GUITAR ����� The ultimate beginner’s guide to contemporary guitar
����� ����� GUITAR The ultimate beginner’s guide to contemporary guitar By Pete Downes ����� ����� GUITAR This edition: November 2005 © 2005 Pete Downes & Wiser Productions ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 Wiser Productions Ltd. Tel 020 8286 7042 email: info@wiserproductions.co.uk Web: www.wiserproductions.co.uk Introduction What this book covers This book covers everything a beginner should know, including posture, warm-up techniques, left and right hand technique, first position scales and first position chords. In addition, we can have fun with power chords and common rock scales. It includes tablature and standard notation. Symbols used throughout are standard, and common to all good quality guitar music books and will allow you to progress your studies using further material with the knowledge gained here. Parts of a popular electric guitar Headstock String numbers and notes E A D G BE (Head) 6 5 4 3 2 1 Machine heads (tuners) Nut Elephants And Donkeys Grow Big Ears Frets Neck This rhyme will help you remember the string notes: Fingerboard 6 5 4 3 2 1 Position markers Body Pick-ups Fingerboard diagram close-up Strings Scratchplate C Major E A D G BE 6 5 4 3 2 1 G Nut Bridge E C E Fret Bridge saddles C String Tremolo arm (when fitted) Socket (for inserting jack lead Pete Downes: Start Right: Guitar Volume/tone controls Fingers X 3 2 0 1 0 The above graphic representing the fingerboard will be used to help you find chords and notes. 1 Holding the guitar There are two common approaches to holding a guitar. Our objectives here are to minimise stress, keep body balanced, avoid fatigue and keep hands free to play (not support the guitar). Classical sitting position Three points of contact with guitar: Left leg, right leg, chest. Very stable. Contemporary sitting position Two points of contact with guitar: right leg, chest. Whichever sitting position you choose, follow these points • The chair should have no arms • Sit on the front edge of the chair • Ensure your feet are flat on the floor and your lap is level with the floor • Sit with your back straight • Keep your shoulders level • The guitar should balance without being held by left hand. Right elbow should keep guitar in position • For classical, elevate your left foot slightly on footstool or similar. Foot should be flat on this and heel supported by the footstool to avoid shakes • For contemporary, elevate your right foot if required on footstool or similar • For classical position, your guitar head should be level with your shoulder Standing When standing, ensure the strap is adjusted to echo your sitting position as closely as possible (this saves you having to practice everything twice!). Use a good quality strap which distributes the weight of the guitar. Thicker straps are more effective at this. 2 Pete Downes: Start Right: Guitar Your hands Left hand Use your left hand (if right-handed) to press notes onto a fret on the fingerboard. This shortens the string length and produces a higher note. • Each fret = 1 semitone Right hand Choosing a plectrum Before you finally decide which plectrum to use, buy several different sizes and experiment with all of them. One will be right for you. Don’t get one that is too thin as it will dictate the tone you get and will be thin sounding. A thicker pick means you get the sound from your fingers and wrist. Holding a plectrum • Place fingertip just behind the fret (to avoid buzzes) • Use the very tip of the finger (to avoid touching other strings) • Keep fingertip as vertical as possible to the fingerboard (to avoid touching other strings) • Press just enough to make note sound (excessive pressure will force string out of tune and tire your hand) Place the plectrum on the curved index finger as shown above. Place your thumb on top as shown below. Do not have too much plectrum sticking out between thumb and finger. Usually between 2 and 5mm is enough. There are some variations on the exact positioning of the plectrum but this is the best starting point. Using a plectrum • Keep your thumb in the centre of the back of the neck as much as possible (allows your fingers better reach) • Fingernails of left hand must be short When strumming or plucking a note, be sure to use wrist movement not forearm. Imagine a fly lands on your hand and you flick your wrist to shake it off; that is the movement. Using forearm only will reduce speed and accuracy. Left hand symbols Left fingers are given numbers in notation: Index: 1 Middle: 2 Ring: 3 Little: 4 Pete Downes: Start Right: Guitar ≥≤ Plectrum symbols = Downstroke (towards the floor) = Upstroke (towards your face) 3 Tuning the guitar Electric tuner Tuning string by string Nut 6 5 4 3 2 1 E A D G B E Fret 1 Fret 2 Probably the easiest and most accurate way to tune your guitar. When choosing, things to look for are: Fret 3 Jack input: for tuning electric guitars Microphone: for tuning acoustic guitars Lights: to aid tuning in the dark Sound: for tuning by ear to the pitch Chromatic: ideal for non-standard tunings Pitch adjustment: tune to ‘out’ instruments (eg: untuned pianos) Fret 5 B Fret 4 A D G E In the above diagram, the dotted lines show the note where the string below is the same as the string above. Tune the 1st (E) string to the first E above middle C on a piano. Other tuning methods Telephone If you dial your own number on your land line (in the UK) you hear the engaged tone. This is a perfect G! You are not charged for the call. Pitch pipes These are miniature pipes, each one tuned to a string on the guitar. Tuning fork This is a two prong metal fork. When tapped on the knee it produces a very accurate note. 4 Place finger just behind the fifth fret of the 2nd (B) string. Tune this to the open (unfingured) 1st string. Place finger just behind the fourth fret of the 3rd (G) string. Tune this to the open 2nd string. Place finger just behind the fifth fret of the 4th (D) string. Tune this to the open 3rd string. Place finger just behind the fifth fret of the 5th (A) string. Tune this to the open 4th string. Place finger just behind the fifth fret of the 6th (E) string. Tune this to the open 5th string. Variation for telephone tuning When tuning the G string to the telephone engaged tone, Tune the G string first, then tune the B string to the G by pressing G string at 4th fret, Then the high E string to the B by pressing the B string at the 5th fret. Tune lower strings (4, 5 and 6) as directed above. Pete Downes: Start Right: Guitar ���� How to read tab Before we start playing we need a bit of knowledge in order to understand this book. All symbols and notation used will be standard, allowing you to use this knowledge with further study material. � � �� � � � � Reading Tab � � � � Tab (or tablature) is a great way to get started. It is a recognised standard and many books and ������guitar websites use it. The horizontal lines are the strings as you see them when playing the guitar. The numbers are the frets. Vertical line is a bar. 5 4 3 2 1 ������ �� � � � � � � � � ���� ��� Tab and notation In this book (and many others) standard notation is shown alongside tab version. As my objective is to get you playing as quickly as possible, this book does not include detailed descriptions of notation. Please get a dedicated guide such as The AB Guide to Music Theory. � � ���������� � � ���������� Horizontal lines = strings Numbers = frets 0 = open string Vertical lines = bars �������� 6 E A DG BE Time ––––––––––––> Count: 1 3 4 � � � � Fingering: 3 �� 2 0 2 3 etc... � � � � 0 � � � � � 2 0 1 � � � � � � 0 2 0 � � 3 � � � 2 0 � � � �� � � 3 � � � �������� The above C major single octave scale demonstrates how music will be displayed. Count as shown (quarter notes, last note = half note). Fingering is shown in italics above the tab. When playing in the first position, the finger number and fret number are often the same (as here). Pete Downes: Start Right: Guitar Open strings in notation & tab � � �� E � A � D � G � B � � E � � � � � � � 5 Warming up Think like an athlete About practicing You may not think it but there are similarities between musicians and athletes. Warm your hands • Both need warm muscles to perform • Both need to stretch before performing • Both need training (practice) Use the stretching routine (left) or similar. Stretch muscles Stand or sit correctly See page 2. Stretching routine Begin with warm up study I’ve found this stretching method based on a yoga technique very effective: • Place hands together as if praying • Spread fingers • Push elbows up to stretch finger muscles • Separate hands and shake vigorously Posture See below. Be focused It is better to do 20 minutes of concentrated, purposeful practice than 2 hours of doodling. Take it slow Play the exercises in this book slowly and accurately. Once you have the accuracy, you can gradually increase the speed. If it hurts, take a break! Make sure your sitting or standing correctly as outlined earlier. You are training your hands to do something they are not used to. For example, you may get sore left hand fingertips. This is normal and will pass after a couple of weeks when the skin on your fingertips hardens. If they start to hurt take a break to avoid blistering. Warm up study �������� The following exercise is designed to get your fingers moving gently. Do this for a minute or two before proceeding and it will help you avoid strains. Take it slow to start with. Make each note last until the next note (legato). Make sure each finger is behind the fret. Play with downstrokes, then alternate down and upstrokes � � � �� � Count: 1 �� � � � � �� 2 � Fingering: same as fret number 3 � � � 4 � � �� 1 � � �� 2 � � � �� �� 3 � 4 �� � � � �������� After doing this on one string, you could try ascending by repeating the first bar on the next string, then the next etc.. 6 Pete Downes: Start Right: Guitar C Major & A minor C Major (1 octave) � � �������� � � �������� Fingering: 3 �� 2 3 0 2 � � 0 � � � C Chord � � � � E A D G F E B 1 � �G � C B E C F � � � � G D F � C E A � E G C � � � � X Grey dots are notes in the same scale above and below the octave shown. 3 � 2 0 1 �0 � � X = don’t play string 3 = finger 1 2 = finger 2 0 = play open string 1 = finger 1 A minor (1 octave) Fingering: 0 �� 2 3 0 2 3 � � � 0 � Am Chord � � � � E A D G F 2 � � Am Scale � � � � � � � � B �G � C E B E C F � � E D F � E C A � � � � � A � A G � � X 0 � 2 3 � 1 0 � Practice the above scales both ascending (as shown) and descending (reverse of shown) and pay careful attention to fingerings. Note that the fret number and left finger number are the same! C to Am chord study C � � � �� ���������� � � � �� ���������� 0 C Scale � � � � � � � � � � �������� � � �������� �������� �������� �������� �������� �������� �������� �������� The C major and A minor scales use exactly the same notes. The only difference is the note you start on. Learn one pattern and you’ve learned two scales! (Technically, A minor is the relative minor of C Major). �� � Count: �� 1 � � � � � Am � �� �� � 2 � � � � � Upstroke of plectrum � �� �� � 3 � � � � � � �� �� � 4 � � � � � � �� �� � & etc... � � � � � � �� �� � ��� � � � � � � �� �� � � � � � � � �� �� � � � � � � � �� �� � � � � � � � �� �� � � � � � � �� � � The objective here is smooth chord changes that stay in time. Practice the left hand finger move first. Once changes are smooth, progress to the study. This study is not only good practice for changing chords but also gets the plectrum hand used to doing upstrokes on the offbeat. Pete Downes: Start Right: Guitar 7 More chords in C C, F and G chords These three chords are the basis for a huge volume of songs across all genres. Here we look at playing them with the minimum of finger movement. All are in the key of C Major. Fingering for left hand is shown below. Notice the movement of fingers 2 and 3. Practice these finger moves in the order shown until smooth then move on to the study. C F G C E C C E X 3 0 1 E G B B G C �������� 0 X X 3 2 1 1 X 3 2 0 1 0 3 2 0 0 G 0 4 We are now going to play these chords and add some movement at the bottom by adding a bassline using notes from the C Major scale. The first hollow note in each bar should be held for two beats so it carries on under the chord. Play all as downstrokes. You will find F tricky at first because of using finger 1 on two strings. If struggling, leave the high E string open then try after other studies. � � � �� � � � ���������� � � �� � � � �� � � � � ���������� D C F 2 E F A C G G � � � � � �� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � Repeat previous bars � �� ��� �� �� �� � � �� � �� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � When you’re comfortable with the above study, try varying the rhythm. �������� Minor chords in C Major (A minor) Am Dm A Am D E A E F C E E G B E 0 0 0 C A A Em E A 2 3 B E 2 3 D X 0 2 3 1 0 X X O 2 3 1 X 0 1 0 0 Play these chords in the sequence shown until they are smooth as you did with the C F and G study. This time get creative and make up your own study. Start with the chords and rhythm, then see if you can create a bassline that leads from one chord to the next. If you prefer, base it on the previous study. 8 Pete Downes: Start Right: Guitar Melody in C �������� We’ve looked at chords in C Major. Now lets have another look at the scale including the upper strings. The next study uses the following notes: � � � � � � � � � � � � E F � D B E C F A G Why scales? All melodies are parts of a scale � B � E F C � A �� � � G � G D � Learning the scale helps you play both scales and chords � � � All chords are parts of a scale �������� �������� �������� �������� �������� �������� �������� �������� Name this tune! I’ll give you a clue. It’s about an elderly chap with a farm! I chose this tune because I’m 99% certain you will be familiar with it. This reduces the need to rely on reading and you will begin to hear and see how the scale and its pattern are used to create melodies. Once you’ve learned the melody, ask your tutor or a friend to play the chords for you or record them and play over them. After learning the melody, the chords� already � � �try the chords. � �Two new variations � on � � studied � are � shown as them and different sound � �get � � �they � diagrams. � �your��ears used � make. We�will � � � Try � �tofollowed � the � later. � � Try playing � �the�differences � note � � �by�the other chord��notes � �to get� a� discuss the root bassline as you did with the C, �F, �G study. � � �� � � � � � ��� �� � ��� � � � � �� � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � ��� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � Pete Downes: Start Right: Guitar � � � � � � � �� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �� � � ������ � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � ���� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � � �� � � � � � � � �� �� � � � �� � � � � �� �� � � � � � ����� � � � � � � � � � ���� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � � � �� � ���� ��� � � � � �� � � � 9 The Blues The origin of most contemporary music is the blues. Rock guitarists predominantly play blues and pentatonic scales. Jazz players also use these scales in addition to other scales and passing notes. Soul and R&B singers basically use the blues. All use in their own context. For the following studies we move to the key of G Major/E minor (one sharp: F#). This is because the majority of blues tunes were written on the guitar and E is the perfect guitar key. E minor (G Major) Pentatonic �������� Regular Major and minor scales have 7 notes (8 with the octave). Pentatonic scales have only 5 notes (6 with the octave). Penta = 5 (like Pentagon). Here is E minor Pentatonic (which is also G Major Pentatonic): � �� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � � E � � � A D G B E A G � B E D G � � � � � E Blues scale �������� �������� The Blues Scale adds one additional note to the Pentatonic: a ‘flat five’ (flattened 5th note of the scale). The use of this note was probably the biggest change in Western music in the last Century! (Eastern music has used it a for lot longer.) For many centuries it was considered the ‘Devil’s note’ because of it’s dissonance with the tonic (key note), it is critical to Blues, Jazz, Rock, R&B, Soul Gospel etc. Singers and guitarists bend in and out of this note to add expression. � �� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � � � � � � � E � D G B E A A E D G A# G A# � B � � � � � �������� �������� Both these patterns move up the neck to any key! Once you’ve memorised these patterns in the first postition, you can move them up the neck to play in any key! The fingering has to change because finger 1 now needs to press the notes that werre at the nut. 10 Pete Downes: Start Right: Guitar The Blues Blues chords in E ‘Sevens’ are the chords most commonly used in blues and 12 bar sequences. Here are the three chords we need to play a ‘12 bar’ in E: E7 E A7 B D A E B7 G E B G# D# E B 0 2 0 1 0 0 X 0 2 C# 0 3 0 X 2 F# A B 1 3 0 4 Practice the above chords and finger changes until you can play them smoothly (no pause between chord changes). It is not necessary yet to know why they are called 7’s. It will be explained later. Ability to play them is the goal now. Once you have the chords, try this study which combines them with a riff from the E blues scale: E Blues study Pete Downes: Start Right: Guitar 11 Beyond the blues The shuffle Some bands have made careers out of variations of this pattern alone. Chuck Berry was first to make it mainstream, Status Quo use it, Hendrix used it. When played in A, the whole 12 bar pattern can be played by simply changing string pairs. If using electric guitar, try a touch of distortion. Also, try palm muting (see page 13). Use downstrokes throughout Fingering: 1 1 3 1 4 1 3 1 etc.. Hold down finger 1 throughout) Count: & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 A7 Count: 1 D7 & 2 & 3 & 4 &... D7 E7 A7 A7 D7 A7 Examples of the shuffle are Johnny B Goode: Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix Riding Along In My Automobile: Chuck Berry Whatever You Want: Status Quo E7 Variations Tempo and rhythm variations are what gives this pattern variety. Triplets 1 & a 2 & a 3 & a 4 & a (play the bold counts) 12 Pete Downes: Start Right: Guitar Crucial contemporary techniques Palm muting Also known as string muffling, this technique can be used to great effect when playing shuffle patterns and other rock/blues riffs, especially when guitar sound is distorted. We want to mute the string so that they do not ring too long. This allows each strum to be clear and percussive. Hammering on A technique for making more notes sound than you actually pluck with the plectrum. How to do it Try putting first finger on second fret of G string. Pluck the note. Just after the note sounds, ‘hammer on’ third finger to the fourth fret with a quick and sharp movement. Pulling off How to do it Turn the palm of your right hand towards your face. See the side of your hand between your little finger and wrist joint? This must be placed on the bridge, parallel to it and placed over the strings about 1cm. Pluck with a movement of wrist and plectrum fingers (not forearm). Experiment with moving the amount of mute to get desired tone. Vibrato On guitar it is adding small variations to the note pitch by moving the finger on the string after fretting it. It adds expression to the note. How to do it Method 1 (steel or nylon strings) Place your finger on a fret (the G string is a good place to start at the fifth fret, using the second finger. Pluck the string, then rock your finger left and right parallel to the string. You should hear a slight variation in pitch. Use this on steel or nylon strings. Method 2: (steel strings only) Place your finger on the string as above. Pull the string slight downwards then back. This must be done quickly. Try rocking the left wrist to get a fast steady variation Pete Downes: Start Right: Guitar Basically the opposite of Hammering On. Both are often used in the same phrase. How to do it Put your second finger on the G string at the second fret and pluck it. After the note sounds, pull your finger down slightly and release the string. This flicks the string from your finger and should produce the note. Try combining the hammer on and pull off to produce a rapid flutter of notes. String bending It involves pushing the string along the fret to sharpen (raise) the pitch of the note. How to do it Best done on electric guitar with light strings. Put your third finger on the 7th fret of the G string. Pluck, then push the string up towards your face. You should hear the pitch change. It helps to bring your thumb over the neck to give support to the bending finger. 13 Rock foundations Power Chords Well done for getting through so far. Now we’ll have some fun with Power Chords: probably the single most important rock chord! Power chords are usually notated as 5 chords: e.g.: E5. The chords shown are at the second fret. This is simply to get them onto our existing diagram so we know where we are. Once learned, the chord shapes are moveable up and down the neck on the string groups shown, effectively up to about the 12th fret. The root note of the chord is played with the first finger. F#5 B5 F# 1 E5 E B C# F# 3 4 X X X X 1 F# B 3 4 B X X E X Why Power Chords? X 1 3 4 X When electric guitarists started to use more distortion, they found that adding more complex chords produced a lack of clarity. The chords above only use the root, the 5th and the root octave. The 5th is a perfect interval so comes out clearly when distorted. �������� Power chord study For this study, experiment with palm muting. If on electric guitar, add some distortion. You want this to sound punchy. Palm muting helps. Fingering as in the above diagrams. See if you can accent the on-beat (1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &...) � ��������� � � � � �� �� �� �� ���� � � �� �� �� �� � � � � � � � � �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� � � � � �� ���� �������� ���� ���� �� �� � � � �� � � � � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �������� �������� D Blues Scale This is a great scale to play over these power chords. Have fun with it. Try string bending and tremolo. Play the above with a friend or tutor, or record the chords for backing. See if you can break up the note sequence, not just go up and down the scale. Try phrases that resolve to the root (D). � � � � � � � � � �� � �� �� �� 14 �� �� �� �� �� �� 10th Fret � � D D D � � Bend 1 or 2 frets �� �� Bend 2 frets Pete Downes: Start Right: Guitar A bit of theory OK. We’ve got this far without detailed analysis of what’s going on. Now a bit more detail. This is not essential to know to play good music, but it certainly helps! Harmonising a scale We know that a chord contains at least three notes of a scale. We’re going to see how this works by harmonising the C Major scale. Don’t get scared, it’s easier than you might think. A scale is created from tone (T) and semitone (S) intervals Intervals in C Major (piano white notes): C Major (seven notes plus octave): Each note has a number in the scale: A basic triad chord has three notes: T T C 1 1 S D 2 T E 3 3 T F 4 T G 5 5 A 6 S B 7 C 8 That gives us the chord C Major Now lets harmonise all chords in the scale and see what happens: 5ths: 3rds: C Major Root notes: Note number: Chord names: G E C 1 C A F D 2 Dmin G 1st position chord shapes: D E G E C A F 4 F B E B E 0 1 0 X X O 2 3 0 2 3 0 0 0 X X 3 E B G 2 1 E A B F D B 7 Bdim C F 1 G F A D 2 E C A 6 Amin D C A E C 3 D B G 5 G F C X B G E 3 Emin 1 A B 3 2 0 0 0 D F G X 4 0 2 3 1 X 1 3 X 4 As we can see from the diagrams, we have already played all these chords except for the diminished! 7 chords Let’s see what happens to the above pattern we add the 7th degree: 7ths: 5ths: 3rds: C Major Root notes: B G E C C A F D D B G E E C A F F D B G G E C A A F D B Chord names: CMaj7 Dmin7 Emin7 FMaj7 G7 Amin7 Bm7b5 A Pianist could play these notes as shown with no problem. However it’s more difficult on guitar so we swop the sequence. A common one is: Root, 5th, 7th, 3rd. That would give us the following chords up the neck: Chord names: CMaj7 Dmin7 Emin7 FMaj7 G7 Amin7 Bm7b5 Fret number Dotted line means place first finger across all strings (barre) G C 3 X 1 3 2 4 X 1 3 E B 1 2 C F 8 G A 1 B D E 7 F E G A C D 5 B 1 X 1 3 1 2 1 X 1 3 2 E G A 12 4 1 X 1 3 1 4 D F E B D A B 14 C A C D F G 10 1 X 1 3 1 2 1 X 1 3 2 4 X You can do the same thing with the 9th, 11th and 13th notes. Just keep adding the new note in the pattern to the ones you already have. Because of a guitars limitations, some notes are left out of the fingering of extended chords: usually the 5th (if not ‘altered’ by being flat or sharp). Pete Downes: Start Right: Guitar 15 What next? Further reading There are many good books available for guitar covering many musical styles. This book has been a introduction, not only to guitar tab reading but also guitar notation and terminology, posture and technique. This will assist you in any further reading you do. Here are a few good ones Mel Bay Modern Guitar Method Vol 1 Excellent approach that has stood the test of time. It does not include tablature but has a very clear introduction to standard notation. Good for plectrum technique and learning the first position chords and scales. Moves up in levels to vol 7. Modern Method for Guitar vol 1: Berklee Press The handbook of the Berklee College of Music in the US. Great for the player who wants to build a deeper understanding of music: particularly jazz and improvisation. Again it does not include tab but introduces you gradually to reading standard notation. Very highly respected and goes up to three volumes and advanced level. RGT Electric Guitar series Produced by the Registry of Guitar Tutors. Great if you are interested in doing grades. Step by step introduction to chords and scales for each level. Includes tab and scale diagrams. The AB Guide to Music Theory Not guitar specific but a great reference book on music notation and theory. In two volumes. You can look up any word or symbol you are unfamiliar with. Other resources The Web There are many internet sites offering free guitar tabs and tuition. Try a search for ‘guitar lessons’. Quality varies as with anything else online. Lessons Lessons with an experienced player or teacher will help refine the physical aspect of playing the guitar; posture, left and right hand techniques etc.. Even the most self motivated student can benefit from some one-to-one lessons. Videos There are nearly as many of these as there are of books. Quality can vary again so get good advice or choose one by your hero! Magazines Guitar magazines such as Guitar Techniques generally include lessons. 16 Pete Downes: Start Right: Guitar About Pete Downes Pete Downes & PD3 (The Pete Downes Trio) Article by Gordon Moore Pete Downes is one of those incredible talents that only surfaces once in a blue moon. He is rapidly becoming one of Europe’s leading guitarists in the modern jazz fusion genre. Already established on the jazz scene in the UK and Italy with a string of regular appearances culminating with a packed audience at the Glastonbury Festival Jazz Lounge. With influences that cover such a wide spectrum as Pat Metheny to Jimi Hendrix their first album “Street Scene” caught the attention of Jazzwise, Jazz FM and critic praise from The Guardian, The Observer and many other Radio Stations and newspapers. The eagerly awaited follow up album “Into The Blue” is a further step on the road to a wider audience. On this album PD3 blend their infectious original compositions with totally fresh and inspired versions of classic and recent songs in a way that simply underlines the incredible versatility of the trio and the ease in which they can provide assessable jazz routed music to a much wider audience. “Into The Blue” is the result of a year’s hard work, choosing material, re-arranging and performing them live to test the reactions of audience and critics. Now they believe they have a complete album. Not just a showcase of musical talent, but a complete work that takes the listener on a journey into the sound of PD3. Recorded virtually live at various locations around Europe and produced by Pete himself, this album is their finest work to date both musically and spiritually. The interaction between the three players is superb with each allowing the others their own space within each track Andy Coe’s extreme and unique double bass playing not only providing a solid back line, but pulsing through on solos and driving the tracks along to Tim Bruce’s meticulous drumming. Pete Downes’ guitar work is unrivalled, but never over the top or self indulgent. He is a master of understatement and delicate phrasing, but when the track requires power, he’s there adding just the right amount of weight so as not to overpower or derail the beauty of the track. “Into The Blue” and “Street Scene” are available now from UK record stores and many digital services including iTunes. Visit the website for details, audio samples and live performances: www.petedownes.com For inclusion on the monthly emailing list, please email: newslist@petedownes.com Register for updates and news For news of updated editions and new publications, please send an email to startrightguitar@petedownes.com ����� ����� GUITAR Pete Downes: Start Right: Guitar ����� ����� GUITAR The ultimate beginner’s guide By Pete Downes A comprehensive guide for the beginner covering important issues in the early life of the aspiring guitarist that are often overlooked. Posture Warm-ups and Stretches Tab and notation First position chords and scales The Blues Rock Power Chords and soloing Introduction to Theory wiser productions Tel: 020 8286 7042 email: info@wiserproductions.co.uk Web: www.wiserproductions.co.uk
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