Beginner needs some advice.........

[rjthakid]

Okay, I've learned my 12 Major Scales, their Relative Minors, The Major and Minor Triads and their inversions, and the blues scale.  I've been practicing the Progressions posted by resident Guru T-block but......

How do I use this stuff?  I mean, how do I take this theory and knowledge and apply it to playing basic (I mean VERY basic) songs?  

What excercises or simple songs would you guys advise me to play to start applying this stuff :?:

If yall contribute to this thread, I believe it will really help the beginners in this forum.  Thanks!

[sjonathan02]

Okay, I've learned my 12 Major Scales, their Relative Minors, The Major and Minor Triads and their inversions, and the blues scale.  I've been practicing the Progressions posted by resident Guru T-block but......

How do I use this stuff?  I mean, how do I take this theory and knowledge and apply it to playing basic (I mean VERY basic) songs?  

What excercises or simple songs would you guys advise me to play to start applying this stuff :?:

If yall contribute to this thread, I believe it will really help the beginners in this forum.  Thanks!

Alright, you done played, and practiced....now sit back and listen.

Listen to everything you can get your hands on. Put in a CD with some of those easy songs you're talking about, find the key and put what you've practiced to use.

I'm finding (as I a beginner like yourself) that the more I listen, the more I'm retaining. I pray that the Lord would increase my level of discipline for practicing.


Anyway, just listen, my brother, just listen. You'll see. Be Blessed

[T-Block]

Pick up all of Israel and New Breed's CDs.  I'd say 90% of there songs uses basic chords.  And like sjonathan02 said, sit back and listen to as many CDs as you can.  Take a song you are trying to learn then apply theory using this process:

1. Find the key - once you do that, you will automatically know the major scale, scale degrees, basic chords, etc. of that key

2. Write down the bass line using letters & numbers - write out the actual notes in letter format, then change them into numbers that correspond to the scale degrees of your key.

3. Take those numbers, go to your progression papers, and find the progression that relates to what u wrote down above.

4. Write down the melody notes using letters only - this will tell you what inversions to play the chord progresions in, keep the melody note at the top whenever possible

5. Put everything together and then take it up through all the keys for extra practice.

[boyam]

Pick up all of Israel and New Breed's CDs.  I'd say 90% of there songs uses basic chords.  And like sjonathan02 said, sit back and listen to as many CDs as you can.  Take a song you are trying to learn then apply theory using this process:

1. Find the key - once you do that, you will automatically know the major scale, scale degrees, basic chords, etc. of that key

2. Write down the bass line using letters & numbers - write out the actual notes in letter format, then change them into numbers that correspond to the scale degrees of your key.

3. Take those numbers, go to your progression papers, and find the progression that relates to what u wrote down above.

4. Write down the melody notes using letters only - this will tell you what inversions to play the chord progresions in, keep the melody note at the top whenever possible

5. Put everything together and then take it up through all the keys for extra practice.

This is good stuff.  Thanks T-Block