Harmony on the guitar

Félix Desbiens
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The goal of this document is to provide the intermediate-advanced

guitarist with a guide to learn harmonic material on their instrument. Three
main topics will be covered in this book :

1. Triads............................................................................................p.10
2. Guide tones...................................................................................p.15
3. Drop voicings...............................................................................p.19

If you only want to refer to the sections with guitar graphics to help you
memorizing your chord fingerings in a visual way, feel free to jump straight
to the section that interests you. Otherwise, keep reading.

Basic theory you need to know in order to use this book

1. The most common and practical way to understand harmony is to get

familiar with the principle that chords are built in thirds. What I mean
by that is that if you think of a major scale (C-D-E-F-G-A-B) as scale
degrees (1-2-3-4-5-6-7), a 3-note stack of thirds would be 1-3-5 (or C-
E-G). So we are skipping one, as opposed to a stack of seconds which
would be 1-2-3 (or C-D-E). Most chords are based on this « thirds »
principle, even though it is obviously not the only way to build chords.
For example, chords built in 4ths (ex.:C-F-Bb-Eb) are also very
interesting, since they have a more open, less definite color. They are a
little bit more vague, which is a great advantage when comping,
because it doesn't dictate what the melodist has to play. They can be a
really useful harmonic tool. However, this book will concentrate on
chords built in thirds.

2. What happens when you stack more than 4 thirds? You get what we call
a 9th chord if you stack 5 (C-E-G-B-D), an 11th chord if you stack 6 (C-
E-G-B-D-F), and a 13th chord if you stack 7 (C-E-G-B-D-F-A). You
might ask yourself « Why do you call D the 9th instead of the 2nd?» It is
because this means that there also is a 7th in the chord. If the chord was
C-D-E-G, we would call it Cadd2. The 1-3-5-7 are what we call chord
tones and the 9th, 11th, and 13th are what we call color tones. This means
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that they add a nice color to the chord, but don't define its harmonic
nature. If this seems like a lot of information to take in, don't worry and
don't try to ingest it all at once. Start with a small bit of information and
spend time with it until it becomes second nature. Wait before you
digest your first meal before you have a second one. All of this will
become clearer as you advance.

3. To make it as clear and guitar-friendly as I could, I wrote most of the

examples either in the key of C, F, or G depending on which string
groups those examples happen to be. I want to stress the fact that you
need to practice those examples in ALL keys! If you are unsure about
how many keys there are, and how key signatures (flats and sharps)
function, there are a number of great music theory books out there, but
since this is not the topic of this book, let me just give you the basics :

- There are 12 keys : C, Db (or C#), D, Eb (or D#), E, F, Gb (or F#), G,

Ab (or G#), A, Bb (or A#), and B.

-The key signatures :

C: no flats or sharps
Flat keys
F : Bb
Bb : Bb, Eb
Eb : Bb, Eb, Ab
Ab : Bb, Eb, Ab, Db
Db : Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb
Gb : Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb(B)
Sharp keys
G : F#
D : F#, C#
A : F#, C#, G#
E : F#, C#, G#, D#
B : F#, C#, G#, D#, A#
F# (Same as Gb) : F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E#(F)
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- Of course, some flat keys may be thought of as sharp keys (ex. :

Eb=D#, so what's the difference?) I would answer that the « bright-
dark » sound relation heard from one chord to the next will be a result of
where it is coming from and where it is going. The next point might shed
light on that question.
- What we call « the circle of fifths » going up by fourths (from bright
to dark) : C-F-Bb-Eb-Ab-Db-Gb (or F#)-B-E-A-D-G
Going up by fifths (from dark to bright) : C-G-D-A-E-B-F#-C#-G#-D#-
A#-E# (or F).
So, when you go towards the « sharp » side (ex. :C going to G), it
sounds brighter. And when you go to the « flat » side (ex. : C to F), it
sounds darker. Unfortunately, to get in depth into that topic would
require a whole book by itself, and since this book is guitar oriented,
those discoveries will have to come from somewhere else. « I'm not
going to rob you of the joy to discover that by yourself » - Bill Evans.
(I'm only using my memory here, sorry if I misquote but you get the
idea.)

4. Here are the most common types of chords you will encounter :
- Major (Major triad, 6, 6/9, Maj7, etc.)
- Minor (Minor triad, minor 6, minor 7, etc.)
- Dominant (7, 9, 13, 7#9, 7b9, 7b5, 7#5, etc.)
- Minor 7th flat 5 (also called half diminished) (Minor9b5, Minor11b5)
- Diminished (Diminished triad, Diminished 7th, Diminished bb7, etc.)
- Augmented (Augmented triad, Major 7th #5)
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About Triadic harmony (1, 3, 5)

1. In a major key (also refered to as melodic major), the order of the
chords go as such :

I-Major II-Minor III-Minor IV-Major V-Major VI-Minor

VII-Diminished
or
C D- E- F G A- B0

2. In a harmonic minor key :

I-Minor II-Diminished bIII-Augmented IV-Minor V-Major bVI-Major

VII-Diminished
or
C- D0 Eb+ F- G Ab B0

3. In a melodic minor key :

I-Minor II-Minor bIII-Augmented IV-Major V-Major VI-diminished

VII-diminished
or
C- D- Eb+ F G A0 B0

4. In a harmonic major key :

I-Major II-Diminished III-Minor IV-Minor V-Major bVI-Augmented

VII-Diminished
or
C D0 E- F- G Ab+ B0
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About Seventh Chords (1, 3, 5, 7)

1. In a major key (also refered to as melodic major), the order of the

chords go as such :

I-Major 7th II-Minor 7th III-Minor 7th IV-Major 7th V-Dominant

7th VI-Minor 7th VII-Minor 7 flat 5
or
C^ D-7 E-7 F^ G7 A-7 B-7b5

2. In a harmonic minor key :

I-Minor major 7th II-Minor 7th b5 bIII-Major 7th #5 IV-Minor 7th

V-Dominant 7th bVI- Major 7th VII-Diminished bb7
or
C-^ D-7b5 Eb^#5 F-7 G7 Ab^ B0

3. In a melodic minor key :

I-Minor major 7th II-Minor 7th bIII-Major 7th #5 IV-Dominant 7th

V-Dominant 7th VI- Minor 7th b5 VII-Minor 7th b5
or
C-^ D-7 Eb^#5 F7 G7 A-7b5 B-7b5

4. In a harmonic major key :

I-Major 7th II-Diminished bb7 III-Minor 7th IV-Minor Major 7th

V-Dominant 7th bVI- Major 7th #5 VII-Diminished bb7
or
C^ D0 E-7 F-^ G7 Ab^#5 B0
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Notes about chord theory

I highly recommend that you spend some time investigating color tones, and
what sounds good to you in what context. Because of time and space
limitations, this book will not cover in depth 9th, 11th and 13th chords, but try
to get as familiar as you can with these. It's good to start by knowing which
extensions (or color tones) sound good and are commonly used for each
chord type.

Here is a short list to give you an idea :

th th
– For Maj7 chords : 9 , 13 , #11
th th th
– For min7 chords : 9 , 11 , 13
th th
– For min7b5 chords : 11 , natural 9 (a « fancier » sound, comes from
the 6th mode of the melodic minor scale)
– For dominant chords :
- Mixolydian : 9th, 11th, 13th
- Lydian b7 : 9th, #11, 13th
- Dominant diminished : b9, #9, #11, 13
- Altered : b9, #9, b5, #5

So spend time with the guide tones (see p.11) of each chord, and always think
of what higher notes are available to add to your chord.

Example :

This is a great voicing for a G13 chord. You have the root on the sixth string,
the 7th and 3rd on the fourth and third strings, and the 13th and 9th on the
second and first strings. Also, if you look at the set of notes on the upper four
strings, you might notice that this is actually an FMaj7b5 drop 2 voicing (see
section on drop voicings). So this is actually two subjects at the same time :
1-guide tones with upper structures and 2-drop voicings.
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Equivalences and superimpositions

Many of the most common chords, such as 6th chords are not discussed
in this book. The reason for this is because some other chords that are
discussed are exactly the same. For example, C6 (C, E, G, A) is actually
Amin7 in first inversion. Below is a list of the most important equivalences
and superimpositions. Note that many of the superimposed chords don't have
the root in them. We normally let the bass player handle the roots. If there
isn't a bass player, you can sometimes find a way to add the root in the bass,
sometimes use a different bass note. As you experiment, you will find that
certain voicings work way better than other in the context of a
superimposition. For example, if you want to play a C6/9#11 voicing, and
you just go ahead and play a drop 2 D7 in root position, it will sound more
like you made a mistake than anything else. Again, use your ears and your
taste to guide you.

– C6 = Amin7
– Cmin6 = Amin7b5
– Cmaj9 = Emin7
– C9 = Emin7b5
– Cmin9 = EbMaj7
– Cmin9b5 = EbminMaj7
– Cmaj9#11 no 3rd = Gmaj7
– C13sus4 = Dmin7, Gmin7
– CminMaj9 = EbMaj7#5
– C6/9#11 = D7
– C7#9#5 = Emaj7b5
– C7b9 = C#dim
– C7b9#5 = Bbmin7b5
– The list could go on for pages. Discovery is the key...
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Slash Chords

Slash chords are when a chord is superimposed on top of another chord.

There is usually 2 ways of naming the same chord, one with slash chords
(ex.: Cmaj7/E), and another with extensions (Emin(b6)). They are actually
the same chord. What's important is not how you think of it, but that you
understand the modality and sound of each one. Below is a list of a chord
voicing representing well each modality from the melodic major scale. I
placed the modes in order of brightness (from bright to dark). You'll have an
easier time playing those voicings at the piano. Allow the sound of each
modality to get in your ears and your brain.

– Lydian (1, 2, 3, #4, 5, 6, 7): Cmaj7#11, D/C, Gmaj7/C

– Ionian (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7): Fmaj7/C
– Mixolydian (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, b7): C7sus, BbMaj7/C
– Dorian (1, 2, b3, 4, 5, 6, b7): Cmin11, EbMaj7/C
– Aeolian (1, 2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7): Cmin(b6), AbMaj7/C
– Phrygian (1, b2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7): C7sus4(b9), DbMaj7/C
– Locrian (1, b2, b3, 4, b5, b6, b7): Cmin7b5, GbMaj7/C

There is a wide array of possibilities when you introduce the idea of slash
chords! They often can create some very interesting sounds. I only introduced
those that are diatonic in the melodic major scale, but an infinite number of
slash chords and polychords exist. (ex.: C/Eb, Cmaj7/Emaj7, etc.)
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About music

When learning new material, it is often tempting to make a conscious

effort to use it in a musical situation, but often times, it leads to disappointing
results, since our brain and ego telling us to play it are often not associated
that much with the creative and sensitive artists that we also are. It often ends
up breaking the creative flow and sounding a little “out of place”. It is good
to have an open attitude when we learn new material, and be okay if it doesn't
come out in our playing right away. Have patience. Learn something just for
fun. The material that comes up when we are truly improvising is usually the
one we have ingrained on a subconscious level. Meaning that we know it so
much that we don't have to think about it at all, it is simply part of our
vocabulary, much like the process that happens with words. Think about it,
you don't need to think really hard about what words you are about to use
when speaking (unless you are still learning the basics of the language).
They are just part of your subconscious. The same is true for musical
information. Always let your ears and your heart be the guide of what you
choose to say.
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Triads
Since the guitar is an harmonic instrument limited by its nature (i.e. reaching
span of the left hand and number of strings), its crucial that we are aware of
how chord voicings are constructed, and to do that, we need to be aware of
triads, and where they fall on the neck.

Let me explain what I mean. Now, this method is targetted at intermediate

and advanced players, so I'm guessing that all of you know a basic C major
chord in open position.

You know, the one that goes :

In this chord, there are 3 close position triads.

C root position 5th string :

C 1st inversion 4th string :

C 2nd inversion 3rd string :

This may seem like useless information, but believe me, it's not. If you start
seeing where triad shapes fall visually on the neck, you will be more efficient
at understanding harmony and applying it to the guitar, you will memorize
chord voicings quicker because you will associate them with something you
know, and the technique of it all will seem like it is now more something you
add onto your basis which will already be solid.
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Exercises on triads

1. Practice each inversion (root, 1st inversion, 2nd inversion) one by one on
one string group at a time. (Ex. : Take a first inversion triad in C major on the
6th string and start at the lowest possible one, which would be Dmin/F. Take
this first inversion triad through the scale from the lowest possible note to the
highest one.) Repeat for each string group and for each 12 keys.

2. Same thing, but now start switching string groups at various places so
you can cover the whole guitar neck with the same triad inversion. (Ex. :
Take a root position triad in Bb through the scale from the lowest possible
note to the highest one, which would be Gmin on 6th string all the way to F
on 3rd string 22nd fret.)
By the way, not all guitars have the same register, and it's fine. Some of
them have 7 strings, some of them only have 19 frets, etc. Work with
what is possible on the instrument you chose.

3. Move the triads in diatonic cycles, (4ths, 2nds, etc.) to the closest
voicing available. For example, in C major : C-F-Bdim-Em-Am-Dm-G
would be a cycle of fourths.

4. Try moving voices inside the triads (for example, for a C 1st inversion
triad (EGC), start by playing a D as melody note and move it down to a C
before moving it to the next triad in the scale, which would be D-
→ EGD to EGC to FAE to FAD
Note : there are a number of books that cover this subject very well, and
the best one is probably « Harmonic mechanisms » by George Van Eps.
Highly recommended.

5. Take a piece of music you know well and try to voice-lead triads over it
so that is sounds smooth and appropriate with the chord progression. This
introduces the concept of « upper structures ». For example, on a Gmaj7
chord, you can play Bminor and Eminor triads, and use inversions to
smoothly move them and create a nice harmonised melody.
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Notes on triads

I didn't include any fret numbers besides the graphs in the section
adressing triads, so a little brain work is involved in the process of learning
those shapes. It is pretty simple really : the lowest note of all root positions is
the root, the lowest note of the 1st inversions is the third and the lowest note
of the 2nd inversions is the fifth. I am assuming that if you are reading this,
you already know where all the notes are on your guitar. (It's okay if you
don't by the way). You can use the triad exercises, (as well as all exercises!)
to learn the notes.
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Guide Tones
Of all the topics in this book, this one might be the most useful of all on
the guitar, even though it seems like the simplest and least full sounding and
satisfying. But believe me, a firm grasp of those guide tones goes a long way
as far as harmony on the guitar. It is from those structures that most of the
commonly used chords in jazz are built. There is a reason for this : most of
the time (not always, of course), the better way to voice a chord that has color
tones (a major 9th #11th chord for example) will be to have the chord tones
down low and the color tones higher. Guide tones will allow you to do
exactly that, because that's what they are : the root, third and seventh of a
chord on lower strings. This leaves you the higher strings free to add the
tones that are available to you at the place on the neck where you will happen
to be playing .

For example, here is a great voicing for

a Maj9#11 chord built on guide tones :

If the low note on 5th string is a C, the other notes would be :

E on 4th string
B on 3rd string
D on 2nd string and
F# on 1st string (you have to use your index finger to do a bar-chord here)

Voicings like that are great, and have a sound that is very idiosyncratic of
jazz. However, as I said, there are exceptions, and you might encounter
occasions where a color tone sounds really good when it's lower too.
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For example, this Minor (add 2) chord :

Here, if the low note on the 6th string is a G, the other notes would be :
D on 5th string
A on 4th string and
Bb on 3rd string. (You can also use the bar-shape you probably are already
using to add a D on 2nd string, and double the one that's already there on 5th
string for more « weight »)

This chord has a way different character than the Maj9#11 one I was showing
you before. (It has more “bite” because of the major second interval, and the
2 consecutives open fifths make it sound more “open”.) It's good to pay
attention to the character of chord voicings, so you can use the different ones
to create linearity and expression in your music. Your taste will tell you what
is right and what is not.

Where are the minor 7th b5?

Don't need 'em. Those guide tones voicings are just the root, the third
and the seventh. No fifth. So you just use the minor 7th guide tones for minor
7th b5 chords.
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Exercises on guide tones

1. Take a tune you know and try to play the guide tones of every chords.
Make sure what you play sounds smooth and avoid unnecessary leaps.

2. Take a short and easy chord progression (CMaj7 A7 Dmin7 G7, for
example), and loop it. Play the guide tones for each chord, and slowly, start
adding simple melodies on the upper 3 strings when your guide tones are on
strings 6, 5, 4, and on the upper 2 strings when your guide tones are on
strings 5, 4, 3. Make sure you are able to make your guide tones sound while
you play your melodies. Imagine you are a piano player!

3. Take a tune (12 bar blues, jazz standard, latin tune, etc.) and play the
guide tones of each chord while you play one or two melody notes per bar. As
you get more comfortable, you will develop greater independance between
the chord and the melodies.
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Drop voicings

What's a drop voicing?

It is called "drop" because it comes from taking a close position voicing

(ex.: CEGB) and dropping one (or two) notes down an octave. For example,
if I drop the second note from the top (G) of this CEGB voicing, it gives us
GCEB. We will call this a "drop 2 voicing". If I we had dropped the 3rd note
from the top (E), it would have been called “drop 3”. Also, the GCEB voicing
happens to be a “second inversion drop 2 voicing” because the note in the
bass is the fifth (G). Each of the drop positions have their own characteristic
sound. On page 20, you have all the drop voicings written in standard music
notation. On page 25, you have visual graphs for them.

Where should I start?

Definitely not with the close positions, as they are extremely hard to
play for the most part, and have a sound that is too dense and and have a huge
amount of "bite", too much for most musical contexts. I would recommend
you start with the drop 2's. The drop 2's and drop 3's are the most common
seventh chord voicings on guitar. In fact, you probably play some of those
chords already. Remember, it's not because they are simple that they are not
good musical choices. There is a reason why these voicings are played all
over the place: it works.
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Notes about drop voicings

In this section, 6 different voicings will be covered: Close position;

drop 2; drop 3; drop 2 & 3; drop 2 & 4; double drop 2 & drop 3. Only the
chords from the melodic major scale will be explored: Major 7th, dominant
7th, minor 7th and minor 7th flat 5. Of course, in order to broaden the scope of
the possible chords you know, you will have to explore by yourself replacing
certain notes with other ones. Here is a list of the most important ones:

– Major 7th b5: Great voicings for a lydian sound, also sound great
superimposed over other chords. For example, Fmaj7b5 superimposed
over a G7 gives you F-A-B-E (the 7th, 9th, 3rd and 13th of the G chord).
– Major 7th #5: Also known as a "+" chord (ex.: Gmaj7+). Has a
dominant quality. It usually resolves up a half step from any of its
notes.
– Dominant b5: Used very often, great sound for a lydian b7 chord.
– Dominant #5: Great sound for either a wholetone scale chord, or a
mixolydian b6.
– Replacing the fifth of a minor 7th chord by a the fourth: Gives
you a more neutral and vague voicing. Sounds more modern and
quartal.
– Replacing the third of a minor 7th or dominant 7th chord by the
fourth: The famous 7sus4 chord. Has a mixolydian quality (brighter
than any minor 7th chord, yet a bit darker and less stable than a Major
7th chord.)
– Replacing the 3rd of a Major7th chord for a 9th: Gives you a more
open sound, a bit more mysterious than a regular Major 7th.
 22

Note: At the risk of repeating myslef, I only included the chords from the
melodic major scale. So it means that I left out 3 other important scales: the
harmonic minor, melodic minor and harmonic major. The chords found in
those scales and not in the melodic major are:

– Minor Major 7th

– Major 7th #5
– Diminished bb7 (easy one since it is transposable!)

You can easily figure those ones out by yourself since they are pretty close to
the ones in the major scale. (ex.: A-Maj7 is just an A-7 with the G replaced with
a G#. Amaj7#5 is simply an Amaj7 with the fifth raised a half step (replace E for F).
A0 (diminished) is like an Am7b5, but you replace the G for a Gb.)
 23

About technique

Be aware that some of the chords in this book are (almost?) unplayable.
For example, I have yet to see someone who is able to play the 3rd inversion
Maj7 close position voicing (BCEG). I don't think playing this chord is worth
injuring yourself. Other things are hard to play, but well worth the effort (ex.:
the 3rd inversion of the drop 2 & 3 Maj7 -> BCGE). When you stumble upon
something that seems like a lot of work to get under your fingers, be mindful
of the sound of that thing. Often times, it is worth it to spend a little more
time practicing it to have a great tool for the rest of your life!

Let's face it, playing guitar is hard. It is hard on the body too. Almost
every guitar player I know has suffered at some point of some kind of wrist
injury. Always stay RELAXED is the best advice I can give you. Some of
these stretches are pretty hard, and if you get tense while doing them, remind
yourself to breathe, relax, and take pauses from time to time. Having proper
posture while you're playing helps greatly too. Find little tricks that make it
easier for you. I have noticed, for example, that I like to play with the guitar
on my left leg when practicing harder stretches, since the neck is closer to
me, and that really helps my left hand. Take breaks, breathe, smile, relax. 

There are a number of different ways to deal with the right hand when
playing chords (when playing guitar altogether, really).

– Using only the fingers

– Using the flat pick and the fingers
– Using the thumb pick and the fingers
– Using just the flat pick

I would recommend that you get comfortable with using only the
fingers first, because that will give you more control over which notes you
play and which ones you don't. It will also give you the ability to play notes
at the exact same time, without flamming, as opposed to using just the flat
pick. That way, you can play in a more "pianistic" way, if that effect is
desired. Be it noted that you can get the same effect from playing with a flat
pick + fingers, but you don't have your index finger available. I really like the
 24

pick + fingers technique, because even though you have one finger less than
with the fingers only technique, I find it very practical. You can switch
seamlessly between playing lines with the pick and playing chords with your
fingers. (The other way around is possible too, don't get me wrong!) The
thumb pick is great too, if you're willing to spend some time mastering this
technique. Also, many players switch very often in the same piece from
playing with fingers only and playing with the flat pick. Experiment with all
these techniques, see what you like!

IMPORTANT: At the risk of repeating myself, many of the close position

seventh chords you will see on the next page are almost impossible to play,
so don't spend too much time on that. Often times, they don't even sound as
good as the drop voicings. I just felt like it was interesting to see how they
laid out on the neck.
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Exercises on drop voicings

1. Start simple. First, make sure you know all the root positions. Go
diatonically up the neck. (Cmaj7 – Dmin7 – Emin7 – Fmaj7 – G7 – Amin7 –
Bmin7b5). Then, same thing for the first, second, and third inversions. As
with any other exercise, make sure you do this in all keys (not all music is in
C major!).

2. The next idea comes from “The Almanac of Guitar Voice Leading” by
the great Mick Goodrick. It is basically playing voicings in diatonic cycles.
The idea is that the movement from one chord to the next should always be
as small as possible. For example, if I'm doing a cycle of seconds, moving
from Cmaj7 to Dmin7 (let's say drop 2), the closest movement is: CGBE →
CFAD rather than CGBE → DACF. This means you will be descending from
a Cmaj7 drop 2 root position to a Dmin7 drop 2 3rd inversion. You're always
moving to the closest possible voicing of the next chord. Very often, some
notes are going to stay to same from one chord to the next. To make sure you
understand, what would be the next chord? (We played Cmaj7, Dmin7, the
next one is Emin7, right?) Answer: CGBE → CFAD → BEGD. That would
be an Emin7 drop 2 2nd inversion. Keep doing those cycles all over the neck.
They are great for finding beautiful and efficient voice leading, and they also
help you learn your chords! Do cycles of 2nd and 4ths first, since they are the
clearer ones and most logical ones. Then, you can also try cycles of 3rds,
5ths, 6ths and 7ths. If this is still unclear to you, I recommend you check out
“The Almanac of Guitar Voice Leading”.

3. Take a tune you know well, and go through the chord progression,
limiting yourself to one voicing (drop 2, drop 3, etc.). Start at an
extreme (low or high, it doesn't matter), and go through all the register
this way, always staying in the same direction, playing the closest
voicings possible. When reaching the other extreme, change direction
and keep following the same principle. The goal of the exercise is that
you eventually get comfortable with all the inversions in various
musical contexts, and that the knowledge of these grips (shapes on the
neck) isn't limiting to you anymore.
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Afterword
I sincerely hope you will find the materials in this document useful. I
know that all this seems like a lot of information, and it is, but believe me, if
you take it one bit at a time, with patience and wisdom, you will be surprised
how enriching learning this material can be. On the guitar, everything needs
to be a bit more systematic than we would like sometimes, because of the
complex nature of the instrument. It is not aimless mind work, it is absolutely
necessary material in order to advance harmonically on this intricate
instrument. Indeed, I think it can be very easy to become good at guitar fast
when you first start, but when you get to the “next level”, all the complexity
of the instrument unfolds before your eyes. Don't fall into the trap of thinking
that learning “too much” information will ruin your “feel” or your “soul”.
This has never been true for anyone. Your feel and soul are not going to be
hurt by a little theory. They are part of you, they are not going anywhere. If
you want to be great, you have to be functional first. And a functional
musician deals with many things at once: Ears, heart, hands, body, brain,
instinct, etc. The mind is a powerful faculty. It is not an obstacle to your
artistic creation. Falling into the trap of believing that it is is somewhat lazy, I
find.

Don't feel bad if you find yourself having to “think about it a lot” at first
when you're learning this material. It will become easier and easier as you
spend time with it. Don't see it as a chore oriented towards the abstract goal
of becoming a better guitar player either. Be curious and enjoy learning! It
will be way more fun this way. Enjoy every step of the way! ☺

Happy music making,

Félix Desbiens
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Suggested readings

• George Van Eps – Harmonic Mechanisms For Guitar (vol. 1, 2 & 3)

• Ted Greene – Chord Chemistry
• Ted Greene – Single Note Soloing (vol. 1 & 2)
• Mick Goodrick – The Almanac of Guitar Voice Leading
• Mick Goodrick – The Advancing Guitarist
• Joe Pass – Guitar Style
• Bach – Works for Lute, works for cello
• Anything by Leo Brouwer
• Anything by Villa Lobos
• Really, any classical guitar repertoire will do wonders to your
technique. (Carcassi, Tarrega, Sor, etc.)
• Adelhard Roidinger – Jazz Improvisation and Pentatonic
• Miles Okazaki – Fundamentals of Guitar
• Wayne Krantz – The Improviser's OS
• Ben Monder – Compositions
• Lenny Breau – Fingerstyle Jazz Guitar