Technical Exercises Overview

Alright then, guys. So, what do we mean by technical exercises?

By that, we're talking about:

• Scales
• Arpeggios
• Chords

These are incredibly useful tools that you use all the time, whether you realize it or not, in your day-to-day playing.

The Importance of Technical Exercises

Now, these things may not be quite as fun to pick up initially, but once you've cracked them, there's absolutely no end to what they allow you to do. They are really useful creative tools that you're going to have great fun using.

Getting Started

You've got to get them down first in this kind of rudimentary format.

• We will look at more creative applications of these exercises later on, including:
  • Using them within songs
  • Playing solos
  • Improvising

For now, I will just demonstrate them as required for your grade.

Key Information

Before I do that, there are a couple of things worthy of note:

• The demonstrations I'm going to play are what's written in your book.
• If you read the preamble before the technical exercises, you'll see that you are required to play, depending on your grade, the scales in very specific keys.

For example, it might say to play exercises A and B in keys A, B, and C.

Preparing for Exams

Please do read the information; it's really important if you're planning on taking the exam that you've prepared the exercises in the right keys.

Demonstration of Fingerings

I'm going to show you the ones demonstrated in your book so you can see the fingerings that I use. All you need to do to move the exercises into a different key is take the same shape and move it to the starting note that you want to begin on.

Why This Matters

We'll find out later on, in the more creative sections, why this is going to be useful. Here's a hint: it's going to allow you to play some pretty awesome solos.

Additional Notes on Riff Exercises

One further thing: I'm not going to demonstrate the riff exercise. If you're comfortable with the scales and arpeggios, the riffs are based around these shapes and exercises.

• It should be just one step further for you to work out what these riffs will be should you need to move them.
• It's a really useful skill for you to develop on your own.

Stylistic Techniques

We're also going to look at the stylish studies in a section called Stylistic Techniques. Instead of just demonstrating the stylist studies themselves, we'll focus on:

• The techniques involved within those studies
• How to use them

Alright then, here we go with the demos of the technical exercises for your grade. They're all played at the correct tempo for your gradebook.