Transposition is a tough concept for those who haven’t done much of it. Learning music as it’s written often poses enough of a challenge! But learning to transpose, either “statically” before you begin to play or “on the fly”, can really take your musicianship up a notch. Let’s take one step at a time.
This article from our friends at CathysChords shows how to make a transposition wheel. Transposition is a handy skill for guitarists, as you’ll often want to play music in a key that differs from what is written on the music you have (for orchestral players, please see Transposing for Trumpet: A Handy Reference). Whether the chords are particularly nasty as written or the singer just needs to take it down a step or two, transposition can be used to carry the day. It’s a simple skill once you get your head around it, and the wheel can help getting started even easier.
The basic idea is that when you see a chord or key (for guitar) that you want to change to a more suitable one, you can just “dial it in”. Line up the original chord on the wheel with the one you want to use instead, and then use the matching chords instead of those written on the music. To try it, grab a pencil and a piece of music that you’ve always avoided playing due to the ugly chords and give it a try. Dial in the first chord, lining it up with an easier-to-play one (maybe A or C). Write in the “new” chord by the original one on the music, and then repeat for each subsequent one…maybe for a line or two. Then try playing it. Magic!
Have a transposing story to tell? Drop us a line! We’d love to hear from you.
Keep playing,
Mark
Like what you see? Subscribe! We don’t spam you, and we don’t give out your email address to anyone. Period!
Related Articles:
Tags: change, chords, Guitar, how, key, make, to, transpose, transposing, wheel
Guitar, Learning | Mark November 14, 2010 | 
Comments (0)
Music videogames stir strong opinions in some musicians, and Part-Time Musicians (PTMs) as a group are no exception. But with the latest round of gameplay improvements and controller updates, have we now reached the point where playing a music videogame can really improve our music-making skills?
This is a large topic that can be approached from several perspectives, and we’ve covered two of those before (see From virtual musician to real musician and Videogaming helps your mad music-making skillz!), but this zeroes in on the typical configurations that are seen in most homes – or the setups that the Rock Band folks hope soon will be.
In this article from our friends at cnet, Dan Ackerman puts Rock Band 3 to the test and finds that it comes very close to the “real thing”. And while they take a slightly different tack, Dan notes that the people behind First Act are working to close the gap between “play music” and playing music, too. It’s a great article that has had me mulling since I first saw it, and I suspect it will you, too.
So what do you think? Will music videogames eventually get to the point where (we) real musicians use them as a training aid? Or will adding sophistication spoil the fun for the larger market and kill the games before we get there? Are we already there? 
Drop us a line and share your thoughts! And whether you take an occasional videogame break or not, keep that music coming…
All the best,
Mark
Related Articles:
Tags: better, controller, First Act, game, instrument, play, Rock Band, video, videogame
General, Guitar, Learning, News, Percussion | Mark September 8, 2010 |
Comments (0)
It wasn’t always the case, but I now believe that music video games can contribute to the Part-Time Musician’s development in some ways – and they’re a lot of fun! That last part – the fun – is what draws the vast majority of gamers to pick up Rock Band or Guitar Hero. But why should the fun stop when you shut off the game console?
It’s common sense, regardless of the activity: if you enjoy it, you’ll be more committed, you’ll do it better, and you’ll reap more benefits…which leads to deeper commitment, better performance, more benefits…well, you know where this is going.
I’ve already written about the benefits of music video games to current PTMs, but what about those who have yet to discover their longing to play real music? Don’t we all want to get others hooked on our playing addiction? Well…of course we do!
Fender's Rick Heins rocks out with the new G-DEC 3 amp
I ran across this article about some great things Fender is doing to entice new musicians into the fold and to appeal to current musicians as well. Check out these nuggets:
“Guitarists using Fender’s new $299 G-DEC 3 amplifier, on sale in April, will get the traditional boost, echo, reverb and other heavy amplified sounds. But the G-DEC 3 is also a “band in a box,” letting musicians play along with 100 music tracks in various styles created by guitarists such as Brad Paisley and Keith Urban. There’s an SD slot for adding MP3 files to the amp.”
“Fender just launched ejamming.com, a site where guitarists can plug into the Net and jam with musicians around the world. The site features free downloadable software that allows musicians to connect. The music can be recorded and saved. There’s a one-month free trial and $9.99 a month subscription.”
I’m excited enough about these developments to give ejamming.com a try myself, and if anyone has any connections at Fender, I’d be more than willing to do a review of the G-DEC 3…so put me in touch, please! 
What do you think? While these developments can’t fully replace a live, in-person jam session, they certainly could help keep one driving toward their musical goals with a smile. Interested? Leave a comment! We’d love to hear from you.
Keep playing,
Mark
Related Articles:
Tags: ejamming.com, Fender, G-DEC, Guitar Hero, musician, real, Rock Band, videogame, virtual
General, Guitar, News | Mark January 21, 2010 |
Comments (3)
Some Part-Time Musicians (PTMs) have the goal to pick up a new instrument, or perhaps to learn new things with an instrument they already know and love. Some folks can’t stop at that. They must know how to build one. 
Neither obsession is the “right” obsession for everyone, and they certainly aren’t mutually exclusive. If you are “that kind of person”, this article may scratch an itch you didn’t even know you had. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!
Some time ago, our friends at Instructables posted an article showing how to make your own guitar pickups. We had intended to run this shortly after our feature on replacing your guitar’s pickups, but other topics pushed it aside. No longer! Even if you aren’t inclined to tinker, this is fascinating stuff.
The Bottom Line
You can make your own guitar pickups for less than $10 each, but the real benefits to doing so don’t start or end at price. If you want to design your own, learn about the inner workings of your axe, or just inspire awe and envy among your gearhead friends (!), this project is a great way to do it. Enjoy!
All the best,
Mark
Disclaimer: Any destruction or improvements you manage to cause are your responsibility. Take full credit or blame for them yourself! If you’d like to share a cautionary tale or words of encouragement, though, feel free to drop us a line. We’d love to hear from you!
Related Articles:
If you’ve ever daydreamed about replacing the pickups in that old axe of yours but thought it would be too difficult or risky, your waiting days may be over.
Written by a fifteen year-old – yes, fifteen! – this article details how to remove and replace your existing pickups, ending up with something a little more to your (ears’) liking. Though it wasn’t a perfect ending, it demonstrates very well that with a little time, money, and patience, you really can get a great new sound from that old guitar!
My first foray into working on (rather than playing) guitars was when, out of desperation, I experimented with adjusting the intonation on a faux Stratocaster I owned. The results were beyond encouraging, as detailed in this article. I always figured swapping pickups would be too involved to tackle myself…but now I’m getting ideas. Aren’t you?
What do you think? Are you up to the challenge? If this has pushed you over the edge, please let us know! And if you’d like to chronicle your upgrade, we might even post an article about your travels. Drop us a line; we’d love to hear from you.
Keep playing,
Mark
Note: If you’re shopping for pickups or other gear, please consider supporting your PartTimeMusician.com advertisers! Just follow the links in the right-hand column to explore your upgrade options. Thank you!
Related Articles:
