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Pauline Leland
`Olu`olu
USA
783 Posts |
Posted - 03/09/2003 : 5:18:01 PM
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Aloha ukesters,
Here's a link to M.Ace(?)'s Ukulele Chord Forms. This isn't the standard dots-on-a-grid to show the Dmaj chord. Instead it's dots-on-a-grid showing the 5 chord shapes for major chords, the single chord shape for a diminished chord, and so on. For each shape, it shows which string has the root, which has the 3rd, etc. It gave me a few aha's. It's only moderately helpful if you are looking for Dmaj standard voicing; you have to slide the fingerings up and down the neck until the root dot falls on a D. It's very useful for seeing the patterns of chord forms.
Finding all the D's is easier if you have a fretboard map. Here's a pdf file for a GCAE tuned uke, Fretboad Speller. The link worked last night. Today, Adobe is cranky, and I don't feel like rebooting, so I can't test the link. It should be back soon.
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Pauline |
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wdf
Ha`aha`a
USA
1154 Posts |
Posted - 03/09/2003 : 7:30:18 PM
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It works ok if you download it first shift-left click on a PC. For Mac check with Craig. |
Dusty |
Edited by - wdf on 03/09/2003 7:30:44 PM |
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CipherMeister
Aloha
USA
19 Posts |
Posted - 03/11/2003 : 4:31:29 PM
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Hi all; I’m Roger.
The Ukulele fretboard speller PDF (linked to at the top of this thread) is from my web site www.TheCipher.com. It’ll work much better if you use the front door ;’).
The PDF files reside on this page www.thecipher.com/free.html . There are many free PDF’s there of interest to Guitarists and Ukulele players: blank grid paper, fretboard note spellers, chord formula tables, etc. When you get there, to download the file you want: PC users right-click and “save target as”. Mac users, click-hold and select “download link to disk” from the pop-up menu.
There’s much to see and learn about at www.TheCipher.com generally. It’s all free, there’s no advertising, and no no-sense. The site is large, 160 pages, dealing with music theory and fretboard tutorials. The tutorials are in-depth but use a new method that’s easy to understand (no staff notation) and illustrated on the (any) string instrument of your choice.
There’s a section on Ukulele here; www.thecipher.com/ukulele-cipher.html , but before you go there you should see the “3 minute introduction” to The Cipher for guitar www.thecipher.com/3_minute_intro.html .
Ukulele tuning is a subset of guitar, so (for now) the guitar versions of some materials will suffice. Soon, I’ll try to post a more complete version of core Cipher materials, demonstrations, and drawings, geared specifically to 4 string Ukulele. If you encourage me (tell me you want more), it’ll get done faster ;’).
In a nut shell, The Cipher uses “counting numbers” (chromatic, half-step or semitone value numbers) to teach music theory and illuminate the fretboards of all common string instruments, including: Guitar, Bass, Mandolin, Banjo, Ukulele, Violin. Musical number formula normally rendered like this (R, 3, 5, b7) become this (0°, 4°, 7°, 10°). Those chromatic numbers are then “plotted” on any fretboard’s natural grid of coordinates (strings and frets). Chromatic numbers are the best tool to help you understand the mechanics of any chromatic fretboard. You’ll see ;’) These new numbers make the best “map” you’ll ever find.
If you need a leg up on music theory generally, see the large section called “Music Theory Elements”. http://www.thecipher.com/music_elements_index.html
Have a look at the musical number formula translation tables: intervals, scales, and chords. http://www.thecipher.com/intervals_tbl-1.html
See the Five Degree Calculation Line for Guitar. This is the device that lets you plot numbers on the fretboard http://www.thecipher.com/5degree-calc-line.html
The 4 string Ukulele version of the Five Degree Calculation Line is here http://www.thecipher.com/ukulele-cipher.html
The guitar demonstrations should work well enough for Ukulele for now. It’ll give you the idea. http://www.thecipher.com/demonstrations_1.html
Again, the site is huge and there’s lots to discover, read, and learn about. Don’t expect to do it all in one session (that’s an understatement).
Someday, you might say hi in my Guest Book ;’) http://www.thecipher.com/guestbook.html
And if you like what you see, please help spread the word (with links back to the site). It’ll do no one any good if they don’t know about it.
Thanks Have fun Roger Blumberg
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http://www.TheCipher.com "Blumberg's Music Theory Cipher for Guitar and other Stringed Instruments" [Free online tutorials for Guitar, Bass, Mandolin, Banjo, Ukulele, and more]
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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
Posted - 03/11/2003 : 4:58:14 PM
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Pauline's link looked very helpful. I'm not quite clear on Roger's numeric system so I'll need to take a closer look. As someone who is not strong in music theory, why is this numeric system better or easier? Thanks for dropping in Roger. I'll take a closer look at your site soon. |
Andy |
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Pauline Leland
`Olu`olu
USA
783 Posts |
Posted - 03/11/2003 : 6:13:36 PM
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Hi wdf, My MSIE browser also has Acrobat embedded, and if I haven't had my PC running for too long, it will open PDF files in an MSIE window. After a while, it gets tired and cranky. It was tired and cranky that night.
Hi Roger, Google is the key to a lot of backdoors. I never saw your guestbook. I do want to return to your site and see what you have there. It looked interesting. You have obviously invested a lot of thought and time into your method. Thank you for the fretboard map.
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Pauline |
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CipherMeister
Aloha
USA
19 Posts |
Posted - 03/11/2003 : 6:32:29 PM
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Hi Pauline; Don't worry about the back door thing, no prob.
And you're welcome, I hope the site is usefull to you and everyone.
P.S. I really hate it when PDF's start loading into my browser too. |
http://www.TheCipher.com "Blumberg's Music Theory Cipher for Guitar and other Stringed Instruments" [Free online tutorials for Guitar, Bass, Mandolin, Banjo, Ukulele, and more]
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CipherMeister
Aloha
USA
19 Posts |
Posted - 03/11/2003 : 6:35:31 PM
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Hi Pupule;
There are many reasons why chromatic numbers are easier and better for most people. [Actually, we must and will use “both” kinds of numbers at all times, diatonic (standard) and chromatic (Cipher).]
First, all of music theory is discussed using numbers (of a form), and all of those numbers are *interval* numbers. Intervals are the key to understanding music theory generally. They're the spring-board to understanding scales, chords, and progressions. Because they’re the key, I’ve provide a huge tutorial on intervals on the web site http://www.thecipher.com/intervals_1.html
Intervals and interval numbers are “supposedly” used for describing measured increments of pitch. But the numbers used in music theory do not describe measurement; they are not mensural or metric. For example, the interval called a “7th” can be either 9, 10, or 11 things away (frets, half-steps, semitones, chromatic scale tones) but never 7. Music theory’s diatonic numbers are “position numbers” describing the relative positions of tones, first, second, third, last, of some 7 tone scale -- not numbers of measurement, and not for the 12 tone scale we’ve been using for hundreds of years already, and not for chromatic fretboards.
We have been using the chromatic scale now, 12 parted octave, for some hundreds of years. All fretted string instruments are designed around the neutral 12 tone chromatic scale (12 frets per octave), not the 7 tone diatonic scale. Here’s two tables of interval formula, standard diatonic and chromatic – see the numbers 0°-24° for two octaves of chromatic interval numbers:
http://www.thecipher.com/intervals_tbl-3.html
http://www.thecipher.com/all_interval-names-w0-24.html
Those chromatic numbers are true numbers of measurement. They are mensural numbers. Those numbers are also “counting numbers”, and everyone knows how to count. The fretboard is literally a measuring stick, a counting stick! And now we finally have numbers that work right. Intervals are they key to both music theory and fretboard navigation.
It just so happens that chromatic numbers and “counting” are the guitar’s most natural numbers, they are built in. The same is true for all fretted string instruments. It is also true that Zero is built in to the fretboards of all string instruments. This is why the octave fret is number 12 not 13. Your count must start at zero. The nut is fret zero (unless you have a literal extra zero-fret like some guitars do).
You might want see the page “Why zero” http://www.thecipher.com/why_zero.html
Once you link all of these ideas together:
Intervals are the key. The guitar is built around 12 tones not 7. Zero is the key to unlocking all fretboards. Counting is a good and proper thing. 90 percent of guitarists can’t read notation (and they never will), but they can count. Music shouldn’t be painfull to learn about.
Once you link those things, and decide to apply zero-based chromatic number formula to the fretboards of any string instrument in standard tuning, everything works like a charm. This is the way it should have been done in the first place. When you see how beautifully it works, I think you’ll agree.
There are just three key parts of The Cipher System itself:
Tables of translated number formula The Five or Seven Degree calculation Line Your instruments Pattern of Unisons and Octaves
Those topics are discussed in detail in the Core Cipher Components section http://www.thecipher.com/core_cipher_index.html
And a nut shell version is on the 3 minute introduction page http://www.thecipher.com/3_minute_intro.html
Please feel free to ask about anything I’ve said, or anything on the web site.
Thanks
Roger
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http://www.TheCipher.com "Blumberg's Music Theory Cipher for Guitar and other Stringed Instruments" [Free online tutorials for Guitar, Bass, Mandolin, Banjo, Ukulele, and more]
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CipherMeister
Aloha
USA
19 Posts |
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cmdrpiffle
`Olu`olu
USA
553 Posts |
Posted - 03/12/2003 : 12:53:25 AM
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Roger, Aloha and welcome. I am very glad to see someone pushing a chromatic system. I'm just barely into your site right now. Nice job indeed.
cmdr |
my Poodle is smarter than your honor student |
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CipherMeister
Aloha
USA
19 Posts |
Posted - 03/12/2003 : 01:04:00 AM
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Thanks Lokahi
Roger |
http://www.TheCipher.com "Blumberg's Music Theory Cipher for Guitar and other Stringed Instruments" [Free online tutorials for Guitar, Bass, Mandolin, Banjo, Ukulele, and more]
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CipherMeister
Aloha
USA
19 Posts |
Posted - 03/12/2003 : 9:14:26 PM
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Second update;
The Cipher demonstrations for Ukulele are done. There's four pages, three illustration plate pages are linked to from the main page here . . .
http://www.thecipher.com/ukulele-demonstrations_1.html
Ok, so that's seven new Ukulele pages at www.TheCipher.com in 24 hours. There's a large section on the "Pattern of Unisons and Octaves" for Ukulele yet to be done. It may be a while (weeks, months) until I can get to it.
Have fun. Thanks Roger |
http://www.TheCipher.com "Blumberg's Music Theory Cipher for Guitar and other Stringed Instruments" [Free online tutorials for Guitar, Bass, Mandolin, Banjo, Ukulele, and more]
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