By popular demand…

The new Download section has a link to a high resolution PDF file of blank guitar tab paper.

You can also get it right here.

Enjoy!

The Guitar Matrix™ team

After viewing the site on a couple of laptops and desktops belonging to friends I can only say – YIKES!

It’s amazing to me that many friends still use very low resolution settings on their computers, but there it is.

This site will appear ‘normal’ to users that have their resolutions set to 1680×1050. It will still be pretty presentable above 1280×800 but below that BAD things start to occur, especially with the menus.

So, the question is what resolution are YOU using? Your feedback will help make the site better so please take a second and leave us a reply to let us know.

Thanks!

The Guitar Matrix™ team

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

We know it can be kind of a pain to register on sites (we don’t like it either!) so we’ve disabled the registration/login requirement for leaving comments.

We’re getting visitors from around the globe and it would be great to hear from you wherever you are. Let us know what you think!

BTW The Reality Check quiz engine is ready to roll except for a small technical detail that needs to be ironed out. It shouldn’t be long now…

Happy 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