Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Add this to your chords to make them sound better – Guitar Lesson – ML147

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn several embellishment ideas that you can attach to both major and minor chord shapes. Reuse these when you’re improvising.

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Comments

  6. Michael Krailo says

    That’s a nice little ditty. The importance of rhythm technique cannot be underestimated. Excellent lesson, that I hope many member take to heart.

    For those of you well versed in CAGED, that first embellishment from the A barre chord stays in A major pentatonic land (pattern #3), but it’s part of the G-Shaped A if you imagine that you have a low B string on your guitar, the root note A would be right over the D on the 10th fret. It’s good to work this all out in your head so it is seen as just another option for the A chord. It’s also the same as being at the 2nd fret area on strings 4 & 5 and playing the G-Shape A chord from there. It’s all right there along with the relative minor (F#m).

    That A6 chord can also function as an F#m chord as well (top three strings 3rd inversion).

    The full F# natural minor sale is also available to you over a minor barre chord, not just the minor pentatonic. But the key of the song is in A major, so that might be overkill and better reserved for a minor key.

    And yes, I’ve already gone down the million paths already, and they are very satisfying. I’m definitely stealing that double hammer-on minor barre chord. It might just appear in the next challenge video.

    • Rob N says

      Hi Michael,

      I always enjoy reading your comments – you delve deeply into each lesson and often provide additional insight and your enthusiasm is infectious.

      I’m a little confused by your analysis of the first A chord embellishment (bar 1).

      You say, ‘it’s part of the G-Shaped A if you imagine that you have a low B string on your guitar’.

      I’m lost. Are you imagining a completely new system with a new tuning of the guitar? Fine if that’s what works for you, but that’s not the CAGED system for standard tuning.

      You say, ‘It’s also the same as being at the 2nd fret area on strings 4 & 5 and playing the G-Shape A chord from there. ‘ That’s the actual G shape for A and it covers all the strings (as do all the CAGED shapes). The only other place that exists is repeated at the 14th-17th frets.

      Using CAGED, the ‘E shape’ for A sits around the 5th – 7th frets (repeated at 17-19). Moving up to the 7th- 10th frets (as this embellishment does) brings us into the D shape of the A chord (cagE – D) with the roots on the D and B strings. The G shape for A sits between the 2nd and 5th frets (caGed) roots on the E G E strings.

      The G shape at the 7th – 10th is for the D chord (again roots on the E G and E strings).

      Brian teaches to think of the embellishment as playing from the E shape – probably to simplify things and because he is playing the chord in the E shape, but it’s actually moving into the D shape area.

      Corrections welcome. Hope this helps somebody (that’s the only reason I write this stuff).

      • Rob N says

        Just to add, for anyone new to CAGED – CAGED is about chord shapes. It’s not about scale patterns.

        Scale patterns (like the pentatonic, major, minor, mixolydian etc.) can be linked to CAGED shapes (and Brian’s teaching does this all the time) but they are best thought of as separate systems to avoid confusion.

        You could think of it as layers.

        Layer 1 might be a A chord played in the E shape. Layer 2 might be a major pentatonic in pattern 2 or a minor pentatonic in pattern 1. Layer 1 helps you orientate to the underlying harmony and shows you where all the chord tones are. It also helps you ‘tie’ licks and embellishments to underlying chords – so that you can memorise them easily and move them all over the fretboard.

        Hope that helps.

        • Michael Krailo says

          I’m a little confused by your analysis of the first A chord embellishment (bar 1).

          You say, ‘it’s part of the G-Shaped A if you imagine that you have a low B string on your guitar’.

          I’m lost. Are you imagining a completely new system with a new tuning of the guitar? Fine if that’s what works for you, but that’s not the CAGED system for standard tuning.

          Imagining the low B string existing on your guitar makes what I said make perfect sense as it applies to the use of a partial G-Shape “ahla Hendrix” because that lower string isn’t used. It is the same exact grouping of notes that is down at the second fret in a six note box shape on 5th, 4th, and 3rd strings. Just play both groups of six notes and you will see it is the exact same box of six notes in another place on the neck at frets . It just so happens that is bottom part of pattern #3 of the major pentatonic scale. Yes, I know some call it pattern #2 of the major pentatonic scale, but the bottom line is the note grouping is exactly the same in both places. Therefore it is indeed the G-Shape major pentatonic pattern (without the lower string!). You’ll see it, and when you do, you can thank me later.

          • Rob N says

            Hi Michael,

            Okay, I think I see what you are getting at. You are imagining an additional low/bass string added to your guitar tuned to B which would indeed mean you could form part of a G shape for A with the root on your imaginary new string at the (imaginary new) 10th fret. Yeah?

            If that works for you (and Hendrix!) then great.

            My view is that for anyone just encountering CAGED, that’s going to be a bit confusing. Hey, I’m familiar with CAGED and even I found it confusing! I’m not sure I will adopt it…I have enough to deal with considering six strings!

            I also understand what you are saying about the lick/embellishment being repeatable in major pentatonic pattern 1 – on the A D and G strings. It’s the same notes (and the B string isn’t interfering with the pattern). So, I guess I already saw it – just not through your method?

            I also understand what you are saying when you call something the ‘G shape major pentatonic’, but I think this is again potentially confusing to anyone just encountering pentatonic patterns and CAGED.

            As Brian says, the naming terms for the patterns are arbitrary – so call it what you like, I guess, but I’m just thinking of beginners reading this stuff. CAGED is chord shapes. Pentatonic patterns are pentatonic patterns. Two systems. Two names. Too pedantic? Or, just keeping things simple?

            Thanks for the reply and explaining it more clearly.

  16. Daniel H says

    Brian, nicely done lesson. This is pure gold for a beginner and great reinforcement for a more advanced player.
    It never ceases to amaze how many good licks hide in plain sight. You do a great job of illuminating them.
    I love the micro lessons with an occasional EP. Thank you!

  20. JEROME L says

    Excellent exercise.
    It is not just about a rhythm pattern or technique ;
    with a bit of mastery, it paves the way for the “call and response” technique, and allows you to jam with yourself.
    Thanks a lot for that.

  28. Georg B says

    Hi Brian,
    What you say at the beginning is exactly what I am thinking. That kind of playing is what I’ve always wanted to learn but couldn’t—and no one was able to show me either, no guitar player, no book. I could manage that kind of basic jangly accompaniment, but not those little fills in between that make it sound so beautiful and special.
    Another thing that’s always been a problem for me—and still is—is timing. When do these links come in? Where do they start? Where do they end? Rhythm isn’t my strong suit—I know that. But the way you explain it so clearly, with “wait,” “wait”—even I, as a “lame rhythm-duck”, am now able to learn this. That’s fantastic. Thank you.
    Georg

  36. timothy9 says

    Watch Jeff Beck accompanying Imogen Heap doing her song Blanket. His playing on that tune is a masterpiece of rhythm playing. He’s doing exactly what Brian is talking about. It’s on YouTube.

  43. Philippe G says

    Beyond my level; it seems my hand and fingers are too clumsy, not agile enough to address the challenges offered by this lesson. This brings me to realize that I have hit a plateau where some accords are beyond my level, at least for now. Practice, practice, practice … yet some embellishments are really beyond my grasp for now.

  44. MANUEL M says

    Donnez nous des exercises pour que l’on puisse mettre en pratique cette leçon par exemple sur deux accords puis 3, puis 4.
    Si vous pouviez ajouter chaque semaine quelques exercises à vos cours, cela serait une grande avancée pour progresser.

  46. Gilles C says

    I’m 77 and played guitar all my life, but with many periods off, and played only slide guitar for more than 10 years in Blues jams.
    But I started to play only for my pleasure a while ago and I am rediscovering the pleasure of being able to play alone.
    Great lesson

  47. Bryan Z says

    These lessons are great! I searched “chord embellishments but came back with a goose egg, I know there’s ML 145 but any keyword or other lessons specifically around this topic? These are gold for singer/songwriters

  51. Donna K says

    Thank you, thank you, thank you!This is the stuff I’ve been looking for!
    Knowing shapes and scales is great but seeing it in action and how to use it is so tremendously helpful!
    Keep it coming!

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