by Vince Federici

Created on: June 21, 2009   Last Updated: June 22, 2009

The guitar is a stoic instrument. A stoic instrument is an instrument that can be used to accompany spoken words or prose. This creates two options for the new player. The first thing a new player must decide is whether they will be a guitarist; or a singer/songwriter or troubadour. They are two very different things and the approach to achieving one or the other are also very different. So make that decision early. Your life and pleasure with the instrument will be so much better. Your progress will be more rewarding and make so much more sense as you dig deeper into your own art form.

Let's say that you really love Miles Davis. His horn lines really grab your attention and the melodic landscape he creates really turns you on. When you try to explain to others what you are hearing, they just don't seem to understand what you're talking about. They really don't even care because there are no words being spoken. If this is the inside of your head, you are probably a guitarist. What's so great about the guitar is its versatility. This is also the eventual headache too. You can play horn lines on the guitar and even bend the pitch. While doing that, you have the option to comp chords for yourself and others. Becoming a guitarist takes a long time and the process can lead to many dead ends and some frustration. The great thing is that it all leads to you developing your own way of playing the instrument.

When taking this path, the major thing that you must accomplish is maneuvering the entire fretboard. There are a lot of holes that can be passed over on the guitar. So a solid regimen of scales and triads is a good way to get all of the notes readily available for your fingers. While learning songs, its a good idea to get the chords, then re- learn the song with the triads in the guitar's higher register. Remember, triads, three notes, three positions, three strings at a time. After a few weeks, your scales will blend into the triads and playing an F# minor by the 10th fret for dynamic tension won't be a problem.

What's an F#? Another great tool to memorize is the "Circle of Fifths". By having an understanding of the circle, you will save yourself a lot of time retracing steps to find relationships between keys, scales, and chords. (FCGDAEB > for the sharps) (<BbEbAbDbGb for the flats).

Let's return to horn lines. Picking is something that a guitarist needs as much as a writer needs to write fast and legibly. It must be second nature. Be very conscious

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