Unit 6: 7th Voicing
A couple of weeks ago I announced that the launch of Unit 6: 7th Voicing, of my guitar method, Vertical Truth: Chordal Mechanisms for the Guitar, would occur on October 18.
The announcement was first published in the Launch Blog on September 27, wherein I explained that the product was a PDF download that contained:
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11 Lessons
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22 Pages
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45 Fretboard Diagrams
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21 Notation Examples
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11 Demonstration Video Links
I embedded this promo video that showed what the content of the PDF looked like. The promo video also showed a clip that demonstrated the dynamic fretboard diagrams that are contained in every video:
In the second launch blog (Chord Melodies: Preview!) I explained that a 7th chord consists of 4 notes; root, 3rd, 5th and 7th.
7th voicings omit the 5th so they are 3-note 7th chords consisting of the root, 3rd and 7th. The term, "voicing" is used because the 3 notes are spoken of in choir-terms as in, "alto," "tenor" and "bass." The "soprano" voice is reserved for the melody, whatever it may be.
There are two voicings we'll be working with, "Close" and "Open."
Close Voicing (or Close Position) retains numerical order from low to high; root-3rd-7th. The notes are "close" to each other. In Open Voicing (or Open Position) the 3rd is raised an octave; root-7th-3rd, from low to high.
The application should be obvious; we add a melody note to each voicing. It's a way to harmonize melodies, also known as, "chord melodies."
Harmonizing the melody of a given song with Close and Open
voicings is the main focus of the Unit 6 lesson series.
I gave you all the Close-Voiced chords. Check it out:
All that is basically half the first lesson. There are 11 lessons.
Pre-Launch Content - 1st Email
Last week I started the Pre-Launch process. I said,
From a Reddit thread:
Looking for a good book of standards of chord-melody stuff for intermediate guitar. Struggling to find a good songbook of chord-melody guitar for the experienced but not professional guitarist. I see some on Amazon, but reviews seem mixed.
I have a better idea; instead of learning chord-melody arrangements by rote, why not invest a little time and effort (and way less money!) learning the theory behind creating chord-melody arrangements for the guitar in the first place? Then you can CREATE your own arrangements!
Why limit yourself to googling for a chord-melody arrangement for this song or that song when you can create your own for any song?
Yes, you can create your own chord-melody arrangements! It's way easier than you think!
Now, when I say, “...a little time and effort” I mean exactly that. A PDF with only 11 lessons in 22 pages. Work through it and you will understand the basics of chord-melodies.
Don’t waste time learning arrangements by rote. I call that, “random acquisition” and it’s an extremely inefficient way to learn. You will have gaps and you’ll never know what you don’t know.
I answered a couple of questions:
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Q: Is this a book or a video or what?
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A: It's a PDF download that contains:
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11 Lessons
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22 Pages
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45 Fretboard Diagrams
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21 Notation Examples
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11 Demonstration Video Links
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PLUS...Every demonstration video has dozens of embedded dynamic fretboard diagrams.
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Q: Will I have to read music?
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A: It helps but is not absolutely necessary. The PDF and the videos contain dozens of fretboard diagrams.
It is possible to come up with chord-melody arrangements by ear, but being able to figure out the melody note that goes on top of the chord by looking at sheet music or a fake sheet is better. You don't have to be able to sight-read music, you just have to be able to figure out what a given note is and then be able to find it on the guitar.
At the end of the lesson series there are 4 tunes that I arrange for you so that you can see how it's done. Sight-reading the tune in real time is not part of that process.
Pre-Launch Content - 2nd Email
A couple of days later I gave you four Open-Voiced 7th chords from a 6th-string root and four Close-Voiced 7th chords from a 5th-string root (chord diagrams included in the video below).
With these 2 positions you have the foundation for creating your own chord-melody arrangements of any song you want! You don't have to go googling for arrangements which you then learn by rote without understanding how they were created in the first place.
Keep in mind that what I have given you here is a small portion of the first lesson. There are two other positions for Open Voicing and three other positions for Close Voicing – and then 10 more lessons!
I answered some questions:
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Q: I didn't understand about the 4 types of 7th chords and how you get them. Do you go into more detail on that in this lesson series?
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A: Not explicitly. It could be deduced from the content but this series presupposes you know all that. The basic 7th chord stuff is covered in Unit 4: 7th Chords. Not to worry though; I will offer combo packages that include all the prerequisites. So if you don't know the basic 7th chord stuff you can pick it up then.
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Q: The Key Circle has always confused me.
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A: Yeah, I get that a lot. The Key Circle (or the Circle of 5ths or the Circle of 4ths) is a very deep mechanism but the way I apply it to the guitar is very simple. I use it as a way to memorize 12 notes on the 6th and 5th strings from which you can get to any note on the guitar neck WITHOUT memorizing note names on every string. It's the foundation of knowing the instrument. Rather than get into it here, I will offer the 5-Lesson Foundational Series (which is all about the Key Circle as applied to the guitar) FOR FREE as part of this launch.
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Q: So what does it look like to add melody notes to these chords?
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A: Included in the video below is a short clip from one of the demonstration videos that harmonizes a section of "Autumn Leaves":
Pre-Launch Content - 3rd Email
In the 3rd email last week I talked about a bigger picture:
With the 2 positions that I gave you in the previous email - four Open-Voiced 7th chords from a 6th-string root and four Close-Voiced 7th chords from a 5th-string root - you have the foundation, not just for chord melodies, but for many other things as well. Some of which are:
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It provides vocabulary for comping to Blues, Jazz standards and also the Gypsy Jazz genre, but can be - and is - applied to all styles of guitar playing.
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It lays a foundation for adding 11ths, 9ths and 13ths, as well as all the alterations of those extensions - which will be covered in Unit 7: 9th Chords (launch will be next year!).
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It provides the most common types of chord voicings that are used with walking bass lines. Walking bass lines will be taught in another lesson series - possibly a blog, but knowing the material from Unit 6 will be necessary to understand it.
So not only is Unit 6: 7th Voicing the key to being able to create chord-melody arrangements, it's also a foundation for further growth and progress in your guitar/music journey.
HERE'S THE DEAL!
The retail price for Unit 6: 7th Voicing is $79.00.
With the Site Member Discount: $49.00.
SPECIAL LAUNCH PRICE: $39.00!
The special Launch Price is good for 5 days only! On Friday, October 22 at Midnight CST, this launch will close and Unit 6: 7th Voicing will go up on the website at retail price ($79.00) with the Site Member Discount available ($49.00).
Combo-Pak!
In answer to the question, "I didn't understand about the 4 types of 7th chords and how you get them. Do you go into more detail on that in this lesson series?"
I said, "Not explicitly. It could be deduced from the content but this series presupposes you know all that. The basic 7th chord stuff is covered in Unit 4: 7th Chords. Not to worry though; I will offer combo packages that include all the prerequisites. So if you don't know the basic 7th chord stuff you can pick it up then."
So here's the deal:
The retail price for Unit 4: 7th Chords is $99.00.
With Site Member Discount: $49.00
With the purchase of Unit 6: 7th Voicing, you can get Unit 4: 7th Chords for an additional $29.00!
That's ridiculous! The launch price for Unit 4 was $39.00!
So if you're fuzzy on the five types of 7th chords, what they are, the differences between types and every position possible on the neck in every key, PLUS drills for common chord progressions like II-V-I, I-VI-II-V-I, Minor Suspensions, Dominant Suspensions and others, this Combo-Pak is for you!
5-LESSON FOUNDATIONAL SERIES!
These 5 lessons are presupposed by almost everything I teach. This foundation is so important I give it away for free all over the place. This lesson series will give you 3 things:
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A method to find any note, anywhere and everywhere on the guitar neck without memorizing the note names on every string; it's a beautiful thing.
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A mechanism that ensures that you practice in every position, in every key; also a beautiful thing.
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It organically trains your ear and brain to recognize cycles of 4ths, which is one of the main things that happens in music.
You can download the 5-Lesson Foundational Series for FREE; no purchase required! All you have to do is enter your email address for the download. BTW, I already have your email address or you wouldn't be reading this!
To sum up the options:
These special launch prices are good till Friday night, October 22 at midnight.
After that, these links go dark and Unit 6: 7th Voicing goes up on the website at retail price ($79) with the Site Member Discount available ($49).
One last thing:
You are already a Site Member or you wouldn't be reading this. However, I would like to emphasize a couple of things from, "Why Become a Site Member?"
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Skype/FaceTime Consults: I call this a "consult" rather than a "lesson" for several reasons. This consult is an on-demand deal for site members. It can be used for whatever you want - anything related to guitar or lessons that you've viewed, purchased &/or downloaded from Master Guitar School; it can be used as a feedback loop to make sure you understand the lesson and are drilling it correctly. The price is $30.00 and the guaranteed default time is 30 minutes. I am willing to spend extra time at no extra charge if necessary and if my schedule allows. As a site member you can use this option whenever you feel the need.
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Personal Response to Questions via Email: If your question can be adequately dealt with via email I will give Site Members personal attention at no charge.
Comprende? When you purchase guitar lessons from me you commit to a process; I commit to lead you through it. Questions? Contact me:
