Guitar Momentum Issue 1
Here is a quick “behind the scenes” look at what we’re doing in Guitar Momentum so far. Guitar Momentum is broken into four week cycles and we’re currently halfway through Cycle 1. So far we’ve had Week 1 technical exercises and Week 2 Creativity Training
Week 1 Technical Exercises
Here is an excerpt from the Week 1 exercises. These exercises are usually simple scale and arpeggio patterns. The purpose of these exercises is to take a small amount of patterns and drill them over the week, so that when it comes to using them creatively in Week 2, you have the patterns in your muscle memory.
The exercises are accompanied by a video giving a detailed demonstration of each exercise. 6 exercises were created in total for this week.
Week 1 exercises focus on small fragments of scales, arpeggios etc. The idea behind this is that by focussing on a small fragment, it is relatively quick and easy to learn… which means you can actually go ahead and USE IT. If we were to look at playing a scale in all positions all over the neck, you would spend several weeks learning to play a scale without being able to use it to play music and improvise.
Week 2 Creativity Training
In Week 2 we’ve been looking at a tonne of ways we can connect theory ideas together and turn them into something more musical. Here is an example of the Week 2 exercises:
The exercises were accompanied by a video demonstrating each exercise, giving examples and breaking down the idea behind the exercise. In total there were 26 exercises created for this week.
There were also two theory sections created for this week. When creating the exercises, sometimes theoretical concepts are used that are a little more advanced than “here are the notes in a minor chord”. To help you understand what we are doing and why, additional notes and videos are created, so that if you need help understanding the theory concepts, you have a detailed breakdown of how it works and why.
Students also get access to a basic music theory course in the playbooks, so that if they need to learn or brush up on a fundamental area of theory, they can do so.
And finally, if you do not want to learn why, as “do this and do that” rule is given, so that you can play guitar without doing the theory behind it. What you do is up to you! And of course, every lesson has a Q&A area where you can get help.
Thanks to Leonardo Yip https://unsplash.com/@yipleonardo and Simon Weisser https://unsplash.com/@simonweisser for the images in the YouTube video
Play the backing track and have a go at the exercises!
What Is Guitar Momentum?
Guitar Momentum is a “Magazine Style” guitar improvisation/soloing and creativity course. Every four weeks, a new issue of Guitar Momentum goes online.
Guitar Momentum follows a four week cycle:
- Solos (beginner, advanced and intermediate) and technical exercises
- Creativity exercises and backing tracks
- Personalised feedback, critiques and challenges
- Playbook update
At every step, support and feedback is available.
You can read more and join Guitar Momentum here