If you have read my previous posts about the subject of chord tones (you have, right?), the significance and benefits from studying it should be well established by now. So far, the instructional methods reviewed have been mostly concerned with the exact (diatonic) tones of a given chord, but that is not all there is to it. So, what is a good step towards the "next level" then?
Possibly the most concise work in this regard is the book Fretboard Arcadium, written by Scott Hubbell. The aim of this volume (something like 86 pages of solid information) is pretty good described in the foreword, done by one of the true masters of the instrument - Todd Johnson (watch for reviews of his publications in the future), who pointed that diligent work on this material should help you
1. develop your melodic sense
2. improve your ability to solo
3. improve your ear training
4. improve your fretboard knowledge...
So, how does Hubbel approach this task?
He starts, appropriately, with a quick review of the theory behind the building blocks of studying harmony in this way, i.e. vertically. Namely, he briefly explains how the chords are constructed and what their inversions are, as well as the concept of approach notes. And from there, the main portion of the book begins!
The first half of the book is dedicated to a thorough treatment of the four types of triads, each with 10 (ten!) different exercises, built on four main ways of approaching the notes within it. For the sake of clearer illustration of the material the author uses both the standard notation and tablature, but you don't necessarily need to stick to the shown fingering of each individual exercise. After all, the author says himself: "Take the exercises on the 4 note chords and change them around, make them yours".
Speaking of the 4-note structures, Hubbell addresses two types of 6th chords (major and minor), as well as four types of 7th chords (major, minor, dominant, half-diminished, diminished). However, his treatment of each, in terms of providing exercises, is not as step-by-step as the triads. That is because he relies on your diligence in covering the previous material, and applying the principles learned to the new lessons. Essentially, he shows the use of selected approaches to the new chordal structures, but it is up to the reader/student to figure out how all of the earlier explained steps need to be implemented in order to reap the full benefits.
While I do appreciate the methods that delineate every step of the way for the students, I have always preferred those that require the students to get involved on a deeper level, because in my case they help the better actual understanding and absorption of the lessons.
Now we come to the part of the story that sort of fits the mysterious tone of the book title... Namely, this volume, along with the authors other one (about scales) used to be available both in printed and electronic formats. But, while I was checking out the Internet for details to include in this review, it turned out that Hubbell's websites are no longer online, and the main distributor of his works (bassbooks.com) went under several years ago. Therefore, I couldn't contact the author, but the hardcopy version of the book can still be found/ordered if you search for it a bit, and still at a great price. For the value you are getting from the book, it will be time and money well spent.
