I’ve been working on a new series of video lessons for GT on the the topic of Extended Harmony Chords.

An extended chord is one in which the triadic formation process has been extended beyond the normal three notes that form basic major and minor chords. Basic major and minor chords only necessarily contain the
1st, 3rd and 5th scale degrees.  Extending the concept further yields 7th, 9th, 11th and 13th chords.

In earlier lessons I covered the basic 7ths chords: dominant 7th, major 7th and minor 7th.

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=479
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=499
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=500
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=501
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=513

The first new tutorial builds on those chords and introduces: diminished 7th, dominant 7th/flat 5th, minor 7th flat 5th, and minor major 7th. I show how to play each type of chord rooted on the E, A and D strings. Then, I show how to use them in the context of a ii-V-I jazz type progression.

Extended Harmony Chords Series 1

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=1166

The next one covers various 9th chords from a jazz guitar perspective: 6/9ths, minor 9th, dominant 9th, dominant 7th flat 9th, dominant 7th flat sharp 9th (also called dominant 7th flat augmented 9th).

Extended Harmony Chords Series 2

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=1185

I have at least one more planned on 11ths & 13ths!  Happy jazz guitar playing.

Christopher Schlegel Update 03-16-2011

The idea here is to demonstrate two distinctly different applications: close mic studio situation vs. room mic.

I’ve always liked the idea of room mic, because WYHIWYG in the actual room with the device. I can extrapolate what that room sound will translate to when I close mic it in the studio. But, this is a skill you learn from experience.

I’ve seen many times an inexperienced or hobbyist player hears that his fave guitarist uses such and such an amp. So, he goes to a music store or gear show and tries the amp. And he thinks, “This doesn’t sound anything like the demo.” These two videos demostrate that difference.

There is just no way to grasp how much the Reason Bambino stack mode sounds like you are close miking a roaring, modded Marshall stack until you put it in the right context. So, I did. And I love to be able to tell interested parties, the sound in those demo is all Bambino. One is close mic’d and run into a multitrack DAW so you hear what you’d normally hear on a studio recorded album. But in both I used no effects boxes or post-processing of any kind. The entire signal chain is: guitar -> cable -> Bambino. That is a powerful argument.

Bambino & Fat Strat Demo Room Mic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXR4LsyUsgg

Bambino & Fat Strat Demo Close Mic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFUxA7HxGxA

http://www.reasonamps.com/

This is also the project guitar I put together on video tape and made into a Guitar Tricks tutorial on how to assemble your own electric guitar! If you have a subscription:

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=1121

Enjoy!

Christopher Schlegel Update 02-14-2011

My first original music release of 2011 is this CD with 11 tunes of Hammerhead Maestro guitar artistry.

As stated on the CD:

This is an album of original guitar-based rock-style instrumental tunes. I used two 1970s Fender Stratocasters, one Reason Amps Bambino, one Marshall 50-watt JCM800 half-stack, and one Create DXB112. I hope you enjoy the music.

You may be curious about the title. It’s a rough translation of my name in the original German.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlegel

Years ago, I read this in a book about name origins and was very amused by it. I told several people and one of them, Carl King, started calling me Hammerhead; then, the Hammerhead Maestro. So, in effect, the title is, Christopher Schlegel, Schlegel. Now, about the style of music and playing on this CD.

There is the guitar style of playing a few notes, with tact & reserve. Then, there is the style of playing a lot of notes, with less reserve. Then, there is the style of playing too many notes, simply because you can think of many more to play before the song is over. Eventually, we arrive at the style of playing way too many notes, with no reserve whatsoever. At this point we arrive in virtuoso land & the player simply enjoys playing as much as he can think of because his mind is overflowing with wonderful ideas.

There is one more level, beyond even the level of way too many notes. This is the style of Hammerhead. It is a style proudly and unapologetically trailblazed by Ludwig van Beethoven, Nicolo Paganini, Franz Liszt, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Art Tatum, Joe Pass, Yngwie Malmsteen, among others. Essentially, my musical heroes.

Anyway, there is no such thing as too many notes. The only question is: how many notes are enough? The answer is: as many good ones as you can think of and play before the song is over without losing the melody. Some of us can THINK of more beautiful notes to play than other musicians. I am one of them and I will not refrain from playing all the good ones I can think of.

Have a listen to the brief samples on the CD Baby page:

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/schlegel9

I’ll be posting more info about the individual songs in future updates. Enjoy!

Christopher Schlegel Update 01-26-2011

Happy new year!

I finished 2010 by succesfully updating all of my Guitar Tricks online classical guitar lesson videos to high-definition video and audio.  At the beginning of 2010, I had a catalog of 161 total video lessons grouped into 24 overall tutorials.  For example, I have a tutorial on Bach’s Bourree from the Lute Suite In E Minor.  Unfortunately, all these vids were standard definition, with amateur production values.  Some of them date back to 2005 when I first started doing online lessons!

This is one of those old vids:

http://www.christopherschlegel.com/files/Private/BachBourree1.flv

So, I spent the second half of 2010 redoing every single classical video lesson in high-defintion video and audio.  And I expanded some of the tutorials to include more in-depth material.  And I created a lot of brand new content also!  It was interesting watching my old video footage as a reference point.  Since 2005, when I started this business of online lessons, I’ve learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t in the context of a canned video lesson.  I’ve also learned a lot about video and audio production.

Here is the updated version of the Bach lesson:

http://www.christopherschlegel.com/files/Private/BachBourree01HiRes.flv

By the end of 2010 I was able to say I now have a classical guitar catalog of 304 high-defintion videos in a total of 36 tutorials.  They start with absolute beginner tutorial introductions and exercises, note reading exercises, single string melodies, then gradually build in difficulty through easy, intermediate and advanced skills, techniques & pieces.

In total now I have 1,340 lessons on Guitar Tricks grouped into a total of 198 tutorials.

http://www.guitartricks.com/instructor.php?input=155014

http://www.guitartricks.com/

As a result of all this video lesson work I never did get around to releasing a new CD of music.  So that is the first order of business this year!  I have a brand new CD done and sent to my web vendor.  More info on that soon.  Stay tuned!

For now, please enjoy this private rendering of the Bach Bourree from the Guitar Tricks tutorial.

http://www.christopherschlegel.com/files/Private/BachBourree.wmv

Happy viewing & listening!

Christopher Schlegel Update 10-15-2010

These demos are the result of a discussion I had with Anthony Bonadio at Reason Amps.

He mentioned the lack of demos that explicitly focused on the clean, cleanish tones that are possible with a classic humbucker style guitar & the Reason amp line.

So, I plugged a Gibson Les Paul into my Bambino & hit record!

First, I explore the Normal channel:

Next, I switch over to the Bright channel:

Finally, I even pull some nice clean(ish!) tones out of Stack mode:

Enjoy!

Christopher Schlegel Update 09-19-2010

Recently, a gentleman named Scott Yanow emailed me.  This was a nice surprise, because I know of him, but had no idea he’d ever heard of me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Yanow

Mr. Yanow is the author of many jazz books as well as a noted jazz critic.  I’ve read lots of his work in jazz reference books and websites.  In fact, if you go to a site like AllMusic.com and search for biographies of jazz artists or reviews of classic albums chances are the entry you will find was written by him.  For example:

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:wiftxqy5ldse

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:kxfwxqrgldje 

So, Mr. Yanow is always on the lookout for new jazz artists and albums.  As a result my disc got a hit on his radar.

http://cdbaby.com/cd/schlegel8

He contacted me to tell me about his business reviewing jazz albums.  I sent him a CD and he graciously wrote a review for me.  He gave me permission to post it on my website.  So, I put it here:

http://www.truthagainsttheworld.com/music/jazz-guitar

I thank Mr. Yanow for the wonderful review!

Christopher Schlegel Update 08-17-2010

The second annual Nashville Amp Expo is this weekend!

http://www.nashvilleampexpo.com/

Last year I was honored to meet with the guys from Reason Amps.  They made me an officially endorsed artist for Reason Amplification.  Thanks to my old friend, Obeid the best tube amp designer in the world, and to my new friend Anthony, the best amp cabinet man in the world!  Scroll down the list to read my blurb.

http://www.reasonamps.com/artists.php

The show is open to the public.  So, come on down if you are in the area.  I’ll be visiting as many rooms as possible.  But, I’ll spend the most time in the Reason room, of course.  Fair warning, though, it’s going to be loud.

If you combine that with my Epiphone endorsement, you get this nice little video with both machines (Epi Joe Pass Emperor and Reason Bambino) that is still in rotation at the Gibson lesson site:

http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Lessons/InstrumentLessons/Combining-Lead-Rhythm-111/

Enjoy!

Christopher Schlegel Update 05-20-2010

Another George Gershwin gem, “The Man I Love” is the sixth tune on my Solo Jazz Guitar Standards, Vol. 1 disc.

http://cdbaby.com/cd/schlegel8

The legend behind this tune is that Gershwin attempted to craft an entire song starting with the typically throw away ending of many show pieces, “That’s all folks!”.  Or if you’ve ever sang the campy ending to “Happy Birthday To You”, it’s the part tacked on the end, “And many moooooo-re!”.  It’s also the well-known, bluesy ending to Gershwin’s own “Rhapsody In Blue”.

The tune Gershwin built is a masterpiece of beautiful melodic themes perfectly integrated with a brilliant harmonic structure.  Learning this song and making my own arrangement of it was a milestone in my development as a solo artist.

Here’s an old studio practice version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-NTieZAXnQ

Here’s a more recent live version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-VrI6xYvUY

Enjoy!

Christopher Schlegel Update 04-16-2010

I was born and raised in St. Louis.  So, this tune had to make the cut on my first album of standards.  William Christopher Handy’s classic blues is the fifth tune on my Solo Jazz Guitar Standards, Vol. 1 disc.

http://cdbaby.com/cd/schlegel8

W. C. Handy was an amazing man whose life deserves a little study if you aren’t familiar with him:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Christopher_Handy

I did a whole tutorial series on GuitarTricks.com on how to build a chord melody solo guitar arrangement.  I used “St. Louis Blues” to do it.  It really is a great tune for that kind of thing.  Much of the lesson material grew out of my own arrangement.  This vid on my YouTube channel is a highlights overview of those lessons:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbfGJzfFBRU

Later on, the Gibson Guitar company website picked up my “St. Louis Blues” video lesson and embedded it on their lesson pages.  It has been in rotation as a featured Lesson Of The Day.  If you play guitar and want to try my arrangment, I suggest the Gibson lesson page because they included my musical score along with the vid.

http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Lessons/InstrumentLessons/Learn-St-Louis-Blues-320/

For those of you with Guitar Tricks subscriptions, you can see the whole tutorial series of lessons here:

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=759

Enjoy!

Christopher Schlegel Update 02-17-2010

“Mood Indigo”, Duke Ellington’s classic ballad, is the fourth tune on my Solo Jazz Guitar Standards, Vol. 1 disc.

http://cdbaby.com/cd/schlegel8

What is there to say about Duke that hasn’t already been said? A genius of American music, an amazing composer & arranger, outstanding (and in my opinion highly underrated) pianist, bandleader, performer, overall first rate musician. Always dressed to the nines and always on the top of his game.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Ellington

Along with Gershwin, Mr. Edward “Duke” Ellington’s songs form the backbone of the Great American songbook. “Mood Indigo” is a tune I’ve known and loved for many years.  Like many jazz tunes, for years I never knew the lyrics to the tune. Or even that it had lyrics!  I’ve intentionally avoided grandstanding on this one. Just the melody, a simple bass line, and inner chord color tones that are my personal tribute to Duke’s beautiful music that I’ve loved for many, many years.

I’ve been testing my video studio setup with a new mic & subdued lighting. I recently filmed some test footage which included a pass at “Mood Indigo”.  This is very similiar to the arrangement on the CD & how I typically perform it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvN26FYSFHA

I also recently filmed a series of blues lessons for Guitar Tricks. I used my Reason Amps Bambino for all of them!

http://www.reasonamps.com/

Here are a couple of the play along performance sections I extracted from the lesson footage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-9eA4jWfkw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3E5tgDeRX8

Happy viewing & listening!