Fretboard Theory Volume II: Book two in the series on guitar theory, scales, chords, progressions, modes, songs and more.

by Desi R. Serna, Thomas Evdokimoff (Editor)

Book two in the Fretboard Theory series picks up where the first volume leaves off and takes your guitar playing and musical knowledge to a whole new level. You learn advanced applications and new musical concepts. There is information for rhythm guitarists, lead guitarists, improvisers, and composers. Each chapter focuses on applications found in popular music and includes familiar song references. * Gain new perspective on keys and tonalities so that you have total control over the music you play * Get to know scale formulas and new number systems so you know music from the inside out * Push to and resolve on chords using dominant function and voice leading * Change keys, borrow chords, and mix modes in order to add more variety to your chord progressions * Get jazzy by using chromatic, diminished, and augmented passing chords * Become a more proficient lead guitarist by narrowing your focus to the scale patterns preferred by the pros * Make your lead lines more melodic and give them more direction with chord tone soloing * Create new sounds and new chord progressions with the harmonic minor scale * Add more depth and dimension to your playing by using pedal point and pedal tones Video Fretboard Theory Volume II is also available as a 12-hour video series that is sold separately on the author's GuitarMusicTheory.com website. Visit the website and sign up for email lessons to sample the footage. Recommended for intermediate level players on up who have already completed the first volume of Fretboard Theory.

204 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 29, 2013

Reviews

[Boyd L. Randolph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Technical applications abound

A bit more practice and application oriented than Volume I. A deep dive into Volume I or knowledge above a beginner's level is essential.
I found the opportunity for guided practice to be most helpful to my own knowledge and growth in understanding guitar.

[Indran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its audience is popular not jazz musicians, which helps explain why it shies away from modes of harmonic/melodic minor. By contrast, Frank Gambale, as a jazz guy, dives right into those in his books and makes the subject painless as it should be.

Anyway I'd say this book is at its best when it is explaining how to handle bizarre chord progressions as an improviser. And how to compose said progressions. For the inclusion of dozens of brilliantly relevant examples from real songs, like Beatles and Sublime and other stuff I love, this earns a 5 I think. But I wouldn't say it suffices by itself, other improvisation books like Gambale's seem to me to be a vital complement.

I also liked how Fretboard Logic seemed to spend more time on left hand fingering. Some parts of this book seemed needlessly complicated...if this were a better review I would cite page numbers!