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Mastering The Fretboard Through The Cycle of Fourths

August 30, 2019 By Klaus Crow 6 Comments

In becoming an adept guitar player it is important to master the fretboard, learn all the notes on the guitar, and be able to move freely around the neck and play all your scales, riffs, licks, chops and solos in every key.

You can cultivate this by using and practicing your musical ideas through the cycle of fourths. For in depth explanation of the cycle of fourths check out How to Benefit from The Circle of Fifths and Fourths. In this post we are going into the practical side of things.

Let’s say you play a cool lick in the key of A (See example below). Now the next thing you do is move the lick up a fourth (up 5 frets) and play it in the key of D (A to D is a fourth), then play it in the key of G (D to G is a fourth), next in the key of C (G to C is a fourth), then the key of F (C to F is a fourth), next key of Bb (F to Bb is a fourth), key of Eb (Bb to Eb is a fourth), key of Ab (Eb to Ab is a fourth), key of Db (Ab to Db is a fourth), key of Gb (Db to Gb is a fourth), key of B (Gb to B is a fourth), key of E (B to E is a fourth), and back to the key of A (E to A is a fourth).

Below an example of how to move the lick through the cycle of fourths from A to D to G. You try to figure out the other keys. If you want to learn this lick in a videolesson check out Cool Acoustic Electric Blues Guitar Lick

Now you’ve passed through every key via the cycle of fourths. Practice this with your chords, triads, licks, arpeggios, scales, etc and you’ll discover it’s purpose and benefits. You will feel it’s different, akward and challenging to play the same lick, scale or exercise in other keys. You have to relearn that lick or scale a bit in various positions, because you have moved it up or down the neck.

Why and How to Stop Playing What You Already Know!

July 29, 2019 By Klaus Crow 1 Comment

There comes a stage in the guitar player’s journey where a faster learning curve emerges and a lot of progress is made. The guitar player is picking up things eagerly and easily. It’s a time of fun and flow.

There is also a time for a lot of guitar players when the learning slows down or stops all together. This usually happens during adulthood. Life gets busier and more demanding. Time to practice becomes frugal and priorities are going elsewhere.

Now whenever you pick up the guitar and the same old songs, riffs, licks and chops are coming out of your fingers and you are tapping from an unaltered rusty dusty guitar vocabulary something has got to change. You are stuck in a rut and often without even realizing it.

You get easily bored with the instrument, the practice, the excitement, the fun and challenge, because there is no real practice anymore, only repetitive playing. That’s the sign that you need to spice up your game.

The time has come to reinvent yourself. You have to stop playing what you already know. It’s time for learning new things, adding fresh flavours to your playing, taking the next step, or heading for a different road or approach.

Cool Acoustic Electric Blues Guitar Lick

July 4, 2019 By Klaus Crow 3 Comments

Today we’re going to learn a nice and smooth acoustic/electric blues guitar lick that you can add to your guitar licks vocabulary and use freely in your soloing and improvisation.

Blues licks are small soloing ideas that you can use and learn from. They are designed to expand and upscale your soloing skills. The licks are used in blues music but also in rock, country, jazz and other styles of music. The licks and styles are all intertwined.

I used to collect licks from every where and anyone. I always bought all the guitar magazines and videos there were available at the time and learn all the licks I could find. It was all about the cool licks. It was the fast way to learn and incorporate all the cool chops and techniques into my playing. Even now, I’m still looking.

You can play the blues lick in the video over an A7 chord, over an A7 Blues progression or blues shuffle. You can also transpose the lick to any key you like by moving the entire lick up or down the fretboard.

Enjoy!

How to Create Unshakable Guitar Habits

June 13, 2019 By Klaus Crow 6 Comments

Guitar habits, we want them, we need them, and we have to give them a place into our daily lives in order to reap the rewards of our efforts, to discover the boundless possibilities on the guitar neck, to learn the endless shapes and sounds and fulfil our vocation to the musicians life.

Guitar habits give you purpose, structure, growth and fulfilment. Its the habit that changes your life instantly, Its all about the process. You have to learn to enjoy not just the beauty and victory of your practice efforts, but also the struggle of the challenge you face. You have to enjoy the practice itself. Cultivate pleasantness in finding your way to make the guitar sound the way you want it. Be mindful, calm and focused on tiny improvements. It’s all about the tiny improvements that add up and move you towards an accomplished guitar player.

The Guitar habit sticks when not the goal but the proces has become your greatest friend. When you find a way to enjoy the process to the fullest, and learn to love and appreciate every aspect that comes your way you have created a friend for life. A beautiful, deeply embedded, musical and rewarding friend. The guitar habit.