Guitar Repertoire and Performance Syllabus

In fingerstyle notation, what do the letters p, i, m, a stand for?

From Spanish: p = pulgar (thumb), i = indice (index), m = medio (middle), a = anular (ring finger).

What is the standard right-hand string assignment for fingerstyle playing?

Thumb (p) covers the bass strings 6, 5, and 4; index (i) plays string 3; middle (m) plays string 2; ring (a) plays string 1.

What is Travis picking?

A fingerstyle technique where the thumb plays a steady alternating bass on beats 1-2-3-4 while the fingers pick syncopated melody notes on the treble strings over the top.

What is the chord layout of a standard 12-bar blues in the key of A?

Bars 1-4: A (I); bars 5-6: D (IV); bars 7-8: A (I); bar 9: E (V); bar 10: D (IV); bars 11-12: A (I) with a turnaround, often ending on E (V). All chords are typically dominant 7ths (A7, D7, E7).

What scale degrees make up the minor pentatonic scale, and what note is added to form the blues scale?

Minor pentatonic: 1, $\flat$3, 4, 5, $\flat$7. The blues scale adds the $\flat$5 ('blue note'), giving 1, $\flat$3, 4, $\flat$5, 5, $\flat$7.

What is 'shuffle feel' (swing) in blues rhythm?

Eighth notes are played unevenly, based on a triplet subdivision: each beat splits long-short (roughly the first two-thirds and last third of a triplet) instead of two equal halves.

Why are dominant 7th chords characteristic of blues harmony?

In blues, the I, IV, and V chords are all played as dominant 7ths (e.g., A7, D7, E7), giving the music its gritty, unresolved sound — unlike functional harmony where only V is a dominant 7th.

What is a riff in rock guitar?

A short, repeated, memorable melodic/rhythmic phrase — often built from power chords or pentatonic notes — that serves as the main hook or foundation of a song (e.g., 'Smoke on the Water').

What notes make up a power chord, and why is it neither major nor minor?

The root and the perfect fifth (often with the octave), written as '5' chords (e.g., A5 = A + E). It has no third, and since the third determines major/minor quality, the chord is harmonically neutral.

What is palm muting and how is it executed?

Resting the edge of the picking-hand palm lightly on the strings right at the bridge while picking, producing a tight, percussive 'chug' — a staple of rock and metal rhythm playing (marked P.M. in tab).

What is Drop D tuning and why do singer-songwriters and rock players use it?

Standard tuning with the 6th string lowered a whole step: D-A-D-G-B-E. It gives a deeper bass, lets you play the low D under D-chord songs, and allows one-finger power chords on the bottom three strings.

In acoustic singer-songwriter accompaniment, how should guitar dynamics typically map onto song sections?

Play quieter and sparser in verses (fingerpicking or light strums), lift energy in the pre-chorus, and strum fullest/loudest in choruses — supporting the vocal rather than competing with it.

What does 'comping' mean in jazz guitar?

Short for 'accompanying': playing chords with varied, syncopated rhythms behind a soloist or singer, responding to the melody and leaving space rather than strumming continuously.

What is a shell voicing, and which two notes are the 'guide tones'?

A minimal jazz chord voicing containing just the root, 3rd, and 7th. The 3rd and 7th are the guide tones — they define the chord's quality (major, minor, dominant) and voice-lead smoothly between chords.

What is the ii–V–I progression in C major, with jazz chord qualities?

Dm7 (ii) – G7 (V) – Cmaj7 (I). It is the most common cadence in jazz standards.

What is 'Freddie Green style' jazz comping?

Four-to-the-bar comping: strumming a small three-note chord voicing on every quarter-note beat with a light, even swing feel — the classic big-band rhythm guitar style.

In classical guitar technique, what is the difference between a rest stroke (apoyando) and a free stroke (tirando)?

Rest stroke: the finger plucks through the string and comes to rest on the next string, giving a full, loud tone (used for melody). Free stroke: the finger follows through into the air, clearing adjacent strings (used for arpeggios and chords).

Describe the traditional classical guitar sitting position.

Sit forward on the chair, place the guitar's waist on the left thigh with the left foot raised on a footstool (or use a support), neck angled up at about 45 degrees, so both hands reach the fingerboard and strings without strain.

What are the four core blocks of a well-structured daily practice routine?

1) Warm-up (a few minutes of light exercises), 2) technique (scales, chord changes, exercises targeting weaknesses), 3) repertoire (learning/refining pieces), 4) review and fun (playing known songs, improvising, ear work).

What is 'deliberate practice' as applied to guitar?

Focused, goal-directed work on specific weaknesses just beyond your current ability — isolating trouble spots, slowing them down, using a metronome, and getting immediate feedback — rather than mindlessly playing through songs.

Why do short daily practice sessions beat one long weekly session?

Motor skills consolidate during sleep between sessions, and spaced repetition strengthens memory; e.g., 20-30 minutes daily builds technique and recall far better than a single multi-hour session once a week.

Describe the classic '1-2-3-4' chromatic warm-up exercise.

Assign one finger per fret (index=fret 1, middle=2, ring=3, pinky=4); play frets 1-2-3-4 on each string from the 6th to the 1st and back, slowly and evenly with a metronome, keeping fingers close to the fretboard.

What are the two main purposes of warming up before practice, and what tempo rule applies?

To prevent strain/injury by loosening hands, and to prime accuracy and tone. Always start slow and only increase the metronome speed once the exercise is clean at the current tempo.

How many semitones are in a major 3rd, a perfect 4th, a perfect 5th, and an octave?

Major 3rd = $4$ semitones, perfect 4th = $5$, perfect 5th = $7$, octave = $12$. (A minor 3rd is $3$ semitones.)

Give common reference songs for recognizing a perfect 4th, a perfect 5th, and an octave by ear.

Perfect 4th: 'Here Comes the Bride'; perfect 5th: opening of 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' (or the Star Wars theme); octave: 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' ('Some-where').

What is the pitch difference between a major and a minor chord, expressed in the third above the root?

A major chord has a major 3rd ($4$ semitones above the root); a minor chord has a minor 3rd ($3$ semitones). Lowering the 3rd by one semitone turns major into minor.

How is guitar music written relative to how it sounds, and what are the written pitches of the open strings?

Guitar is a transposing instrument written in treble clef sounding one octave lower than written. Open strings, low to high: E-A-D-G-B-E.

What are three golden rules for effective sight-reading practice?

1) Choose material easier than your playing level and set a slow, steady tempo; 2) never stop or go back to fix mistakes — keep the pulse; 3) read ahead of where you are playing, scanning for rhythms and position shifts.

At a tempo of 120 BPM, how long does one beat last, and what is the general formula?

Beat duration $t = \frac{60}{\text{BPM}}$ seconds, so at 120 BPM each beat lasts $t = \frac{60}{120} = 0.5$ s.

When playing guitar in a band, which two instruments should you 'lock in' with for timing, and what goal-setting/tracking habits keep your progress measurable?

Lock in with the drummer (especially hi-hat and snare on beats 2 and 4) and the bass player, listening more than you play. Track progress with SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound), a practice journal logging tempos and trouble spots, and regular recordings of yourself to hear timing and tone objectively.