e S t r i n g s
11
H ow t o C h a n g e S t r i n g s – N i n e S t e p s w i t h P h ot os
12
Wh a t K i n d of L e a r n e r a r e You ?
19
A P r i v a t e L e s s on w i t h B e n B ol t
20
M od e l s of L e a r n i n g
28
S t e r eot y p es of Te a ch e r s
29
S i t t i n g P os i t i on – S i x S t ep s w i t h P h ot os
33
F r e e S t r ok e , R e s t S t r ok e
36
Tool s of t h e Tr a d e
37
F i n g er n a i l s
38
S t r i n g At t a ck
39
F u n g i is N o F un
40
B e v e l i n g You r F i n g e r n a i l s
40
Th e R i g h t H a n d
41
C h or d s
42
M u s i c Th e or y
44
Ar p e g g i os U s i n g O p en S t r i n g s
48
Tr e m ol o
49
D a i l y R i g h t -H a n d Wa r m -U p s
50
Th e L e f t H a n d
52
P e r p en d i cu l a r P r e s en t a t i on of t h e L e f t H a n d
53
D i a g on a l P r e s e n t a t i on of t h e L e f t H a n d
54
P a r a l l e l P r e s e n t a t i on of t h e L e f t H a n d
55
L eft H a n d
56
N a t u r a l N ot e s i n t h e F i r s t P os i t i on
57
M il it a r y S t ep
58
P oi n t of R e f e r e n ce
59
S lur s
59
C a n on b y J oh a n n P a c h e l b e l
60
D ou b l e N ot e D a n c e b y B e n B ol t
61
G a v ot t e b y J . S . B a ch
62
2
H ouse of t h e R isin g S un a rr. B en B olt
64
D a n za L a t in o by B en B olt
65
F ür E lise by L udw ig von B eet h oven
66
An it r a ’s D a nce by E dva r d G r ieg
67
Th em e, Va r ia t ions, a n d F in a le of B a lboa by B en B olt
68
An da n t e 3/4 by F. S or
73
An da n t e 4/4 by F. S or
74
H y m n for Za dok by B en B olt
75
S t reet s of P a r is by B en B olt
76
G Ma jor
79
S pr in g Morn ing by B en B olt
80
Ma r ch by Tch a ikovsky
81
Ma r ch by F. S or
82
Allegret t o by M. C a rca ssi
84
P in ky P ivot
85
D Ma jor S ca le
85
P h ot os of R igh t -H a nd H a r m on ics
86
Aw a y I n A Ma nger
87
Allegro Alla R en a issa n ce
88
S a lt a rello
89
H a r k t h e H er a ld An gels S in g
90
O L it t le Tow n of B et h leh em
91
Allegret t o by M. C a rca ssi
92
H a lleluja h C hor us by G .F. H a n del
93
A Ma jor
97
D om in a n t P eddler
98
S t udy by F er n a nd o S or
99
P r elude by B en B olt
100
Allegret t o by M. C a rca ssi
101
Allegret t o G r a zioso by M. C a rca ssi
102
P r elude in E by F. C a r ulli
104
S poof on a F r ench F olk S on g by B en B olt
106
S t udy in S ixt h s by F. S or
108
C h r om a t ic Oct a ves
110
Ma jor And Min or S ca les
111
Th e P uzzle
117
C losin g C om m en t s
118
B en B olt
119
3
CREDITS
Concept: G etting Int o Series
Bill Bay
Location:
Carson Newman College
Author:
Photos:
Ben Bolt
Charles Key
Student:
Collin George
Music Engra ving:
Sylvain Lemay
Ed ucat ional Theory Consultant:
Bobbie Bolt
4
THE CLASSIC GUITAR The Legenday Ignacio Fleta e Hijos
This guitar wa s ha nd built for B en Bolt in 1976 by Fleta an d Sons six months before Maestro Igna cio Fleta died in Ba rcelona , Spa in. He w as 77 years old.
5
INTRODUCTION Hello, my na me is Ben Bolt. I hope you will have as mu ch fun as I did getting int o classic guita r. It ’s really not har d a t a ll, provided you learn t he fundament als. However, it is time consuming. I don’t know a ny great guitarist w ho regrett ed the time it t ook to learn. In fact, if you ask a concert guitarist about t heir schooling days, you’ll most cert a inly hear t hem chuckle a nd smile.
This ma nua l is mostly for people w ho alrea dy play guit a r a lit tle an d wa nt t o get into classic guitar. Or possibly, they know some classical t echniques and wa nt to have a more in depth understa nding of cause a nd effect. My goal is to get you start ed and st ay engaged with the most beautiful instrument in the w orld, your guita r.
The topics covered a re outlined on th e Table of Cont ents pa ge. Ask yourself: how m uch tim e will I need to complete each task? It will depend entirely on your circumstances. Knowing what type of student you are, getting a guitar tha t inspires you, and most importa ntly, receiving encoura gement from t he people with w hom you a ssociat e will determ ine your level of success.
The scope of your desire resemb les the pieces of a puzzle. It ’s not enough t o und erst a nd ea ch piece of th e puzzle intellectually. You must syn thesize the informat ion w ith y our han ds physically on the instrum ent, experimenting and trying new ideas. In other words, you must pra ctice.
“I f you alw ays do wh at you’ve al ways done, you’ll al wa ys get w hat you’ve al wa ys gott en.”
Ben B olt
6
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TUNING I can teach a nyone how to tune a guitar. But tha t doesn’t m ean t hey will be in tune, including the person who just t aught you how to do it! There are so many varia bles tha t one must compromise. It’s the na ture of the instrument, how the ear perceives sound, and weather changes, including barometric pressure fluctuations.
I w ill explain different w a ys t o tune in order to give you more tricks up your sleeve, to give the illusion t ha t y ou are in tune. The best cheat for this illusion is vibrato. Vibrato is a wavering of the note that goes below and above the correct pitch quickly enough tha t the ea r perceives tha t you are in tune. Vibrato is a n a dvanced technique tha t ta kes ma ny years to mast er, but is well worth the effort. It’s wha t gives the guitar its singing qua lity, its voice. Singing is best w hen treat ed like an instrum ent a nd a n instrument, is best w hen treat ed like a voice.
I first learn ed how t o tune w ith a pitch pipe. The pitch pipe is ma de out of six pipes representing t he six strings of the guita r. It is like a m iniat ure pipe orga n. You blow into one of th e pipes like you would a ha rmonica t o get the pitch of th e string. The problem w ith t he pitch pipe is t ha t it very qu ickly becomes defective one pipe a t a time, beca use there is no w ay t o clea n it or dry it out. Oxida tion from your brea th a ffects t he pitch of the note to which you are trying to tune.
A second possibility is tuning to the keyboard. The high E string is tuned to the first E above middle C (two wh ite keys). See the diagr a m below.
C D E
F G A B
C D E
th
F G
%
E 6 string
A B
C D E
F G A B
C D E
%
Middle C
%
E 1st string
The low sixth st ring E is tuned t o the 12 th w hite key from the fa r left of the keyboa rd. The only time I t une like this is when I am going to play a duet wit h keyboard and guitar. For classic guita rists the ha rpsichord is the instr ument of choice becau se it doesn’t oversha dow t he volume of th e guita r like the pian o does.
A th ird w a y to tu ne is one I lea rned in S pain. A tun ing fork is used. The most common tuning fork in E urope used for this purpose produces an A note. Stamped on the tuning fork I used was the number 440, which represents 440 vibrat ions per second. So a nyt hing t ha t vibra tes 440 vibra tions per second ma kes the A note.
8
This would be the note tha t you hea r from th e first violinist or oboist for the other orchestra l members to tun e to as a reference before a performa nce. For th e guita r you hold the tun ing fork and strike it on your knee. Then put it up to your ear to hear th e A note. This corresponds to the note on your first strin g a t t he 5 th fret. Once tha t note is achieved you can tune the other strings, using the first string open as a reference point. I find this meth od very impra ctical, for obvious rea sons. First, you must st rike the tunin g fork and hold it quickly to your ear. At t he same time, with your other hand, you have to press the 5 th fret, while simultaneously finding a finger on the same hand to play the note while you’re pressing. This leaves no hand with which to tune the string unless you immediately put t he tuning fork down, w hich mea ns you no longer can hear t he note that you are trying to tune to. So if you choose to tune this way, please use a tuning fork in E. It’s the only way to go because you can sound the tuning fork with one hand and tune an open string E with the other hand. It is simple and clean.
The next way to tune, which is a common one for beginners, is estimating the pitch of the 6
th
string from a
reference tone of a pitch pipe, a pia no, or a nother guit a r. Once this ha s been esta blished, press on the 6 th string a t t h e 5th fret, w hich gives an A note, an d th a t becomes your reference for t he 5 th string open, which happens to be a n A note. You complet e th e process on a ll of th e str ings w ith one exception. To get th e pitch of the 2
nd
string,
press the 4 th fret on the 3 rd string, instead of the 5 th . There a re problems w ith th is meth od. The biggest one is t h a t t h e 1st string and th e 6th string should sound th e same, just t wo octa ves apart . If it is off even a q uart er of a t one your guita r w ill sound very out of tune. I do not know a ny professional guita rist w ho chooses to tun e this way.
The best wa y for beginners th at I ha ve seen w ork for my st udents is th e batt ery pow ered electronic tun er. It is inexpensive, digita l, accurat e, and long last ing. Only one ca ution: too often I notice people tr ying to hea r w ith th eir eyes. The bat tery powered tu ner w orks from a reference needle, similar t o a compa ss. You turn t he dial to the note you want to tune to, you play it on your guitar, you watch the needle move, and if it goes to the 12 o’clock position, you a re in t une. The one o’clock position m ea ns t he note is t oo high a nd n eeds to be lowered.The eleven o’clock position indicat es th e note is too low an d needs t o be raised. New er tu ners use LE D lights. As long a s you use it a s a tool to teach your ear t o hear the a ccurat e note, I’m a ll for th is method. The best w ay to accomplish this is to get a home tone, like the 6 th string, in tune, and then try to tune the adjacent string w ithout t he tun er by using your ea r. Then check your w ork with the needle to see how close you have come. In my opinion, the reason this tuning skill needs to be developed using your own ear is so that when you are performing a nd your guita r goes out of tune, w hich it often w ill under hot light s, you w ill be competent to tune on the spot. This is done after pla ying a chord or a n open str ing w hen you ha ve enough t ime to quickly reach a tun ing knob to raise or low er a st ring. This is done in flight! I t looks impressive and y our audience will appreciat e it.
A sixth w ay to tune is by ha rmonics. The ha rmonic is found on equa l divisions of any st ringed instr ument . The exam ple on t he guitar is a t t he 12 th fret th e guitar st ring is divided in half. At t he 7 th a n d 1 9th frets the guita r string is divided into thirds. And a t t he 5 th fret (or imaginary 24 th fret), the string is divided into four equal par ts. To play h a rmonics do not press dow n on the string . Inst ead, t ouch th e string directly a bove th e fret w ithout pressing. P lay a nd t hen lift your left ha nd finger a ll in one motion. Touch, play, lift. If t he bell like tone
9
is not produced, you were either not d irectly above the fret or the finger w a s lifted before you played. Remember touch, play, lift in t ha t order. So, play a ha rmonic on t he 6 t h string, 7 th fret, and w hile it is ringing out, play the 12 th fret on the 2 nd str ing. Tune th e second str ing t o sound like th e 6 th . They a re both B notes. Then play the 6t h string 5 th fret and ma tch it to the 5th string, seventh fret, th ese are both E notes. These ar e both E notes. Next continue by play ing the 5 t h fret, 5 th s t r i n g a n d t h e 7t h fret, 4 t h s t r i n g t o t u n e t h e 4 t h st ring. These ar e A notes. Finally, play t he 5 t h fret, 4 t h s t r i n g a n d t h e 7t h fret, 3 rd s t r i n g a n d m a t c h t h o s e t on e s , w h i ch a r e D n o t e s . (P a ge 86)
This is one of my favorite ways to tune because there is no string interruption, meaning pressing down. Both notes ring out an d you are a ble to hear both notes clearly in t une beca use of the char a cteristic long dura tion of the ha rmonic tone. I tuned this w ay for t en years. But this method ha s problems a s well. The biggest one is that a ha rmonic represents a perfect world, the perfect division of a string into equa l part s, meaning omitting frets to get th e note because you do not press dow n. How ever, the guita r is not a pa rt icularly perfect w orld, especially w ith t he ma tt er of tuning. The var iables include pressing on the string too ha rd, bending the str ing too much, and various weather conditions. Consequently, if you tune to a perfect world but music is made imperfectly merely from the a ct of pressing down on the strings, you will alwa ys ha ve to be ma king adjustments a s you play.
The best option tha t I ha ve found for me personally is a technique wh ich tun es from th e outside str ings inwa rd using only the open strings. I find t his to be more accura te.
S tep On e:
G et th e 1 st string in tune.
S tep Tw o:
P la y the 1 st s t r i n g a n d 6 th string, back and forth or at the same time. Make sure the E strings sound th e sam e. The 6 th string is t w o octa ves low er.
S t e p Th r ee : P l a y t h e 6th s t r i n g a n d 2 nd string, back an d forth or at the sa me time. Tune to an int erval of a perfect fifth, E to B. S tep F our :
P la y th e 1 st s t r i n g a n d 5 th string, ba ck and forth or a t t he same t ime. Tune to an interval of a perfect fifth, A to E .
S tep F ive:
P la y t he 5 th string and the 4 th string, back an d forth or at the sam e time. Tune to an int erval of a perfect fourth, A to D.
S t ep S ix:
P la y t h e 4 th s t r i n g a n d t h e 3 rd string, back an d forth or at the sa me time. Tune to an int erval of a perfect fourth, D to G .
These are all easy intervals to train your ear to hear. The first note, the fourth note, and the fifth note of any scale are the most important. If you are in the key of E, this would be E notes, A notes, and B notes, which ha ppen t o be open str ings. In t he key of A, this w ould be A notes, D notes, a nd E notes, wh ich also happen to be open strings. And finally, in the key of D, this would be D notes, G notes, and A notes, which are also open str ings. These are a ll very common keys in w hich we play on the classic guita r.
10
CHANGING STRINGS When to Change C hange Stri Strings ngs Sometim es it’s it’s obvious obvious when t o cha cha nge string s. Exa mples would be a broken string, t he wind ing of one one of th e ba ss str ings unra veling, or or a false st ring. A fa lse string is not t rue to the octave. To To tell if if it is, you would play the ha rmonic at the 12th fret on the string. Listen and t hen press press down down at the 12 th fret w ithout the ha rmonic. rmonic. They should sound identical. This This is called a unison. It ’s possible possible to have a tru e string in th e beginning a nd it becomes becomes untrue (false). (false). The The best example of th a t w ould be wh en a st eel str ing or an electric string ha s too much rust, w hich hich interrupts the vibrat ion. ion.
Other times to change strings become more obvious with experience. Examples would be when bass strings sta rt sounding sounding so mellow mellow t hat they become become muddy. Or the t reble reble strings ma y sound like plastic. plastic. Even t hough hough tr eble strin gs a re ma de out of a plast ic pol polymer, ymer, they should not sound like plast plast ic. The meta phor I often use w ith st udents is t his: If the fish smells fishy, fishy, don’t don’t ea t it.
And last, but not least, you will change them based upon your knowledge of how long you can play on them unt il they peak. You You wa nt t hem to peak for a live performa performa nce, for for exam ple. Let’s say you pract ice tw o hours hours a day an d your strings t ypically ypically peak in t hree weeks. weeks. You You would would w ant to change them about t hree weeks befo before re th e performa performa nce. Exceptions Exceptions w ould be if you had t w o guitar s, one tha t you did th e bulk of of your practicing on, a nd one you used for performan ces. You w ould ad just a ccordingly ccordingly..
11
HOW TO CHANGE STRINGS Because classic classic guitar strings do not ha ve a ball end, like like elec electric tric and acoustic guitar strings, they must be tied. There are many misconceptions about how to tie a classic guitar string.
Misconception # 1:
# 2:
H a ve ve a s m u ch of t h e s t r i n g w ou ou n d
T he Truth # 1: I t ’s n ot h ow ma m a ny ny t i m es t h e s t r i n g i s
a ro r ou n d t he he t un un i n g r ol l e r as a s p os s i b l e ,
w ra r a pp pp e d a ro r ou n d t he he r ol l e r th t h a t k e e p s i t fr f r om
b e g i n ni n i n g w it i t h t he h e v e r y en en d of of t he h e s t ri r i n g. g.
s l i p p i n g. g. I t’ t ’s h ow it i t ’s ’s t ie ie d .
M a ke ke t he he s t r i n g l ook a s b e a ut ut if if u l
# 2: Th e m or e t im im e s t he he s t ri r i n g c r os s e s ov e r
a s p os s i b l e a ro r ou n d t he he t un un i n g r ol l e r.
i t se se l f i n a n u n p r ed i ct ab a b l e s or t of of w a y, i t creates more of a clamping effect that prevents slippa slippa ge, much like the grooves grooves of a screw versus the smoothness smoothness of a na il shaft.
# 3:
You on l y n e e d t o g o ov e r a nd nd u n d er
# 3: I ti t i e ov e r a nd n d u n d e r f ou r t im im es w it it h t he he
t wo w o t im im es es b e f or e t ig ig h t en en i n g t he h e s t ri ri n g .
e x ce p t io ion of of t he h e s i x t h s t ri r i n g , w he h e r e I go go over over and under three times, due to the increased th ickness ickness of tha t st ring. This This virtua lly elimina elimina tes slipping, slipping, but d oesn’ oesn’tt eliminate eliminate stretching.
# 4:
You r g u i t a r i s n ot s t ay a y i n g i n t un un e
# 4: A s t ri ri n g c a n on l y g o ou t of t u n e t w o w a y s .
a nd n d y ou s u s p e ct y ou h a ve ve a ba ba d s e t of
I t i s e i t he her s l i p p i n g or s t re re t ch ch i n g .
s t ri r i n gs gs , wh w h ic ich do d oe s ha h a pp pp e n oc occa si s i on al a l l y.
R eg eg a rd r d l e s s of of th t h e s t ri r i n g m a nu n u f a ct ct ur ur er er or or how you tie them, it is normal for all strings to stret ch over over a short period of of time. A string slipping can go on indefinitely until it finally breaks.
12
HOW TO CHANGE STRINGS Step 1: Slip the string through the hole in the bridge first first from the sound hole hole side. side. This This is to avoid avoid unnecesunnecessary dam age t o the string lining lining for bass strings or scratching for treble treble strings.
Step 2: Take the short short end of the string string a nd go aw ay from yourself yourself and under the long long side of the string to form a loop.
13
Step 3: G o ov er a n d u n de r on e t i m e.
While holding th e short end, cont inue this process tw o or t hree more times, depending on how t hick the str ing is. Notice how t ightly I a m holding ont o th e short end of the str ing.
14
Step 4: J ockey your hand s back an d forth, similarly to flossing your teeth, until the string is tight a gainst t he tie block of the bridge. Be careful and go easy because it is easy to scratch the lining of the bass str ings. The treble strings s hould not be a problem in t his rega rd.
Notice in the next picture tha t t he short end a nd t he long end of the string meet t ogeth er on th e back side of th e tie block. If you don't do th is with the t reble strings, they can slip out a nd ma ke an ugly ma rk on your beaut iful guitar.
15
Step 5: P ull the string through the peg roller in the headst ock while holding the string.
Step 6: P u l l t h e s h or t e n d of t h e s t r in g t ow a r d y ou r b od y.
16
Step 7: Wind the short end of the string under a nd over four times while still holding on to the short end.
Step 8: While still holding onto the short end of the string, pull it stra ight up, in line with the rest of the strin g. You should hear a little click sound.
17
Step 9: As you are holding on to the short end of the string, sta rt t ightening it a round the string roller.
Here is wh a t your str ings will look like on th e headst ock wh en you are finished tying.
18
WHAT KIND OF L EARNER ARE YOU? It is importa nt for you to understa nd how your brain processes informa tion, par ticularly when it is informa tion tha t you w an t for your own persona l enjoyment, in t his case, playing th e guitar.
P ictured below a re educa tiona lly accepted styles of learn ing. Ea ch of us possesses the ability t o learn fr om all of our senses. When learnin g music the senses of smell an d ta ste a re not part icularly useful. How ever, lea rning by seeing, hearing, t ouching, an d sensing ar e all important . Everyone has preferred senses tha t work best for them. We are not a ll wired the sam e.
visua l
in t uit ive
LISTENING
SEEING
SENSING
TOUCHING
C D t o m a n ua l
P hot os, t ext
Your in t er pr et a t ion
P la ying your
of in for m a t ion
guit a r
auditory
kin est het ic
When you are in your car listening to th e CD tha t accompanies this ma nual, you a re using 100% of your auditory lear ning a bility.
When you study the photographs or read the text, a s w ell as t he music, you are a totally visual learner.
When you pick up your guita r a nd play wit h your eyes closed an d ear s covered, exploring w ha t it feels like to touch your instrum ent, you ar e using your sense of touch, which is know n a s kinesthetic learning.
When you ta ke off the ea rmu ffs a nd open your eyes, you will find yourself using a combina tion of audit ory, visua l, a nd kinesth etic! Durin g the play ing of a piece of music, the percent a ge of use of all t hree of th ese styles of learn ing changes consta ntly. An exam ple: you sta rted out studying electric guita r w ith d ots on the fingerboar d. Now you ha ve a classic guitar w ith no dots an d you have t o make a jump from the first position to the eighth position a nd you keep missing it (and you also miss your dots). In that moment, 100%visual learning takes over.
When I see a guitar play er whose intuition is in tune w ith t he trut h of good guita r playing, wh o respects a straight line, for instance, most people simply call it natural ability. However, those who only have natural a bility never seem to last very long with t his instrum ent. My opinion is th a t everyone needs a cha llenge in order to sta y interested, something th a t keeps you coming back for more. This is why a great guita r player w ill never sa y t hey ha ve it a ll figured out. They st ill ta ke their boxing lessons, like everyone else.
We are a ll intuitive, some more tha n others. B a sically, if you th ink you ca n or you think you can’t, you’re right . Int uition is knowing wit hout experiencing, a futu ristic prediction of yourself. To develop your int uition ta kes only one thin g: to know it exists.
19
BEFORE COLLIN’S FIRST CLASSIC GUITAR LESSON WITH BEN BOLT
20
BAD HABITS?
How can he not notice the muffled first a nd second st rings? I see more good players losing beca use of tha t left ha nd th umb hung over the neck. I’ll fix tha t r eal quick when he stops… if he’ll let m e.
“T here i s no such t hi ng as bad h abi ts; therefore, bad h abi ts never need t o be br oken. Th e problem i s that player s empl oy corr ect techni ques at th e wr ong tim e.”
Ben B olt
21
U nbelieva ble! Did he just r ead m y mind? The kid's got intuit ion!
“Truth is guitar 's mid dle name. Al l i nspir ed m oments are sheathed in i t.”
B en Bolt
22
I point out th at in order to use the left-ha nd t humb a s a point of reference, it must be positioned in the lower third of the guitar neck. In th is wa y, without displacing the t humb, Collin can reach for bass strings w ithout accidentally mut ing the t reble strings.
“One note skil lfu ll y played can li ght a concer t hal l.”
B en Bolt
23
There should also be a space between the bottom of the guitar neck and the left-hand palm. Actually, the student’s palm could be closer than I am showing. Using a pencil instead of my little finger would be an even better example for t his illustra tion. However, this a pproach gives me a chance to learn a bout the la d’s persona lity. This is the first body conta ct ten m inutes int o his first lesson.
“Someti m es it’s what you don’t do th at m akes a di fference. Don’t touch t he neck wi th the palm of your hand in the classic style.”
B en Bolt
24
B ecause of the limits of a t hirty m inute lesson, I imm ediately switch to th e right ha nd. Collin is given my guide for a good right-hand position, as I emphasize that this is in general. Like verbs, there are exceptions. The guide is tha t a ll fingers, including the th umb, are placed on th e third string. This prevents the t humb a nd t he fingers from colliding dur ing flight, since they follow thr ough in opposite directions.
Now go get your guitar and t ry it. It’s easy an d it works!
“I n gu it ar techniqu e, you only h ave to respect one thi ng: the str aight li ne. T herefore, there’s onl y one ru l e: th e str i ng i s th e boss.”
Ben B olt
25
This is the first time I show him so tha t he can see my ha nd. I’m careful not t o play a nything. This would be a basic hand position if the 6 th string was about to be played and the other fingers were playing some treble strin gs, like a n E Minor a rpeggio.
“Sound r easons are the foun dati on of al l mu sic. Th e hear t of m usic has it s own r easons, whi ch reason wi ll never know.”
Ben B olt
26
After tw enty minut es he trust s me. I don’t correct his left-ha nd thu mb. I let him sit the w ay h e wa nts. And it l ook s l ik e w e h a v e k n o w n e a c h ot h e r f o r y ea r s . J u s t t w e n t y m i n u t e s … w h a t l u c k I h a d . H e d i d n ’t e v e n k n ow he wa s going to have his picture taken a nd neither did I! We spent th e rest of the time talking guita r. He comment s on the beautiful ha ll and I tell him tha t t he Los Angeles G uita r Qua rtet like it too. “You’re kidding, wh en were th ey here? I ca n’t believe it, th ey’re my fa vorite!”
The perfect lesson. He never asked me why a camera was there for his first lesson, I’m not sure he eve n noticed.
“I n t he end, i t’s the mu sic that’s left stan di ng.”
B en Bolt
27
MODELS OF L EARNING The Truest Test of Anything is Time. Tw o models of lea rning a re pictur ed below. The one on t he right represents th e tra ditional m odel of lea rning where a teacher instructs and a student receives the information. Some people call this the “Open the mouth and pour t he knowledge down the t hroat” model.
The second model, on th e left, illustra tes a h igher level of learning, w here one ta kes wha t ha s been learn ed and uses it to produce new informa tion. For a guit a rist, t his could be a new interpret at ion of how t o play a piece, or it could be a w hole new composition, or a nyt hing else th at a llowed you, the guita rist, t o take th e know ledge you ha d received, a nd t o use it to produce something origina l for you.
Too often education culmina tes w ith t he receiving of know ledge. Noth ing original ha ppens beyond th a t. Try t o allow yourself to trust your intuition t o experiment a nd create w ith t he knowledge you a re gaining.
Receiver of information
Producer of information
At the time I was learning to play the classic guitar, I was lucky to have a teacher who encouraged me to understand the logic behind w ha t I wa s learning. I w as discouraged from blindly memorizing concepts a nd allowing dogma t o dominat e my opinions. "P ersona lly speaking, th e best tea chers a llow students t o cha llenge all informa tion as long as t hey remain sincere and really do wan t t o learn. With such a partn ership between student a nd tea cher, the tra jectory of the guita r w ill alw ays be vertical and a scending!"
B en Bolt
28
THE “DUTCH UNCLE” “My way or the highway!”
Wha t’s he doing? He’s turn ed the delica te instru ment int o a club. St rict an d stubborn, he will not bend the rules of the ga me. It’s wise for th e student t o not even suggest a change w ith t he progra m. B elieve it or not, this kind of teacher can help you. He can be a nice guy if he sees you’re sincere. When all else fails, follow directions. He’s the one tha t w ill do exactly tha t.
29
THE “BRAGGER” “I did more for the guitar…”
Who’s he try ing to kid? Even a beginner can sm ell a phony. Everyt hing t his tea cher says sh ould be subject to suspicion and checked out. Rem ember this: t he guita r doesn’t ha ve an y debts. I t doesn’t owe you or me a dim e. We owe it , period!
30
THE “PROUD” TEACHE R “Loyalty means everything to me.”
He put s th e guita r first a nd ca n be flexible. This tea cher is a litt le closer to th e Eur opean S chool of Thought. He’s on your side 100%. One w a rning: If y ou decide to st udy w ith someone else, be certa in of your decision. I t could be difficult t o get him ba ck on your side aga in if it doesn’t w ork out w ith your new tea cher.
31
THE “PROFOUND” PROFESSOR “Notes written on a piece of paper can never be music. They are merely a roadmap to a destination called music.”
G ood luck finding t his one. He’s ra re, unfla ppable, never forces, is knowledgeable, friendly, kind, a nd credible. He’s more than happy to take you back if you leave him for another teacher and he’ll do it without hesitation. This one can calm your pa rents d own once you’ve an nounced you wa nt to become a professional guit ar ist. It ’s just a q uestion of time before destiny puts him in a bigger fishpond. Lea rn a ll you can, w hile you can.
32
SITTING POSITION Step 1: Sit on the front edge of the chair. Pla ce the guita r on your left leg. The guita r only touches the left leg. You will need to steady t he guitar with your left ha nd.
Two Points of Contact Step 2: B ring your right leg around and touch the guitar a t the sam e time tha t your right forear m holds the guita r down on both legs. This is done simulta neously, like a w av e: right leg, right forearm . Only the w eight of the right forearm is used. There is no need to push down.
Three Points of Contact 33
Step 3: Move forwa rd from t he wa ist, keeping your spinal chord stra ight un til you touch the top left portion of the ba ck of the guita r.
Four Points of Contact Notice my st omach is not touching the guita r. If it did, it would seriously a ffect t he resona nce of the guita r. Of course, it w ill if I don’t get on th at diet a ga in!
Step 4: P lace the fingers of the right ha nd on the strings t o be played first. This is called right-hand prepa ra tion.
Five Points of Contact
34
Step 5: P resent your left ha nd t o the fingerboar d,
Six Points of Contact
Step 6: Let t he music begin!
35
FREE STROKE Preparation of the Index Finger
Notice the joint closest t o the t ip of the finger does not collapse.
REST STROKE Follow Through of the Index Finger
The joint closest t o the t ip of the finger collapses dur ing follow thr ough.
36
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
I file my na ils with a Revlon shaping and finishing meta l flake file. This is not t he kind of file tha t h as ridges. Files wit h ridges w ill rip int o your na il. There a re tw o sizes, buy th e sma ller size. It is easier to cont rol. After th at I finish t he process with 400-600 grit sa nd pa per. Don’t use t he wet an d dry kind . Use TRI-M-Ote Fre-cut P a per A w t. Open Coat ma de by 3M. The edge of the fingerna il should be as sm ooth a s glass, no roughness, no pit ma rks, glassy smooth w hen you are done.
37
FINGERNAILS Fingerna ils will give you the most options for varying t one a nd dyn am ics. Tone refers to how m eta llic or mellow a sound is while dynam ics indicat es how loud or soft a note is. In classic guita r, sty les of music range from Ba roque and Rena issance to Spanish and a vant -garde, to name a few.
I ha ve persona lly found t ha t fingernails a llow my st udents to explore their interpretive ideas t o the ma ximum. We only use fingernails on the right ha nd a nd th rough curving the finger and enga ging only fingerna il crea tes a meta llic tone. This is good for crisp, clean , bright, light tones tha t ca n mim ic flutes, tr ian gle, or even an oboe. Remember wha t Ludw ig Von B eethoven said a fter hearing the guitar for the first time? “It’s a miniat ure orchestr a w ithin itself.” If you engage a combinat ion of fingerna il and flesh the tone becomes sweeter, w hich can imit a te th e flute, the clar inet, or even the cello.
Technically speaking, it’s easier an d a lot more accurat e to play w ith fingerna ils. I don’t know of any w orld class concert guita r pla yer who play s without using fingerna ils. Every one can’t be wr ong!
May I throw a wr ench in the works? G rowing, ma intaining, and using fingernails can be extremely frustra ting. If you break a fingerna il before a concert, it is equivalent t o having a guitarist using a fla tpick being ha nded a jagged rough part ial piece of a pick to use for t hat performa nce. Any guita rist using a flatpick in tha t situa tion w ould simply reach in his pocket a nd gra b anoth er pick. I envy them. We classic guita rists ha ve to put our a udience on hold for a t least tw o w eeks to a month… (just kidding). We do ha ve ridiculous options: P lay wit hout the fingernail, use Cra zy G lue to mend it, w hich can be frightening backstage. For exam ple, you could glue your fingerna ils (an d I'm not kidding). Or you could put on an a rt ificial na il. It r epresent s a perfect w orld. You simply glue it on and it plays like steel. If you brea k one, you ca n quickly gra b an other one and glue it on. I used them for three straight yea rs until I developed a very serious fungal infection… tha t I still have at t his w riting a fter ha ving spent more tha n $1000 on ant i-funga l medicat ions. So from personal experience, I hesita te to recommend th e use of ar tificial na ils. How ever, in emergencies, you have no other choice.
If you have w eak fingerna ils, and most guitarists do in the beginning, be assured they do get st ronger w ith use as the a tta ck and release of the st ring from the na il promotes blood circulation. The only w ay to have hea lthy na ils is to a pproa ch the problem nut ritiona lly. I use B iotin for my fingerna ils and it ha s helped. It ’s ava ilable at health food stores. Some of you may ha ve heard tha t gelat in helps, but it’s ma de from a nimal hooves, mostly horses. Two of my best friends are horses, my horses. So I wa sn’t impressed with consuming my friends’ feet. How ever, they do ha ve intermit tent hoof problems, just like people ca n ha ve nail problems, funga l infections, etc. Veterina ria ns recomm end Biotin for strengt hening horses’ hooves. It ’s just a vita min, folks. So I star ted snitching my horses’ vitam ins. La ter I found out research has been done in England which proves it also works for people who wa nt stronger na ils or hea lthier skin. Out of curiosity, I checked at my local hea lth food store and discovered it is readily available on the shelf.
38
STRING ATTACK
For the fullest sound, a combina tion of na il and flesh touches the str ing in prepa ra tion of the string a tt a ck. The position of my hand in both photographs is incorrect. As a matter of fact, if you need to see your right-hand fingers playing t he string s, it w ill throw your righ t-hand position off. There ar e only six strings; t herefore, th e right ha nd learns very quickly how t o judge where the strings a re located.
39
FUNGI I S NO FUN
In the previous photo, on page 39 (top) th e middle fingerna il cann ot be seen. This is because of fungus reeking ha voc w ith t he na tur a l growing process. The da rkened ar ea a round th e cuticle is a blue-green color. G a rdening, working in the food preparation business, or in my case, using artificial fingernails, can cause this painful infection. I f you th ink you might ha ve th is problem, please see your doctor ASAP. The only w a y t o get rid of it is to ta ke ant i-funga l drugs. Don’t put it off!
BEVELI NG YOUR FI NGERNAILS
Over man y year s of trial a nd error, my resear ch has revealed th is: beveling the fingernail gives th e best sound, with faster r elease from the string, a s w ell as helping the fingers glide smoothly a cross the str ings without t he fingerna il ca tching. Notice th e angle a t w hich the file is held during the sha ping process.
40
THE RI GHT HAND
Third String p
i
m
a
STROKES The rest stroke using the thumb: Place a on the first string,
m on the second string, and i on the third
str ing. P lay t he sixth str ing slow ly. As you glide over the str ing, follow t hrough unt il you reach t he fifth str ing. You should end up r esting on st ring num ber 5. Pr a ctice on a ll bass st rings (6, 5, and 4).
The rest stroke using the fingers: P l a c e t h e t h u m b (p ) on the sixth string. Play the third string slowly w ith your index ( i ) finger. As your finger glides slowly over th e str ing, follow thr ough unt il you rest on st ring number 4. Practice using your middle finger ( m ) on the second string and your ring finger ( a ) on the first string. Also, practice alterna ting i m , i a , a n d m a on the t reble str ings (1, 2, a nd 3). I use i a n d a beca use they are similar in length on my hand. You should collapse the joint closest to the tip of the finger during t he follow-through.
Free stroke: In using free st roke, the finger does not rest. The joint closest t o the tip of th e finger does not collapse. You must be car eful not t o get un der th e string a nd pull up with th e finger. As a n experiment , you ca n try pulling the string stra ight up an d releasing it. This will cause a slap aga inst the fingerboar d a nd should be a voided. However, rock bass players use th is technique as a n effect t ha t sounds good!
Regardless of w hich str oke is used, the flesh and fingerna il should touch t he string a t t he same t ime when you're prepar ing t o play. This t echnique produces t he best tone.
41
CHORDS Preparation of the Right Hand
Fingers are webbed together, thumb is separa te from fingers.
Chord Preparation with Correct Sitting Position
I a m keeping the joint closest to the t ip of my fingers str a ight a s an option to obta in more volume.
42
Chords – Right Hand Preparation from Performer’s Point of View
Preparation of a Three Note Chord Using p ,
m, a
Notice th e thum b w ill play wit h flesh only. The fingerna il is not presented t o the str ing. This is a n option for tone color in th e bas s line.
43
MUSIC THEORY
Pitch staff . The notes can be wr itt en on the lines or in t he
Music is wr itt en on five lines. These lines are ca lled the spaces between th e lines.
w w w w w w w w w
E Staff
G
B
D
F
F
A
C
E
Notes above or below the staff require additional lines as a continuation of the staff. These lines are called
ledger lines.
w w w w w w w
G
Staff Ledger lin es below
w w w w w w w
E
F
G
A
B
C
A
B
C
D
E
F
Ledger lines a bove
D
The musical a lphabet u ses the first seven letters of the langua ge alpha bet: A, B, C , D, E, F, G . After G , the next letter is A aga in. From an y letter t o the sam e lett er is called a n octave. There are eight letters in a n octa ve.
One octave: C D E F G A B C At t he beginning of every sta ff, you will notice a sign ca lled the tr eble clef sign.
Clef Sign
& 44
clef sign. In guita r music, we use the G or
Sharps, Flats, and Naturals Sha rps, flat s, and nat ura ls raise or lower a note by 1 fret. A 1-fret dista nce on t he guitar is called a mu sic (or
half step in
half tone). Ea ch sharp, flat , and na tura l has a sign that is placed before the note.
Sharp
+
ra ises the note by 1 fret.
Flat
-
low ers the note by 1 fret.
Natural
=
restores the note to its regular pitch a fter it w as raised or lowered.
Once a note is alt ered, it rema ins alt ered for the entire measure.
The way a note is written determines the length of the note's duration 1 w h ole n ot e
4 bea t s
2 h a lf n ot es
2 bea t s ea ch
4 q ua r t er n ot es
1 bea t ea ch
8 eigh t h n ot es
or
2 in on e bea t
16 sixt een t h n ot es
or
4 in on e bea t
Rests For every note value there is a corresponding rest having the same time value.
Wh ole
H a lf
∑
Qua r t er
Ó
Music is arithmetically divided into
E igh t h
Œ
‰
S ixt een t h
≈
measures by vertical bars in the staff. The number of beats in each
measure is determined by the t ime signature placed after t he clef.
24
43
44
83
68
etc.
The top number t ells how ma ny beat s in a mea sure, wh ile the bottom num ber tells wha t kind of note receives one beat .
45
34
=
3 bea t s t o t he m ea sur e
=
1 q ua rt er not e per bea t or t he equivalent: 2 eighth notes per beat or 4 sixteenth notes per beat , etc.
The most common time signa tur e is
8 . It is a lso ma rked A.
&c Key Signature When the t onality requires tha t certa in notes are to be sharp or flat throughout a composition, the sha rps or flat s ar e grouped together at the beginning of ea ch sta ff, forming t he key signat ure. This affects every note of the sa me na me thr oughout the m usical piece.
# &
All F notes are to be play ed F sha rp.
The Dot A dot placed to the right of a note lengthens it by one half:
œ .
=
jœ œ j œ j
These dots can a lso be placed to the righ t of rests:
Π.
=
‰ ‰ ‰
The Double Sharp A double sharp pla ced before a note ra ises it by 2 frets, or a w hole tone. G double sha rp w ill sound like A. The sign looks like t his:
X
46
The Double Flat A double flat lowers a n ote 2 frets, or a w hole tone. E double fla t w ill sound like D. The sign uses tw o flats before a note:
x
Repeats
. .
Repeat t he preceding.
Repeat t he followin g.
. .
Repeat the preceding and repeat the following.
The Tie Wh en a n ot e is t ied t o t he sa m e n ot e, t he fir st not e r in gs out t he d ur a tion of bot h n ot es . play t he second n ote.
œ œ œ =
D on 't
Slurs When a note is tied to a different note; you play t he first note with your right han d a nd ma ke the second note sound wit h your left ha nd. S lurs a re also called ha mmer-ons or pull-offs.
THE RI GHT HAND Fingering E n glish
S y m bol
S pa n ish
thumb
p
pulgar
index
i
indice
middle
m
medio
ring
a
anular
Position The best w a y to learn a good right -ha nd position is to place i, m, a n d a on third str ing. Pla ce your thumb on the t hird st ring a s w ell, keeping th e thum b to the left of the index finger. (page 25)
47
ARPEGGIOS USING OPEN STRI NGS (th e bass line should sound t he loudest) Tr ack #1
* Not all examples in this excercise are included on recording.
p = i = m = a =
t hum b in dex m iddle rin g
a m i m
B en Bolt
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ c œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ & œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . œ > > > œ > œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ & œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ & œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ & œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . œ œ & . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ & œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ & œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . œ œ p
a
i
m
i
a
m a
i
a
i
a
m
m
a m
i
m
i
m
a
m
i
a
i
p
p
p
p
p
p
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