damienguitar at aol dot com

damienguitar.co.uk

2009-02-02T04:50:00.000-08:00

I have a new website , www.damienguitar.co.uk
It has a timetable for my teaching schedule and a selection of previous lessons I have written .
At present I have a few more I am aiming to upload over the next week.
This term has seen the performance of some of my year 4 students ,In a band enviroment ,
During their practise they were really "rocking out" and having fun together as a team ,
This band/ensemble playing is a great idea and I will encourage more of it with many of my students ...

classical grade 8

2008-08-29T08:39:00.001-07:00

Im working towards my classical grade 8 again with trinity ,
the three pieces i have chosen are:

Gran Vals
Nocturne

Fantasia

while learning them i have notated the melody line, messed around with them in "Sibelius ",
Ive tried playing the melody on electric guitar ,
I always keep my exam book close at hand and play through the pieces really slowly .
Ill try and upload some clips of my playing to youtube once I get a chance .

Cadences

2008-06-29T03:07:00.000-07:00

ok well working from the basics ,

perfect cadance V to I

Imperfect cadence I to V

plagual cadence IV to I

and interupted cadence V to VI

these building blocks alone provide many possibilties don't they ?

let's play with perfect cadence
Well we Can alter and twist the V chord to oblivion one idea which has not been discussed yet is good old augmented chords you know G aug EADGBE:32100X
you can work this with G whole tone scale mmmm tasty !

then you can try the tritone substitution replace V with bII
i know the Db maj 7 has been discussed (modal interchange , thanks for that )
but let's stay with whole tone theme so we could try and Db aug going to C

Something which crops up in a james bond song (a great place to learn cool chord sequences ) is Vm7 - I
so Gm7 to C
thats a really mellow ending .

key center / modal center

2008-06-29T03:04:00.001-07:00

the "key center" relates to the start of the piece where you get a "key signature"
"the modal center" is where you place accidentals in your piece to change the mode of the song .
EX:1
If a song is in C major , thats the key center ,
Now you can add a "B flat" if you like , but by doing this you change the "modal center "to C mixolydian , "The key center" remains C major.

EX:2
Now let's start with an F major "key signature" Here the "Key Center " is F major .
you could unflatten to "B flat" to "B natural " but once again we are changing the "modal center" this time To "F lydian "
In this instance our root note remains F just as in the Previous case our root note remained "C"

all over the fretboard

2008-06-29T02:41:00.000-07:00

"Which way is the best way to learn the major and minor (natural) scale all over the fretboard so that it works out with the modes?"

"focus your understanding."

Study Music Theory ,

maybe prepare for a music theory exam .
By doing this you will be involved in written tasks which will teach you how the notes fall in place, intervals between each string and so forth .
Learn to sight read :

By starting to sight read music you will find the different positions on the neck to play the same note .
study for a guitar exam

this will introduce the neck to you in managable chunks, starting with one ocatve scales moving up to 3 octave scales , this practise schedule will focus your understanding of fingerboard knowledge .
I hope this is of help to you .
Best wishes damien

Grade 8 bass exam

2008-06-29T02:32:00.000-07:00

I just sat my grade 8 bass exam , it was with the "rockschool" you can find out more abount them at www.rockschool.co.uk
Before the start of the exam i was given a "QSP" which is a Quick study piece , I had 20 minutes to learn it by reading the score (with tab) and playing along with the backing track .
Then I went into the exam where I was asked which order i wanted to perform the sections of the exam .
I went Through the QSP and my 3 chosen pieces , then took a couple of aural awareness tests , the 1st a reproduction of a 4 bar phrase the 2nd recoginition of root notes/chord types , both tests were played to me 3 times .
Finally we wrapped up with some questions about key bassists in the style of one of the pieces I chose and we talked about the dynamic markings in that piece . It was Great fun to sit but a nightmare to get , not helped by the rail replacement bus driving down a dead end and then asking the passengers for directions !
I am hoping to sit my Rockschool diploma over winter 08 spring 09 .

Performing .

2008-06-22T12:31:00.000-07:00

When you perform , it is your chance to show the world a part of who you are .
A good goal is the acceptance of your own voice and the ability work with it in harmony , Performance is not the time to be the crtique . Its the time to accept each moment and to try to approach it with respect and dignity.
Look The Part ,
As a Performer You will be making a visual connection with an audience as well as an aural one .
Take time to delvelop a stage image that makes you feel good about yourself .
Listen consciously ,
When you perfom use your ears , listen to both the sound and silence that emcompasses your Living space and act accordingly .
Understand the music you make is a balance of these two elements , by being true to your own voice/intentions .

Composing ,

2008-06-22T12:19:00.000-07:00

Focus your creativity ...

As a guitarist a very useful , if not vital tool is the tool of "composition ."
Writing Guitar Tablature ,Standand Notation , Chord Boxes , Fretboard Diagrams are just some of the varied methods of composition , each one being a useful way for you to focus your creativity .

...enrichen your experience.

Try to keep a pencil,paper and eraser at your disposal at all times and when you get the chance jot your ideas down .
This way when you pick up the guitar you will have clear visual guides to inspire you .
At First writing ideas will be flawed , but perservre, try to copy parts from books and by doing this you will be learning this craft , which I believe will enrichen your experience of music .

Listening ,

2008-06-21T00:12:00.000-07:00

As "Guitarists" I feel it is very important that we listen to a wide range of music .
By listening we can gain an understanding of why we make music .
Finding some "Guitar Heros " can be an enriching experience ,
I am going to give you 3 Great guitar solo's to listen to .
Try to see beyond the sytle and get into the "passion" of thier playing its this passion in you which will help you find your "Sound " .

OK 1st up Guitar Solo from Stairway to Heaven :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVVy2Z_59Q8

Next Slash for Guns n Roses playing on November Rain :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZSTFRKIjbs

Finally The totally awesome DragonForce :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sMM2wHIltA&feature=related

G major scale

2008-06-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

(3) 0,2

(2)0,1,3

(1)0,2,3

This is an easy way to play the G major scale , why not grab a pen and paper and try to write it yourself ? start on (1),3 going back to (3) 0
thats the thin string "E" going to the 3rd string "G "
then you can cut it all out and start to make phrases !!

avoiding buzzy "dinky" strings ,

2008-06-19T09:10:00.000-07:00

ok to avoid the "dink"
make sure the fingers press the strings with the tips so the fingernail is looking up at you .
keep the finger as close behind the fret barre (the metal strips on the neck ) as possible without touching it .
thumb at the back of the neck quite far down for notes which are extra "dinky "
don't "over grip" find the right amount of pressure for the string to make contact with the fret barre by pressing the finger and the thumb towards each other then rest .

2008-04-26T12:36:00.000-07:00

Ok so we have the 6 string on the guitar , and they each have a number .
The thinest string is string (1) and the thickest string is string (6) .
My 1st question is can you play this ,
(6) then (3) then (2) then (1)
it should kind of sound like the start of "nothing else matters " by Metallica if you have got it right .
The next step is to number the The fretting (normally left ) hand fingers .
Index finger is 1 , middle is 2 ,ring is 3 and , little "pinky" is 4
for now lets use finger 1 for fret 1 finger 2 for fret 2 and so on till we get to fret 4 .
Oh, and I should mention a 0 is an open string , no fretting .

Nice and relaxed , thumb at the back of the neck press with the fingertips ! .

Ok lets try this :

(2) 0,3 (1) 0
then
(2) 0,3 (1) 1,0
going to
(2) 0,3 (1) 0
then to
(2) 0,3 (1) 0 (2) 3,0

if you have managed to get this far you should be able to play the workings of "smoke" on the water " by deep purple,
if not get out the cyber pen and email at damienguitar at aol dot com .

anyway thats all for today have a nice one :)

damien

2008-04-25T10:17:00.001-07:00

g pentatonic major scale backing track

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sht3Eqnjarc

Fingerstyle Ballad in Eminor

2008-04-11T02:12:00.000-07:00

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xhmdA2gxK2U

Damien Redmond

2008-04-11T02:03:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to my "blogspot",
My name is "Damien Redmond " and I Teach Guitar.
The Types of Guitar I teach are Classical,Electric,Acoustic and Bass.
Also I am a member of the "RGT" you can find out more about them here , http://www.registryofguitartutors.com/