Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

It’s OK to stay where you’re at on the fretboard – Guitar Lesson – EP521

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to create a lead composition by staying in the same area of the fretboard and either repeating notes, or looking for a chord voicing that is in the same area.

Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson

Part 2 - For Premium Members

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Slow Walkthrough

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Comments

  4. Mike R says

    I really like the sound of this. Not your normal harmony. I am a little confused as to when you call a suspended 2nd or suspended 4th a ninth or a 13th? Because of where it resolves?

  6. Ralph P. says

    Beautiful composition Brian. My big question is: where did the G#Maj come from in the key of C? Sounds great, but I’m wondering what your thought process is behind that change. I don’t think I’ve ever heard that before. Have you ever heard that change in other songs, or is that a “Brianism”.

    Thanks,
    Ralph

    • charjo says

      Hi Ralphie,
      Brian called it a key change. I was pretty puzzled trying to figure that out by ear. I know I’ve heard that in one of Brian’s other lessons and, sure enough, it’s EP 349. Brian starts the piece on G and goes to D#. sounds pretty dramatic. Must be a “Brianism”.

      • Ralph P. says

        Hey John, You’re right, I watched EP 349 and Brian used the same move. Very cool and unexpected change. Brian calls it a “borrowed chord”. It reminds me of John Lennon’s chord progressions. They don’t always make sense, but they sound damn good, and that’s what matters. I’m sure I’ll “borrow” this move sometime in the future.

    • Brian says

      It’s out of key – so basically a key change. You can think of the C as being one key (first chord) and then the G# and Fm as being in their own separate key (which I guess would be E flat). try playing the E flat major scale over the G# and Fm part and you’ll hear how it fits perfectly – creating a G# Lydian and F Dorian sound over those 2 chords. In something like this – i get confused when thinking about scales and just focus more on the chords themselves and what ideas I can get out of those chords shapes – like the SUS chord idea.

      • charjo says

        Amazing. I could see you were getting a dorian sound over the F minor chord (the ii chord in Eb) with the major 6 interval but didn’t understand how that fit. It also, clears up the lydian sound over the G# major. Even more mazing to me is that you hear these sounds before you even analyze them.

  7. charjo says

    The shape you arpeggiate near the end of the song, going from the F minor to the C minor, implies a F minor 7 chord. Low to high the intervals with respect to the F minor chord are b7, root, 5th.
    The pedal steel “James Taylor” lick in the A shaped, C chord is a new one for me and a great takeaway. I love picking up little gems like that.
    John

  8. Klaus G says

    Thx a lot Brian, just what I am looking for
    Perhaps you could do a short lesson for a stand alone composition?
    I would very much like to play this on my own.
    I will transcribe your song into a key where I can use the bass strings for accompaniment
    Greetings Klaus

  11. David E says

    Brian I really appreciate the way you discuss how you arrive at a lesson structure. Noodling ( is there a word?) and letting muscle memory find the melody rather than always relying on chord families within keys. It will take me years to get that muscle memory you have developed but by experimenting by ear I might actually get something I would never achieve by other methods. It’s your approach to teaching guitar that I really appreciate because you make it fun and so interesting. Thank you so much!

    • Steven B says

      I agree with you David. I think I overwhelm myself with thinking about theory instead of letting the natural flow work out what sounds good and working it out later. Brian has talked about it before but it’s great to keep hearing the message that he often finds a great composition naturally instead of having some special magic you need to play well.

    • Jay Guitarman says

      Hi Brian, a beautiful composition… It sounds to me a bit like the song “we ended as lovers” by Jeff Beck… I didn’t check the chords, but the suspended second interval degrees are typical for that song…

  15. James S says

    Why change keys on the very second chord of a composition? Sticking to more standard chord progressions will better help folks prepare for what they will encounter in the real world. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a tune go right from a C Major to a G# Major.

  16. Kathryn L says

    Very cool sound! All you folks that make comments are WAY over my head. I am wondering about the echo sound. I just have an amp, and am wondering about what to purchase for nice effects – a basic first embellishing piece of equipment.
    Kathy L.

    • WarrenB says

      The use of the G# chord and the lydian mode in bars 11 and 12 is haunting!!

      I’d love an explanation of the chord arrangement. Perhaps you did in part 2. I usually jump right into the playing, my bad.

  24. Rico S says

    This was a really fun one and very thought provoking in regards to chord theory. The F note resolving to the E, over the C chord kept nagging at me until I realized I was hearing Jeff Beck’s, Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers, one of my all time favorite pieces of music.

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