Beginner Guitar

Unit 5:
Rock and soloing

Are you ready to rock? This unit explores power chords, scales and blues
scales.

POWER CHORDS
Power Chords, are 2 or 3 notes consisting of the 1st and 5th notes from a
chord.
Example: D open chords are made of the notes D F# and A.
A Power chord simplifies this into 2 notes D and A, played on 2 or 3 strings,
removing the 3rd note.
*the 3rd note determines if a chord is major or minor chords, so power chords
are neither major nor minor.
*use your 1st finger to find the root note and the other notes will be in the
same place.

Note that power chords all have the same shape. Their position on the neck
determines what the chord is. Knowing where the root notes for the chords
are is very important.

For the purpose of our power chords you should know the notes on the 6th
and 5th string up to the 7th fret.
Lets try a few songs to get used to reading and playing power chords!
In Bloom Nirvana
Marigold Foo Fighters
Learn to fly Foo Fighters
Brain stew Green day
Hardest Button to Button The White stripes
Have fun and Break a Leg !

In Bloom Tab by Nirvana

Artist: Nirvana
Song: In Bloom
Intro
e
b
g
d8 8
a8 8
E6 6

(distortion)

5
5
3

3 3 6
3 3 6
1 1 4

x2

then (Distortion), also the verse but the verse is played clean.
e
b
g
88
d88 xx 44 xx 88 xx 99 77
a88 xx 44 xx 66 xx 99 77 x2
E66 xx 22 xx
xx 77 55
chorus
e
b
g
d8 8 xx 5 5
a8 8 xx 5 5 x4
E6 6 xx 3 3

then

5 5 5 5 8
5 5 5 5 8 x2
3 3 3 3 6

Marigold Tab by Foo Fighters

Good Old Standard Tuning .
Verse/Bridge
e||-----------------------------------||
B||-----------------------------------||
G||--9-9-99/6-6-6-66/4-4-x2/5-5-5-5---||
D||--9-9-99/6-6-6-66/4-4-x2/5-5-5-5---||
A||--7-7-77/4-4-4-44/2-2-x0/3-3-3-3---||
E||-----------------------------------||
Chorus
e||---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------B||---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------G||----------------------------------9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9/6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6/555-5-555-5-555-5-777D||--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5/7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9/6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6/555-5-555-5-555-5-777A||--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5/7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7/4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4/333-3-333-3-333-3-555E||--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3/5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5------------------------------------------------------She's there
He's scared
She's there
He's scared

in case
cause I
in case
cause I

I want it all
want
I want it all
want

All in all the clock is slow

Six color pictures all in a row
Of a marigold
She's there
He's scared
She's there
He's scared

in case
cause I
in case
cause I

I want it all
want
I want it all
want

All in all the clock is slow

Six color pictures all in a row
Of a marigold
She's there in case I want it all
He's scared cause I want

She's there in case I want it all

He's scared cause I want
All in all the clock is slow
Six color pictures all in a row
Of a marigold
END

Brain Stew Tab by Green Day

This can be tuned down a half step. D# G# C# F# A# D#
|------------------------|--------------------------------|
|------------------------|--------------------------------|
|------------------------|--------------------------------|
|-7-7--5-5--4-4--3-3-2-2-|-7-7--5-5--4-4--3-3-3-3-2-2-2-2-|
|-7-7--5-5--4-4--3-3-2-2-|-7-7--5-5--4-4--3-3-3-3-2-2-2-2-|
|-5-5--3-3--2-2--1-1-0-0-|-5-5--3-3--2-2--1-1-1-1-0-0-0-0-|
Chorus (Part 1)
|-----------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------|
|-7-7--X-X-X-X--5-5--X-X-X-X--4-4--X-X-X-X--3-3-3-3-2-2-2-2-|
|-7-7--X-X-X-X--5-5--X-X-X-X--4-4--X-X-X-X--3-3-3-3-2-2-2-2-|
|-5-5-----------7-7-----------2-2-----------1-1-1-1-0-0-0-0-|
Back to this several times
|------------------------|--------------------------------|
|------------------------|--------------------------------|
|------------------------|--------------------------------|
|-7-7--5-5--4-4--3-3-2-2-|-7-7--5-5--4-4--3-3-3-3-2-2-2-2-|
|-7-7--5-5--4-4--3-3-2-2-|-7-7--5-5--4-4--3-3-3-3-2-2-2-2-|
|-5-5--3-3--2-2--1-1-0-0-|-5-5--3-3--2-2--1-1-1-1-0-0-0-0-|
Chorus thingy (Part 2) I guess... 2x
|------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----5-5-7-7-------5-5-7-7-------5-5-7-7--------------------|
|-7-7-5-5-7-7--5-5--5-5-7-7--4-4--5-5-7-7--3-3-3-3-2-2-2-2---|
|-7-7----------5-5-----------4-4-----------3-3-3-3-2-2-2-2---|
|-5-5----------7-7-----------2-2-----------1-1-1-1-0-0-0-0---|
Back to this several times
|------------------------|--------------------------------|
|------------------------|--------------------------------|
|------------------------|--------------------------------|
|-7-7--5-5--4-4--3-3-2-2-|-7-7--5-5--4-4--3-3-3-3-2-2-2-2-|
|-7-7--5-5--4-4--3-3-2-2-|-7-7--5-5--4-4--3-3-3-3-2-2-2-2-|
|-5-5--3-3--2-2--1-1-0-0-|-5-5--3-3--2-2--1-1-1-1-0-0-0-0-|
Outro Part
|----------------------------------------------|

|----------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------|
|-7-7--7-7-5-5--5-5-4-4-4--4-4-3-3-3-3-2-2-2-2-|
|-7-7--7-7-5-5--5-5-4-4-4--4-4-3-3-3-3-2-2-2-2-|
|-5-5--5-5-3-3--3-3-2-2-2--2-2-1-1-1-1-0-0-0-0-|
Ends with
|----|----|----|-7-7|-7-7|-5-5-

Let it ring

END

The Hardest Button To Button by The White Stripes

------------------------------------------------------------------------------Single guitar, standard tuning [low to high: E A D G B E].
------------------------------------------------------------------------------Intro:
Power chords for this song are A, C, B Bb and D
A C A C A C B D OR A C A C A C B Bb
e|---------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------------------------------|
G|---2-----------5-----------2-----------5-----|
D|-----2-----------5-----------2-----------5---|
A|-0-----0-----3-----3-----0-----0-----3-----3-|
E|---------------------------------------------|
e|---------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------------------------------|
G|---2-----------5-----------4-----------7-----|
D|-----2-----------5-----------4-----------7---|
A|-0-----0-----3-----3-----2-----2-----5-----5-|
E|---------------------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------------------|
G|--2------2----2-------2-----5-----5------5--------5-|
D|--2------2----2-------2-----5-----5------5--------5-|
A|--0------0----0-------0-----3-----3------3--------3-|
E|----------------------------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------------------|
G|--2------2----2-------2-----5-----5------5--------5-|
D|--2------2----2-------2-----5-----5------5--------5-|
A|--0------0----0-------0-----3-----3------3--------3-|
E|----------------------------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------------------|
G|--2------2----2-------2-----5-----5------5--------5-|
D|--2------2----2-------2-----5-----5------5--------5-|
A|--0------0----0-------0-----3-----3------3--------3-|
E|----------------------------------------------------|

e|----------------------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------------------|
G|--4------4----4-------4-----3-----3------3--------3-|
D|--4------4----4-------4-----3-----3------3--------3-|
A|--2------2----2-------2-----1-----1------1--------1-|
E|----------------------------------------------------|

Learn To Fly Tab by Foo Fighters

Intro (lead) b= half bend
Riff A
e|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|------4--4-4---4-4-4--4/6-6-6--6b-6-6\4--4-4--4-4-4-(4)--4-4-4--4----------|
D|------x--x-x---x-x-x--x/x-x-x--x--x-x\x--x-x--x-x-x-(x)--x-x-x--x--0-------|
A|------2--2-2---2-2-2--2/4-4-4--4b-4-4\2--2-2--2-2-2-(2)--2-2-2--2--0-------|
E|-15/-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
B
F#
Run and tell all of the angels
E
This could take all night
B
F#
E
Think I need a devil to help me get things right
B
F#
Hook me up a new evolution
E
Cause this one is a lie
B
F#
E
We sat around laughing, and watching the last one die
Chorus:
B
F#
Now looking to the sky to save me
E
Looking for a sign of life
B
F#
E
Looking for something to help me burn out bright
B
F#
I'm looking for a complication
E
Looking to the tide of light
G
A
B
Make my way back home and learn to fly
Turnaround: B F#
E (2x)
B
F#
Think I'm done nursing patients,
E
It could wait one night.
B
F#
E
Give it all away if you give me one last try

B
F#
E
We live happily ever trapped in future save my life.
B
F#
E
Run and tell the angels that everything's alright.
Chorus:
B
F#
I'm looking to the sky to save me,
E
Looking for a sign of light.
B
F#
E
Looking for something to help me burnout bright.
B
F#
I'm looking for a complication,
E
Looking for some time to try.
G
A
E
Make my way back home when I learn to fly.
G
A
B
Make my way back home when I learn to fly....
G
D
E
....along with me I can't quite make it alone.
G
A
Try to make this life my own.
B
G
D
E
Fly.....along with me I can't quite make it alone.
G
A
Try to make this life my own.
B
F#
I'm looking to the sky to save me,
E
Looking for a sign of life.
B
F#
E
Looking for something to help me burnout bright.
B
F#
I'm looking for a complication,
E
Looking for some time to try.
G
A
Make my way back home when I learn to
B
F#
Looking to the sky to save me,
E
Looking for a sign of life.
B
F#
E
Looking for something to help me burnout bright.
B
F#
I'm looking for a complication,
E
Looking for some time to try.
G
A
E
Make my way back home when I learn to fly.
G
A
E
Make my way back home when I learn to fly.
G
A
Make my way back home when I learn to, to, to...
Ending:
B
B
B
B
B-A-B

SOLOS AND SCALES

In order to successfully solo along with a song, you must know the Key of the
song and the scale that goes with that key.
What is the Key?
Its usually the first and last chord of the song, or also defined as:
In music theory, the key of a piece is the tonic note and chord that provides a subjective sense of arrival and rest. Other notes and
chords in the piece create varying degrees of tension, resolved when the tonic note or chord returns.

In any case, matching scale to the key of the song is the most important.
Scale Diagrams
Scale diagrams can be difficult to see and understand. For this section we
will be looking at 2 scales, major pentatonic and minor pentatonic.
Major Pentatonic there are 2 positions we will be looking at for
this scale.
When the root note of the scale is on the 6th string, your scale looks like this;

G major

The 3 in this diagram

shows the position of the
3rd fret.

When the root note of the scale is on the 5 th string, your scale looks like this;

C major

Minor Pentatonic

A minor

Major and minor scales will often go together, if we look at these major and
minor scales we can see them fitting together like puzzle pieces. In this case
the scales have many notes in common and therefore will work together in a
song of a certain key.
A song in the key of C, can have C major and A minor scales go with the
song.

C
major

A
minor

C major
(position 2)

Now you are ready to play the scale, but which finger goes where? Unlike
open chords, each finger is responsible for its own fret when playing a scale.
This means that your first finger plays all notes that align with its fret, and
the middle finger plays only the notes for that fret and so on.

Combining scales using 6 notes

Using 3 strings out of the pentatonic scales, you can play around with soloing
over simple chords. In total, you only need 6 notes to start soloing.
Lets examine the G.
When a G chord is being played, find the position of the root note on the 6th
string (fat).
Now, lets use only 6 notes on strings 5, 4, and 3 the same way as they
appear in the minor pentatonic scale. These 6 notes work with a G chord,
with emphasis on the G root note, meaning, you want to go back to that note
on the 4 string.

G root
note

Now, lets look at the A.

When the A chord is played, use the position of the A on the 6th string again.
Use the same strings and the same positions as before, just shifted down the
neck to align with the A note on the 6th string.

Root note A

Again, focus should be on the root note when you are improvising. This 6
note system works for all chords and is landmarked by the root note on the
6th string. Find the note/fret, find the notes to use. Its that easy.
Chasing Chords Partner exercise
Now that we can find and use this 6 note system to solo, lets see them
together on the neck.
Using a simple 3 chord progression: G, A, C you can chase the chords.
While one person strums the chords with a simple strumming pattern, the
other can improvise over each chord by moving from one place to another.

G
C

Guitar 1: plays G Guitar 2: plays the 6 notes for G

Guitar 1: plays A Guitar 2: plays the 6 notes for A (*note: G and A share 3
notes, making it
difficult to play a
wrong note!)
Guitar 1: Plays C Guitar 2: plays the 6 notes for C
Make sure to take turns playing guitar 1 and guitar 2 parts.

Tests in this unit

1. Play a song using only power chords. One from this unit can be
performed. You may play with other students as a group. You may
shorten your song down to 1 minute.

2. Improvise perform a solo using backing track or with a partner

playing the chords. Solos must last at least 30 seconds. They must
match in key and played with the beat of the backing track.
Students will be asked to perform BOTH of these tests in this unit.