Acoustic Guitar Greatest Hits Vol. 1

Lesson Source: Massimo Varini's Pop Survival Guide

Before adding extensions it is important to think that this is a process that is often useful and even essential, but I would say there is nothing written indelibly in the rules. Sometimes playing chords in their simplicity of the triads is the best solution for the song you're going to play. There is not a competition to add more extensions and make arrangements more complex: the important thing is to communicate the message that the song in it wants to take. So what I show in these lessons are possibilities and tools to get different sounds - it is up to personal taste using these colors. In this case, we will see the extensions that have less impact harmonicly, safe extensions that perhaps in the chart of the chords are not written but that can be added to get a deeper sound. It's also important to think about the mixing volume of the guitar in question - if a guitar has to be very low in the mix and make a rhythm in the background it could be much better to choose not to put in extensions or add only the safest.

Lesson Source: Richard Gilewitz's Fingerstyle Narratives

I wrote this tune many years ago based on my inpirations from a great friend and world class blues artist - WAZ. A true eccentric, his latest request is to now be known as Mr. Sputnik. You know there's a tune in there somewhere and guess what - I wrote it!

Lesson Source: Richard Gilewitz's Fingerstyle Narratives

Bars 1-8 Establish the main theme of the piece and require a very ‘snappy’ effect with properly placed staccato effects and power attacks on particular notes such as the slides on beat 3 in measure 3. Also, the rolls require a quick ‘lift’ of the fret hand immediately after plucking to create a sort of ‘popping’ effect.

Lesson Source: Richard Gilewitz's Fingerstyle Narratives

Bars 9-13 – contain a series of rather unorthodox chord movements so a great deal of time is suggested for practice and focus time when incorporating this section into the piece. Measure 10 in particular has a somewhat odd movement as the fretting hand seemingly floats from a G to a D to an A and finally into an E chord.

Lesson Source: Richard Gilewitz's Fingerstyle Narratives

Bars 14-21 allow for somewhat of an approximation when ‘attacking’ the strings as the pinky finger navigates from the 5th to the 4th fret. The rasqueado effect must include a release of the fretting hand to create a snapping sound in bar 16. Don’t forget the grace note movement noted in measure 21.

Lesson Source: Richard Gilewitz's Fingerstyle Narratives

Bars 22-29 contain almost a 2nd theme of sorts to the tune as the fretting pinky finger navigates a double pull-off on both strings 2 and 1 simultaneously. The fretting hand is producing almost a call and response effect in this segment between the E and A chords. When the B7 chord is played at fret 7 notice that the pinky plays the 12th fret harmonic at string 1 towards the end of the bar.