Pentatonic improvisation over the I vi ii V progression in the key of Bb Major. Trying to play something meaningful while constrained by the exercise, which requires pentatonic improvision on the bottom and top triads. I need more practice with this format.

12-bar blues in the keys of G and A over Teleport's 6/8 shuffle.

We do whammy bar with minor 7ths. Cause it works.

We do whammy bar with minor 7ths. Cause it works.

I play a I-V progression up and down the fretboard. I stole the exercise from Boston Chris and pedaled in some wah-wah.

I go over the different ways in which dominant 7th chords can be played in the open position.

Well, I use backing tracks often because I am not in a band. I am trying to build one, but we'll see. I think if you do the main act(s), like playing the lead guitar and/or voice, backing tracks work. No improvisation allowed though.

I just finished Level 3 on Palmisano's site, and it's the right time for a melancholic story with a harmonic vibe.

The secret to playing harmonics, as Michael says but not emphasizes, is to add a bit of vibrato (the tiniest of it) to sustain your tone. I discovered this accidentally by replaying Michael's video.

I am playing the natural minor scale in random keys and positions across the fretboard.

Improvising in A major by switching between triad/pentatonic and diatonic natural major scales.

I describe the polyphonic, arpeggio, legato, and staccato modes of playing a bunch of tones, using the example of a C major triad in the first inversion. I then play a simple melodic phrase in G minor using staccato and legato in various ways, to point out the different sounds that are possible.

This murder ballad by Taylor Swift is in a genre that Michael once said he loves, though he does not condone their message of lawlessness (as artists we speak figuratively; let's keep it that way). I had trouble switching between different sets, so I just arranged this song as an exercise. I improvised a short intro, solo, and outro. If you recognize the scale, comment below! I put together a transcription for those who would like to practice the triads at https://1drv.ms/b/s!Aqn0pFvh2Y6Pyi81-dpIZE2KbriR?e=jPmQVw, though I played the piece from memory afterwards.

Well, Up and down on the 321 String Set in D major and D minor. Just make sure you switch from I-IV-V progression going up to I-V-IV progression going down in order to be able to switch locations through a slide of the same shape by a perfect fourth.

I am playing the natural major scale in random keys and positions. The tempo is 2 notes per beat at 200 bpm, which is close to the breaking point for me. It is a good idea to speed-test the knowledge of the shapes, as it helps with memory formation. The actual speed does not matter as long as it is close to your personal best (it could be 80 bpm if you are an intermediate student or 280 bpm if your last name is Malmsteen).

Minor I-IV-V-I progression on the string sets 654 and 543.

Pentatonics and Arpeggios over the I-vi-ii-V-I progression in the key of E major. I arpeggiate up and down and I switch the positions randomly, in an effort to break out of reliance on muscle memory. The last part is still work in progress.

Triad arpeggiation in Gb Minor.

I play a I-vi-ii-V-I progression to practice both major and minor triads on the string set 4321, with the roots of the chords restricted to the set 432.

I improvise in D flat over a I-IV-V progression by spelling out each of the chord through arpeggiation and following it with a short phrase in the corresponding pentatonic scale. In other news, I am getting ready for my summer camp, which is about music (I interrupt GuitarGate for ... more guitar, including 2 weeks at Berklee).

I present the 4-voice major triads on the string set 4321 (so called piano common chords). The root position and the second inversion have the root and the 5th in the base, respectively. The top 3 voices form a triad, so that the root is doubled for the root position and the 5th is doubled for the second inversion. However, for the first inversion, the top 3 voices form a power chord (root and 5th, one of which is doubled). We "never" double the third when the chord is meant to be played polyphonically (though doubling the third works in arpeggios).

Arpeggiation of the Gb-Cb-Db (I-IV-V) progression in all 5 positions.

In a minor key, the v-i progression is to be played as V-i to categorically imply a cadence (end of a musical phrase). I use this to formulate a simple exercise where all minor and major chords introduced so far can be practiced.