Tonic
The tonic is the first scale degree of a diatonic scale (for example, the major scale, is a diatonic scale). Sometimes it’s called the 1st… Read More »Tonic
Kenny Mann
How To Use Dominant 7th Chords
Dominant 7th chords are called “dominant” because they are a common substitution for the dominant chord in a song. The dominant chord being the 5th of the tonic or V.
A dominant 7th chord creates a little tension and they sound like they want to resolve to the tonic chord creating a V-I progression.Read More »How To Use Dominant 7th Chords
Amaj7
A Major 7th Open
“Signe” by Eric Clapton
Difficulty:Intermediate
NO PICK on this one guys and gals! It’s just too hard to play that way. The acoustic is in standard tuning. For a real challenge, play it on a nylon acoustic if you have one. Talk about a workout!Read More »“Signe” by Eric Clapton
Compressor
So what exactly is a compressor? A compressor is a signal processor that is used to reduce the dynamic range between the softest and loudest parts of the audio signal. Think of the sound of your guitar as a wave. There is a peak where it is at its highest level and a trough where it is at its lowest. In the example below you will see signal wave with two lines running through it. The upper line represents the highest peak you can go to before your signal distorts or clips. This we will call the ceiling. The lower line represents the quieter or lower part of the signal that either is inaudible or gets drowned out by the rest of the band playing. This we will call the floor.Read More »Compressor
Phase Shifter
Phase shifters are like flangers except they have multiple flanges going on at the same time and sometimes with no predetermined speed. Both are great additions… Read More »Phase Shifter
Drop D Chords
Drop D tuning is great, but playing chords requires some adjustment. This article contains several chord charts of chord voicings for drop D tuning.
Getting tuned to drop D is a simple endeavor. The low E string is tuned down one whole step to D. The rest of the strings remain the same. You’ll end up with a tuning that looks like this: D,A,D,G,B,E. This tuning provides a slightly deeper low end and enables you to play power chords with a single finger.
With these chord charts you’ll find various ways to play common drop D tuning chords. There are more voicings for each chord than you’ll probably ever need, but it’s fun trying playing them all! You never know, one of these voicings may spark something creative in you.Read More »Drop D Chords
Steal My Kisses by Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals
His most successful album to date, 1999’s Burn to Shine blended Harper’s fondness of ’20s jazz compositions and urban beatboxing, resulting in a clever and… Read More »Steal My Kisses by Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals
Flange
Flange was created by accident in a studio. It was found that if you played back a reel-to-reel tape of the guitar track and held up the… Read More »Flange