Guitar Exercises For Dummies

Mark Phillips is a guitarist, arranger, author, and editor with more than 30 years in music publishing.Jon Chappell is a multi-style guitarist, arranger, author, and journalist, and former editor of Guitar magazine.

• Introduction 1About This Book 1Conventions We Use in This Book 2What You’re Not to Read 3Foolish Assumptions 3How This Book Is Organized 4Part 1: Preparing to Practice 4Part 2: Scales and Scale Sequences 4Part 3: Arpeggios and Arpeggio Sequences 4Part 4: Chords and Additional Exercises 4Part 5: The Part of Tens 4Icons Used in This Book 5Where to Go from Here 5Part 1: Preparing to Practice 7Chapter 1: Reviewing Guitar Fundamentals 9Perfecting Your Practice Posture 9Brushing Up On Guitar Notation 10Decoding tablature 10Comprehending chord diagrams 11Interpreting neck diagrams 11Recognizing rhythm slashes 12Chapter 2: Warming Up for Your Practice Sessions 13Preparing Your Body and Mind to Play 13Limbering up your fingers 13Reflecting on your breathing, relaxation, and focus 14Waking Up Your Fingers with Some Practice Exercises 15Single-note exercises 16Chord exercises 17Part 2: Scales and Scale Sequences 19Chapter 3: Putting the Major Scales to Use in Your Playing 21Practicing Five Major Scale Patterns 21Major scale pattern #1 22Major scale pattern #2 24Major scale pattern #3 25Major scale pattern #4 27Major scale pattern #5 28Applying Your Scale Work to Actual Pieces of Music 29“The First Noël” 29Bach’s “Minuet in G” 31Chapter 4: Adding Major Scale Sequences to Your Repertoire 33Practicing Major Scale Sequences 34Major scale sequences using pattern #1 34Major scale sequences using pattern #2 36Major scale sequences using pattern #3 38Major scale sequences using pattern #4 39Major scale sequences using pattern #5 40Putting Your Sequence Skills to Work with a Few Songs 42“Oh, Them Golden Slippers” 42“We Wish You a Merry Christmas” 43Chapter 5: Tackling the Three Minor Scales 45Familiarizing Yourself with Natural Minor Scales 45Natural minor scale pattern #1 46Natural minor scale pattern #2 47Natural minor scale pattern #3 49Natural minor scale pattern #4 50Natural minor scale pattern #5 51Raising the Bar with Melodic Minor Scales 53Melodic minor scale pattern #1 53Melodic minor scale pattern #2 55Melodic minor scale pattern #3 56Melodic minor scale pattern #4 58Melodic minor scale pattern #5 59Harmonizing with Harmonic Minor Scales 60Harmonic minor scale pattern #1 61Harmonic minor scale pattern #2 62Harmonic minor scale pattern #3 63Harmonic minor scale pattern #4 65Harmonic minor scale pattern #5 66Playing Pieces Using the Three Minor Scales 67“God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” 67Handel’s “Allegro” 68“The Three Ravens” 69Chapter 6: Examining Minor Scale Sequences 71It’s Only Natural: Practicing Natural Minor Scale Sequences 71Natural minor scale sequences using pattern #1 72Natural minor scale sequences using pattern #2 73Natural minor scale sequences using pattern #3 74Natural minor scale sequences using pattern #4 74Natural minor scale sequences using pattern #5 75Up and Down the Scale: Practicing Melodic Minor Scale Sequences 76Melodic minor scale sequences using pattern #1 76Melodic minor scale sequences using pattern #2 77Melodic minor scale sequences using pattern #3 78Melodic minor scale sequences using pattern #4 79Melodic minor scale sequences using pattern #5 79Discovering a More Intense Sound with Harmonic Minor Scale Sequences 80Harmonic minor scale sequences using pattern #1 81Harmonic minor scale sequences using pattern #2 82Harmonic minor scale sequences using pattern #3 83Harmonic minor scale sequences using pattern #4 84Harmonic minor scale sequences using pattern #5 85Practicing Some Pieces Using Minor Scale Sequences 85“To Work upon the Railroad” 86Bach’s “Bourrée in E Minor” 87“The Full Little Jug” 88Part 3: Arpeggios and Arpeggio Sequences 89Chapter 7: Breaking Out with Major Arpeggios 91Preparing Yourself for Major Chords by Practicing Major Arpeggios 91Major arpeggio pattern #1 92Major arpeggio pattern #2 93Major arpeggio pattern #3 94Major arpeggio pattern #4 95Major arpeggio pattern #5 95Applying Your Skills: Performing Pieces Using Major Arpeggios 96“To the Colors” 97“Retreat” 98Chapter 8: Discovering How to Play Major Arpeggio Sequences 99Picking Up On Major Arpeggio Sequences 99Major arpeggio sequences using pattern #1 100Major arpeggio sequences using pattern #2 101Major arpeggio sequences using pattern #3 102Major arpeggio sequences using pattern #4 104Major arpeggio sequences using pattern #5 105Playing Pieces That Feature Major Arpeggio Sequences 106“Blues Riff in B” 106“Doo-Wop Groove in A” 108Chapter 9: Getting to Know Minor Arpeggios 109Working On Minor Arpeggios 110Minor arpeggio pattern #1 110Minor arpeggio pattern #2 111Minor arpeggio pattern #3 113Minor arpeggio pattern #4 114Minor arpeggio pattern #5 115Playing Pieces with Minor Arpeggios 116“Wolfgang’s Whistle” 116“Amadeus’s Air” 117Chapter 10: Looking at Minor Arpeggio Sequences 119Adding Minor Arpeggio Sequences to Your Practice Sessions 119Minor arpeggio sequences using pattern #1 120Minor arpeggio sequences using pattern #2 121Minor arpeggio sequences using pattern #3 122Minor arpeggio sequences using pattern #4 124Minor arpeggio sequences using pattern #5 125Tackling a Few Pieces Composed of Minor Arpeggio Sequences 126“Mozart’s Motif” 126Schumann’s “The Wild Horseman” 128Chapter 11: Enhancing Your Playing with Seventh Chord Arpeggios 131Practicing Dominant Seventh Chord Arpeggios 132Dominant seventh chord arpeggio pattern #1 132Dominant seventh chord arpeggio pattern #2 133Dominant seventh chord arpeggio pattern #3 134Dominant seventh chord arpeggio pattern #4 135Dominant seventh chord arpeggio pattern #5 135Putting Your Fingers to Work with Minor Seventh Chord Arpeggios 136Minor seventh chord arpeggio pattern #1 137Minor seventh chord arpeggio pattern #2 138Minor seventh chord arpeggio pattern #3 139Minor seventh chord arpeggio pattern #4 140Minor seventh chord arpeggio pattern #5 141Running Through the Major Seventh Chord Arpeggios 142Major seventh chord arpeggio pattern #1 142Major seventh chord arpeggio pattern #2 143Major seventh chord arpeggio pattern #3 144Major seventh chord arpeggio pattern #4 145Major seventh chord arpeggio pattern #5 146Applying Seventh Chord Arpeggios to Some Famous Pieces 147Schubert’s “Ave Maria” 147Fauré’s “Pavane” 149Chapter 12: Trying Your Hand at Seventh Chord Arpeggio Sequences 153Taking On Dominant Seventh Chord Arpeggio Sequences 153Dominant seventh chord arpeggio sequence using pattern #1 154Dominant seventh chord arpeggio sequence using pattern #2 154Dominant seventh chord arpeggio sequence using pattern #3 155Dominant seventh chord arpeggio sequence using pattern #4 156Dominant seventh chord arpeggio sequence using pattern #5 156Adding Minor Seventh Chord Arpeggio Sequences to Your Collection 157Minor seventh chord arpeggio sequence using pattern #1 157Minor seventh chord arpeggio sequence using pattern #2 158Minor seventh chord arpeggio sequence using pattern #3 159Minor seventh chord arpeggio sequence using pattern #4 159Minor seventh chord arpeggio sequence using pattern #5 160Practicing Major Seventh Chord Arpeggio Sequences 161Major seventh chord arpeggio sequence using pattern #1 161Major seventh chord arpeggio sequence using pattern #2 162Major seventh chord arpeggio sequence using pattern #3 162Major seventh chord arpeggio sequence using pattern #4 163Major seventh chord arpeggio sequence using pattern #5 164Playing Pieces with Seventh Chord Arpeggio Sequences 164Liszt’s “Liebestraum” 165Bach and Gounod’s “Ave Maria” 165Part 4: Chords and Additional Exercises 167Chapter 13: Building Finger Independence with Chord Exercises 169Practicing Inversion Patterns 170Patterns using outside chords 170Patterns using inside chords 178Playing Chord Progressions 185Progressions using outside chords 185Progressions using inside chords 186Practicing Pieces That Use Chord Progressions 187Putting outside chords to use with “Danny Boy” 187Playing inside chords in “Look for the Silver Lining” 189Chapter 14: Developing Strength and Speed by Playing Single-Note Exercises 191Moving Across the Neck 192Stepping up and down on one string 192Skipping around on one string 193Jumping around on different strings 194Moving Along the Neck 195Climbing up and down the strings 196Ascending and descending with diagonals 198Part 5: The Part of Tens 201Chapter 15: Ten Tips for Maximizing Your Practice Time 203Establish Your Practice Place 203Define Your Practice Time (and Stick to It) 203Establish Objectives for Your Practice Sessions 204Keep Your Accessories Handy 204Get Your Head in the Game 204Warm Up Your Hands and Fingers 204Start Slow and Work Your Way Up 204Isolate Difficult Passages 205Play Different Guitars 205Join the Club 205Chapter 16: Ten Ways to Improve Your Musicianship 207Get with the Rhythm 207Familiarize Yourself with Pitch 207Discover Harmony 208Perform Live for a Crowd 208Compose Your Own Melody and Improvise a Bit 208Train Your Ear to Hear 208Polish Your Playing with Expression 208Listen to Lots of Music 209Watch a Performer’s Body Language 209Test Yourself by Teaching Someone Else 209Appendix A: How to Use The Website 211