The Lefty
’
Guitarist s
Survival Handbook Pocket guide to Left Handed Guitar chords and scales
Neil D. Santos Global Guitar Network If found please return to:
Holding the Guitar
When standing up and playing make sure to keep your back straight and have the headstock slightly higher than the body of the guitar. When adjusting the strap keep the strings at a comfortable height for strumming.
When sitting down and playing, place the body of the guitar on your right leg (popular method) or your left leg (classical method). Remember to keep your shoulders loose and don’t slouch over the guitar too much or you will develop back problems.
The proper placement of your fretting hand requires your thumb to be directly in the middle of the back of the neck. This type of grip allows your ďŹ ngers more freedom to move when playing.
1
Hold your pick as shown to start. Everybody has slightly different ways to hold their picks. When strumming try holding the pick loosely, and when picking hold it a bit tighter.
Finding the Notes on the Neck There are two approaches to learning all the notes on the neck. The first way is to simply drill them into your head one at a time. I’ve tried this on several occasions without much luck. The most that I could ever remember successfully were the notes on the top two strings. That is when I realized the second method to learning all the notes which isn’t about memorizing every note on the neck, it’s about finding them quickly. Using octave shapes and the notes on the top two strings I could easily find and name any note on the neck in a matter of seconds.
Notes on the E String
Step 1: Memorize the notes on the top two strings starting with the notes on the 3, 5, 7, 9, and 12th frets. These have fret markers and are mostly natural notes without sharps or flats.
12
11 10
E
D#
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
C#
C
B
A#
A
G#
G
F#
F
11 10
A
Step 2: Use
G#
G
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
F#
F
E
D#
D
C#
C
B
A#
E String Octave 2 strings down + 2 frets up
3 1
D String Octave 2 strings down + 3 frets up
4 1
Find a Higher Note
8
7
A String Octave 2 strings down + 2 frets up
3 1 4
G String Octave 2 strings down + 3 frets up
1
Step 3: identify any higher note by moving
starting from a low version you know and follow it upwards. 9
A
E B G D A E
Identify a Higher Note
Step 3: Find a higher version of any note 12 11 10
E
E B G D A E
Notes on the A String 12
these octave fingerings to find different locations of any note.
D
9
6
5
? A A
4
3
2
it downwards to a low version on the top strings that you know.
1
12 11 10
E B G D A E
9
8
7 ?
6
5
4
3
2
B B
5
1 E B G D A E
Open Chords Open Chords are played within the ďŹ rst few frets on the guitar and include notes on strings that are not fretted and thus considered to be “openâ€? strings. Open chords are also referred to as Cowboy Chords and have a fuller and more robust sound then barre chords.
A major 0
A major7
0
0
0
A minor 0
0
1 2 1 3
5 3 R 5 R
B7
3
0
3 R 5 3 5
D minor
2
D major 0
3
3 R b7 3 R
3 7 5 3 R
4
D minor7 0
R 5 R 3 5 b7
E7 0
00
1 2
2
1 3
E major 0 0 0
1 1
1
2
2 3
0
0 2
0
R 5 b7 3 5
C major7
2 3
3
3
0 0 0
2
1
0
1
2
D7
A7 0
5 b3 b7 5 R
C7 0
1
5 R b7 3 5
0 2
5 b3 R 5 R
C major 0
1 4
2 3
5 3 7 5 R
0
0 1
1 3
2
A minor7 0
0
0
1 2 3
2
3
3 b7 5 R
R 5 R 3 5 b7
E minor 0 0 0
F major 0
R 5 b3 R 5 R
R 5 R 3 5 b7
F major7
G major
G7 0 0 0 1
1 2
R 5 R 3 5 b7
0 0 0
0 1 1
3 2
R 5 R 3 5 b7
2
1
3
3
R 5 3 R
7 5 3 R = muted strings
6
2 3
1
2
3 2
3
R 3 R 5 3 R
b7 3 R 5 3 R
= fretted note
= open note
Minor & Major Pentatonic The Minor / Major Pentatonic scale is usually the ďŹ rst scale guitarists learn. The major pentatonic and the minor pentatonic scales each contain the same ďŹ ve notes so they are considered related. W
22 21
20
19
18
17
16
15
14
13
Tonality
12
b3
11
10
8
Minor Pentatonic R, b3, 4, 5, b7
Minor
Use on: min7 chords
Major Dominant Augmented
W b3
9
W
Diminished
Major Pentatonic R, 2, 3, 5, 6
Suspended
Use on: Major chords
Whole Step Minor Third Egyptian, Suspended R, 2, 4, 5, b7 Use on: Sus chords
Blues Minor, Man Gong R, b3, 4, b6, b7 Use on: min7 chords
Blues Major, Ritusen R, 2, 4, 5, 6 Use on: Sus chords
18
7
W
6
5
b3
4
3
2
1
At last there is a guitar resource for one of societies' largest minority groups. The Lefties. Now you can explore the world of guitar chords and scales easily freeing you up to simply play. 1. Holding The Guitar 2. Tuning the Guitar 2 . Guitar Tablature 3. Reading Chord Grids 4. Reading scale Grids 5. Finding the notes on the neck 6. Open Chords 7. Power Chords 8. Barre Chords 9. Suspended Chords 10. E String Based Chords 11. A String Based Chords 12. D String Based Chords 13. Major Seventh Arpeggio 14. Minor Seventh Arpeggio 15. Dominant Seventh Arpeggio 16. Minor Major Seventh Arpeggio 17. Minor Seven Flat Five Arpeggio 18. Minor and Major Pentatonic 19. The Blues Scale 20. The Major Blues Scale 21. Dominant Pentatonic 22. Melodic Minor Pentatonic 23. Natural Major and Minor 24. Melodic Minor 25. Harmonic Minor 26. Whole Tone Scale 26. Diminished Scale
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