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3 Essential Chord Shapes on the Guitar – Chord Inversions – EP199

Description

In this guitar lesson, you are going to learn 3 triad chord shapes (a triad means just 3 notes). I’ll show you how to play these chord shapes up the neck of the guitar and how to play a 1, 4, 5 chord progression with them. You can use them both in rhythm playing and when playing lead. This lesson contains both a rhythm pattern, and a lead – which is created by adding embellishments to the chord shapes. This lesson is a MUST learn!

Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson

Part 2 - Adding Embellishments

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Part 3 - Playing The Melody

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Slow Walkthrough - Melody

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Slow Walkthrough - Chords

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Comments

  1. justin N says

    April 7, 2017 at 5:58 pm

    Yes! This will be so helpful in so many ways. Such an essential part of guitar playing . I can’t wait to learn this one. Thanks for changing the beat of the drum this week with some exciting theory on chords and their inversions.

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    • joe b says

      April 16, 2017 at 3:54 pm

      a Great Lesson i would like more country licks thanks happy Easter YOUR A GREAT TEACHER JOETHESHAKER-RBL ROCKa Billy HALL.COM

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  2. ranja says

    April 7, 2017 at 6:06 pm

    Thanks,
    Looks like a winner!
    Ron

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  3. sunburst says

    April 7, 2017 at 6:59 pm

    very good way too! glad you mentioned octaves and the Caged system too..also great fun way showing the triads here to see all the inversion shapes really great way learning the fret board up the neck!

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  4. David M says

    April 7, 2017 at 7:07 pm

    No! You shaved your beard! It looked good. Grow it back. I made the same mistake once, and kids at work thought I was in my 30’s again!

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  5. johnstrat says

    April 7, 2017 at 7:10 pm

    Brian
    This one is right on the nail as you say its a must.. fantastic .
    I wonder what you have up your sleeve for the Big 200 next week. WOW hundreds of EP series lessons plus all the others

    Big Thanks
    JohnStrat

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    • Anthony C says

      April 12, 2017 at 4:18 am

      Hi Brian you are my favorite teacher. I really believe that your chord inversion lesson will actually transport me to a higher level of playing rhythm and lead. God Bless you friend!

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      • Brian says

        April 12, 2017 at 1:00 pm

        onward and upward!

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  6. johnstrat says

    April 7, 2017 at 7:14 pm

    Brian,
    On the personal level I think you look fine with or without the beard but shaving it was no mistake!

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    • Brian says

      April 12, 2017 at 1:01 pm

      hah – yeah, i was feeling a little too hipster. had to change that quick

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  7. gquellet says

    April 7, 2017 at 7:22 pm

    Brian, this is one great lesson. This will also give us a better understanding of future and past lessons using this concept. Very much like the EP198 lesson. Thanks
    Gary Q

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  8. Aussie Rick says

    April 7, 2017 at 7:54 pm

    Great lesson Brian. I’ve just recently being working on using the CAGED shapes to move around the fretboard but I hadn’t seen the benefits of trimming the barre chords back to the the simpler triads. This is going to be invaluable. Cheers,

    Rick

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  9. jnewman says

    April 7, 2017 at 9:13 pm

    Must learn is right! Just in messing around with this for the last 30 minutes I’ve explored more territory on the fretboard (in a productive way) than in the last 30 years. This really opens up the instrument and makes it a snap to jam with other people on the fly. Thanks so much for this one Brian!

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  10. mcnessa says

    April 7, 2017 at 10:07 pm

    Brian, this was a real eye opener for me. Thank you for posting this.

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  11. WBlues says

    April 8, 2017 at 2:01 am

    Brian, this is a very very good help! This expands our ability to work on the fretboard a lot. In addition, it will be the basis, which can be implemented in different tracks. Rgds

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  12. smilefred says

    April 8, 2017 at 4:33 am

    Amazing lesson to explore the neck
    Thanks Brian
    Ale

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  13. E Minor 7th says

    April 8, 2017 at 5:59 am

    Chandelier-full of light bulb moments!

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  14. Jim M says

    April 8, 2017 at 7:50 am

    The Triads can be incorporated into all styles of music and they provide a platform for improvisation. Thanks for sharing your guitar knowledge Brian !

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  15. Johan L says

    April 8, 2017 at 10:31 am

    I just bought a duckbill hat and now you’re wearing a baseball cap? I just can’t keep up! And now I have to shave as well..
    😜

    On a more serious note, this is excellent stuff! It ties together with other cool stuff as well, like oh lets say scales maybe?! But I’m not going to give anything away if you are planning a series here!

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    • Brian says

      April 8, 2017 at 8:45 pm

      🙂

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  16. drlknstein says

    April 8, 2017 at 10:57 am

    just an excellent lesson….these are my favourite ones…just pure theory and a great learning experience…I can only understand what you are doing because of your past lessons that explained these chord shapes

    I also love the lessons where you” build the chord shapes” always adding a new lick that you could turn into a song..

    thanks

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  17. RobertBlower says

    April 9, 2017 at 12:52 pm

    Another informative lesson, and good re-enforcement on all previous lessons on caged. Any chance you can add another lesson including minor chords and their embellishments? Thanks

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  18. cnembhard says

    April 10, 2017 at 4:39 pm

    Thanks a lot. I’ve been getting a little frustrated with my playing, this is just what the doctor ordered.

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  19. DougE says

    April 10, 2017 at 9:02 pm

    Is anyone else having issues with the video feed in this lesson? It hesitates and stops a lot. Have tried this on multiple computers and at work. It worked fine on Saturday but have had issues Sunday and today. All the other lessons seem to work fine, just having issue with this one.

    Think this will be an important lesson and don’t want to skip it.

    Thanks,
    Doug

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  20. jboy says

    April 11, 2017 at 7:49 am

    This is excellent .This format looks like the beginning of a very cool structured method
    to approach the infinite possibilities of improvisation.
    You are simply the best !🎶

    Jay

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  21. Rollover33 says

    April 11, 2017 at 12:58 pm

    fabulous job, this lesson !!! Thanks !

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  22. An D says

    April 11, 2017 at 1:11 pm

    how about minor chords? Can you please add another lesson about minor chord inversions?

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    • Brian says

      April 12, 2017 at 12:58 pm

      You can easily convert these to minor by flatting the 3rd interval. On the first shape – move the 2nd fret 2nd string to the 1st fret, 2nd string – (A minor), On the 2nd shape, move the 6th fret, 3rd string – down to 5th fret 3rd string, and on the 3rd shape, move the 11th fret 4th string down to the 10th fret fourth string.

      A minor chord it always the same as the major chord, you just flat the 3rd interval. Hope that helps.

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  23. Jean H says

    April 11, 2017 at 2:54 pm

    Thank you Brian !
    Difficult in France to find the same.

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  24. ici61 says

    April 11, 2017 at 3:01 pm

    Hi Brian and the rest. First comment ever because, as many of my colleagues say, this lesson is a very important part in our guitar learning. How to unravel the intrincate connections within the fretboard. And this lesson gets it clearly and accesible for us. Good methodology for a guitar professor. Cheers from Vitoria, Spain

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  25. JP4 says

    April 11, 2017 at 4:08 pm

    Great lesson Brian!
    I’ve been hammering away at theory lately, really working on understanding and memorizing the fret board. This was another great piece of the puzzle. I really appreciate your work and would love to see more lessons like this.

    Thanks,
    Jeff

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  26. genoc728 says

    April 11, 2017 at 5:35 pm

    Great lesson, Brian. I’m glad you shaved your beard. You look much better and younger. Ha

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    • Brian says

      April 12, 2017 at 12:54 pm

      Cool!

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  27. steph_70 says

    April 11, 2017 at 5:59 pm

    Great stuff! Ever consider letting basic members try a full lesson for free.? I am slow learner when it comes to guitar and would like to actually try to see if this would benefit me. Perhaps the way your site is designed it would be impossible. Maybe consider that idea as a promotion thing for your 200th lesson? Anyways, just love the you play. Keep up the great work.

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    • Brian says

      April 12, 2017 at 12:54 pm

      Yes – I’ve added the 2 free lessons link throughout the lessons pages. Here’s a link: https://www.activemelody.com/try-two-complete-lessons-for-free/

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      • steph_70 says

        April 19, 2017 at 3:54 pm

        Wow that easy! Great thanks Bryan!

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  28. Anton D says

    April 11, 2017 at 6:23 pm

    Sorry to be a spoilsport but I found this lesson to be a bit on the simplistic side. That said, I realise you cannot cater for (hopefully, aspiring,…) intermediate players all of the time.

    However, thanks for all the wonderful lessons you have posted here for a very modest fee.

    Anton

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    • Brian says

      April 12, 2017 at 12:52 pm

      It depends on how you look at it. If you’re taking literally as in – just learning 3 chord shapes it is pretty easy… but what you can do with them blows my mind. When you’re able to quickly jump to any of those voicings and work those chord tones into your lead playing – it isn’t basic at all.

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  29. Michael R says

    April 11, 2017 at 7:26 pm

    Thank you Brian, Wonderful lesson. Really opens up the understanding of whats going on with the whole neck of the guitar.

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  30. Robert J says

    April 11, 2017 at 10:02 pm

    “like a complete unknown!”

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    • Brian says

      April 12, 2017 at 12:50 pm

      hah yep 🙂

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  31. Art M says

    April 11, 2017 at 10:05 pm

    Brian, these are probably my favorite teachings by far. Thanks for another great lesson.

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  32. waayne says

    April 11, 2017 at 11:35 pm

    Excellent lesson!

    Thank you!

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  33. Guillaume B says

    April 12, 2017 at 1:54 am

    Hello Brian,

    Super interesting and useful, as usual! One thing though, I have not gone through all the videos of this lesson yet, but are you covering the minor chords too (in case we want to have the same 1/4/5 in a minor tonality)?

    Thanks for the awesome lessons!

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    • Brian says

      April 12, 2017 at 12:49 pm

      Just major chord shapes in this one – although to convert all 3 of these chord shapes to minor you just flat the 3rd interval

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  34. Thorsten R says

    April 12, 2017 at 12:54 pm

    That´s what I´ve been waiting for. Greetings from Germany, Brian

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  35. Jim L says

    April 12, 2017 at 4:42 pm

    Brian,

    I think the format of this lesson is perfect. I have been playing for 40 years. Problem is I was playing the same small group of songs in first position for 35 of those years. Your lessons have helped by leaps and bounds and also exposed me to theory that I find much more interesting than I ever thought it could be. Your style is engaging and fun. You slow things down enough that I can really absorb the material instead of just memorizing. Keep up the good work.

    Best regards,
    Jim L.

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  36. David H says

    April 14, 2017 at 8:58 am

    Wow. Here’s one you can watch in the morning and take to that stage that night! Nice!

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  37. blake d says

    April 14, 2017 at 12:53 pm

    I have never learned so much in a single lesson really really great!

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  38. taijitu says

    April 16, 2017 at 1:30 pm

    Brian, thanks a lot for this excellent lesson! As a decades-long beginner, I have struggled to grasp what I have seen guitarists with this method. You have made it clear and easily accessible. It’s going to help me a lot! Cheers!

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  39. Dave M says

    April 19, 2017 at 2:39 pm

    Hi Brian
    After slogging away in the ‘shadows’ on your website, I had to say Thank You (!!) for all the help I’ve received from
    your videos for the last year or so. I believe I may have turned a corner and may now be becoming a guitar player.
    This lesson was the icing on the cake. Fantastic! I’m sure there’s not a better teacher out there. Thanks again.

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    • Brian says

      April 19, 2017 at 4:29 pm

      Thanks Dave – come out of the shadows from time to time!

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  40. Daniel R says

    April 21, 2017 at 7:04 am

    Brilliant lesson. Sort of had an epiphany moment whilst watching it. This is something I’ve played in various ways but not know about or understood . Thanks

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  41. George K says

    April 21, 2017 at 5:44 pm

    Nice direction Brian, like it. Ta

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  42. Mitchell M says

    April 22, 2017 at 9:13 am

    This is one of your most helpful and instructive lessons… Thanks, Brian.

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  43. rdkraus says

    April 24, 2017 at 10:46 am

    Was this inspired by the Allman Brothers “Seven Turns” ?

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  44. FRANCK V says

    April 25, 2017 at 10:32 am

    Bonjour Brian,

    Again thank you for your devotion, teaching us the guitar. I have a little question though: I understand where the first two A bar chords come from (in video 1) but I cannot relate the third A bar chord to any pattern I learnt in your course.

    I am grateful for you to show it and I will try memorising and using it in my own playing. However do you know how to link it to a pattern? or do I just need to accept that there are plenty A chords on the fret board and keep these three shapes and get use to it for every other chords?

    A good point in this lesson is that I now understand exactly what you mean by 1 / 4 / 5 progression.

    Thank you Brian.

    Franck

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    • Brian says

      April 25, 2017 at 2:35 pm

      Hi Franck, these little triads are really just playing the same 3 notes that make up an A chord, but playing them in the 3 prominent positions on the neck. These is related to the CAGED system, but is much easier to follow because it’s only 3 chord shapes instead of 5. These are the most commonly used chord shapes that I’ve found anyway. If you know these, you can do just about anything.

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  45. Neville H says

    April 25, 2017 at 3:19 pm

    Great lesson thanks Brian.

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  46. nathan m says

    April 29, 2017 at 2:12 am

    I liked this lesson becaue when i’m not playing drums i’m working on the caged system and how to connect the shapes . and i know its not everything but it seems like a good thing to know

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  47. nathan m says

    April 29, 2017 at 2:18 am

    also if you know those three shapes its not difficult to figure out the c shape and the g

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  48. nathan m says

    April 29, 2017 at 2:44 am

    it sounds a bit amature to me if you play all arpegios, but i think it’s good to know how to connect the shapes smoothly and build off of that at lest thats my thinking. but i don’t know and thats why i’m here. cheers

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  49. Stratmantoo says

    May 4, 2017 at 8:47 am

    Hey Franck,

    If I understand your reply correctly, then I had the same problem. I have had it drilled into my head that the first note you play is the root of the chord, an “A” in this case. I too struggled trying to find how this “D” shape chord could be an “A”. I finally realized that what Brian is using is an inversion of the “A” chord. It does not start with the note “A” but in this case a “C#”. The “C#” is a note contained in an A chord just not usually the first one. But remember that Brian wanted to use only the 2nd, 3rd and 4th strings for this lesson so he used an inversion (different order of the notes) of the “A” chord to use just those strings. I hope this helps. And Brian I hope I am correct in my explanation of why you use the “D” shape in this way. If not please help me too 🙂

    Dick

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  50. youngsoo y says

    May 13, 2017 at 4:12 am

    Thanks for great lessons, this inspire me a lot how to approach code shape and lead.
    From Korea.
    PS: still I am only one from Korea, Brian?

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    • Brian says

      May 13, 2017 at 8:35 am

      There are others from Korea on the site 🙂 Not a lot, but I do see them from time to time 🙂

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  51. Todd m says

    June 28, 2017 at 7:41 am

    Hi Brian,
    Great lesson. I’m having difficulty with the Key of C. I know the chords C, F, G but I run out of room at the lower end of the neck. I’m playing an acoustic.
    I’ll keep playing around with it!

    Thanks!

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  52. bo brown says

    July 1, 2017 at 8:20 am

    jam tracks are so fast

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  53. Sfiso Z says

    October 21, 2017 at 12:15 pm

    Well Brian,If there is a lesson that has opened doors for me,it is definitely this one.I enjoy lessons from Activemelody,but this one made me understand the guitar neck much better-from 20% to 80%. With the information provided by this lesson,I don’t fear to join any jam session.Thank you for providing the much needed simplification.

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  54. Ron says

    October 23, 2017 at 10:54 am

    Ok, I need some understanding here. I’ve been working with Triads and inversions for quite a while. I understand them (I think); but your #3 shape is using the index finger to barre? Can’t you use the shapes without the barre? Does the barre do something I’m not seeing?
    Thanks
    Ron

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    • Brian says

      October 23, 2017 at 11:44 am

      The barre just makes it easier (for me) to grab that chord. If it’s easier for you to make without using a barre, then you should use that fingering. The other thing the barre allows me to do is play just the barre – which would be a 1 chord, and then hammer on those 2 fingers to create the 4 chord. (Keith Richards style).

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      • Ron says

        October 23, 2017 at 2:34 pm

        Thanks! That’s what I was missing. Seems to be so many ways to get the same job done!

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        • Ron says

          October 23, 2017 at 4:37 pm

          I just went back over this lesson. Using the barre does in fact make it easier! Sometimes the lights a little slow to turn on….
          Thanks
          Ron

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  55. Bill D says

    January 26, 2018 at 9:39 am

    Brian: After subscribing to your e-mail list for years, seeing the quality and quantity of material you produce, and coming to understand your excellent teaching skills… I finally got a Membership with Active Melody this morning. About time, right? For any person at the Intermediate/Adv-Intermediate playing level, there is simply no better Guru on the internet than you… at any price. The fact that you have made all of this affordable to the working man… well, you are much admired here in my house. Thank You!!

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  56. M G says

    January 26, 2018 at 11:51 am

    I’m a old man, but this opened my eyes! And they say you can’t you can’t teach and old dog new tricks. All joke aside excellent explanation. Thanks Brian, Michael G.

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  57. FRANCIS C says

    January 29, 2018 at 2:40 am

    Well, nothing changed for me since I was in grade school 70 years ago. The whole class gets it, and I struggle along trying to grasp it…..are there at least 3 positions in every chord shape yet to learn? and….how to remember what chord I’m playing in each position? and how to go directly to a chord from anywhere on the neck…..I am going to have to stay after school as usual and clean the chalk board and clap the chalk out of the erasers. It’s late, maybe tomorrow will be a better day for learning…gnite all 🙂

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  58. Stefan F says

    March 27, 2018 at 6:34 am

    Where comes this rhythm from?

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  59. Geof C says

    January 11, 2019 at 4:46 pm

    Thanks, Brian! Lightbulb Lesson here, for sure!

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  60. Yves B says

    November 20, 2019 at 11:45 am

    Wow! That is sooo helpful!

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