Paul | Guitar Lessons and Performance - Paul Elwood

How do I transpose guitar chords?

A bass player I played with for a while showed me this neat trick. Thanks Lenny! First make a row of notes like this, a half-step apart. we’ll start with C. Notice that we’re listing all the notes, not just the C scale notes.

What key do we want to transpose to?How about E? Rewrite the note names exactly in order but underneath the first row, starting with E.

Now we can clearly see what notes correspond to the notes in the C scale. In the scale of C, the notes are C, D, E, F, G, A and B. In the key of E, the notes are E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, D# and E.

Do you see? So let’s say you Have a C major triad in C and you want to transpose it to the key of E. In any key the Major triad is one, three and five; in C major, 1,3 and 5 are C, E and G. Moving those numbers to the key of E, what you’re saying is “if C is now E, then E=G# and G=B. All you’re looking for when you transpose is the same relationships in a scale with a […]

Paul2026-06-26T13:13:46-04:00

Ken lockwood Gorge

ken lockwood gorge

This was created on an Akai MPK mini (keyboard) and Logic Pro on the iMac.

Ken Lockwood Gorge is between Califon and High Bridge in Lebanon Township of Hunterdon County, New Jersey. It was purchased in 1948 by the Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife and has been referred to as “one of New Jersey’s most beautiful places.” It is presently administered by the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.

The 2½-mile (4 km) stretch of the South Branch Raritan River comprises the central feature of this 563-acre (228 ha) Wildlife Management Area. Steep, hilly woodlands host a plethora of flora and fauna including both game and non-game varieties, including a diverse population of birds and mammals.

Ken Lockwood Gorge is best known as a trout fishing destination. The New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife has designated the area as a “Trout Conservation Area”, in which a separate set of rules apply. The limits are different from most other sections of the Raritan River, and fishing with bait is prohibited.

The gorge is named after Kenneth F. Lockwood, an outdoor journalist and conservationist. Ken Lockwood was best known for his column, “Out In The Open”, which ran in the now-defunct Newark Evening News. He was also a strong advocate for land […]

Paul2026-06-15T17:27:48-04:00

What is the best instrument to play around a campfire?

What is the best instrument to play around a campfire?

OF COURSE it’s a Tuba.

Hands down, the best instrument to play around a campfire for several solid reasons. Number 1, you (tuba campfire player) will generate stories that will last for decades. 30 years or more from the date of your campfire intubation (I may be spelling this incorrectly), people will still be marveling at your verve and chutzpah and the precision with which you hammer out those blazing tuba riffs. Secondly, when you run out of tunes or when people beg you to stop playing, you can pack the bell with ice-cold lagers. See? two excellent reasons for tuba camping. Thirdly, tuba music, I have heard, is an excellent bear, raccoon and bigfoot repellent. Bravely you will sit up all night long gently oompa-ing into the forest, and your camping mates will sleep all the more soundly for hearing that rock-steady stream of tuba’d quarter notes echoing through the darkness.

So bungi that instrument to the top of your sedan and head for the woods! You’ll be glad you left your guitar at home, imho.

From a reader: Sorry to disillusion you, but although tuba music is an excellent bear repellant, it acts like a mating call for moose. (I don’t know […]

Paul2026-06-18T11:49:26-04:00

Dinner at the Alabardero

Dinner at Alabardero by Paul Elwood is written in a Chamber Jazz and Gypsy Jazz (Jazz Manouche) fusion style, heavily incorporating elements of traditional European folk, blues, and classical counterpoint.The piece is scored as an instrumental duet for Classical Guitar and Acoustic Bass. It blends traditional jazz harmony with an avant-garde, chromatic compositional approach.

Classical Guitar <—> Acoustic Bass

[ Harmonic Style ] [ Melodic Motion ] [ Rhythmic Structure ]

• Chromatic Jazz Chords • Syncopated Hooks • 4/4 Time Signature
• Diminished Passing • Sudden Register Jumps • “Walking” Bass Lines
• Rapid Key Shifts • Blues/Folk Flourishes • Highly Improv-Ready

Harmonic Style & Musicality

Intricate Jazz and Chromatic Chords:

The chord progression bypasses standard diatonic patterns. It relies on complex jazz sonorities like F6, B♭7, A7, and B(b9) interspersed with diminished chords (Fdim, Edim, E♭dim) that act as tense, chromatic passing mechanisms.

Rapid Modulations:

The tonality shifts quickly through contrasting spaces. For example, measures 8–12 jump rapidly through E -> Fdim -> A -> Am -> D7 -> G -> Gm -> C7, creating a […]

Paul2026-06-21T16:51:03-04:00

G major scale

Guitar lesson G major scale. The word “Position” simply tells us what fret our first finger is going to be on, so in second position, 1st finger is on the 2nd fret. In 3rd position, 1st finger is on the 3rd fret.

Download the associated PDF here

But there we have 5 frets and only four fingers! Pinkie finger has to do some extra work here, so he can cover the 6th and 7th fret. A 5 fret stretch scale is an excellent exercise to help us teach all our fingers to move accurately and independently.

Also, both the 2nd and 3rd position G Maj. scales are “portable”, meaning that they don’t need an open string. Essentially, if we learn these Major scale patterns in one position we will have them in all 12 keys. Pretty cool, right? Practice these patterns starting at the root, moving to the octave, ascending and descending

G scale is spelled “G,A, B, C, D, E, F# and G. G Major has one sharp which is the 7th (F#), establishing the pattern for adding sharps for the rest of the sharp keys. All the other notes in G are the same notes as in the C major scale, and this makes sense because G […]

Paul2026-06-08T20:27:59-04:00

New Orleans Weekend

A trip to New Orleans with Mrs. E was lots of fun and very inspiring!

Lead Sheet for New Orleans Weekend

According to our tour guide, if you have New Orleans in mind as a final resting place, he suggests as a first step, moving here and learning to play an instrument. The musician’s tomb in Cemetery #1 would be your last port of call. I especially like the symbolism of the blue note in the center of the cross on top. The blue note is pretty darn important!

During some down time on our last day in N’awlens I put this down- “New Orleans Weekend”. Sounds like it has a sort of French influence to me. Or maybe that’s the fried oyster po’boy I hear…

This (and all my other music too, come to think about it) was written with musescore which is a FREE! notation software and pretty easy to get a handle on. If you like music and you want to look under the hood a little I highly recommend it.

“If you want to work consistently, you have to be a team player.” – Russell Malone

Paul2026-06-15T10:38:16-04:00

Composition 011323

Composition 101323

Paul2026-06-09T21:19:24-04:00

How do you start a Hammond Organ?

How do you start a Hammond organ?

Depends on the model. Check the side of your organ. Is there a button, or perhaps a switch? On older models there may be a handle attached to a rope, which you must pull while bracing one foot against the bench. Also they can be notoriously hard to start in cold weather. Feel around the back, upper right hand corner for a choke lever. Push it all the way forward. Right below that is a sort of a black rubber thing- press it all the way in once or twice, then tug on the cord a couple of times to get the gas flowing into the carb. Then give the rope a couple of good yanks. If the organ turns over, you’re good to go. If not, set the choke to about half way and repeat the procedure.

If none of this works, you may need a jump, so get a couple of friends to wheel in another organ. put them back-to-back so your jumper cables will be long enough to go between the battery terminals on both organs. Start the second organ, being careful to match the proper sides of the batteries! Red to red and black to black- otherwise you can damage both organs.

Once you get it started, let it idle a while until it’s warmed up.

Happy organizing!

Paul2026-06-08T20:27:51-04:00

Boat’s got a hole

The phrase “the boat’s got a hole” serves as a powerful metaphor for the modern psyche, capturing a collective sense of quiet desperation, vulnerability, and shared fate. This imagery mirrors the current mental and emotional states- for many of us:

1. Inevitable, Slow-Motion Crisis
The Psyche: Many people feel a persistent, low-grade anxiety about the future rather than a sudden panic.
The Metaphor: A hole in a boat rarely causes an immediate sinking; it creates a slow, exhausting influx of water that demands constant attention.

2. The Illusion of Safety
The Psyche: On the surface, daily life appears normal, structured, and functional.
The Metaphor: The boat is still afloat and moving forward, masking the critical flaw hidden beneath the waterline.

3. Hyper-Vigilance and Burnout
The Psyche: Mental bandwidth is consumed by survival, leaving little room for joy, creativity, or long-term planning.
The Metaphor: Instead of steering toward a destination, all energy is redirected to bailing out water just to stay afloat.

4. Interconnected Vulnerability
The Psyche: Modern stressors—like economic pressures, climate anxiety, and social isolation—are systemic and affect everyone.The Metaphor: It does not matter which side of the boat the hole is on; if the boat sinks, everyone on board goes down together.

5. Existential Dread
The Psyche: A growing feeling that our current lifestyle or societal systems are […]

Paul2026-06-09T16:44:08-04:00

Can you learn to play guitar on any kind of guitar?

Can you learn to play guitar on any kind of guitar?

Yes! But my vote would go to a classical guitar as the best for that, for sure.

Everything else being equal, nylon strings are easier on fingers that don’t have calluses yet. The wider neck means a student can see more clearly how each finger is to be positioned and that can help train the fretting hand for more accuracy. It is lightweight. Since it is a style of acoustic guitar, the student can practice quietly without having to plug in. I have heard that for the same cost you can get a better quality classical guitar than you can with acoustic or electric guitars. Traditionally there is no cutaway so the tone may be richer. Notes above the 12th fret can be managed with the hand in front of the guitar rather than with the thumb wrapped around the neck (which may or may not be a plus, now that I think of it). And you can shred on it if you want to. Here’s some funk on classical guitar.

Even now, at 82 years old, if I don’t learn something every day, you know what I think? It’s a day lost. Now, I don’t practice every […]

Paul2026-06-08T20:27:43-04:00

About Paul

OF COURSE it’s a Tuba.

Harmonic Style & Musicality