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  #16  
Old 09-22-2020, 04:41 AM
Su_H. Su_H. is offline
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Cecil,

I think you've heard from both sides. I wanted to respond right away when you first put up the thread but I held back because I feel that's a question only you can answer. As for me, I don't sing and I don't play in a band so I won't care to learn songs in another key. However, despite saying that, I do recommend that any musician, beginner or advanced, know how to transpose.
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  #17  
Old 09-22-2020, 04:46 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cecil6243 View Post
…Or should I plow ahead with them anyway?
Hi Cecil

I don't live or play in a world where the actual key I play in is that critical, and certainly not when strange keys are mandatory. If I were playing such a piece, I'd just add a capo.

If I found a solo song I wanted to play and my only learning source was either a score or YouTube video in an odd-ball key, I'd transpose it to a different key using the chord progression in a manageable key.

To me, keys are not sacred, and practicing scales in hard to think-in keys mostly unnecessary.

I spent half day teaching some capable students in Mexico, and we spoke in Solfeggio Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do with fixed Do (Do being C).

They could read hands, and I taught them concepts like 'Root' in just a couple minutes. We never got stranded and nobody asked about any songs in the key of 'Di' (C#). (chromatic solfege Do-Di Ra-Re-Ri Me-Mi Fa-Fi etc)





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Last edited by ljguitar; 09-22-2020 at 04:54 PM. Reason: added a chromatic solfege comment
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  #18  
Old 09-23-2020, 08:28 PM
Cecil6243 Cecil6243 is offline
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As always this forum is a wealth of knowledge and experience. I thank you all for your input!
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  #19  
Old 10-01-2020, 08:24 AM
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In the past I would have said that I don't spend time learning things I will never use but I may have to change that opinion in the future. I found that there were a lot of gaps in my guitar playing that are holding me back so I have started guitar lessons and I put myself into the hands of my teacher. Whatever he wants me to learn, I'm going to learn it.
Since I wrote this several weeks ago I've been learning scale patterns with the root on the E string or the A string. I'm just starting out with scales but unless I'm missing something it seems to me that once you learn the pattern you can find the root and play it in any key you fancy.
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  #20  
Old 10-01-2020, 01:26 PM
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Originally Posted by rllink View Post
Since I wrote this several weeks ago I've been learning scale patterns with the root on the E string or the A string. I'm just starting out with scales but unless I'm missing something it seems to me that once you learn the pattern you can find the root and play it in any key you fancy.
There you go! The next step is to learn where the root notes are on the different chords that may be used up the neck. Like the D, E, C, A chords. With this knowledge you can use an E shaped chord at the fifth fret for an A chord or a D shaped chord at the ninth fret for an A chord and play scales all over the neck in A. This works in all keys.
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  #21  
Old 10-01-2020, 05:09 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cecil6243 View Post
…I can't help thinking scales and chords in the almost never played major keys like F#, Db etc. is a waste of time I could improving my skills on better known scales, chords, etc.

Or should I plow ahead with them anyway?
Hi Cecil

Have you reached any conclusions yet?




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  #22  
Old 10-03-2020, 11:13 AM
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Learning uncommon keys is especially useful if you write music for the guitar. Exploring different keys -- like exploring different tunings -- may well inspire ideas you might not have had sticking to more familiar territory.

E.g., I'm currently writing a finger-style blues in each major key of the chromatic scale (and plan to do pretty much the same with minor keys), and each one is significantly different from the others.
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  #23  
Old 10-05-2020, 08:30 AM
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Third post in this thread for me. Just to recap, I am a seventy year old self taught guitar player that decided to step it up a little by taking some one on one lessons. I've been playing scales non stop for a month. This week I was playing them with a backing track and all of a sudden yesterday it came together. Like one minute I was flailing away and the next minute I was in the groove. I feel good about scales.
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  #24  
Old 10-05-2020, 06:29 PM
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I can play a C scale from memory. That's it.
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