Description
In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a Gospel style blues rhythm with fill licks. This is a great working example of how the CAGED System works and is designed to help you visualize chords in different positions on the guitar neck. This is also a stand-alone composition that sounds great by itself!
Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson
Part 2 - For Premium Members
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Slow Walkthrough
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Video Tablature Breakdown
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I’m happy you’re doing more lessons that reinforce the CAGED System. Thanks Brian
yes thats a realy nice lessson! learned a lot
Hi Brian, the video tablature for EP378 does not work. Maybe easy to fix… Thank you!
Agreed
I have a feeling there is a good lot hiding away in this lesson, good stuff Brian,
JohnStrat
Love it Brian , keep them coming
Brian,
All these lessons you have been doing in regards to CAGED. The lesson you did on the three positions of the Maj/Min penta scales and there relation to CAGED and other related lessons are now connecting in my head. When I look at your new lessons, I see the fretboard much different now. As you have stated many times before, I have light bulbs flashing all the time in my head now. As I was thing back, I used to just memorize your lessons, now I spend the time focusing where it all comes from.
Gotta love it!
Keep these great lessons coming,
Mark
Great lesson once again Brian, but I’m curious of one thing, is that a Sansuzi receiver behind you.
I’ve been looking at it and it sure looks like a 661 or 771 reciever.
Thanks for the great lessson you provide us!
Michael
Yes! good eye – it’s a Sansui – i forget the model number
Brain:
Great lesson on using the CAGED system and relative minors. I do have one question on the tabular at bar 14. The tabular indicates B6 and B7. How could that be if we went from E6 in bar 13 change the C# to E on the 1st string moving down to D to get to E7??? I love how you tie these patterns to chord shapes. Not trying to be picky , but just confused.
Thanks,
Randy
Good catch! I have corrected this.
Brian, can you tell me how to get access to the Friday lessons early in the day like some that I see in the comments? I don’t get access until early afternoon.
Thanks
I don’t normally put them up until late in the day (CST). I had it finished early today
Thanks for clearing that up Brian. Another great lesson! I don’t know how you do it every week but keep up the good work sir.
Another great lesson Brian. Please keep them coming.
Thanks
Ray P
I don’t know how any guitar could sound better than this ancient Martin (although my 47 year old D-35 at least in my mind comes close at least) but this makes me wonder if Nazareth, P.A. is currently working to keep this up……..I believe so but there’s absolutely something really huge and special to aging Martins for decades and their tone……….but now I’m curious to check out the new 2020 models. Very cool lesson here by Brian and I love how he’s always so adept at creating such informative lessons but at the same time giving us great new useful ideas!! Jim C.
Wonderful Arrangement !!!
awesome as always Brain. That Martin thought, its my favorite acoustic you have it sounds sooo incredible
Good stuff Brian! I like Michael Allen’s description of reinforcing the CAGED system. I might have said something like pounding it into my thick dense head but reinforce sounds more like learning.
Love it!
I guess the B6 becomes a B9 when you move the chord down two fret positions because the G# on the 5th string (the 6th of the scale) has been replaced by the C# on the 4th string (the 2nd/9th of the scale).
Great lesson, Brian! I plan to memorize this and keep practicing (which I already am for EP346). Then I will have one in Key of E and Key of C for CAGED chord progressions. I am hoping this will be become ingrained in my brain.
Larry
Another great lesson, Brian! I really like how you are incorporating more theory into the lessons, but in a non overwhelming way. Keep up the great work
👍🏼👍🏼
Great lesson on how to find and use 6 and 9 chords. I finally understand it’s called a 6 chord because the relative minor is based on the 6th note of the major scale. Aha! My question is now how to think of 9 chords. Is there a situation in which you would use the 9 chord as a replacement for the 1 chord instead of as a passing chord down from the 6? In a standard 1 4 5 progression (in the key of for example) the E9 is like a Bm. That would sound kinda weird going into the 5 chord (B7), but it does sound good going into the 4 chord (A).
The 9 chord can be used in place of any major chord – so yes you could absolutely use a 9 chord for the 1 chord…. It’s super common to play a 9 chord as the 4 and 5 chord in a blues.. sounds great.
Flipping Tasty! And the reinforcement is just icing on the cake……thanks!
I learned about your site from YouTube. Great lessons!
This really has connected such a lot of stuff. I can see I will be playing this piece for some time following those crumb trails you have laid. Excellent.
I suspect there is no great demand for slide pieces but perhaps you could add a few asides in the members piece about how slide could be used a-la Joey landreth hybrid style in future pieces when they are relevant. Love the 6th and 9ths.
Another lesson that has really resonated with me Brian. One of the things I notice and admire in your playing is timing and phrasing. As an example one of my take aways from this lesson is how you transitioned from part one to part two.
The 1st position A chord where Brian talks about cramming in his fingers, is something I have never been able to do.,
instead I keep my fingers in a D shape, triangle, if that makes sense, more room and easy changing to other chords.
I have been following you lessons for some considerable time now. You never cease to amaze me how you manage to come up with such a wide variety of compositions in such a variety of genres. I really enjoyed this composition although I would not have thought Gospel music would appeal to me. Did anyone else notice a bit of an Hawaiian flavour mixed in?
How do you get your inspiration for composing a tune for a lesson? It it usually inspired by something you have listened to just before, or does it just come out of nowhere as you noodle on your guitar? I’d love to know!
Best Regards.
Rodney
I just found your recent “How do I write a New Song every Week” video on You Tube ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yv0ERsWTKk).
It was a truly enjoyable and informative video and very well worth watching Brian. Thanks. I had hoped it would address the above question but sadly it didn’t.
I also watched “”What should I play on guitar when someone asks to hear me play” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrwiVbBQvLE). That was also a very worthwhile video.
Brian I really get the feeling that you put your heart and soul into these lessons. Your primary goal isn’t to make money but to help folks play guitar, and to do it in the most enjoyable and satisfying way. You truly want to help people. Thank you so much!
I recently took up premium membership not so much to get the extra content, which is very good of course, but because I felt I had got so much out of your free lessons for an extended period of time and deserved some recompense.
God bless ya Rodney – thanks man.
Hi there Brian!
Your lesson is great! Thank you for using triad forms for the voicings – it really opens my eyes! My question is my first concert I saw was Richie Havens when I was just a kid. I was wondering if you could have a quick lesson on Richie’s style. In D-drop tuning?
Peace be with you and thanks for listening.
Robert
Thanks for this one. I had heard your explanation of the 6 and 9 chords in another lesson, but this time I ACTUALLY understood it. Repetition I guess. Also, really enjoying those other content tidbits you’ve been releasing to the YouTube channel. Can’t wait to see what you cook up for this Friday!
Stay sane,
Cari
We can never get enough CAGED. And anyone who doesn’t think 6ths and 9ths sound cool is on the wrong channel.
Brian, I just want to say that I have been tarying to play guitar since 20 yrs ago and thanks of you I have it ! know my wife says …hey you are a guitar man you sound good to my hears …:) you are progressing to that thing … 🙂 ,..thank you
Really nice lesson. Still working on it but there is a lot here for me. Many thanks.
Guys, instead of trying to cram three fingers next to one other when making an A chord, try this. You can easily bar the 3rd & 4th strings with your index finger and put your index finger on the 2nd string. I’d post a picture but can’t figure out how to do it.
Meant to say middle finger on the 2nd string
I love this style, you’re one of the only online instructors I’ve found to teach acoustic blues/ragtime…so glad I found this site
Another great lesson, and it really helps reinforce the earlier lesson about 6 and 9 chords, giving it a real practical application of them. Your lessons are such great building blocks, they keep filling gaps in my Theory knowledge, which is chock full of them. Large gaps, I mean!
Thanks again!
Brian Mc.
you make it look so easy!
Love the lesson however the second part won’t load and I am a member any help available ?
Hi Brian, am usually a fast learner but this concept has fascinated and also frustrated me because I just cant seem to figure it out: 1) The 6 and 9 or Min6 and Min9 chords I know they are a whole step apart but how does one figure out the root? 2) I need to also understand better they utilization, from your lessons I can see mostly used as passing tones/ chords, 3) The D7 shape and the D shape (Str 3,2,1) when shifted up 1 or 2 strings appear to form minor tonalities and dominant chords at this point am copying how you use them like in the Christmas song came upon a Midnight . . . . but also on Amazing Grace but you have used these shapes more recent lessons and I wish I could understand how to Root the chords and construct them in the right context and also relation of Minor to 6 chord by changing note in the base I think its an important concept but dont get it yet
Love this arrangement any suggestions on videos to watch to creating your own fill licks? I copy yours but I’m not grasping the concept of improvising my own in relation to any chord
picked up my guitars after 20 years. I’ll not going into detail. I’m curious about speed. How often did you practice, or how long.
By the way I’m totally blown by your lessons and playing.
Maynard Tucker Navy/ret.
great lesson Brian, i like the way you throw in the Am in part 2 in the last chord run down at the end of the lesson. sounds awesome!
Sounds like a very cool version of hey jude @ the start
I absolutely love this one too. So much fun to learn. Thank you for all you do.
Hey Brian,
I’m new on your site but you’ve really have helped me to improve my playing and understanding beyond rudimentary concepts. I would encourage all the people I know who want to learn more and become a better guitarist ton get onboard with you.
Thank you
Richard
Thanks Brian!!!
Very motivating!!!