including the universe

i try to learn from whatever source possible. as far as books are concerned, i have a soft spot for authors that seek to be as complete as possible. more often than not, it turns out this is impossible. but i like very much to see people try...

my particular favorites are george van eps' three volumes (!) of HARMONIC MECHANISMS FOR GUITAR and the three books (!) that constitute the MOTHERLODE, a complete library for chords put in a specific format by mick goodrick.

i intend to come back to these more often because they contain so much that its totally impossible to fathom you could incorporate everything into your playing. for now, i will give you my general description of harmonic mechanisms. i have not run into any other source that is so well suited to help you master the eightstring.

george van eps

the three volumes start out simple, with scales of triads in all keys. you might think this involves a lot of repetition, but this would be a mistake. van eps adds different fingerings for each key. the reason for this is that his aim is to provide you with exercises that eventually enable you to improvise chord melody pieces with walking basslines. over the rest of the three volumes, you find a multitude of exercises that bring you closer to this goal. my experience is that whenever i pick up one of his ideas and include in my practicing for a week, i immediately feel more free in my solo improvising. that's a big return on investment if you ask me.