Category: Jazz fusion guitar music theory lessons, guitar technique and improvisation.

How to improvise over altered dominant chords. How to employ chromatic jazz and fusion harmony. Apply twentieth century classical composition techniques to modern jazz music and improv. How to exploit modes of the major. minor and diminished scales. Lesson in alternate picking guitar techniques as used by John Mclaughlin and Al di Meola. How to do metal rock and all styles of alternate picking on the guitar. Plectrum pick technique for electric and acoustic guitarists. alternate guitar style of picking lessons.

My Al di Meola Intervallic Picking Style “SHORTS” Explanation:

Posted on March 27, 2023March 30, 2023 by Modern Music Theory and Application

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Al di Meola Intervallic Picking Style Explanation: Right Hand Technique

PLEASE WATCH VIDEO ABOVE FOR DETAILED ANALYSIS:

Hi Guys,

This is a response and explanation to the Youtube “Shorts” video I posted employing Al Di Meola’s wide intervallic string skipping right hand guitar technique.

The first part of the pattern is:

Down Down Up Up Up Down

al-di-meola-intervallic-string-skipping-guitar-explanation

But, why pick like this?

Surely, just stick to strict alternate picking?

In theory yes: But in practice there is a chance with alternate picking that open strings will get plucked/struck by mistake due to the down stroke.

The Upstroke means that this is cancelled out: [please see video above]

The next part employs:

Down Down Up:

Also notice the change in rhythm from 3/4 to 6/8. This is a simple concept that works really well with wide intervallic playing and composing.

BOTH PARTS: 3/4 and 6/8 Rhythmic Feel

Finally we finish with the “Down Down Up” pattern again.

al-di-meola-intervallic-right-hand-guitar-technique

Also an up-beat works well with this sort of playing: Here I pluck the low open E.

FULL PHRASE:

al-di-meola-intervallic-right-hand-guitar-technique-example-lesson

PDF DOWNLOAD:

al-di-meola-intervallic-string-skipping-lesson al di meola Download

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LONG Alternate Picking Guitar Exercise:

Posted on February 28, 2023March 3, 2023 by Modern Music Theory and Application

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LONG Alternate Picking Guitar Exercise: Jazz/Fusion 140 Bpm Practice

Hi Guys,

This is from a short that I uploaded on Youtube this week.

This is a long alternate picking exercise built for connecting scales together at the Jazz/Fusion tempo of 140 to 160 Bpm.

As usual I am accenting the 3rd note in each 4 note grouping:

I am starting on a downstroke:

Here is the PDF DOWNLOAD:

ap-2-keys Download

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“EXTENDED” Alternate Picking Guitar Exercise:

Posted on February 20, 2023February 28, 2023 by Modern Music Theory and Application

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4 Positions Alternate Picking Guitar Exercise:

Please watch the video above for in depth detail:

Hi Guys,

Moving on from our last alternate picking video we will now extend this to 4 different positions on the guitar fingerboard.

As always for this mid tempo jazz/fusion [140-160 Bpm] style it’s essential to accent the [first] and third notes in each 4 note grouping.

“The third note being the most important to accent”

Without doing this, the rhythm, tempo and dynamic gets lost along with the timing and fluidity.

[1st] and 3rd notes Accented

Here is the alternate picking exercise: It is essential to watch the video above in order to understand the “Simple” concept of the guitar fingering as this is crucial for executing this exercise.

This starts on a “Downstroke” with strict alternate picking: