The Search for the "Perfect" #ElectricGuitar Never Ends

The Chord of the Day was Gbmaj7.

When I was younger, I thought the perfect guitar was a Fender Stratocaster with a black paint job, white pickguard, and a maple fretboard. It was aesthetically pleasing, played quite well, and was almost perfect for me, until ...

Within a couple of years, I purchased a cheaper backup guitar. It was an Epiphone Special II, which didn't quite play as well above the 12th fret. I didn't quite like that the output jack is on the side of the guitar, whereas my Strat's output jack is on the face of the guitar's body. I always feel a bit paranoid to lug around a guitar with an angled headstock in a gig bag; you're better off with a hardshell case for most Epiphones and Gibsons (the parent company of Epiphone). However, my fretting hand loved the Gibson scale length of the neck, as opposed to the longer scale length in most Fenders, including my Strat. For example, string bending feels easier on a Gibson-scale guitar versus a more tense, Fender-scale guitar.

Fast forward a couple of decades, a couple of years ago, I had the opportunity for find a nearly-perfect fit for the criteria I've been developing over the years. The Fender Cyclone (or more inexpensive Squier Cyclone, which I purchased), is shaped like a Fender Mustang. Now the Mustang has a very short scale, shorter than the usual Gibson scale guitar. The Cyclone has the exact scale length as a typical Gibson. Additionally, the output jack is on the face of the guitar, and the straight Fender headstock is ideal for lugging around in a gig bag. It is nearly a perfect electric guitar; I just wish that the neck radius felt as "flat" or "shallow" or had the same exact feel as my Epiphone -- but it's good enough.

I wonder if I could find a guitar with the same specs as my Cyclone, but with more expensive wood and "better" hardware and electronics. The search continues in the background, but I'm very happy with my Cyclone.

The "lesson" in this blog post: No matter what instrument you play, you should always know what you want in that instrument, especially when your preferences change over the years. Cheers, and keep jamming!

#ALittleThunder Guitar Pickup: #ALTbass

Yes! I'm finally checking in on this blog after nearly a year. Of course, Chord du Jour has been active on Instagram during that time. I'll try to post a blurb here as often as I can.

During my absence from this blog, I have been jamming with a pickup called A Little Thunder, installed in my Gibson-scale guitar manufactured by Fender. (Perhaps, in the future, I might write a quick post about choosing a guitar to your own preferences.)

In the latter-20th Century, there was a rock band -- a duo, really -- called Local H, and they didn't have a bass player. Singer/guitarist Scott Lucas' friend modified Lucas' guitar and placed a bass pickup under the Low E and A strings, and output that signal through an octave pedal to provide the bass sound, in addition to the guitar sound.

A Little Thunder is basically the sleek, 21st century version of the Scott Lucas' improvisation. Invented by guitarist Andy Alt, the ALT pickup's octave effect is built-in, and there is a battery that can be charged with a USB cable. I can go on and on about the various features of the pickup, but it is better to listen to some samples for yourself.

Throughout the summer and to this day, I have been posting 15-second live, one take, one-man band performances featuring A Little Thunder on Instagram -- hashtag ALTbass.

Until the next post! Keep jamming!

Dictionary: Gb Blues Scale

... and so ends our week of completing the blues scale for all sharps and flats.  Yes, the G-flat blues scale would sound fantastic over a G-flat progression, like G-flat major.  However, the F-sharp blues scale contains less complicated note names.

Dictionary: Fb Blues Scale

Really, F-flat?  Really?  F-flat.  This is as ridiculous as we're going to get, as far as blues scales go -- no double-flat and/or double-sharp root note scales this time around.  We're all heading over to the E blues scale entry, if you want to come along.

Dictionary: E# Blues Scale

Why you're using the E-sharp blues scale over an E-sharp progression is your own business.  Otherwise, check out the F blues scale instead.

Dictionary: Db Blues Scale

We assume that you want to play something bluesy over a D-flat major progression (or something similar).  Otherwise, you might want to try the C-sharp blues scale instead.

Dictionary: Cb Blues Scale

If for some reason, you want to play the blues in C-flat, here it is.  Otherwise, you'll find the B blues scale to be more user-friendly.

Dictionary: B# Blues Scale

At this point, we're just being completist regarding blues scales.  If you have some logical reason to be bluesy in B-sharp, here it is.  Otherwise, you want to check out the C blues scale.

Dictionary: Ab Blues Scale

When you add a diminished 5th note to the A-flat minor pentatonic scale (the D note, in this case), you now have the A-flat blues scale.  Try it over A-flat.  Any A-flat.  You may like the results.

Dictionary: Ab Minor Pentatonic Scale

The A-flat minor pentatonic scale is convenient to use for improvising solos and composing melodies over an A-flat minor chord progression, especially if you are unsure whether to use the Aeolian, Dorian, or Phrygian mode at any given moment.

The A-flat minor pentatonic scale sounds especially bluesy over an A-flat major chord progression.  If you want an even bluesier scale, stay tuned ...

Dictionary: Ab Major Pentatonic Scale

The A-flat major pentatonic scale is convenient to use for improvising solos and composing melodies over an A-flat major chord progression, especially if you are unsure whether to use the Lydian, Ionian, or Mixolydian mode at any given moment.  It's almost foolproof in that manner.

Dictionary: G# Blues Scale

When you add a diminished 5th note to the G-sharp minor pentatonic scale (the D note, in this case), you now have the G-sharp blues scale.  Try it over G-sharp.  Any G-sharp.  You may like the results.

Dictionary: G# Minor Pentatonic Scale

The G-sharp minor pentatonic scale is convenient to use for improvising solos and composing melodies over a G-sharp minor chord progression, especially if you are unsure whether to use the Aeolian, Dorian, or Phrygian mode at any given moment.

The G-sharp minor pentatonic scale sounds especially bluesy over a G-sharp major chord progression.  If you want an even bluesier scale, stay tuned ...

Dictionary: G Blues Scale

When you add a diminished 5th note to the G minor pentatonic scale (the D-flat note, in this case), you now have the G blues scale.  Try it over G.  Any G.  You may like the results.

Dictionary: G Minor Pentatonic Scale

The G minor pentatonic scale is convenient to use for improvising solos and composing melodies over a G minor chord progression, especially if you are unsure whether to use the Aeolian, Dorian, or Phrygian mode at any given moment.

The G minor pentatonic scale sounds especially bluesy over a G major chord progression.  If you want an even bluesier scale, stay tuned ...

Dictionary: G Major Pentatonic Scale

The G major pentatonic scale is convenient to use for improvising solos and composing melodies over a G major chord progression, especially if you are unsure whether to use the Lydian, Ionian, or Mixolydian mode at any given moment.  It's almost foolproof in that manner.

Dictionary: Gb Major Pentatonic Scale

The G-flat major pentatonic scale is convenient to use for improvising solos and composing melodies over an G-flat major chord progression, especially if you are unsure whether to use the Lydian, Ionian, or Mixolydian mode at any given moment.  It's almost foolproof in that manner.

Dictionary: F# Blues Scale

When you add a diminished 5th note to the F-sharp minor pentatonic scale (the C note, in this case), you now have the F-sharp blues scale.  Try it over F-sharp.  Any F-sharp.  You may like the results.

Dictionary: F# Minor Pentatonic Scale

The F-sharp minor pentatonic scale is convenient to use for improvising solos and composing melodies over an F-sharp minor chord progression, especially if you are unsure whether to use the Aeolian, Dorian, or Phrygian mode at any given moment.

The F-sharp minor pentatonic scale sounds especially bluesy over an F-sharp major chord progression.  If you want an even bluesier scale, stay tuned ...

Dictionary: F# Major Pentatonic Scale

The F-sharp major pentatonic scale is convenient to use for improvising solos and composing melodies over an F-sharp major chord progression, especially if you are unsure whether to use the Lydian, Ionian, or Mixolydian mode at any given moment.  It's almost foolproof in that manner.