Hi Efe and family! Wishing you guys a great week! Here is what to look at this week.

Em (E minor) pentatonic scale

Memorize the new frets added to this scale. — This Google Drive shows the frets.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1faNAHa6PfakFLpwZRjcAnOtmbvmd74Os?usp=drive_link

Play with this scale over this backing track. The same as before. Slow Em Blues backing track

Experiment with:

  • Different speeds. There is no such thing as “too slow” for this.
  • Pull-offs
  • Palm-muting
  • Bending
  • Vibrato
  • Different rhythms
  • The limiting yourself rule. Take any set of rules to limit yourself with. For example, play only two notes. Yes, its boring; but 2 things will come out of that: 1, you will get creative with what cool things you can do with only two notes. You would be amazed at how much you can actually make with just two possibilities of notes. You’ll make things up that you never thought of, and that you never thought you could do. But you can. Don’t underestimate the possibilities of using only two notes. 2, if you really can’t resist the temptation to play other notes, then this is okay, too. Playing this limiting game will inevitably make your mind think of other cool possibilities of notes to play. Feel free to get creative with this :) This, too, is a fascinating thing to see. Let yourself do it and don’t be afraid!
  • And also the powerchords. Any of the notes of this scale on the lowest 3 strings (remember, we speak upside down in guitar :) can help you make a powerchord. The only one I want you to refrain from playing is the D5 chord; I haven’t explained that one yet. 

— For the 0-fret root note powerchords A5 and E5. They’re named with fives because this chord only has the fifth of that letter. In these two cases: a’s fifth is e, and e’s fifth is b. the 0, the 2, and the 2. Ideally use fingers 2 and 3 for each of those chords. 

— 3pm to 6pm type strumming. Remember: this is mostly because of follow through. — IF it’s not too uncomfortable, have your finger 3 touch the string below it. It will mute the string below. So, hitting four strings at once is now something you can do, since the fourth string won’t ring. 

You don’t have to do all of the techniques listed here. But what I do want you to do is spend 15 minutes on the 2-notes-only game. Then 15 minutes on the game wherein you start with 2 notes, but allow yourself to play other ones if you feel the urge to do so.

Have fun with it!

A different guitar

As I explained, I strongly encourage you to go and get a guitar that is both smaller and has nylon strings. The current guitar has too many drawbacks that are preventing Efe from being able to progress efficiently. It is good for him to practice bending and vibrato, which a nylon string guitar would indeed not be a helpful guitar for. But besides that, its strings are just too heavy to be able to play most things we’ll be covering in class. Including Smells Like Teen Spirit.

The options you could look for:

Acoustic nylon string guitar

  • Nylon strings — these are light compared to the steel strings
  • Usable for multiple genres of music
  • Good for long term pedagogical use — that is, it’s technically a better choice in terms of being able to play in (some) more genres. Things like classical and flamenco music are playable on this instrument. The electric guitar won’t be as good for this. 

Electric guitar

  • Varying gauges of steel strings — start with “nines.” (The music stores will know what you mean if you say this.) This is one of the most common gauges of strings and they’re quite light to play on.
  • Bends and vibrato are much more doable.
  • Great for additional effects to play with; like pedals and harmonics.
  • Good for long term use in the following genre groups: rock, jazz, country. There are many, many sub-genres of these three groups. So this type of guitar is great for all of these things; it just won’t be able to fulfill all the needs that classical and/or flamenco music need.
  • Knowing you, Efe, I think you are more interested in these types of music rather than classical or flamenco music.

For now, you don’t need a guitar that has more than 19 frets.

The music store I go to is called Snider School of Music, and it’s just north of Yonge and Lawrence. 3225 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4N 2L3

This store may still give the option of giving them the guitar to be sold, through which you’ll get the majority of that money when the guitar is sold. 

Their prices are usually cheaper than chains like Long & McQuade. Plus, if you get one that’s used, it will be even cheaper.

Renting a guitar is another option.

If getting a different guitar is not possible right now, the I understand. If this is the case then I’m going to think of a new solution.

Smells Like Teen Spirit — I have purposely left out Smells Like Teen Spirit this week, as it is not a reasonable thing to practice with your current guitar.

This was an awesome class today, Efe. Make sure you have fun with these improvisation games! See you in a week!