Overcoming
Limits on the Guitar
It is common for student
guitarists to feel frustration and a sense of
limitation
unlike what is experienced by other instrumentalists.
The irony is that contrary to how
it may seem, the guitar is likely the single most
unlimited
musical instrument ever created for many reasons and
in many ways.
Unlike the keyboard, woodwinds, or most
other music tools, there are
a multitude of tuning options and
construction configurations. Also hundreds of different instructional
methods exist for guitar study, each with a different approach from one
another.
The best way to overcome your limits on the guitar is to take
advantage of its unlimited potential to make
music by
learning every single note on
the instrument from top to bottom, on every string.
Yes this can be a challenge, but
in order to master playing the guitar it is a must!
If you don't already, take time each
day to learn the notes on every string, horizontally
(across the
fingerboard) one at a time. A great way to reinforce this task is
to practice playing any
positional exercise (ie: learning a new scale) up
and down each string individually.
The dual benefit of this strategy is
that when you learn guitar horizontally
it also opens up the melodic
potential of the instrument far greater than does
vertical (top to
bottom of the neck) playing.
Always take the time to find both paths
when you do your studies,
for this pays extraordinary dividends over the
long haul.
By doing so, you will be better
positioned to realize how limitless
the potential of the guitar is for
making music.
Just by using a "standard"
tuned six-string guitar, the musical potential is endless.
There are so many potential inversions
to most chords, and most melodic lines
can
be duplicated in several positions on the fingerboard.Use this to your advantage, not as a
detriment.
The deeper you look into the guitar, the more its
unlimited potential becomes obvious.
To become a great guitarist you cannot
be afraid to look into the instrument so that
you
know every single note and understand their relationships to one another
on the fingerboard.
This takes desire, dedication, and time.
There are very few shortcuts that do
not lead to dead ends.
Quite frankly, if you do not learn all
of the notes on the guitar you will be limited forever.
Guitarists will often experiment with alternate
tunings to overcome the physical limitations of
creating certain chords, sounds,
or styles
on the instrument.
Such experiments are beneficial and reveal much insight
into the guitar's nature.
Much great music has resulted from
alternate tunings experimental studies.
Whether you play standard or alternate
tuned six or seven string, right or left-handed guitar
the probably the
best tool for learning all of the the notes on the instrument
is the M.A.M.I. Musical Scale Atlas reference text series.
It is the only complete guitar
reference book that includes fingerboard note charts fingerboard
interval
charts, as well as modal, chordal,plus harmonic diagramming along with
descriptive theory text.
These are in addition to sample harmonic and
melodic progressions for 45 essential
scales for all 12 musical roots. I
have included a link to get your free 140 page
Once you familiarize yourself with its
unique format, it will really help you save time
learning the notes on the
instrument and with finding scales, chords, and modes
-
more
on the M.A.M.I. Scale Atlas concept
M.A.M.I.
Music Scale Atlases frequently asked questions...
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what they have said...
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your free 135 page M.A.M.I. Scale Atlas sample plus ordering info
Check
out our some of our pages to dig deeper into the Matrix Approach
concept...
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