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As a non-profit educational website Modern Guitar Harmony allows guitarists all over the world to explore new harmonic concepts in the form of voicings, cycles, substitutions, re-interpretations and so much more.

The presented harmonic material is derived mainly from Mick Goodrick’s excellent series of guitar voice leading almanacs which contain both standard and unusual voicings in the major, melodic minor and harmonic minor landscapes.

Other harmonic sources and references will also be used.

Application of this material can be applied to all genres and, very interestingly, the guitar player has to approach this material in a complete individual manner which will result not only in a paradigm shift on the instrument but also in a unique playing voice.

Any in-depth study of harmony is really a process of self discovery especially when you are only given set harmony and you have to make music with it.

The questions that arise are endless. Will I play chords, arpeggios, a mix of the two, or counterpoint? Which notes will I use to embellish these harmonies and what is the most effective way to use these embellishments? Even questions such as tone need to be addressed.

Ultimately once the material has been sufficiently digested you can leave all the questions behind and you can, at last, just play.

It is MGH’s intention to become the Mick Goodrick Foundation website so please support generously.

 

Stelios Mihas and Mick Goodrick’s 9 Early Pieces

Guitar Music Theory 101

New: MGH Music Services for All Your Musical Needs 

 

Modern Guitar Harmony can be found in the following places;

Interviews

Ben Monder Interviewed by Mick Wright (Youtube)

Randy Roos Interviewed by Mick Wright – Part 1 (Youtube)

Randy Roos Interviewed by Mick Wright – Part 2 (Youtube)

Short Stories for Modern Times

Short Stories are small compositions crafted from the cycles in the Goodrick Almanacs (Now available for FREE here).

These compositions don’t just follow the whole cycle as the pieces can change key, add melody and chromatic notes, involve counterpoint and much more.

Short Story #1 – Spread 3 Part Fourth Cycles (Marc Rum)

Short Story #2 – Closed 3 Part Fourth Modulating Cycles (Marc Rum ) – Favourite

Short Story #3 – Harmonic Minor Cycle 4 (Marc Rum)

Short Story #4 – Bass Line Movement in Harmonic Minor (Marc Rum)

Short Story #5 – Spread Quartal Harmony Cycles 2 & 6 (Marc Rum)

Short Story #6 – Harmonic Minor Cycle 6 (Marc Rum)

Short Story #7 – Major Scale Quartal Harmony Cycle 2 (Marc Rum)

Short Story #8 – Spread Triads in C Major Cycle 2 (Marc Rum)

Short Story #9 – Spread Triads in C Major Cycle 2 (Marco Giussani)

Short Story #10 – Melodic Minor Spread Triads Cycle 2 (Marco Giussani)

Short Story #11 – 3:2 Polyrhythm in C Melodic Minor Closed Triads (Marc Rum)

Short Story #12 – Harmonic Minor Closed Triads Cycle 2 (Marc Rum)

Short Story #13 – Harmonic Minor Spread Triads Cycle 2 (Marco Giussani)

Short Story #14 – Gelatinous Martian Creatures (Using Concepts from Generic Modality Compression( (Marc Rum)

Short Story #15 – Improv in Melodic and Harmonic Minor using Spread Triads (Marc Rum)

Short Story #16 – Major Spread Triads Cycle 4 (Marc Rum)

Short Story #17 – 2 Inversions Of Each Chord Before Moving to The Next Chord – Major Cycle 4 (Marc Rum)

Short Story #18 – Prelude in C Major Spread Triads Cycle 4 (Marco Giussani)

Short Story #19 – “Monderisms” – Harmonic Minor Cycle 4 (Marc Rum)

Short Story #20 – Switching Between 2 Keys With Open and Closed Melodic Minor Triads (Marco Giussani)

Practical Talk

Guitar Harmony Basics with Tom Lippincott

How To Use The Mick Goodrick Almanacs

Jack Pezanelli’s Triads Over Bass Notes for Non-Functional Reharmonization

Jingle Bells using Back Cycling Triads, Contrary Motion etc

Guitar Music Theory 101

Tribute to Mick Goodrick by Tom Lippincott (and Lesson)

MGH Philosophy

13 Steps to Musical Integration

Embrace Your Originality and Uniqueness on Your Guitar

Gear Talk

Harley Benton R-458 FFB Multiscale Guitar Review

How Do I Get a Great Tone From My Player Telecaster?

Bite Size Life

Bite Size Guitar Theory Lessons

Guitar Theory Lesson 1 – The Musical Alphabet (Blog and Youtube Vid)

General Articles

10 Top Guitarists Pay Tribute to Mick Goodrick

MGH Guitarists to Watch

Stelios Mihas and Mick Goodrick’s 9 Early Pieces

Mikko Hilden – MGH Guitarist of the Month – April 2024

Barry McCormack – MGH Guitarist of the Month – March 2024

Az Samad – MGH Guitarist of the Month – February 2024

Steve Herberman – MGH Guitarist of the Month – January 2024

Tom Lippincott – MGH Guitarist of the Month – December 2023

Christian Miller – MGH Guitarist of the Month – November 2023

Mike Papapavlou – MGH Guitarist of the Month – October 2023

Beth Marlis – MGH Guitarist of the Month – September 2023

Tim Mirth – MGH Guitarist of the Month – August 2023

Josh Workman – MGH Guitarist of the Month – July 2023

 

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