~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Great Guitar Tips - The World's Most Useable Guitar E-Zine ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A free, monthly E-Zine dedicated to providing you with useful information and tips for your guitar playing ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

August 2009 Issue #064 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you like this E-Zine, please do a friend a big favor and pass it on. If a friend DID forward this to you and if you like what you read, please subscribe by visiting...

http://www.learnclassicalguitar.com/ezine.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Table Of Contents

1. News - New Member Site Underway!

2. New pages/videos - Renaissance Piece "Packington's Pound" & Anglaise by Molino

3. Study Point - Finding the Related Minor Key

4. Recommended Resource - Online Metronome

5. This Month's Fr/ee Music

1. News

The Guitar Study Course is now in "Beta" mode. I hope over the next several months to get some good feedback to make it even more appropriate and helpful and then I'll open it up to the general public.

Indeed, I've already got a lot of feedback in the few weeks it's been open (closed for now while in Beta) and I'm working away in the "background" trying to make the necessary changes and additions. I'll let you know when it's open again.

Also there's some great new repertoire this month to help you develop your technique and knowledge. Let's go...

2. New Pages

3. Study Point - Finding the Relative Minor Key

Because the notes of each scale are similar there is a "symbiosis" between the two. Music can modulate to other related keys of course but the way to find the relative minor of a major key (and vice versa) is to count down 3 semitones (frets on the guitar) from the home notes of the major scale.

For example, in C major if you count down 3 semitones you get A minor. D major you get B minor, F major you get D minor. Keep in mind that the structure of the major and minor scales are different too so you need to learn the pattern of tones and semitones that make up the structure of each scale.

If you already know this then finding the relative minor of a major scale (and vice versa) becomes quite easy. One other thing you should be aware of is that if the major key has sharps or flats in the key signature then it's also going to affect the relative minor.

For example, in A major you have 3 sharps: F#, C# and G#. The relative minor is not F minor but F# minor, with its distinctive pattern of tones and semitones of course. Just knowing this little "trick" (3 semitones down for the minor and 3 semitones up for the major) makes it easy to locate relative keys.

Pumping Nylon (Book and DVD) (The Classical Guitarist's Technique Handbook) Edited by Nathaniel Gunod, written by Scott Tennant. Instructional book and instructional video: DVD for classical guitar. Series: National Guitar Workshop. 95 pages. Published by Alfred Publishing. (AP.20417) See more info...

4. Recommended Resource - Online Metronome

here...

It's so simple to use and doesn't cost you a thing :))

5. This Month's Fr/ee Music