What is this?
"The Building Blocks of Rock" is an app. It's a visual library of common riff, lick, and chord shapes for guitar.

Why is it useful?
Many common riffs, licks, and chord voicings are found in more than one song; but because they don't have names like chords and scales do, many guitarists never learn very many of them.

Where do I get it?
There's two versions of the app. The free version (desktop) is on this web site (link). The paid version (mobile) will be on the App Store (Apple) and Google Play (Android).

What do I get in the paid version?
A better interface, many more shapes (over 500), support for left-handed view, and sound. Each shape has a sound example.

Aside from that, are the free and paid versions the same?
Yes, basically. The FAQs below apply to both the free and paid versions.

How do I use the app?
Select a shape type (riffs, licks, etc). Select a shape "family" ("E", "A", etc). Then select "open" or "moveable". Link to help.pdf

How should I look at the shape?
The black dots are the notes where your fingers go. The vertical lines are the frets. The horizontal lines are the strings (lowest at bottom).

Do I play all the notes in the shape at the same time?
Unless it's a chord, these shapes are like scale shapes: each note is just a possibility. You might not be playing all the notes, or all the strings, at the same time.

Do I play all the notes in a certain order?
No. Experiment, or use your ear to try and match the examples.

What is the empty red circle?
The root. It's the underlying tonality, and a guidepost for moveable shapes.

How do I move shapes along the neck?
First, make sure you've selected "moveable". Arrows next to small guitar neck (below shape) will become active. Use them to move the root to match the chord you're playing over, or the key of the song. Find that root note on your guitar. Then look at shape to determine where to put your fingers relative to the root.

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