Guitar Lesson #3

Aloha!

                   Welcome to Beginning Jazz Guitar Lesson #3. As you have seen in Lesson #1 and #2, the left hand has been holding steady on the Fmajor7 (Fmaj7) chord. In this lesson we activate the little finger (pinky) of the left hand. By FRETTING the 3rd fret(D note) of the 2nd string (B string) with the little finger (pinky) of the left hand, we add a D note to our our Fmaj7 chord. This new chord also has another name: D minor with an added E note (with the "open" first string ringing). If you don't play the open E string (and on the video I'm not), you have simply a D minor(Dm) chord. Just by adding the left-hand little finger  pinky), you have added a new chord (Dm) to your repertoire! 

Watch and listen to the video.    

       As usual, I'm playing the guitar with my 5-finger right-hand style. As you listen, notice the light jazzy sound of the Fmaj7 chord for 4 beats (with the high open E note ringing). The next 4 beats, I place my pinky on the 3rd fret of the 2nd string (I don't strike the E string during these 4 beats), and play the new Dm chord with 4 fingers of my right hand. Notice on the video the dark TEXTURE of the Dm chord. This repeats back to 4 beats of light-textured Fmaj7 chord then  then back to 4 beats of dark-textured Dm chord in a cycle. 

       As guitarists, we want to change chords as seamlessly and painlessly as possible. Arriving at a new chord by simply altering one guitar note allows us to more easily play our SONG.

       By the way, did you hear Roswell singing on the video? If... you look closely, you can see the little guy.                                                                                        

                                                                                                                                   Enjoy!