Get more out of that G-run, yeeh-hah

New Lesson available

John Dierckx Music Studio

With  many of my students I work on improvisation and developing  runs. In this lesson In will use a classic bluegrass run to show how you can get much more out of it in terms of developing solo ideas and phrases.  In this lesson we will use a standard run from the bluegrass genre and see where it might take us when creating our own break over a standard chord progression. 

The run we’ll use is a G major run, essentially a G major blues scale (G major pentatonic plus minor third or so you wish the E blues scale started on the G note). Ultimately we will use the lesson material to play a break over the following common chord progression ( BIG SANDY RIVER).

||: G  |  G  |  D  |  D  |

  |  G  |  G  |  D  |  G  :||

||: G  |  C  |…

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Lesson: using the different timbres of the guitar

New lesson available at John Dierckx Music Studio.

John Dierckx Music Studio

What many string instruments have in common is that you can play the same note in different places. If you try this out, you’ll find that while playing on paper the same note, they sound a little bit different in the different places.

All tab examples can be played finger-style or with a pick. By clicking on the image it will open in a new tab. All examples are available as a pdf here >>>

Ex. 1

When I talk about timbre here I am talking about the tone quality or tone color produced by playing a note or a chord on your guitar. Over time I have found that using the timbre is important for your guitar playing and assists in adding expression to your music.
I suggest you play Ex. 1 with a pick, with your fingers, with your thumb so you may become aware of how…

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To Live in Peace

And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. —Colossians 3:15

Source: To Live in Peace

John and Josh Live at Edendale Country Fair

John and Josh Live at Edendale Country Fair.

Grace & Glory 2014 and a flat battery

This weekend we celebrated Grace & Glory 2014 at Harmony Church, with speakers Rob Rufus and Chad Mansbridge. What an amazing weekend it was AGAIN: beautiful teachings, a Spirit filled atmosphere in which God grew yet bigger again,  the importance of the local church and how not to mix up living under law and under grace, how important the difference between religion and relation. I was carefully reminded that your life doesn’t get changed by who you believe in but by who believes in you and that each walks his or her own journey. 

Here I was with my son after the movies last night. Left the lights of the car on and so sure enough we had a flat battery. And while I was trying to get the car going a thought entered my mind: this is sort of like religious Christianity without Christ.

It is very easy to mix up being religious with being a Christian, so many find themselves like my car last night as a result of leaving their personal lights shine too long instead of His everlasting light. Everything in my car was as it should be, all things mechanical were in place, it had fuel, but it lacked power, and without it nothing was going to happen, it was not going to move, it was not even going to start. You may have your mechanics right (belief system), you may have been fueled up (Bible) but without a battery (the Holy Spirit) it is all still a dead thing (a car with a flat battery). We were created such that the presence of God within us is a vital requirement to our humanity. Christ  gave His life for us to give Himself to us. His presence puts God back into man, so that we might have life; God’s life! Thanks for the recharge of the batteries.