Here we bring you a solution for improving your guitar phrasing, which is one of the hardest aspects when developing a unique style.

Modern Rock Fusion for Android, Windows PC, Mac OS X and as jamtracks.

 

• Original modern rock fusion solo for electric guitar
• 30 licks with videos, audios at three different speeds
• 31 backing tracks at three different speeds
• Theory behind each lick
• Included metronome
• Animated tablature
• High quality integrated video with zoom control

Go to:

http://www.amparosoft.com/modernrockfusion to learn more purchase it or download the free versions

 

Download the tab for this lesson:

http://www.amparosoft.com/lgpl_downloads/lessons/Rhythm Awareness Lesson 4 Triplets and Syncopation.pdf

As promised at the end of our last lesson, this time we’re going to learn how to count, read and play triplets. As you recall, a quarter-note beat can be evenly split into two eighth notes (“one and”) or four 16th notes (“one e and a”). You can also split it equally into three eighth-note triplets, as bar 1 demonstrates. Counting “one trip let, two trip let, three trip let, four trip let, one trip let, two trip let,” etc. enables you to keep track of every triplet and beat in a measure of 4/4 time while keeping a steady pulse.

Because we’re now subdividing the beat into three equally spaced notes, each individual eighth-note triplet has a slightly shorter duration than an eighth-note duplet played at the same tempo. Thus, eighth-note triplets are “faster” than regular eighth notes.

Due to the odd subdivision of the beat, eighth-note triplets “go against the grain” of eighth notes and 16th notes and require a different counting pattern. Bars 2-3 use eighth notes, eighth-note triplets and 16th notes, requiring you to change counting patterns as you play. Be sure to tap your foot in a steady quarter-note pulse. This will insure that you don’t speed up or slow down the tempo when “shifting gears” from duplets to triplets to quadruplets.

Ties and rests can be used with eighth-note triplets to create a variety of interesting triplet syncopations, as demonstrated in bars 4-7. Notice in bar 5 that a quarter-note may be substituted for a pair of tied eighth-note triplets within a single beat (as used in bar 4 for the sake of comparison). This is considered more economical notation, as there are fewer items to read. For this same reason, a quarter rest is preferred over two consecutive eighth-note-triplet rests that fall within the same beat (compare bar 6 to bar 7). A pair of brackets with the number 3 centered between them is used in conjunction with (or instead of) a beam in these types of “broken” eighth-note triplet figures.

Bars 8-12 are examples of how you can take a simple, repeated melodic pattern of eighth notes or 16th notes and transform it into an exciting and tricky-sounding lick by playing it in an eighth-note triplet rhythm. Bar 8 is a single-string pedal-point lick played in even eighth notes. Though the note pattern is interesting, the rhythm is rather bland, as it is unsyncopated (no upbeats are emphasized). Notice how much cooler and intense this same note pattern sounds when played as eighth-note triplets (bars 9-10). The accented fretted notes create syncopation and convey what is known as a quarter-note triplet rhythm (by emphasizing every other note of an eighth-note-triplet figure; more on this another time).

Bar 11 is a repeated four-note descending lick played in even 16th notes. Notice how it begins squarely on the beat each time it’s repeated. This same note pattern becomes much more interesting when played as eighth-note triplets, as depicted in bar 12. Because the pattern is still four notes, it’s rhythmically displaced each time it’s repeated, shifting ahead one eighth-note triplet with each repetition. This melodic device, known as hemiola, produces an exciting syncopation effect and generates rhythmic tension. It also plays tricks on the listener’s ear by creating the aural illusion of 16th notes played at a slower tempo.

Be sure to practice these last two figures slowly at first while tapping your foot until you feel you can play them cleanly and consistently without losing track of the beat. Then work on playing them faster.

 

 

 

In the last lesson, we learned how to count and play basic rhythms in 4/4 meter and subdivide beats into eighth notes by counting “one and, two and, three and, four and, one and, two and, three and, four and,” etc. We also learned how to create syncopation by using ties to combine rhythmic values in order to emphasize the “weak” parts of the measure—such as the eighth-note upbeats (the “and” counts). This time we’re going to expand our rhythmic repertoire and learn how to count and read 16th notes, rests and dotted rhythms.

Rhythm first

When sight-reading any transcription for the first time, it’s always a good idea to first focus on reading and trying to master only the rhythms before picking up your guitar and attempting to deal with everything all at once (rhythms, notes, fingerings, repeat signs, etc.). To do this, simply clap the rhythms of the notes or chords while counting and tapping your foot on each beat, subdividing your count only when necessary. Doing this rhythm-only sight-reading drill will make it easier to concentrate on counting and hitting the rhythms correctly because you’re not simultaneously processing and reacting to all of the information. Once you’ve gotten the rhythm of the notes in your mind’s ear, pick up your guitar and attempt to play the song. You’ll find that it will be much easier to sight-read the music after having first done the rhythm-only drill because you’re already familiar with the timing and phrasing of the notes.

16th notes, rests and dotted rhythms

A measure of 4/4 time can be subdivided into sixteen 16th notes, as illustrated in bar 1. Counting “one e and a, two e and a, three e and a, four e and a, one e and a, two e and a, three e and a, four e and a,” etc. enables us to keep track of each individual 16th note while maintaining a steady pulse. (You may find it helpful to visualize a measure of 4/4 time as being an inch on a ruler, with each quarter-inch mark representing a quarter-note beat, and each 16th-inch mark representing a 16th note.)

Music is a combination of sound and silence. Every rhythmic value (whole note, half note, quarter note, eighth note, etc.) has a corresponding rest that represents a moment of silence of the same duration. Bars 2-8 show all the rhythmic values we’ve covered thus far and their equivalent rests. Notice that when rests are used, eighth notes and 16th notes sometimes stand alone, in which case they’re indicated by flags instead of beams. When playing through bars 2-8, be sure to silence your instrument during the rests and to count and tap your foot in a steady rhythm as indicated, even while resting.

A dot placed to the right of a notehead or tab number means that its rhythmic value is increased by one half (multiplied by 1.5). Thus, a dotted half note is held for three beats; a dotted quarter note is held for one and one half beats; and a dotted eighth note is held for three fourths of one beat (see bars 9-11).

Syncopated rhythms can often be expressed using dotted notes instead of ties, as depicted in bars 12-13. As you can see, this form of notation is more economical because there are fewer items to read. As this example also shows, rests can be dotted as well.

Keep in mind that in any measure of metered music, every part of every beat must be accounted for by some kind of note or rest. For example, in a measure of 4/4 time, the total value of all the notes and rests must add up to four complete beats. This may seem like a trivial theoretical point, but it’s a useful axiom to remember because it can help you figure out, by process of elimination, the correct timing and placement of a complex or unfamiliar rhythmic figure: First, subtract the rhythms you do know from the beginning and end of the measure, then calculate how many beats or partial beats are unaccounted for. This will enable you to isolate the unknown rhythms and determine where they begin and end relative to the underlying pulse. If you’re still unsure of the rhythm, listen to a recording of the song, if one is available, or ask a music teacher or drummer to count it out loud and play it for you.

Next time, we’ll begin exploring the world of triplets and learn how to create exciting syncopation effects and build gut-wrenching rhythmic tension using hemiola.

Don’t forget to download the tab for this lesson

http://www.amparosoft.com/lgpl_downloads/lessons/Rhythm Awareness Lesson 3.pdf

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Download the Tab for this lesson: http://www.amparosoft.com/lgpl_downloads/lessons

Every musician should have a clear understanding of the fundamentals of rhythm. Even if you consider yourself an “ear player,” knowing how to count and play different rhythms while keeping a steady beat is a valuable skill that will help you in a variety of real-life musical situations. By learning the arithmetic of rhythm on paper, you’ll be able to accurately read and learn music from transcriptions, and you will no longer have to rely entirely on the recording for the timing and phrasing of the notes. Just as important, you’ll be able to communicate with other musicians and band mates, and make rehearsals and performances go smoothly. Knowing how to count different rhythms can also help you master the complexities of today’s musical styles and become a more inventive songwriter and composer.

We’d like to begin a series of lessons on rhythm that will help you become a more competent and confident musician. We’ll start by reviewing the basic rudiments of rhythmic notation and learning how to count and play standard rhythmic patterns.

In music transcriptions, a staff is divided into measures via barlines. Each measure typically contains four beats, as indicated by the 4/4 time signature. Counting “one two three four, one two three four,” etc. enables us to keep track of the individual beats and measures; it also provides us with a clear reference point for organizing rhythm.

A measure of 4/4 time can contain one whole note, two half notes, four quarter notes or any combination of quarter notes and half notes that adds up to four beats (see bars 1-6).

By subdividing each beat in half and counting “one-and two-and three-and four-and, one-and two-and three-and four-and,” etc., we can divide a measure of 4/4 time into eight eighth notes, as shown in bars 7-8. Think of a measure of 4/4 as a pizza pie—you can cut it into two halves, four quarters, eighth eighths, or any other combination of fractions that adds up to one.

Eighth notes are often used in combination with other rhythmic values to create an interesting phrasing device known as syncopation. Syncopation means emphasizing the “weak” parts of the beat or measure—anything other than 1, 2, 3 or 4.

Bars 9-14 show an example of syncopation using ties to accent the eighth-note upbeats. A tie is a curved line arcing between two notes of the same pitch. The first note is held for the combined rhythmic values (durations) of both notes. The second note is not articulated. We use a broken arc in our notation system to distinguish ties from slurs (hammer-ons, pull-offs and legato slides).

When playing bars 7-14, be sure to tap your foot only on the downbeats (1 2 3 4) and not on the eighth-note upbeats (the “and” counts between the beats, as indicated below the staff). This is an important motor skill for reading and playing music well and requires good hand-foot-brain coordination. Make this a habit until it becomes second nature, and make sure your foot doesn’t start following your mouth or hands. Train your foot to be a living metronome.

Proceed slowly until you’ve acquired the coordination necessary to count, tap your foot and play the rhythms correctly. Notice that the “and” counts are omitted whenever the beat isn’t subdivided.

*Tips

You can practice this lesson using our metronome (Creative Rhythm Metronome) to generate different or more advanced combinations.

Here’s a link to the free version for Android:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.amparosoft.progressivemetronome.free

Five major areas of guitar playing:

1. Rhythmic awareness
2. Harmonic awareness
3. Fretboard knowledge
4. Vocabulary
5. Development of ideas

Rhythm is probably the most important aspect of playing a musical instrument. Most players tend to ignore this all important skill and spend their time developing technique. Technique is very important, but worthless if you don’t know how to make your guitar groove.

We’ve designed a lick that can take you from being a robotic machine gun type of shred player that plays boring straight 16th notes most of the time, to be well on your way to becoming a more interesting, funkier rhythmic player.

This one is in Guthrie Govan’s style and it contains a very healthy dose of 16th-note rhythm variations. It can be a bit challenging, particularly at a fast speed, but if you work on it slowly for a while and, once it’s mastered at a slow speed, move to a faster tempo gradually, it will reap its rewards.

Work on isolating each different beat or bar and play exclusively with that rhythm, adding different note choices and coming up with licks by moving all over the fretboard, while playing with the same rhythm. Make your ideas sound musical by adding expression (slides, bends, vibrato, etc). This is a great way to develop your rhythmic vocabulary so that you have the ability to come up with completely new rhythms spontaneously during improvisation.

We hope you enjoy these lesson series and look forward to our next lesson very soon.

Don’t forget to download the tab
Rhythmic Awareness Example Guthrie Govan

Also remember to check other free licks, apps and content in the free section of our website:
http://www.amparosoft.com/?q=free

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Shred Guitar Mastery was first published in 2012 with a very simple look and our great content. Many improvements have been implemented over the years. We’re happy to let you know of the new changes that include:

• New look
• Video Zoom Feature
• Download and watch videos from the app or from Youtube
• Force SD Quality for Videos (default is HD quality)
• Available for Android, Windows and Mac OS X and as Jamtracks (Video/audio/tab package)
  •  Shred Guitar Mastery for Laptop/Desktop

Old Look

Just so you can see the evolution. This old version had 20 licks and required users to exit the app to watch the videos from youtube. And due to some restrictions that Google Play had at the time, you couldn’t buy the app from their store. It was only available at the Amazon Appstore. This was enough to be featured as Free App of the Day in 2013 though, reaching more than 50 thousand downloads in a single day.

 

New Look        Download it

Enjoy!

Google Play (Free)

Amazon Appstore

 

Update 4.0 brings a lot of changes and new features to “Blues Guitar Soloist” for Android, such video zoom and forcing SD quality. The app occupies less space now.

Modern Look. New look and behavior. There’s also a responsive and animated carousel main menu.

Video Zoom. Select a predefined zoom from the bottom left menu. This is a great future for phones and small screen devices.

Forcing SD Quality. Space and speed are important, sometimes even more than quality. With this option you can lower the video resolution so your app downloads faster and occupies less space. This feature could also be helpful if you can’t watch the video due to some incompatibility problem with your device and the encoding format we select for the videos.

Enjoy the release. Best Regards,

Juan Reina