The first signs of life have been breathed into the Reality Check quiz engine. The first of the Fretboard Basics units, Open Strings, now features a real live quiz. It only has two questions but it is an interactive quiz.

We can now move forward with adding quiz content and that’s just what we’re going to do. Each quiz will help you to be confident that you learned the important points of a lesson.

We tried to program it so that candies would pour from your DVD drive when you got a full pull but apparently that feature won’t be available until… never.

You can check it out here.

Happy quizzing!

The Guitar Matrix™ team

The last of the major 7th arpeggio shapes are now online for your viewing pleasure.

In a more advanced arpeggio overview we’ll get in to some ‘horizontal’ connector shapes that leverage the geometric nature of the fretboard even more. You really need these puppies under your belt first though.

Arpeggios spell out chord tones and allow you to hone in one the juicy bits when your improvising or even writing melodies. That doesn’t mean that they should be used to play only the ‘right’ notes though. Often, being the twisted musical manglers we are, we use these shapes in perverse ways that are clearly not condoned by the Mall Music Store Organists Society of America. Of course if you try this at home you do so at our own risk!

Happy picking!

The Guitar Matrix™ team

The first two major 7th arpeggio shapes are now posted. The others will follow tomorrow. Probably.

The addition of the fouth scale tone to the humble triad shapes we’ve just learned will add a whole new bevy of tonal shadings – both subtle and in-your-face!!! - to your sonic arsenal of doom. Or your tinkling basket of bliss. Or whatever.

The recipes for the 7th chord arpeggios are identical to the chord constructions we’ll check out in the Fretboard Harmony modules that are coming down the pike (Google “1904 World’s Fair” for the origin of that expression – if you want).

Until then…

Happy plectrum manipulation!

The Guitar Matrix™ team

Now you can major on the minors. The last two shapes are up on the site for your carpal tunnel pleasure.

Triad shapes are often not as easy to master technically as their 7th chord arpeggio brethren because of the magnitude of the distance between the intervals. This creates many awkward single finger rolls and the odd stretch out of position.

These minor annoyances can be turned into assets though if you explore playing techniques beyond the alternate picking universe. Adding sweep picking, hammer-ons and pull-offs to your tool kit can be just the ticket to make these triads a sweet addition to your soloing arsenal.

Even if you don’t put these forms directly into your playing right away, these triad shapes do form the backbone of many future concepts we’ll be exploring so learn them well.

Happy picking!

The Guitar matrix™ team

Minor Triad Shapes 1, 2 and 3 are up and ready to rock. Check them out in the Fretboard Geometry/Arpeggio Geometry 1 module

These shapes are a bit of a departure from the scale patterns so far in that they don’t directly correlate with the five Diatonic Scale Shapes. In other words these triad arpeggios don’t ‘fit inside’ their like numbered companions. This will become clearer and begin to make sense when we dip our toes in the pool of Fretboard Superposition bliss in a short while. Until then…

Happy Sad (because it’s minor) picking!

The Guitar Matrix™ team

Well that’s the major triad arpeggio shapes. Some of these will feel just… wrong! Using the same left hand finger across strings can feel really awkward, but you will get used to it. It is a great skill to master and the effort you invest here will pay off big time down the road.

Make sure to take some time to explore the relationships between the shapes and the previously mastered diatonic and pentatonic shapes.

We recommend practicing with alternating pick strokes. You might want to check out sweeping – flowing across the shape in one direction with a pick and hammer-on/pull-offs – a la Frank Gambale. It is an amazing technique that has a uniquely fluid sound.

Happy picking!

The Guitar Matrix™ team

Here’s the second of the five triad arpeggio shapes for your viewing pleasure. This one has a wee bit of a stretch on the 3rd string to avoid a position jump in the left hand.

The rest of the shapes are on the way. Stay tuned.

Happy picking!

The Guitar Matrix™ team

Well, things are running a little bit behind schedule due to a number of unforeseen circumstances, but that’s life!

The Arpeggio Geometry 1 module begins with major triad arpeggios. These are the simplest arpeggios and learning these shapes will make learning the 7th chord arpeggios that follow a breeze. Arpeggios are a great way to focus on chord tones… or not. Confused? You’ll understand once the Fretboard superposition content starts to flow. As the old saying goes: “you need to learn the rules before you can have some real fun!”

Advanced players often want to play anything but the ‘vanilla’ notes and arpeggios are a key part of making that easy as well.

Won’t be long before the remaining four major triad patterns are posted, honest!

Until then…

Happy picking!

The Guitar Matrix™ team.

Well that’s another notch in the belt. All of the pentatonic patterns can be found in the Scale Geometry 2 unit under the Fretboard Geometry menu.

Memorizing these scale shapes are an absolute must for any serious guitarist. Not only do they provide rails to ride on for soloing over blues, rock and jazz chord changes, they also make a great way to add some two-handed flash to your playing. Try tapping with your right hand one scale shape higher than your left hand position. Noodling around with this technique can produce some surprising and dramatic results.

Next up: Arpeggio Geometry 1. If you think an arpeggio is an Italian harmonica then this upcoming unit is for you!

Until then…

Happy picking

The Guitar Matrix™ team

Scale Geometry 2 covers the 5 uber shapes of the pentatonic scale.

What are pentatonic scales you ask? Well without them you could pretty much delete the blues, rock and jazz sections of your local record store (they do still have record stores… don’t they?).

Learn these and you can motor through all of the pentatonic modes in every key. Yes. Really!

Check out Scale Geometry 2/ Pentatonic Shape 1 for the goods. Pattern one is live and the rest are on the way.

Happy picking!

The Guitar Matrix™ team.