Open Days at Samford and The Gap

Come along to my open days on Friday 28th January at Samford and Monday January 31st at The Gap. Book in for a trial lesson, free of charge. Say hello, and lets have a bit of a jam! All levels from beginner to veteran’s welcome! All ages welcome!

Teaching term will commence on Monday 31st January! I have openings in Samford and The Gap.

This is a piece with the help of my looper pedal. The first layer is a bass riff using the E minor pentatonic scale. Next comes some E9th chords. A third layer is 12th fre harmonics on the top three strings, which are an E minor chord. The total harmonic effect is of #9 and 9 juxtaposed – very bluesy. Then follows some soloing using the open position E minor pentatonic scale. A fourth layer is looped in with some funky Em7 chord, using a fifth fret shape. Then some more soloing up arround the 12th fret, still the E minor pentatonic scale!

Blues in A

Here is a blues in A. The basic form is executed with ninth and 13th chords, interspersed with bass runs outlining the 1st 3rd and 5th of each chord, with a chromatic run from 3rd to 5th. The solo style is constructed around each chord, using bends on the b3rd, and adding 2nd’s, 6th’s, 4ths and major thirds. There are minor pentatonic sequences, myxolidian sequences, and chord sequences. I tried to give extra attention to phrasing in this piece, climaxing in the second last chorus, with a sequence beyond the 12th fret, before a final chorus to recuperate in the 5th position.

Lessons at The Gap affected by Quarantine

Lessons at The Gap this week  are now affected by quarantine! As the household from whom I rent The Gap teaching space has been ordered into quarantine, lessons at The Gap cannot take place in person, this week, on the 9th and 12th of August. I will be standing by on Zoom for an online lesson instead, or please contact me to reschedule to another day this week at the Samford Studio. If neither of those options works for you, please be in touch to make alternative arrangements! Lessons at Samford are unaffected. Apologies for the inconvenience, but important that we all stay safe and well.

Lockdown lifted!

Lessons will be running as normal in Samford and The Gap, from Monday 9th August, due to lockdown being lifted. Please wear a mask if required to do so under current health orders! Let’s all stay safe and well! Thanks, Rob.

Practice track for Bassists – Avalon

This is a practice track for Bass players learning walking bass lines. There is a clear strong drum beat in more or less a rock style to help with keeping the beat steady, but with a Jazz Manouche style rhythm guitar track.

Here are the chords

Avalon Chors Sheet
Chord Sheet for Avalon by Vincent Rose

Here is the practice track without a bass line, so that you can play along on bass!

Here is my bass line if you want some ideas. The first run through I play root notes and fifths on beats one and three of the bar. The second and third runs through I use a walking bass line based on the modes and scales noted in the chord sheet. Bb Dorian may be substituted for Bb melodic minor, depending on taste. I like the melodic minor though because the A natural keeps the sound closer to the home key of F, which also has an A natural. Notice how the feel changes when the bass goes from root fifths to walking!

Enjoy!

Arrangements for COVID lockdown

As most people would be aware, the Queensland Government has instituted a COVID lockdown from Saturday July 31 at 4pm for 8 days. All lessons will be held by Zoom link up to and including Friday 6th August. All students have been emailed the Zoom link – please be in touch if you haven’t received it!

If the lockdown has to be extended, lessons will continue by Zoom until the lock down is lifted, and we can resume our in person meetings. If it’s not possible for you to have lessons by Zoom, pease get in touch to make other arrangements!

Thank you for your understanding!

Regards,
Rob

Solo Piece: A damp afternoon.

Here is a solo guitar piece in A major, I have entitled “A damp afternoon”. In it I seek to evoke a strange combination of ennui and mild rapture resulting from the enforced idleness of a damp afternoon contemplating the beauty of drizzle and grey skies. The composition is built around the major scale harmonised in sixths, or inverted thirds. After repetition of an A and B phrases, the same melody is largely repeated a fourth higher, in the key of D, with the final section replaced by desending sixths to the dominant chord, E, before repeating the melody again. In the second repeat of the melody, the defending sixths are replaced by ascending sixths finishing on the root an octave above. A middle eight follows of desending chords, starting on the fourth, which becomes minor, and moving through various shapes to a dominant chord, E. The first theme is repeated again, and concludes with descending sixths over an E pedal tone, before resolving to A major to end..

The music score is available for purchase from Sheet Music Direct

Mid Year Promotion

Rob's Guitar school special offer for new students

I have a fantastic offer available now for new students signing up for a term of private lessons. Just pay in full before the 8th of July, and you will receive a $100 gift voucher from the Guitar Shop Paddington, to help you on your way. You can spend this on whatever you like, putting it towards a new instrument, accessories such as strings or gig bags or cases, tuners, picks, amplifier – you name it. If they have it in stock, you can use your $100 gift voucher towards the purchase price! So sign up Now! Not sure if I’m the teacher for you? No problem, sign up for a free lesson on my Samford Studio open day on Tuesday 6th July! So now is the perfect time to start your guitar journey!

Back at The Samford Markets

I am planning to be back at the Samford Markets on Saturday 12th June! It’s been great fun at the markets, I have met some great players and enjoyed some lovely jams! I’ll also put some strings on for you – I have a limited range of strings available that can get you playing again! So drop by and say hi – and sit in for a jam or play a song together! That’s the great thing about music, it’s ability to bring people together! I am also available to talk about how we might work with lessons! Markets are from 7am to 12noon! At the St Paul’s Anglican church grounds, in Samford.