Mark Hanson’s Lifetime Song List: 2,000 and Counting! Want to Learn Some?
From Fingertyle guitarist Mark Hanson: This is the list of tunes that I have worked on/taught at some point between 1963 and the present. The list is approaching 2,000 tunes!
Category: Tips from Mark
Cool Chord Progressions
By Mark Hanson It was fun to read about Sting studying scores of French Impressionist composer Maurice Ravel (“Bolero”) for new harmonic and chord progression ideas. In this article we’ll study a chord progression you may not have seen: a dominant 7th chord resolving down 1/2 step (G7 to F#, or D-flat7 to C, for instance) — the “Augmented 6th” progression. First, here’s a fundamental harmonic movement to understand: You all know that V7 chords (“dominant 7th”) resolve regularly to the I chord (“tonic”): G7 to C, for instance. They also resolve effectively up to the vi chord of the […]
An Easy Way to Think of a Cool Chord
In a major key, combine the ii chord with the key’s leading tone. Voila!
Tip From Mark: Dealing with Sore Fingertips!
Dealing with Sore Fingertips!
Timeline For ‘Music Theory for Guitarists’ Video
Timeline/Contents for “Music Theory for Guitarists” video.
Unable to Memorize Your Guitar Pieces?
Memorize your guitar pieces more effectively!
Successfully Move a “C”-Shape Up the Neck!
You can very successfully move a “C”-shape up the neck! For fingerstyle guitar one of my favorite chord shapes in standard tuning is “C.”
“A” Shape – Mark’s 6-Chord Method
Mark Hanson’s Six-Shape Neck Visualization Method – the “A” shape.
Chords With Root on the Fourth String
Earlier I wrote about my “six-chord” neck visualization method, with two chord shapes anchored on each of the three bass strings. The advantage of knowing this is to gain access to a different range of melody notes on the treble strings while fretting the root note in the bass. Let’s start with the fourth string. You all know the first-position, end-of-the neck D shape, with the root note as the open fourth string. This fingering is “in front” of the root note – meaning the fretted notes are at a higher fret position. This shape, of course, can slide all […]
Tip From Mark – Should I Learn to Read Music?
This question came to me from an adult client. My reply follows it: Q: Do you think it’s beneficial for guitarists to learn to read standard notation and, if so, what method do you recommend for doing so? A: I think music, because it is a language I learned when I was in second and third grade and have used all of my life. That said: Sure, learn to read music and learn to understand how music “theory” works, even at an advancing age! It provides a way of thinking that tab-only guitarists generally don’t possess. But, be aware that […]