Month 3 Guitar Plan: Adapt
Anchor song: The Thrill Is Gone / Minor Blues and Arranged Electric-Blues Laboratory
Guitar role this month: Choose and arrange acoustic roles with intention. Shape the full performance arc.
Minor blues on guitar:
The Thrill Is Gone is in B minor. For guitar study, use A minor blues as the primary key.
A minor blues chords:
- Im7 (Am7): x02010
- IVm7 (Dm7): xx0211
- V7 (E7): 020100 — the dominant retains the major 7th for maximum tension
- bVII (G): 320003
The minor blues emotional quality: The minor i chord creates a different emotional starting point than major blues. The phrase wants to sink rather than push. Practice feeling the difference: major blues has an outward push; minor blues has an inward gravity.
Full Internal Band integration on guitar (Month 3):
In Month 3, all systems coordinate simultaneously in a real performance context:
- PDC makes the arrangement decisions: which section needs groove? Which needs harmonic support? Which needs a melodic answer?
- Blues Root grounds every choice — feel the emotional center of the phrase
- Rhythm Cells provide the groove pulse, placed and stopped intentionally
- RXP shapes the whole-form feel — does the performance build? Does it breathe?
- TPS triad support frames the harmony in each section
- SHAPE provides the fills — each one a small composition with shape
- CAS-ARC maps the entire performance: intro, body, climax, resolution
CAS-ARC arrangement decisions on guitar:
| ARC position | Guitar action |
|---|---|
| Aim | Establish the groove and feel — low register, stable rhythm, simple harmony |
| Route | Introduce variation — register change, density increase, motif development |
| Complete | Resolve — return to low register, sparse, final landing note on a strong beat |
Month 3 guitar study versions:
| Version | What to play |
|---|---|
| A | Sparse minor-blues pulse — bass note and chord, maximum space |
| B | Bass + chord fingerstyle support — thumb and fingers, medium density |
| C | High-register response phrase — a melodic answer in the upper strings |
| D | Capstone arrangement: intro (sparse pulse), body (varied textures), fill (SHAPE), ending (resolve to low root) |
Month 3 week-by-week guitar focus:
Week 9 — Guitar: Play the same four-bar section three ways: groove lead (Rhythm Cells front, no melody), harmonic lead (TPS triads front, groove minimal), melodic lead (SHAPE fills front, harmony minimal). Write one sentence about each PDC choice.
Week 10 — Guitar: Sparse, medium, and full. Three recordings of the same 12-bar form at three density levels. Use register consciously: sparse stays in the middle register, full uses both low bass and high fills.
Week 11 — Guitar: Design one complete chorus as a mini-composition. Write the shape before playing: what is the opening gesture? Where does the energy build? Where is the landing? Record it and compare the result to the plan.
Week 12 — Guitar Capstone: A complete acoustic guitar performance — 12-bar or minor blues — demonstrating all Internal Band members at their Semester 1 level. Primary instrument standard: groove, support, one triad texture, one developed fill/motif, clear arrangement choice. Record in one continuous take.
Guitar-Specific Definitions of Done
Month 1 End — Guitar
- Can play through the 12-bar form in E or A at 60–80 BPM without losing place
- Muted groove drill is stable — time does not rush when switching to pitched strings
- Can play the I, IV, and V chords with a consistent fingerstyle or strum texture
- Has one triad voicing that functions as support (not just a memorized shape)
- Has one two-to-four-note fill that does not disrupt the groove
- Can record without the recording process causing disruption
Month 2 End — Guitar
- Can choose a musical role (support or answer) before playing a chorus and execute it distinctly
- Can place the same rhythm cell in three positions: on-beat, anticipated, stopped
- Can use triads functionally over I, IV, and V — not just from memorized positions but from the feeling of which harmony is in play
- Has one motif that can be played in three rhythmic variations
- Can record a two- or three-chorus route where the route is audible
Month 3 End — Guitar
- Can play a complete minor blues (A minor or B minor) with stable form and feel
- Can move between groove-lead, harmonic-lead, and melodic-lead roles within one performance
- Can apply ARC (Aim, Route, Complete) to a full chorus — each section has a discernible function
- Can describe what PDC chose and why in any section of a recording
- Has a complete capstone recording demonstrating all Month 3 goals
Appendix: Guitar Troubleshooting
Problem: Tempo rushes in bar 3 or bar 9 Root cause: Anticipating the chord change. Fix: Slow down to 50 BPM. Mark bar 3 and bar 9 in advance. Practice arriving late rather than early — deliberately delay the chord by a beat to feel the difference.
Problem: Fill disrupts the groove Root cause: The fill is starting on a strong beat where the groove should be anchored. Fix: Start fills on weak beats (the "and" of 2 or the "and" of 4). The fill enters on emptiness, not on the pulse.
Problem: Can't hear whether the fill is working Root cause: Playing and listening at the same time is hard. Fix: Record every session for the last 10 minutes. Listen back the next day. The recording hears what your playing concentration cannot.
Problem: Left hand tension after 15 minutes Root cause: Excess fretting pressure (common in open-position chords on acoustic guitar with medium-high action). Fix: Check action. Practice fretting single notes with minimum pressure first. Use this as a diagnostic every session — if the hand is still tense after two minutes of the tension check drill, reduce tempo and simplify the material.
Problem: The 027 sound feels forced Root cause: Placing it rhythmically rather than in a natural musical space. Fix: Do not plan where 027 goes. Play the full chorus first. Identify one moment where the music pauses naturally. Place the 027 there on the next pass.