Subject: Teacher’s Late - Take the Day Off

Teacher’s Late - Take the Day Off

March 9th, 2018 at 8:33 am EDT

Hey Friend, Happy Friday! I’ve got an exercise in the works for you that demonstrates the major third interval pattern. Unfortunately, it’ll have to wait until Sunday. At least you didn’t drive all the way to class and then find out the ins ...

Coloring With Thirds

March 7th, 2018 at 8:33 am EDT

Hey Friend, It’s easy to take music at face value -- to just listen without really hearing. As musicians, part of our job is to recognize how the tapestry of notes and beats are creating a story for the listener and moving them through. We’re ...

To Err is Normal (For ME)

March 4th, 2018 at 9:08 am EDT

Hey Friend, So I mentioned in the last email that I wished the interval pattern in the riff example “Open Arms” (Journey) was a perfect fifth, but it is not. Simple Riff 7 Exercise PDF Simple Riff 7 Exercise MP3 Remember, an “interval” is ...

Perfect Fifth Exercise Breakdown

March 2nd, 2018 at 8:37 am EDT

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: Simple Riff 7 Exercise PDF ...

Just Like Blackbeard...

February 28th, 2018 at 8:35 am EDT

Hey Friend, Well, running with my hair on fire again! I put together a series of exercises giving examples of the perfect fifth interval being used in in various scenarios, but I’ll need to come back to it for the lesson. Simple Riff 7 Exercise ...

Another Easy Interval Pattern

February 25th, 2018 at 9:33 am EDT

Hey Friend, We’ve had a chance to see the octave interval pattern in action, so let’s turn our attention to the next pattern on the neck. The perfect fifth interval. Remember, we started looking at these intervals as a way to help you both lear ...

Cleaning Up After Myself

February 23rd, 2018 at 8:32 am EDT

Hey Friend, Well, Wednesday was a mess, yes? I got an email from my bud Michelle up in NYC, and after reviewing what I sent out, no wonder there’s some confusion! It’s like my brain went dyslexic all of a sudden. So I’m going to try to undo ...

How About That Octave?

February 21st, 2018 at 8:35 am EDT

Hey Friend, Sorry - I didn’t have a lot of time to write out any instructions, but here are some exercises demonstrating the use of the octave interval in songs. I tabbed out two songs in both half and full tempo so you can practice. Simple Riff ...

Friend, Practice These Patterns

February 18th, 2018 at 10:14 am EDT

Hey Friend, Okay, I lied. I told you I’d give you some examples of how to use various interval patterns today. But I don’t have examples ready. Yet. What I do have are some exercises that get your fingers used to how you would place them on t ...

Super Simple Guitar Patterns

February 16th, 2018 at 8:38 am EDT

Hey Friend, I know I might sound like a broken record, but understanding that patterns rule the guitar fingerboard (as well as music in general) will take you far. Because patterns are a very simple concept to understand, you can very quickly start ...