Welcome
to the SDML Awards for Guitar Excellence here at Skinny Devil Music Lab
- the web-home of award-winning guitarist & instructor David M. McLean.
Soon, we will be able to converse so that I might better guide you on your
journey through the Music Lab, but for now, enjoy...
Line
drawing (from photo) of David's dynamic duo Alien
Blue.
David
on-stage, summer 2005.
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Awards for Guitar Excellence
Purpose
To
award outstanding commitment to the guitar to advanced & advancing
guitarists outside of the traditional popularity contests of polls
and corporeal awards programs. Additionally, to provide an instructional
resource for players so that they might make practice time more productive,
and to teachers to use as a resource.
We
hope to do this by establishing objective criteria by which guitarists
can assess their playing skills and musical knowledge, and by which others
can understand at least the technical foundations of a player's abilities.
While technique is hardly an indicator of great musicianship, it is a pre-requisite
to certain types of advanced level artistic expression with the guitar.
Winner
responsibilities
The
only responsibility is honest assessment (see under "Criteria")
and credited display. That is to say: 1)
when you post the graphic on your web-site, please provide a link back
to "http://www.skinnydevil.com" with the award graphic. 2)
If you use the graphic on any hard-copy promotional items, please place
a small notice including the URL in small print. 3)
Please contact
us with your e-mail address, URL, & award level so that we can build
an "Award Winners" page.
It
might also be advisable to post the date you secure each level to better
mark your progress, and to provide inspiration to others.
Criteria
The
is criteria listed below for each level. These are self-awarded, so you're
on the honor system. Please do not diminish the value of the award by posting
an award whose criteria you have not yet met. Criteria is expressed in
"short-hand". For detailed description of the below concepts, please refer
to the free lesson "Player
Fundamentals". A detailed book and DVD series will be offered in the
near future (details on the "merchandise" page).
Et
Cetera
1)
Images
below are constrained at 109x110, but actual size is 150x151. You may display
the award at any size you please, but please do not alter it in any way.
2)
Be
sure to visit the AGE Awards Bronze
Shop, Silver
Shop, Gold
Shop, and Platinum
Shop for T-shirts, stickers, and more.
Level
1- Bronze
Scales/Arpeggios
* C-Major scale in open position played at 60bpm
* Pentatonic minor scale in A (5th position 2NPS pattern) at 60bpm
Chords
* All major and minor open position chord shapes (C A G E D Am Dm Em)
* All dom-7 open chords (A7 B7 C7 D7 E7 G7)
* All minor-7 open chords (Am7 Bm7 Dm7 Em7)
* Basic powerchord shape and inverted powerchord shape
Techniques
fingerstyle patterns - basic grasp of 3 picking
patterns
picking patterns - basic grasp of 3 picking
patterns
picking - basic grasp of down, up, alternate,
& economy picking
touchstyle - basic grasp of pick-hand "tapping"
slurs (hammer-ons/pull-offs) - basic grasp
of slur technique
slides - ability to slide single notes (7
frets) & chords (5 frets)
vibrato - basic grasp of both vertical (bend)
& horizontal (stretch) techniques
harmonics - basic grasp of fret 12, 7, &
5 harmonics
Songs
strum
songs - 5 basic sing-along songs
solo guitar - 1 song for unaccompanied guitar
(any style)
Improvisation
improv over basic 12-bar blues at moderate pace in 2 keys
(memorize all notes on fretboard, open to fret 12)
Level 2 - Silver
As
above, plus...
Scales/Arpeggios
* C-Major scale in all 7 positions (3NPS patterns; 2 octaves) played at
80bpm
* Pentatonic minor in A, all 5 box shapes (2NPS, 2 octaves) at 80bpm
*
2 major & 2 minor arpeggio shapes (2 octaves)
*
basic understanding of modes
*
chromatic scale
Chords
* All above triads chords played in all positions
*
2 movable shapes for all above dom-7 & minor-7 chords
*
common chords Cadd9 (w/ anchor chord sets), and all sus-2 & sus-4 chords
*
All major-7 chords
*
standard sus-2/sus-4 style embellishments
*
basic understanding of chord construction
Songs
strum
songs - 10 songs (total)
solo
guitar - 2 songs (total)
Improvisation
* Improv over basic blues at 3 speeds in 5 keys
* Improv over 2 basic grooves (any style) using C major & A pentatonic
minor
Level
3 - Gold 
As
above, plus...
Scales/Arpeggios
* All above at 100 bpm
* Blues scale in basic 5 box patterns (2 octaves) at 80bpm
* C-Major & A pentatonic minor scales on each string (open to fret
12)
* 1 dom-7 & 1 minor-7 arpeggio shape (2 octaves)
Chords
* Major 7 chords in 2 movable shapes
* open minor/major-7 chords
* minor/major-7 chords in 2 movable shapes
* diminished & augmented chords
* "Hendrix" #9 chord
Songs
strum
songs - 15 songs (total)
solo
guitar - 3 songs (total)
Improvisation
Improv over blues using pentatonic or blues scale in any key (major or
minor)
Improv over any basic groove using major scale (or modes) in any key
Level 4 - Platinum
As
above, plus...
Scales/Arpeggios
* All above at 120bpm (except single string scales)
*
C-major & A pentatonic minor scales on each string (open to last fret)
at 80bpm
* whole-tone, diminished, melodic, & harmonic minor at 80bpm
*
1 augmented & 1 diminished arpeggio shape (2 octaves)
Chords
* diminished-7 & half-diminished-7 chord shapes
* 2 moveable shapes for 9th chords
Songs
strum
songs - 20 songs (total)
solo
guitar - 5 songs (total)
Improvisation
basic improv using whole-tone, diminished, melodic, & harmonic minor
(or modes)
This
project is offered FREE
of charge as are many projects from Skinny Devil Music Lab. Please consider
leaving a small tip to help support all past & future projects here.
Thanx!
To support
these & other projects, feel free to leave tip!
Pay-Pal Tip-Jar
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cards; checking account; or a PayPal account. Just click the button below.
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