The holiday celebrates mathematical constant “pi” (π), which is one of the oldest and best-recognized mathematical constants in the world. Pi is the ratio of any circle’s circumference to its diameter, and it’s valued approximately to 3.14159265 – although its actual digits after the decimal point are infinite.
To celebrate Pi Day, Fret Zealot is allowing you to “Play through Pi” in the Fret Zealot app. We created a song that maps the C major scale to the first 31 of the digits of Pi. You can find it in the Fret Zealot app under the artist “The Constants”.
Music and math might not seem like they have much in common – but there’s a lot of overlap between the two studies.
“Music is the arithmetic of sounds as optics is the geometry of light.”
Claude Debussy
Reading music
“Music Sheet Photo” by Aleksander%20D%u0119bowski is marked with CC0 1.0.
Each piece of music has a time signature, which looks like a fraction. The time signature shows the rhythm – how many beats are in each measure. Musical notes are also assigned a value, including quarter notes, half notes, and whole notes. To read sheet music, you have to know how long to hold each note – which requires math!
Frequency
Why does a ukulele sound higher than a guitar? Why do you play higher notes on a guitar closer to the body?
“File:Pythagoras (titel op object) Lycurgus en Pythagoras (serietitel), RP-P-1964-2902.jpg” by Rijksmuseum is marked with CC0 1.0.
It’s because the pitch of a vibrating string is proportional to its length, and the pitch can be controlled by the length – getting higher as the string gets shorter.
Greek philosopher Pythagoras studied this phenomenon around 500 B.C on lyres, Greek stringed instruments. He found that a string exactly half the length of another string will have a much higher pitch, but they sound constant when played together, an interval called an octave.
Patterns
What do the Fibonacci sequence and “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynrd have in common?
They both follow patterns, which are a common occurrence in both mathematics and music.
(Most) music has repeating patterns in choruses, verses, chords, and riffs. Numerical patterns are sequences of numbers created based on formulas or rules. These types of patterns can be seen in nature, architecture, and everyday objects!
You can start your musical journey with Fret Zealot. Users can choose from thousands of video lessons, over 80,000 song tracks, 10,000 chords, and more.
You can download the Fret Zealot app from the Apple or Android store, watch lessons online, and start playing today!
https://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/26192809/pi-cc0.jpg6831024Kaley Lynchhttps://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/logo.pngKaley Lynch2022-03-14 15:29:042022-03-14 15:30:33Pi Day and the relationship between music and math
March is Women’s History Month – and we’re celebrating some groundbreaking, genre-defining, guitar pioneers who have perfected the craft – from singer-songwriters to experimental sound makers.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Sister Rosetta Tharp, 1938 publicity photo/ James J. Kriegsmann, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
With a powerhouse voice and innovative electric guitar solos, Sister Rosetta Tharpe blazed a trail for rock music in the 1930s and 1940s. Sometimes called the “Godmother of rock and roll”, Tharpe was one of the original great recording stars of gospel music, and one of the first recording artists to use distortion on her guitar. She was born in Arkansas in 1915 and started performing gospel music with her mother at age six. At 23, she signed with British label Decca Records and released songs like “Rock Me” and “That’s All”. Her gospel music also was loved by rhythm and blues and rock and roll audiences, influencing Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Little Richard, among many others.
You can find tabs for her songs “This Train”, “Up Above My Head”, and “Rock Me” in the Fret Zealot app. Download the Fret Zealot app to try them out!
Joni Mitchell, 1974/Paul C. Babin, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Joni Mitchell
Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell has had a prolific career, starting as a folk performer and branching off into pop, rock, and jazz. She was born Roberta Joan Anderson in Alberta, Canada and contracted polio at nine years old. While she was hospitalized, she entertained the other patients by singing, and later taught herself guitar. Mitchell’s compositions feature creative open tunings. According to Sweetwater.com, Mitchell’s childhood bout with the disease weakened her left hand, and open tuning allowed her to more easily play chords. Her use of open tuning was also influenced by country blues performers.
She has won nine Grammy awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
Search the Fret Zealot app to find and learn her songs, including “A Case of You”, “Big Yellow Taxi”, and “Both Sides Now”.
Statue of Elizabeth Cotten in Libba Cotten Grove, Syracuse NY/Smerdis, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Elizabeth Cotten
Elizabeth “Libba” Cotten, born in North Carolina in 1895, didn’t record her first album until she was 62 – more than half a century after she taught herself to play guitar and banjo. She would secretly borrow her brother’s instruments when she could, flipping them to play left-handed. She created a unique style of playing – simultaneously plucking the bass line while playing the melody on the higher strings. The technique later became known as “Cotten style”.
Cotten’s music – including her song “Freight Train”, which she wrote before her teenage years, was beloved by the folk revival moment in the 1960s, and she toured and performed up until her death in 1987. She won a Grammy for her live album in 1985, and her songs have been covered by Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead, among many other artists.
You can find tabs for her songs “Freight Train”, “Wilson Rag”, and more in the Fret Zealot app. Download the app to try them out!
St. Vincent at 2021 Shaky Knees Music Festival/Thomson202019, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Annie “St. Vincent” Clark
Annie Clark – known by her stage name “St. Vincent”, started playing guitar at age 12 and spent some time during her teen years as a roadie for her aunt and uncle’s jazz group. She played with Sufjan Stevens’ touring band in 2006 before embarking on her solo career, releasing her debut album in 2007. The former Berklee College of Music student does anything but play it safe when it comes to her guitar playing – she uses effects, angular riffs, and creative playing of open strings on certain tabs to make her sound unique. Dweezil Zappa has compared her playing style to his late dad, Frank’s.
You can find tabs for her songs “Birth in Reverse”, “Paris is Burning”, “These Days”, and more in the Fret Zealot app. Download the app to try them out!
Yvette Young at EMG booth at NAMM, Jan. 2016. Lauriemonk, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Yvette Young
Multi-instrumentalist Yvette Young conjures up a variety of sounds from her guitar using fingerstyle and tapping techniques – both in her math-rock band Covet and her solo project. Her keyboard-like playing style was influenced by her years of playing piano at the age of four.
You can find tabs for her songs “Acoustic Lullaby”, “Blossom”, and more in the Fret Zealot app. Download the app to try them out!
Gabriela Quintero
Rodrigo y Gabriela/Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
One-half of Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela, Gabriela Quintero brings her flamenco guitar alive with rhythmic strumming and playing percussion on the guitar body. The two have been playing professionally since 2000. They received a Grammy in 2020 for their fifth album, and played at the White House during Pres. Barack Obama’s administration.
Check out the Fret Zealot app to find and learn songs by Rodrigo y Gabriela.
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt, 1977/Carolan Ross, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Ten-time Grammy winner Bonnie Raitt started her musical journey at age eight when she was given a guitar for Christmas. According to the musician’s website, while attending college at Harvard, she played blues and slide guitar at local coffeehouses before leaving to play music full-time. She plays with her slide on her second finger, which allows her to switch between rhythm and slide playing.
Raitt has won ten Grammy awards and was given the Grammy Lifetime Award in 2021.
You can find tabs for her songs “I Can’t Make You Love Me”, “Used to Rule the World” and more in the Fret Zealot app. Download the app to try them out!
https://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/26192810/JAS6108.jpg20001600Kaley Lynchhttps://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/logo.pngKaley Lynch2022-03-03 20:16:582024-02-29 14:28:28For Women’s History Month, check out these inspirational women guitarists
FOX ENTERTAINMENT AND ZEALOT INTERACTIVE FORM TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIP ON FOX’S ALL-NEW COUNTRY MUSIC DRAMA, “MONARCH”
Interactive Guitar Education System to Feature Original Songs from Upcoming Drama, Beginning with Today’s Release of “The Card You Gamble”
MONARCH to Premiere Sunday, January 30, Immediately Following NFC Championship Game
FOX Entertainment and Zealot Interactive, creator of leading interactive guitar education system Fret Zealot, have formed a technology partnership on FOX’s upcoming new drama, MONARCH.
Under the agreement, Zealot Interactive will develop interactive guitar lessons, vis-à-vis its streaming video service with instructor-led sessions and patented guitar neck instructional LED device, for original songs and select covers featured in MONARCH. The multi-generational musical drama stars Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon (“Thelma & Louise,” “Dead Man Walking,” “Feud”), multi-Platinum country music star and three-time Academy of Country Music Award winner Trace Adkins and Golden Globe winner Anna Friel (“Pushing Daisies,” “Books of Blood,” “The Girlfriend Experience”).
Fret Zealot will unveil its first MONARCH song lesson today to coincide with the release of “The Card You Gamble,” written by Hillary Lee Lindsey, Lori McKenna and Liz Rose. Throughout the series’ inaugural season, Fret Zealot will unveil additional lessons of select songs from the show, including those specifically written for MONARCH and cover versions of other artists’ work.
The official MONARCH play-along to learn songs from the series is available via the Fret Zealot app for Android, iOS and on Chrome web browsers as part of an all-access subscription for $14.99 per month. MONARCH fans who subscribe to the service will receive the first month free of charge by signing up at fretzealot.com/monarch and receive $20 off any Fret Zealot LED system purchase, using the promo code “MONARCH.”
MONARCH is a Texas-sized, multi-generational musical drama about the Romans, a powerful family that rules the country music industry. The series, 100% owned by FOX Entertainment, will debut with a special two-night event beginning Sunday, Jan. 30, immediately following the NFC CHAMPIONSHIP, and continuing on Tuesday, Feb. 1 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).
“Interactivity is an important tool to attract and engage with fans; and Fret Zealot’s popular guitar lesson system is a perfect way to promote MONARCH and the amazing music that will be featured throughout the series,” said Laura Caraccioli, Senior Vice President, Head of Strategic Creative Partnerships, of FOX Entertainment.
Zealot Interactive CEO Shaun Masavage added, “Our data and research show budding guitarists learn five times faster with the Fret Zealot system. The combination of streaming video and LED technologies help them play the songs they like sooner and increases their desire to keep learning guitar. In addition to the songs from MONARCH, Fret Zealot users have access to over 3,000 video lessons.”
In MONARCH, the Romans are headed by the insanely talented, but tough as nails Queen of Country Music DOTTIE CANTRELL ROMAN (Sarandon). Along with her beloved husband, ALBIE (Adkins), Dottie has created a country music dynasty. But even though the Roman name is synonymous with authenticity, the very foundation of their success is a lie. And when their reign as country royalty is put in jeopardy, heir to the crown NICOLETTE “NICKY” ROMAN (Friel) will stop at nothing to protect her family’s legacy, while ensuring her own quest for stardom.
MONARCH is produced by FOX Entertainment. Screenwriter Melissa London Hilfers serves as creator, writer and executive producer. Jon Feldman (“Designated Survivor,” “The Newsroom”) is an executive producer and showrunner. Gail Berman and Hend Baghdady (The Jackal Group) and top music manager Jason Owen (Sandbox Entertainment) also serve as executive producers. Jason Ensler (“The Passage”) directed and serves as a producer on the series premiere.
https://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/26192811/fz_monarch_1920_1080_poweredby-scaled.jpeg14402560Alex Zorychtahttps://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/logo.pngAlex Zorychta2022-01-07 20:22:052022-01-11 23:30:27FOX Entertainment and Zealot Interactive Form Technology Partnership on FOX’s All-New Country Music Drama, “MONARCH”
https://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/26192932/Music-Theory-Course-guide-Image.jpg16002400Shaun Masavagehttps://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/logo.pngShaun Masavage2021-01-28 21:53:582022-05-16 13:53:19Best Courses for Guitar Music Theory
https://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/26192942/guitarist-on-stage-blog-feature-image-scaled.jpg17072560Shaun Masavagehttps://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/logo.pngShaun Masavage2021-01-21 16:16:492022-05-16 14:34:22Player Study Courses – Play Like the Legends!
Blerg. Scales. Not as much fun as playing your favorite tune, but they are the fundamental theory behind all music. Instruments are built based on scales and music is created using them whether you know it or not! When you start understanding scales and actually practicing them, you’ll see your guitar skills soar.
So let’s make practicing scales easier and more fun!
If you want some direct help with making learning and playing scales easy to do, check out Trey Xavier’s RelationShapes course on scales on the Fret Zealot app to become a scale master.
In the meantime, here are some tips showing some of our favorite scales and how to play them in fun ways (instead of running your typical drills).
E Minor Pentatonic
The E Minor Pentatonic is one of the most commonly used scales for playing lead guitar, because any open note (just strumming a string without any fingers on the neck) will give you a note that sounds good! You can see this on Fret Zealot because all the LEDs are lit up on the 0th fret location above. Yes! You’ll still sound decent, even if you hit some extra strings while shredding on those power chords.
Speaking of power chords, we suggest trying the Justin Guitar power chord lesson in the app to learn the simple power chord shapes. Then, open the Notes and Scales section of Fret Zealot and choose the E Minor Pentatonic scale. Practice your power chords on this scale just like the GIF above! You’ll be amazed at how quickly and easily you can play some classic rock rhythms… or make your own!
The E Minor Pentatonic scale is very commonly used in metal and hard rock. Some songs you might recognize that make heavy use of this scale:
Back In Black – AC DC Black Knight – Deep Purple Enter Sandman – Metallica Lonely Boy – The Black Keys Paranoid – Black Sabbath Pride & Joy – Stevie Ray Vaughan Purple Haze – Jimi Hendrix Whole Lotta Love – Led Zeppelin
(you can play these songs in the Fret Zealot web app or within the Android and iOS apps in PLAY > SONGS)
Aside from being incredibly useful, this scale is based on a simple 5 note pattern, which means it’s easy to use and adapt when you’re soloing or just playing around! There’s an amazing course by John Robson in the Fret Zealot app (Play Lead Guitar… the Easy Way!) that teaches the shapes and soloing techniques for pentatonic scales specifically, and we highly recommend checking it out. Here’s an example of 3 octaves of a pentatonic scale shape from his course:
This simple shape is easy to memorize and can be shifted up and down the fretboard to change your key on the fly. Experiment with different note patterns and you’ll find yourself replicating some of the most famous solos out there!
A Harmonic Minor
The A Harmonic Minor scale is a common, but rather unique and exotic sounding scale. It has a combination between a jazzy and Arabic/Egyptian sound, but it actually dates to classical European music from the Baroque era. Bach was particularly a fan of this one. If you’re jamming on A Harmonic Minor, make sure you get out your effects pedal(s) to create some really interesting sounds while playing the same notes.
The harmonic scales in any key are considered dark or dramatic. It’s one of the more expressive scale types. Some artists that make use of harmonic scales are:
Dire Straits Phish Sublime Malmsteen Opeth
(again…head to the SONGS section of the app to see this in action!)
So if you’re looking to find something new with a completely unique sound, A Harmonic Minor is the way to go.
C Blues Well, blues is in the name, so you know where we’re going with this! We love the C Blues scale. The Blues scale is just a pentatonic scale with one additional note. From a visual perspective, you can easily identify it by having a “three in a row” pattern (see the bluish hue notes in the GIF above).
This scale is quite fun to play with different soloing techniques: skipping notes, sliding, bending, etc. Add in an effects pedal (e.g. distortion) and power chords are game! This is a great scale to use when practicing your improvisation skills. One of our favorite things to do is play a C Blues backing track with Fret Zealot displaying the scale so you can practice lead guitar.
Want to get into some 12 bar blues, techniques, and turnarounds? Henry Olsen’s Beginner Blues Guitar course in the Fret Zealot app walks you through everything, including some play along tracks to let you experiment on your own.
G Major Ionian
The G Major Ionian is a staple of many famous guitarists! It’s arguably the most common key that music is played in (followed by C major). Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl is an example of an entire song based on a unique string of notes in this scale. We found this convenient Spotify Playlist that has 40 examples of songs that use G Major Ionian from pretty much every genre.
That’s how we keep ourselves playing and learning scales on the regular. But remember that you can get some extra help with learning your scales. Check out Trey Xavier’s RelationShapes course in the Fret Zealot app. He’ll get you soloing and transformed into a scale master in no time!
Many other courses have smaller sections on scales as well, so subscribe to learn specifically how to play scales through rock, rockabilly, jazz, and blues styles!
Check out the COURSES section of the Fret Zealot app or online and see for yourself!
https://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/26193116/Blog-post-image-scales.jpg540960John Tollyhttps://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/logo.pngJohn Tolly2020-01-28 18:14:272022-05-16 15:09:18Scales! Tips, Tricks, and Getting Started
Music Education Tech Start-Up Launches Course Marketplace on Fret Zealot App
Innovative, New Combined Approach to Guitar Instruction and Internet of Things (IoT) Technology
Washington, DC– Edge Tech Labs is launching Fret Zealot Courses, a marketplace that allows instructors to offer video lesson programs for either a fixed price or subscription.
Fret Zealot is an LED strip that is applied directly to the fretboard of a guitar, bass, or ukulele. It is accompanied by an all-access, highly interactive Android and iOS app that includes every scale; ten thousand chords; over seventy thousand songs; a tuner with over fifty-five tunings; a metronome; customizable and programmable practice features; and various tools, including microphone listening for accuracy, application programming interface (API) integrations, and light shows. Fret Zealot partners with various guitar-centric leaders, such as Uberchord, and includes instructor-led video tutorials as well.
Fret Zealot is designed to make learning to play instruments fun and engaging. This way, aspiring musicians of all ages can learn to play intuitively, at their own pace, and on their own time.
The Marketplace’s primary innovation is that the video tutorials now sync directly with the Fret Zealot LEDs on the instrument’s fretboard, demonstrating what the instructor is teaching in real time.
Using a thin LED strip that aligns with the frets and shows players where to put their fingers, Fret Zealot products capitalize on technology to make learning an instrument easier and more intuitive. Users can learn at their own pace and on their own time, and they can start and stop with ease.
“With thousands of customers around the globe, our data is showing that players want ‘bite-size’ lessons of just fourteen to eighteen minutes,” says Shaun Masavage, Fret Zealot CEO. “No physical instructor offers in-person lessons less than thirty minutes, meaning there’s a significant gap between what’s available and what we’re delivering with the Courses feature. Fret Zealot’s technology makes it seem as if the instructor’s hands are right on your own instrument—without ever having to leave your home.”
Courses available through Fret Zealot have several key benefits:
They are handpicked. Instructors are chosen, and the marketplace is not open to any course submission. Quality is ensured from the start.
Fret Zealot data are created manually to ensure complete accuracy of the finger locations and color displays.
By the summer of 2020, over two thousand videos will be available. Compared to traditional instruction, the marketplace offers formidable monetary and time-saving advantages.
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Pi Day and the relationship between music and math
/by Kaley LynchMarch 14 (3/14) is Pi Day!
The holiday celebrates mathematical constant “pi” (π), which is one of the oldest and best-recognized mathematical constants in the world. Pi is the ratio of any circle’s circumference to its diameter, and it’s valued approximately to 3.14159265 – although its actual digits after the decimal point are infinite.
To celebrate Pi Day, Fret Zealot is allowing you to “Play through Pi” in the Fret Zealot app. We created a song that maps the C major scale to the first 31 of the digits of Pi. You can find it in the Fret Zealot app under the artist “The Constants”.
Here’s how you can find your birthday or any number in pi!
Music and math might not seem like they have much in common – but there’s a lot of overlap between the two studies.
Reading music
“Music Sheet Photo” by Aleksander%20D%u0119bowski is marked with CC0 1.0.
Each piece of music has a time signature, which looks like a fraction. The time signature shows the rhythm – how many beats are in each measure. Musical notes are also assigned a value, including quarter notes, half notes, and whole notes. To read sheet music, you have to know how long to hold each note – which requires math!
Frequency
Why does a ukulele sound higher than a guitar? Why do you play higher notes on a guitar closer to the body?
“File:Pythagoras (titel op object) Lycurgus en Pythagoras (serietitel), RP-P-1964-2902.jpg” by Rijksmuseum is marked with CC0 1.0.
It’s because the pitch of a vibrating string is proportional to its length, and the pitch can be controlled by the length – getting higher as the string gets shorter.
Greek philosopher Pythagoras studied this phenomenon around 500 B.C on lyres, Greek stringed instruments. He found that a string exactly half the length of another string will have a much higher pitch, but they sound constant when played together, an interval called an octave.
Patterns
What do the Fibonacci sequence and “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynrd have in common?
They both follow patterns, which are a common occurrence in both mathematics and music.
(Most) music has repeating patterns in choruses, verses, chords, and riffs. Numerical patterns are sequences of numbers created based on formulas or rules. These types of patterns can be seen in nature, architecture, and everyday objects!
You can start your musical journey with Fret Zealot. Users can choose from thousands of video lessons, over 80,000 song tracks, 10,000 chords, and more.
You can download the Fret Zealot app from the Apple or Android store, watch lessons online, and start playing today!
For Women’s History Month, check out these inspirational women guitarists
/by Kaley LynchMarch is Women’s History Month – and we’re celebrating some groundbreaking, genre-defining, guitar pioneers who have perfected the craft – from singer-songwriters to experimental sound makers.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Sister Rosetta Tharp, 1938 publicity photo/ James J. Kriegsmann, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
With a powerhouse voice and innovative electric guitar solos, Sister Rosetta Tharpe blazed a trail for rock music in the 1930s and 1940s. Sometimes called the “Godmother of rock and roll”, Tharpe was one of the original great recording stars of gospel music, and one of the first recording artists to use distortion on her guitar. She was born in Arkansas in 1915 and started performing gospel music with her mother at age six. At 23, she signed with British label Decca Records and released songs like “Rock Me” and “That’s All”. Her gospel music also was loved by rhythm and blues and rock and roll audiences, influencing Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Little Richard, among many others.
She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.
You can find tabs for her songs “This Train”, “Up Above My Head”, and “Rock Me” in the Fret Zealot app. Download the Fret Zealot app to try them out!
Joni Mitchell, 1974/Paul C. Babin, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Joni Mitchell
Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell has had a prolific career, starting as a folk performer and branching off into pop, rock, and jazz. She was born Roberta Joan Anderson in Alberta, Canada and contracted polio at nine years old. While she was hospitalized, she entertained the other patients by singing, and later taught herself guitar. Mitchell’s compositions feature creative open tunings. According to Sweetwater.com, Mitchell’s childhood bout with the disease weakened her left hand, and open tuning allowed her to more easily play chords. Her use of open tuning was also influenced by country blues performers.
She has won nine Grammy awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
Search the Fret Zealot app to find and learn her songs, including “A Case of You”, “Big Yellow Taxi”, and “Both Sides Now”.
Statue of Elizabeth Cotten in Libba Cotten Grove, Syracuse NY/Smerdis, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Elizabeth Cotten
Elizabeth “Libba” Cotten, born in North Carolina in 1895, didn’t record her first album until she was 62 – more than half a century after she taught herself to play guitar and banjo. She would secretly borrow her brother’s instruments when she could, flipping them to play left-handed. She created a unique style of playing – simultaneously plucking the bass line while playing the melody on the higher strings. The technique later became known as “Cotten style”.
Cotten’s music – including her song “Freight Train”, which she wrote before her teenage years, was beloved by the folk revival moment in the 1960s, and she toured and performed up until her death in 1987. She won a Grammy for her live album in 1985, and her songs have been covered by Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead, among many other artists.
You can find tabs for her songs “Freight Train”, “Wilson Rag”, and more in the Fret Zealot app. Download the app to try them out!
St. Vincent at 2021 Shaky Knees Music Festival/Thomson202019, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Annie “St. Vincent” Clark
Annie Clark – known by her stage name “St. Vincent”, started playing guitar at age 12 and spent some time during her teen years as a roadie for her aunt and uncle’s jazz group. She played with Sufjan Stevens’ touring band in 2006 before embarking on her solo career, releasing her debut album in 2007. The former Berklee College of Music student does anything but play it safe when it comes to her guitar playing – she uses effects, angular riffs, and creative playing of open strings on certain tabs to make her sound unique. Dweezil Zappa has compared her playing style to his late dad, Frank’s.
You can find tabs for her songs “Birth in Reverse”, “Paris is Burning”, “These Days”, and more in the Fret Zealot app. Download the app to try them out!
Yvette Young at EMG booth at NAMM, Jan. 2016. Lauriemonk, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Yvette Young
Multi-instrumentalist Yvette Young conjures up a variety of sounds from her guitar using fingerstyle and tapping techniques – both in her math-rock band Covet and her solo project. Her keyboard-like playing style was influenced by her years of playing piano at the age of four.
You can find tabs for her songs “Acoustic Lullaby”, “Blossom”, and more in the Fret Zealot app. Download the app to try them out!
Gabriela Quintero
Rodrigo y Gabriela/Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
One-half of Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela, Gabriela Quintero brings her flamenco guitar alive with rhythmic strumming and playing percussion on the guitar body. The two have been playing professionally since 2000. They received a Grammy in 2020 for their fifth album, and played at the White House during Pres. Barack Obama’s administration.
Check out the Fret Zealot app to find and learn songs by Rodrigo y Gabriela.
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt, 1977/Carolan Ross, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Ten-time Grammy winner Bonnie Raitt started her musical journey at age eight when she was given a guitar for Christmas. According to the musician’s website, while attending college at Harvard, she played blues and slide guitar at local coffeehouses before leaving to play music full-time. She plays with her slide on her second finger, which allows her to switch between rhythm and slide playing.
Raitt has won ten Grammy awards and was given the Grammy Lifetime Award in 2021.
You can find tabs for her songs “I Can’t Make You Love Me”, “Used to Rule the World” and more in the Fret Zealot app. Download the app to try them out!
If this list has you inspired to pick up a guitar, you can find hundreds of songs and courses through Fret Zealot and learn to play guitar with light.
FOX Entertainment and Zealot Interactive Form Technology Partnership on FOX’s All-New Country Music Drama, “MONARCH”
/by Alex ZorychtaFOX ENTERTAINMENT AND ZEALOT INTERACTIVE FORM TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIP ON FOX’S ALL-NEW COUNTRY MUSIC DRAMA, “MONARCH”
Interactive Guitar Education System to Feature Original Songs from Upcoming Drama, Beginning with Today’s Release of “The Card You Gamble”
MONARCH to Premiere Sunday, January 30, Immediately Following NFC Championship Game
FOX Entertainment and Zealot Interactive, creator of leading interactive guitar education system Fret Zealot, have formed a technology partnership on FOX’s upcoming new drama, MONARCH.
Under the agreement, Zealot Interactive will develop interactive guitar lessons, vis-à-vis its streaming video service with instructor-led sessions and patented guitar neck instructional LED device, for original songs and select covers featured in MONARCH. The multi-generational musical drama stars Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon (“Thelma & Louise,” “Dead Man Walking,” “Feud”), multi-Platinum country music star and three-time Academy of Country Music Award winner Trace Adkins and Golden Globe winner Anna Friel (“Pushing Daisies,” “Books of Blood,” “The Girlfriend Experience”).
Fret Zealot will unveil its first MONARCH song lesson today to coincide with the release of “The Card You Gamble,” written by Hillary Lee Lindsey, Lori McKenna and Liz Rose. Throughout the series’ inaugural season, Fret Zealot will unveil additional lessons of select songs from the show, including those specifically written for MONARCH and cover versions of other artists’ work.
The official MONARCH play-along to learn songs from the series is available via the Fret Zealot app for Android, iOS and on Chrome web browsers as part of an all-access subscription for $14.99 per month. MONARCH fans who subscribe to the service will receive the first month free of charge by signing up at fretzealot.com/monarch and receive $20 off any Fret Zealot LED system purchase, using the promo code “MONARCH.”
MONARCH is a Texas-sized, multi-generational musical drama about the Romans, a powerful family that rules the country music industry. The series, 100% owned by FOX Entertainment, will debut with a special two-night event beginning Sunday, Jan. 30, immediately following the NFC CHAMPIONSHIP, and continuing on Tuesday, Feb. 1 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).
“Interactivity is an important tool to attract and engage with fans; and Fret Zealot’s popular guitar lesson system is a perfect way to promote MONARCH and the amazing music that will be featured throughout the series,” said Laura Caraccioli, Senior Vice President, Head of Strategic Creative Partnerships, of FOX Entertainment.
Zealot Interactive CEO Shaun Masavage added, “Our data and research show budding guitarists learn five times faster with the Fret Zealot system. The combination of streaming video and LED technologies help them play the songs they like sooner and increases their desire to keep learning guitar. In addition to the songs from MONARCH, Fret Zealot users have access to over 3,000 video lessons.”
In MONARCH, the Romans are headed by the insanely talented, but tough as nails Queen of Country Music DOTTIE CANTRELL ROMAN (Sarandon). Along with her beloved husband, ALBIE (Adkins), Dottie has created a country music dynasty. But even though the Roman name is synonymous with authenticity, the very foundation of their success is a lie. And when their reign as country royalty is put in jeopardy, heir to the crown NICOLETTE “NICKY” ROMAN (Friel) will stop at nothing to protect her family’s legacy, while ensuring her own quest for stardom.
MONARCH is produced by FOX Entertainment. Screenwriter Melissa London Hilfers serves as creator, writer and executive producer. Jon Feldman (“Designated Survivor,” “The Newsroom”) is an executive producer and showrunner. Gail Berman and Hend Baghdady (The Jackal Group) and top music manager Jason Owen (Sandbox Entertainment) also serve as executive producers. Jason Ensler (“The Passage”) directed and serves as a producer on the series premiere.
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/by Shaun MasavageScales! Tips, Tricks, and Getting Started
/by John TollyBlerg. Scales. Not as much fun as playing your favorite tune, but they are the fundamental theory behind all music. Instruments are built based on scales and music is created using them whether you know it or not! When you start understanding scales and actually practicing them, you’ll see your guitar skills soar.
So let’s make practicing scales easier and more fun!
If you want some direct help with making learning and playing scales easy to do, check out Trey Xavier’s RelationShapes course on scales on the Fret Zealot app to become a scale master.
In the meantime, here are some tips showing some of our favorite scales and how to play them in fun ways (instead of running your typical drills).
E Minor Pentatonic
The E Minor Pentatonic is one of the most commonly used scales for playing lead guitar, because any open note (just strumming a string without any fingers on the neck) will give you a note that sounds good! You can see this on Fret Zealot because all the LEDs are lit up on the 0th fret location above. Yes! You’ll still sound decent, even if you hit some extra strings while shredding on those power chords.
Speaking of power chords, we suggest trying the Justin Guitar power chord lesson in the app to learn the simple power chord shapes. Then, open the Notes and Scales section of Fret Zealot and choose the E Minor Pentatonic scale. Practice your power chords on this scale just like the GIF above! You’ll be amazed at how quickly and easily you can play some classic rock rhythms… or make your own!
The E Minor Pentatonic scale is very commonly used in metal and hard rock. Some songs you might recognize that make heavy use of this scale:
Back In Black – AC DC
Black Knight – Deep Purple
Enter Sandman – Metallica
Lonely Boy – The Black Keys
Paranoid – Black Sabbath
Pride & Joy – Stevie Ray Vaughan
Purple Haze – Jimi Hendrix
Whole Lotta Love – Led Zeppelin
(you can play these songs in the Fret Zealot web app or within the Android and iOS apps in PLAY > SONGS)
Aside from being incredibly useful, this scale is based on a simple 5 note pattern, which means it’s easy to use and adapt when you’re soloing or just playing around! There’s an amazing course by John Robson in the Fret Zealot app (Play Lead Guitar… the Easy Way!) that teaches the shapes and soloing techniques for pentatonic scales specifically, and we highly recommend checking it out. Here’s an example of 3 octaves of a pentatonic scale shape from his course:
This simple shape is easy to memorize and can be shifted up and down the fretboard to change your key on the fly. Experiment with different note patterns and you’ll find yourself replicating some of the most famous solos out there!
A Harmonic Minor
The A Harmonic Minor scale is a common, but rather unique and exotic sounding scale. It has a combination between a jazzy and Arabic/Egyptian sound, but it actually dates to classical European music from the Baroque era. Bach was particularly a fan of this one. If you’re jamming on A Harmonic Minor, make sure you get out your effects pedal(s) to create some really interesting sounds while playing the same notes.
The harmonic scales in any key are considered dark or dramatic. It’s one of the more expressive scale types. Some artists that make use of harmonic scales are:
Dire Straits
Phish
Sublime
Malmsteen
Opeth
(again…head to the SONGS section of the app to see this in action!)
So if you’re looking to find something new with a completely unique sound, A Harmonic Minor is the way to go.
C Blues
Well, blues is in the name, so you know where we’re going with this! We love the C Blues scale. The Blues scale is just a pentatonic scale with one additional note. From a visual perspective, you can easily identify it by having a “three in a row” pattern (see the bluish hue notes in the GIF above).
This scale is quite fun to play with different soloing techniques: skipping notes, sliding, bending, etc. Add in an effects pedal (e.g. distortion) and power chords are game! This is a great scale to use when practicing your improvisation skills. One of our favorite things to do is play a C Blues backing track with Fret Zealot displaying the scale so you can practice lead guitar.
Want to get into some 12 bar blues, techniques, and turnarounds? Henry Olsen’s Beginner Blues Guitar course in the Fret Zealot app walks you through everything, including some play along tracks to let you experiment on your own.
G Major Ionian
The G Major Ionian is a staple of many famous guitarists! It’s arguably the most common key that music is played in (followed by C major). Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl is an example of an entire song based on a unique string of notes in this scale. We found this convenient Spotify Playlist that has 40 examples of songs that use G Major Ionian from pretty much every genre.
That’s how we keep ourselves playing and learning scales on the regular. But remember that you can get some extra help with learning your scales. Check out Trey Xavier’s RelationShapes course in the Fret Zealot app. He’ll get you soloing and transformed into a scale master in no time!
Many other courses have smaller sections on scales as well, so subscribe to learn specifically how to play scales through rock, rockabilly, jazz, and blues styles!
Check out the COURSES section of the Fret Zealot app or online and see for yourself!
Press Release – COURSES Launches on Fret Zealot Apps
/by John TollyMusic Education Tech Start-Up Launches Course Marketplace on Fret Zealot App
Innovative, New Combined Approach to Guitar Instruction and Internet of Things (IoT) Technology
Washington, DC – Edge Tech Labs is launching Fret Zealot Courses, a marketplace that allows instructors to offer video lesson programs for either a fixed price or subscription.
Fret Zealot is an LED strip that is applied directly to the fretboard of a guitar, bass, or ukulele. It is accompanied by an all-access, highly interactive Android and iOS app that includes every scale; ten thousand chords; over seventy thousand songs; a tuner with over fifty-five tunings; a metronome; customizable and programmable practice features; and various tools, including microphone listening for accuracy, application programming interface (API) integrations, and light shows. Fret Zealot partners with various guitar-centric leaders, such as Uberchord, and includes instructor-led video tutorials as well.
Fret Zealot is designed to make learning to play instruments fun and engaging. This way, aspiring musicians of all ages can learn to play intuitively, at their own pace, and on their own time.
The Marketplace’s primary innovation is that the video tutorials now sync directly with the Fret Zealot LEDs on the instrument’s fretboard, demonstrating what the instructor is teaching in real time.
Using a thin LED strip that aligns with the frets and shows players where to put their fingers, Fret Zealot products capitalize on technology to make learning an instrument easier and more intuitive. Users can learn at their own pace and on their own time, and they can start and stop with ease.
“With thousands of customers around the globe, our data is showing that players want ‘bite-size’ lessons of just fourteen to eighteen minutes,” says Shaun Masavage, Fret Zealot CEO. “No physical instructor offers in-person lessons less than thirty minutes, meaning there’s a significant gap between what’s available and what we’re delivering with the Courses feature. Fret Zealot’s technology makes it seem as if the instructor’s hands are right on your own instrument—without ever having to leave your home.”
Courses available through Fret Zealot have several key benefits: