Let's Jazz Up Swing Low

Welcome to this edition of Fingerstyle Monthly. This month we will continue exploring Swing Low Sweet Chariot.

Here's the tab for this months arrangement http://www.mediafire.com/?um3mqnqn3xg

We're going to begin taking a look at chord substitutions. We will be using diatonic chord substitutions.

A diatonic substitution replaces one chord with another chord in the same key. How can that work? It works because every other 7th chord in a major scale have 3 of the 4 notes in them in common. Look at the diagram below.

You can probably see the possibilities. A few simple substitutions can greatly multiplie your chord choices . Lets look at what can be substituted in this months arrangement.

G - B minor 7, E minor 7 (E minor 7 is the Relative Minor. It can always be substituted for the 1st chord in the scale)

C - E minor 7

D - F# Minor 7 b5

So we've gone from a 3 chord song to a 7 chord song. Diatonic chord substitution creates more interesting ways to harmonize the melody.

As you go through the tablature look at where I've made these substitutions. Most of the chord forms can be found in Chord Theory 101.

The only other thing out of the ordinary is using harmonics instead of a fretted note. This happens in measures 5 and 13.

I hope that you have fun with this arrangement. Don't let a little music theory stump you. You can learn it.

Learning the information in Chord Theory 101 is a great first step.

It's A Small World

I am fascinated with the idea that people from around the world visit learn-fingerstyle-guitar.com. My traffic reporting module with Site Build It tells me that I got visitors from 62 different countries in October.

This statistic raises some interesting questions. Are we all listening to the same players?

Is there a terrific player that is only known in their own region?

Is there a new approach to fingerstyle guitar that we should be hearing about?

Is there a terrific brand of guitars that is only available in a particular area?

I would be interested in learning the answers to these questions. If anyone has information about fingerstyle guitar that's unique to your part of the world, let me know. If it's appropriate, I'll share it with the other subscribers to Fingerstyle Quarterly.

New Book

I'm currently working on a new book. It's about how to buy an acoustic guitar. It combines knowledge that I've gained selling high-end guitars with my experiences as a customer. I think that it will offer new insights for even the veteran player.

Look for it in the next couple of months.

I hope that you enjoy this issue of Fingerstyle Monthly. If you have friends that you think would enjoy it, feel free to pass it on.

As always, if you have questions, contact me.

See you next month!



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