Rhythm Primer Volume Two
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
| Q | I have been playing guitar for several years now, but I have good bit of trouble keeping in time and I forget where I'm at in the tune that I am playing. What books will help me with this? |
| A | "1st Steps for a Beginning Guitarist" should help you with the time and counting problems. Students frequently have problems with rhythm and coordination. A combination of understanding rhythm, applying it in a real music situation and working on exercises to develop an ability to play various rhythms can help a lot. Therefore along with "1st Steps" I would recommend "Rhythm Primer." If possible spend 20 minutes on each book each day. It's very important that you use the audio files for both books found on the muse-eek.com website. By hearing the sounds you see on the page it will give you an aural memory of the sound. It will be tough going for a while but if you stick with it you will see improvement. |
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| Q | When doing the rhythm exercises in the rhythm primer book, should I start by only playing to a metronome? Or should I try to play along with the recording? |
| A | I would play the exercises in Rhythm Primer using both methods. Maybe divide it up so you do one page with the the metronome and then try it again with the midifiles from the website. |
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| Q | I can't see the neccesity of the Rhythm Series (Primer and Volume One, Two, Three). Isn't rhythm something different creative musicians make up themselves? Do we really need specific guidelines on every detail of playing the guitar? I mean, isn't playing the guitar supposed to be fun, rather than all theory? |
| A | The
rhythm books are used to teach you how to read music and to expand your
rhythmic palette. When you are just starting out with music, many times
it's hard for students to see why different types of practicing is
important. I'm sure the time will come when you open up a music book
and want to play the notes written on a music staff. At that point you
will need to know how to read rhythm. The other thing to keep in mind
is that students don't just naturally develop the ability to play many
complex rhythms. Many times a method has to be used to fix and
understand certain rhythms and fix coordination problems. "Do we really need specific guidelines on every detail of playing the guitar?" Most students that contact me want as much information as they can get to make sure they are learning correctly. For most students some things come natural and they do it right for others there are problems at every step. Since I'm not there to check your technique, rhythm, ear training, time, music theory and general musical expression I have no choice but to recommend as many things as I think will help. Music is suppose to be fun and along with the technical assignments I'm figuring you are going to be "noodling" around, learning other music, jamming and doing the things you like about the guitar. These are all important too but usually students do this without me having to specify how and when to be creative and have fun. |
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| Q | I'm
58 years old with some musical training a very long time ago: I took
piano lessons for 8 years as a child & played oboe for 3 years in
high school. Despite all those years of lessons, I can hardly play
piano now. Recently my son's school started a parent chorus (12 other amateurs led by the head of the music department-no auditions were required! -it's really great to sing in a group!). I bought Fanatic's Guide and Ear Training One Note (complete). I am progressing slowly. I can reliably sing "do" and now I'm working on "mi". As far as recognizing the notes, I'm pretty poor, although occasionally I feel completely certain of a note and when that happens, I'm almost always right. Even though I do not feel I've made much progress, I find that once I've learned a harmony part, I can sing it in tune and not be influenced by hearing the other parts. I could not do this before I started practicing with your CDs. (I practice the harmony part with your Fanatic's CD playing the drone in the key of the piece-if this is not a good idea, please tell me!) My goal is to be able to improvise harmony in social singing, e.g. around a campfire, also to sight read well enough to sing the alto/second soprano parts. Now I feel the need for better rhythm skills, both reading & feeling it. Syncopation is very hard for me (although I can get it if I practice enough). I also feel that I do not have much of a sense of rhythm. Which of your books do you recommend for a complete beginner? I prefer something that already has the CD with it, although I think my son could make a CD from something downloaded. |
| A | Thanks
for contacting me. Sounds like your just getting started with the Ear
Training. Just keep in mind that changing your perception of sound can
take time. So try to practice each day and you will see improvement
over time. It's fine if you want to sing melodies or harmonies over the chord vamps just remember that over time you want to get to the point where you can hear the relationship of the notes you are singing against the key. I have a whole course in rhythm. These books do not come with CDs but they do have midifiles which can be downloaded on-line. These files will allow you to hear each rhythm exercise. These files of course help students studying on their own and check each exercise against the audio file. I would suggest you start with the book Rhythm Primer. This book has a whole practice schedule laid out at the beginning of the book. If you need more direction let me know and I'll help you out. |
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| Q | I came across your books on amazon and then found this site. I have been playing for about 18 years and have a good ear but I don't know how to sight read and I don't really have the notes on the fretboard memorized. I feel left behind and would love to be able to pick up sheet music and read it. I'm so sick of not knowing how to read. Shame on me. So, which book would be best for me? I want to be a great sight reader and have the patience and resolve to do it. |
| A | Thanks
for contacting me. I would recommend you start with 3 books. Single String Studies for Guitar Volume One Rhythm Primer LINES Sight Reading and Sight Singing Exercises. Rhythm Primer is the beginning of the Rhythm Series of books. You would follow Rhythm Primer with: Rhythms Volume One Rhythms Volume Two Odd Meters There are further books but if you can get through these you will be in pretty good shape. I recommend you spend 1 hour a day reading. I would spead 10 minutes on the 3 books I've recommended and then try to get some music from your local library and read that for the last 1/2 hour. In the next few months I will be starting a paid access section of Muse-eek.com where you will be able to download music to sight read. This could take the place of your local library. I suggest you take advantage of this when it happens. |
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| Q | I have looked over your material on learning music and find that it looks good. I am a beginning adult musician. I think that my current level of playing (piano) will be most enhanced by doing rhythm training. You have a plethora of books on both time and ear training. What is your recommendation from your catalog for beginning with rhythm training. I have neither the time nor the money to do ear training and rhythm at the same time. I have good internet access. |
| A | I think the best place for you to begin is with Rhythm Primer. Follow the directions given in the book and make sure to use the midifiles found on the muse-eek.com website under the books title. These midifiles will allow you to hear each exercise as you work on it, thus letting you know when your are correct. |
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| Q | Thanks
for replying to my earlier messages. I have just received Rhythm Primer
and there is a term on page ix that I don't understand. The book
mentions that it works through '9 rhythms' in '4 metric levels.' Excuse
my ignorance but what is a metric level? And should I be able to spot
what the 9 rhythms are? Also, when is a tie used to extend the duration of a note and when is a dot used? Will the other books in the Rhythm Series that I have on order explain this? Sorry to be a nuisance; I know that you must be extremely busy with recording, gigging, teaching and writing so I will try not to bother you again! |
| A | No
Bother! I'd rather you understand what you are doing. The nine rhythms
refer to the nine ways you can divide up one beat without using rests
or ties. So here they are: quarter 2 eighths triplet 4 sixteenths eighth, 2 sixteenths 2 sixteenths, eighth sixteenth, eighth, sixteenth dotted eighth, sixteenth sixteenth, dotted eighth These values could be done on 4 practical rhythmic levels. Basically it's the same rhythms just written out at a different time value. Below I've started with a whole note. If you sped the note values up below to 4 times as fast they would sound the same as the values above. whole note two half notes half note triplet 4 quarters half note, 2 quarter 2 quarters, half note 1 quarter, half note, 1 quarter dotted half note, quarter quarter, dotted half note So to get the 4 metric levels you would write out the 9 basic rhythms, start with a whole note, half note, quarter, eighth Your question "when is a tie used to extend the duration of a note and when is a dot used?" is pretty much impossible to answer given the many different types of rhythms there are and metric levels. I would say the best thing to do is read the "Learning the Read Rhythm" file found in the "member's area." This along with reading through the books in the Rhythm series will help you see the many ways a rhythm can be express by notation. Remember there are many ways to write the same rhythm in music. Overtime you will get so you instantly recognize these patterns. |
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| Q | I have been playing guitar for a number of years but decided to begin filling in my theory background with 1st Steps for a Beginning Guitarist. I quite enjoyed that book and so I've just ordered Ear Training and look forward to its arrival. Here's my question: Occasionally I will attempt to transcribe a fingerstyle guitar piece from the recording. Sometimes I can get most of the notes but I would like to learn how to add measures and note durations to the TAB I've created. Do any of your books address this issue? |
| A | Learning
how to recognize and comprehend rhythms used in melodies requires some
previous training. First you need to understand how rhythms are written
out. There is a file in the member's area which explains the basic of
rhythm and how to write out various types of rhythm. Just reading this
file and listening to the audio files will not solve your problem
though. You need to develop your recognition of rhythms written on a
page and also learn and internalize what they sound like. I would recommend you start working through the rhythm series of books in order to gain this ability. The rhythm books have midi files with them so you can play along with a file. This will help you know if you are playing the rhythms correctly. But remember in order to get to the point where you can tell what rhythm is being played when you are transcribing you would need to internalize many types of rhythms. This is not an overnight process. I would suggest a good six months of work with rhythm books would certainly help. I would suggest you start with the Rhythm Primer book if you want to get started on this process. I should also mention that when people write out the rhythms used in melodies and improvisations they usually approximate the rhythm. This gets into a pretty deep subject but let me just say that when a human plays a melody the notes they play are not perfectly in rhythm all the time. Therefore when writing out the rhythms the transcriber will approximate the rhythm used. It is possible to write out the rhythm in many instances but these rhythms become so complex that it is a common practice to approximate the rhythm in order to make reading the rhythm easier. I hope this helps in your understanding. I wish I had an easier answer for you but rhythm takes as long to develop as scales, ear training or any other aspect of music. |
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| Q | I
have obtained the following books: Guitar technique (thanks for the email version) Guitar clinic Music Theory Workbook for Guitar Vol 2 ET one note complete Fanatic's Guide to Sight Singing and Ear Training Rhythm primer Rhythms Vol 1 Single String Studies Vol 1 Chord Workbook Vol 1 Rhythm primer: started working assignments on page xxi. These are not difficult for me, but the faster tempos (whole note = much above 60) seem excessive in that by that point I think I have gotten what I need out of the exercise from a reading standpoint. ET one note: I read through the book and understand what you are saying. I was on the road in the car a lot this week with the first CD on random play. What a blast! I get more than 80% right overall, but have particular problems with b5, b7 and the highest register for some unknown reason. I'm working on it. Fanatic's guide: I can sing 1, 3 and 5 in all keys and am working on the other diatonic tones. Let me also say that I am deeply impressed by your scholarship and dedication. I have been teaching and studying for years and have never seen such a comprehensive and well-thought-out method. I could use some guidance through this vast forest of material. What next? |
| A | The
reason for the faster tempos in Rhythm Primer is to get your eye moving
quickly across measures of music. Don't underestimate the importance of
this. You should also check out the file on beat reading found in the
member's area. This is closely related to training your eye to move
ahead of the music which is key to sight reading. As far as the other books first check out the modal sequencing information found in the Guitar Clinic and the Applying music theory in the member's area. As mentioned before I want you get all 19 scales listed on the www.arnoldjazz.com music workshop website down in all keys from every degree. Remember we are just doing an introduction to all these scales they don't have to be fast but they need to be consistent and Gb major should be as strong as C major. We are working towards using the 19 modes as a warm up everyday. So you might for instance run through all 19 modes in one key from every degree for a warm up. This will take time to reach that point but sooner or later you should be able to do this in 20 to 30 minutes. But for now you want to make sure you know all of these scales by playing all of them in every key. You can also use flash cards to test yourself. Make the following flash cards: 1 set with list of all 19 scales 1 set with degress 1-7 1 set with all keys. Flip over one card from each set and play the scale. Along with these technical ways of working on the scales complete the exercises in Music Theory for Guitar Volume Two and play along with the vamps that are suggested for each scale type. Remember there are midifiles of these progressions on line at: http://www.muse-eek.com/books/mtwbforguit2/midi.html For sight reading you want to do this for 1 hour a day. Do 10 minutes out of each of the following books: Rhythm primer: try to do these as fast as possible Rhythms Vol 1: metronome on 2 and 4 read with a swing feel if you tap your foot do it on 1 or 1 and 3. Single String Studies Vol 1: One page a day move through the book by string. So first low E string in C major then A string in C major, D string in C major etc. Chord Workbook Vol 1: Learn one new chord progression a week. You can also find examples of me playing these progressions at: http://www.muse-eek.com/books/chord1/mp3.html Augment this time with reading out of books check out of the library or other sources. Remember to read as many types of music and manuscripts as you can find. Ear training continue as you have described, seems like your on the right track. If you have more questions let me know. I would like to move on past scales in a few months so try to get all the scales together. Study the concepts of modal sequencing and rhythmic variation that I have set forth in the member's area files and Guitar Clinic. |
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| Q | I tried playing the first 2 pages of the rhythm primer at whole note= 100. I could sort of do it, but there were a lot mistakes. So my question is this: when working on any of your rhythm books, should one keep working on the rhythms at a given speed until they are perfect-- even spending all ten minutes on just a few measures of an excercise-- or should one just try to work through them quickly doing a new exercise(s) every day |
| A | You should slow the tempo down until you get about 80% correct and don't get lost. You will speed it up over time. |
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| Q | I had emailed earlier asking which rhythm books I could get started on to work on this aspect of music. You had suggested Rhythm Primer, and the Vol 1 and Vol 2 books. I have purchased the Rhythm Primer book. But I think from looking inside the Rhythm Primer book, I will have plenty to keep me busy and working. How should I go about practicing these exercises? Although directions are given in the book, how can I incorporate it into my current schedule? Also, another question that arose: Do you feel it would be worthwhile to speak these rhythms (for instance how Indian percussionists do)? Like maybe sit down with a metronome, and in the same way one would play all the exercises with their instruments, speak them using either syllables or just counting the beats? Thanks for your continued willingness to help out on matters relating to practice! |
| A | I
had in mind that you would practice rhythms for about a 1/2 hour to an
hour a day. This is why I recommend more than one book to work out of.
You could just work out of Rhythm Primer for awhile and then move on to
the other books. That's not the way I usually do it but you certainly
could proceed that way. I think it is a good idea to sing the rhythms. You could also clap or tap the rhythms too. |
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| Q | You sort of answered this question in the email without me asking it, but if a vocalist looked at your Rhythm books, how would they go about working in your books? I'm asking because I know a vocalist that is interested in your books, but I wasn't sure exactly how one should go about practicing. Maybe just like you said, sing the rhythms or tap them. Would it be better for a singer to sing these rhythms just using one pitch? Or maybe for each exercise write out a melody (or possibly even the singing exercises in Fanatics?) using the provided rhythms and work from it using the Fanatics Guide CD in the background? |
| A | All
of your suggestions would work. I think any singer would first work
through the rhythm books by just singing the rhythms without adding in
a melody. The rhythms are not easy so they will need all their
concentration to get the rhythms right just singing one note. It
actually will help to develop perfect pitch too, so the singer should
make sure they are in tune with each note they use. To help with this
Perfect Pitch ear training I would only use one pitch for each book. Once they finish the books they could also follow any of your suggestions to improve there use of pitch and rhythm together. |
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| Q | I'd like a little advice on what books to purchase. Right now, I am a beginner. I am working through Hal Leonard's Play Guitar Today series which basically teaches the user to read in 1st position, a little in 5th position, delves into chords a bit, technique, and a bit on theory (scales, etc). After I complete those books, I want to keep up my studies. I've been looking at Leavitt's Modern method for guitar, David Oakes's music reading for guitar, Leavitt's Reading studies for guitar, and of course your books. What I want to do is to keep developing my ability to read music on the guitar but to further my knowledge in theory as well. I want to know how (and to recognize when) to read in different positions, recognize things like different keys, develop my knowledge of scales, things of that nature. Single String studies piqued my interest. Will this book teach me reading, position changing, how to transpose, things like that? What about proper rhythm, time signature and music notation? Does SSS cover these things? How far up the fretboard will SSS take me? |
| A | Thanks
for contacting me. I've given you a pretty comprehensive look at
studying guitar. I'm sure it will be overwhelming but take some time
and study what I've said. Most importantly, if you do decide to get
serious about this and start working from my recommendations, build up
your practice time slowly over a few months. Don't just jump in and
overwhelm yourself. Throughout this email I'll make some recommendations for books that will help you: 1. Learn read music on the guitar 2. Learn to read in different positions, 3. Recognize things like different keys 4. Develop your knowledge of scales 5. Include additional suggestions and assignments I'll first make some comments of the books you mentioned. I'm not familiar with David Oakes's book. Leavitt's Modern Method and his sight reading books I both learned out of when I was at Berklee and taught from when I taught at Berklee. I have to say I'm not totally in love with these books and that's one of the main reasons I wrote my own methods. I would say in general it is good to own and have worked through Leavitt's books because it does show you how to develop reading in one position and gives you little reading exercises, shows you the 5 position scales. On the other hand: 1. I don't believe reading in position is always the best thing to do. As a professional guitarist most music I play is not stay in one diatonic key so the position play is a hindrance rather than a help. Of course if all you every play is diatonic music position playing is fine. 2. I think learning scales in only 5 positions isn't the total picture. I teach scales starting in all 7 positions with 3 notes on every string. I find this method helps to open up the guitar fretboard in a more linear fashion. You can download my scales for free at http://www.arnoldjazz.com/workshop/wslinks.html#SCALES 3. Leavitt's book does teach you about scales, chords and music theory. But honestly, just because you read something in a book doesn't mean you know it the way you will need to use it. It's kind of like if you read a book about speaking French and it explained all the words and how they are put together into sentences. You still wouldn't be able to speak French because you need to apply and use the information. This is were the Leavitt books fall short because once your at Berklee College they give you the exercises to help you apply the information. I guess they feel if they include this information in book form students wouldn't have any need to go to the school. This of course would be short sighted because Berklee can add so much more to your education but most students don't think that deeply. So this brings me to what I would recommend. I'm going to give you a rather large list here so don't think I'm just trying to get you to buy a million books I just want to set out a course of study for you over the next few years so you can develop into a great guitarist. The amount of this that you can work through at any given time will depend of how much time you have to practice everyday. To develop yourself I think you need to explore the following things: 1. Make sure your guitar technique is correct so you don't go off learning a bunch of stuff only to find later that your technique was flawed and have to start over. 2. Develop you ability to play any chord and read through chord charts that either give you chord voicings or chord symbols 3. Develop your music theory in relation to understanding all commonly used chords and scales and have a working knowledge of this information on the guitar fretboard. 4. Develop your knowledge of the fretboard in conjunction with reading music in time. 5. Develop your overall sight reading skills. 6. Develop an ability to play and apply all the scales you need for improvising which will also help with your overall technique and sight reading skills. Now here are the books I would recommend for each of the points above. I've also given you a more detailed explanation below. These books would be what I would begin with: 1. Guitar Technique ebook 2. Chord Workbook for Guitar Volume One 3. Music Theory Workbook for Guitar Volume One and Two 4. Single String Studies for Guitar Volume One 5. LINES Sight Reading and Sight Singing Exercises 6. Rhythm Primer Here is a more detailed explanation with practice tips: 1. Get Guitar Technique ebook so you can see how to play correctly with both hands. 2. Get Chord Workbook for Guitar Volume One. Start learning the chords cycle 5 as suggested in the book and as soon as possible start learning the chord progressions in the back of the book. You want to learn both the chord symbol and chord voicing examples for each exercise. You can also find examples of me playing these progressions at: http://www.muse-eek.com/books/chord1/mp3.html 3. I would recommend working through both Music Theory Workbook for Guitar Volumes One and Two. I'd do a page out of each book a day if possible. This course of study will take you about a year but you will know all chord types everywhere on the guitar and all of the important scales used in music 4. Single String Studies will help you develop your knowledge of the fretboard in conjunction with reading music in time. Keep in mind that this book is hard and will take you some time before you can play any of the exercises completely correct. Most students find they have to work through this book at least two times before things start to click so be patient. Start with metronome on 60 and give yourself two clicks for each note. The first exercises are all on one string. I would recommend going through the book as follows: C major low E string exercise C major A string C major D string C major G string C major B string C major high E string Then start the process over in the key of F. Do the all strings study after completing all single string studies. Try to work towards not looking at the fretboard but feeling where each note is. 5. LINES would be a good book to get you reading in all keys. Read first four pages of each key as fast as possible. Half equals 132 would be a good place to start. Once you work through the book start reading the 2 note examples at a slower tempo like quarter equals 60. I would work on these two exercises through all keys in this book. Try to do one key a week. 6. Rhythm Books First you need to understand how rhythms are written out. There is a file in the member's area which explains the basic of rhythm and how to write out various types of rhythm. You need to develop your recognition of rhythms written on a page and also learn and internalize what they sound like. I would recommend you start working through the rhythm series of books in order to gain this ability. The rhythm books have midi files with them so you can play along with a file. This will help you know if you are playing the rhythms correctly. Start with Rhythm Primer and follow the directions given in the book. Overtime you want to work through the following rhythm books to fully develop your sight reading skills. The books are in order: Rhythm Primer Rhythms Volume One Rhythms Volume Two Odd Meters Rhythms Volume Three Contemporary Rhythms Volume One Contemporary Rhythms Volume Two Scales Remember we are just doing an introduction to all these scales they don't have to be fast but they need to be consistent and Gb major should be as strong as C major. You need to go to www.arnoldjazz.com and the music workshop and download the 19 scales. You want to learn a new scale each week. You are going to first work your way through all the C modes so first C major all positions then C dorian positions etc. Remember we are learning note names and degrees here not just fingering positions. I would pay close attention to your technique and look in a mirror to check out your hand. Reference the Guitar Technique book and be anal about this because the more relaxed and close to the neck your hand is the better you are going to play. You also want to spend time playing/improvising with thes scales. Use the midifiles and progressions connected to the book or create your own. Download the applying music theory article from the member's area this will give you other ideas on sequencing scales. You can also use the midifile from the 2nd Music Theory book which are downloadable at: http://www.muse-eek.com/books/mtwbforguit2/midi.html You can also use flash cards to test yourself. Make the following flash cards: 1 set with list of all 19 scales. 1 set with degrees 1-7. 1 set with all keys. SIDE NOTE: Augment reading out of these recommended books with books that you check out of your local library or other sources. Remember to read as many types of music and manuscripts as you can find. SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION If at some point you want to study reading like a freshman majoring in music here is the assignments and books given for any student entering NYU as a jazz guitar major: 1. Go to the member's area and download the file 'beat reading.' Find some music at home or from a local library and do the beat reading 10 minutes a day. 2. Rhythm Primer: start with first pages. You want to work these exercises up to a very fast tempo. I'm talking like 120 bpm for a measure (so a whole measure goes by in one beat of the metronome). Obviously your not going to start there but start where your comfortable and speed up the exercise each day. Read from this book for 5 minutes then move on. Just one page a week. 3. Rhythms Volume One: Three pages a week. First read through the 3 pages. Over time you want to start using the metronome on beats 2 and 4 rather than every beat or 1 and 3. Isolate the measures you have problem with after reading all the way through and work on them. Do this for 10 minutes. 4. Rhythms Volume Two is the same as Volume One except you will use the metronome on every beat. 5. Single String Studies for Guitar Volume One can drive ya nuts so be patient with this book. One page a week, don't look at the fretboard, use the midifiles on the muse-eek.com website to let you know if you are correct or not. Start REAL slow. Don't worry if you make a lot of mistakes this will improve overtime. Make sure you're standing when you work with this book. This should be 5 to 10 minutes of practice. You want to move through the book by keys so first do low E string in C then A string in C, etc.. 6. LINES will be one key a week (10 pages). Obviously you will be able to read through the first 4 pages much easier than the pages with double stops etc. If you have to play the multiple note chords really slow that's totally cool. You'll see over time you'll just start to remember the shapes. Should be about 10 minutes of practice. 7. As you get better with the reading you also want to add in reading just any kind of music you can find and vary it as much as you can. I'm working on a new section of the website with downloadable pdfs of music to sight read but this may be awhile. EVEN MORE INFORMATION This is the assignment sent out to NYU guitar students to prepare for entry into NYU Assignments: Suggested Work for entry into NYU performance program You want to read one hour a day. 10 minutes or so from each of these books. If you have time left over read classical music, transcribed solos and any other music you can find. It is good to look at lots of different types of scores to train your eye to deal with multiple manuscript styles. 1. Chord Workbook for Guitar Volume: learn one chord progression starting on page 107 a week (use a swing/blues feel). Use metronome markings from book but make them half notes rather than quarters so the progression on page 107 would be a half note equals 80. Put the metronome on 2 and 4. You will be expected to play the progression by yourself and also solo over these changes while someone else comps for you. Learn to read chord voicings for this chord progression which is located on page 131. We usually do the reading of the actually chord voicings slower so say half note equals 60. You should go to the address below to hear me playing these progressions so you know what I'm looking for: http://www.muse-eek.com/books/chord1/mp3.html 2. Rhythms Volume #1 Read 3 pages a day, play rhythms on one note at half equals 80, metronome will be on 2 and 4. This will be with a swing feel. You can hear some examples at: http://www.muse-eek.com/books/rhythm1/mp3.html We are shooting for a half note equals 120 with this book. Start where you are comfortable but always have the metronome on 2 and 4. If you are going to tap your foot tap it on 1 and 3 or not at all. 3. Rhythms Volume #2: 3 pages a day, play rhythms on one note. We are shooting for quarter equals 120 with this book. Start where you are comfortable. Metronome should be quarter notes. You should tap your foot with the quarters or not at all. 4. Single String Studies for Guitar Volume #1: Read one page a week and be patient with yourself this is a hard book, play exercise on one string, start somewhere at around quarter equals 50 with the metronome on each beat. Try not to look at the neck to find notes. You can find audio files to help you make sure you are playing correctly at: http://www.muse-eek.com/books/sst1/midi.html 5. Rhythm Primer Pages 3 Pages a day. These are easier rhythms so the idea is to get your eye moving through music quicker so shoot for a whole note equals 200 on the first 6 pages or so. Once you get into the eight note studies slow the metronome down to around a half equals 120. 6. LINES: Read first four pages of each key as fast as possible. Half equals 132 would be a good place to start. If that is fine then start reading the 2 note examples at a slower tempo like quarter equals 60. I would work on these two exercises through all keys in this book. Try to do one key a week. ********************* Jury requirements: I'd like you to get through the 19 most commonly used scales in improvising. You can find a list with fingerings at: http://www.arnoldjazz.com/workshop/wslinks.html#SCALES All keys all degrees. Learn it by the notes not the patterns. Technique is extremely important here so if you can send a video before starting that would be great. I would learn the scales all in one key and then move to another so. C major then C dorian then C phrygian. etc... The learn them all in F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, B, E, A, D, G. Use flash cards to check yourself so: 7 cards for degrees of scale (there are 6 and 8 notes in some of the scales but just use 7 cards) 12 cards for the keys 19 cards for the modes You turn over a degree card it says 5th You turn over a key card and it says Gb You turn over a mode card and it says Dorian b2 So you play a Gb Dorian b2 scale from the 5th. These scales do not have to be fast but should be played consistently from beginning to end without stopping. ************************* Ear Training: Get: Ear Training One Note Complete Fanatic's Guide to Ear Training Follow the concepts laid out in the book. Go to the muse-eek.com website and read the FAQs. http://www.muse-eek.com/books/ET_1_note_complete/eartrngfaq.html http://www.muse-eek.com/books/fanaticsguide/lower.html Try to do work out of both of these books about 5 times a day for about 10 minutes. It would actually be a great idea to get these two books soon. The ear training process takes quite a while. Email me if you have questions. If you can get a head start on this stuff it's going to make a major difference in your ability and your work-load at NYU. As I'm sure you know it's hard to find time to practice when you are in school so getting some of this basic stuff together before hand will help us concentrate on the hipper stuff. |
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| Q | Rhythm
Primer (consecutive downs) 1 & 2 & 3 4 & d u d u d d u 1 & 2 3 & 4 1 & 2 3 & 4 d u d d u d d u d d u d This is what some of my other music books show. If this is wrong then that means that sometimes a strong beat ie 3 gets an upstroke? I can play synchronized both hands quickly ala Dimeola but to do this was like trying to run using the left leg twice and then the right. Confused |
| A | The
picking patterns you are showing are most commonly used for playing
scales: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & d u d u d u d u is used for playing scales that are either 3 notes per string or a combination of 2 and 3 notes per string. You can also play these scales with: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & u d u d u d u d In other words you don't have to use a down stroke just because it is a down beat. The picking pattern below is used mostly for playing 3 notes per string scales: (see http://www.arnoldjazz.com/workshop/wslinks.html#SCALES ) When the scale is ascending you play 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 d u d d u d d u d When the scale is descending you play 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 u d u u d u u d u None of these picking pattern have much of anything to do with the book Rhythm Primer where I would just recommend using alternate picking starting with either a down or up stroke. Rhythm Primer as you know is all played on one pitch and while the whole Rhythm Book Series is great for developing fast right hand technique it is all about making your movement as small as possible on one string using alternate picking. |
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| Q | I
had multiple tendonitis, and other muscle inflammation in arms, neck,
back and shoulders, and some nerve damage (from prolonged compression).
So it was a multi-dimensional problem coming not just from bad guitar
technique, but many other areas such as bad posture in daily life, bad
diet, not enough water, stress, computer use, other uses of the hand
that contributed to it. But bad guitar technique was definitely one of
them. Over the 6-7 months that I was not able to touch the guitar, I
eliminated most of my bad habits such as those mentioned above and it
really has made a big difference along with getting physical therapy. My old technique was as follows: right hand wrist rested on bridge with all movement coming from wrist, and left hand wrist was bent much more than it should have been. Also, I pressed down with the left hand fingers much harder than is needed. Shoulders were also shrugged. But I have taken all this into consideration and worked with my therapist on correct technique and posture. By the way, she was very delighted to read your right hand technique book, especially for the fact that someone actually described how to move the arm and hand, not just say 'use alternate picking and practice slowly.' My main confusion is just where to start in getting back to playing. I am feeling much better now and am OK'd by the doctor to start playing again, but I just don't know where my focus should be. Unfortunately, it seems like coming back from injury puts one at rank beginner, if even that, because the risk of injury coming back is so great. One more thing I should mention is that about a year before this all started I really picked up the amount of time spent practicing to about 5-6 hours daily. So I'm sure going through 5-6 hours of practice with bad technique pushed things over the edge. So that's where I am as of now. By the way, I just wanted to say that I really, really appreciate you willing to help me out on this. Not only are your books great, but the fact that one can get in contact with you about questions is quite wonderful. |
| A | I
would recommend the follow path to get back up and running. Start with the Right Hand Technique book and do the beginning exercises for proper elbow movement and then work into the exercises for proper forearm movement. I would start off with shorter practice sessions so that you can make them very concentrated and secondly because many students notice pain after they stop practicing and not while they are practicing. You probably will only need a week or two on the elbow movement because this is just used to get you across the strings while the forearm movement is for actually picking the strings. Once you work up to it I would spend 1/2 hour a day on just right hand technique. You can also use the Rhythm Series of books to help develop your right hand technique. Start with Rhythm Primer and Rhythms Volume One. Remember that when you are changing your technique you are actually changing where your mind sends it's 'rhythm' signals so you need to work on a rhythm method to develop your rhythm in the new muscle groups. After a few weeks of forearm movement exercises I would add in the left hand. I would start with the scales found at: http://www.arnoldjazz.com/workshop/wslinks.html#SCALES Work 3 notes per string and use the techniques found in the Guitar Technique Ebook http://www.muse-eek.com/books/guitartech/lower.html To start the scales I want you to do an exercise to develop a light feel on the neck. I want you to start with the C major scale starting on the F on the low E string. Press on the F and pick 10 times as you slowly push the string onto the fret. On the 10th time the note F should sound out clearly. Continue up and down the scale in this manner. It will take forever to finish the scale but will help you develop a very light feel because you will know exactly how hard you need to push on each note to make it sound. I would spend a few weeks on this before moving on to playing the scales in a regular fashion. Once again develop this slowly with short practice sessions (10 to 15 minutes). You actually can put in as many 10 to 15 minute sessions as you want just so you wait an hour or so between sessions. Over time you can lengthen your sessions up to 20 minutes but I would make it a habit of taking at least a few minutes for break after 20 minutes as a general rule. When you feel up to it I would begin working with some chord exercises. I would start with the chord progressions found in the Chord Workbook for Guitar Volume One. Try to learn one progression a week. It you find you are pressing too hard with the chords, use the same scale/note pressing technique on the chords. |
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| Q | Lets
say each of the books/CDs of yours that I purchased are classes I am
taking at a University. In which order would my classes be and for how
long? I presently have all the time in the world for music, but unless
I have a daily road map I sometimes get loose discipline. With the One
Note and Fanatics I currently do each of them for 10 minutes one after
the other for 8-10 times a day because I can only take them in small
doses. So just insert 20 wherever in my routine that you think would be
good to work on them. I OWN: 1. One-Note Complete 2. Fanatics Guide 3. Music Theory Workbook One 4. Chord Workbooks One and Two 5. Rhythm Primer 6. Single String Studies 7. 19 Scales off of Arnoldjazz.com ** a lot of different style sheet music |
| A | You
want to build up to 6 to 10 hours a day. I would suggest doing this
over a years worth of time in order to change your current life style
and develop the mental and physical conditioning needed to work this
hard. The schedule is below: 1. One-Note Complete and Fanatics Guide: Do short 10 minute practice periods 10 minutes for each book, alternating throughout the day. 2. Music Theory Workbook One: Work up to doing 5 pages a day. I'd break this up into a few different sessions each day 3. Chord Workbook One: Learn one new chord progression a day with associated chords. Play both the exercises with notes only and with chord symbols. Also, work your way through the book learning all chords cycle 5. I'd work through 5 to 6 new chords per week. 4. Chord Workbook Two: Learn one new chord type per week. Be able to play all the chords up and down the neck for each chord type. After completing this you will then work on the chord progressions. 5. Rhythm Primer: Follow directions in book. Play a new page each day. Try to work the tempo up as fast as you can using directions in book. 6. Single String Studies: One page per week moving to a new string, same key, each week. Do not look at the guitar neck as you play, try to feel where the notes are. Use midifiles to check your accuracy. 7. You should really have: Rhythms Volume One and Two and LINES along with a lot of different style sheet music to complete your sight reading studies. I want you to read one hour a day from the books and various sheet music. Download Beat Reading from the member's area, rhythm studies, and apply to various pieces of sheet music each day. Spend about 15 minutes doing this. 8. Learn the 19 Scales off of Arnoldjazz.com in all keys. I want you to learn all 19 scales in one key each week. Hopefully you have checked out Guitar Technique ebook so you don't go through all of this with bad technique and then have to start over later. 9. You need to apply the scales to real music. Make loops or vamps each day and apply the scales. Also download the Applying Music Theory from the Muse Eek member's area for other scale ideas to try when you improvise. You should spend at least 2 hours a day applying the scales. Remember to build into this so you don't hurt yourself. Again please check out the ebook guitar technique so you don't do all this work in vain. |
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| Q | Could
you please help me choose an effective practice schedule? My musical
history: guitar playing for 12 years, graduate from a two-year jazz
studies degree in guitar performance. I have been working diligently on
the Beginner's One Note and Fanatic's Guide for about 2 months now. I
have worked on the major scale with success incorrectly using
resolutions such as re to do and la to so etc. I figured it out after
starting the non-diatonic notes and I saw that I was blatantly doing
this. So I will have to start again trying to make sure this habit does
not persist. Also I would like to learn to play the piano and I only have class piano lessons that I don't remember much of (I know you are a guitarist but I would like any suggestions you may have). I have a lot of music theory knowledge from school such as what scales go with each chord, chord substitutions etc. but I don't know any voicing on the piano accept what I build using my theory knowledge. One problem with my theory knowledge was based on scale degree recognition (by position) on the guitar and I have never memorized the names of the notes within the scale. I would also like to learn to read (I used to get by in rehearsals by my chord chart reading skills base on known chard shapes). All of this in a consistent two-hour a day. I am an electrical engineering student and this is what I have to offer my musical life. I would like the focus to be ear training (could you please tell me what exercises to focus on?). I feel that my ear should lead me to technique advancement because my technique (fingers and guitaristic patterns) have been leading me for years. |
| A | First
for the ear training I would listen to the One Note CD 5 times a day
for 10 minutes. You should space this out throughout the day. You can
even do other short 3-5 minute listens. Every little bit will help you
remember the sounds. In the Fanatic's Guide I'd start with the One Note
exercise. If you could do that for 10 minutes at the beginning, middle
and end of your practice session that would be great. For piano I'd highly recommend Roberta Piket's Jazz Piano Vocabulary http://www.muse-eek.com/books/piket_v1_major/lower.html She has one of the few books that gives you hip chord voicings along with lots of other information to get you playing the piano quickly. To help you learn what the notes are of every scale and where they are on the fretboard I'd recommend Music Theory Workbook for Guitar Volume Two. This will have you write out every scale on the music staff and on a guitar fretboard to help you learn it in a way that will be useful. I would also follow the links provided with this book to start learning the scales on the guitar. You will find PDF's and Videos to help you learn the scales properly. I would also get the ebook Guitar Technique so you can use the proper technique when learning the guitar. This is important stuff. If you use bad technique you will not improve past a certain amount. For sight reading I have a pretty big resource for this. To start out with I'd spend approximately 30 minutes sight reading. I'd work out of these books for 5-10 minutes a piece. Rhythm Primer LINES Chord Workbook for Guitar Volume One Single String Studies 1. Rhythm Primer: 3 Pages a day. Follow the direction in the book. 2. LINES: Read first four pages of each key as fast as possible. You want to strive to put the metronome on 2 and 4 when you read these pages. You may have to start with the metronome on every beat or on 1 and 3 if that's where your current ability is. In any case you always want to tap your foot either on 1 and 3 or on every beat if it is slow. I'd go through the book just reading the single note pages first, then start the book over reading the 2 note pages. Try to do one key a week. 3. Chord Workbook for Guitar Volume: Learn one chord progression starting on page 107 a week (use a swing/blues feel i.e. 1 and the and of 2). Use metronome markings from book but make them half notes rather than quarters so the progression on page 107 would be a half note equals 80. Of course play these pages slower if you have to and if you can put the metronome on 2 and 4. Learn to read chord voicings for this chord progression which is located on page 131. We usually do the reading of the actually chord voicings slower so you may have to read them out of time. You should go to the address below to hear me playing these progressions so you know what I'm looking for: http://www.muse-eek.com/books/chord1/mp3.html 4. Single String Studies for Guitar Volume #1: Read one page a week and be patient with yourself this is a hard book, play exercise on one string, start somewhere at around quarter = 50 with the metronome on each beat or slower if you need it. Try not to look at the neck to find notes. You can find audio files to help you make sure you are playing correctly at: http://www.muse-eek.com/books/sst1/midi.html I'd like you to get through the 22 most commonly used scales in improvising which are contained in the Music Theory Workbook for Guitar Volume Two. You can find a list with fingerings in the member's area under Help files for Scales All keys all degrees. Learn it by the notes not the patterns. Technique is extremely important here so if you can send a video before starting that would be great. I would learn the scales all in one key and then move to another so. C major then C dorian then C phrygian. etc... Then learn them all in F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, B, E, A, D, G. Use flash cards to check yourself so: 7 cards for degrees of scale (there are 6 and 8 notes in some of the scales but just use 7 cards) 12 cards for the keys 19 cards for the modes You turn over a degree card it says 5th You turn over a key card and it says Gb You turn over a mode card and it says Dorian b2 So you play a Gb Dorian b2 scale from the 5th. These scales do not have to be fast but should be played consistently from beginning to end without stopping. |
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| Q | I've
been working on your Rhythm Primer book and I'm almost through all the
exercises in the beginning level. When done should I go back and work
through the intermediate exercises next or move on to your other rhythm
books? Also, I've been doing all the exercises with a down pick stroke
on the down beats, should I do them in reverse also? (This book and the
Midi files have really helped me in reading music and recognizing some
of the rhythms I hear and imagine.) Re: Pre hearing notes: I've been working very hard on ear training and singing. I've gone through the one note complete and some of the two note series. I worked through the 5 note series. I started working on Lines and two songs you recommended. Then I developed a very bad cold and found I couldn't sing the notes and discovered that I had been relying on vocal placement a lot and particularly for the non-diatonic notes. This was very apparent when I tried to sing without a drone and I ended up off key. So, I've sort of started over. But this time really focusing on pre hearing. But I can only do it going very slowly, like quarter note equals 40 when sequences of non-diatonic notes occur. I need to rest between notes so I can hear the next one. For example, if I am singing Fi and the next note is Di I can't hear the Di until I stop singing. Is this normal? Should I be able to prehear notes while singing another note? |
| A | You
should do the Rhythm Primer and all rhythm books with alternate
picking. It shouldn't matter whether a note is on the beat or off you
just want to do alternate picking either starting with a down or up
stroke. You should go through the Rhythm Primer and try a few exercises
with the alternate picking. If it's OK then move on to the Rhythms
Volume One and Two book. If the alternate picking really causes you
problems then work your way through the Rhythm Primer again. You shouldn't worry about trying to pre-hear a note while singing another. Just stop singing and try to pre-hear the next note. You will find this whole thing speeds up over time. Overall it sounds like you are doing well by questioning your progress. |
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| Q | Here's
what I own: Music Theory Volumes 1 and 2 Jazz and Blues Bass Lines Comping Styles for Bass Single String Studies for Bass Volumes 1 and 2 Rhythm Primer Fanatic's Guide One Note Complete Big Metronome What kind of schedule would you recommend for someone who works two jobs and has a wife and three kids? I can give a committed hour everyday in addition to time in my car (delivery job). What would you recommend I do when I have additional time (very sporadic)? |
| A | In
your situation practicing in your head is the best solution. It is
common knowledge among classical musicians that you can learn a piece
of music or for that matter anything in music by visualizing it in your
head. Many classical musicians don't even play a piece on their
instrument before performing it live in front of an audience. You can
use this technique to help you work on music when driving a car or
waiting for a light to change. Of the books you have you could use any
of them to practice in your head. For instance you could think through
and finger in your mind any scale or arpeggio from the Music Theory
Books. You could memorize a bass line from the Jazz and Blues Bass
Lines or Comping Style book or you could work on hard rhythms from the
Rhythm Primer. You of course can listen to the ear training and sing
notes over the Fanatic's Guide CD as you drive. (You might want to get
a chromatic pitch instrument to help you check notes.) http://www.encoremusic.com/vocal/6630002.html Just remember that mental practicing is exhausting when you first start it. It takes months before you can do it for any length of time. As it develops you will find it to be the most efficient way to learn. I would then spend your hour or instrument practicing playing the things you have mentally practiced or use the time to improvise with the scales you are learning in the Music Theory Workbook for Guitar Volume Two. |
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| Q | First
a little information. I am a bass player. I play a six string bass. I
use a three finger right hand technique: i - index m- middle r - ring 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & i m r m i m r m I do this strictly alternating. I am having a hard time increasing my speed to match your tempo markings. Would you please give me some suggestions? Lastly, is it necessary to have rhythm primer up to advanced speed before moving on to your other books in the series? |
| A | I
think your right hand picking technique is good and should present a
problem no matter what the tempo is. Your problems with playing faster
tempos could come from a few different things. First it could be
related to how long you have been playing but I think you could expand
upon this technique by doing some right hand technique exercises. First
you need to work on all the permutations of your three finger method.
To do this you would first take constant triplets and work on the
different combinations of fingers. I, M, R I, R, M M, I, R, M, R, I, R, I, M R, M, I Once you have worked these up you should expand in a few ways. 1st try 4 note combinations: I, M, R, I I, R, M, I I, M, R, M I, R, M, R M, I, M, R M, I, R, M M, R, M, I M, R, I, M R, M, I, R R, M, R, I R, I, M, R R, M, I, R I would then extend this into complex rhythms. A good place to start is the eighth and sixteenth note rhythms in the Rhythm Primer. I would then do it using the rhythms in Rhythms Volume One and Two. The important thing to remember is that your mind memorizes rhythmic patterns and sends this information to your fingers. So you need both multiple fingering and multiple rhythms to get your fingers responding correctly to any situation. You don't have to work up to the advanced level of Rhythm Primer before moving on. Come back to it after you have worked through Rhythms Volume One and Two and I think you will find it much easier. |
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| Q | I
own three rhythm series books (with plans to purchase all of them when
money permits). Rhythm Primer Rhythms Volume 1 Contemporary Rhythms Volume 1 I noticed in both the Rhythms Volume 1 and Contemporary Rhythms Volume1 that each exercise is ten pages long and they look very similar. Would you tell me what each book in your series (all of them) is meant to teach me? How would be the best way to practice out of them? |
| A | Rhythms
Vol. 1 gives you every combination of eighth note rhythms with rests
and ties. Once you finish this book you have read through all the
rhythms within one measure that exist in music. Contemporary Rhythms uses the same rhythms but is written out in more modern notation which breaks the imaginary barline (4/4 measures are traditionally notated by dividing the measure into two beat segments). Contemporary Rhythms helps your eye read through notation patterns that don't divide a measure into two beat segments (in other words they break the imaginary barline). The books are meant to teach you how to read all rhythms and meters found in music. Some guitar students also use these books to develop right hand technique. I usually recommend you work through the books in the following order: Rhythm Primer Rhythms Volume One Rhythms Volume Two Odd Meters Rhythms Volume Three Contemporary Rhythms Volume One Contemporary Rhythms Volume Two You can work on more than one book at a time. For instance freshman students at NYU, Princeton, New School work through: Rhythm Primer Rhythms Volume One Rhythms Volume Two at the same time. They usually have to read through these books twice in order to reach the recommended tempos: Rhythm Primer: see practice suggestions in book Rhythms Volume One: half note equals 120 metronome on 2 and 4 Rhythms Volume Two: quarter note equals 120 metronome on every beat Odd Meters: eight note equals 200. Usually don't use a metronome when playing exercises Rhythms Volume Three: quarter note equals 60. Metronome on quarters though you may want to start with metronome on eighths Contemporary Rhythms Volume One: same as Rhythms Volume One Contemporary Rhythms Volume Two: same as Rhythms Volume Two |
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