A diminished scale is an eight-note scale, or octatonic scale, made up of a series of alternating whole steps and half steps from the starting pitch. One way to make sense of these scales is to use a diminished 7th arpeggio as their foundation. The Eo7 arpeggio below has the notes E, G, Bb &… Continue reading Two Diminished Scale Exercises
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Sweep Picking Exercise for Guitar
Use this exercise to practice arpeggios in the key of C major across three stings using sweep picking with hammer-ons and pull-offs. (You can also play these same arpeggio patterns on the low E string beginning with Cma7 on the 8th fret.) Sweep Picking Exercise (pdf) The arpeggios in the study are derived from 7th… Continue reading Sweep Picking Exercise for Guitar
Can you recover from musician’s focal dystonia?
Please note: I am guitarist and musician, not a doctor. If you think you might have focal dystonia or if you are experiencing any symptoms of focal dystonia, please consult a qualified medical profession. Can you recover from musician’s focal dystonia or task-specific dystonia? I was diagnosed with focal dystonia (FD) in 2015. I hesitate… Continue reading Can you recover from musician’s focal dystonia?
Tuplet Training
Tuplets are used to subdivide one beat (or more) into equal divisions. In a simple meter like 2/4, you'll find tuplets with an odd number of subdivisions (triplets = 3 subdivisions of the beat, quintuplets = 5, etc.), and in a compound meter, like 6/8, you'll see tuplets with an even number of subdivisions (duplets… Continue reading Tuplet Training
Blues Endings for Guitar
Here are some common blues endings that every guitarist should know. These are in the key of A, but try to learn them in as many keys as possible. Blues Ending #1 Blues Ending #2 Blues Ending #3 Blues Ending #4 Blues Ending #5 Blues Ending #6 Blues Ending #7 Click here for a study… Continue reading Blues Endings for Guitar
Ken Pasciak 