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Vertical Truth:

Chordal Mechanisms for the Guitar

Vertical Truth: Chordal Mechanisms for the Guitar is available as PDF downloads - either separately by Unit (there are 10 Units) or altogether in one book.

 

These downloads are PDFs of the physical books I use with my personal students. They are NOT designed to be "self-teaching" but are basically an outline that requires a knowledgeable instructor. They also require the ability to read music notation - there is no tab and no videos! There are fretboard diagrams from the beginning through the first part of Unit 5, after which it's all notation.

 

If you are a former student of John Elliott and have lost your lessons or want a digitized version you might be interested in getting these books; from Unit 4 on, his method is preserved in my codification. Contact me and we can talk about John!

 

If you are a former student of mine and have lost your books, or just want a digital version, well, here ya go!  

 

If you are not a personal or former student but can read and have a grasp of the neck already you could get something out of these books. If you're a beginner, or can't read music, don't bother; stick with the regular Lesson Downloads which include fretboard diagrams, demonstration videos and are designed to be as "self-teaching" as possible.

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Check out the contents and prices by clicking the links below:

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Unit 1: The Basics

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Unit 2: The Blues

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Unit 3: Triads

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Unit 4: 7th Chords

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Unit 5: 7th Inversions

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Unit 6: 7th Voicing

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Unit 7: 9th Chords

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Unit 8: Major & Dominant Bitonals

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Unit 9: Altered Dominant Bitonals

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Unit 10: Bitonals - Melodic

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Units 1 Through 10 In One Book (formerly known as The Teacher's Edition)

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Unique Chord Voicings

Unit 1: The Basics

17 pages

Unit 1
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  • Tuning

  • 1st Position Chords

  • Technique Exercises

  • Notes on the Dots

  • Add C and F to Dot-Notes

  • Key Circle

  • Power Chords

  • Open String Power Chords

  • Octaves

  • Bar Chords

  • Scales

  • Suspended Bar Chords

  • 1st Position Suspensions

  • D-Tuning

Unit 2

Unit 2: The Blues

21 pages

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  • The Shuffle Pattern & the 12 Bar Pattern

  • Minor Pentatonic Scales

  • Add Shifts to the Minor Pentatonic Patterns

  • Add Passing Tones

  • Minor Box & the Octave Pattern

  • Shifting Pentatonics

  • Minor Boxes in G

  • Blues in Open E

  • Turnarounds Unique to the Key of E

  • Blues in Open A

  • Dominant Blues

  • Minor Blues

  • Open String Keys, Part 2

  • Relative Harmony

  • Dorian Mode

  • Double Stops

Unit 3 PDF

Unit 3: Triads

25 pages

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  • Theory & Major Triads

  • Progression #1

  • Progression #2

  • Minor Triads

  • Triads in Bar Chord Shapes

  • Diminished Triads

  • Augmented Triads

  • Scale Tone Triads in Root Position

  • Scale Tone Triads in 1st and 2nd Inversions

  • Scale Tone Triads Across the Neck

  • Triad Suspensions

  • Combined Shapes

  • Add Notes to the Large Triad Patterns

  • Triads on the 3rd and 4th String Sets

  • Scale Tone Triads on the 3rd and 4th String Sets

  • Triads in the Blues

  • Jimi-isms

Unit 4 PDF

Unit 4: 7th Chords

24 pages

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  • Note Reading

  • Definitions

  • Notation

  • Shapes

  • Scale Tone 7ths

  • Spelling

  • II-V-I

  • I-VI-II-V-I

  • I-IV-VII-III-VI-II-V-I

  • Altered Scale Tone 7ths

  • Chromatic Scale Tone 7ths &

  • Altered Chromatic Scale Tone 7ths

  • Thoughts on 6th Chords

  • 6th Chords - Root Position and 1st Inversion - Notation

  • 6th Chords - Root Position and 1st Inversion - Shapes

  • 3 Position Exercises

  • 6th Chords - 2nd and 3rd Inversion - Notation

  • 6th Chords - 2nd and 3rd Inversion - Shapes

  • Thoughts on the Following Exercises

  • Position Exercises - 6ths

  • Suspensions - Notation

  • Suspensions - Shapes

Unit 5 PDF

Unit 5: 7th Inversions

24 pages

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  • 7th Arpeggios - Major, Dominant, Minor - Notation

  • 7th Arpeggios - Major, Dominant, Minor - Shapes

  • 7th Arpeggios - Half Diminished, Full Diminished - Notation

  • 7th Arpeggios - Half Diminished, Full Diminished - Shapes

  • 3 Ways to View Inversions

  • 1st Inversion - Notation

  • 1st Inversion - Shapes

  • 2nd Inversion - Notation

  • 2nd Inversion - Shapes

  • 3rd Inversion - Notation

  • 3rd Inversion - Shapes

  • Position Exercise

  • Full Diminished 7ths

  • Common Tone 7ths

  • Four Common Key Schemes

  • 1) Whole Tone

  • 2) Chromatic

  • 3) Minor 3rds

  • 4) Cycle

  • Dominant Cycle

  • Turning the Inversion - 1

  • Turning the Inversion - 2

  • Inverted Suspensions

Unit 6: 7th Voicing

7 pages

Unit 6 PDF
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  • 7th Voicing

  • Position Exercise

  • Scalewise Basses

  • Scalewise Basses - Added Melody

  • Leaping Basses

  • Leaping Basses- Added Melody

Unit 7: 9th Chords

23 pages

Unit 7 PDF
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  • 9th Chords

  • Adding Non-Essentials in Voiced Positions

  • 9th Inversions

  • 2 Other Ways to View 9th Inversions

  • Position Exercise

  • Common Tone 9ths

  • Dominant Cycle

  • 6-9 Chords

  • Altered Dominant 9ths - Single Alterations

  • 1) Flat 9

  • 2) Sharp 9 - page 1

  •     Sharp 9 - page 2

  • 3) Dominant Sharp 5 and

  • 4) Dominant Flat 5

  • Altered Dominant 9ths - Double Alterations

  • 1) Dominant Flat 9, Sharp 5 and

  • 2) Dominant Sharp 9, Sharp 5

  • 3) Dominant Flat 9, Flat 5 and

  • 4) Dominant Sharp 9, Flat 5

  • Dominant 9-13 Cycle

  • Dominant Cycle with Alterations - p.1

  • Dominant Cycle with Alterations - p.2

  • 9th Suspensions

  • 13th Suspensions

Unit 8 PDF

Unit 8: Major & Dominant Bitonals

10 pages

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  • Major Bitonals

  • Inversions

  • 2-Chord Patterns

  • Combination Pattern

  • Dominant Bitonals

  • Non-Suspended Group

  • Suspended Group

  • 2-Chord Patterns

 

Unit 9: Altered Dominant Bitonals

24 pages

Unit 9 PDF
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  • Note for Unit 9

  • Sharp 5

  • Sharp 5 - 2-Chord Patterns

  • Flat 9

  • Flat 9 - 2-Chord Patterns

  • Flat 9, Flat 5

  • Flat 9, Flat 5 - 2-Chord Patterns

  • Sharp 5, Flat 9

  • Sharp 5, Flat 9 - 2-Chord Patterns

  • Sharp 9

  • Sharp 9 - 2-Chord Patterns

  • Sharp 5, Sharp 9

  • Sharp 5, Sharp 9 - 2-Chord Patterns

  • Sharp 11

  • Sharp 11 - 2-Chord Patterns

  • Sharp 9, Sharp 11

  • Sharp 9, Sharp 11 - 2-Chord Patterns

  • Sharp 11, 13

  • Sharp 11, 13 - 2-Chord Patterns

  • Flat 9, 13

  • Flat 9, 13 - 2-Chord Patterns

  • Flat 9, Sharp 11, 13

  • Flat 9, Sharp 11, 13 - 2-Chord Patterns

Unit 10: Bitonals - Melodic

25 pages

Unit 10 PDF
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  • Major - Lydian II

  • Major - Lydian III

  • Major - Lydian V

  • Major - Lydian VI

  • Major - Lydian VII

  • Major - 2-Chord Patterns

  • Dominant - Mixolydian V

  • Dominant - Mixolydian VI

  • Dominant - Mixolydian II

  • Dominant - Mixolydian VII

  • Dominant - 2-Chord Patterns

  • Altered Dominants

  • Sharp 5

  • Flat 9

  • Flat 9, Flat 5

  • Sharp 5, Flat 9

  • Sharp 9

  • Sharp 5, Sharp 9

  • Sharp 11

  • Sharp 9, Sharp 11

  • Sharp 11, 13

  • Flat 9, 13

  • Flat 9, Sharp 11, 13

Teacher's Edition PDF

Units 1 - 10

201 pages

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​Units 1 through 10 in one PDF.

 

Reviewed in Jazz Ambassadors Magazine.

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Reviewed in Fingerstyle Guitar magazine.

Unique Voicings

Unique Chord Voicings

26 pages

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This book is a goldmine of uniquely guitaristic chord voicings. The word, "unique" in the subtitle refers to a chord that is available in one position in a single key. With examples drawn from his own writing and recordings as well as popular Rock and Pop tunes, Jay leads the student from physically easy chords that can nevertheless be harmonically complex to finger stretching voicings that you've never heard before! These chords are one of the things that gives Jay's playing its own unique character. There is a multitude of chord diagrams - no note reading is required.

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Go here to see the Introduction and a couple of sample pages

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Want more info? Go to Altered States - Unique Voicings.

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