Thanks so much for this one. Having someone explain these basics so clearly in a step by step basis is so helpful. Just learning licks and seeing if they work, for me, didn’t explain why I was doing it. This does. Working on those triads now.
I second learning triads/arpeggios and targetting chord notes. It's that next step that so many players don't take. It took me 3 decades to get around to it, but better late than never. Thanks for your time and wisdom, Chris! 🍒
@@curiousguitarist Keep on keeping on !!!! I've been shying away from learning more for too many years. I seem to start on some new material and after not too long, I'm like ahhh screw it and back to the same old stuff.
Hey I’m currently in my 40’s and finally getting around to learning my triads and arpeggios and my playing has exponentially improved over a few short months. Why did it take me so long to learn this stuff? Great video.
@@noodlemansexact same experience. Tried learn scale and mode after scale and mode, then learnt target tones while playing blues. Changed my world completely. Opened the fretboard up and got me focusing on intervals.
This is definitely a valuable guitar lesson. More so than probably 80% of what’s out there in RUclips world specifically the way you talk about visualizing the triads in their corresponding, CAGE system shapes.
This was a helpful lesson. I have a habit of targeting the tonic first when playing the changes. Using common notes as you suggested is a good way to bring more variety and expression to my soloing. Thank you.
You bet! Starting to track common notes also puts you on a collision course with voice leading…as you’ll see in more complete chord changes sometimes the 3rd of one chord might be a half step away from the 7th of another for example. It’s a big beautiful world :)
3 months ago I struggled to follow these sorts of lessons because I didn't understand where you'd pull some chord shapes from. Then I took the time to learn triads and memorize the major notes on the fretboard - now when you play a G triad I can see it and follow along! Everything you teach here is easier AFTER you learn the fretboard, triads and pentatonic scales. Thanks for your lessons!
Oh yeah, I need this in my library of knowledge for sure!! I started playing guitar by using tabs. Learned a few songs but I realized I still didn't know how to play guitar. Had no idea about what I was playing. Lessons like these help tremendously due to the way you break it down and explain in detail and along with the examples. I'm so excited to finally be understanding what I'm playing and it's a blast!!! Thanks.
Hey Ray! This is a great moment, really seeing the workings of it all. It’s a great part of the journey. Thanks for the comment, and I’m glad you found the channel.
Similar story, man! 'ken tabs. I decide to devote today to guitar and stumbled upon this gracious, wise man. We're both lucky, I think. Cheers, Ray! (sound of glasses clinking) To the future!! :-)
Great thanks Chris. I just started doing this the other day, but what I do in a 1-4-5 starting with A7 is play a bit of the major scale and change the scale each time the chord changes. It's pretty easy to find the roots in a a 1-4-5.
@@QBRX Do you trust me? D7 is the V in the key of G. A dorian is the second mode of that scale (thus outlines the sound of that D7 PERFECTLY. I'm suggesting A dorian because your example is "in A" so-to-speak. Projecting a different mode using that tonic, that outlines the IV chord is pretty magical. Try it and report back...see what you think. I'll just grab some popcorn 🍿
@@curiousguitarist I'm not sure what D7 being the V in the key of G has to do with it, but you're right...A Dorian seems to outline the chord perfectly as you say. Thanks again!
Just thinking of this today. Sometimes I'm able to anticipate and think of chord tones ahead of time, others I just revert to playing within the scale of the key. Looking forward to more but will be practicing this!
Triad pairs are an incredible ‘hack’ to sound musical and also helps you gain so much focus on the fret board. Great use in blues I find combined with enclosures .👍 It opens up the guitar so much and gets your mind out of scale type thinking and more on intervals.
And you can take this idea as far as you want to. Even the most challenging chord progressions can be reduced to a few things that make sense. And once you start asking questions like this, there's no limit to how much you can learn. Glad you enjoyed this one.
This was great. I think the biggest question we have when playing through progressions is: - What notes should we leave out of the key’s scale? - What notes do we replace it with?
You are so welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it. These principles stay the same for the rest of your journey…you just build on the from here. Thanks for the comment.
@Chris Sherland okay Chris , I'm confused with this post "I got a new job" and the other message too !! Is that an American slang or something?? Your videos have finally taken my playing to a better place ! You do explain PERFECT to people who can't understand the art of guitar !! Why others can't teach the way you easily explain theory ?? I cant thank you enough !! I had much of the theory but could not get it on my own!
@@dnantis I am so glad you are here! Sorry about the "job" comment, I misunderstood your question. My next video on playing through changes will outline how to see what has "changed" in the tonality instead of what is "common" as the chords change. It is the next skill to develop. Thank you for being here!
05:20 - yep, that's what I'm working on, changing things up to sound less like a scale drill! My favourite part was playing with the triads (so grateful for the Triad course you ran), but that technique with the G Maj pentatonic sounded really good, too!
Find some simple arpeggios played at a slow tempo in YTube. Turn off all effects and play along with those. It's a great way to hear the changes. Be sure to be very much in tune. When you make a mistake, instead of stopping or slowing down- lean into it. Pretend like it was intentional. Like with interior design- "If you can't hide it, highlight it." I think that is how improvisational jazz started- plenty of musical mistakes that, when repeated and embraced created their own genre. I don't fully subscribe to keys/scales. It is just a concept. I can play the Pentatonic scale (major and minor) backwards and forward, the Major Scale and several modes. I get that they are sometimes a very helpful concept. That said, it is critical to understand that every note is unique and it's own planet. In blues the scale idea works very well however in many, more sophisticated progressions the notes in a scale will not all fit the progression. This is especially true in jazz. This is where having an ability to chase chords is particularly helpful. FUN FACT: If you like Jazz, you can play most of it even if you only know the Pentatonic scale. Most Jazz uses the Major scale. If you simply move 3 notes down the fretboard from the root (on the top "thicker" 6th string), you can start playing position I of your penta(5)tonic scale. It usually works great. You will have done it right if your pinky is on the root of the major scale. So if e.g., you are jamming to a backing track in A "MAJ." your first finger will be on F#/Gb and your pinky will now be on A (5th fret.) Try it out! TIP- It helps a lot to print out a huge piece of legal paper a diagram of the fret board. Then highlight each chord (change) in the progression. Practice finding those notes. Trust me, after 20 minutes, you will know where they are. As Chris said, your playing will sound so much better. Eventually you will definitely want to memorize every note on the guitar. I am not there yet either but it's a fun journey. Funny story, on the first or 2nd lesson he Joe Satriani gave to Steve Vai way back in the day, Joe instructed Steve to memorize every single note on the neck. When Steve returned, and failed to do so, Joe said DO NOT COME BACK until you have done what I told you. Steve did and the rest is guitar history. ruclips.net/video/qlbTDUNAzMc/видео.html
I have been playing since 1982... I can imitate all the greats,, Randy Rhoads is my all time favorite. But not limited to by any means... One thing I always had trouble with it improvising my own leads... I know a ton of scales and licks,, I alsoknow how important it is to target chord tones, but I think this video explained more to me than anything I have ever been taught.. Have you ever gotten to that spot where you just dont enjoy playing what you know and you cant figure out how to get out of that rut??? Well you just lifted me out with this video.... Thank you for that.... I would love to see a more in depth video on this with more complex chord progressions.. But this will get me started.. I have a whole new way of looking at my scales... I was/am definitely bullying through the scales over the key and landing on a fancy lick to make it sound like I know what Im doing... This is going to change the way I play...
I can't tell you how happy this comment made me OMP! I'll definitely do another one. Have you seen this one yet: ruclips.net/video/CIKj-FCyyaE/видео.html
Thanks Chris for this very valuable lesson. I admit that I am one of those players that need to start actually learning the notes to the scales rather than just knowing them as shapes. Just been playing for a little over a year but I’ll start learning those notes. Thanks again for the lesson!
I think the problem with most people trying to play over changes is that they don’t have the most fundamental aspect down: You NEED to be near-perfectly aware of what notes you are playing at every moment you play them. You can’t properly play over changes if you can’t consciously perceive what it is you’re playing.
Awesome Chris. So find the common notes that link the chords to switch over smoothly and musically. Triads are amazing, they really open up the fretboard and aren't so difficult to learn
My my Chris this is 1 of the best you have put out. I found this direction to be exactly what I needed to see. An angle that I ve never seen taught. Just fantically useful an understood every idea you taught. You are amazing when it comes to fully being explained. Great job my friend.
Ahhh great news Chad. I've got a follow up to this one which will publish in a couple weeks. Same subject, next level of difficulty. You're going to love it.
I took lessons when I was around 18 years old from a teacher who was maybe in his late sixties and a remarkable musician. I remember asking him how long it would take to learn to play..... He said the rest of my life! I'm now in my sixties and can honestly say he was right.
I was told when soloing to try and play notes that aren’t in the chord to express yourself and play something interesting because the harmony is already there and you don’t have to support it…I don’t know if I’m explaining myself clearly but am I wrong?
Not at all! I personally love the sound of the 9th degree over a minor chord. But...I had to find that sound. I had to fall in love with it. And I had to understand it so I could repeat it. That took a long time. And I was only able to do it after I got bored with the 3rd and the 7th degrees. Again, I had to listen and understand how those sounds made me feel. Now, using that 9th degree as an example, I can "express myself" because I am in touch with my preference. Until that happened, it was all guess work and hoping the note I hit would sound good. Now I know it will.
@@curiousguitarist thanks for the reply..,I’m always trying to learn and get better I’m like a sponge I can never get too much information I’m newly subscribed I love your lessons thank you
I love your tutorials, which I've just discovered, but the text transcription over the video covers up information (notes or chord patterns) which would be more useful.
Can you turn off captioning? That's RUclips just doing captions. If you turn that off (the "cc" button on the bottom of the video boarder) then the text that I added for musical context will not be covered up. Hope that helps!
Can someone clarify? Chris is soloing using a GMaj pentatonic scale and plays the GMaj and FMaj chords as rhythm. The GMaj scale has a F# not a natural F. If I was to solo over this progression, I would use a Gminor pentatonic to solo over as Gminor contains G and F (natural). How has Chris managed to solo with a GMaj pentatonic scale over a seemingly Gminor progression? Is this where modes come in? Thanks
This is not a G minor progression, it is using a G major chord. I’m using the G major pentatonic scale, I’ve included the notes on the screen as well. As you can hear in the video demonstration, we don’t need the F note to outline the F chord. The A note does that just as well, if not better. The G minor pentatonic scale will suggest that the G chord is minor. It can be used, and certainly has an F in it, but it does not actually outline the change as well as the G major pentatonic scale does.
Brilliant lessons, explained in a way that’s understandable, thanks Chris, wish I lived in your town I’d go 1 to 1, thanks Chris, great teacher 🏴
I've been studying David Gilmour for 4 years and since I work 50hrs a week it's been slow. Thankfully that's how he plays. I've progressed but slowly. This lesson will help alot. Thanks.
This was really Excellent. You explained-it . . . in a clear, concise and easily digestible manner. Enjoyed & Appreciated your lesson. Phenomenal job my friend. oNe LovE from NYC
NICE!!! As always, clear concise and super helpful…especially given I was just working on this very thing before watching this! So much for that chore I was about to accomplish….back to my guitar!!!!
I’ve watched a handful of your videos, and exchanged messages with you here and via email. I haven’t been able to figure out what approach to take to actually get better. All the time, effort, and focus I’ve put in haven’t made any bit of difference. How come my effort has not amounted to any ability?
How does this lesson apply to people who learn the CAGED system and don't really know what notes are in what chords, but just know their relative position to the root?
Heck, if you know where the root is you're basically 1/2 way there! Just find that third and then the 5th is the one chord tone "left over." In that way you don't really need the notes names, you can get it all done with the numbers...but of course, knowing both, is best.
Thank you very much! So in the first example, it's about hitting the major third of the next chord (or minor third depending if the next chord is major or minor)?
You can tell how much time you have spent honing your craft of playing guitar and also how much you love teaching and sharing your passion. Your lessons are always motivating and informative!
Nice lesson. Boy where were you when I started? I always kinda knew you had to change it up over the chords but I sure made it more complicated than it neede to be. Your playing over the changes reminded me of "Feels like the First time" Foreigner. Rock on have a nice day
Thank you very much... but i have a question... let's say there is a chord progression (Am G F E) for me i usually play the Am scale... the question says: should i play Am scale when the chord is Am and play G scale when the chord is G ...etc or just stick with Am scale with all chords ??
@@im_viego5016 you can use Am pentatonic the whole time, or you can try to use a corresponding pentatonic for each chord, but that can be tricky if you don’t have any scale switching experience. That whole progression is in the key of Am except for the E chord, but even that will sound fine using the Am scale…the risk is the G# in that E chord. It’s the major 7 of A…a great sound over the A minor key, but it’ll only really work when the E chord comes along!!!
@@curiousguitarist i get it now thanks... but what's the rule that says that ln E chord we should play G# note instand of G note... i mean what's the relation between E and G#
@@im_viego5016 the key to all of this is to learn the major scale, none of this will ever really stick until you get that structure down. G# is the major 3rd of E.
But what about the chords that share no similar notes? for example C major scale is CDEFGAB. The C major chord progression is CM,Dm,Em,FM,GM,Am,Bdim. So for example now I pick Dm chord but the notes DFA don't match with the CDE part of the scale? so do I just take a C major scale and target the first notes of the chords?
I hear you can play the major and/or minor pentatonic over a I,IV,V progression, but looking at the circle of 5ths, G minor(Bb major) is further from G major than Am or Bm. Would it not sound more accurate to play either of those (Am or Bm pentatonic) instead?
Try ‘em all and see what you get. Each one of those choices ‘can” work, they are all just going to give you a few different notes to use. What sounds good to you?
1. Keep repeating the pentatonic scale is really annoying. 2. all ideas in this lesson boil down to targeting just a chord tone (which chord tone? you used 3rd and root), and the vehicle to get there (here, the pentatonic scale and arpeggio). What bothers me is that you just play 1 note in F, which is perfectly okay, then back to G. What's really missing is what are the, if I may, formulae for the _melodic_lines_ that work in what context? For example, can one go scale to chromatic to arpeggio? Of course one can, but certain ways sound good while certain others may not be a good idea. That'd be a good insight.
Great idea for another video Thach! This one is designed specifically to introduce the core competency. Once you have that under control, you can apply it to any chord or color tone you want to. Your ideas are perfect for a follow up video, one designed for folks who have the core competency already in place. Great suggestion!
No you don’t, great question. But eventually, as you get comfortable with this and other methods of playing over progressions, you’ll start to really want to :)
Great video, thank you. One thing I don't understand: if you are playing g major over the progression, should it be G > Fmin not G > F. The 2 chord would / should be minor, no? Or it is the 4 and 5 of c and the scale over the top should have been c? I feel I get so close to understanding all this and then none of it makes sense.
Yes, exactly, this progression is in the "key" of C. The context of the progression however, is G. See this all clearly should be bracketed by times of complete fog, this is a natural state when learning something completely new. It may not seem very comforting, but, you don't know what you don't know, until you do. Keep at this, and keep asking questions. You're totally on the brink here, Jeff!
The pentatonic scale actually obfusctates the intention of the chord within the harmonic structure. This is why so many beginner guitarists rely on it and never leave it. Because it is hard to play bad notes. Its safe and requires minimal musical knowledge. So tired of hearing guitarists who only know pentatonics. This guy is at least letting you know that knowing the notes is important, because so many guitar videos are paint by numbers - put this finger here videos. This guy is showing how simply learning basic triads help to create melodic content. Next up, modes and enclosures and substitutions.
The thing that confuses me when trying to figure out what key to play out of is that your playing a G major then an F major and using a G major pent. F is not in the key of G major. I would think you would improv out of C major... since C is the key that has G major and F major in it... but it never sounds right because you never go to C.
Fair enough, C major would be a great 7-note scale to use for sure. This is meant to be an isolated chord change to demonstrate the concept of how to choose a target note, it is not meant to be an exhaustive study of what you could play. More and indication of how you should think.
I didn't understand most of this. The way you hold your left hand when you play I can never tell if you're playing a chord or single notes. Also, you played a barre chord and called it a triad. So, I'm confused.
Hey Chris, nice Vid. Nice humour, and definitely nice playing. But there’s one thing that bugs me. And that’s the explanation why to target the A note on the F. You start your video with stating that playing over changes means to outline the story of the chords. So. Taking that approach into account, then A is the „wrong“ note from the three options. Of course it sounds good, because it’s obviously the third of a major chord. That sounds always perfectly. But in your „story“ you start in g major pentatonic and offering a new tone outside of g-maj-penta would stress the point of your approach much better I think. Additionally, let’s assume the chord before the f chord is some weird jazz construction as far away from fmajor as possible… The A note will sound good nevertheless on the f chord.
Great point, love it. I'm sure we could go into a deep dive on this over a coffee or a beer, again, great perspective. I really am trying to reach folks who have not made these connections quite yet, so I'm purposely going slow, with very tight constraints, to make room for discovery. Thanks, for the comment and views. I appreciate the engagement, Fabian.
Don't know whether this has already been mentioned, but I presume in the G maj penta, you could target the 'B' and just bend it up a half step to hit the five of the F ie 'C'?
In this video I'm looking to expose what notes are already available. I'm filming a follow up to this one to expose how to think about notes that change as a separate technique.
Great video, I’ve been playing for over twenty years and am only teaching myself triads all over the fretboard now. If I could go back in time I would tell my younger self to learn triads after my open and basic barre chords. It would have been much more useful than learning to play other peoples songs note for note while not always understanding why they did certain things and why it sounded right.
Ok then what notes are you playing when not playing the common note or the triad notes when playing over the chord that is not the key. So say G is the key and the song goes to F and I want to play multiple notes besides just the F triad or common notes do I play G petatonic notes or do I go to F pentatonic notes when the F non key chord is playing? No one ever explins this part.
We’ll you can experiment yourself, but it will always work to play the pentatonic scale that fits the chord. So G Maj pent over a G Maj chord, F Maj pent over F etc.. It really does require experimentation and listening to the relationships of the notes you choose to the chords underneath
You tube has a chapter feature that I take advantage of. If you look on the timeline you’ll see that I have “lesson” defined as its own chapter. You can easily skip ahead if your attention span is really short. Hope you enjoyed it!
Loaded question, but if it’s C major, you’re looking at either Ionian, Lydian or Mixolydian. Depending on which one you choose it’s just a matter of finding that one modal note and using that against the R 3 and 5 of C. In Lydian it would be the F# and in Mixolydian it would be the Bb
Thanks so much for this one. Having someone explain these basics so clearly in a step by step basis is so helpful. Just learning licks and seeing if they work, for me, didn’t explain why I was doing it. This does. Working on those triads now.
Great to hear, Chris. Keep me posted on how it goes!
I second learning triads/arpeggios and targetting chord notes. It's that next step that so many players don't take. It took me 3 decades to get around to it, but better late than never. Thanks for your time and wisdom, Chris! 🍒
Any time Timmy, thanks for chiming in here on triads and target notes...I'm just gonna keep on preaching!
@@curiousguitarist Keep on keeping on !!!!
I've been shying away from learning more for too many years. I seem to start on some new material and after not too long, I'm like ahhh screw it and back to the same old stuff.
Hey I’m currently in my 40’s and finally getting around to learning my triads and arpeggios and my playing has exponentially improved over a few short months. Why did it take me so long to learn this stuff? Great video.
Spot on.
@@noodlemansexact same experience. Tried learn scale and mode after scale and mode, then learnt target tones while playing blues. Changed my world completely. Opened the fretboard up and got me focusing on intervals.
"If you don't know the triads, you really should." Yes. I love it. Many instructors are reluctant to tell people to just do the work.
Right? It doesn’t come through sorcery :) I just took a lesson and my teacher drilled me like mad. It just works. Thanks for being here!
This is probably going to be one of the most significant lessons that I've come across.
Wait till you see the next one!
This is definitely a valuable guitar lesson. More so than probably 80% of what’s out there in RUclips world specifically the way you talk about visualizing the triads in their corresponding, CAGE system shapes.
Thanks Mark, I'm glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for the kudos!
This was a helpful lesson. I have a habit of targeting the tonic first when playing the changes. Using common notes as you suggested is a good way to bring more variety and expression to my soloing. Thank you.
You bet! Starting to track common notes also puts you on a collision course with voice leading…as you’ll see in more complete chord changes sometimes the 3rd of one chord might be a half step away from the 7th of another for example.
It’s a big beautiful world :)
3 months ago I struggled to follow these sorts of lessons because I didn't understand where you'd pull some chord shapes from.
Then I took the time to learn triads and memorize the major notes on the fretboard - now when you play a G triad I can see it and follow along!
Everything you teach here is easier AFTER you learn the fretboard, triads and pentatonic scales.
Thanks for your lessons!
You are so welcome! I’m glad you took that step, now adding new information will be much easier!
Oh yeah, I need this in my library of knowledge for sure!! I started playing guitar by using tabs. Learned a few songs but I realized I still didn't know how to play guitar. Had no idea about what I was playing. Lessons like these help tremendously due to the way you break it down and explain in detail and along with the examples. I'm so excited to finally be understanding what I'm playing and it's a blast!!! Thanks.
Hey Ray! This is a great moment, really seeing the workings of it all. It’s a great part of the journey.
Thanks for the comment, and I’m glad you found the channel.
Similar story, man!
'ken tabs.
I decide to devote today to guitar and stumbled upon this gracious, wise man.
We're both lucky, I think.
Cheers, Ray! (sound of glasses clinking)
To the future!! :-)
@@grantperkins368 I agree 100%! This man is a great teacher and we can learn a lot from him. Cheers!
You’re a really excellent teacher man. Thank you!
That means a lot to me, thanks, and you’re welcome too!
Chris..! You make it looks so easy..! … But you do make it easier for me..👍🏼
Always a major help.. and I thank you.!❤️
Thanks Joe, I'm glad you got something out of this one, and I'm glad you're here! Thanks for all your support!
This was the holy grail of lessons for me, man. Well done and thank you!
Of course! Planning another one that focuses on what changes instead of what stays the same…it’ll be the logical next-step to this one.
Great thanks Chris. I just started doing this the other day, but what I do in a 1-4-5 starting with A7 is play a bit of the major scale and change the scale each time the chord changes. It's pretty easy to find the roots in a a 1-4-5.
Good stuff! If they are all Dom7 chords try this:
A Mixolydian over A7
A Dorian over D7
A Major over E7
:)
@@curiousguitarist Hmm, that's a bit surprising because Dorian is a minor scale. I mainly play a 4 note flat 7 arpeggio.
@@QBRX Do you trust me?
D7 is the V in the key of G. A dorian is the second mode of that scale (thus outlines the sound of that D7 PERFECTLY.
I'm suggesting A dorian because your example is "in A" so-to-speak. Projecting a different mode using that tonic, that outlines the IV chord is pretty magical.
Try it and report back...see what you think.
I'll just grab some popcorn 🍿
@@curiousguitarist Ha ha, of course I trust you. I'll give it a try and let you know what I think.
@@curiousguitarist I'm not sure what D7 being the V in the key of G has to do with it, but you're right...A Dorian seems to outline the chord perfectly as you say. Thanks again!
Good shit Chris… simple concepts…. I always overthink things (the better to overwhelm myself with..)..
Thanks for posting…
You bet, BigL, thanks for being here!
Those triads sound like the ending of a '70's surfing movie. Nice. Thank you !!
I know The Ventures used this progression on a few songs!
Great lesson thank you. 😎
@@WarrenAndrews-w5x you bet!!
Another great lesson; I very much enjoy the way you present, demonstrate, and reinforce information. Thank you!
You bet, Kevin! Glad you’re here
Just thinking of this today. Sometimes I'm able to anticipate and think of chord tones ahead of time, others I just revert to playing within the scale of the key. Looking forward to more but will be practicing this!
I feel the same! This is a skill that takes time and repetition to build, sometimes I can't see the forest, then suddenly it all lights up!
Triad pairs are an incredible ‘hack’ to sound musical and also helps you gain so much focus on the fret board. Great use in blues I find combined with enclosures .👍 It opens up the guitar so much and gets your mind out of scale type thinking and more on intervals.
It's a amazing lesson as always. Thanks Chris!
Your bet, Jay!
I’ve seen the triad idea before but this was a way better VISUAL and explanation. Thanks 😊
So glad this was helpful, Malic.
Really nice... two useful strategies for making things sound cool without a lot of difficulty.
And you can take this idea as far as you want to. Even the most challenging chord progressions can be reduced to a few things that make sense. And once you start asking questions like this, there's no limit to how much you can learn.
Glad you enjoyed this one.
This was a 💡 video for me. Thank you
YES!
Awesome teacher ! Thanks
You bet, Matt!
Excellent Sir
This was great. I think the biggest question we have when playing through progressions is:
- What notes should we leave out of the key’s scale?
- What notes do we replace it with?
Yup, exactly! Then the big question…”why?”
Such a helpful video thank you so much!
You are so welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it. These principles stay the same for the rest of your journey…you just build on the from here.
Thanks for the comment.
Thank you so much!!! Very helpful!!
So glad you got some value from this one! Rock on!
Very clear and to the point, as usual, THANKS!
You are welcome, Jim.
Thanks, Chris. Please do more lessons on playing through the changes.
Yes, I need to expand on this for sure, but I wanted to make sure I covered the basics first.
@@curiousguitarist yeah like how about a follow up one on playing through different changes like life changes
@@pl9529 like Dorian over “I got a new job”, and Lydian dominant over “relocation due to family illness”?
@Chris Sherland okay Chris , I'm confused with this post "I got a new job" and the other
message too !!
Is that an American slang or something??
Your videos have finally taken my playing to a better place !
You do explain PERFECT to people who can't understand the art of guitar !!
Why others can't teach the way you easily explain theory ??
I cant thank you enough !!
I had much of the theory but could not get it on my own!
@@dnantis I am so glad you are here! Sorry about the "job" comment, I misunderstood your question.
My next video on playing through changes will outline how to see what has "changed" in the tonality instead of what is "common" as the chords change. It is the next skill to develop.
Thank you for being here!
Awesome lesson as usual, Chris. Have a great holiday
You too Franco!
Great lesson thanks!
Glad you liked it!
Outstanding. Great stuff, Chris. Thanks.
My pleasure, Don!
Simply the best! Thank you.
You are SO welcome!!
13:08 "check it out".... So that's where Marty gets it from lol!
Ha!!!
Nice lesson thank you!
Of course!
Wow. Really helpful and interesting.
Thx
You’re welcome, Scott.
@@curiousguitarist Subscribed! 👍
@@scotthorslin5482 thank you! I appreciate that.
05:20 - yep, that's what I'm working on, changing things up to sound less like a scale drill!
My favourite part was playing with the triads (so grateful for the Triad course you ran), but that technique with the G Maj pentatonic sounded really good, too!
Thanks JG, for EVERYthing you do for The Studio!
@@curiousguitarist my pleasure! :)
Find some simple arpeggios played at a slow tempo in YTube. Turn off all effects and play along with those. It's a great way to hear the changes. Be sure to be very much in tune. When you make a mistake, instead of stopping or slowing down- lean into it. Pretend like it was intentional. Like with interior design- "If you can't hide it, highlight it." I think that is how improvisational jazz started- plenty of musical mistakes that, when repeated and embraced created their own genre.
I don't fully subscribe to keys/scales. It is just a concept. I can play the Pentatonic scale (major and minor) backwards and forward, the Major Scale and several modes. I get that they are sometimes a very helpful concept. That said, it is critical to understand that every note is unique and it's own planet. In blues the scale idea works very well however in many, more sophisticated progressions the notes in a scale will not all fit the progression. This is especially true in jazz. This is where having an ability to chase chords is particularly helpful.
FUN FACT: If you like Jazz, you can play most of it even if you only know the Pentatonic scale. Most Jazz uses the Major scale. If you simply move 3 notes down the fretboard from the root (on the top "thicker" 6th string), you can start playing position I of your penta(5)tonic scale. It usually works great. You will have done it right if your pinky is on the root of the major scale. So if e.g., you are jamming to a backing track in A "MAJ." your first finger will be on F#/Gb and your pinky will now be on A (5th fret.) Try it out!
TIP- It helps a lot to print out a huge piece of legal paper a diagram of the fret board. Then highlight each chord (change) in the progression. Practice finding those notes. Trust me, after 20 minutes, you will know where they are. As Chris said, your playing will sound so much better. Eventually you will definitely want to memorize every note on the guitar. I am not there yet either but it's a fun journey.
Funny story, on the first or 2nd lesson he Joe Satriani gave to Steve Vai way back in the day, Joe instructed Steve to memorize every single note on the neck. When Steve returned, and failed to do so, Joe said DO NOT COME BACK until you have done what I told you. Steve did and the rest is guitar history. ruclips.net/video/qlbTDUNAzMc/видео.html
I'm envious that you know scales !! :-) :-)!
@@grantperkins368 once you can see the formula for any scale, you can then easily comprehend and play ANY scale!
Simple but sounds great I need to do this... Thank you
Dean, this type of thing does wonders for lead line creation. You'll end up loving it!
Dude, you're like the Bob Ross of guitar teachers. You seem like a really cool guy.
Thanks Chad. Someone else said that same thing too, I like that analogy. It's a bit crazy, but I like it.
Thanks for being here.
good teacher
good info
Thanks, John. Glad you’re here
Interesting! Thanks Chris , I'm thinking you are actually playing the G to F progression from the key of C major?
Correct! That's the only real "Key" this progression works in, nice context!
Nice! Thanks.
Welcome!
Great video. Liked and subscribed.
Wow, thanks mate! Good to have you on board!
Great lesson
I have been playing since 1982... I can imitate all the greats,, Randy Rhoads is my all time favorite. But not limited to by any means... One thing I always had trouble with it improvising my own leads... I know a ton of scales and licks,, I alsoknow how important it is to target chord tones, but I think this video explained more to me than anything I have ever been taught..
Have you ever gotten to that spot where you just dont enjoy playing what you know and you cant figure out how to get out of that rut??? Well you just lifted me out with this video.... Thank you for that.... I would love to see a more in depth video on this with more complex chord progressions.. But this will get me started.. I have a whole new way of looking at my scales... I was/am definitely bullying through the scales over the key and landing on a fancy lick to make it sound like I know what Im doing... This is going to change the way I play...
I can't tell you how happy this comment made me OMP!
I'll definitely do another one. Have you seen this one yet: ruclips.net/video/CIKj-FCyyaE/видео.html
That reminded me a bit of the Allman Brothers song Ramblin man.
Dicky Betts used Major pentatonic all over that solo!
Thanks Chris for this very valuable lesson. I admit that I am one of those players that need to start actually learning the notes to the scales rather than just knowing them as shapes. Just been playing for a little over a year but I’ll start learning those notes. Thanks again for the lesson!
You bet, Richard. I'm glad you're here!
I think the problem with most people trying to play over changes is that they don’t have the most fundamental aspect down: You NEED to be near-perfectly aware of what notes you are playing at every moment you play them. You can’t properly play over changes if you can’t consciously perceive what it is you’re playing.
Truth! How you get to that capability is the real task…ears alone? Theory? Both?
Great comment!
Truth! How you get to that capability is the real task…ears alone? Theory? Both?
Great comment!
amazing!
Thank you! Cheers!
Awesome Chris. So find the common notes that link the chords to switch over smoothly and musically. Triads are amazing, they really open up the fretboard and aren't so difficult to learn
Totally worth it, right?
Thanks for being here, Timothy
My my Chris this is 1 of the best you have put out. I found this direction to be exactly what I needed to see. An angle that I ve never seen taught. Just fantically useful an understood every idea you taught. You are amazing when it comes to fully being explained. Great job my friend.
Ahhh great news Chad. I've got a follow up to this one which will publish in a couple weeks. Same subject, next level of difficulty. You're going to love it.
Lord I was born a rambling man...
I took lessons when I was around 18 years old from a teacher who was maybe in his late sixties and a remarkable musician. I remember asking him how long it would take to learn to play..... He said the rest of my life! I'm now in my sixties and can honestly say he was right.
Hahaha! I know, I feel the same way!
Wisest words ever spoken, regarding learning.
It's about the journey, not the destination.
I was told when soloing to try and play notes that aren’t in the chord to express yourself and play something interesting because the harmony is already there and you don’t have to support it…I don’t know if I’m explaining myself clearly but am I wrong?
Not at all! I personally love the sound of the 9th degree over a minor chord. But...I had to find that sound. I had to fall in love with it. And I had to understand it so I could repeat it.
That took a long time.
And I was only able to do it after I got bored with the 3rd and the 7th degrees. Again, I had to listen and understand how those sounds made me feel.
Now, using that 9th degree as an example, I can "express myself" because I am in touch with my preference.
Until that happened, it was all guess work and hoping the note I hit would sound good. Now I know it will.
@@curiousguitarist thanks for the reply..,I’m always trying to learn and get better I’m like a sponge I can never get too much information I’m newly subscribed I love your lessons thank you
@@chrisbassartist4344 thank you and I’m so glad you’re here!
I love your tutorials, which I've just discovered, but the text transcription over the video covers up information (notes or chord patterns) which would be more useful.
Can you turn off captioning? That's RUclips just doing captions. If you turn that off (the "cc" button on the bottom of the video boarder) then the text that I added for musical context will not be covered up. Hope that helps!
@@curiousguitarist I realized that a bit later. None of the videos I previously watched did that, don't know why it turned on.
@@stickmanmusic5840 ghost in the machine I’m guessin!
Can someone clarify?
Chris is soloing using a GMaj pentatonic scale and plays the GMaj and FMaj chords as rhythm.
The GMaj scale has a F# not a natural F.
If I was to solo over this progression, I would use a Gminor pentatonic to solo over as Gminor contains G and F (natural).
How has Chris managed to solo with a GMaj pentatonic scale over a seemingly Gminor progression? Is this where modes come in?
Thanks
This is not a G minor progression, it is using a G major chord. I’m using the G major pentatonic scale, I’ve included the notes on the screen as well.
As you can hear in the video demonstration, we don’t need the F note to outline the F chord. The A note does that just as well, if not better.
The G minor pentatonic scale will suggest that the G chord is minor. It can be used, and certainly has an F in it, but it does not actually outline the change as well as the G major pentatonic scale does.
Hey Chris, welcome back. Hope you had a great break
Haaa! I didn't think anyone would notice I'd been gone!!!
Thanks, Ed
@@curiousguitarist of course you were missed. Looking forward to getting together again.
@@curiousguitarist We all noticed!
Been waiting to learn from you Chris. Very inspiring, Thanks
Thanks man, realy helpfull :)
You bet, Keith! Glad this one landed well
Brilliant lessons, explained in a way that’s understandable, thanks Chris, wish I lived in your town I’d go 1 to 1, thanks Chris, great teacher 🏴
I do 1 on 1s over zoom if you’re interested. Email me at Chris at curiousguitarist dot com
I’m glad you enjoyed this one, Mike
I've been studying David Gilmour for 4 years and since I work 50hrs a week it's been slow. Thankfully that's how he plays. I've progressed but slowly. This lesson will help alot. Thanks.
You bet!! Glad you’re here.
This was really Excellent. You explained-it . . . in a clear, concise and easily digestible manner. Enjoyed & Appreciated your lesson. Phenomenal job my friend. oNe LovE from NYC
Thanks, Michael. I appreciate that and I’m glad you enjoyed this one.
NICE!!! As always, clear concise and super helpful…especially given I was just working on this very thing before watching this! So much for that chore I was about to accomplish….back to my guitar!!!!
Ha! Glad it helped, Dave. Thanks for sticking on the channel, it's good to have you on board!
I’ve watched a handful of your videos, and exchanged messages with you here and via email. I haven’t been able to figure out what approach to take to actually get better. All the time, effort, and focus I’ve put in haven’t made any bit of difference. How come my effort has not amounted to any ability?
Hey cool lesson , how about rgaggae?
Great Stuff! And even Greater!! Ideas with all the choices you can pull from!! I love triads!!
Thanks Tone! Me too!
How does this lesson apply to people who learn the CAGED system and don't really know what notes are in what chords, but just know their relative position to the root?
Heck, if you know where the root is you're basically 1/2 way there! Just find that third and then the 5th is the one chord tone "left over."
In that way you don't really need the notes names, you can get it all done with the numbers...but of course, knowing both, is best.
Thank you very much!
So in the first example, it's about hitting the major third of the next chord (or minor third depending if the next chord is major or minor)?
That is exactly it. PERFECT.
@@curiousguitarist thanks again for the video and the reply! Subscribed cheers
Great lesson! this 2 chord progression example really helped me understand what I need to aim for. Thank you so much.
You bet, Ot, glad you enjoyed it. Once you get the basic concept and capability, it’s so much easier to tackle the more complex progressions.
Excellent! Essential concepts, presented very simply. Thanks!
Another reference to my dog!? :)
With an actual "bark" included...free of charge!
That’s awesome, nice job. 🎸
A well done lesson. Your lesson on triads was a break thru for me. The playing through chords changes video is another insightful lesson. Thank you!
You are so welcome, Paul!
Great video as always. And in my opinion, best instructional guitar RUclips channel on here.
Wow, thanks, Karthian, I very much appreciate that.
You can tell how much time you have spent honing your craft of playing guitar and also how much you love teaching and sharing your passion. Your lessons are always motivating and informative!
Thank you, Todd. That means a lot to me, and I'm so glad you're enjoying the channel.
I appreciate the knowledge you share
Thank you! I’m happy to share it.
Nice lesson. Boy where were you when I started? I always kinda knew you had to change it up over the chords but I sure made it more complicated than it neede to be. Your playing over the changes reminded me of "Feels like the First time" Foreigner. Rock on have a nice day
Rock on, Joe! Glad this was helpful. Welcome to the channel.
Thank you very much... but i have a question... let's say there is a chord progression (Am G F E) for me i usually play the Am scale... the question says: should i play Am scale when the chord is Am and play G scale when the chord is G ...etc or just stick with Am scale with all chords ??
@@im_viego5016 you can use Am pentatonic the whole time, or you can try to use a corresponding pentatonic for each chord, but that can be tricky if you don’t have any scale switching experience.
That whole progression is in the key of Am except for the E chord, but even that will sound fine using the Am scale…the risk is the G# in that E chord. It’s the major 7 of A…a great sound over the A minor key, but it’ll only really work when the E chord comes along!!!
@@curiousguitarist i get it now thanks... but what's the rule that says that ln E chord we should play G# note instand of G note... i mean what's the relation between E and G#
@@im_viego5016 the key to all of this is to learn the major scale, none of this will ever really stick until you get that structure down.
G# is the major 3rd of E.
@@curiousguitarist any recomonded videos please?? (Link if could)
I’ve never come across such a simple explanation. Thank you!
You are welcome, Juan.
But what about the chords that share no similar notes? for example C major scale is CDEFGAB. The C major chord progression is CM,Dm,Em,FM,GM,Am,Bdim. So for example now I pick Dm chord but the notes DFA don't match with the CDE part of the scale? so do I just take a C major scale and target the first notes of the chords?
Yes, land on the D, F or A when the Dminor chord comes along and this is the exact same idea..."target" notes.
I hear you can play the major and/or minor pentatonic over a I,IV,V progression, but looking at the circle of 5ths, G minor(Bb major) is further from G major than Am or Bm. Would it not sound more accurate to play either of those (Am or Bm pentatonic) instead?
Try ‘em all and see what you get. Each one of those choices ‘can” work, they are all just going to give you a few different notes to use. What sounds good to you?
1. Keep repeating the pentatonic scale is really annoying. 2. all ideas in this lesson boil down to targeting just a chord tone (which chord tone? you used 3rd and root), and the vehicle to get there (here, the pentatonic scale and arpeggio). What bothers me is that you just play 1 note in F, which is perfectly okay, then back to G. What's really missing is what are the, if I may, formulae for the _melodic_lines_ that work in what context? For example, can one go scale to chromatic to arpeggio? Of course one can, but certain ways sound good while certain others may not be a good idea. That'd be a good insight.
Great idea for another video Thach! This one is designed specifically to introduce the core competency. Once you have that under control, you can apply it to any chord or color tone you want to.
Your ideas are perfect for a follow up video, one designed for folks who have the core competency already in place.
Great suggestion!
Do I need to play over every chord?
No you don’t, great question. But eventually, as you get comfortable with this and other methods of playing over progressions, you’ll start to really want to :)
Great video, thank you. One thing I don't understand: if you are playing g major over the progression, should it be G > Fmin not G > F. The 2 chord would / should be minor, no? Or it is the 4 and 5 of c and the scale over the top should have been c? I feel I get so close to understanding all this and then none of it makes sense.
Yes, exactly, this progression is in the "key" of C. The context of the progression however, is G.
See this all clearly should be bracketed by times of complete fog, this is a natural state when learning something completely new.
It may not seem very comforting, but, you don't know what you don't know, until you do. Keep at this, and keep asking questions. You're totally on the brink here, Jeff!
The pentatonic scale actually obfusctates the intention of the chord within the harmonic structure. This is why so many beginner guitarists rely on it and never leave it. Because it is hard to play bad notes. Its safe and requires minimal musical knowledge. So tired of hearing guitarists who only know pentatonics. This guy is at least letting you know that knowing the notes is important, because so many guitar videos are paint by numbers - put this finger here videos. This guy is showing how simply learning basic triads help to create melodic content. Next up, modes and enclosures and substitutions.
Yeah baby! Thanks for the comment, glad you're here, Tony! Welcome.
The thing that confuses me when trying to figure out what key to play out of is that your playing a G major then an F major and using a G major pent. F is not in the key of G major. I would think you would improv out of C major... since C is the key that has G major and F major in it... but it never sounds right because you never go to C.
Fair enough, C major would be a great 7-note scale to use for sure. This is meant to be an isolated chord change to demonstrate the concept of how to choose a target note, it is not meant to be an exhaustive study of what you could play. More and indication of how you should think.
Excellent video
I didn't understand most of this. The way you hold your left hand when you play I can never tell if you're playing a chord or single notes. Also, you played a barre chord and called it a triad. So, I'm confused.
Give me a couple of time stamps of the confusing parts and I can help!
Thank you for making video, fun project to work on
Talk about your light bulb moment!
Ding! Happy to help!
Hey Chris, nice Vid. Nice humour, and definitely nice playing. But there’s one thing that bugs me. And that’s the explanation why to target the A note on the F. You start your video with stating that playing over changes means to outline the story of the chords. So. Taking that approach into account, then A is the „wrong“ note from the three options. Of course it sounds good, because it’s obviously the third of a major chord. That sounds always perfectly. But in your „story“ you start in g major pentatonic and offering a new tone outside of g-maj-penta would stress the point of your approach much better I think. Additionally, let’s assume the chord before the f chord is some weird jazz construction as far away from fmajor as possible… The A note will sound good nevertheless on the f chord.
Great point, love it. I'm sure we could go into a deep dive on this over a coffee or a beer, again, great perspective.
I really am trying to reach folks who have not made these connections quite yet, so I'm purposely going slow, with very tight constraints, to make room for discovery.
Thanks, for the comment and views. I appreciate the engagement, Fabian.
Loved this one single small powerful thing. Looking forward to 102, 103, 104......
Yes, I’m definitely going to expand on this here on the channel.
Don't know whether this has already been mentioned, but I presume in the G maj penta, you could target the 'B' and just bend it up a half step to hit the five of the F ie 'C'?
In this video I'm looking to expose what notes are already available. I'm filming a follow up to this one to expose how to think about notes that change as a separate technique.
Thankyou chris, after 23 years of playing guitar, but stuck
You changed my perspective 😃
That’s so great to hear!!
Luv it......sounds like a pro. My problem is fast changes:) any ideas how to handle
Practice practice practice. That's how I keep getting better at faster changes too.
Great video, I’ve been playing for over twenty years and am only teaching myself triads all over the fretboard now.
If I could go back in time I would tell my younger self to learn triads after my open and basic barre chords. It would have been much more useful than learning to play other peoples songs note for note while not always understanding why they did certain things and why it sounded right.
Ok then what notes are you playing when not playing the common note or the triad notes when playing over the chord that is not the key. So say G is the key and the song goes to F and I want to play multiple notes besides just the F triad or common notes do I play G petatonic notes or do I go to F pentatonic notes when the F non key chord is playing? No one ever explins this part.
We’ll you can experiment yourself, but it will always work to play the pentatonic scale that fits the chord. So G Maj pent over a G Maj chord, F Maj pent over F etc..
It really does require experimentation and listening to the relationships of the notes you choose to the chords underneath
3 and a half minutes of jibber jab and YOU HAVE SAID NOTHING !!
You tube has a chapter feature that I take advantage of. If you look on the timeline you’ll see that I have “lesson” defined as its own chapter. You can easily skip ahead if your attention span is really short.
Hope you enjoyed it!
cool... sounds like "the endless summer" theme
So if the chord is focused on let’s say C…. But I play modally, how different will my approach go
Loaded question, but if it’s C major, you’re looking at either Ionian, Lydian or Mixolydian.
Depending on which one you choose it’s just a matter of finding that one modal note and using that against the R 3 and 5 of C.
In Lydian it would be the F# and in Mixolydian it would be the Bb
Hey, very cool. I can play it and it starts to sound like I know what I'm doing rather than wondering around.
Yes! That’s it!!