Woodshedding: Basic Neo-classical run

Here are three examples of playing a neo-classical style run. All examples are alternate picked. I use these as warm ups as well as incorporate them into solos when a fast run down is needed.

- Toni Gavrilovic has been a guitarist for close to 30 years and has been teaching guitar professionally since 1996. Currently owner of The Rock School Brampton music school.

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The Guitar Grid: 3 Octave Arpeggios using simple 3 note patterns.

Using the guitar as a grid helps us move around quickly by allowing us to use the same pattern for Major, minor and Diminished. We can use these simple patterns to create other arpeggios as well. (will be demonstrated in a future Grid).

The first example below will be in the key of G. Using only 6th & 5th string we will go up the scale playing each arpeggio. Arpeggios are G Major, A minor, B minor, C Major, D, Major, E minor, F# dim, and back to G major.

Example 1

Example 2 will be using the same pattern but for each one we will be moving up an octave and then another. The pattern will first start on 6th & 5th string, second pattern (same arpeggio) will be on 4th & 3rd, and last pattern on 2nd & 1st. 

Example 2

- Toni Gavrilovic has been a guitarist for close to 30 years and has been teaching guitar professionally since 1996. Currently owner of The Rock School Brampton music school.

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The Guitar Grid: 6 Note Mode Shapes

Todays example is taking a scale (this case G major) splitting it into 6 note patterns starting on the 6 string. G Major Consists of G,A,B,C,D,E,F#, so in our example we will be starting on each step of the scale and playing 6 notes diatonically in G. We will be starting on E in our example (since it is the lowest point on the 6 string in the key of G).

I have named the corresponding mode that goes with each note of the scale. (if you don't know anything about modes I will be breaking it down in a future blog. You can also find plenty of explanations on the internet, so search google).

Toni Gavrilovic has been a guitarist for close to 30 years and has been teaching guitar professionally since 1996. Currently owner of The Rock School Brampton music school.

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Slowing down track to practice.

Slowing down tracks to practice

What is need?

1. Go and download Audacity. http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/

• Download the version for your computer. Window, Mac or Linux
• Audacity is a free open source software. This gives the power of Pro Wave editors/recording software to anyone.

2. Sound file or mp3.


After installing Audacity run it and load an audio file (mp3). Our example will be using is Rage Against the Machine. Choose anything you like.


Here is Audacity with the mp3 loaded.

Next Step it to go to the menu Effects and select speed:

When the speed window comes up use the slider to change the percentage of the speed from 0 to a slower speed (slowing down move the slider left, speeding up moves the slider right):

That was easy enough to do.

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