The Lesson Plan

We will go through the following steps:

1. Make a simple chord triad.
2. Choose a fingering on the guitar neck.
3. Listen to the chord.
4. Store the chord in the Chord Bank.
5. Make a picking pattern.
6. Listen to the picking pattern while editing.
7. Make a copy of the chord.
8. Modify the chord in the circle palette.
9. Improvise.
10. Add a bass line.

Look at the Guitar Palette. The notes of the chord are shown as dots over the whole neck. There is a Fret Bracket along the left edge of the neck. This bracketed region represents the guitarist's stretch. Notes for the chord to be played on the guitar are chosen out of this range.
A. We're using standard tuning for this example so make sure it's selected in the Info Palette.
B. Slide the Fret Bracket to the very top of the neck (or the very left in horizontal mode) and stretch it so that it encompasses the open string (Fret 0) and the first 3 frets.

Press the Hear Button in the Toolbar. The chord is played according to the fingering you've created. Try moving the Fret Bracket around and pressing the Hear Button again to see the effect.

Click the Add Chord Button in the Toolbar. The chord is added to the Chord Bank. It appears as a rectangular box with the name of the chord, a circular representation of the chord's notes, and Tablature that corresponds to the fretted notes in the Guitar Palette, as shown here:

The sequencer extends the tablature into a time-line grid which you can edit.

Make a simple picking pattern in the sequencer by clicking in the grid. As each tone is added to the sequence you hear the tone. You should also notice that the Fret Cursor in the Guitar Palette moves to the note you just added.

You can grab the right end of the Sequencer - the Sequence Sizer - and drag it to shorten the length of the sequence. You can change the number of times your sequence will repeat by clicking in the vertical Repeat Slider bar.

Press the Play Button in the Toolbar. The sequence plays from beginning to end and stops. Click on the Looping Button in the Toolbar. Now when you click Play the chord plays continuously.

Click on the Eye Button to turn on "Active View." Now when each tone plays it lights up in the sequencer, giving you some helpful visual feedback.

If you try to edit the sequence at this point you are not allowed. This is because visual feedback is always highlighting the next chord in line, right when you're trying to draw dots. Fortunately, there are two options which allow you to edit sequences as they play.

1. Turn off Active View. This allows you to edit all you want, but with the disadvantage of not being able to see which chords are actually playing.
   
   
2. Turn on Free Editing by clicking the Pencil Button in the Toolbar. This gives you complete freedom of movement so you can edit the sequence while it plays. However, play does not proceed automatically in this mode. Instead it remains on whatever chord you choose.

Click the Add Chord Button in the Toolbar to make a copy of your chord. All four parts are duplicated.

The Circle Palette is useful for making simple coherent changes to chords. There are several gadgets that allow you to Harmonize and Transpose chords.

Click on the Harmonize Up arrow 5 times. Each time you click on this button all the notes in the Current Chord are changed to the next adjacent tone in the scale. Listen carefully to the chord as it moves through the harmonies. When you have clicked the button 5 times you will have an Am chord.

Press the Play Button in the Toolbar and turn off Free Editing. Now both chords play in succession. Adjust the Tempo, Velocity, and Sustain while these chords play until you have a cool sound.

It is possible to perform lengthy improvisations with only a few chords, some good rhythms, and the Circle Palette. Try clicking around inside the Circle Palette during playback and discover how quickly your music can begin to take shape.

Click on Part Tab 2 at the top of the Chord Bank. This selects another voice in the composition. Both chords will be C chords. Select the second chord and change it to an Am chord as discussed above.

Create a picking pattern with only a few notes spaced far apart, perhaps one on every fourth beat. This will serve as the bass-line. Usually the bass-line of a song is played an octave or two below the guitar. Experiment with different instruments until you find something that sounds excellent.

There's hardly a thing left to learn at this point. You can put any chords you want one after another in any order. If it sounds good to you then you're doing it right. When it comes to music - in fact all arts & technologies - there are no rules. There's no big trick or secret. We just make it up as we go along, and sometimes we get lucky.

The important thing is not to sweat it, doubt it, question it, or judge it. Be committed to making your sounds your way. Most of all, play, play, play, play....

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