In general my concept of applying music theory to the guitar neck involves learning everything in two positions with at least two octaves included in each position. These positions are visualized from a root on the 6th string and a root on the 5th string. I use the key circle as a mechanism to memorize the names and locations of the 12 possible roots on the 6th and 5th strings. Going counter-clockwise (cycle of 4ths) around the circle is very applicable to the guitar because the 6th and 5th strings are tuned a 4th apart. I then start building from the key circle notes. Add a 5th to the key circle notes to get a power chord. Add an octave. Add a 2nd octave. Add major and minor bar chords etc. All chords, scales, blues patterns, arpeggios, and everything else are learned from a 6th string root and a 5th string root with 2 octaves included from each root. The student then drills the lesson of the day around the circle. I usually have them recite out loud the key that they are in as they play it. On almost every page you'll see: "Around the circle - recite names" or the phrase: "All keys" which means the same thing.

My attitude about the student bringing in the hit of the day to learn is this: you can't deny the power of immediate gratification. Immediate gratification equals motivation and that is worth something. Remember when you were 14? What were you playing? However, I make sure the student understands that I am not willing to do tunes he brings in and nothing else. A chimpanzee can be trained to put his fingers in the right place but still doesn't know anything. If the student sticks with the applied theory then in time he will be able to figure the tune out for himself and won't have to pay me to figure out some tune that any 14-year old can play. Many times what the student is working on in the applied theory part of the lesson just happens to be directly applicable to the tune he wants to learn. Then I can say something like, "See, I have the stuff you need. Learn what I'm trying to teach you and you'll know what you need to know to play this tune you want to learn." Students become very impressed when you listen to the tune they brought in and then play it back to them. They realize that you know what you're talking about and your "hip-quotient" goes way up.

Concerning reading music. In general, I am not in favor of tablature. Tab only exists in the very inbred guitar sub-culture. It does not exist in the real world. No producer or band leader is ever going to put a tab chart in front of you. I've played thousands of gigs and thousands of recording sessions and not even once have I ever been asked to read tab. You only need tab if you don't know your instrument. Have I made my point? Having said that, my attitude about reading music is pretty casual, and I do use tab to chart out tunes for the student - at least through the first three units. The world is full of million dollar guitar players that are musically illiterate. Doesn't mean they can't play, doesn't mean they don't know what they're doing, doesn't mean they're not a genius, just means they can't read. You'll notice when you peruse the Table of Contents given on the next page that there's nothing about reading until Unit 4. By that time the student has a pretty good grasp of the neck. He should know every note on the neck or at least be able to figure it out. If you know the neck then reading isn't that big of a deal. Most methods teach the neck and reading at the same time. That's overload for most people. So the correct order is: learn the neck first, then the reading won't be such a trauma. Didn't you learn to talk before you learned to read? After Unit 5 you must be able to read in order to go through the rest of the material. If the student has made it that far then they're probably pretty committed and it won't be a big issue. There is a certain fake book that I use for tunes that use the more advanced concepts - 7th inversions and beyond. It's also great for reading. Talk to me personally for details.

Technique. Playing the guitar (or any instrument) is mainly physical. That means technique is most of the deal. What's the use of having all these very cool musical ideas if you can't play them? How can you express yourself if you can't talk? So if you were to somehow learn everything in this book and nothing else then you would have only a very small percentage of what it takes to play the guitar. So why is there only one page of technique stuff in the whole method? Answer: good technique cannot be learned from a book. It must be interactive. A book (or a video) can't say, "You're having trouble controlling your pinky because your thumb is in the wrong place". You can improve if someone who is better than you watches you play and points out your deficiencies and then suggests ways to correct them. The concept underlying good technique is: control that results in economical movement. By-products of economical movement are things like speed, accuracy and stamina. Not to mention not injuring yourself. If there is no control, then a rule is necessary. Where there is control, there are no rules. Controlling the movement of every finger, all the time is good technique. Actually, it's more than that, it's controlling the whole body, focusing the mind, and playing with spirit. But we start with the hands! Muscle memory is attained through repetition. Control is attained through repetition, repetition, repetition. If the student cannot find self-motivation and joy in practicing the same thing over and over until he consistently gets it right he won't last very long. Most people have the ability to be really good, few people are willing to do what it takes. No one springs forth from the womb fully formed.

My agenda for every student is: I want them to get better. It's my position that all styles have something to bring to the table. I'm not interested in turning out jazz musicians even though I dearly love jazz. However, thinking a song was stupid never stopped me from playing it and not liking a song never stopped me from teaching it, if that is what the student is into. ("I know it's only rock-n-roll but I like it!" - The Rolling Stones) The important thing is that the student likes it. No one benefits from me forcing someone to learn something they don't want to know. That's not what music is all about. It's about expression - and all honest expression is valid - not always appropriate - but valid! A G chord is a G chord whether it's in some satanic death metal song or Amazing Grace. I give the tools, how they are used is not my responsibility. If the fun factor goes away there's no point and you'll lose the student. So if the student is into something I don't care for that's ok. He'll be better at it because he's studied with me. I've seen many kids start out with the typical crap and grow into really good music. So you never know. Everyone should have a chance.

The content of this book is the result of over 30 years of playing, teaching, studying and thinking about the guitar and in all that time I never gave a thought to anyone else using it but me. It was a convenience thing so that I wouldn't have to write everything down all the time, it would look better and I'd make a few extra bucks. Now that other teachers are using it without having studied personally with me I realize that I could write several pages of text for every page that now exists. That’s not going to happen! The book is mainly an outline of what I have in my head. There are many details and applications that are not written down. Each student is different and sometimes you have to search for a way to make the material relevant to whatever it is they're interested in. If you are using these books and have questions, comments or suggestions I am totally available via e-mail or phone. If there are several teachers in one place that are interested in using these books I will be happy to come and do a teachers clinic on optimizing the books and how to incorporate them into what you're already doing. If you are a teacher using these books and are online I would like to add your e-mail address to my teachers list. I'm always tweaking and changing things and it's possible the next batch of books you buy will have changes. I can keep all the teachers updated on the continually evolving Jay-method with e-mail. Thanks for your interest.

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