Barry Galbraith #1 Fingerboard Workbook

**MarkRhodes** · 09-27-2014, 09:41 AM

>>>A logical, cohesive method of sliding, slurring and positioning of the fingers on exercises through several Major and Dom. 7th keys. Also covers the Cycle of Fifths and II/V's.<<<<

Jamey Aebersold Jazz: Barry Galbraith - The Fingerboard Workbook

**MarkRhodes** · 09-27-2014, 09:46 AM

Here is one exercise, the F major scale, from the book, via YouTube.

I'm thinking it would do me good to learn that. (That's NOT me playing!)

**kris** · 09-27-2014, 10:22 AM

great book!

**StanG** · 09-27-2014, 10:22 AM

I bought it about ten years ago and recently pulled it out of a pile.

I think it would be well worth it to spend some time with it. The take away would be to ingrain efficient positioning of the fretting hand. the lines are pretty cool also.

I got distracted by David Baker's Daily Bebop scale exercises, which I have been working on every time I practice, but am using the concepts from the Galbraith book, such as moving the first finger back a fret while staying in position, etc.

Reg speaks often of the need to have efficient picking and fingering technique in order to be able to maintain flow and groove at what are your high tempos.

**MarkRhodes** · 09-27-2014, 10:40 AM

Thanks, guys. I agree with StanG that it is important to ingrain efficient positioning of the fretting hand.

I realize now that, while growing up, I learned from a hodgepodge of sources. That isn't a bad thing, but I realized that I had developed habits from different fingering approaches and that when I wanted to mix something from Source A with something from Source B, I hit snags because (in a manner of speaking) my fingers were confused about which one was supposed to play what.

From the exercises from the book I've seen played on YouTube vids, the exercises move around the neck quite a bit. I grew up being more of a position player and need to branch out more.

**TheGrandWazoo** · 09-28-2014, 08:27 AM

Huge Barry fan.

I use this book everyday primarily for the exercises in the back (ii-v, V7, etc...) nothing but great licks. I was fortunate enough to have early instruction on proper fingering so the front doesn't do too much for me, by the back is where it's at for some great circle of 5th exercises.

His comping book is excellent as well. Especially if you treat it like excersies. Break sections down to learn his patterns which you can then entrain into your own playing.

**MarkRhodes** · 09-28-2014, 09:19 AM

Originally Posted by TheGrandWazoo

Huge Barry fan.

I use this book everyday primarily for the exercises in the back (ii-v, V7, etc...) nothing but great licks. I was fortunate enough to have early instruction on proper fingering so the front doesn't do too much for me, by the back is where it's at for some great circle of 5th exercises.

His comping book is excellent as well. Especially if you treat it like excersies. Break sections down to learn his patterns which you can then entrain into your own playing.

That's great to know, GW.

I went to a local music shop to pick up a copy yesterday but they were out of stock, so I don't have it yet. But I will soon....

**smokinguit** · 09-28-2014, 11:19 AM

Great book if you're willing to put in the effort. It's a workbook so you have to do a lot of "work" (i.e. pencil, paper, eraser, and trash can kinda work) to learn the neck inside out. I've been working on this book for over a year and it has change me from being intimidated by the fretboard to being able to visualize it with eyes close.

BTW Mark, I love your quotation signatures. I find many of them inspiring. Thanks.

**MarkRhodes** · 09-28-2014, 02:32 PM

Originally Posted by smokinguit

Great book if you're willing to put in the effort. It's a workbook so you have to do a lot of "work" (i.e. pencil, paper, eraser, and trash can kinda work) to learn the neck inside out. I've been working on this book for over a year and it has change me from being intimidated by the fretboard to being able to visualize it with eyes close.

BTW Mark, I love your quotation signatures. I find many of them inspiring. Thanks.

Frankly, that's good to hear. Books that don't require much work rarely make one a better player. Glad to hear you've gotten so much out of this book. I can't wait to get started!

O, and thanks for the compliment on my signature quotes. I'm always on the lookout for something fitting.

**guitaroscar** · 09-29-2014, 09:56 PM

I cut my teeth on Galbraith's books and this one is my favourite. Whenever I need to tighten up my chops, if I've been gigging and not practising, I turn to The Fingerboard Workbook.

To me this book is what Hanon is to pianists. I believe it should be in every guitarist's collection.

**MarkRhodes** · 09-30-2014, 09:22 AM

Originally Posted by guitaroscar

I cut my teeth on Galbraith's books and this one is my favourite. Whenever I need to tighten up my chops, if I've been gigging and not practising, I turn to The Fingerboard Workbook.

To me this book is what Hanon is to pianists. I believe it should be in every guitarist's collection.

Wow, that's high praise indeed. I'm definitely getting it.

**Texas Bob** · 10-03-2014, 08:59 AM

I just purchased it on Amazon and should have it in about a week I'm looking forward to using it & I'll let you know what I think...

**MarkRhodes** · 10-03-2014, 09:39 AM

Originally Posted by Texas Bob

I just purchased it on Amazon and should have it in about a week I'm looking forward to using it & I'll let you know what I think...

I ordered it from my local music shop and hope it have it in a day or two. Can't wait!

**smokinguit** · 10-03-2014, 11:48 AM

Understanding and internalizing the fingering rules explained in the first few pages of the book is the key to coming up with your own finguring for the exercises that follows. He provides fingerings but you don't have to follow them exactly as he does. It just has to make logical sense.

**guitaroscar** · 10-03-2014, 10:14 PM

A tip: The first couple of solos in the book are given without fingerlings. You are to work out your own. Then compare them with the ones Barry gives you.

no chord changes are given for most of the book but by studying the lines you can deduce the changes. This is really good for your theory. After having done a couple of solos like this you find that you are able to intuitively work out changes in solos. You start to anticipate that the line will go this way, or that.

good luck

**MarkRhodes** · 10-04-2014, 09:52 AM

Originally Posted by guitaroscar

A tip: The first couple of solos in the book are given without fingerlings. You are to work out your own. Then compare them with the ones Barry gives you.

no chord changes are given for most of the book but by studying the lines you can deduce the changes. This is really good for your theory. After having done a couple of solos like this you find that you are able to intuitively work out changes in solos. You start to anticipate that the line will go this way, or that.

good luck

Thanks! The book came yesterday afternoon and I picked it up before the shop closed. Just worked through some to of the first examples so far, not the studies themselves. I thumbed through the whole book though and can see what you are talking about (-no fingerings for the first solos, and no changes for the 'key' studies, F Major, Bb, etc.) I'm psyched. It's great to hear so many people have gotten so much out of Barry's fingerboard workbook.

**MarkRhodes** · 10-06-2014, 08:32 PM

Couple days in and I'm enjoying it so far. Still working with the examples before the actual studies start and have begun the Eb Major study (-the one with no fingerings given so the student is to see what he can do without Barry's guidance). Very musical examples. I'm impressed, enthused, and not a little intimidated...

**MarkRhodes** · 10-08-2014, 09:39 AM

Originally Posted by guitaroscar

A tip: The first couple of solos in the book are given without fingerlings. You are to work out your own. Then compare them with the ones Barry gives you

Yeah, that first one in Eb Major has no fingerings. I'm working on that one. I looked ahead to the G Major one to see how extensive the fingering details are there but Barry Galbraith only gives you the fingering for the first note of the piece (-the G on the 3rd fret of the low E string, using the 2nd finger.) But I think I can find my way through.

**docbop** · 10-08-2014, 01:54 PM

Originally Posted by MarkRhodes

Yeah, that first one in Eb Major has no fingerings. I'm working on that one. I looked ahead to the G Major one to see how extensive the fingering details are there but Barry Galbraith only gives you the fingering for the first note of the piece (-the G on the 3rd fret of the low E string, using the 2nd finger.) But I think I can find my way through.

That is what I find odd about the book is a fingerings book with so few fingering marked. The music is good and I definitely need the sightreading work.

**MarkRhodes** · 10-08-2014, 02:39 PM

Originally Posted by docbop

That is what I find odd about the book is a fingerings book with so few fingering marked. The music is good and I definitely need the sightreading work.

It's helping my reading too, Doc. This and David Baker's "The BeBop Erz, Volume 1."

The beginning examples are good and cover lots of things, but I am struggling with a few passages in the first solo (Eb Major) that the student is supposed to make his own with (so far as fingering). I'll keep at it....

**MarkRhodes** · 10-08-2014, 08:44 PM

Uh-oh. I spoke too soon. It turns out that the solos in Barry Galbraith's book (-several of them, anyway) appear a few times, each time with more fingering indications.

**edh** · 10-08-2014, 10:34 PM

Originally Posted by MarkRhodes

Uh-oh. I spoke too soon. It turns out that the solos in Barry Galbraith's book (-several of them, anyway) appear a few times, each time with more fingering indications.

Is that good or bad?

**Moonray** · 10-09-2014, 05:02 AM

A suggestion could be to spend more time with the Introductory pages 3-8.

If you can honestly say that you can play those up to a workable tempo, and
in all 12 keys and you've done an analysis of the devices used....

...most of which Barry Galbraith has put along with the examples...[fg's and usage]

...then you're probably not ready to play the studies that follow just yet.

Try playing each of the intro examples, calling the name of each chord that is
being referenced, and fill in additional fingering on the page as required...most are pretty clear in
their objective.
....and don't forget to visualize the underlying chord shape that fits each of the examples.

Also, doing analyses of the studies gives you a great amount of great vocabulary [cool stuff to play]
over "such and such" a chord.

I agree there's not much hand holding in BG's approach....but I do remember a line in an
interview in Guitar Player mag in '76 that went something like "Jazz guitar: it's nothing to mess with unless
you're serious".

I might make that my motto.......

Not quite as all embracing as Pierre's "Time on the instrument", which I love and try to live by.

**MarkRhodes** · 10-09-2014, 09:49 AM

Originally Posted by Moonray

A suggestion could be to spend more time with the Introductory pages 3-8.

If you can honestly say that you can play those up to a workable tempo, and
in all 12 keys and you've done an analysis of the devices used....

Good point. I play the introductory exercises daily. Not in other keys, though. I figured I would get that practice working through the solos in various keys. I have a tendency to get ahead of myself. I'll slow down, master the beginning stuff and that should make my way smoother for the longer exercises.

Thanks for the tip!