Chordie for great chords
The best website I've found for guitar chords/tabs is:

www.chordie.com

Chordie has thousands of songs from many types of musical genres and you can search for a song by title or performer. If you don't like the original key of the song, you can transpose to any other key instantly. Chordie is the guitar site I visit the most. They also have put links back to my 2 music websites-to see my links, scroll down on the Chordie home page and click on "Recommended Guitar Sites" and scroll until you find Malden Music and CindyLouWho Music.
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 A few of the members of the Guitar I class from Bernie High School tune up before their spring concert. Teacher Judy Miller is third from the left.

 


Need chord diagrams?

Go to:
www.chordguide.com

Save the chords you want & print them. 

Want to know the name of a chord? Go to:

www.gootar.com

The Church Studio


Lots of musical recording history was made here. This was Tulsa native Leon Russell's Shelter Records recording studio from 1972 to 1976. Several of Leon's albums including Carney and Stop All That Jazz were recorded at this church turned studio located at 304 S. Trenton in Tulsa, OK. I lived in Tulsa for over 15 years and heard lots of stories about this place from people who were there.  In more recent years, it has been used by The Tractors, also from Tulsa, for their recording.

Capo Chord Converter



To those of you not familiar with capos, they are basically a device placed around the guitar fretboard which raises the pitch of a chord (how high or low it sounds) by shortening the strings.

For instance, if you make an A chord it would sound like an A. But make that same A chord shape with a capo placed on Fret 2 and it sounds like a B. Make an E chord with a capo on Fret 1 and it actually sounds like a F. 

I love using a capo because it allows me to transpose songs I'm singing without changing the chords I'm playing. When my asthma and respiratory problems flare up I sometimes have to sing in a different key so the capo is a perfect solution for me. There are tons of different types of capos with a wide range of prices. I prefer using the Dunlop ratchet capo because it is so lightweight and doesn't impede my playing. There are also quick change capos available in a variety of styles and colors.
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Got your mojo on?
Kenny Wayne Shepherd on stage at The Grand Casino, Tunica, MS  May 9, 2008


(photo by B. Lester)

www.kennywayneshepherd.com









Sugarland performing at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau, MO April 25, 2008
(photo by Hannah Lester)

www.sugarland.com







     

                                   
    Juice Newton performs at Casino Aztar, Caruthersville, MO




For more info on Juice Newton click below:
www.juicenewton.com






   

                  

 

MUSICAL CHORDS

Do you ever wonder what musicians mean when they talk about chords? Major, minor, diminished, 7th, etc?

First of all the definition of a chord is three or more musical pitches sounded simultaneously. Now for more on some different types of chords.

MAJOR-a chord which follows the key signature; a "happy" sounding chord; Scale degrees 1-3-5 (C-E-G)

MINOR-a major chord with the 3rd tone flattened (lowered a  musical half step); a "sad" sounding chord; Scale degrees 1-3b-5 (C-Eb-G)

AUGMENTED-a major chord with the 5th tone raised 1/2 step; think of it as "more major than major"; Scale degrees 1-3-5# (C-E-G#)

DIMINISHED-a minor chord with the 5th tone flattened; think of "more minor than minor"; Scale degrees 1-3b-5b (C-Eb-Gb)

SUSPENDED-a chord with the 3rd tone raised (suspended) 1/2 step; Scale degrees 1-3#-5 (C-F-G)

DOMINANT 7th-a major chord with the flattened 7th tone of the scale added; Scale degrees 1-3-5-7b (C-F-G-Bb)

MAJOR 7th-a major chord with the major 7th tone added; Scale degrees 1-3-5-7 (C-E-G-B)

MINOR 7th-a minor chord with a flattened 7th tone added; Scale degrees 1-3b-5-7b (C-Eb-G-Bb)

There are many other types of chords than these I've listed here but this will help explain these basic types. There are also some exceptions to what I've written about 7th chords. For flats, I've used the symbol "b" and sharps "#"; this is similar to what sharps and flats look like in written music.

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Chord Progressions

Chord Progressions are a series of two of more chords that make up a cadence.  A cadence in music is a specific group of chords which give a resolution, or ending, to a piece of music.  Put more simply, a cadence tells us that a song is over. 

Roman numerals are used to indicate the positions in a scale. In reference to chord progressions, uppercase roman numerals indicate the primary chords, the lowercase numeral are secondary chords.

• I -   Tonic - Degree is major
• ii -   Supertonic - Degree is minor
• iii -  Mediant - Degree is minor
• IV - Subdominant - Degree is major
• V -   Dominant - Degree is major
• vi -  Submediant - Degree is minor
• vii -  Leading Tone - Degree is diminished

Here is the C Major scale with its scale positions, along with the chords used in the key of C.

The most common chord progression is I-IV-V-I. Another common chord progression is IV-I. This is the "Amen" that follows hymns.

To understand progressions more clearly, think of the musical alphabet which is only 7 letters-A, B, C, D, E, F, G. The key the song is in will determine which chord is given the designation of number I. So, if your song is written in the key of A, A major becomes chord number I. To find your IV chord, count up 4 letters from A and you have D-the D major chord is your IV and E major becomes V.  Look at the chart above and you'll see that in the key of C major, C is I, F is IV and G is V. Try it in the key of G-did you get I is G, IV is C and V is D?

If you understand simple I-IV-V chord progressions you can play along with others quite easily if you know the key and follow the progressions. We've all heard that most songs are just 3 chords and this really is true much of the time. A song done in the key of E will usually contain the chords E, A and B; key of D will have D, G and A. Is this starting to get simpler?

By knowing the basic I-IV-V chord progressions you'll be able to transpose (change from one musical key to another) to other keys and follow along on basic 3 chord songs. Give it a try!

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For a link to the musical trio
Carter's Chord
click below:

www.carterschord.com

Tulsa guitarist Steve Pryor performs recently at Exit 6-C in downtown Tulsa. Steve plays with The Lifers every Sunday night at 9 PM. Catch them if you are in the area-they are great.
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www.stevepryor.com




Also performing at Exit 6-C in Tulsa is the great Randy Crouch, seen here with drummer Dave Teegarden, Jr.
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www.randycrouch.com

STANDARD MUSICAL NOTATION FOR BEGINNERS

Below is a chart of musical notes and their names in treble clef; most 6 string guitars play notes in the treble clef. The treble clef sign is seen at the far left on the musical staff-5 lines & 4 spaces. Each line and space designates the name of the note that sits on it.

The four spaces, starting at the bottom and moving toward the top represent the notes F-A-C-E.(try to remember "FACE on the space.") A note that sits in the 1st (bottom)space is given the name F; one in the top of 4th space is E.

The five lines of the staff, starting from the bottom and moving toward the top represent the notes E-G-B-D-F. Remember "Every Good Boy Does Fine" and take the first letter of each word and you have the treble clef line note names.

For notes that fall above or below the staff ledger lines are added. Ledger lines are short parallel lines added above and below the staff which represent a continuation of the staff. For instance, the note which sits on the space below the first line is a D. To go one note below this a ledger line is added and the note is C; this also happens to be Middle C. As long as you remember the musical alphabet of A,B,C,D,E,F,G and count either forward or backward you should be able to learn to read music with a little bit of effort. Reading musical notation will open lots of musical doors for you and provide endless opportunities.

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FRETBOARD NOTES

The notes on a guitar fretboard are shown below. The notes shown having two names are known as "enharmonics" and represent the black keys on a piano keyboard. For instance, F# could also be called Gb depending on what musical key you are in.

cfl


 

 Playing my Alvarez





Classical Toredo guitar
owned by Al Mewhirter








LES PAUL: A Short Bio

Les Paul is nothing short of a living legend. His name is synonymous with guitars; he is thought of as the man who invented the electric guitar.

Les Paul was born in 1915 in Waukesha, Wisconsin. His performing background includes both country and jazz and in 1951 he and his wife, Mary Ford had a successful recording of How High the Moon.

He is best known however for his technical innovations which galvanized the music industry. He invented the solid body electric guitar and several forms of pick ups for the electric guitar. He also pioneered multitrack recording and overdubbing. Today some of the best and most popular electric guitars carry his name. I am a proud owner myself of a Les Paul special edition electric. The guitars that carry his name are as distinctive looking as they sound. Once you've played a Les Paul it's hard to play anthing else.
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The following are  taken from actual stories and test answers accumulated by music teachers in the State of Missouri in 1989. As a music teacher, I especially enjoyed reading these.

Music sung by two people at the same time is called a duel.

An opera is a song of bigly size.

A harp is a nude piano.

Another name for kettle drums is timpani. But I think I'll just stick with the first name and learn it good.

Anyone who can read all the instrument notes at the same gets to be the conductor.

A tuba is larger than its name.

When electric currents go through them, guitars start making noise. So would anybody.

Question: Is the saxophone a brass or woodwind instrument? Answer: Yes

Most authorities agree that music of antiquity was written long ago.

I know what a sextet is but I'd rather not say.

Henry Purcell was a well known composer few people have ever heard of.

My very best liked piece of music is the Bronze Lullaby.

A virtuoso is a musician with real high morals.

Probably the most famous fugue was the one between the Hatfields and McCoys.

A contra-bassoon is like a bassoon, only more so.

For some reason, they always put a treble clef in front of every line of flute music.

The most dangerous part about playing the cymbals is near the nose.

Music instrument has a plural known as orchestra.

Source: Missouri School Music Newsletter
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DANELECTRO GUITARS
What's Old is New-Again

Danelectro guitars have always been sort of on the sidelines. No one was quite sure what to think of them. How could a reasonably priced guitar be worth playing? Doesn't a guitar have to cost more than most people make in a month to be any good? What's old is new again, especially if it's a Danelectro guitar. Just ask Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Juice Newton, Mark Knoppfler or anyone from a very long list of esteemed musicians why they play Danelectros when they could afford something else.

For one thing, they look so retro COOL. Very futuristic. And those awesome Danelectro colors! How many times do you see a fuscia, peach or seafoam green guitar? Not to mention their crystal clear bell like timbre and easy playability.

First, a little on the history of the Danelectro guitar. Nathan Daniel started the Danelectro guitar company in 1947. Before that, he'd made amplifiers for Epiphone between 1936 and 1946. When Epiphone wanted Nathan to design amps exclusively for them, he decided to start his own guitar company instead and Danelectro was off and running. In 1948, he expanded his company and became the exclusive amplifier producer for Sears & Roebuck. In 1954, Daniel began the production of solidbody electric guitars for Sears under the Silvertone name. Many a virtuo guitarist can claim a Danelectro as his or her first guitar because of their low cost, some as low as $69. Today that same $69 guitar can easily sell for over $400. Because they were so cheap, many Danelectros were damaged or thrown away. The pickups on the Danelectro were truly unique. Called "lipstick tube" pickups, they were literally constructed inside  lipstick tubes which were purchased from cosmetic manufacturers.  And because of the way the pickups were wired, a stronger tone was produced on the Danelectro unlike the parallel wiring in most other two pickup guitars. All Danelectros were made entirely in the US.

Many of today's top guitarists own, play and record with Danos. The price of an original Danelectro has been driven up, mostly due to their increasing popularity with professional guitarists. Even though Danelectros guitars never gained the fame of a Fender, Martin or Gibson guitar they were no less influential. Their low cost allowed them to be readily available to many an up and coming guitarist. Danelectros have a unique sound, look and color. You'll find Danos being played by Mick Jagger, Dave Matthews, Kid Rock, Elvis Costello, Jimmie Vaughn and many others. Anyone who owns a Danelectro guitar, please email me a picture to:
maldenmusic@myvcs.net
 & I'll post it here.
 cfl

In the photo of Juice Newton at top of page, she is playing a DC-59 acoustic-electric Danelectro


Tangerine & Aqua Danos






 

Key Signatures & the Circle of Fifths



What is a key signature? As defined by The Harvard Dictionary of Music it is an arrangement of sharps or flats (or the absence of both) at the beginning of each staff that defines the principal pitches used in a composition. Probably everyone has heard musicians say they are doing a song in "G" or "C"-this refers to the key the song is in. By looking at the key signature of a song, you can easily tell what key something is in.

Even though I didn't learn keys from the Circle of Fifths, I do find it useful in helping in this regard. Look at the top of the circle and it says 0# with a C under it-this means that if there are no sharps or flats in the key signature (found right after the clef and before the time signature) of C major. Go to the right and you'll see that 1 sharp in the key signature puts you in the key of G major; 2 sharps is the key of D major. etc. Look to the left and you'll find the flat keys-1 flat is F major, 2 flats Bb major, etc.

All the major keys have a relative minor key which shares the same key signature. I'll have more on relative minor keys soon.
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