There was no instructional video for "November" yet. When I wrote the "November"-score for my book "Meine Lieblingsstücke" (my favorite pieces), I wrote down what I thought I was playing. However, watching the video of my own performance for this lesson revealed that (as is often the case) certain details require careful attention. I'll show you exactly how it's done, with all the phrasing and ghost notes that ultimately bring the song forward even more, something I wasn't even aware of at first.
Level
Moderate
Lessons
7 Lessons | min
Lesson 1Introduction
Duration: min
Let me introduce you to the topics covered in the course "November".
Lesson 2Performance
Duration: min
Here you can see my solo guitar version of "November" (we also play the piece with my band TA2). After the theme, a loop starts on which I improvise in the key of A (Aeolian). This solo is part of this course, so it is embedded in the transcription. I explain the concepts I use when improvising in Video 7 of this lesson.
Lesson 3Intro
Duration: min
In the meditative intro, it's important to master the task of dynamics. The second, third, and fourth eighth notes in every measure are accented, while all other notes are played quite softly. There are some ghost notes, which are open strings played before important notes. These open strings don't have to be harmonically correct; the point is to maintain the flow. Don't play the ghost notes too loudly.
Lesson 4Theme
Duration: min
The theme creates the illusion that the intro continues while the melody plays above it. However, this effect only occurs if you cleanly separate the melody notes. We've notated the note separations for you with vertical lines. I'll show you what you need to do in the video.
Lesson 5Middle Section
Duration: min
The middle section leaves the key of A minor. Here, a very strong sounding chord sequence goes up and then leads back to the intro figure. The chords move along the fretboard, and I always play the melody with my ring finger. This keeps the sound consistent, and the chords can be plucked underneath with the thumb, index finger, and middle finger. Pay close attention to the fingering of the fretting hand; this is essential to achieving the desired legato. There should be no rests at all in this part, where all the notes ring as long as possible.
Lesson 6Outro
Duration: min
There is some intentional string muting here, each one exactly on beat <1>. To do this, I mute the strings that are to be played next with my fingertips. The muting is therefore preparatory. In my workshops, I often see that after muting, the fingers are lifted again before the next string is plucked. This is unnecessary, it also shortens the rest. Pluck the strings from their parking position without first releasing your fingers from the strings.
Lesson 7Explanation of Improvisation Concepts
Duration: min
A Aeolian has the same notes as the C major scale. A minor and C major are known to be parallel keys; the A, as the sixth note of C major, is the new root note in A Aeolian. In the video, I explain the difference between C major and A Aeolian in detail. Many music educators explain it by saying that for A Aeolian, the C major scale is simply played from A. That's not the explanation I'm looking for. With A Aeolian, you play within the rhythmic structure of the music so that the notes of the A minor chord (A, C, and E) fall on accented beats. How exactly does this work? Watch the video and don't skip practising my solo.
