mickey baker's course book chords

[thrush40]

Hi all,

I got this book (as requested) as a Christmas gift from my spouse. Just into lesson one and I have some questions for those of you familiar with his book.

Now, I already know a lot of the familiar chord "grips" and I am used to putting most of the extensions on top of the chord. Baker is putting the chord extensions in the bass, which seems really weird to me. For example his first instance of a 13b5b9 has the chord built b5, b9, 7, 3, 13. Is this type of grip used much in really playing? It's also a devilish stretch on my nylon string guitar.

Also, he's really into spelling chords major chords as b5 vs #11. Is this to reduce confusion for beginners? His first example of a b5 chord has the b5 in the base on the E string (b5, 3, 7 root). It's the same fingering as my usual grip for b5/#11 chord spelled root, 7, 3, b5/#11. So his example of D7b5 is exactly my grip for Ab#11.

Is he going to be upset, if I don't follow the program? My intention IS to follow his program. At the very least, it should make me think about the chords a little differently.

What do you think?

[ten left thumbs]

I don't think Mikey did anything to reduce confusion in beginners. Sorry not to be of more help.

[Dad3353]

Good evening, thrush40...

I'm no expert, but I don't think it's a good idea to 'theorise' too much with the MB books. My impression is that he's putting into your hands the things that worked for him, after many years of playing. For the 13b5b9 example, for instance, he's using the 6th string as a descending chromatic bass, and I'm not sure that the notion of 'extension' came into the equation. It's just the right note to play when going from A to G.
As for the chord names, he does briefly mention that many fingering can have different names, depending on what the root is, in context. Personally I don't give a hoot as to what it's called when playing; only if wanting to analyse would one really decide which name is suitable. As to 5 v 11, it's purely a matter of convention, it seems; it certainly has no effect on how I play any particular note. There's a French expression that comes to mind: In the dark, all cats are grey...
Hope this helps (a little...); others will correct as necessary, I'm sure.

[Drumbler]

I modified chord 7 like this.



------7---------------------------------------
------7---------------------------------------
------7---------------------------------------
------x---------------------------------------
------5---------------------------------------
------3---------------------------------------



I highly doubt Baker even wrote his course. His background makes it doubtful. He grew up in a brothel. There are indications he copped most of the material from a respected guitar teacher he knew.

It's best to not think too much about the why's. Things become clearer in time.

[thrush40]

Yeah, chord seven is a real bear. I can't reach that at all on my classical. Haven't tried the voicing yet on my other guitars.

I get the descending bass thing. It just seems odd in a the context of a first lesson to be putting extensions in the bottom of the chord.

Thanks for the replies!

[brad4d8]

Originally Posted by thrush40

It just seems odd in a the context of a first lesson to be putting extensions in the bottom of the chord.

Thanks for the replies!

As somebody else said, I wouldn't pay much attention to where the extensions are and what the name he applies is, many chords have different names in different uses.I would think of lesson one here as more of a pre-lesson one lesson. IMO, the meat of the book starts with lesson two, and after that he gradually adds all the chords from lesson one. Just my 2 cents.
Brad

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

Originally Posted by thrush40

I get the descending bass thing. It just seems odd in a the context of a first lesson to be putting extensions in the bottom of the chord.

Thanks for the replies!

It makes more sense if you think of it as a tritone substitution, but that just makes it even more misplaced in a first lesson.

I think of
46x577
35x477
as Mickey's "money shot".

[Help!I'maRock!]

I just started the Mickey Baker book myself, as a respite from the Berklee Method. I admit to not learning all of the chords in lesson 1. Honestly, I only learned the chords necessary to play lesson 2. And it seems that he doesn't stray from chords 1-6 until Lesson 6. In that lesson, he introduces about 900 new chords, so we'll have our work cut out for us.

I'm currently playing lessons 3 and 4. For the moment, I'm only doing the "standard" progressions to get used to them. Then, once I've got them under my fingers, I'll move to the "new" progressions so the changes make more sense.

[Dad3353]

Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles

...
I think of
46x577
35x477
as Mickey's "money shot".

Spot on, BDLH, that's exactly what it boils down to (...but what a 'shot'..!).

Just for the record... I picked up MB with my very first guitar, a Russian 'classical' flat bolt-on neck, steel strung. Needless to say, I had some difficulty with these chords (I knew no better then...) and bloodied my fingers for weeks.
In fact, you don't need to play all the strings together to get the effect. Just the uppers, then follow on with the 6th alone, and the essential is there. Don't try to play this as a classical chord, with all the notes individually sounding 'clear'. Fluff it, it will work. One may also start further up the neck (10th fret, for instance...), and gradually come down as the stretch becomes more comfortable. It doesn't come in a day, but faster than you might think. Again, don't 'over-think' this stuff; just play as best as possible (less than perfect is acceptable sometimes...), and it will all come out in the wash.
It's taken me 40 years so far (but then again, I'm slow... ); I'm pretty certain that you all can do better. Just don't give up; it's all there...

[Al_F]

I'm at lesson 12. that chord gets easier of course as time passes. I love this chord, what color!

[Billnc]

MB's little course is one I'm using to review and get back into guitar. I know my theory well. His book is best used when you just do what it says with little analyzing. It's probably one of the most fun books I've ever used (I'm pretty much done). It's not a treatise on theory (if it is it's a bad one!) just things you can use and they do work.

It does sound like 50's jazz, not a bad thing. But I agree, it's not a complete beginner course. You have to be able to play at an intermediate level before tackling it.

[Help!I'maRock!]

here's my shot at the last two lines of Lesson 4, in F (which really makes it Lesson 5). I added an Fma7 at the end so it could resolve. it's slow, only 60bpm, but hey, those changes at the end are a killer.

http://db.tt/TclOxNiD