Legato is an Italian term meaning „to connect smoothly.“ Guitarists use hammer-ons and pull-offs (as well as the occasional slide) to make these kinds of connected sounds. Other musicians (flutists, violinists, trumpet players, etc.) think that most classical guitarists have very uneven legatos: The plucked note is louder than the sound of the note hammered on or pulled off to. However, the uneven sound of the legato is perfect for executing jazz and pop music phrasing.

Most classical guitarists don't even realize that their legatos are uneven; they just accept it as part of their sound. To counter this, we need to attack the note lighter and make the legato stronger. The attack to the fingerboard must be very strong and relaxed. For pull-offs, the concept of follow-through is very important: Your fingers must have a uniform curve so that you are playing on your fingertips in order to get a strong sound. In other words, hand positions have to be perfect in order to play strong legatos.

Practice only a few of the different legato exercises listed below on any given day. Play them up and down any string by shifting positions one fret at a time. Use rest strokes, alternating your index and middle fingers in your right hand. Make sure that your hands stay balanced („thump-to-pressure“) while doing these hammer-ons and pull-offs. Be aware of any extra build-up of tension in your left hand. Take time to relax between each series. As always, practice these very slowly, making all the movements happen very quickly.

Rasgueado is the strumming sound that everyone identifies with flamenco music. It is this sound that draws people to the art form. Rasgueados are similar to drum rolls in the sense that they accent the last beat of the strum. While many flamenco guitarists play rasgueados very differently, the only part of the rasgueado that is truly important is this final accented strum; how many attacks you use to get there is irrelevant.

We will look at different ways the rhythm guitarist can create his/her own „part“ and interpret a given harmony. This is done primarily through the use of triads and 7th chords along with double-stops (two notes at once) and single-note melodies. When you combine rhythm patterns with ideas based on any of these concepts, you can help define certain styles and grooves with your rhythm playing.

Double Stops in Thirds

First let's look at double stops: specifically thirds. (Any interval can be a double stop: thirds, sixths, and fourths are the moat common). Any combination of double stops is legitimate if it:

• Interprets the chord change (conveying the appropriate major or minor sound, etc.).
• Has a solid rhythmic foundation.
• Sounds good! (subjective, stylistic musical reasons).

Rhythm is ultimately the most important aspect of music. It is what reaches us first. When something is „correct“ rhythmically, then we can easily relate to the melodic and harmonic aspects of the music. If it isn't correct then we have problems—as both a listener and player—relating to the music. We feel uncomfortable and don't hear as well. Having reaped this, the non-drummer musician must set up things in his or her practice that will help cure any rhythmic „ills.“

Here are some good exercises that should serve as daily practice to improve your feel for time. Expand upon these with your own ideas, and also observe what is going on in the music you listen to. Much practicing can be done simply by listening and imitating what you hear, then developing the ideas into some small practice routine. It goes without saying a metronome is necessary. However, to absorb a style and its way of emphasizing and working with rhythms, you must listen and Imitate the masters in that style! Be consistent in your dally practice by always thinking rhythm in your playing and practicing. Use it when doing scales, arpeggios, and progressions, and also do pure rhythm studies to develop accuracy and relaxation. To develop a strong sense of rhythm and confidence in your time, you must drill on figures that accent different parts (subdivisions) of the beat. A common technique of rhythmic syncopation is to place accents on the basic subdivision that changes from downbeat to up beat. Here it is at the eighth note level. Try to memorize each example and look away from the page, hearing and feeling the rhythm.

Inversions

Triads are three-note chords constructed from the; first, third, and fifth notes of the major scale. A voicing is the order in which the notes are arranged upward from the bass note.

An inversion refers to which note is in the bass. However, with triads the most common inversions are achieved by simply raising the lowest note up one octave.

Here, we will look at the three-note chord shapes and their inversions on the top three strings (1, 2, 3) and the next lower set of strings (2, 3, 4).

These string sets are the most practical for playing in a band situation. Because they cut through the mix well and offer a different texture than barre chords or open position chords, they are used quite often by the professional guitarist. They also further help us connect the positions and fifth are located, and help in the connection process of chords, arpeggios, and scales.

Seventh chords consist of four notes from the major scale: root, third, fifth, and seventh (1–3–5–7). The breakdown for each chord type is:

• Major 7th: The major 7th chord consists of a major triad with an added major 7th interval. The formula is: root, major 3rd, perfect 5th, major 7th, or 1–3–5–7.

• Dominant 7th: The dominant 7th chord -consists of a major triad with an added minor 7th interval. The formula is: root, major 3rd, perfect 5th, minor 7th. or 1–3–5-b7.

• Minor 7th: The minor 7th chord consists of a minor triad with an added minor 7th interval. The formula is: root, minor 3rd, perfect 5th, minor 7th, or 1-b3–5-b7.

Lets work on the five patterns of major and minor triads. By now you maу have noticed these chords sound somewhat different even though they are the same letter name and type. This is because they are different voicings.

The voicing refers to the order of chord tones upward from the bass note.

• One voicing might be: 1,5, 1. 3, 5,1.

• Another might be; 3, 1. 5, 1,

• Another might be: 1, 3, 5,1, 3.

So the order in which the chord tones occur has some effect on the sound, but it does not change the basic sound quality. For example, all major chords will sound major, but different voicings will have a somewhat different shade of sound.

Here are some variations of the five basic chord shapes for major and minor presented in the previous article about the five patterns. The smaller shapes extracted from the larger ones are very important because they have a different density of sound and are more appropriate for some situations. Part of having a good rhythm guitar vocabulary is knowing which voicing is correct or the style and instrumentation. Be sure to compare the variations to the original. Most of the times, they are a smaller version of the original shape. Fingerings are left out so that you can focus or the octave shapes. See the root! Experiment with all possible fingerings!

The Five Patterns

The five „patterns“ on the guitar represent five areas on the fretboard that can be identified by the locations of the roots. Scales are traditionally taught in this manner, but chords are often not. However, it is very important to also view chords in this manner because It helps set up a relationship between chords and scales. Of course there is already a connection between chords and scales through the Study of harmony and theory but it is best to also see physical connection on the guitar. The easier it becomes to see the roots related to a position, the easier it is to spot a chord as well as its arpeggio and its scale, all at once, this is a method of practicing and viewing the neck that greatly improves one's ability and combines three essential elements (chord, arpeggio, scale) into one routine that can be maintained as you learn new things. It breaks down the barriers between these three elements that sometimes have a tendency to be separated. Instead, we will see them as different interpretations of the same thing.

Three ways of viewing A7

By practicing in this manner you will be able to access mare choices for chord voicings and not be limited to last one or two voicings for a common chord type the major 7th, minor 7th, dominant 7th, etc.

You would think an electric guitar could plug directly into a computer soundcard or interface in the same way keyboards and drum machines do, but it's not advisable for a couple reasons. First, even though the output of an electric guitar is, obviously, electronic and exits the instrument though a cord, the signal is much weaker compared to other electronic instruments. This is due to the guitar's pickups—the guitar's sound-producing devices that give the electric guitar its charm.

The best way to save time and money in the recording studio is to be prepared – and I mean completely prepared!