Back to writing fiction

Started working on a story I began in 2003.  Dr. James booth, spirit surgeon.  Sort of a steam punk ghost buster story with a major nemesis.  Let's hope this time it goes.

horizontal and vertical work on the guitar

so, working with octaves got me to look at the neck horizontally.  I've been doing the beatles melodies with octaves running up and down the strings, so I have fewer times to jump strings.  this lay out is good at showing the scale as steps and half steps.  a different way of looking at the fretboard, as opposed to the vertical, across the strings, patterns of blues boxes and scales. 

so now i'm looking at finding patterns, such as triads, along the fretboard, and moving them up and down according to the major scale.  This really opens up the whole neck.  for example, in C, I do the 1-3-5 triad on the low E and A strings.  this pattern I then move up and down the neck from C on the low E string to B, A, G, and up to D, E, etc. 

I will look for more patterns and arpeggios to move up and down the fretboard in the major scale, and also in the mixolydian scale for a more jazzy sound.  I will also print out some blank neckboard diagrams and make some charts as references. 

jazzing up Hey Jude

working on a jazzy rendition of Hey Jude.  Just messing with the melody and adding notes from the scale, and some passing notes.  just whatever sounds jazzy to my ears.  I use the major scale as my base, and move around to whatever sounds good.  seems to be working so far.  that will be combined with octaves in a future recording, with a second track for the chords. 

more octave tunes

I added some tunes to my octaves list:

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
And I Love Her

The practice continues.  I use the 339 and the pawn shop strat.  Both have great humbuckers.

Octaves continue

My octaves plan is going well.  I can play, in octaves, these melodies:

Let it Be
Hey Jude
Windy
California Dreaming
Eight Days a Week

I've got the chords worked out for Let it Be.  The others will get chorded when I have time to make some videos -- after the end of the semester. 

In general I like octaves as a technique.  Turns out I think well with looking at the string and noting the scale in step and half step intervals.  More like a piano keyboard layout.  So going up and down the string feels better to me than going across strings.  Still a piano player at heart!  For the melody this is good.  For chords I just use the jazz chord forms I've learned.