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Hi, I consider myself a beginner guitarst. I know some chords and can play along a song perfectly fine when it comes to strumming. My goal though, is to be able to improvise, and play lead etc within the country genre. I don’t know any scales or such. I’ve recently started practicing and watching lessons on the major scale and CAGED. Does anyone have any tips on what things to learn and practice, IN ORDER, to be able to solo, improvise and play lead? Any specific lessons you suggest? Or certain excercises to practice? In case, what do you suggest? And in what order should i learn stuff in order to learn the things i want to learn without becoming too confused. I want to take it gradually, and most important, i want to learn how to play, not memorize.
Best regards -
Hi Ola
Welcome to AM. I would suggest that if you look through the lessons there are quite a lot which use fill licks. If you type ‘fill licks’ into the search of the lessons page it comes back with 48 finds I would suggest going through those and see how you get on. I am the blind leading the blind here but I hope that helps. I think all the resources you seek you will find here at Active Melody and a supportive froum too.
John Straat -
Hi Ola – Those are the questions that we all had when we first signed up with ActiveMelody. I started off at the same level as you, and now I consider myself quite capable of improvising with almost any song. But here’s the thing: During the first year or so, you have to memorize lessons, like it or not. In the world of music, you and I both started off as babies, and babies learn by copying what adults do. Active Melody is designed for you to be able to pick some lessons that you like, then spend the time to memorize them and be able to play them fairly well. By doing this, you will learn some licks and can start building up your “lick library”. Once you know some common licks, you can begin to “cut and paste” those licks into some decent sounding improv. You can’t just start doing improv unless you can hear the melody you want in your head. And there won’t be any melodies in your head unless you memorize some lessons and licks. So my advice to you is: Focus less on scales and CAGED, and just jump right in and memorize some lessons that sound good to you. Have fun immediately!
Sunjamr Steve
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Hi Ola,
The whole concept of Active Melody is based on learning to improvise and not memorize. Having said that, it is not a linear course that everyone should follow at any specific order. Each lesson is designed to “seduce” you into jumping in and learning what you like and how you like it. There is not one method or order which you should follow.
However, since you mentioned you don’t know any scales, I would suggest starting with the Essential Theory Course. You don’t have to learn everything there all at once but maybe just focus on the major scale and the CAGED system for starters.
Or you could just play what you like. Go through the library of lessons and just pick one from the “Beginner Guitar Lessons (Easy)” category that you would love to learn. You may be learning to memorize it at this point but the way Brian breaks everything down and explains where everything comes from, will actually teach you more than just memorizing. Brian repeats the same concepts over and over. You’ll end up learning how music is made and will be able to improvise and create your own composition sooner than you think. Just keep at it and you’ll be amazed how much you’ll learn “without trying”.
Either way, enjoy your musical journey, hope this helps.
🎸JoLa
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Ola,
I agree with JoLa, Sunjammer and JohnStrat. They all make good points. My suggestion would be to find beginner/intermediate level lessons (songs) from Brian’s library and master them. Record and share your audio or video with the rest of us. In time, your questions will answer themselves. It’s a journey and a process however, you will be learning arrangements of songs from rock to blues, to country to ragtime and swing. That way, you will have something to show for yourself. Trust the system. And, keep asking questions. PS-There is not easy way around learning and mastering this instrument. It can be a struggle but so fun and rewarding.Best of Luck,
John -
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Ola-That is the beauty of Active Melody. It is an online guitar community. You can post audio and video of your playing. Most of us do, at all levels. Brian provides lessons in every guitar genre imaginable, and, at every skill level. All are performance worthy arrangements. Over 500 of them. Once you start choosing, learning and sharing your questions answer themselves. A lot of the fun is perusing through the library of lessons and finding a ‘gem’. The Micro Lessons are short learnable lessons as well. Don’t forget the Monthly Challenges!
John
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Reading some of the comments I have done some but not all of the commenst. I started Active melody around EP484 and did the beginner essentials course quickly. I then started the weekly lessons, at first I enjoyed but felt overwhelmed that I could not complete. I quickly realised to enjoy the lessons but not worry about completing parts that was too hard. Something kicked in for me with the triad lessons at about 10 -15 weeks in. As lessons repeat (Pentatonic, caged, triad etc) I realise I have improved, and remind me of things I thought I had forgotten. I will at some point focus on 1 lesson, but for me enjoying is the main thing and this is my way. Others will fine enjoyment by focusing on one thing until they are good at it. It may be the better approach but not for me as I would have given up.
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I’m still an advanced beginner, but hope one day I’ll be able to improvise any song like Steve can do, by following Brian’s lessons. This is the ultimate goal I learn playing guitar.
However I have one tips to share for now: I try to improvise with whistling whenever i’m driving and listening any random song. After practising this for a year, I think I can “whistle improvise” pretty nicely. So now the task is to copy this into guitar playing.
Call me Mark
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Ola…find the “Shape” lesson…triangle and rectangle…super easy and allows you to noodle over any song once you’ve figured out the Key…then jam to your favs on utube…great way to wake up and a great way to log some fun hours of practice
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Yes i’ve seen it and it helped alot! Are there any other lessons that explain different patterns just like this?
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yes …a couple …parts of the pentatonic scale form boxes in different spots…key in “shape and/or improvise” and it should come up…these lessons are also the free lesson on youtube so you can search there also…
if u look closely the triangle is part of the minor penta scale (E chord or Bared E chord up the neck…)
I goof around and noodle over all kinds of backing tracks…it’s like planting seeds for harvest later… -
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So, I’m months away from 65 years old. Been dabbling off and on with the guitar for 55 years and I feel as if I understand more than my hands can do. I went through the years of learning songs to sing and entertain friends, played a few “gigs” out with more accomplished player friends but have never been satisfied with my abilities and have even laid the guitar down for years at a time. Now that my granddaughters no longer need a play room I have set up my dining room as a music room and am leading one last charge at the guitar in hopes the interest will stay with me the rest of my life. My question to you guys is:
When learning new material do you stick with the lesson until you can play it flawlessly then move on or do you play it and get a full understanding of the theory and move to something new and practice all the stuff you’re learning and develop the skill as you go? I spent a year digging into Lawrence Juber fingerstyle arrangements that were far above my ability and was able to play them with mistakes but got burned out before getting them down perfect. Just wondering how you guys do it. If I tend to stay with one lesson too long, I get bored with it and then guitar time begins to seem like a chore. Thanks for any help.-
Joseph, I think it depends on what you’re wanting from the lesson. There are a handful of lessons that I really like and want to play as part of my personal repertoire. I’ll spend the time with these to memorize them and play them again and again over time to work toward proficiency. Other lessons I may just watch the videos once or twice and move on, maybe taking away a lick, maybe not. For me, this journey is more about gaining understanding of the guitar and music in general so I can jam with others, write my own music, etc. That has happened, and continues, over a few years and many lessons. Each lesson has value and is worth some time. Don’t short-change them with a desire for the “new” one, but don’t hold yourself back by seeking perfection either. Try to define your own musical/guitar goals, and you’ll find the best path forward to get what you want in each lesson.
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I have been going through lessons until it begins to get boring and then I move to another lesson. I want to learn it perfectly but I don’t want to be bored. I still learn from the lesson and I figure my playing will improve with time so I just keep going. That’s how I’ve been doing it in the short time I’ve been a member here.
Joe
The sight of a touch, or the scent of a sound,
Or the strength of an Oak with roots deep in the ground.
--Graeme Edge -
Ola, I’m a beginner as well, and the folks on this forum have helped me a lot. I don’t post much simply because I don’t know much, LOL.
But I’d second the motion about the lessons that teach the boxes, rectangle, triangle. I use those to just noodle along with backing tracks on Spotify.
Take a look at Microlesson 070. It’s an easy lesson, that teaches you to improvise using just 4 notes in a box.
I’d also recommend learning the pentatonic scales. Major and minor, EP 436 would be helpful.Good luck.
Never Stop Learning. Ever.
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