Guitar Theory in Depth is here to help. What with?
My purpose in building this site is to give you -and the world- access to novel music theory concepts that will help you develop musicianship and unleash your creativity.
I strive to present and organize all the ideas and diagrams in the clearest way possible.
Guitar Theory -music theory as it applies to the guitar- is a subject on which there seems to be too little information.
The reasons are manifold:
The guitar has only been taught formally in conservatoires since the 1960s.
Traditionally, the guitar has been one of the instruments that can be acquired most easily and cheaply. So most guitar styles were born at grass-root-level. No theory involved here. Nothing wrong with that, mind you, but it does mean more real theory is needed!
Most people who can play anything on a guitar are content with strumming some chords. Nothing wrong with that, either, but I'm interested in getting everything I can out of the guitar, and if you are here, probably so are you.
This means that guitar theory has not been given the attention it deserves. The symptoms of this lack are many:
Non-guitarist composers find it nearly impossible to compose for the instrument
Most music written for the guitar is composed by skillful players who don't necessarily have full, in-depth theoretical knowledge of music. So much of this music can't be compared to "mainstream" "formal" music. Even most "formal" guitar music!
Classical guitar courses throughout the world are patently lacking in guitar theory lessons.
Jazz players have their systems, some better some worse. Most of these are based on huge collections of chord and scale patterns to be learned by rote.
This last point helps clarify the driving philosophy behind Guitar-Theory-in-Depth. It can best be synthesized in these two quotes:
"As to methods, there may be a million and then some, but principles are few.
The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods.
The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble." -R.W. Emerson
"Less is more." -Mies van der Rohe
This means that instead of focusing on all the details of the infinite possible scale and chord patterns, we chose to focus on basic principles. This removes the boundaries set by learning fixed patterns, generates true understanding, and unlocks genuine creativity.
So, to synthesize my mission in publishing Guitar-Theory-in-Depth in one sentence:
To cover the gaps there are, and have been historically, on Guitar Theory.
Ok, more than one sentence ;-)
To bridge the gap between the world of music in general and the world(s) of guitar.
To help players, composers, and improvisers achieve new standards of musicianship and creativity.
Most of what you will see in the pages of Guitar-Theory-in-Depth will be free: the full fretborad learning system I have devised will be published as a book soon.
Wishing you the very best in your musical journey!
Help me out with my mission: helping out!
There are several ways in which you can help me with my mission. The simplest is to help spread the word by sharing GTiD on your site or blog:
Share Guitar Theory in Depth by adding links
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Guitar Theory in Depth A fresh, integrative view of music theory as it relates to the guitar fretboard.
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An other way of helping me out is by donating a small ammount -anything you wish- to help keep this site going. I spend plenty of time and money developing this resource: help me make it even better!!!
Thanks again for taking the time to share!! See you soon...
Thank you for having such a magnificent site. It offers so much valuable information on the world of guitar. I truly appreciate your work and devotion.
Thanks for the info you're putting out. This info gives a unique perspective of music theory: it is a lot easier to understand because it uses the "common sense" approach.
I'm a beginner student. I found the guitar fretboard to be dificult to memorize -unlike the keyboard- until I ran into your site. The way you speak about it makes a whole lot of sense. But the info currently on your site is just a teaser: where can I get the meat of your fretboard point of view -por favor!
Thank you for having such a magnificent site. It offers so much valuable information on the world of guitar. I truly appreciate your work and devotion.
