RICHARDS MODIFIED TUNING ORADAPTEDUTAR

AMODIFIEDAPPROACHTOGUITAR

INSTRUCTIONFORMUSICTHERAPISTS

ANDMUSICEDUCATORS

WADE M. RICHARDS, MT-BC Richards’ Modified Tuning For Adapted Guitar

An Approach to Guitar Instruction for Music Therapists and Music Educators

Wade M. Richards, MT-BC

Edited by Michelle Erfurt and Sue Tyler Weatherell

Published by Time for Music 58 Parkside Crescent Rochester, New York 14617

© Copyright 2010 Time for Music All rights reserved.

Table of Contents

Introduction ♩♩♩page 3 The F#m7 Chord ♩♩♩page 19

Common questions ♩♩♩page 3 Playing Power Chords ♩♩♩page 20

Outline of the book ♩♩♩page 5 The Moveable Major Chord ♩♩♩page 21

Guitar Chord Chart Key ♩♩♩page 6 The Moveable Minor Chord ♩♩♩page 22

Tuning ♩♩♩page 7 The Moveable Seventh Chord ♩♩♩page 23

The D Chord ♩♩♩page 8 Playing Pentatonic Patterns ♩♩♩page 24

The A5 Chord ♩♩♩page 9 Movable Major Pentatonic ♩♩♩page 25

The G Chord ♩♩♩page 10 Playing Modes: Mixolydian ♩♩♩page 26

The D7 Chord ♩♩♩page 11 Playing Modes: Lydian ♩♩♩page 27

The C5 Chord ♩♩♩page 12 Playing the Blues Scale ♩♩♩page 28

The E5 and A5 Chord ♩♩♩page 13 Skill Strand ♩♩♩page 29

The Bm Chord ♩♩♩page 14 Richard’s Modified ♩♩♩page 31 Tuning Fretboard

The E7 or Em7 Chord ♩♩♩page 15 Appendix Table of Contents ♩♩♩page 32

The Dm Chord ♩♩♩page 16 Appendix 1 ♩♩♩page 34

The Gm Chord ♩♩♩page 17 Appendix 2 ♩♩♩page 35

The G7 Chord ♩♩♩page 18 Chord Chart Reference ♩♩♩page 36

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 1 The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 2 Introduction

Welcome to Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adapted Guitar: An Approach to Guitar Instruction for Music Therapists and Music Educators. This book introduces a new and exciting world of guitar playing! You will discover how this method can help make guitar playing more accessible for new students or students currently struggling with standard tuning. If guitar is not your main instrument, you may find that this tuning will make guitar playing and improvising easier for you! Wade Richards, LCAT, NMT, MT-BC

Common Questions

What is the Richards’ Modified Tuning? Modified Tuning (or alternate tuning) for guitar is any tuning that is different from standard guitar tuning. Standard tuning from the lowest string, to the highest string, is E A d g b e′. The Richards’ Modified Tuning’s unique design allows for easy-to-use one- and two-fingered chords, as well as simplified fretboard fingerings and patterns for scales and modes.

Why use the Richards’ Modified Tuning? In many instances traditional guitar chords can be difficult for new students to play successfully. Standard tuning may have a few options for simplified one-finger chords like C and G, but are still limiting since basic chord progressions can not be executed without including three-fingered chords. Open tunings, or tunings that produce a chord with open strings, have limitations if the student can not effectively use a guitar slide or bar across the strings with their finger. Adaptive guitar devices that fit onto the guitar can assist in playing more complete chords with only one finger, but the quality of the chord sound is often dependent upon the coordination and finger strength of the individual. In many cases, the sound produced with an adaptive device can be substandard, or lack the authenticity of playing the instrument.

Who is the Richards’ Modified Tuning for? The Richards’ Modified Tuning is designed for individuals with learning differences and needs in cognitive, emotional, social, and/or physical areas. I have used this tuning with children, young adults, adults, and seniors with autism, learning disabilities, cognitive delays, developmental disabilities, health impairments, physical injuries, arthritis, traumatic brain injures, dyslexia, physical disabilities, cerebral palsy, and emotional disabilities.

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 3 How do you decide who needs to use the Richards’ Modified Tuning verses standard tuning? The easy answer is assessment! I always carefully assess a new student interested in learning to play the guitar. Usually a basic conversation about the guitar with the student yields some insight into their limitations, frustrations, and/or their goals for playing. Others have never picked up the instrument and so I begin to assess them for common problem areas with standard tuning and take these difficulties into consideration. For those with physical limitations, common problem areas may include: dexterity, size of fingers, finger sensitivity, pain management, injury, arthritis, or visual-motor accuracy. Emotional issues may include: negative past experience with formal lessons or playing, a high level of frustration, a lack of confidence in their abilities, or a need for a more improvisational mode for self-expression. Cognitive limitations might include: difficulty with memory recall of chord shapes, a big gap in chord change time, or impulsivity. Social issues may involve: a desire to just “jam” with friends, or not wanting to be compared to other players.

Once you start the Richards’ Modified Tuning method, can a student transition to standard tuning? Yes. Since I developed the Richards’ Modified Tuning I have successfully transitioned two students to standard tuning. Their fine motor skills and dexterity increased so dramatically using the Richards’ Modified Tuning that they were able to transition to three-fingered chords. Their level of frustration and confusion had decreased while their fine motor skills had increased greatly from their original assessment. Both students were able to process that the standard guitar tuning had its own set of rules and chords and were able to differentiate between the new set of chords and the previous ones learned with the Richards’ Modified Tuning.

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 4 Outline of this book

This book was developed to provide the guitar teacher, music educator, or music therapist a basic introductory guide into the Richards’ Modified Tuning method. The beginning of this book outlines the basic chords in the Richards’ Modified Tuning and gives suggested application and song ideas. Most song ideas include the title of the song and the artist/performer that made the song famous. Following the basic chord sections, there are a variety scales, including: pentatonic, Mixolydian, Lydian, and blues. Some of the scales are easy to play in their configuration, and some offer a challenge for the advancing student or teacher.

Appendix 1 (p. 33) provides a sample lesson instruction sheet. There are ideas written in the application, songs, and practice areas to demonstrate how to organize and design your lessons.

Appendix 2 (p. 34) contains a blank chord sheet for you to copy and use for your lessons. Notice that the chord diagram is blank. By having the student draw in each new chord being learned, you are promoting tactile learning.

The Chord Chart Reference (p. 35) at the end of the book is a handy resource, showing the most commonly used chords in this tuning.

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 5 Guitar Chord Chart Key

The chord diagrams used in this book closely resembles standard chord charts used for guitar. The grid includes the lowest string on the left to the highest sounding string on the right. A black dot on the fretboard means to place your finger between the frets and press down. A black “X” means do not play that string when playing the chord. One difference in the chord diagrams in this book is that the symbol “O” is not used to show that an open string should be played. If an “X” is not present, play the open string for that chord. The finger goes directly behind the fret, so in this diagram, the finger is placed behind the 2nd fret. I sometimes place labels on the side of the guitar and number each fret space to help the student find that space easily.

when no “X” is when marked present, play this with an “X”, do open string not play that place your finger between the frets string x x x nut

fret 1 lowest fret 2 sounding string fret 3

fret 4 D G d e a dʹ

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 6 Tuning

I would suggest using a chromatic tuner when tuning to save time and effort, especially if you will be moving between tunings frequently. The tuning for the strings from lowest to highest is as follows:

Tuning 6th 5th 4th 3rd 2nd 1st string string string string string string

Standard E A d g b eʹ

Modified down to down to stays on down to down to down to D G d e a dʹ

Can I tune the guitar without a tuner? Yes, as long as you tune the lowest string to D you can tune using fret-interval tuning.

Tuning 6th 5th 4th 3rd 2nd 1st string string string string string string

Modified D G d e a dʹ

Interval play the play the play the play the play the tuning 5th fret 7th fret 2nd fret 5th fret 5th fret method to tune to tune to tune to tune to tune the G the d the e the a the dʹ

Are my strings apt to break from constantly retuning? No. I can’t remember ever breaking a string while moving between the modified tuning and standard tuning. This is likely because all retuned strings are moving down in pitch in the Richards’ Modified Tuning and are not higher in pitch than standard tuning. Retune slowly when moving back to standard tuning to avoid sudden stress on the strings, and your strings should last just as long.

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 7 The D Chord

X X

In general this is a nice chord to begin with when first starting to play in the Richards’ Modified Tuning. It requires only one finger to produce the chord.

Application: 1. Strum the chord once or twice at the end of a phrase. This works well with a variety of blues. Find a simple blues song and adapt the melody so chord changes are not needed. You could also improvise your own blues song, keeping the melody within the D chord structure. Song suggestion: You Gotta Move- Fred McDowell 2. Play a D chord at the end of each phrase. Rest during any changes to other chords. Song suggestion: Heartbreak Hotel- Elvis Presley 3. Select a one-chord song and create a simple rhythmic pattern to play. (Example: strum, rest, strum, rest.) Song suggestion: We Will Rock You- Queen, Chain of Fools- Aretha Franklin 4. Select a song with a clear A and B section. Devise a different strum pattern for each section. Song suggestion: Catch a Falling Star- Perry Como

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 8 The A5 Chord

X X X

This is a simple way to begin moving between the I chord and the V chord in the key of D. Although the A is adapted to an A5 chord (only the root and fifth of the chord is voiced) the chord shape is easy for a beginner to move back and forth between two chords. Colored dots can be placed on the fretboard to visually assist the player in moving to the correct string and fret space. (I use a green dot for D and a yellow dot for A.) Application: 1. Select a two chord song in the key of D. Strum once or twice within each measure. This will allow time for moving between chords. Song suggestion: Simple Gifts- traditional, Achy Breaky Heart- Billy Ray Cyrus 2. Increase strums to 3 and 4 strums per measure when the player is ready. Song suggestion: Deep in the Heart of Texas- Perry Como 3. Select a song in 6/8 time. Strum on beats one and four, or strum on beats one, two, three, and four in the measure. Both options will allow time for the player to move between chords. Song suggestion: Pop! Goes the Weasel- traditional 4. Select a one chord song and play it in the key of A. Song suggestion: Bluebird- traditional, Are You Sleeping?- traditional 5. Select a two chord song in the key of A. Moving from A to D will create a I to IV chord progression. Song suggestion: One Thing- Finger Eleven

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 9 The G Chord

X

The G chord in this tuning provides a rich sounding chord since it uses 5 out of the 6 strings of the guitar. It also advances the player to forming two-fingered chords. It is a good chord to learn following the D and A5 chords since the formation of the chord also stems from the second fret. Colored dots can be used on the board without crossing into the fret spaces of the chords learned so far. (Usually I use red for G.)

Application: 1. Create a slap beat pattern (strum the chord and then slap the strings over the sound hole to stop the sound) when playing the G chord and D chord in the key of G. Song suggestion: Proud Mary- Creedence Clearwater Revival 2. In the key of D, create a I to IV chord progression by moving between D and G. Song suggestion: At the Foot of Yonder Mountain- traditional folk 3. Begin introducing three-chord songs that include the basic I-IV-V chord progression. Song suggestion: Leaving on a Jet Plane- John Denver, You Are My Sunshine- Jimmie Davis, Bye Bye Love- The Everly Brothers

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 10 The D7 Chord

X X

The D7 chord is a logical chord to learn after the G chord since fingers simply switch places, creating an “X-like” shape as you move from one chord to the other.

Application: 1. Select a song that uses the D7 only once or twice within the song. Song suggestion: Banks of the Ohio- traditional, Glow-Worm- Mills Brothers, America the Beautiful- Ray Charles

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 11 The C5 Chord

X X X

Adding the C5 chord (only the root and third of the chord is used) to the player’s list of chords opens the door to playing songs in different keys. This C5 chord also moves nicely from the G chord since it has the same shape and fret placement, but simply moves over a set of strings.

Application: 1. Select a song that uses only a C to G chord progression. Song suggestion: Jambalaya (On the Bayou)- Hank Williams 2. Select a song that has a simple I-IV-V7 progression for the key of G: (G, C, D7). Song suggestion: I Walk the Line- Johnny Cash

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 12 The E5 and A5 Chord

X X X X X X

E5 A5

Since the E5 chord and A5 chord do not use the third of the chord in their construction, it is possible to use these chords as major or minor substitutions for E and Em or A and Am. The E5 and A5 chords can also come in handy for songs using a V/V in the key of D or G. In the key of D the V/V chord would be E major. In the key of G, the V/V chord would be A major. Since both the E5 and A5 chords in the Richards’ Modified Tuning can be used as minor or major, you have a simple way to play a I-V/V-V progression.

Application: 1. Select a current rock or pop song that uses an A to E chord progression. 2. Select a current rock or pop song that uses an I-IV-V chord progression. (This would be A, D, E in the key of A.) 3. Find a song in the key of G that uses a I-V/V-V7 progression. This way you are utilizing the D7 chord for the V7 chord. Song suggestion: Hey! Good Lookin’ - Hank Williams 4. Find a song with a I-V/V-V-IV chord progression for the key of D (D, E, A, G) or in the key of G (G, A, D7, C). Song suggestion: I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing- The Ray Conniff Singers.

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 13 The Bm Chord

X X

This inversion (2nd inversion) of the Bm chord will suffice for playing Bm in most simple chord progressions. The fourth string (open D) can also be added to create a fuller sound of the chord in 1st inversion.

Application: 1. Select a song with the popular chord progression: I-V-vi-IV (D-A-Bm-G). Song suggestion: Superman- Five for Fighting, Take a Bow- Rihanna, She Will Be Loved- Maroon 5, With or Without You- U2, Amazed- Lonestar, Forever Young- Alphaville, I’m Yours- Jason Mraz 2. Select a song in the key of D with the chord progression known as the “sensitive female” progression: vi-IV-I-V (Bm-G-D-A). Song suggestion: One of Us- Joan Osborne, Building a Mystery- Sarah McLachlan, Hands- Jewel, If I Were a Boy- Beyoncé

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 14 The E7 or Em7 Chord

X X X

This configuration of the E7 chord uses only the root, fifth, and seventh of the chord. Therefore this fingering can be used for either major or minor chords since the third is not present.

Application: 1. Select a song in the key of A that uses the following three chords: A, D, E7. Song suggestion: Twist and Shout- The Beatles 2. Select a song in the key of G that uses the I-vi-ii-V7 chord progression and replace the vi chord with a vi7 chord (G-Em7-Am-D7). Song suggestion: Blue Moon- Jo Stafford 3. Select a song with the “sensitive female” progression vi-IV-I-V7 and replace the vi chord with a vi7 chord (Em7-C-G-D7). Song suggestion: Foolish Games- Jewel

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 15 The Dm Chord

X X

The Dm chord in this tuning is a beautiful and full sounding chord even with just four strings. To extend the chord even more add an A on the 2nd fret of the 5th string. You can then strum all the strings and create a deeper sounding chord.

Application: 1. Select a one chord song in Dm. Create a variety of strums to accompany the song. Song suggestion: Zum Gali Gali - Israeli round 2. Create or find a song that only moves between two chords to practice moving to the Dm chord. Song suggestion: A Horse with No Name- America

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 16 The Gm Chord

X

For a fuller Gm chord, the above chord is suggested. Other option would be to not play the 6th, 5th, and 4th strings of the guitar and only play the above chord strumming the 3rd, 2nd, and 1st strings. If the space between the first fret and third fret is too difficult for the player, suggest playing only the 1st and 2nd strings of the above chord.

Application: 1. Create or select a song for the key of Gm that uses only a few other chords throughout the song. Song suggestion: Walking on the Sun - Smash Mouth 2. Create a song that moves between the Gm and the D or D7 chord.

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 17 The G7 Chord

X

The G7 chord offers a full sounding seventh chord. Since the D7 chord is the same shape as the G7 chord, just shifted up a fret, is easy to move between the two chords.

Application: 1. Play the Twelve-bar blues in the key of G and use G7 for the I7 chord and D7 for the V7 chord. When you get to the IV7 chord, play C5. Song suggestion: Johnny B. Good- Chuck Berry 2. Play the Twelve-bar blues in the key of D and use D7 for the I7 chord and G7 for the IV7 chord. When you get to the V7 chord, play A5. Song suggestion: Hound Dog- Elvis Presley

Twelve-bar Blues

I I I I7

IV7 IV7 I I7

IV7 or V7 or V7 I V7 I

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 18 The F#m7 Chord

X X X

This formation of the F#m7 chord allows the player to play notes in close proximity to other chords in the key of D like D, Em, G, A, and Bm. The fifth of the chord (C#) is omitted. This allows the player to play a variety of songs in the key of D that have the following chords in it: I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, and V/V. Also, by moving this chord shape down to the first fret you will create an adapted F7 chord (still leaving out the fifth of the chord).

Application: 1. Select a song in the key of D that includes movement between the F#m7 and Bm chords. Song suggestion: I Don’t Know How to Love Him- Helen Reddy

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 19 Playing Power Chords

X X X X

A5

With the Richards’ Modified Tuning, simple power chords can be executed sliding across the frets of two strings. The 5th and 4th strings of the guitar are the notes G and D. This creates a simple G5 chord, and only an internal of a perfect fifth interval is sounded. By eliminating the 3rd of the chord, a major or minor quality is not conveyed. Since power chords are a key element in many different styles of rock and pop, I often introduce this concept to all my electric guitarists.

Open= G5, fret 1=G#5, fret 2 = A5, fret 3 = Bb5, fret 4 = B5, fret 5 = C5, fret 6 = C#5, fret 7 = D5, fret 8 = D#5, fret 9 = E5, fret 10 = F5, fret 11 = F#5, fret 12 = G5

Application: 1. Switch to power chords during a different section of a song (verse, chorus, bridge) to create interest in a song that cycles through the same chords throughout. 2. Connect an effects pedal to your guitar and explore various sounds and styles. 3. Explore other areas on the guitar that naturally include the root and fifth of a chord, producing power chords in different configurations.

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 20 The Moveable Major Chord

X X X 7th fret F chord

Although this is a three-fingered chord, the close proximity of the notes can often be achieved by many players who have worked in the two-chord system for a while and have completed all the other chords up to this point. This chord also acts as a moveable major chord since the same shape moved up or down the fretboard can produce other major chords. By sliding this chord position to the 2nd fret you will produce a C major chord. By sliding the chord position to the 7th fret, you will produce the F major chord, and by moving to the 9th fret, you will produce a G major chord. This moveable chord becomes very useful in situations where a less common chord is needed like a F# major chord or G# major chord. The moveable position also makes it easy to slide back a forth between the I, IV, and V chord in the key of C. Use stickers to label the frets on the side of the guitar to assist the player in moving between fret locations.

Application: 1. Try playing a song in the key of C that uses the moveable C, F, and G chords and practice sliding between the 2nd, 7th, and 9th frets. Song suggestion: This Land Is Your Land- Woodie Guthrie

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 21 The Moveable Minor Chord

X X X

Fm chord

This formation of the Fm chord allows the player to play notes in close proximity. This is also a moveable minor chord and can produce other minor chords when moved up and down the fretboard.

Application: 1. Create a song that moves between two moveable minor chords like Fm and Ebm. 2. Select a song to play in Fm that uses only the Fm moveable chord and the C moveable chord. Notice close relationship of these two chords as you move from the moveable minor to the movable major chord. Song suggestion: Joshua Fit the Battle- Pete Seeger 3. Select a song that includes a mixture of major and minor chords. Use the moveable minor chord to move between the two minor chords. Song suggestion: Halo- Beyoncé

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 22 The Moveable Seventh Chord

X X X 4th fret A7 chord

This formation of the moveable seventh chord allows the player to slide easily between seventh chords. The fifth of the chord is missing from the chord. The root note of the chord is located on the third string and the chord is in first position.

Application: 1. Select a song in the key of D. For the IV7 and the V7 use the moveable G7 and A7 chord. This is a handy way to add the seventh chord to simple I-IV7-V7 chord progressions. Song suggestion: Shake, Rattle and Roll- Bill Haley and The Comets

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 23 Playing Pentatonic Patterns open string

D Pentatonic scale 2nd fret

Playing individual notes on guitar to create a melody or to improvise in a song key enables the student to be a lead guitarist and play solos and riffs. Pentatonic scales are a series of five tones from notes in any given scale. In a D scale, the major pentatonic scale would include the notes D, E, F#, A, and B. Learning to play pentatonic scales on guitar are a staple for the beginning guitarist. In standard tuning, the pentatonic scale offers some challenges in remembering to move between different frets for different strings. With the modified tuning, the student learns a simple repetitive sequence in order to play a major pentatonic scale.

Application: 1. Try playing notes on the D pentatonic scale while listening to a song recorded in the key of D that uses only a few chord changes. Ex. Don’t Be Cruel- Elvis Presley or I Love Rock and Roll- Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 24 Moveable Major Pentatonic

5th fret

G Pentatonic scale

Playing major pentatonic scales in other keys involve moving the sequence to another area of the fretboard. This scale is “moveable” since the same sequence of notes on the fretboard will produce a major pentatonic scale. For example, in order to play a pentatonic major scale in G, the pattern moves to the 5th and 7th frets.

Application: 1. Record yourself playing a simple Twelve-bar blues progression in G. When you play it back, try improvising over the progression using the modified G pentatonic scale. Refer to page 18 for the Twelve-bar blues pattern.

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 25 Playing Modes: Mixolydian

4th fret

A Mixolydian scale

The Mixolydian scale in the Modified Tuning offers a compact scale easy to play and remember the sequence of notes. The notable feature of this mode is a lowered seventh step of the major scale. This scale is also “moveable” since the same sequence of notes moved around on the fretboard will produce a Mixolydian scale. The Mixolydian scale in A includes the following notes: A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G.

Application: 1. Try improvising on the notes in the Mixolydian scale while listening to a song recorded in the Mixolydian mode. Determine the key of the song first and then move the scale to the correct location on the guitar. Song suggestion: Old Joe Clark- traditional, Sweet Home Alabama- Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sweet Child o’ Mine- Guns N’ Roses, The Voice- Celtic Women 2. Record yourself moving between two chords like A and G. During playback, improvise by playing notes from the A Mixolydian scale.

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 26 Playing Modes: Lydian

open string

F Lydian scale

The Lydian scale in the Richards’ Modified Tuning offers a compact scale that is moderately easy to play and to remember the sequence of notes. The notable feature of this mode is the raised fourth step of the major scale. This scale is also “moveable” since the same sequence of notes moved around on the fretboard will produce a Lydian scale. The Lydian scale in F includes the following notes: F, G, A, B, C, D, E.

Application: 1. Try improvising in the Lydian scale while listening to a song recorded in the key of F that uses only a few chord changes. Song suggestion: Lydian- Ruth Cunningham 2. Record yourself moving between two or three chords like F, Em, and Dm. During playback, improvise in F Lydian.

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 27 Playing the Blues Scale

3rd fret G Blue scale

For advanced players, the blues scale in the Richards’ Modified Tuning offers a chance for players to jam over a chord or simple progression. This is also a moveable scale that begins on the third string. The G blues scale shown above includes the following notes: G, Bb, C, C#, D, F, G.

Application: 1. Play the G blues scale ascending and descending while someone plays a G7 chord on piano or guitar. 2. Improvise short melodic riffs using notes within the G blues scale. Use the rhythm of words to assist in creating the improvisations. Create your own rhythmic patterns using the days of the week or the months of the year to sequence your improvisation.

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 28 Skill Strand for the Modified Tuning

Below is a sample skill strand that I developed for my adaptive guitar students using the Richards’ Modified Tuning method. It is a great way to organize your goals for lessons and to determine progress made on the guitar. The skill strand is a flexible and ever-changing model. You can add skills to the strand, take some away, and even skip over steps depending on the student you are working with. Add an area to keep track of the start date and end date for each skill if you want to specifically monitor progress in an efficient way.

Richards’ Modified Tuning: Sample Skill Strand

strums all strings of the guitar with fingers/thumb isolates each string during tuning

assists in tuning strums the heartbeat of a song; slow and fast

strums downbeats of 4/4, 3/4, and 6/8 time signatures completes number of strums within a measure: 2,3,4 per measure completes number of strums within a measure: 5,6,7,8 per measure

alternates between strum and stop/strum and slap able to execute an A chord

able to execute a D chord alternates between A and D independently tunes using tuner or piano

uses music cues, lyrics, or sheet music to change between chords able to execute a G chord

alternates between D, G, and A chords alternates between two strum patterns within one song fingerpicks the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd strings

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 29 fingerpicks the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd strings while holding down a chord alternates between strum patterns and fingerpicking within a piece able to execute a D7 chord able to execute a C chord alternates between 4 or more chords within a song able to play short melodic motif alternates between melodic motif and chords able to execute an E5 chord able to execute a F#m chord able to execute a Bm chord able to improvise using the D pentatonic scale able to improvise using the G pentatonic scale able to execute an E7 chord able to execute a Dm chord able to use Travis picking in D able to use Travis picking with 2-3 chords able to use Travis picking across 2-3 chords in one song uses upstrokes and downstrokes in strum simple strum patterns repeats simple strum patterns in different accompaniment styles selects accompaniment style for new pieces plays 3-fingered chords or moveable chords plays all basic chords and extended chords in the key of D, G, A play all basic chords and extended chords in other keys transposes familiar song to another key transposes new song to a playable key able to use capo and play chords in new area on the fretboard alternates between melody, chords, and picking patterns

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 30 Richards’ Modified Tuning Fretboard

Fretboard Fun In many of the workshops or sessions I have led with other music therapists and educators, I find that providing this simple diagram of the fretboard seems to solidify the Richards’ Modified Tuning in everyone’s mind. This is especially true for the visual learners in the group! I use it constantly as a reference when creating new chord configurations. Sometimes I will make several copies of this diagram for a student and then circle any newly created chords or scales.

1st D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D

2nd A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G# A

3rd E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D D# E

4th D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D

5th G G# A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G

6th D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D

fret 0pen 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 31 Appendix Table of Contents

Sample Chord Sheet ♩♩♩page 33

Blank Chord Sheet ♩♩♩page 34

Common A Chords ♩♩♩page 35

Common B Chords ♩♩♩page 36

Common C Chords ♩♩♩page 37

Common D Chords ♩♩♩page 38

Common E Chords ♩♩♩page 39

Common F Chords ♩♩♩page 40

Common G Chords ♩♩♩page 41

Additional Chords ♩♩♩page 42

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 32 The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 33 Appendix 1: Sample Chord Sheet Chord D (Draw in the fingering x x for the chord.)

Application: Play the D chord at the end of phrases.

Song: “You Gotta Move” inspired by the Fred McDowell version.

Practice: 1. Memorize the D chord.

2. Learn the song “You Gotta Move”.

3. Play with the MP3 recording.

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 34 Appendix 2: Blank Chord Sheet Chord

Application:

Song:

Practice:

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 35 Chord Chart Reference Common A Chords

X X X X

A5 Asus4

X X X X X X

7th fret 7th fret

Am Am

X X X

A7

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 36 Chord Chart Reference Common B Chords

X X X X X

B Bb

X X X X X

8th fret

Bm Bbm

X X X X X X

6th fret 5th fret

B7 Bb7

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 37 Chord Chart Reference Common C Chords

X X X X X X

C5 C

X X X X X X

10th fret

Cm Csus2

X X X

7th fret

C7

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 38 Chord Chart Reference Common D Chords

X X X X

D DMaj7

X X X X

Dm Dadd2

X X

D7 D

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 39 Chord Chart Reference Common E Chords

X X X X X X 11th fret

E5 E7

X X X

Em

X X X

E7 or Em7

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 40 Chord Chart Reference Common F Chords

X X X X X X

7th fret

F F5

X X X X X X

Fm F#m7

X X X

F7

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 41 Chord Chart Reference Common G Chords

X X

G GMaj7

X X

Gm G6

X X

G7 Gsus2

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 42 Chord Chart Reference Additional Chords

The Richards’ Modified Tuning for Adaptive Guitar 43