Table of Contents

• Fretboard Foundation
  Practical building blocks for intermediate guitarists. By Jason Grimes.
• Preface
  Why this book exists and who it's for.
• Introduction
  An overview of the topics ahead and how to use this book.
• Part 1: Playing by ear
  • Chapter 1. Anyone can improvise
    Start with a single note, and listen. A few tricks can help, too.
  • Chapter 2. Play on a single string
    The most natural way to find the next note is also the easiest way to move up and down the fretboard.
  • Chapter 3. Play across strings
    Playing across the strings means navigating the guitar's tuning.
  • Chapter 4. Skate around the fretboard
    Ranging freely over the entire instrument.
  • Chapter 5. Chord melody
    Combining chord progressions, melodies, and bass lines.
• Part 2: Chords
  • Chapter 6. Introduction to Western harmony
    A quick overview of the most practical bits of euroclassical harmony.
  • Chapter 7. Practical CAGED grips
    Chord grips for movable CAGED shapes that are actually useful.
  • Chapter 8. Major key harmony
    The basic template of Western music.
  • Chapter 9. Minor key harmony
    A practical approach to minor keys. Relative major and minor, plus the euroclassical "leading tone".
  • Chapter 10. Bass lines
    Tie chord changes together with a smooth bass line.
  • Chapter 11. Seventh chords and drop voicings
    Add a seventh interval to a triad chord to create a little tension. Introducing drop 2 and drop 3 chord voicings.
  • Chapter 12. Shell voicings
    Lightweight seventh chords with just three notes.
  • Chapter 13. Color chords
    Sixth, sus, add, extended, and altered chords provide color and more tension.
  • Chapter 14. Keys and their notes
    Play in any (not every) key.
• Part 3: Scales
  • Chapter 15. Introduction to scales
    Scales are for the brain, not the fingers. Don't play like a robot.
  • Chapter 16. Major scale
    The foundation of Western music for the past 400 years.
  • Chapter 17. Minor scales
    The natural minor scale, with adjustments to degrees 6 and 7 as harmonic and melodic circumstances require.
  • Chapter 18. Diatonic modes
    The seven modes of the major scale describe the tonal environments of the seven diatonic chords in a major key.
  • Chapter 19. Pentatonic and blues scales
    Pentatonic scales are the most commonly used modes in the world outside the euroclassical domain. Blues tonality is related, but goes far beyond "blue notes".
  • Chapter 20. Specialty scales
    A few of the more interesting scales used in jazz and non-Western styles.
• Appendix A: Notes on the fretboard
  Locating the natural notes on the fretboard, with attention to distinguishing between octaves.
• Appendix B: Reading music for guitar
  A minimal introduction to understanding music staff notation for guitar.
• References
• Glossary
• About the author
  Jason Grimes is just some guy who plays guitar.