Chord-Scale Theory and Linear Harmony for Guitar Book by Jonathan Pac Cantin

[JonnyPac]

Greetings!

I first released what I now call the "beta version" of Chord-Scale Theory and Linear Harmony for Guitar in late 2010. It was based on over a decade of private study and self-education. I created and compiled many diagrams and charts for myself and my students that illustrated various ways of thinking about the fretboard that allow for both a deep understanding of the underlying elements, and some useful tips for "thinking on the fly" in improvisation-based situations.

I found that the central concepts of "chord-scale theory" are not only applicable to jazz, but most current genres (rock, pop, indie, folk, country, etc). Therefore, I consider chord-scale theory to be as much of a "rock theory" or "country theory" as it is a "jazz theory" (from which it was originally based). Chord-scale theory has no particular "sound" of its own, yet it can be employed to create (or recreate) the characteristic sounds of any modern genre. As a compositional tool, it can be a very inspiring approach with which one can create progressions, arrangements, and complete songs in functional or modal frameworks. As an improvisational tool, it allows for one to think of "pools of notes" (and subsequent tonal hierarchies) from which one can readily choose the "right" notes and voicings in real-time.

Chord-scale theory often takes a "big picture" view, seeing chords (especially large extended ones) and scales (subsets) as two forms of the same thing. Though this view is valid enough, it tends to leave a lack of explanation regarding some of the gritty details evident in all styles of music. Many of these details are better explained via "linear harmony"- the study of harmony and melody in motion (both elements hugely affected by rhythm and phrasing). This view is an improvement on the static "vertical" analysis of melodies against their corresponding chords. By integrating the "pools of notes" signature of chord-scale theory with the voice-leading, melodic devices, and phrasing addressed in "linear harmony", I am confident that a musician can feel empowered by an understanding that can guide his/her intuition to a high level of creative self-expression.

After the initial release of the book, I received a lot of very positive feedback on my work, and enjoyed corresponding with the readers who felt inclined to write. Around the same time, I also began to run into some veteran "CST haters", who heatedly discussed the oversights and pitfalls of the certain prominent educators in the field of chord-scale theory (not me, mind you). At first, I was taken aback, but soon learned to see it as an opportunity to refine my own understanding and book for the better. I began to read countless online articles, blogs, and threads, and studied the works of Bert Ligon, Hal Galper, Robert Rawlins, Matthew Warnock, Keith Waters, and many other contemporary educator/authors who are highly regarded. After a year of reevaluating the "Levine" school of thought (which I originally subscribed to in the year 2000) and some of my own "homegrown" ideas, I feel like I gained a clearer overview of the current "jazz theory zeitgeist" (especially as it relates to the guitarist community). With this mindset, and the expert assistance of Jeff Brent (musician/educator and author of Modalogy), I fully edited and revised my book to meet the needs and high standards of the modern student to the best of my ability.

The book is designed primarily for the layman interested in self-study. It is written in a friendly easy-to-follow manner made for practical application. There are combinations of fretboard diagrams, charts, guitar TAB, and notation on almost every page. It is also set up well for use as a quick reference book for those already savvy with the material.

I print the book in small quantities, and ship orders as quickly as possible. The above-mentioned fully revised edition is shipping and available for download now. I will do my absolute best to ensure buyers a quality product. Customers are free to contact me if they have any customer-service needs or other questions. Upon request, I will gladly send the newly revised edition to any customers who bought the book prior to 2012 with a proof of purchase.

Thanks, and best wishes!

jonnypac.weebly.com

http://amzn.com/0615431119



Included in this Book:

• Fretboard Notes and Intervals
• Building Scales and Modes
• Building Chords from Modes
• Tonal Hierarchies within Chord-Scales
• “Inside” Chord-Scale Choices
• Hexatonic and Pentatonic Scales
• The Harmonic Minor Scale
• The Phrygian Dominant Mode
• The Melodic Minor Modes and Harmony
• The Dominant Diminished Scale and Harmony
• The Whole-Tone Scale and Harmony
• Triads and Inversions on the Fretboard
• Polychords and Slash Chords
• “So What” and Quartal Harmony
• Upper-Structure Partial Chord Voicings
• Chord Progressions and Cadences
• 12 Bar Blues and Rhythm Changes
• The Circle of 4ths and Key Signatures
• Neighboring and Parallel Keys
• Secondary Dominants and Back-Cycling
• Borrowed Chords and Modal Interchange
• Substitution and Reharmonization
• Linear Harmony and Melodic Devices
• How to Build and Connect Basic Outlines
• Melodic Embellishment Devices
• Adding Harmony Lines to Melodies
• And Much More!

(Prerequisite: Basic Music Theory)

[JonnyPac]

I finally made a PDF E-Book out of Chord-Scale Theory and Linear Harmony for Guitar: Creative Tools for Improvisation and Composition in Contemporary Music by Jonathan Pac Cantin (JonnyPac).

I released the self-published comb-bound book in 2010 and then spent all of 2011 revising the details. I have done a lot of homework since I started! After many conversations and (sometimes heated) debates here and on other forums, reading all of Bert Ligons epic works, Hal Galper's Forward Motion, Robert Rawlin's Jazzology, and many other theory books, ebooks, and blogs (especially those by Matt Warnock) I gained better understanding of the current views on CST and music theory (performance-based "jazz theory"). I had to un-Levine myself many times and see his work for what it is, and encompass other "better" views on certain controversial subjects. Overall I have a much deeper understanding and my revised book reflects that.

I do wish to thank all of you who gave input and constructive criticisms over the last year- I'm sure I'll be leaning more- it never ends! Special thanks to Dogbite and Jeff Brent.

The PDF book is just $7.95USD via Paypal. I am totally willing to trade it for reviews too. Matt Warnock posted this today on Guitar International:

http://guitarinternational.com/2011/...r-book-review/

With the explosion of guitar books over the past two decades, first in hard-copy form and now through the ebook phenomenon, it is harder than ever for guitarists to sift through all of the material available to them and choose a good book to dig into in the practice room. While some books are aimed at specific genres such as metal licks or blues chords, playing in the style of your favorite player or learning a certain technique such as tapping or fingerpicking, one of the most popular formats has been and is still the “umbrella” approach to teaching in book form. With this approach, the author takes a look at a larger concept, while also spending time on a number of smaller techniques and sub-concepts that fit under the overall theme of the book. Writer, guitarist and composer Jonny Cantin has taken this approach with his in-depth volume Chord-Scale Theory and Linear Harmony for Guitar, and the resulting book is a well-written, detailed look at many of the harmonic and melodic concepts that any guitarist needs to raise their playing to the next level.

The book starts with an introduction to the material, which is easy to follow and highly informative, before laying out explanations of the symbols and diagrams to be used in the book’s musical examples. Here, and throughout the book, there is a good amount of musical theory present. Cantin has approached this material with a mix of teaching theoretical knowledge alongside performance based material, explaining everything he lays out on the fretboard along the way. Because of this, anyone who works through this book will wind up with not only a better understanding of this material on the guitar, but also how it all relates to the larger context of music in general.

One of the main reasons that this book is worth the sticker price, besides the well-explained concepts, is the sheer amount of material present in the book. Cantin, using the umbrella approach to writing, uses the larger concept of Chord Scale Theory to dig into a wide range of topics, including:

* Intervals
* Major Scales
* Melodic Minor Scales
* Diminished Scales
* Whole-Tone Scales
* Harmonized Scales With Triads
* Harmonized Scales with Four-Note Chords
* Common Chord Progressions
* Chord Substitutions
* Reharmonization
* Chord Shapes and Voicings
* Chord Synonyms

This is not even a full list of all of the concepts and material present in the book, so at $7.95 for the ebook and $19.95 for the hard copy, this book is a bargain for the amount of knowledge one can garner from working through this material.

That raises one of the big questions that many students bring up when purchasing a new book, especially one with this wide a range of material, “Do I need a teacher to work through this book properly?” The answer to that question depends on the student. After reading the book and going through the musical examples, I would say that any intermediate or advanced beginner would be able to go through this material on their own. But, since there is a good amount of music theory involved in the book, if you do have a teacher it would be a good idea to bring this book to your lessons to work on together, just to make sure that you are following the material correctly and it lines up what you are already doing in your lessons.

Overall, Chord-Scale Theory and Linear Harmony for Guitar is a well-written, in-depth study of diatonic harmony and common chord progressions/substitutions. By integrating scale theory into the material, Cantin has covered all the bases, providing a one-stop volume of chords, scales and harmonic material. There is a good amount of theory present, which the author is not trying to hide, so if you are a bit shaky on your music theory you might want to work through this material with your teacher, or at least brush up on your theory chops if you get lost here and there in the book.

Both the ebook and hard copy version are properly priced and come in an nice, easy to read format that would make a welcomed addition to the home-library of any guitarist looking to dig deeper into harmonic and melodic concepts.

-Matt Warnock, Jazz Guitarist, Publisher and Music Educator
Author of 30 Days to Better Jazz Guitar

Orders and more info: http://jonnypac.weebly.com/index.html

[JonnyPac]

The download via ejunke is all set up to take Paypal and credit cards now:

http://jonnypac.weebly.com/download-...-the-book.html

[JonnyPac]

"Chord-Scale Theory and Linear Harmony for Guitar is a complete guide for the intermediate to advanced guitarist, including extensive fretboard diagrams of scales and arpeggios as well as thorough explanations of tertiary and quartal harmony. For teachers and students alike, this book will prove a valuable addition to any guitarists curriculum."

-Schell Barkley (aka Dogbite), co-author of Modalogy, and author of The Scale Book

[JonnyPac]

I just released a bunch of new video lessons! Check them out here!

http://jonnypac.weebly.com/free-video-lessons.html

[JonnyPac]

• Improved layouts and graphics
• New footnotes
• 2 New Pages
• New/revised text
• New pictures
• Typos eliminated
• Edited by Jeff Brent

[JonnyPac]

[JonnyPac]

Hard copies in stock and e-book ready for download! Sing on over to my site!

Cheers,

[JonnyPac]

The hard copies are now ring-bound instead of comb-bound. They open easier and hold up better.

[JonnyPac]

I am offering my e-book community for a reduced price for a limited time. All May and June 2012 it will be $4.95 (usually $7.95 or more elsewhere) via this "secret" link. You can you Paypal or credit cards. The 50MB DL is easy via ejunkie service.

http://www.e-junkie.com/193761/product/476501.php

[JonnyPac]

Summer deal is over, but it is still affordable at $7.95.

http://jonnypac.weebly.com/download-...-the-book.html