Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

How To Create a Melodic Guitar Solo Using Chord Voicings and Arpeggios – EP164

Description

In this guitar lesson you’ll learn how to create a more melodic sounding lead by playing chords in different voicings up the neck of the guitar, and connecting those chords with arpeggios. It’s not difficult to do and will help you connect leads to chords, so that you play a more sophisticated sounding lead. This lesson includes a practice exercise to help you easily start connecting the different chord voicings.

I created a follow-up to this lesson which you can view here.

Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson

Part 2 - For Premium Members

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Slow Walk-through - Practice

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Slow Walk-through - Melody

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Video Tablature Breakdown

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Comments

  5. OldVet says

    Brian, you laid the foundation in major. Brilliant lesson. Perfect.

    Now, how does one find these on their own?

    With each of these, you make the neck smaller. The game slows down.

    Bravo.

    ML

  9. SubmarinerJim says

    A great lesson! They’re all great but this one is perfect for me, hit’s right where I need to be with theory, technique and overall understanding. You have a knack of explaining stuff really well. Thanks Brian 🙂

  11. tonylolli says

    In answer to your question: more if it’s of interest to us? ABSOLUTELY! I’ve learned little bits (eg: 3 note chords) but had no strategy for connecting shapes. Terrific stuff for an intermediate player like me. Thanks, again.

  12. Angelo I says

    Excellent….another lesson like this would be great. really unlocks the fretboard and gets you sounding good fast. I know the patterns of the pentatonic scales but its not enough…I was stuck.

  13. Steve M says

    Great lesson Brian. I love how you are taking things that sound great and are fun to play while building our skills. After George Jones died I started fooling around with “The Race is On” which I can sing great with the chords but have struggled with the fills and solo. I also love what Jerry Garcia did with the solo. I really think this lesson will give me some new ideas to play with!

  18. David H says

    Brian, I am loving these “take-aways” that you’ve been doing that are absolutely transforming my leads from robotic & repetitive sounding, into a much more musical & deliberate sounding lead lines.

    Can you tell me what is the difference between a Triad vs an Arpeggio? I’ve heard both terms thrown around, but I have never understood what the differences are, what they are, or how to use them. Thanks for simplifying a huge part of the equation.

    • Brian says

      Hey David, a triad is a chord with 3 notes, all played at the same time – usually the Root, 3rd, and 5th intervals from the major scale all played at once. An arpeggio, can be more than 3 notes and each note is played on it’s own, in a sequence (i.e. not at the same time). Or more simply put, a triad is when you strum a chord (all notes played at once), and an arpeggio is when you pick the single notes, one at a time, out of that chord.

  21. madams says

    My eyes are now open! Already my playing sounds better by combining the chords, arpeggios, and scales. And I can visualize the neck.

    Will require more practice to become proficient. But I can see the light at the end of the tunnel…and it’s not a train!

    Michael

  23. Mudshark says

    Wow things are really coming together now! Five years ago when I started playing again I learnt the Scotty Moore solo to Hound Dog which travels from C on the first position up the neck toward the 12th fret. Now I understand how/why this works and can apply it to my playing in any key. This lesson and the recent doublestop Burton lesson have really made my perception of the fretboard come full circle.

  25. Ted R says

    I really like this lesson. Although,I like all your lessons. Maybe you could show some examples of combining this with both parts and some rhythms? I have some ideas , but mine don’t always sound that great. I would love to continuously play this switching between rhythms and melodies. Any thoughts?

  26. Steve H says

    Great lesson; helping me see (and play) the guitar in new ways. A potential follow up is when to switch between the minor and major pentatonic scales. Is there a classic moment to switch? On the 4th? or on the fifth 5th? With minors? With sevenths? Ok and another idea, are there particular notes—or arpeggios—that serve as good bridges between the two scales?

  27. Midas says

    Hi Brian, just wanted to say this lesson and the one a couple weeks ago (EP 160 – finding what key a song is in) have been SO SO helpful for me. I love your normal lessons too but please continue to give us these educational and INSIGHTFUL lessons. They are fantastic and I plan on going over and over and over these ones until some of it sticks! 🙂

  28. Frederico says

    Brian, what makes your lessons great is how you address our doubts. I have never found any other guy that does what you do on the Internet. And you do great! You know exactly where we are stuck and you address it in a very easy way to understand. It’s impossible not to learn with you.

    If I can give you a suggestion for the next lessons, instead of just saying “5th fret on 4th string”, do say the note G. I know we can figure it out, but as we watch and listen you very frequently I believe it will help us to memorize and understand the notes you choose from the scales.

    Anyway, your lessons are absolutely great!!!!!

    Thanks a million!

  29. riteus1 says

    Hey Brian,

    Thanks so much for taking the time to explain the theory behind the lesson. I know some might get impatient with wanting to get to the chords or licks, but this is vital information for those who want to take their playing to the next level. Personally, I like to take some of your licks and put my spin on them creating something that is me. Keep up the great work! Also you need to show Santana some love, and do a lesson featuring his style of playing. Just saying.

  31. Craig35 says

    Another great lesson Brian. One of the side benefits of these lessons and drills like this week EP162 is it also increased your hand’s knowledge of the fret board. Our band played a show a couple weeks ago which was video taped. I noticed that the footage of me showed me (mentally unknowingly) staring at the fret board the majority of the time. I noticed I even did it during the relatively easy chord progressions I’ve played a 1000 times. Much of this is habit but these lessons are helping me to get more comfortable with my hands knowing where they are hence not looking so much like an novice staring at my guitar neck the whole show. Just an idea but once you get the patterns down in EP162 try working the BTs while looking at the ceiling.

  32. Thomas G says

    Brian Can you tell me what program you use for the second part of the lessons. Sometimes I can’t watch it because your voice and your playing don’t match up. Is there some program I need to download to make the second part work better. Thanks Tom

  33. BILLY 'LOBO' C says

    Hi Brian…great lessons, well explained with good guidance through the lessons and the lessons are what we, ‘students’ need. I’d like to ask you one question…My grandaughter is 6 years old and is showing musical ability…my question is: What characteristics should I look for in a music teacher when choosing a teacher for her? Thanks, Brian.

    • Brian says

      That’s a tough one. I’d say someone that is familiar with working with kids. There are people that specialize in that… at that age, it’s more about having fun. You don’t want it to be something that she doesn’t want to do, or something she “has” to do. If she associates music with fun at that age, she’ll go far with it 🙂

  36. jadm says

    great lesson Brian!

    EP164
    EP130
    EP163
    it seem like each of these topics can be developed into a series of lessons that inter connect between each other. and I hope you take these lessons in that direction!
    I have only watched ep164 once but it does seem to have been that Ah-ha moment for some of the points I am having problems with.

    thank you

  37. sunburst says

    Really cool lesson,, I’m getting so much out of the arpeggio lessons as well.. practicing on up the neck all the positions.. finding the roots on every string and seeing the CAGE system.. although not every chord position plays the root note.. all chords have a root note.. so it is a great way learning ..also , the octaves for each chord/key played up the neck /each fret off the low A and B string.. just learn the octaves notes too while doing this lesson.. eventually it all sinks in and once memorized.. knowing the octave notes and patterns up the fretboard ,will certainly help memorize the other notes adjacent /chords etc. will speak the language what he or she hears without needing TAB ..great stuff!

  39. Anand says

    Thanks Brian!! Really a very good lesson… the guitar feels so good and a little bit easier and fun to play after watching this lesson… Please do more and more stuff like this… Happy to have joined ActiveMelody!!

  41. Bob Q says

    This is great Brian!
    I have been looking around on the internet for something like this for two years I think. It gives you just enough to get through a song, (kind of like a swing dancer needs a few steps to get through a dance) and then you can add embellishments from there. Already adjusting for the Key of G to a song we jammed with last weekend on retreat.

    I like having the tab system available in concept, but I don’t really use it. It would be neat to have a fretboard with dots showing when the notes are played… even cooler if you could have a chord shape layed out, then show the notes being played on it.
    And even cooler if it showed a greyed out series of circles on the fretboard that showed the underlying major pentatonic if the scale was major, with the chord voicing overlaid on top, and then the notes lighting up as played. I know that is a lot, and I don’t know if there is anything out there that shows a fretboard lighting up like that when played. Its just what my mind is trying to grasp all at once to have the fluidity of playing according to the concepts. Seeing the chords, but also seeing where they are in relation to the pentatonic shapes so that one can go off and play them as you mentioned doing at the end of the first video in EP 164. Great fun, just hard to cognate all at once without some visuals! 🙂 I have your video up, a manual that shows all the notes in a chord down fretboards, and a sheet with a row of the five minor pentatonic shapes, with a row for the major pentatonic shapes as well. Trying to see it connect together… Seeing the root helps me know where I am in relation to the pentatonic shapes.

    Anyway, peace, and thanks for all you are doing to help so many out in learning, and with a mighty fine demeanor I might add! 🙂
    Bob Q

  45. sunjamr says

    This lesson was kind of a kick in the butt for me, like “there’s more to life than the pentatonic scale”. And so I shall knuckle down and actually learn to use these arpeggios in my improv. And what’s amazing to me is how simple it really is!

  47. Andy N says

    This stuff is golden! Your intro described by playing perfectly and although I want to expand it to include playing over chord in the progression, didn’t have any practical way to go about it. This really helps and would be up for a whole mini series on techniques like this.

    Thanks Brian

  48. bri-uklefty says

    Hey Brian,
    Thanks and these education lessons are a huge help; I’ve been working on the EP150, 160 and now this one is my next step. These really help and actually do give ‘lightbulb and ahah’ moments as your teaching style, pace and clarity (and patience!) are right on the button.
    Thanks again and as you mentioned possibly providing more of these; I know they would be greatly appreciated across the AM community.
    Cheers Bri

  50. baudolino says

    Hello Brian,

    since I always want to understand what’s happening, I was wondering why that bar on the 5th fret gives a F chord and not a D chord…

    Is that only because we’re not playing the A string (which gives a D on the 5th fret), so that we have A-C-F-A (F minor) instead of D-A-C-F-A (D minor7) ?

    Greeting from the south of France,

    Elie

  51. Peter v says

    Just had this great Aha moment. While diving into this lesson and trying to incorporate major pentatonic licks. I discovered that the Am pentatonic scales on the neck are on the same positions as those for C major. Of course the Root notes are different. I remember that I once read about it but forgot. Discovering it by myself will stick it into my mind forever. Yes, another step forward in playing guitar.

    Great lesson. After this one 166 to dive further into this subject. Thanks Brian

  53. Art M says

    I have been looking forward EVERY WEEK to a new lesson from you Brian. While some may be a bit challenging at the level I am at, it certainly isn’t stopping me from pushing myself and I have found that it is making me learn much quicker. When I do catch on (at least fairly well) to those that push me, i find I am gaining and progressing much faster than I realized. I have turned two others on to you since I became a full time member in April and plan to tell others as I meet friends looking to learn guitar and in a friendly, easy, excellent teaching style. Too boot, you provide the tabs, slow follow along video and the breakdowns, plus downloadable. Can’t get much better than that. BUT if there is a better way, I know you’ll bring it to your student’s. Take care, thanks so much for the weekly lessons.

  56. Nikhil V says

    such a beautiful lesson. Worth my subscription and Brian could you please do a lesson on Hendrix type chord voicing. I was waiting for a long time for such a lesson and in one of ur lessons you just gave an example if I am not wrong, Looking forward for such a lesson. And all the lessons are wonderful I will keep on subscribing ActiveMelody for years to come. WAY TO GO

  57. Kyle M says

    Great lesson Brian! I would love to see another lesson like this. This one shows us shapes for E and A barre chords, maybe another lesson on the C/G/D shapes? A lot to work with just in this lesson but more lessons like this would be terrific! Thank you for your teachings. Every lesson is great!

  62. freddie h says

    Brian,

    This lesson is a game changer. I came back to it because I knew there were pearls in there. I started playing the 3 chord shapes for every note in the scale, paying more attention to the pattern and the light (although still dim) is starting to come on. Now, instead of just memorizing your awesome arrangements I pay more attention to the chords I’m playing over, even to the point of saying them out loud. You have a gift for teaching. Thanks.

    Freddie

  63. Paul P says

    Nail on the head with this one Brian. Had a look at the Video tonight ready for tomorrow. I know all 5 positions/boxes of the pentatonic scale, including the extended pentatonic but as you rightly say, it sounds as though I’m ‘playing a scale’ – very deliberate.
    This will help me tremendously.
    Best regards,
    Paul

  68. Mark says

    Fantastic lesson! Very useful. I am working through the lessons in order and hope to see more like this one! Maybe in Minor chords or some other chord shapes.

    Mark

  69. Dennis S says

    Brian made the pludge to dive into your lessons and so glad I did . Many many light bulb moments . I am glowing in the dark now.
    Half way through the theory course. Time set aside daily now.

  71. Phillip F says

    I can slide well to raise the pitch to an octave or wherever. I like hit a string flat and slide to the note. I don’t slide the other way much.
    Acoustic guitar phrasing eg bends, hammer on, pull off.
    Do you have a lesson on techniques on acoustic guitars?

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