Jon Chappell - Guitar Exercises For Dummies

Guitar Exercises For Dummies®

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Copyright © 2020 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2020931724

ISBN: 978-1-119-69456-4 (pbk); 978-1-119-74893-9 (ebk); 978-1-119-74894-6 (ebk)

1 Cover

2 Introduction Introduction Playing guitar is an activity that has so many terrific qualities. It’s artistic, expressive, inspiring, therapeutic, and even cathartic. Nothing beats the blues like playing the blues. Guitar playing is an effective and natural means for relieving stress. But it’s like sports, games, and any other physical endeavors requiring strength, speed, stamina, and coordination: The more you practice, the better you become at it. And the better you are at guitar playing, the more successful your music making efforts will be. One of the best ways to become more accomplished in the purely physical aspects of playing guitar is to exercise your fingers — the main agents of guitar playing — to get them conditioned. And that’s what Guitar Exercises For Dummies focuses on. By picking up this book, you’ve agreed to send your digits off to spring training. After going through the pages of Guitar Exercises For Dummies, your fingers will come out faster, nimbler, stronger, and more confident, and they’ll be better team players as well. And because music involves the mind as well as the body, we give you tips and advice that will get you thinking. As Yogi Berra said, “Ninety percent of the game is half mental,” so we work on strengthening your gray matter, too. In this book, we give you exercises that make sense in a musical context; that way, you learn useful things like scales, arpeggios, and chords — all of which are incorporated into the songs and pieces you play. Your brain is the coach, and the following pages are your playbook. After putting your fingers through the workout regimen of Guitar Exercises For Dummies , they will be lean, mean playing machines. About This Book Conventions We Use in This Book What You’re Not to Read Foolish Assumptions How This Book Is Organized Icons Used in This Book Where to Go from Here

3 Part 1: Preparing to Practice Chapter 1: Reviewing Guitar Fundamentals Perfecting Your Practice Posture Brushing Up On Guitar Notation Chapter 2: Warming Up for Your Practice Sessions Preparing Your Body and Mind to Play Waking Up Your Fingers with Some Practice Exercises

4 Part 2: Scales and Scale Sequences Chapter 3: Putting the Major Scales to Use in Your Playing Practicing Five Major Scale Patterns Applying Your Scale Work to Actual Pieces of Music Chapter 4: Adding Major Scale Sequences to Your Repertoire Practicing Major Scale Sequences Putting Your Sequence Skills to Work with a Few Songs Chapter 5: Tackling the Three Minor Scales Familiarizing Yourself with Natural Minor Scales Raising the Bar with Melodic Minor Scales Harmonizing with Harmonic Minor Scales Playing Pieces Using the Three Minor Scales Chapter 6: Examining Minor Scale Sequences It’s Only Natural: Practicing Natural Minor Scale Sequences Up and Down the Scale: Practicing Melodic Minor Scale Sequences Discovering a More Intense Sound with Harmonic Minor Scale Sequences Practicing Some Pieces Using Minor Scale Sequences

5 Part 3: Arpeggios and Arpeggio Sequences Chapter 7: Breaking Out with Major Arpeggios Preparing Yourself for Major Chords by Practicing Major Arpeggios Applying Your Skills: Performing Pieces Using Major Arpeggios Chapter 8: Discovering How to Play Major Arpeggio Sequences Picking Up On Major Arpeggio Sequences Playing Pieces That Feature Major Arpeggio Sequences Chapter 9: Getting to Know Minor Arpeggios Working On Minor Arpeggios Playing Pieces with Minor Arpeggios Chapter 10: Looking at Minor Arpeggio Sequences Adding Minor Arpeggio Sequences to Your Practice Sessions Tackling a Few Pieces Composed of Minor Arpeggio Sequences Chapter 11: Enhancing Your Playing with Seventh Chord Arpeggios Practicing Dominant Seventh Chord Arpeggios Putting Your Fingers to Work with Minor Seventh Chord Arpeggios Running Through the Major Seventh Chord Arpeggios Applying Seventh Chord Arpeggios to Some Famous Pieces Chapter 12: Trying Your Hand at Seventh Chord Arpeggio Sequences Taking On Dominant Seventh Chord Arpeggio Sequences Adding Minor Seventh Chord Arpeggio Sequences to Your Collection Practicing Major Seventh Chord Arpeggio Sequences Playing Pieces with Seventh Chord Arpeggio Sequences