Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Looking for rhythm ideas? These simple chord embellishments are a game changer. Guitar Lesson – EP566

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn several chord embellishments that can enhance your rhythm and make it sound more interesting.

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Comments

  3. Michael L says

    Excellent lesson Brian! Once one gets their head around the CAGED shapes and associated scales, triads, pentatonics, etc., this is the “real work” of making music with all of it. If you’ve got more of this, I’d love to have more. Thank you!

  10. Rob N says

    When I read the title I thought it might be aimed more at singer/songwriters and embellishments working around the open chords (to fit in between vocals), but a great lesson nonetheless. Going to try and get that dim7 passing chord into the long term memory. I also agree that the chord diagrams are very useful.

    • Rob N says

      Just to add, I realise that virtually all of the ideas and principles addressed in this lesson can also be applied to the basic open chords – so they can be used to fill in between vocals if you prefer the ‘cowboy’ chords.

  12. Robert A says

    Another great lesson Brian. I love these lessons that don’t require another player or jam track etc. It’s nice to come home from work, pick up the acoustic and just play. Thank you

  13. Paul M says

    Brian, I love the ‘everydayness’ of this lesson- we play these types of chords regularly but you are now inviting us to take that everydayness to a much more interesting place. Thanks as always.

  14. Keith S says

    Thx! Really like these type lessons! I gig out several times a year, and as we all know most covers only require about 15 chords. Adding embellishments makes them sound so much better. I use AM over the years mainly for music theory; can’t learn all the specifics of each lesson, not enough time. So chord “tricks” can separate an average player from a better player very easily if you know how. Brian providing those tricks saves me much time, too. Thx!

  15. charjo says

    I hope this is helpful and not confusing but it’s how I think of playing notes around a given chord in the progression. For the key of G and the G major scale, when I play the IV chord, ie C, the diatonic notes (ie. notes that fit the key) are in a lydian scale shape and have that associated lydian #4. When I play the D ie V chord the appropriate notes conform to a myxolydian scale shape and have that associated myxolydian b7. Therefore, knowing the modal shapes around the typical chords in a progression and knowing the chord’s function in a key can help improvisation.
    One lightbulb in this lesson is the walkdown from the tonic chord to it’s relative minor. I need to explore that in all it’s CAGED options and with different tonics.

    • Jeff B says

      Great lesson Brian. I use other services such as TrueFire, etc., however, I enjoy your lessons the most and seem to retain your concepts better than others. I often contemplate on why that is and conclude it is your humble presentation and encouragement that I can do this. Again, great job and I look forward to future lessons.

  20. John P says

    Hi Brian, I really like this lesson because as a singer who mainly uses straight chords with fingerpicking for accompaniment, I will sound so much better, and be more confident once I can use your embellishments. Having said that – its not quite as easy as you make out::) at my level anyway!

    One other thing – When I joined AM a few months ago I said I was hoping you would do a lesson on using a looper for background. Is there any chance this is on the forward list?

    Many thanks, John

  22. Wade O says

    Good day!
    This is definitely the lesson that brings rythym playing alive! The last few weeks of lessons, starting with the CAGED System has been very helpful in finding fretboard freedom. Although there is so much to learn, you always have a take away that just shows up in your playing. And that’s is exciting for me!
    Enjoy the music! Thx Wade

  23. Harry B says

    It seems like every lesson you come up with I can relate to, Brian. I am 87 and been playing guitar since I was a teenager. Yes, I needed this lesson many years ago, but better late than never. Your weekly lessons keep me inspired to keep on playing and becoming a better guitarist. Thanks for all you do for all us guitar players.

  25. Andreas S says

    Hallo Brian, das ist ein tolles Beispiel um Akkorde schön klingen zu lassen. Werde mich daran machen, ich habe mir extra eine Akustik Gitarre gekauft. Eine Fender Resonator, bin sehr gespannt.

    Viele grüße aus dem Norden of Germany

  38. michael f says

    You’ve emphasized and often use that move from the 6 to the 9 chord. Isn’t that what you did with the ending here? Not playing the whole chords of D9 to D6 but just the second and fourth stringss. So the final ending is D7, D, D9 to D6 before resolving back to the 1 chord, G

  39. Georg B says

    Hi Brian,

    Great lesson! It certainly unlocked for me loads of flourishes that can be done always using the CAGED system as my basic structure to organize the fretboard.

    At one point in your explanations, I noticed something that I hadn’t realized before. You played a C major chord as a cowboy chord and mentioned the relative minor of C major, namely A minor. If I lift off my finger of the root of my C chord (third fret, A string), it will give me an open A string, which is the relative minor. If I lift off my finger of the third fret on my low E string, which is G to the open E string, this will give me my relative minor for G, namely E minor. I can do the same same on my D string, on my G string, and on my B string to find my relative minors. This was another lightbulb moment for me. Thank you!

    Have a good week,

    Georg

  40. Tom T says

    Love the connections to CAGED and chord shapes — the repetition of this across lessons really helps me. And the chord diagrams along with the tabs are a big help (saves me from the “which finger does what?” problem)

  41. Lawrence B says

    I cant play them all but….. Over the past year or so a lot of these gems you’ve shared have worked great for filling the bits where i dont sing… I’ve even noticed some creeping in to my general playing. Hopefully i still have a few years ahead to gather more of these tools…
    Thankfully i have a partner, Irene who plays bass… which adds a lot of depth to the sound and takes some of the pressure off the guitar… especially when I’m singing..
    It also allows us both some freedom to experiment without stuff completely falling apart.. And… it causes us to keep time with another human.. not always a trivial thing.
    My mantra of the day.. .
    Be like Jorma…. Find your Jack…😎

  45. Mr. Larry P says

    I tend to play many of these as triads because they are easier to form and many of the strings don’t get strummed anyhow. I liked this lesson a lot and need to practice more of the arpeggio because they are great embellishments.

  46. Pap says

    This lesson is gold! Curious about the main chord progression and why it works…it becomes a little confusing because of the use of secondary dominants. I think its 1561564545451. Is that right? Keep them coming Brian. Thanks.

  47. Chris H says

    Another killer lesson, Brian! Hey, is that a condenser mic from that company in , I think, Washington state? I heard a performing duo use that a few years ago and was blown away at how good it sounded. I’ve been coveting one ever since.

  50. Steve H says

    Wow! I’ve been “noodling” on the guitar for decades and this lesson helped me to break away from stagnant chord progressions. I have learned so much since becoming a member. Wish I had joined years ago!

  51. Colin B says

    Brian. Your lessons are all amazing and inspiring. I am 70 years old, used to play as a teenager so it’s been a while 🙂 and used to figure out how to play songs and riffs from repeatedly playing records over and over.

  53. DAVID M says

    Recently joined this little community , just wanted to say what a great lesson this is – who’d have thought just embellishing three chords could convert the mundane to the magical Brian’s explanations are spot on , though thank heavens for the rewind functionality !

  55. JB says

    I have been playing the guitar for about 30 plus years. I play nothing but Gospel or Southern Gospel music. Being in a small church most of my life. i haven’t been around many players that really play my style of music, or they may be limited to 4/4 timing. When I have been around other Christian player that play my type of music, they really don’t stick around. They move on. So I have had to pick up a lot of my plying on my own. The music I found I lean towards, is music like the Hinson Family, or the Happy Goodman Family or even Walt Mills. These groups really have some very good guitar in their songs. But really what I would like to learn and see on here. Is lessons that could show something I could play during Prayer in Church or an Alter Call. Something soft and slow and meaningful. This is my weakness. Trying to find something i can play like in the key of G. At times I use a capo so these licks could be used everywhere. Any suggestions?

  56. JB says

    Brian. You said that this style or licks are hidden. You are right. There is not much out there on this. In 1990, I ask God please give me the talent to play music. One morning in 1991 in Fort Dix on my bunk, I felt God gave me the talent to play the drums. Well there wasn’t a drum set in site. But over the years, God has so blessed me with music. It has been my go to in times of hardships. When I started to play the guitar, I didn’t have many folks around me to give me pointers. I spent so much $$ on VHS and DVD’s. To only get more frustrated. Those media just give you enough to prick you curiosity. But what helped more than anything in those early years. Was Ernie Ball’s, You can play Guitar “book”. Yes a book. But many things I have learned on this site, I have had the basis of the licks but didn’t know where they would be added or how to play them in songs. Now I can get out of the G, C, D strumming mode and be more fluent in my playing. I’m not where I want to be. But this journey of learning this stuff is very exciting. Because in my mind. I know and/or knew how important music is in God’s ministry. It sets the tone to see the alters with folks pouring out there heart, seeing families getting healed, and other getting saved. It blesses me that I have been a part of this for most of my adult life. Brain thank you for your time in this. JB

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