Category: Music

RIP MJ
by koree

This is a sad time. However, I have been thinking a lot about why this death is more sad than that of anyone else. Death is a very natural thing. We all feel loss when someone close to us passes, but for the majority, if not all, of people reading this, none were close to Michael Jackson personally. Those of us in the 30-50 year-old range feel a great loss because a significant part of our childhood was just ripped away. We have never known a time when Michael Jackson wasn’t alive and in our faces. His music has been the soundtrack to many parts of our own lives. We are mourning the loss of our own innocence today, just like many of our parents and grandparents felt when Elvis died. I think this is something that every generation has to endure in order to truly grow up.

I also think growing up sorta sucks.

Weekly Guitar Lesson: Chromatic Scale Exercise
by koree

A Chromatic Scale is one that includes all half-steps between the starting and ending note.  Chromatic scales technically lack a key because they play every half-step.  This is the equivalent of starting on a particular piano key, and playing every white and black key as you go up or down.

Typically, the notes are written with sharps while ascending, and flats while descending, but my notation software was not smart enough for that, so please forgive me.

This exercise is designed to be practiced similarly to last week’s lesson.  Start somewhere around 40bpm to 60pm, and go up in intervals of 5bpm.  Notice that the descending fingering is different than the ascending.  I believe this is the best way to play a chromatic scale and continue fluidly.

Play around with the pattern some.  This particular one starts on B and ends on B, but you can move the pattern anywhere on the neck and still play it.  Move it around and come up with your own exercise.

Finally, if you find yourself having trouble with this one, practice the four-fret exercise from the daily workout.

You can download the Chromatic Scale exercise here.