Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

MicroLesson: 106 – A quick guide to improvising over chord changes. Guitar improvising made easy!

Description

In this MicroLesson (ML106), you’ll learn how to improvise a lead over the chord changes, while targeting those chord tones to create a more melodic sounding lead. I’ll show you an easy way to visualize the whole process by first seeing the chords, then playing through the arpeggios, then layering in the major scale.

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Comments

  1. slopace says

    Another great lesson Brian. The hardest part for me playing over chord changes vs playing in the key of the song is having to concentrate on two different things, the chord being played and the notes your playing. Especially if it’s a song you’re not really familiar with. You absolutely have to know what chords are being played to improvise this way. Hope that makes since.

  5. Michael L says

    Hi Brian, this is an excellent lesson. I went through this exact exercise about a year ago and it opened up a whole world of music for me. This “C” position, and well as the other CAGED shapes approached in the same manner really does open up the fretboard, and for me, a lot of creativity. I appreciate your lessons, Sir!

  7. Torquil O says

    This takes some awareness of the chord progression (in my head); fluidity with those scale patterns and target practice with the key tones. I’ll be rubbing my tummy and patting my head with this one for awhile.😎

  10. Georg B says

    Hello Brian,
    A groundbreaking lesson. You couldn’t have structured it better. Being able to understand where the notes lie in the chords by playing the arpeggios is gradually leading me more and more to learning to “read” the fretboard. I’m really motivated to get these three shapes under my fingers now.
    MicroLesson 106 is a great help. Thank you very much.
    Georg
    PS
    And what you’re playing sounds just so pretty.

  12. Ralph P. says

    Playing the changes…a topic near and dear to my heart. You encapsulated the “mechanics” of it so well, and it really helps that you kept it in one “neighborhood” to keep it from being overwhelming. Being able to play over changes really makes you sound like you know what your doing.

    Ralph

  13. Daniel H says

    Brian, I understand landing/targeting the 1, 3, or 5th intervals since this the major chord formula. But what about the 7 if you are playing something other than the blues? Should we focus on Major arpeggios or is ok to generously apply dominant 7 arpeggios? I guess what I am asking is will using a dominant 7 arpeggio in this technique force you into the blues or can you make that work even when you are trying to create a happy major sound?

  22. Charles W says

    Very useful and a clear explanation – at least the basic part – the arpeggios over the chord changes. BUT, when you start adding the scale and the harmonies and the chromatic steps, while that’s not super complicated to understand, translating all of that to the fret board and blending those into the arpeggios to make “music” is a big leap – no longer a micro lesson but much more!!!

  24. Kevin G says

    Hi Brian. This is a great lesson – very helpful. I especially like the “simple” way to play the Mixolydian scale using the C shape. Would you be able to put together a similar lesson for minor chords? My brother and I play a lot of Em blues and I would love to impress him with some cool, new stuff.

  27. Wil W says

    Brian another great micro-lesson. I can focus on one item. First I started playing the E-major scale over an E-chord drone, then the same E- major over an A-chord drone to hear the Lydian mode (#4 = 7 in the E-major). Next the E-major over a B7-chord drone to hear the mixolydian mode clearly (b7 = 4 in the E-major). After this exercise I started with ML 106 and after some practice I thought I know it by hard and I started playing without looking at the pdf file. I noticed I didn’t remember it well, but what I was playing sounded real good. Now I know I am on the right track , because I don’t have to imitate you or other great guitar players, which I probably can’t achieve. I only have to play my own music, and use licks which other great players, like you, have explained or licks I have “invented” (I know other people have certainly invented them before me, but for me they are new)
    So thanks for enlightening me.

  31. Victor says

    What a great lesson. This is just what I needed to hear and learn at this point. Thank you! What an eye, and ear, opener. Applying this in different places on the neck is some pretty cool stuff.

  34. Tim Moran says

    I love this concept – I could spend several months working with this to get it in my brain. I kind of wish you had included the tab for the arpeggio patterns, though, to make it easier for folks like me with limited brain bandwidth to look at as we practice…

    • Michael L says

      The arpeggios are just the chord tones, and all of those tones are in the E major scale, so nothing added by the arpeggios.
      You could play the E major scale over all the chords, yet using the arpeggios very directly outlines the chord and generally sounds much more melodic than scale “wandering”. Even if you don’t play the arpeggio directly, knowing where those notes are allows you to target them at the end of a phrase, again emphasizing the chord.

      The best way to understand this is to play around with it on your guitar. Play the arpeggios, then play the major scale and see how all the arpeggio notes fall within the scale. Get familiar with the arpeggios so you can “see” the I IV V chords on the fretboard. Play a phrase with the major scale that lands on a tone from the I chord. Do the same ending on a tone from the IV chord, or the V chord. Your ear will “understand” the chord changes based on those targeted chord tones.

  37. Lynne R says

    What a fantastic lesson!! When I first watched it I thought that it was beyond my skill level. But it only took about an hour before I could easily improvise over a 1 4 5 progression combining the arpeggios, the Emaj scale, chromatic notes and harmonies.All of the many previous lessons related to playing over chord shapes just fell into place. A giant step forward in my journey. You are one great teacher Brian! Thank you

  39. Patrick J. G says

    Great lesson. Trying to make myself see the chords as I play. It’s my “study practice”. Other times I just wanna play. Question Brian, I can play along with the tabs but really can’t remember the practice tune without them. Any tips or advice? Thanks.

  40. Robbie M says

    So I had a huge, huge, huge breakthrough with this beautiful, short lesson. Why? Here’s why:
    I learned/remembered the I-IV-V chord location in a minimal area of the neck.
    I learned to arpeggiate through them.
    I learned to sprinkle my transition between them with the major scale
    I learned some embellishments associated with those chords when they happen in those shapes.
    I became dangerous.
    I picked some of my old favorite songs that happened to have an I-IV-V progression. (It wasn’t hard to find them.)
    adapted the key. And I had an OMG moment. I am freaking soloing/improvising and it sounds pretty good.
    That’s what a great lesson can do for your average dummy. makes him feel less dumb.
    Thank you.

  41. Danny S says

    Great lesson. I appreciate the consistent approach you apply in each lesson, it reinforces what I have learned from other lessons. Gradually, your instruction is taking root and I am gaining more tools to apply in my playing which makes playing guitar even more enjoyable. Thank you!

  50. Ralf P says

    Loved this micro lesson. Just the right amount of theory, practice, and music to get my head around it. I like the full lessons as well, but sometimes they feel like a lot for one week. I find myself working on them for a couple weeks, or just taking more digestible chunks. Micro lessons will make that easier. Maybe they could build on each other in a mini series? I think the danger in the micro lesson could be “why or how to use it?” But you nailed that in this one.

  51. Alan M says

    You have an earlier lesson, way back I think, that showed the same idea of staying in the major scale of the I chord but starting it on the note of the chord that is happening at the time. That was very useful for me, as is this lesson. But I can’t recall which lesson that was. Can you spot that one and let us know (should be easy, there are on,y 600 of them :-).

    And, does trick hat work for all the chords in the key?

  56. Jere R says

    Great lesson as usual Brian. I know the 5 boxes, major and minor however I get confused when for instance you say “major penta pattern 4” Is it the same fingering as minor pattern 4 or is it the same as minor pattern 5?
    Thanks
    Jere

  57. Rob N says

    Loved this lesson.

    I know it’s only a Micro lesson but a sheet showing the chord shapes, the arpeggios and the ‘C’ shape major scale to practice with would be really helpful. I have scribbled out my own and this might be even more valuable an excercise than having it handed to me on a plate? A bit confused but just a suggestion.

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