Category: Instruction

Guitar Practicing Tips – Know Your Open Strings

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One of the first things you will want to learn as a guitarist is the letter names of each of the six strings.  Sure you can learn a bunch of tabs and chords and play songs but what about when you are jamming with your friends and they say something like, ‘your D string is out of tune?’ It sure would be embarrassing if you didn’t know which string they were talking about! I actually remember in college we had composer John Duarte pay us a visit. Some of the students who were playing his pieces were asked to perform for him in a master class setting. One student did a great performance of a Duarte piece. As is custom in a master class the composer/guest is to give some helpful critiques and suggestions. Mr. Duarte suggested the student play a certain passage on a different string to achieve a desired sound.

The student froze. In front of the composer, his teachers and an audience full of guitarists he froze. He couldn’t find the notes he needed and it was embarrassing for everyone there let alone the poor guy on stage.

DON’T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU! The first step you need to take is to know your open strings! Once you memorize these there are easy ways to find any note you want on the guitar. If you want to play bar and power chords knowing all the notes on the 5th and 6th string is essential and again it starts by knowing the open strings.
Here are two acronyms that are helpful to remember your open strings. Both were created by students of mine. One from over 15 years ago and one from a recent class.

Here are the open notes starting from the 6th string(thickest) to the first (thinnest)

E   A    D    B    G    B    E

Starting on the 6th(thick) string to the first(thin) string …by Patty

Eat    A    Darn    Good    Breakfast    Everyday

Starting on the first(thin) string to the  6th(thick) string …by Orlando

Easter    Bunny    Gets    Drunk    At    Easter

Don’t like these? Create you own version, whatever it takes to get you to memorize the open strings!

Click here for past practicing tips.

Music to Relax – Horace Silver “Lonely Woman”

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I love this song! I cant hear it and not relax. It soothes my brain like no other song I can think of.

There are certain recordings that you hear and know the stars were aligned as it was being created and for Horace Silver’s, “Lonely Woman,” it might have been the stars, the planets and the universe all in phase, much like my last Music to Relax post of Miles Davis’, “Blue in Green.”

The song is  mellow in it’s sonicity but has an intensity that breathes life into it’s dulcet  tones.

Silver creates the relaxed mood in Lonely Woman in a handful of ways.

-First, his quartet is downsized to a trio of piano, bass and drums.

-The spacing is so open rhythmically and sonically. Rhythmically, the bass line and drum accents are almost entirely half notes.

-Brushes are used on the drums to lighten the percussive nature.

-The chords Silver uses on the piano accompaniment are mostly open spacings with just the right dissonances mixed in.

-When soloing Silver  uses  pentatonic scales which eliminates chromaticism.

The intensity comes when he does blend chromaticism and dissonances to contrast the vibe of the piece. Then the final bars just lift you up.

You have to think if more people were exposed to this piece the world would be a better place.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this song!!

Enjoy!

Charles Ives, “4th of July” Listening Challenge

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How do we listen to music?

Seems like a silly question! We crank up our home stereos, car stereos, Ipods,  etc.

Most of us think of music as; I like it or I don’t; as cool or not; as good or bad. All very reasonable answers but represent a subjective view. They are opinions vs. analyses. For most people that is more than fine! We grow up with the music that is around us…if it makes us feel good we like it.

When I went to college to study music I was the same way. Somewhere along the line I realized there is more to music than does it have a beat and can I dance to it(or headbang from my heavy metal past). Music even though an art is also a science. Even though a recreation a discipline.

If you have been ready to try something different to feed your ears here is a great piece. It isn’t ear candy to the novice. It wont make you dance, hum, party, workout, clean the house…..etc. However, if you take the time to really listen it will offer you a chance to hear a different perspective on music.

Charles Ives was an experimental composer before there were experimental composers! If this piece reminds you a bit of a horror soundtrack, it was written before there were horror soundtracks! Ives was into creating sounds! Intertwined he liked to add familiar melodies that meant something to him personally. Usually these were lofty motives like Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, hymns and most of all pieces that represent America and Americana at the turn of the last century.

Take the challenge…put away your preconceived notions of what music should be and just listen to sounds. Also listen for the aforementioned American themes that Ives wove into his music the way others use major scales. Remember when you are listening that the composer was very pro-American even though the sounds may seem like not so much.

Go for it! I will keep more listening challenges coming…

Charles Ives 4th of July

Guitar Practicing Tips – A Secret to Changing Chords

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For you beginners out there learning to play chords you are going to love this!

So you’re struggling making that dreaded change from C to G!(or any tough change). What are your options….practice over & over & over…best option! Practice slow and keep your rhythm…great option. Get frustrated and throw your guitar against the wall…not recommended, condoned or liable if you do try it!!!!

The not so secret is if you keep practicing you WILL get it!

The secret is there is a ‘cheating’ technique, although it is not cheating because guitarists do this all the time. Even arguably the greatest rock song of all time Stairway to Heaven employs this method.

Use a strum that ends in an eighth note, i.e., 1 2+ 3 4+ where the numbers are strummed down and the +(ands) are strummed up.

On the very last strum, the up stroke of beat 4, take your left hand off the neck and strum the open strings. Use this ‘free time’ to get to the next chord on rhythm for beat 1.

So the strum would go 1 2+ 3 4-(open strum), 1 2+ 3 4-(open strum)

Try it out it makes life much easier to change your chords and sounds stylistically correct.

Good luck and keep at it…it WILL come!

Monday Song to Relax – Blue in Green, Miles Davis

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If you had a long Monday like me here is a great tune to help you unwind. Miles Davis’ “Blue in Green” Even the title sounds relaxing. The piece is modal with open spacing in the chords. In fact ‘space’ is a great adjective for this piece. The melodies, drums, bass and improv lines all take their time creating a laid back feeling.

If you are unfamiliar make sure you check out the whole album, “Kind of Blue” a true jazz landmark recording!

Relax! Enjoy!

12 NOTES & THE TRUTH!

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Our music is based on 12 notes!

That’s it!

No more!

“12 Notes & the Truth!,” this blog,  focuses on everything those 12 little notes offer.

These 12 notes not only make up the music of every band and artist we listen to but make the world go ’round, as well.

“12 Notes & the Truth!,” will cover anything and everything in music that strikes a chord

with myself and hopefully you, as well!.

Guitar music, pop styles, jazz, classical and the social issues attached to them all will be featured in the blog.

Expect a little high brow education,  low brow comedy and anything between that helps convey the world of music

in my head. Of course I will let you know what I am up to from time to time, as well, performances, projects, etc.

You can follow the blog:

from this site or on

Facebook: Mike Slayen Studios

Twitter: @mikeslayen

However you do follow come back early and often to check out “12 Notes & the Truth!” and feel free to comment on the posts.

From one music lover to another I will try to live up to these 12 notes and their truth.

Guitar Practicing Tips- Keep it Out

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Have you ever been walking around your house bored and say, ‘Ooooh I am gonna practice my guitar?’ You find that it is in the case, tucked in a room you never practice in and a full stack of junk on top. You know, just like your gym equipment….’Maybe I’ll practice later…’

It happens to the best of us!

One way to avoid this is to keep your guitar out of the case, of course you want to make sure you find a safe spot for it. Also keep it in a room you frequent so you can pick it up at anytime. If it is staring you in the face you are more likely to pick it up. If you pick it up you can get in a quick practice session. If you get in a quick session who knows it may turn into a full blown practice session.

Keep your guitar out, keep it protected and keep it where you can easily pick it up at anytime!

Keep practicing!!!

Guitar Practicing Tips – If You Can’t Practice Everyday…

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What is the most important day to practice? Well everyday of course!

If you are taking lessons or attending classes, however, there is a best day. It is either the day of(afterwards) or the day after your lesson. When you learn something new you need to reinforce the concepts and muscle actions ASAP. If you wait until the next day and then you get an unexpected invite, then the next day the kids need you, the next day you already had plans….etc., by now half a week or more has passed. It is easy to forget exactly what you were supposed to be focusing on. If you miss a day after you already practiced your new stuff you have a better chance of remembering everything.

So that said jump on it as soon as you can!

Keep practicing!!!

Guitar Practicing Tips – Use it or Lose it!

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Last night I was working on some music and decided to find some of the pieces I played for my college recitals. Found the folder and could not believe my eyes. There was SO much music. Music I haven’t played in years. Great music that I need to start playing again! Ponce, Villa-Lobos, Bach, Scarlatti just to name a few.

Excited to play these pieces again I dug into the thick stack of sheet music. I must of spent a few hours easily sight reading. Amazing that I forgot all about so many of these great works. Not only do I need to re-learn them but I completely forgot that I ever played many of them.

So here is the ‘Use it or Lose it’ lesson. As musicians we spend a lot of time on our craft, novices to professionals alike. No one wants all that time to go to waste! This is something I preach to my students. Work on new music as your main practice items but everyday work on some old music, as well! Play a few old pieces every time you practice and they will always stay in your head and fingers. It’s when a piece is tucked away, not seen or heard that musical atrophy sets in and although anytime a guitar is in your hands is a good thing, it is NO fun to have to re-learn something you already worked so hard on in the past!

Another advantage to practicing many songs weekly is to develop a full repertoire.  When friends and family know you play guitar they WILL ask you to play for them. So you get set to perform and realize you have only been working on a couple of pieces and they are in the development stage, not really ready for prime time. But if you have a handful of songs ready to go you will be the life of the party!

Keep practicing!