From: asf0@comcast.net  Alice Franceschini (new email as of August 5, 2006)
Date: June 19, 1997  Revised Sept 13, 1998
      Revised September 14, 2001
Subject: Lead Guitar - How to play
This information was learned, gathered, compiled by me 
Prints about 5 pages.

LEAD GUITAR - HOW TO PLAY

Here is the overview of this document's intent.  For those who wish to learn 
how to play lead guitar fast with little or no music theory.
Lead Guitar is based on five runs. Learn the runs so you can play them without
looking at written notation. Start with run 1.  Once you get just that one run down 
find further down on this page the Key Table. 
 
There are many ways to express musical ideas.  This document uses several
different ways to express the same musical ideas.  I am doing this because
what works for one person may not work for another.  I want to keep this document 
short so there isn't a lot of explanation but hopefully enough.

Find run 1 on your guitar.  When you play run 1 on fret 1 you are in the key of Ab/G#. 
(Further on in the document explains the G#) 
When you play run 1 on fret 2 you are in the key of A.  When you play run 1 on fret 3 you 
are in the key of A#.  Get the idea?  As you go up the neck\frets you go sharp or go up in 
key.  If you go down the neck\frets you flatt or go down in key. Now record a series of Ab
 guitar chords strums.  Just down strokes will work.  Record a minute or so that.  Now rewind
and play it back.  Now play run 1 on fret 1 up and down the notes in time with what you just 
recorded.  Rewind and now mix up the notes.  Good.
Later try bending, slurring, hammering on notes in the runs.

Learn the runs as patterns instead of indiviual notes for now.  Get use to 'run 1 at 
fret 1 is Ab' kind of learning.  Notes and the real name of this scale can come later.

Learning these fundamentals works for all genres lead guitar work.

Learn these five runs by heart and lead guitar becomes less of a mystery
and as an added bonus you are also learning bass guitar.  

There is no music theory that supports Cb, B#, E# or Fb and so this document
doesn't take them into consideration.
You may want to look at "How To Transpose" document sometime.
You can download it from the same area you downloaded this document.
 
Cb is B  and Fb is an E  Just look at a piano keyboard. 
There is no black or white key between B and C or E and F
This should be proof enough of music theory does not support them.
Plus you can't take a whole note such as C and make it a half note
Cb.  There's no music theory that supports doing this.

The following are definitions that for the purposes of this document only
have one meaning.
 
UP     The note goes higher in pitch (higher up the guitar neck)
DOWN   The note goes lower in pitch  (lower down the guitar neck)
SHARP  #   used when you go UP the scale (higher up the guitar neck)
FLATT b   used when you go DOWN the scale (lower down the guitar neck)

In other words.  The note that was a F# going up the scale is a Gb 
going down the scale.  Two names for the same sounding note.
Whole notes such as C remain the same going up or down the scale.

If you see a flatted note then there is an associated sharp.
Ab is G#
If you see a sharp note then there is an associated flatt.
G# is Ab
There is no associated key with a whole key like A or B ect.
A is A
B is B ect.


 KEY TABLE  read as columns

RUN 1

RUN 2

RUN 3

RUN 4

RUN 5

G# - Ab
A
A# - Bb
B
C
C# - Db
D
D# - Eb
E
F
F# - Gb
G

F# - Gb
G
G# - Ab
A
A# - Bb
B
C
C# - Db
D
D# - Eb
E
F

D# - Eb
E
F
F# - Gb
G
G# - Ab
A
A# - Bb
B
C
C# - Db
D

C# - Db
D
D# - Eb
E
F
F# - Gb
G
G# - Ab
A
A# - Bb
B
C

B
C
C# - Db
D
D# - Eb
E
F
F# - Gb
G
G# - Ab
A
A# - Bb

 


The idea is when you play run 1 on fret 1 you are in the key of Ab.
The five lead patterns\runs are listed lower on this page in several
types of tablature.

If you play run 2 on fret 5 you are in the key of Bb

What can you do when a song has a chord progression of A, D and E.
While the song is playing the A chord you play a melody
in run 1 on the second fret.  When the song changes to
the D you play run 1 on seventh when in E run on the ninth fret 
or run 2 or any of the other runs that are the correct chord.
Example Run 4 on the 9th fret is A 
        Run 5 on 4th fret is D  
        Run 3 on 2nd fret is E

For the advanced lead player.  It's true you do not have to jump all over
the neck just to whack out a lead for a three chord song.  Look again at the
diagram.  See Run 1 at fret 2 is A  
              Run 4 at fret 2 is D
              Run 3 at fret 2 is E
The whole lead can be made at the second fret.

Remember.......

Lead guitar is imagination played on this fundamental foundation.

THE RUNS\PATTERNS IN GUITAR NECK TAB
This represents the guitar neck facing you.  Bass or 6th string
to your left, high E to your right.  0 = pressing point  | = no pressing.
       *****      THESE DON'T REPRESENT CHORDS ****** 
See other tablature notation listed just below this kind of notation.
You read this in columns and not across.  See how the 0 and |
can be rows or columns.  You start with 6th column, called so, because
it represents the 6th string of the guitar.
Play as indiviual notes. Start with 6-1. go to 6-4, go 5-1, go to 5-3,
go to 4-1, go 4-3 ect. Work down columns starting at the left and working
your way to the right.  Other notation is available further down this page.

STRING\FRET TAB  First number (6) represents the string, 
                 (-1) represents the fret you press the string at.
                 Work down columns from left to right. 6-1, 6-4, 5-1,5-3 ect.
6-1   5-1  4-1  3-1  2-1  1-1
6-4   5-3  4-3  3-3  2-4  1-4

GUITAR NECK TAB

Strings
6 5 4 3 2 1

RUN 1        Frets
0 O 0 0 0 0   1
| | | | | |   2
| O 0 0 | |   3
0 | | | 0 0   4

RUN 2        Frets
| | 0 0 | 0   1
| | | 0 0 0   2
| | | 0 | |   3
| | 0 | 0 |   4

RUN 3        Frets
0 0 0 | 0 0   1
| | | | | |   2
0 0 0 0 | 0   3
| | | | 0 |   4
| | 0 | | |   5


RUN 4       Frets
0 0 0 0 | 0   1
| | | | 0 |   2
| | 0 0 | |   3
0 0 | | 0 0   4

RUN 5       Frets
| | 0 0 | |   1
0 0 | | 0 0   2
| | | | | |   3
0 0 0 0 0 0   4


TABLATURE AS WIDELY USED ON THE INTERNET.
To determine what key you are playing in depending on the fret
you are playing the run on, see Key Table above.  For example,
page down.

 RUN 1  Key of Ab and\or G#

--------------------------1-4--------------------------
---------------------1-4-------------------------------
----------------1-3------------------------------------
-----------1-3-----------------------------------------
------1-3----------------------------------------------
-1-4---------------------------------------------------

RUN 2 Key of F# and\or Gb

-------------------1-2---------------------------------
--------------2-4--------------------------------------
-------1-2-3--------------------------------------------
--1-4--------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------

RUN 3 Key of Eb and\or D#

--------------------------1-3--------------------------
---------------------1-4-------------------------------
------------------3-----------------------------------
-----------1-3-5----------------------------------------
------1-3----------------------------------------------
-1-3---------------------------------------------------

RUN 4 Key of C# and\or Db

-----------------------1-4-----------------------------
------------------2-4----------------------------------
--------------1-3--------------------------------------
----------1-3------------------------------------------
-----1-4-----------------------------------------------
-1-4---------------------------------------------------

RUN 5 Key of B (whole notes or keys don't have associated key)

--------------------------2-4--------------------------
---------------------2-4-------------------------------
----------------1-4------------------------------------
-----------1-4-----------------------------------------
------2-4----------------------------------------------
-2-4---------------------------------------------------


EXAMPLES OF 1ST AND 2ND FRET WITH RUN 1

RUN 1 - 2nd fret Key of A (whole notes or keys don't have associated key)
 
--------------------------2-5--------------------------
---------------------2-5-------------------------------
----------------2-4------------------------------------
-----------2-4-----------------------------------------
------2-4----------------------------------------------
-2-5---------------------------------------------------

RUN 1 - 1st fret  Key of Ab and\or G#

--------------------------1-4--------------------------
---------------------1-4-------------------------------
----------------1-3------------------------------------
-----------1-3-----------------------------------------
------1-3----------------------------------------------
-1-4---------------------------------------------------