The pressure is real. We are all in a time crunch. If you and your music team are striving to be memorized on Sunday, let’s cover some tips and tricks that will get you memorized most efficiently. But before we jump into the specifics of memorization, let’s talk a little about how to set your team up for …
Six String Theory // Fretboard Basics
As guitarists, we tend to get stuck in a rut of playing the same thing over and over again. We tend to memorize shapes and patterns, rather than thinking about what we are actually playing. If you find yourself feeling like that sometimes, maybe it’s time to ask yourself if you really know all of the notes …
Guitar Theory 101 // Lesson 5 // Chord Construction: Major and Minor Triads
Be sure to check out the rest of the guitar theory series here. An understanding of chord construction is important since it allows you to create musically correct chords in “non-standard” ways, expanding your tonal possibilities. Plus, this knowledge lets you create chords on the spot: you may have never memorized the fingering for an …
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Guitar Theory // Modern Voicings From the Open A Shape
Two of the most common questions I get from my guitar students or when I do workshops is “How can I sound more modern?” and “What do I play if there are multiple guitarists in my band?”. This lesson will give you some ideas on how to take the open A chord and break it …
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Guitar Theory 101 // Lesson 4 // Degrees of the Major Scale
If you hang around musicians long enough, you’ll hear them talk about playing “the fifth” or “the fourth.” What are they referring to? These are degrees of the major scale. If you recall, the major scale (we’ll use C as an example) contains 7 notes: C D E F G A B If you number …
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Guitar Theory 101 // Lesson 3 // The Major Scale
The major scale contains 7 notes and forms the foundation for all other scales in western music. The seven notes of the major scale are a subset of the 12-note chromatic scale, which contains all of the notes used in western music. You’ve heard the major scale and already have it memorized vocally—it’s the “Do …
Guitar Theory 101 // Lesson 2 // Whole Steps and Half Steps
You’ll often hear musicians speak about “whole steps” or “half steps.” You may even hear them speak about “going up two steps” or “moving it down a step and a half.” What are they talking about? If you play your A string on the 3rd fret, then move up and play it on the 4th …
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Guitar Theory 101 // Lesson 1 // Notes of Western Music
While music may seem like a very complex thing, it is derived from only 12 musical notes. If you want to play music, you must understand how these notes work, since notes are the ‘building blocks” of music. This lesson will give you a basic understanding of the 12 notes used in western music. These …
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Slash Chords and the Nashville Number System
In this video, Dustin explains how to interpret slash chords you will find on your chord charts, and how to assign them a number in the Nashville Number System based on how they are used in a song. Download the chart for Hillsong’s “Forever Reign” in C here to follow along. Forever Reign-C (Rhythm Chart)
Music Theory // Intro to Nashville Number System
Dustin discusses octaves, scale degrees, and practical applications for the Nashville Number system. Download Charts mentioned in this lesson: Our God Charts Head here for part 2 of the lesson series!