Learn how to play guitar with Yellow Guitar Books.


 



Getting Started With Modes   

Learn Fingerings Faster   

The Harmonic Minor Scale   

Finding time to practice   

Introduction To Double Stops – 6ths On The V Chord   

7th Chords Revealed: Comparing the Four 7th Chord Types   

Combining Minor And Major Blues Guitar Scales   

Chord Substitution I for vi   

Don't Blow The Form

Connecting The Five Pentatonic Guitar Scale Fingering Shapes   

How To Use A Metronome   




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Don’t Blow The Form!
Keeping Track Of Where You Are in A Song

Knowing what bar (measure) you are on is absolutely essential when playing music. If you loose your place in a tune it can be difficult to find it again. This can have a big impact on your performance because instead of being relaxed and ready for the next section you could became a bit panicked and find yourself unnerved.

The best way to keep on top of a song’s form is to know the tune well. Practice it enough and you will have it down. However many tunes have long sections where jamming is going on over “Static Chords”. Static chords are passages where the band stays on one chord, or maybe a simple riff made of a few chords. Either way it can be hard to keep track of where you are.

Here is a simple counting method I have for just such a situation. Let’s assume we are playing a section of a tune that has 16 bars of a static chord for each solo. Measure numbers are 1 through 16 and the chord for each measure is A Minor 7. The time signature is 4/4. 

 

 1)

 A min 7

  2)

 A min 7		  3)

 A min 7		  4)

 A min 7		  5)

 A min 7		  6)

 A min 7		  7)

 A min 7		  8)

 A min 7

 1)

 A min 7

  2)

 A min 7		  3)

 A min 7		  4)

 A min 7		  5)

 A min 7		  6)

 A min 7		  7)

 A min 7		  8)

 A min 7

The idea is to break down the sixteen measures to a manageable 4 measures (bars).

 1) 

 A min 7

 1 2 3 4 		 1)

 A min 7 

  2 2 3 4 		 1)

 A min 7 

  3 2 3 4 		 1)

  A min 7 

  4 2 3 4

Count these 4 bars like this:

1st Bar: 1,2,3,4 2nd Bar: 2,2,3,4 3rd Bar: 3,2,3,4 4th Bar: 4,2,3,4

When you count this way you say the bar you are on every time you count the 1st beat of a measure. Repeat the procedure 3 more times and you will have counted all 16 measures.

This is a very simple and effective way to help you keep your place in a tune. As always try to incorporate this idea with some of your own. Keep on playing and see you next month.

Practice Note If you have Yellow Guitar Books, Volume I, you can practice this technique on Track 10 of your Jam Along CD ( ii- V Jam in B Minor).

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