rockstarter guitar - rockstar mind — rockstar mind€¦ · rockstarter guitar steve ... first let...

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PRESENTS

TRAINING MANUAL

(aka “Play Guitar In 30 Minutes!”)RockStarter Guitar

Steve Mastroianni (aka VØID)

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Published by Rockstar Mindhttp://www.ROCKSTARMIND.com

Copyright © 2014 Rockstar Mind. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be re-produced in any form or by any means, without written permission from the publisher.


(aka “Play Guitar In 30 Minutes!”)RockStarter Guitar

http://www.rockstarmind.com

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1It’s Time To Jam!

2How To Be A Rockstar

3Let’s Get Started!

4Chapter One:

How The Guitar Works

8Chapter Two:

Hey! That Sounds Like Music! (Part 1)

17Chapter Three:

Hey! That Sounds Like Music! (Part 2)

25Tips & Tricks

26Conclusion

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Hi! I’m Steve Mastroianni (aka VØID) and welcome to RockStarter Guitar!

I love to jam and I’m excited to jam with you. First let me give you a little background about myself….

I’ve always been obsessed with learning new skills and the ONE skill that brought me the craziest adventures in my life and opened the door to countless oppourtunities has been the guitar.

It allowed me to travel the world with my band The Envy, tour with HUGE acts such as KISS, Hinder, and Finger Eleven, appear on TV and radio, and even get hired to play with my childhood favourite band Our Lady Peace. Boyhood dream = reality!

So why make a course about playing guitar?

Well, the short answer is: I live for this stuff! The longer answer is that while I was on tour with KISS, I had THOUSANDS of people approaching me for guitar tips and when I found out that they couldn’t even play a single note, I had to do something about it.

I ended up inviting a bunch of fans back to the bus and taught them a lesson, they wouldn’t soon forget (lol...get your head out of the gutter guys). This was a Guitar Masterclass like no other and it LITERALLY transformed them into guitar players in less than 30 minutes!

This is the same lesson I taught them, so I hope you enjoy it!

Here’s to your success,


It’s Time To Jam!

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Sometimes I hear that people quit because their fingers hurt. This is easily fixed by buying lighter

Strings and having a good method. You take care of the first one and I’ll take care of the rest!

“My Fingers Hurt”

There’s a certain thing that makes a Rockstar Mind and after finishing this course, I GUARANTEE that you’ll have one for yourself. You see, most people out there quit. They just have no clue what they’re doing, but luckily for you, you know me and you’ve got this book in your hands. I’ve got you covered.

And if you’ve tried guitar before and quit, no problem!

I can’t tell you how many teachers are $%#ing this stuff up. It really grinds my gears how they’re crushing the dreams of people who are so inspired and ready to learn. You ask for Nirvana and the teacher gives you “Mary Had A Little Lamb”. You ask for a few chords to play your favourite Coldplay songs and instead you’re sold a few books on music theory and learning notes. What the??? This is NOT cool!!!

Rest assured that with this course you’ll be playing REAL guitar REAL soon. This is because I’m committed to creating more Success

Stories than ever before, and I want you to be the next one.All you have to do is follow the instructions Step-by-Step and you’ll be strumming away in no time!

And remember, these are the same EXACT secrets that both me and my clients used to bring our dreams of

playing guitar to life, so I hope you enjoy them. Now let’s get started...

How To Be A Rockstar

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What You Will Need

- an acoustic or electric guitar with 6 Strings (in Standard ‘EADGBE’ tuning) - a guitar pick - no other prior knowledge of guitar necessary

This manual will give you everything you need to get comfortable with playing the guitar in approximately 30 minutes. It is full of ONLY the bare essentials, so that you will be able to play the guitar confidently as if you’ve been taking lessons for months (and you’ll Understand what you’re playing!).

Just like you learned how to speak before you learned how to read and write, you are going to PLAY the guitar first and then fill in the blanks later (no reading music necessary).

Sound good? Ok, let’s talk about how the guitar works.

Let’s Get Started!

All examples are explained with a right-handed guitar. If you are left-handed, then it all still applies to you (everytime I say “right hand” think “left hand” and vice-versa).

Right-Hand, Man

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Chapter One

• How The Guitar Works •

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Ok, so before we get into playing the guitar, I’m going to show you the basics to make sure we are speaking the same language.First, we have 6 Strings that are counted UPSIDE DOWN starting from the bottom:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and NOT the top 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Use the Pick to play each example.

At this point, you may be wondering, “But how do I hold the Pick? And am I picking the Strings properly???”

This is perfectly normal. My philosophy is do what feels natural now and we’ll tweak later. The most important part right now is learning how the guitar works. Tweaking the rest will be easy.

The Strings

“But wait a second...”

Ex. 3 - Play String 2

Ex. 1 - Correct Order

Ex. 4 - Play String 5 Ex. 5 - Play String 3

Ex. 2 - Incorrect Order

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Ok, next we have these thin metal pieces called ‘Frets’. What’s a Fret???

The Frets

Frets are used to play different notes on the guitar. The main rule of thumb that I want you to remember is that we PRESS DOWN THE STRING AS CLOSE TO THE Fret AS POSSIBLE! I’ll keep reminding you about this because you WILL forget.

The reason we play before the Fret is because that’s where the clearest sound lives. If you play on the Fret, it will sound muffled and if you play too far back, then it will sound distorted and all cracked up. Here are some visual examples to make it clear:

Ex. 6 - “The Good” - Right beside the Fret

Ex. 8 - “The Ugly” - Too far away from the Fret

Ex. 7 - “The Bad” - On the Fret

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Next, we will press down a certain String and Fret combination with the index fin-ger of the left hand and pick the string with the right hand. This is kind of like how a street address has a number and a street name (123 Fake Street). Let’s play a few*:

Ex. 9 - Play Fret 3 on String 1



*For Righties, the diagrams on the page are inREVERSE from what you’ll see on your guitar.For Lefties they’re a mirror image, so look closely.

Finger: - index

Finger: - index

Finger: - index

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Chapter Two

• Hey! That Sounds Like Music •

(Part 1)

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Is all of this pretty easy so far? Ok, cool. Now check out this last one...

Play the two notes individually to make sure both are clear. First play String 6 (Open) and while that’s still ringing, play String 5 (your index finger is still on Fret 2, right?).

Your First Chord

An ‘Open String’ is a String that is played without a Fret pressed down.

New Term - ‘Open String’


Ex. 13 - Play String 6

Ex. 14 - Play String 6 Ex. 15 - Play String 5

Hold this position and play String 6 which has no Fret being held down. When you play a String without a Fret it is called an ‘Open String’.

Finger: - index

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Once you confirm that both notes are ringing clearly, I want you to play both Strings 6 and 5 at the same time.

If all went well, then you’ve just played your first Chord! Congratulations!You are THAT much closer to taking the stage.

Guitar Chords are made up of 2-6 notes played at the same time.

Core Concept

Ex. 16 - Play String 6 and String 5

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A Couple More For Ya...If you’d like to play around with a couple of other chords like this one, then drop the index finger to Fret 2 on String 4 and drop the pick to String 5 (which is now Open) and repeat the process.

First play String 5 (Open) and while that’s still ringing, play String 4 (index finger is now on Fret 2). Once you confirm that both notes are ringing clearly, play both String 5 and 4 at the same time.

If all went well, then you’ve just played your second Chord! Awesome! Wanna play one more?

This next one is really easy. Just repeat the process again by moving one String down.

The Correct answer is on the next page. Let’s see how you did...



Finger: - index

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Do You See The Pattern?

Play “Back In Black”Believe it or not, these 3 Chords will give you

access to TONS of Rock songs, including AC/DC’s “Back In Black”! If you don’t believe me, then check out the video entitled “Back In Black”.

Drop the index finger to Fret 2 on String 3 and drop the pick to String 4 (which is now Open) and repeat the process.

First play String 4 (open) and while that’s still ringing, play String 3 (index finger is now on Fret 2). Once you confirm that both notes are ringing clearly, play both String 4 and 3 at the same time. If all went well, then you’ve just played your third Chord! You’re killing it!



Finger: - index

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Alright, now that we have our two note chord, we are going to keep expanding it. Let’s go back to pressing down Fret 2 on String 5 with the index finger (AS CLOSE TO THE METAL Fret AS POSSIBLE, RIGHT??? :P).

Next, I want you to place the middle finger underneath the index finger on Fret 2 on String 4. This presents a bit of a problem: If you’re following my instructions and are playing as close to the Fret as possible, then the middle finger probably won’t fit. This is because the rule doesn’t say ALWAYS PRESS RIGHT UP AGAINST THE Fret. It says PRESS AS CLOSE TO THE Fret AS POSSIBLE. So that means if you have to move your index over a bit to fit your middle finger, then so be it.

Your middle finger will now be right beside the Fret (Fret 2). As long as the index finger is as close to the Fret as possible, you will still get a clear sound.

Those Are Cool, But This Is Cooler


Ex. 22 - Play Fret 2 on String 5 and Fret 2 on String 4

Finger: - index

Finger: - index - middle

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Side Note

Once you have both fingers pressed down, I want you to play String 6 (Open) to make sure it’s clear. If it is, then play String 5 (index finger on Fret 2) and make sure it’s clear. If it is, then play String 4 (middle finger on Fret 2) and make sure it’s clear. Once you confirm that all 3 notes are clear, then you can play all 3 Strings (6, 5, and 4) at the same time. This process of testing each string and then strumming works wonders!

Now you’re ready to play the full version of this chord.

You can also play this chord using the middle finger on Fret 2 on String

5 and ring finger on Fret 2 on String 4 if it’s more comfortable. Try it.

Ex. 23 - Play String 6, String 5, and String 4

Ex. 24 - Press Fret 2 on String 5 and Fret 2 on String 4

Finger: - middle - ring

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To complete this section, I want you to press down the two notes like before, but this time you will make sure that all 6 Strings are ringing clearly. That means that String 6, 3, 2, and 1 are all Open and the only two you are pressing down are String 5 and 4.

Start by testing String 6 (Open) and make sure it’s ringing. If it is, then work your way down, one String at a time. If a String isn’t clear, then SLIGHTLY adjust your fingers and start from the top to make sure nothing else was affected.

Guitar is a game of millimeters, so even a little movement can have a big impact. I want you to continue this testing process all the way to String 1 (Open) and if there are any mistakes or dead sounding notes, then adjust the fingers a bit and start again from String 6.

You’re Going To Love This!

*Test each string to make sure it’s clear.

Ex. 25 - Press Fret 2 on String 5 and Fret 2 on String 4

Ex. 26 - Play Strings 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1


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Side Note

The main problem that I see is with String 3 because the underside of the middle finger can easily block it. No need to worry. Just work on those slight adjustments and you’ll have all 6 Strings ringing clearly in no time.

Once you do, then strum all 6 Strings (as if sweeping a broom across the Strings) and enjoy the glory that is the ‘E minor chord’.

At this point, it’s not important to know the name of this chord, just that you can play it clearly. I could call it ‘potatoes’ and you would have the same result, so focus on the sound first and the rest will be a breeze.

When you play more than one String with the pick, it is called ‘Strumming’. We ‘pick’ individual Strings and ‘strum’ chords.

New Term - ‘Strumming’

*Play all 6 strings at once.

Ex. 27 - Strum Strings 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1

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Chapter Three

• Hey! That Sounds Like Music •

(Part 2)

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Since strumming the E minor chord once is probably getting old by now, the next step is to play a more interesting pattern. These are called (you guessed it) ‘Strumming Patterns’.

The best part about learning Strumming Patterns is that they can be applied to SO many songs and the pattern that I’m going to teach you today is definitely the most common one I’ve ever run into. So give your left hand a break and let’s talk about Strumming.

Strumming Patterns

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Have you ever seen a guitarist playing acoustic guitar and it looks like their hand is just going Down and Up and Down and Up over and over again?

This smooth, flowing motion is what I like to call ‘The Flow’. It looks natural, and not robotic. AS LONG AS YOU KEEP THE FLOW GOING WHEN YOU STRUM, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO PLAY ALMOST ANY STRUMMING PATTERN THAT COMES YOUR WAY.

The reason why it looks like they’re always playing Down and Up and Down and Up, etc. is because we can’t see them missing the Strings from our perspective. Check out the video “The Flow” to see how my strumming always looks the same, but sounds different.

The Flow consists of two moves: a Downstroke and an Upstroke.

Play all 6 Strings with a Downstroke. Now play all 6 Strings with an Upstroke. Since you aren’t holding down the E minor anymore, the Open Strings you just played don’t really sound good together and can be distracting, so let’s fix that by relaxing your left hand and placing your fingers on the Strings without pressing them down.

The Flow

3 Jobs For The Left Hand

1. Not pressing the String.2. Muffling (touching) the String.

3. Pressing the String.

This light touch on the Strings is called ‘Muffling’ and will let us focus on the Strumming Pattern. If you hear any notes when you strum, then you are either pressing too hard or you aren’t covering all 6 Strings. Just relax!

Ex. 28 - Lightly cover all 6 Strings

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Next, I’ll tell you a little more about the two types of strokes we use so you can understand Rhythm and The Flow a little better.

Downstrokes live in ‘The World Of Numbers’. What the hell does that mean? It means that saying “Down Down Down Down” is the same as saying “1 2 3 4”.A lot of Rock music uses steady Downstrokes.

Upstrokes live in ‘The World Of And’. Ok, that just sounds ridiculous. Just bare with me for a sec.

If Downstrokes represent 1, 2, 3, 4, then we have to represent Upstrokes in some way. In music, we usually don’t count higher than 4 numbers at a time (“1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.”), so if we want to represent something other than numbers, we have to say “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and”. This will have the same sound

as “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8”, but it’s so much easier to follow.(Even if this doesn’t make much sense right now, it’s okay. You’ll

understand when you start playing/counting).

If all of that went well, then play all 8 strokes DownUpDownUpDownUpDownUp and say “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and” out loud to really connect those two concepts.

Opposite Worlds

Ex. 29 - Play 4 Downstrokes in a row

Say: “1 2 3 4”

Ex. 30 - Play 4 Upstrokes in a row

Say: “and and and and”

Say: “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and”

Ex. 31 - Alternate Downstrokes and Upstrokes

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We have been speaking our whole lives and only playing guitar for a short time, so let’s use our stronger skill (our voice) to lead our weaker skill (our strumming). This way, you will know for sure that you’re playing the right stroke.

This will also help you know when you’re playing the wrong stroke. It always feels like a weird glitch when you SAY “Down” and PLAY Up. I see a lot of people making this playing mistake, but they never notice because they don’t say the stroke out loud.

Trust me. This works!

Pro Tip: Using Your Voice

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If there’s one pattern that’ll give you the most bang for your buck, it’s this one. Not only is it the exact pattern of many Classic songs, but it will also allow you to play along with TONS more since most songs follow the same rules.

So muffle those Strings with your left hand and let’s get started.

Next, play two Downstrokes and two Upstrokes. What did it sound like? Was your right hand still flowing or did it freeze before the Upstrokes started? This is a common mistake. Two Downs and two Ups shouldn’t sound like 4 Downs in a row (“1 2 3 4”).

To fix this, we will pretend that we have 3 words:

1. “Down” 2. “DownUp” 3. “Up”

Say the three words in a row. Do you notice how the “DownUp” go right into each other? Now look at your right hand tell it to play “Down DownUp Up”. See how your hand flows again? Ok, let’s move on...

The Golden Pattern

Downs and Ups shouldn’t be evenly spaced.

We have to shift the Ups closer to the Downs.

Ex. 32 - Play two Downstrokes

Ex. 33 - Play two Downstrokes and two Upstrokes

Ex. 34

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Now we’re going to add a Downstroke after the last Upstroke we played. To make this easier, we’ll modify #3 with another bizarro word: UpDown. So we have:

1. “Down” 2. “DownUp” 3. “UpDown”

Once again, say it first and then say it and play it while looking at your right hand. You’re almost there.

Now we’re going to modify the third word yet again. This time, it’s “UpDownUp”.

1. “Down” 2. “DownUp” 3. “UpDownUp”

Just like before, say the 3 words first and then say it and play it while looking at your right hand. This is your first full Strumming Pattern. Congrats!

Say it + Play it over and over again and you’ll notice how when you get it right, it will look like your hand has more Flow than the Beer Tent at the Warped Tour!

You’re Almost There!

Say: “Down -- DownUp -- UpDown”

Say: “Down -- DownUp -- UpDownUp”


“Down -- DownUp -- UpDownUp”



Ex. 35

Ex. 36

Ex. 37 - Play D DU UDU over and over

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Once you’ve mastered the D DU UDU pattern, I want you to rebuild the E minor chord from Part 1:

Oh mama! Now we’re playing music!

Congratulations! You did it! You now understand more about how the guitar works than most people who have been playing for years!

All Together Now


*Test each string to make sure it’s clear.

Ex. 38 - Test Strings 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1

*Strum all 6 strings at once.

Ex. 39 - Strum Strings 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1

Ex. 40 - Play D DU UDU over E minor


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Practice without a guitarYou can practice this pattern ANYWHERE by just saying it over and over out loud: “Down DownUp UpDownUp, Down DownUp UpDownUp, etc.” or “D DU UDU, D DU UDU, etc.”.

The more familiar you are with it in your mind, the faster you will be able to play it with your hands, so make sure to keep looking at your right hand as you say the pattern out loud.Check out the video “Practice Without A Guitar” for details.

Tips & Tricks

Rockstar Mind TricksYou can think of the D DU UDU pattern in 3 ways:

1. A one syllable word (Down), a two syllable word (DownUp),and a three syllable word (UpDownUp).

2. A pattern of two Downs, two Ups, and then opposites (Down and Up).

3. All 8 possible strokes in The Flow minus two strokes(DownUpDownUpDownUpDownUp).

Here are some Tips & Tricks to help you solidify your new guitar skills.

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Wow! Congrats again. You’re a Rockstar in my books! I’m so excited to see where your new guitar skills take you and I hope you are too.

I know you’re hungry for more, so check out the “Rockstar Roadmap” for what you can do next. Also, keep an eye out for the next books in the Series, which will cover everything from easily changing chords, new strumming patterns, and using these tools to learn pretty much ANY song! You will find these and more titles at theOfficial Rockstar Mind Website: www.RockstarMind.com

In the meantime, how about we make a deal?

If you send me a testimonial along with a video of you playingD DU UDU over E minor, then I will send over a special coupon to save 50% off my next product. Just send me a message at: [email protected].

Until then, thanks again for taking the course. I had a blast rocking out with you!

Conclusion

Talk soon,


http://www.rockstarmind.com

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rockstarter guitar - rockstar mind — rockstar mind€¦ · rockstarter guitar steve ... first let...

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