Welcome to the Technical Training course!
Please read this entire page before you start.
This course has been specially devised to assist you in making a massive increase in your technical ability within a short time.
If you continue to do the exercises in this course, you will continue to see benefits in your agility and fluency on the guitar; however, it is intended to act as an intensive boost to your push you through whatever blocks you are currently experiencing.
To get the most from the course, you should commit to practicing every day for 1 hour for the duration of the course. - We can show you what to do, but unless you do it, you will not see the benefits.
The exercises have been selected to be comprehensive but still targeted, and to be musically relevant.
If you continue to do the exercises in this course, you will continue to see benefits in your agility and fluency on the guitar; however, it is intended to act as an intensive boost to your push you through whatever blocks you are currently experiencing.
To get the most from the course, you should commit to practicing every day for 1 hour for the duration of the course. - We can show you what to do, but unless you do it, you will not see the benefits.
The exercises have been selected to be comprehensive but still targeted, and to be musically relevant.
Course Overview
This course is concerned with building both your soloing and chordal abilities.
Let's have a look at both of those areas. |
SoloingThe diagram opposite shows the learning process for melodic soloing. Have a quick look but don't worry you don't have to understand it 100% at this stage. It is called the 'Blues Scales Flowchart' because it deals with scale material.
If you are attending the course you will likely be at the 'Intermediate Stage'. There are three interconnected, complementary strands to development at this stage. They are Ear Training, Articulation, and Pattern Learning. All three skills are necessary to play blues solos. This course deals with the third strand - 'Pattern Learning'. The Lead Phrasing course deals with the first two strands. The main aim with our scale learning is to be extremely fluent in moving between all 5 patterns of the minor pentatonic. In order to do this, we will use not only vertical playing, but horizontal and even diagonal patterns. Rather than set unmusical speed-related goals, we will also integrate our scale practice with different rhythmic subdivisions and a counting system, so you can actually use the scales musically. |
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ChordsChords are as important to learn as scales, so they're included on this course.
Again, we have a flowchart showing the learning process. In this diagram there is no intermediate stage, 'mastery' in the context of the blues relatively simple when compared to other styles. This is because the blues is harmonically quite focused - you can't use too many chords or it will stop sounding like the blues, (and more like jazz). We will be working on the strand 'Advanced theory and Application'. The 'All Blues' works with the second strand - 'Practical/ Repertoire'. Our work will be mostly concerned with learning Dominant chords - 7ths, and 9ths, and some Minor chords. Not only this, but we will use these chords to learn and embed the CAGED system in our minds. The CAGED system is the way everything on the fretboard is laid out, so it is a principle which is extremely useful to know. The exercises given will help to make this system an effortless part of your playing. |
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