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Chord Inversions on the Staff

11/28/2014

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Ah... the dreaded staff.  Reading music on the guitar is not fun -- especially when it comes to chords.  But I need to start somewhere -- how about with inversions?
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With a standard chord, such as C major 7, the root is the lowest note, then the third, fifth and seventh follow sequentially as higher tones.  When we shuffle the order of these notes around, we get Inversions.  The 'first' inversion is moving the root above all other notes, leaving the third at the bottom.  If you see a bar with 'Cma7/E', the idea is to play this inversion.  Out loud, you would say 'C major seven over E.' 

For the second inversion, we bring the third above the root.  The root is now the second note down in the chord.  The root is the third note down on the staff with the third inversion.  If we invert the chord again, we have the same voicing.

Knowing inversions is handy for when you start moving towards voice leading.  'Voice leading' is when a  melody comes through very distinctly through chord changes.  This is generally accomplished by having the notes in a melody line follow in a relatively tight area on the fretboard or staff.

By knowing all the intervals of different chords, you are putting an essential tool in your bag for good voice leading.

Note that these notes are all bunched together -- these are 'closed voicings.'  When you have one of the notes outside the pack, that is where the 'drop 2' and 'drop 3' voicings come in.  When the second voice of a closed voicing is dropped an octave, that makes a 'drop 2' voicing.
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Closed voicings for the dominants are basically un-finger-able.  It is still a good idea to be able to 'see' them on the fretboard. The drop 2 voicings can all be fingered and are essential to learn.

Below, I mapped out drop 2 inversions for maj7, mi7, mi7-5, dom7, maj6, min6 and diminished chords on the staff and then plotted the fingerings.  It was a good exercise which you might try yourself on blank paper.
inversions_drop2_staff.pdf
File Size: 82 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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The Howard Roberts 'Superchops' Practice Routine

11/17/2014

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The Howard Roberts Superchops method involves a regimented practice routine of 30 minutes or more six days a week.

You can break your practice into three workouts.  Take a break between each workout -- get up stretch, meditate, visualize, refocus.

For each workout, record a rhythm track of chords on the beat, letting them sustain.  Then play over your backing track only with eighth notes at a speed where you will not make mistakes.  No phrasing -- just one note for every eight beats in a bar.

The first of the three workouts would be playing over one chord.  Find all the relevant arpeggios and practice them on different parts of the neck, strictly with eighth notes.  Record your work and tempo progress.

After a break where you get up and refocus, perhaps even visualize how you would like to play, record and play over a backing track with two chords.  Finally create a four bar sequence such as a 2-5-1 and play arpeggios over that.  Do this workout six days a week for 20 weeks.

In developing your three backing tracks, devise your last backing track first; e.g.

A-7 / D7 / Gma7 / Bb13

This is a major 2-5-1 with sub-dominant substitution Bb13 -- the 'money' chord.  The Bb13 is a tri-tone sub of the two chord with a G in it.  Since that is the most 'unique' chord, arpeggiating over this chord will be the focus of your FIRST vamp backing track.

Bb7 / % /

For the second backing track, add another chord to contrast the Bb13,  but move out of the Gma7 key center so when you come to the final progression you will have you shift your focus back again, e.g. the SECOND vamp backing track might be:

C-7 / Bb13

The THIRD and final backing track will be the original 2-5-1 you have been aspiring to:

A-7 / D7 / Gma7 / Bb13

What arpeggios to play

Bb7 / % /

Bb7
  • Bb7 arpeggio
  • Bb7 with a 9
  • D-7b5
  • Bb Mixolydian
  • B Melodic Minor
  • Bb Altered
  • Eb Harmonic Minor
  • Bb Lydian b7
  • Bb Major Pentatonic (R, 9, 3, 5, 13)
  • Eb Major Pentatonic (R, 9, 3, 5, 13)

C-7 / Bb7

C-7
  • EbMa7
  • G-7
  • C-7

Bb7
  • Bb7
  • D-7b5
  • F-7

A-7 / D7 / Gma7 / Bb13

A-7
  • A-7
  • A Dorian

D7
  • D7
  • C-7
  • D Mixolydian

Gma7
  • Gma7
  • B-7
  • G Ionian

Bb13
  • Bb7
  • F-7
  • Bb Mixolydian
  • F Melodic Minor


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Altered Dominants with Inversions

11/10/2014

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Here are some altered dominant fingerings with inversions where applicable.  
inversions_altered.pdf
File Size: 77 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


Here are some more chord homonyms (chords with the same sound, but different 'meaning'):

Dom7(b9):  You can place a fully dominant fingering one semi-tone above a root and you will get a rootless Dom7(b9).  Remember dominants invert every four frets with the same fingering, so you can slide this chord around very easily.

Dom7(b9b5) aka Dom7(b9#11): Placing the fifth of a dominant fingering one semi-tone above a root will give you a rootless Dom7(b9b5).  The other way to think of it is place a dominant fingering a tri-tone away from a root.  This is the 'tri-tone substitution.'

Dom7(b9#5): Placing the flat-third of a min7b5 (half-diminished) chord one semi-tone above a root will give you a rootless  Dom7(b9#5).
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    HI!

    I'm teaching myself jazz guitar... these are my notes.

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