Introductory Remarks

Why heuristics? Is this the work of some opportunist pulling the same old tired gag of putting yesterday’s Thunderbird into a fancy bottle with a bright shiny fancy label? In a way, yes. There is absolutely nothing new to be found in my text. I don’t deny I wanted to get your attention. It’s a cheap trick, but you have to admit it worked. However, the word was chosen with care. This book is about method for learning, and how you can accelerate your learning process. Heuristics means learning how to learn. I wish to move us forward in answer to the question of what values we can inculcate to enhance our physical, emotional, and intellectual pursuit of music in a balanced manner.

Most of us who pursue guitar have a patchwork knowledge of harmony. By and large we learn a couple of chords and a few riffs at first without any coordinating substrate. Why is it a D chord? It’s in the chord book. What’s the difference between a D minor and D major? Well, your fingers go in different places and they sound different.

Most of us have experienced intimidating answers to perfectly sensible questions. How come I see different finger positions for the same chord? Because that’s the way they do it on the record, stupid. And what’s up with all those numbers after the letters? Don’t worry about them, they’re for the jazz weirdo in the corner who has no social life. Why do I see different scale patterns with the same name in the various books and magazines? The people who write for these publications are all geniuses with far greater scope of sentience than the rest of us. And what’s up with those modes, and the mysterious sounding names? Shut up and keep buying the magazines, otherwise you‘ll never go anywhere with your music.

And it gets worse. The lack of attention to physical technique coupled with constantly repeated left hand positions due to poor chord vocabulary and understanding often leads to repetitive motion injuries, which are both painful and frightening. Our tendency towards immediate gratification leads us into expedient habits. Velocity is prized, but far too many of us know how easily we find ourselves in creative ruts because we only developed through the application of favorite "licks" and patterns. This limit’s the body’s ability to explore choices that are outside of them. Many players exploit the fingers of the left hand in a very uneven way, atrophying the creative decision making process.

For the beginning student I would recommend that you divide your practice time into three parts. First, do the boring technical exercises. There’s more to the C major scale than do re mi, and you will find that out by osmosis. Practice as slowly as possible so that you can develop insights into all the mcro decisions that go into moving from one string to another.

Do the same with chords. Although indicated chord fingerings are optional, and at first may appear arbitrary, more often than not they are based not only on what is the easiest way to finger the given chord, but more importantly, the best way to get into and out of the chord. Smooth transitions are essential for a flowing musical quality. Study the John Denver section carefully, regardless of how you feel about that style of music.

Intermediate students will need to attend to the modes and how they are derived from parent scales. In addition, I cannot over recommend the development of one’s knowledge of the systematic four voice forms of the various seventh chords. All advanced chord work can be derived from that.

The Green Dolphin Street chart is the beginning of making headway into jazz improvisation, and is no more than a launching pad. The voicings indicated are the first word, not the final on that. I will be expanding this over the course of time. Began this project with the intention of only answering FAQ’s from my students, although clearly it has developed a certain life of its own, and I am enjoying the elaboration process. Please feel free to email me with any questions you may have.