the acoustic crash course cover feature

Basics: chords, strumming

and fingerpicking
Prime yourself for any acoustic jam with tGs lesson
on the basics of guitar playing easy strumminG tracks 22-23

I
q =72
t doesnt matter whether Were kicking off this months
##
.
E

& # # 44 ..
youre an absolute beginner cover feature with a look at
or if youve played for a little some of these absolute basics.
.

bit longer, strumming, open
chords and basic fingerstyle
Start by trying out some of the
chord shapes and strumming


















. 001 001 001 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .
are skills that every acoustic exercises. Youll need a plastic 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
T
. 22 22 22 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 .
guitarist needs to have. These pick (aka plectrum) for this. 0

essential techniques will help Fingerstyle is a little bit tougher A 1

2
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

B 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

you to learn your first songs and so expect to spend more time 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

jam with other musicians, too. on this.

The Tab here tells you to strum an E chord first four times, then eight times at twice the speed. The
idea is to start by playing downstrokes, then when you double up, use a down-up motion to make
the speed easier to manage. Its a basic strumming method thats used in all musical styles.

chanGinG the rhythm tracks 24-25

q = 90
D

#
& # 44 .. ..

T . 2 2 2 2 2 2
.
. .
3 3 3 3 3 3
A 2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
B

Were switching to a D chord here as we try a new rhythm. Use your down-up motion from before
but leave out the last two upstrokes this creates space at the end of the strumming pattern. Symbols
are used under the tab to denote downstrokes ( ) and upstrokes ( ).

another new rhythm tracks 26-27

q = 90
G

#
& 44 ..









..

T . 3 3 3 3 3
.
. .
0 0 0 0 0
A 0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
B 2 2 2 2 2

3 3 3 3 3

Once agaIn, were creating a bit of space in the music and generating a new rhythm by simply
ditching a few pick strokes. Remember to keep your down-up motion going constantly; just miss
the strings all together on the second, fifth and eighth pick strokes.

42 summer2016
 cover feature the acoustic crash course

tracks 28-37
Dont leave home
without em
10 chords every
beginner guitarist
x O O
should know
1
Thetitlesaysitall!Thesearethe10
2
must-learnchordsthateveryguitarist
usesallthetime.Ifyoudontknow 3
thesechords,learnthemrightnow.
Thedotstellyouwheretoputyour
fingers.Thenumberstellyouwhichof
yourfourfingerstouse.Blackdotsare
rootnotes.
c
Fingerpicking
The easiest way to fingerpick is to use your thumb to pick the three bass strings
and your index (first), middle (second) and ring (third) fingers for the third,
x O O O O O O O O second and first strings respectively. You can play a lot of music without
changing this approach.
1
2 3 4 1 2 3
2 3
easy finGerPickinG tracks 38-39
q =72

##
E

& # # 44
a g e

let ring throughout
O O O 0 0 0 0
x x O x O O O T 0 0 0 0
A 1 1
2
1 1
1 B 0
2 2
p i m a p i m a p i m a p i m a
1 2 2 3 2 3

3
WITh yOur fingers assigned to the relevant strings, try this simple exercise. Just hold down an E
chord and play a bass note followed by the three treble strings. Your thumb moves from string to
string. Your fingers stay on their respective strings.

D am em
more finGerPickinG tracks 40-41
q = 90

x x O x x x O D G

#
& # 44


1 1 1 1
2 2 2 3 4
let ring throughout

3 3 2 3
T 3 3 0 0
A 0
2 2 0
0
0

B 3
p i m a m i a p i m
m
i
p
Dm F b7
JusT as you did with strumming, you can mix up your fingerstyle rhythms by missing out a few
pick strokes. In bar 1 the fifth note is held on from the fourth note, doubling its length, and the last
note also lasts twice as long.

summer2016 43
 the acoustic crash course
Modern folk
Learn some of the tricks of your favourite
players from the flower power folk of the 60s
to modern day singer-songwriters
a
coustic guitar has been
a mainstay instrument
in folk since the days
of greats such as Richard
Thompson and Paul Simon in
the 60s and 70s. In recent years,
musicians such as Ben Howard,
Jake Bugg and Jos Gonzlez
have caused a renaissance in the
style. Weve put together three
musical examples to help you
get creative with your acoustic
guitar and explore some
the acoustic guitar
has been a mainstay
instrument in folk
44 summer2016
cover feature
fundamental folk techniques.
First up is a percussive
strumming riff that incorporates
a snare-like backbeat into
a simple chord progression.
Ed Sheeran often uses this
technique as did Nuno
Bettencourt on Extremes classic
90s ballad, More Than Words.
The next two examples are
simple fingerstyle patterns
which you can jam along with
and apply to your own songs.
Jos Gonzlez has
tracks 45-50
been a key exponent Essential folk chord shapes
of the modern
acoustic folk revival Getafolkvibetoyourplayingwiththesechords,whicharemorecolourful
andinterestingthanthesimpleopenmajorchordsyoumayalreadyknow.
eachshapeusesopenstringsthisisagreatwayofaddingintervalsthat
wouldbeimpossibletostretchto.Tryexperimentingwithmovingtheshapes
upanddownthenecktocreatenewsounds.
x O x O O x O O x
3 1 1
1 2
2 3 4 3 3
cadd9 Dadd11 csus2
x O O O O O O
1
5
1 2 1
2 3 3 4
3 4
2
ddp USA/REX/Shutterstock
gadd9 aadd9 F#7add11
 cover feature the acoustic crash course

more than thirds track 42

q =100

#
G Cadd 9 Dadd 11

& 44 .. ..
Play 4 times

. .
. .
j

. .

T
. .
3 3 3 3
A 0
0
0
0
0
2
0
4
B 3 3 3 3
3 3 3 5 5
p a
m
i

LOOk OuT for the notes marked X here. This tells you to dampen the strings for a percussive, muted sound. Simply deaden the strings with your fret hand and strike them with your fingernails on your pick
hand. Its a simple technique used generally to inject a bit of groove into proceedings.

finGerstyLe foLk track 43

q = 80
Cmaj 7 Csus 2 Gadd 9

& 44 .. ..
Play 4 times

. .
let ring throughout

T
. .
0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
A 2
0 0
0
0 0
0
2
0 0
2
0
B 3 3 3 3
3 3 3 3
m p i p m i m p i p m p
p p

Open c anD g shapes are fingerstyle essentials. This is because its relatively easy to build alternating bass lines (alternating between two notes, usually on different strings) and melodic parts around them.
Stick with the basic fingerstyle approach and use your thumb on the bass strings and your first, second and third fingers on the treble strings.

Barre chord finGerstyLe track 44

q.=100
F # add 11
# ## 6
B Aadd 9 E

. .. ..
& # # 8 .. . .. .. n . .. .. ..
.
. . n. .
T . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .
0 0 0 0
A 9
8
9
8
4
3
4
3
7
6
7
6
2
1
2
1

B 7 2 5 0
p i m p i m cont. sim.

yOu DOnT have to be a virtuoso to explore a little more of the fretboard our example is based on basic E shape barre chords. The open string adds colour to the chord progression, changing F# and A chords
into richer sounding F#add11 and Aadd9 chords. Use your thumb and fingers to play the repeating fingerstyle pattern: thumb, first finger, second finger.

Graphic Content
How an EQ pedal can beat the howl onstage
Most modern electros sport some kind of rudimentary three-band EQ built into the preamp, but
a dedicated graphic EQ pedal will not only enable you to fine-tune your tone it can help kill
troublesome feedback. If youre finding you cant tame the howl, stick an EQ pedal between your
guitar and your amp/PA, and start tweaking the faders. Once youve found the frequency band
thats causing your ears to bleed, nudge the fader down just enough so that the noise subsides
et voila, your feedback is busted! Even if you dont have feedback issues, an EQ pedal can be used
to give you a more natural, more sculpted plugged-in tone.

summer2016 45
 the acoustic crash course cover feature

Acoustic blues
tracks 54-59
Essential blues chord shapes
Thegeneralthemewiththeseshapesisthedominant7thsound,
Get a feel for the lighter side of acoustic blues whichisessentiallyamajorchordplusab7th.Thisisagreatway
ofinjectingsomebluesflavourintoyourchordprogressions.
with tGs cool grooves Youcanalsoadd9thand11thintervalsformorecolourfulsounds
awellasa#9intervalforthatclassicHendrixsound.

p
layers such as Jack D7 and so on) and the minor
Johnson and James Bay pentatonic and blues scales x x O O
have blues influences in perfect for traditional blues. For
their playing, but driven by a a lighter sound or for more of a 1 1
4
strong pop sensibility. Typically, pop feel opt for the Dorian mode 2 3 3 2
theyll mix the riffier side of (in minor keys) or try the
3 4
blues with the wider palette of Mixolydian mode in major
chords found in folk and pop. chord progressions. Try these
Riffs are often based around tab examples to get a feel for
dominant 7th chords (E7, A7, the lighter side of blues.
D9 g7

x x x x

1 1 1 1
3 6
2 3

3 4

bb/D e7#9

x x x x
1
3 3
2 1

3 4 2 3 4

a11 a9

Pentatonic BLues riff track 51

q = 80
A5 D9
Play 3 times
A5
~~~~~~~ D9

& 44 .. .. # ..
... #
..
.
.
3

.
3
1
1

~~~~~~~
1 2
2 2 2
2

. .
let ring let ring
T
. .
5 5 5
A 2
2
2
2
5
4
5
4
2
2
2
2
5
4
B 0 0 3 0 3 0 3 5 5 5 0 0 3 0 3 0 3 5 5 5

3 0 3 0

Were sWITchIng between the A minor pentatonic scale (A C D E G) and D9 chords here all typical blues fare. Play the A5 chord with a first finger barre across both strings. This keeps you in position to play
the 3rd fret notes with your second finger and then slide up into the D9 chord.

46 summer2016
 cover feature the acoustic crash course

with a compressor, your Jack Johnson adds

playing dynamics will never

a shuffle feel to his
bluesy acoustic part
on Better Together

get out of hand again

Compress Yourself
The most unsung pedal of
them all could be an on
stage godsend
The compressor might be the most
unfashionable effect out there, but acoustic
players shouldnt just ignore them.
A compressor does exactly what it says on the
tin it levels out the dynamic range of your
guitar sound by removing any significant jumps
or drops in volume level. How does that help acoustic
players? Well, have you ever found yourself frustrated that that delicate
fingerpicked part never really seems to cut through the mix? Compress
that thing! And do you worry that the your high-energy strumming might
be getting a little bit over the top? Compress that thing! With one of these
on your board, your playing dynamics will never get out of hand again.

Better off with the BLues track 52

j
3

q q =q q
D/F #
q =160

## j j
E A/E G/D E A/E G/D

j j
& # # 44 .. .. J J
n
n
j
# .. J J
n n Play 4 times..
n
. .
n

. .
. 1 .
let ring let ring
0 0
T
. 22 .
0 0 2 2 0 0 0 3 2 0
A 1
2 2 2
0
0
0 1
2
1
2 4 2
0
0
B

2 2 2
0 0 0 0

ThIs rIFF is played with a shuffle feel, which means downpicked notes last twice the length of the upstrokes. Its a common blues groove, and weve taken our inspiration from tracks such as Jack Johnsons
Better Together. Try applying the rhythm to your own chord progressions.

sick of the BLues track 53

epa european pressphoto agency b.v. / Alamy Stock Photo

q =100
G5 B b 5/F G 5/D C/E B b/D

b . n
& b 44 .. ..
Play 4 times

..
n
.
T . .
. .
3 5 5 3 3
A 0
0
0
0
3
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
5
5
5
5
5
3
3
3
3
B 5 7 7 7 5 5

ThIs energeTIc riff is perfect blues jam material and uses just three chords: G, B b and C. If you like to experiment, try adapting the riff for slide guitar and more of a Ben Harper or Seasick Steve vibe by playing
only the notes on the second, third and fourth strings.

summer2016 47
 the acoustic crash course cover feature

How to lower
your acoustic
guitars action
are your acoustics strings way too high off the board?
dont fret, lowering them is easier than you think

a djustingtheaction(orstring
height)onanacousticguitar
iseasierthanyouthink,buttodo
it,youllneedafileorsandpaper
andapairofpliers.Beaware
though,thisisforacousticguitars
only!Ifyouhaveanelectro-
acoustic,youmaydamagethe
pickupifyoudontknowhowto
removethesaddlecorrectly.
Dosomeresearchfirstorleave
thejobtotheexpertsifyoure
unsure.Fortherestofyou,this
easy-to-followguidewillgiveany
tough-to-playacousticanew
leaseoflife.Beforewestart,lets
makesurethattheguitarsneck
isadjustedcorrectly

2 Found it? Good. Now insert your Allen key. If the neck is dipped (lower in the
middle than at either end), turn clockwise, if its over-bent (higher in the middle),
turn anti-clockwise. Make small adjustments and never force the truss rod if its tight.

1 Eyeball the neck from the headstock end. If the neck is dipped or over-bent, locate 3 With the neck adjusted, loosen the strings to allow access to the bridge saddle.
your truss rod bolt the bit you stick the Allen key or wrench in to adjust the truss Most acoustics have a thin saddle that slots into the bridge. With the strings
rod. On most acoustics, the bolt is located just inside the soundhole. loose, the saddle should be easy to remove. If not, use pliers to carefully ease it out.

48 summer2016
 cover feature the acoustic crash course

4 Check the saddle slot for little strips of plastic or wood called shims. If you find 6 It helps if you have a vice to hold the saddle in place while you file it down. If you
shims, remove them and slot the saddle back in place. Tune the guitar and check dont, run the bottom of the saddle along your file. Only remove small amounts of
out the new lower action. If its perfect, job done. If not, lets soldier on. material at a time, mind your fingertips and dont breathe in the dust!

5 If your guitar doesnt have any shims, or removing the shims didnt lower the 7 Keep testing the saddle in the guitar to check your progress. Youll be amazed how
action enough, youll need to file or sandpaper the saddle. Some folk like to remove little you need to remove to dramatically affect the action. Just make sure you
material from the top of the saddle, but we prefer to file or sandpaper the underside. dont go too far or youll end up with a guitar that buzzes and rattles not good.

summer2016 49
 the acoustic crash course cover feature

Shared
notes
take a basic chord progression and
make it tons better with one easy trick

e
very guitarist knows how difficult it can
be to make a chord progression come to
life. Sometimes those familiar open and
barre chord shapes just wont cut it when
youre looking for a richer sound. One trick
you can employ in this scenario is the idea of
shared notes; simply play a chord progression
and hold down one new note throughout.
Although the chord names might turn out to
be a bit whacky, youll create some inspiring
and unusual sounds. Obviously youll land on
some clashing, dissonant notes too, so there
are no hard, fast rules. Experimentation is very
much order of the day. Take a look at our tab
examples to see how just one note can
improve a simple chord progression.

Basic chord sequence track 60

q.= 60
Em A F G

. . # .
& 68 .. ... ggg ...
j











.

. ggg .
. g .
. 00 0
ggg 00 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
.
ggg 02
T
. 22 .
2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
A 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

gg 20
2 2 2 2 2 0 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
B 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Theres nOThIng too challenging here. Em and A are basic open chords; F and G are common barre chord shapes. Play through the progression and try to commit it to memory before you move on.

chord sequence with shared notes tracks 61-62

q.= 60
#
E5 Aadd 9 Fmaj 7 11 G6

. . # j
& 68 .. ... ggg ... ..
. ggg .
. g .
. 040
ggg 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
.
ggg 42
T
. 22 .
2 2 2 0 2 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 3 3 3 3 0 3
A 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

gg 20
2 2 2 0 2 0 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
B 0 0 0 0 0 0

here Were following our Em-A-F-G chord progression again, but, by holding down the 4th fret of the third string, were introducing a common note that runs through the whole line. Theres a different sonic
effect with each chord. Em, now E5, sounds solid and steady; Fmaj7#11 sounds dissonant. Try the same idea with your own chord progressions.

50 summer2016
 cover feature the acoustic crash course

DADGAD
try out the rich, sonorous tones of
one the most common open tunings
for acoustic guitar, dadGad

T
une to DADGAD by lowering the first,
second and sixth strings on your guitar
down a tone. The open strings are an
open Dsus4 chord a rich, lush chord in itself.
With its neither major nor minor sound the
tuning lends itself to jamming and you can
come up with musical ideas often by moving
one finger up and down a string while using
the remaining strings as drones. Jimmy Page
used DADGAD with Led Zeppelin on songs
such as Kashmir, and, perhaps surprisingly, the
tuning is also found in the Slipknot tune Circle.
Weve written three examples for you to try
out: firstly a strummed chord progression
playable with one finger, then a fingerstyle part
and finally a hybrid-picked line. tracks 66-71
Essential DADGAD chords
with its not major As DADGAD tuning is quite different from standard tuning, none of your familiar
chord shapes will sound the same. You can still play those chords but the fingerings

or minor sound,
are quite different, as you can see from the G major shape. Often you can find some
very nice chords just using one or two finger such as the D5 and D major chords.

dadGad lends O x O O O O O O O O

itself to jamming 1 1 1

Jimmy Page 3
famously used
DADGAD on Kashmir

D a D g a D D a D g a D D a D g a D

D5 g/a D

x x O O x O O
x x

4
1
1 2 3 4 2 3 4
Ed Finnell / Frank White Photo Agency

D a D g a D D a D g a D D a D g a D

D emadd11 g

summer2016 51
 the acoustic crash course cover feature

one-finGer chords track 63

q.=114
D5 A 7sus 4
#
G/A

. .. ... ..
Play 4 times

& # 68 .. ...
.





..




..

.. ... . .
.
D
T GA . 002 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
.
. 00 .
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
A D 2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
B AD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

ThIs parT is a I-IV-V progression in the key of D; D being the I chord and G and A7 being the IV and V chords. The DADGAD tuning enables these chords to be played with just one finger moving between the
second, third and fourth strings. Keep your strumming hand moving continuously and strum: down, up-down-up.

finGerstyLe Line track 64

q =140
D Dsus 2 Aadd 11/D Bm7/D

# 4
& # 4 .. ..

w
. .
let ring throughout
D 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
T
. .
A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
G
A D 0
11
0
11
0
9
0
9
0
6
0
6
0
4
4
0
2
B A
D 0

yOu can fret this line with just one finger throughout and it sounds great. Keep your fretting finger arched and allow all the notes to ring together. Play using a fingerstyle technique with your thumb on the
fourth string and your first, second and third fingers on the top three strings.

Pick and finGers-styLe PickinG track 65

j 3

q =140 q q =q q
D Gadd 9/D Aadd 11/D Dsus 4

#
& # 44 ..

j
j
j j ..
J J
NH

. .
let ring throughout
D 4 5 7 12
T
. .
A 0 0 0 12
A G
D
0 2 2 0 4 4 0 6 6
12
12

B A

D 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
a m a m a m a
m

pLay ThIs riff using both a pick and your fingers (aka hybrid picking). That means picking the bass notes with a plectrum, and the treble strings with your free fingers. The harmonics in bar 4 need a light touch,
so lay your third finger over the top four strings at the 12th fret and remember to touch the strings as gently as possible to generate the harmonic.

52 summer2016
 Percussive p
ercussive guitar has gained care not to damage your guitar.
popularity in recent years You have been warned!
thanks to hit albums from There are no rules on how to

guitar
Newton Faulkner and the rise of
players such as Andy McKee and
Jon Gomm online. A mixture of
bass notes, melodies and strikes
on the guitar make percussive
were staying in dadGad as we look at the body- playing quite a challenge.
The idea is to think of your
bashing percussive styles of guitarists such as instrument as a drum kit and
Jon Gomm, andy mckee and newton faulkner produce sounds that equate to
kick drum, snare and hi-hat by
bashing the guitar body. Just take
produce these sounds but keep
efficiency of movement at the
front of your mind. For our tab
examples were playing kick and
snare hits near the soundhole so
your pick hand doesnt move far;
play the hihat with your fret
hand. Finally, we recommend
plugging your guitar in and
using some reverb to enhance
the percussive sounds.

1 KICK DruM
use the fleshy part where your hand meets your
wrist to produce a low thud like a bass drum. Were targeting
the guitar body above the strings near the soundhole.
2 SNArE DruM
You need a cutting sound without too much bass
for a snare drum vibe. Jon Gomm and Newton Faulkner will
often flick the pick guard area with a middle finger.
3 HI-HAT
For the full drum kit effect youll need to include a
sound in the treble range. Pat the strings down against the
frets with your fretting hand for a hi-hat vibe.

summer2016 53
 the acoustic crash course cover feature

kick & snare BackBeat track 72 Andy McKee breaks

all the classical
rules to play
percussive guitar

4
q = 90

4 Z @ Z @
kick snare

The mOsT basic backbeat rhythm follows a kick snare kick

snare pattern, as tabbed here. Count to four to keep time and
keep your strikes synched to the numbers.

kick variation track 73

4
4 Z @ Z Z @
The backbeat is the rhythmic core of music but its not limited
Startraks Photo/REX/Shutterstock
to a basic kick snare pattern. Here were playing two bass drum
hits on beat 3.

kick, snare & hi-hat track 74

44 Z
y @ y
Z Z
@ y the idea is to produce sounds
hi hat

here Were adding hihats into the gaps in the previous

that equate to kick drum, snare
example. If you get confident with the percussive approach try
playing two hits at the same time.
and hi-hat by bashing a guitar
Percussion & Bass notes track 75 meLody, Percussion & Bass track 76

D5

& b 44 ..
..
D5
.. 4
ww ww & b 4 ..
ww ww
T
D
. .
. . . .
A
G
A D
T GA
10 0 7 0 5 0 7 0 5 0 3 0

. 0 .
D
B A
D
0
0 A D
B A D 0

44 .. x x x x x x
Z @ ZZ@ Z @ Z Z @ .. 44 .. xJ @ ..
Z Z @ Z @ Z Z @
sLap The open fifth and sixth strings with the side of your thumb to produce the bass notes here. every parT here is simple in its own way, but, of course, youll be playing three lines at the same time
Leave out the kick drum hit on beat 1 if you cant synch with the notes. so youll need to practise slowly. Obviously you should practise each line on its own; try two parts
together as you get the feel for it. Slap the strings with the side of your thumb on the opening D5 chord.

54 summer2016