Hey Friend,
Happy Friday! Probably the third favorite phrase in the English language, after “quitting time” and “want a beer?”
Lets review the exercise from Wednesday. If you need the files again, here they are:
The first section takes us string by string, demonstrating the perfect fifth interval pattern from the tonic on the open string and the fifth on the next string.
For example, the sixth string is open E. That’s the root note, or tonic (means the same thing).
Because it’s considered the tonic, you can assume for this note, you’re in the key of E major. The perfect fifth interval for E is B, which is found on the fifth string (A) on the second fret. That’s the first bar.
The second bar assumes the same rules. A becomes the tonic in this perfect fifth interval example. E is its fifth. And so on…
When you get to bar 7 (third set of lines down), our tonic note is landing on the fifth fret, so we find the perfect fifth of THAT note on the seventh fret of the next string.
The reason I showed you this is because you can start to see other patterns emerging - the E note on the fifth string (A) is the octave for the sixths string. The A note on fourth string (D) is the octave for the fifth string (A).
The only place we get into trouble is with the second string B. This is because it is tuned a half step (semitone) lower than every other string pair. E to A a perfect fourth interval. A to D, the same thing.
The G to B strings are the only exception as a major third interval between them.
Of course, this is important in the first song riff example. The first two notes in the riff are a perfect fifth interval example.
Now I wish I could say they were the tonic to perfect fifth in the key, but they aren’t. I’ll come back to this in more detail in the next email.
The next song example, though, IS the tonic to perfect fifth interval pattern in the first two notes of the 22nd and 24th bars.
Starting with bar 27, we get into the power chords. These are constructed by combining the one and five notes from any scale. The only thing keeping these from being considered true chords is the missing third note from the scale, either major or minor third.
Technically, to be considered a chord, there has to be three notes (a ‘triad’), so our power chord doesn’t quite measure up, but when you have an overdrive amplifier (distortion), the third usually gets lost in the sound.
That’s why you see power chords used so much in Rock. There’s not as much need for the emotional nuances the third brings to the table - power chords allow us to be a bit more… primal or aggressive in the sound.
That doesn’t mean it’s always that way. The song example “Jessie’s Girl” is not heavily distorted, but it doesn’t necessarily need that third note.
As you work through these exercises, pay attention to the individual notes in each bar.
The more you recognize repeating patterns on the neck, the faster you move from “hunting and pecking” to just knowing where notes are found on the fingerboard.
I hope that showing you these little patterns helps you master the fingerboard a lot faster than I did. If I had been aware early on of the fact that patterns are all over the neck, I know I’d be a LOT better player.
Talk to you Sunday!
Peace~
Dave
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