Klaus Crow, Author at GUITARHABITS

The Awesome Harmonic Minor Scale

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The harmonic minor scale is often used in neo-classical, gypsy and jazz music.

But also rock guitar players like to step outside of the pentatonic or minor scale now and then and add this kind of middle eastern sound to their solos to keep things interesting.

It really catches the ear of the listener because something different and exciting is happening. John Petrucci, Joe Satriani and Marty Friedman are good examples of guitar players who incorporate the harmonic minor tastefully into their solos.

If you’re ready to add some cool flavor to play over a minor chord or dominant seventh chord then let’s dive into it:

Formulas
The harmonic minor scale contains 7 notes. The scale formula = 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7. So compared to the major scale (1 2 3 4 5 6 7) it’s got a minor third and a minor sixth.

The harmonic minor scale and the natural minor scale (1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7) are pretty much the same expect the harmonic minor has raised it’s 7th by one semitone.

If you play an harmonic minor scale on a single string the pattern of whole and half steps are:
“whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole & a half, half”.
(half step = 1 fret, whole step = 2 frets, whole & a half = 3 frets)
So the formula in semitones = 2 1 2 2 1 3 1

Here’s how you play an A harmonic minor scale. The root note starting on the 6th string (Low E-string)

Here’s the harmonic minor scale starting on the 5th string (A-string): D harmonic minor scale.Continue Reading

How to Create Space for Guitar Playing and a More Spontaneous Life

By Klaus Crow 6 Comments

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Most of us live busy lives and find it difficult to make time for the things we love most.

Because of work, commitments, obligations, bills to pay, raising children, etc, it feels like there’s hardly any time left.

Were always in productivity mode and it’s difficult to turn off that switch, because we programmed our subconscious to act that way over and over again.

We finish one thing and without thinking we go on to the next. Often doing things that seem important, but in scheme of things we will find that they lose their importance. We can choose to delay, eliminate and replace them for the really important things: The things you love most.

I love playing guitar, meditation, Yoga, running, reading and spending time with my wife and kids. I’ve come to realize I can do it all in calmness and serenity.

To change the behavior of productivity, to step outside the chaos, the business of being busy, to breath and enjoy what matters most to you, you need to create space, room and serenity in your life.

Here are the keys:Continue Reading

A Beginners Path to Learning Guitar

By Klaus Crow 13 Comments

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You want to learn to play guitar but you’re having trouble finding which way to go next. Well, don’t worry, today we have a roadmap or beginners path to learning guitar that will show you where to start and how to continue on your journey.

The learning path to guitar playing will not be the same for everyone. It depends on what style or genre you want to learn and your ultimate goal.

Do you want to become a shredding guitar virtuoso or are you more a singer songwriter type? Do you want to become a solid blues guitar lead player or work your way to an acoustic fingerstyle wizz or a hybrid picking country cowboy?

Whatever your choice is, if you want to start learning popular music, folk music and work your way towards blues, rock, alternative, metal, country or jazz this beginners path is a good starting point.

You don’t necessarily have to stick to the order of this list, there is more than one way to skin a cat. There are always side roads and other things you can learn besides this list. But this beginners path is a good indication to create the solid building blocks you need to becoming a pretty decent guitar player.

Somewhere down to road you got to choose which way to go next, but you’ll figure out when the time is right.

Notes:
– If you want to learn to play classical guitar this is probably not the beginners path you want to follow.
– Take your time. Learn each aspect thoroughly. Even though learning basic chords and an easy song can be mastered in days, this path is not a plan for days or weeks but more for months, years and even a lifetime.

Don’t forget: “It’s about the journey, not about the destination.”

8 Ways to Really Develop Your Aural Skills

By Klaus Crow 13 Comments

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Developing your aural skills is one of the most important things when it comes to guitar playing. If not the most important thing.

It’s something I still work on after all these years of playing. Each time I invest time into ear training it pays off big time.

The ability to identify chords, chord progressions, notes and melodies by ear or creating melodies from the mind and translating it to the fretboard is the greatest asset and resource a guitar player can have.

And to take it even one step further, combining good aural skills and knowledge of music theory will make you invincible. It’s the ultimate combination and makes you a complete musician.

But today we focus solely on the quality of listening. There are many ways to improve your aural skills, but here is a list of the most essential ones:

1 Transcribe songs.
Figure out chords, chord progressions and solos by ear. Work out the pitches and rhythms of a song. Use software like Transcribe to slowdown, loop and change the pitch of the song to make transcribing easier. You can use Anytune to transcribe songs on your Ipad.Continue Reading

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