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The first thing we all do is to learn the first position chords and barre chords that contain doubling of notes. While this makes for a full sound while playing rhythm guitar, it is unnecessary for solo guitar playing. Our goal is to outline the basic chord sound while allowing room for the melody and bass.
Many years ago I was advised to take any tune I was working on and make an exercise of playing just the third and seventh of every chord in the progression. You may be surprised how hard this is. It’s just not part of most guitarists’ understanding of the fingerboard.
The following examples are progressions based on the chords found in “Satin Doll” and “All The Things You Are.” I’ve also included a couple turnarounds. I’ve also included short descriptions for each example.
Ex. 1 outlines the progression only using three and seven. Notice that I have ended the progression with the sixth tone on the C chord. Download audio example...
Ex. 2 is the same progression with roots of the chords added in. You’ll now hear it as if you had a bass player. Your ear will eventually begin to hear the bass notes even if they are not played. It’s also a good exercise to sing the bass line. Play the thirds and sevenths while singing the bass line. Download audio example...
Ex. 3 is the same progression using only three and seven, but this time starting the first chord D minor with the seventh on the bottom. Note: the combination of three and seven can also be seven and three. In other words, the order can be changed. Also note that we move to the closest order based on where you start. This allows proper voice leading by maintaining common tones. Download audio example...
Ex. 4 simply adds the bass line and maintains the same order of three and seven as example #3. Download audio example...
Ex. 5 adds a note above each third and seventh. Remember, I said this technique will open the fingerboard and give you space to play extension of 9-11-13. Take note of the chord symbols in this example. Download audio example...
Ex. 6 is a 1-6-2-5 turnaround in the key of G. The six and two chords are dominant sevenths, not minor as normally found in the harmonized major scale. Note that the first chord is a sixth chord. The sound of the sixth can always replace a major seventh chord and is often preferred. Download audio example...
Ex. 7 is the same as #6, however I’ve changed the order of the third and seventh. Download audio example...
Ex. 8 is just a little musical treat for you that shows how you can take the basic three and seven and build interesting melodic ideas and bass lines on top and below. At this point I always hear the foundation of three and seven inside no matter what is being added to it. It’s the foundation. Download audio example...
Ex. 9 is another turnaround, but this time the progression is 1–#1dim–2–#2dim–3–b3–2–5. This example is without the bass. It’s important to note that because the G# dim. and A# dim in this example are not truly diminished until you add the bass note. I chose to notate them as such for the purpose of showing the upper tones of the chords. Note: Diminished seventh chords do not contain the seventh. The interval of a 6th takes the place of the b7. This is the difference between half diminished and full diminished. Download audio example...
Ex. 10 is the same as #9 but with the bass added. Now you’ll be able to hear those diminished sounds. Download audio example...
Go to page 2 to see chord progressions based on "All the Things You Are" in thirds and sevenths...
Ex. 12 is also based on “All The Things You Are,” but now with bass notes below the thirds and sevenths. Download audio example...
I promise that if you gain control of the third and seventh it will completely change your understanding of music and the fingerboard. Give it time and eventually your fingers will know all the thirds and sevenths—and more importantly, your ears will.
Neil Young’s ’70s hits are some of the most recognizable radio rock jams of all time. But Neil’s guitar playing continued to grow over the ensuing decades, as he traversed styles from blues to country to electronic to rockabilly and beyond, eventually developing one of the most tonally decadent, fully formed improvisational voices in the entire guitar universe.
Like any discography that’s been growing over the course of more than half a century, it can be hard to decode Young’s work. And with such an adventurous spirit, it could be easy to make some missteps and miss out on his best guitar works. In this episode, Nick guides Jason through some of his hero’s finest moments.
More news from Neil always seems to be on the horizon, so here’s your chance to catch up.
This episode is sponsored by Gibson.
This Japan-made Guyatone brings back memories of hitchin’ rides around the U.S.
So, as I’m prone to do, I started digging around hitchhiking culture and stories. Surprisingly, there are organized groups that embrace the hitching life, but the practice remains on the fringe in the U.S. Back in the 1950s, writer Jack Kerouac wrote the novel On the Road, which celebrated hitchhiking and exposed readers to the thrill of maverick travel. Heck, even Mike Dugan (the guitarist in all my videos) hitched his way to California in the 1960s. But seeing that fellow on the side of the road also sparked another image in my brain: Yep, it always comes back to guitars.
Let me present to you a guitar that’s ready to go hitching: the Guyatone LG-180T, hailing from 1966. The “thumbs-up” headstock and the big “thumb” on the upper bout always made me think of thumbing a ride, and I bought and sold this guitar so long ago that I had forgotten about it, until I saw that hitchhiking dude. Guyatone was an interesting Japanese company because they were primarily an electronics company, and most of their guitars had their wooden parts produced by other factories. In the case of the LG-180T, the bodies were made by Yamaha in Hamamatsu, Japan. At that time, Yamaha was arguably making the finest Japanese guitars, and the wood on this Guyatone model is outstanding. We don’t often see Guyatone-branded guitars here in the U.S., but a lot of players recognize the early ’60s label Kent—a brand name used by an American importer for Guyatone guitars.
With a bit of imagination, the LG-180T’s “thumbs up” headstock seems to be looking for a roadside ride.
Kent guitars were extremely popular from the early ’60s until around 1966. The U.S. importer B&J fed the American need for electric guitars with several nice Kent models, but when the Guyatone contract ended, so did most of the Kent guitars. After that, Guyatone primarily sold guitars in Japan, so this example is a rare model in the U.S.
“Unless you are a master at guitar setups, this would be a difficult player.”
This headstock is either the ugliest or the coolest of the Guyatone designs. I can’t decide which. I will say, no other Japanese guitar company ever put out anything like this. You have to give the Guyatone designers a thumbs up for trying to stand out in the crowd! Guyatone decided to forgo an adjustable truss rod in this model, opting instead for a light alloy non-adjustable core to reinforce the neck. Speaking of the neck, this instrument features the most odd-feeling neck. It’s very thin but has a deep shoulder (if that makes any sense). Totally strange!
Another strange feature is the bridge, which offers very little adjustment because of the three large saddles, which sort of rock back and forth with the tremolo. It’s a shame because these pickups sound great! They’re very crisp and have plenty of zing, but unless you are a master at guitar set-ups, this would be a difficult player.
This could be why the LG-180T only appeared in the 1966 and 1967 catalogs. After that, it disappeared along with all the other Yamaha-made Guyatone electrics. By 1969, Guyatone had gone bankrupt for the first time, and thus ended guitar production for a few decades. At least we were blessed with some wacky guitar designs we can marvel at while remembering the days when you could play in the back end of an explosive 1973 AMC Gremlin while your mom raced around town. Two thumbs up for surviving our childhoods! PG
