Legato Academy Part Two

E|-----Daniel-----------------------------------
B|-------------Kaczmarczyk----------------------
G|--------------------------Guitar--------------
D|----------------------------------Lessons-----
A|------Legato-Academy-part-2-------------------
E|------www.facebook.com/dkguitarlessons--------

In the first part you’ve learned the basic moves of playing legato - the hammer-on, pull-off and a slide. Today, we’ll practice them a bit more. When I was reading a guitar technique book written by Peter Fisher, he mentioned a thing that he calls "mega chops". This is an attitude for practicing few things at a time, and I must say that I love this kind of practicing. I prefer not to divide all the techniques, but always use them in a musical manner. So we’ll practice in this lesson legato techniques, but based on a scales. It’s time - saving when you don’t divide technique and musical exercises. Hey, guitar is a musical instrument, at all! Enough of talking. Let’s get to work.

Exercise 1

Exercise is based on an A minor pentatonic scale. It involves playing the scale trough two octaves, using hammer - ons when ascending and pull - offs when descending. Be sure that every note rings out clearly!

    S  S S  S S  S S  S S  S S  S    S  S S  S S  S S  S S  S S  S  
E||---------------------------5h-8-|--8p-5--------------------------|
B||----------------------5h-8------|-------8p-5---------------------|
G||-----------------5h-7-----------|------------7p-5----------------|
D||------------5h-7----------------|-----------------7p-5-----------|
A||-------5h-7---------------------|----------------------7p-5------|
E||--5h-8--------------------------|---------------------------8p-5-|

Exercise 2

Also based on A minor pentatonic scale, this time using trills. Trill is a fast alteration between two notes. On guitar we play it with our legato techniques. Just look at the example and follow.

  S  S S  S S  S S  S S  S S  S S  S S  S    S  S S  S S  S S  S  
------------------------------------------|------------5h-8-5h-8-|
------------------------------------------|--5h-8-5h-8-----------|
--------------------------------5h-7-5h-7-|----------------------|
----------------------5h-7-5h-7-----------|----------------------|
------------5h-7-5h-7---------------------|----------------------|
--5h-8-5h-8-------------------------------|----------------------|

Exercise 3

This exercise is a set of few licks based on (guess what) scale. Firstly, practice them separately, then you can combine them into some melodies. Experiment and find your own, too. Add more notes to get out of the pentatonic scale. You’re the artist!

 E   E  E   E  E   E  Q        E   E  E   E  E   E  E   E   
-----------------------------|--8p--5--8p--5----------------|
-----------------------------|----------------8p--5---------|
-----------------------------|-----------------------5h--7--|
---------5h--7---------5~----|------------------------------|
--5h--7----------------------|------------------------------|
----------------5h--8--------|------------------------------|


  E   E  E   E  E   E  E   E     E   E  E   E  E   E  E   E   
------------------------------|------------------------------|
------------------------------|-----------------------5h--8--|
-----------------------7p--5--|---------5h--7----------------|
--5h--7---------7p--5---------|----------------5h--7---------|
---------5h--7----------------|--5h--7-----------------------|
------------------------------|------------------------------|


  E   E  E   E  E   E  E   E     E  E   E  E  E   E  E  E   
------------------------------|----------------------------|
------------------------------|----------------------------|
--7p--5--7p--5--7p--5--7p--5--|-----7p--5-----5h--7-----5--|
------------------------------|--5---------5---------5-----|
------------------------------|----------------------------|
------------------------------|----------------------------|


  E   E  E  E  E   E  E   E     W                  
---------------8p--5---------|--5----------------||
---------8------------8p--5--|-------------------||
--7p--5-----5----------------|-------------------||
-----------------------------|-------------------||
-----------------------------|-------------------||
-----------------------------|-------------------||

I wish you the best in your legato playing and see you soon in the next lesson of Legato Academy! If you wish to read more about legato techniques, here are some (Legato Lessons)

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Daniel Kaczmarczyk, [e-mail]