Tools For The Guitar Student

THE NAMES OF THE STRINGS!
You SHOULD have 6 strings on your guitar. If you have less than that you have a
broken one!

Each string has a pitch and a number associated with it.

The skinniest string at the end is the E or 1, then B (2), G(3), D(4), A(5) and E(6)

I remember the string names going from “Fat to Thin” as
Eddie (6), Ate (5) Dynamite (4) Good (3) Bye (2) Eddie (1)

E (1)

B (2)

G (3)

D (4)

A (5)

E (6)

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GUITAR TUNING: Relative Tuning
Owning an electronic tuner should be part of every musicians gig-bag.
If you do not have one (yet) you can still tune the instrument to itself to
get on with things by using the Relative Tuning Method.

Assuming your low-E (6th) String is tuned to pitch, Play the fifth fret of the
6th (low E) string and then play the open 5th (A) string and let both notes ring together. Their
pitches should match exactly. If they don't seem quite right, determine whether the 5th string is
higher or lower than the fretted 6th string. If the 5th string seems lower, or flat, turn its tuning
key with your left hand to raise the pitch. If the 5th string seems sharp, or higher sounding, use
its tuning key to lower the pitch.

Repeat this 5th fret tuning process until you reach the G String. USE THE 4TH FRET TO
FIND THE PITCH OF THE B STRING. Then, back to the 5th fret for the high E (1) String.

Fret #
4th 5th
E

B E
G B
D G
A D
E A


PRACTICE THE FINGER EXERCISE
ACENDING AND DECENDING THE PAT-
TERN FROM THE LOWEST NOTE (OPEN
STRING) TO THE HIGHEST NOTE AND
BACK AGAIN.
• Go slow at first making sure you are fretting

the note with no “buzzing” sound
• Practice ALTERNATING PICKING with this

exercise

Lowest note Highest note

E 0 1 2 3 4
B

G

D

A

E


PRACTICE TIPS:
Not sure what, when or how to practice?
Here are some suggestions.

• Beginners should schedule 30 minutes a day for practice. Practicing a little every
day is more effective than practicing once a week for a long time. Suggested times: before bed, first
thing in the morning, after homework, after work, lunch break, during TV time, before going
out...turn off the cell phone and practice!

• All other students, intermediate or advances players, should practice AT
LEAST 30 minutes a day.

• Always ask yourself before you sit down to practice “what can I do better?”
and practice that activity that challenges you the most. Here are common items to
practice for the aspiring musician. Studying the notes on the fret board. Sight Reading. Chord Tran-
sitions. Alternating Picking. Strumming patterns. Work on a song or chord progression. Barre
Chord Forms. Scales. Do you have these items mastered yet?

• Always pick one activity from your lesson and master it before moving on to
another activity.

• Electric students should practice while using their amplifier.

• How about practicing your Finger Exercises, Alternating Picking and other
“motor skills” while watching TV?

• Make a list of questions you would like to review with your instructor.


JIM HICKEY MUSIC LTD

Practice Agenda
To be the best musician you can be, you have to practice. Set aside a minimum of 30 minutes
a day to work on the assignments given to you by your instructor. This sheet has been pro-
vided for you to record your practice time. Put down the video game and PLAY!
STUDENT NAME:_________________________________ DAY AND TIME_________________

DATE LESSON MON TUE WED THR FRI SAT SUN OK?
ASSIGNMENT

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CAGED FORMS

Am A A7 C Form
X X X

1

2 3 1 2 3 2 3 1 1 1

2

3

4

Em E E7 A Form
X
1
1

2 3 2 1 1
2 3

3 3 3

Dm D7
D G Form
X X X X X X

1 1

2 1 2 2 3 1 1 1

3 3

2

3 4

B7 C C7 E Form
X X X

1 1 1

2 3 4 2 2 1 1 1

3 3 4 2

3 4

F G G7 D Form
X X X X

1 1 1

2 2 2 1

3 3 4 3

2 4

3


1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

1 & 2 & 3 &

1 & 2 & 3 &

1 & 2 & 3 &

1 & 2 & 3 &

1 & 2 & 3 &

1 & 2 & 3 &

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &

A The Notes…
A# Bb Learning the notes of the fret board re-
quires a little effort. On the left are all the
notes in western music.
B
I have highlighted the E, A, D, G, and
C B notes which are the open strings of a
6 string guitar in standard tuning.
C# Db

Each ascending note is one fret
D (or 1/2 step) on the guitar neck.

D# Eb To find the notes on each string, simply
follow the arrows until you return to
E your original note.

Example: to find the notes on the D
F
string, follow the notes from D to the
bottom of the page, then return to the
F# Gb top and continue until you return to the
D again. That will give you every note
G from the open string to the 12th fret
from D to D!
G# Ab


Fill in the blanks with all the notes
on the 6 string guitar neck

E A D G B E

1st Fret

2nd Fret

3rd Fret

4th Fret

5th Fret

6th Fret

7th Fret

8th Fret

9th Fret

10th Fret

11th Fret

12th Fret


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Common Root 5 Barre Chord Forms
Major Minor 7 (Dominant)

Major 7 Minor 7th Sus 4

Sus 2



Common Root 6 Barre Chord Forms
Major Minor 7 (Dominant)

Major 7 Minor 7th Sus 4

7 Sus 4



Suspended/sus Chord Forms (Open)
D Sus 2 D Sus 4

A Sus 2 A Sus 4

E Sus 4 G Sus 2 G Sus 4

C Sus 2 C Sus 4


TRIAD CHORD FORMS
E (1),B (2), AND G (3) STRINGS
Major Root On Major Root On Major Root On
E1 B2 G3

Minor Root On Minor Root On Minor Root On
E1 B2 G3

These chord forms contain the same notes of the chords you would
play in open position. These CHORD INVERSION forms are widely
used in soloing and rhythm guitar to embellish a chord progression.

It is important to know where the notes are on the E, B, and G strings
to make these chords work for you.

Root Note =

TRIAD CHORD FORMS
E(6), A(5), AND D (4) STRINGS
E6 A5 D4

E6 A5 D4

play in open position. Learn these CHORD INVERSION forms to em-
bellish a chord progression.

It is important to know where the notes are on the E, A, and D strings

Root Note =

TRIAD CHORD FORMS
D(4), G(3), AND B(2) STRINGS

D4 G3 B2

D4 G3 B2

play in open position. These CHORD INVERSION forms are widely
used in soloing and rhythm guitar to sometimes brighten up a chord
progression.

It is important to know where the notes are on the D, G, and B strings

Root Note =

RECAP: MAJOR INVERSIONS
E6 A5 D4

D4 G3 B2

E1 B2 G3

RECAP: MINOR INVERSIONS

E6 A5 D4

D4 G3 B2

E1 B2 G3

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JIM HICKEY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Modesô How do they work together?
One of the most common questions asked...People being people, we
learn things in different ways so below is a diagram displaying how
modes work as it pertains to the Major Scale. The example below is
in the Key of C Major

IONIAN C D E F G A B

DORIAN D E F G A B C

PHRYGIAN E F G A B C D

LYDIAN F G A B C D E

MIXOLYDIAN G A B C D E F

AEOLIAN (Minor) A B C D E F G

LOCRIAN B C D E F G A

IONIAN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

DORIAN 2 3 4 5 6 7 1

PHRYGIAN 3 4 5 6 7 1 2

LYDIAN 4 5 6 7 1 2 3

MIXOLYDIAN 5 6 7 1 2 3 4

AEOLIAN (Minor) 6 7 8 2 3 4 5

LOCRIAN 7 1 2 3 4 5 6

53

Jim Hickey Music Ltd

IONIAN/MAJOR MIXOLYDIAN

X

X

DORIAN
AEOLIAN/MINOR

PHRYGIAN

LOCRIAN

LYDIAN

= Root Note

X = Use Either/Or in scale

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IONIAN/MAJOR (DO) MIXOLYDIAN (SO)

OR
OR

DORIAN (RA)
AEOLIAN/MINOR (LA)

PHRYGIAN (ME)

LOCRIAN (TE)

LYDIAN (FA)

= ROOT NOTE



MINOR PENTATONIC

MAJOR PENTATONIC

MODE 3

MODE 4

MODE 5



Notes and Interval
Relationships: Pentatonic Scale

Studying the notes in the scale and recognize those notes as intervals will help you
apply and use the Modes more effectively.
The notes in the A Minor Pentatonic Scale are A,C,D,E and G. If we were

A to spread out these notes on the E string of the Guitar, it would look like
this:
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

E G A C D E

A The intervals are A=1, C=2, D=3, E=4, G=5, as illustrated below:

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

4 5 1 2 3 4

So, for the key of A Minor, you would apply the modes as such:
A(1) = Minor; C (2) = Major; D (3) = Mode 3; E (4) = Mode 4; G (5) = Mode 5

The pages to follow have diagrams of the
Minor Pentatonic scale in the remaining 11 keys.
After recognizing the intervals, fill in the blanks with
the note names as they correspond with interval
numbers and mode names.

The Major Pentatonic modes can be applied by
starting on interval number 2 as that is the Major
Pentatonic interval from the Minor Pentatonic scale.



0
A #/Bb
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

4 5 1 2 3

So, for the key of A#/Bb Minor, you would apply the modes as such:
__(1) = Minor; __ (2) = Major; __ (3) = Mode 3; __ (4) = Mode 4; __ (5) = Mode 5

0
B
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

3 4 5 1 2 3

So, for the key of B Minor, you would apply the modes as such:

0
C
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

3 4 5 1 2

So, for the key of C Minor, you would apply the modes as such:

C#/Db
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

2 3 4 5 1 2

So, for the key of C#/Db Minor, you would apply the modes as such:



0
D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

2 3 4 5 1

So, for the key of D Minor, you would apply the modes as such:

0
D#/Eb
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

2 3 4 5 1

So, for the key of D#/Eb Minor, you would apply the modes as such:

0
E 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

1 2 3 4 5 1

So, for the key of E Minor, you would apply the modes as such:

0
F
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

1 2 3 4 5

So, for the key of F Minor, you would apply the modes as such:



0 1
F#/Gb
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

5 1 2 3 4 5

So, for the key of F#/Gb Minor, you would apply the modes as such:

0
G
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

5 1 2 3 4

So, for the key of G Minor, you would apply the modes as such:

0
G#/Ab
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

5 1 2 3 4

So, for the key of G#/Ab Minor, you would apply the modes as such:



Notes and Interval
Relationships: Major Scale
Studying the notes in the scale and recognize those notes as intervals will help
you apply and use the Modes more effectively.

The notes in the key of C Major are C,D,E,F,G,A, and B.
If we were to spread out these notes on the E string of the
guitar, it would look like this:

0 1
C 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

E F G A B C D E

The intervals are C=1, D=2, E=3, F=4, G=5, A=6, B=7. Illustrated below:
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3

So, for the key of C Major, you would apply the modes as such:
C (1) = Ionian; D (2) = Dorian; E (3) = Phrygian; F (4) = Lydian; G (5) = Mixolydian; A (6) = Aeolian; B (7) = Locrian

The pages to follow have diagrams of the Major scale in
the remaining 11 keys. After recognizing the intervals,
fill in the blanks with the note names as they correspond
with interval numbers and mode names.

“What about the Minor Scale?”
As the minor scale is the 6th mode of the Major scale, it
would be redundant to chart that out. Simply change
the 6th interval to a number1 and change the rest of the
ascending notes to 2,3,4,5,6,7. Then you have it.


Below each illustration, fill out the Notes that are in each scale next to the interval number:

E
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

So, for the key of E Major, you would apply the modes as such:
__(1) = Ionian; __ (2) = Dorian; __ (3) = Phrygian; __ (4) = Lydian; __ (5) = Mixolydian; __ (6) = Aeolian; __ (7) = Locrian

0
F 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

So, for the key of F Major, you would apply the modes as such:

0
F#/Gb
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

7 1 2 3 4 5 6

So, for the key of F#/Gb Major, you would apply the modes as such:

G
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6

So, for the key of G Major, you would apply the modes as such:



G#/Ab
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

6 7 1 2 3 4 5

So, for the key of G#/Ab Major, you would apply the modes as such:

A
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5

So, for the key of A Major, you would apply the modes as such:

0
A#/Bb
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

5 6 7 1 2 3 4

So, for the key of A#/Bb Major, you would apply the modes as such:

0
B
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4

So, for the key of B Major, you would apply the modes as such:



C#/Db
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

3 4 5 6 7 1 2

So, for the key of C#/Db Major, you would apply the modes as such:

0
D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2

So, for the key of D Major, you would apply the modes as such:

0
D#/Eb 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

2 3 4 5 6 7 1

So, for the key of D#/Eb Major, you would apply the modes as such:



Instructor Notes: Date:


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