Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

2 Chord Jam – Connect chords and scales – EP412

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to connect scales to chord shapes and “SEE” the changes. All played over a 2 chord jam using a D and G chord.

Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson

Part 2 - For Premium Members

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Slow Walkthrough

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Comments

  4. Scott N says

    As much as I love breakthroughs, what I really appreciate about the lessons is consolidation of knowledge I already (slightly) have. And using techniques and concepts in new contexts.

  5. Richard R says

    Great lesson brian. Really love tieing it all togeter and finally seeing how it works. Just need more practice to be fluent glad u keep driving it home for us all. Gonna be a fun weekend
    As always admire your dedication and teaching style. Thanks!!!!!

  11. Norbert says

    Hello Brian,
    thanks again for another very good lesson.

    I have been following your lessons with enthusiasm for many years.

    In the meantime I know the difference between minor and major pentatonic scales ….. and quite a few other topics 😉

    Please allow me to comment on your explanations that you can get from one pentatonic to the other by sliding three frets up or down.

    So far, so right.

    However, you then usually add that the major pentatonic scale sounds happier, … .., … … and the minor pentatonic scale sounds sadder, …., … …
    Of course, this is only true if you still have the basic chord (in this case d – minute 8 in the second video) in your ear.

    Even with the repetition, this is no longer necessarily the case, at least for me. What you would like to demonstrate (the different sounds, the different effects), remains difficult to understand when the same basic chord can no longer be heard.

    It is not that easy for me to formulate more complex “technical” issues in English. Sorry … …
    I’ll try again like this:

    If you demonstrate the difference again, just try to really make the background chord sound and play the two different scales at the same time / one after the other.

    No offense.

    All the best. Have a nice weekend.

    Norbert

  13. Geof C says

    I really enjoyed this lesson, Brian. I watched it first WITHOUT my guitar in hand and tried to anticipate what you might say about different aspects of the lesson. I finally broke through on the importance of the mixolydian flatted note as a bluesy alternative to what usually goes into the scale. You’ve said this numerous times before, but this was the first time I could anticipate that you were headed towards that concept. I really appreciate putting other guitar players names to concepts such as calling the mixolydian concept as something Garcia would and the Keith Richards chord shape. Anyway, I would be interested in a lesson that really drives home all the locations of that 7th. Keep up the good work! I’m looking forward to having this lesson down well enough to pass it along to my 10 year old and 8 year olds that are couple years into their guitar journey.

  14. Tlm B says

    Outstanding Brian, I am learning more each week. A little at a time, but it’s coming along. Funny, I started working on something just before last week’s lesson and you now have given me more ideas to build to this little project. Looking forward to next week.

  15. Todd F says

    The thing I always get confused by is this…I get that we’re playing D mixo with the flatted 7th, but when we play the G chord, we are now playing Ionian with a maj7, won’t we have the same issue of the maj7 sounding too spacey over that chord?

    • David LC says

      I think the G chord changes and the scale related notes are also mixolydian.
      There are F# notes which are the same as G flat, which I’m taking as the flatted 7ths.
      If I understand you question and, of course, if I know what I’m talking about.

    • jgreen says

      Hi – hope you don’t mind me taking a stab at this.

      Todd – The way I look at it is – you are deciding whether you want to stay with one scale for the jam or play the chord changes.

      To explain my thinking – if you stay in D mixolydian when the song changes to the G chord, as you note, you are left with the major 7th (F#) and the spacey sound that goes with it. However if you want to use the flat 7th (F) over the G chord to give you the blues type sound you can. But that would be the equivalent of playing the chord changes and changing your scale to G mixolydian for the G chord. Then you could switch back to D mixolydian for the D chord. Or if you want to avoid playing different scales for each chord then you can just not play the F# over the G chord to avoid the spacey sound.

  16. Raymond P says

    Great lesson Brian,
    And please don’t feel you need to apologize for repeating yourself as you did early on in this session for techniques you’ve mentioned before. There are always new listeners who are hearing what you are explaining for the first time. They need to hear your explanations, I know I did when I first started out,

    As always, thanks for these great lessons.

    Ray P

  17. Justin B says

    I’m telling you what Brian If you wrote a book I would absolutely buy it and recommend it. I’ve had several guitar instructors, not trying to flatter you but you are absolutely top notch and teach it in such a good practical manner to make somebody a guitar player instead of a song memorizer.

    • David H says

      The actual notes (same intervals) are G E C. Said to have been chosen for their major sponsor, the General Electric Corporation. Also, NBC trademarked the G E C sound pattern.

  28. Steve M says

    Maybe a bit late in the week but I just had to leave a comment as to how much I enjoyed this lesson and how much I learned from it. May try to work this into a solo with a jam bud on You Can’t Always Get What You Want.

  33. Slimpicker says

    This lesson really helped me begin to understand the concept of playing over chord shapes and the clever use of harmonized 6.
    Your lesson EP 390 particularly the Major Scale practice song really helped me begin to see the major scale over the guitar neck.
    It would help to have a practice song to help me learn the flatted sevens . I agree with you that I could just sit down and work the sevens out by myself, but I am the laziest gringo on the planet. Besides your compositions make learning fun!

  34. Tim Moran says

    The fire hose analogy is spot on. I could spend a couple months on each lesson, picking stuff out and working on them. I think I’ll start with this one on the A chord shape playing the major scale over the bar…

  39. James W says

    Good insight on this. The “C” shape clicked for me on this one. Think “A” shape to “C” shape, doobie brothers style. Really helps me understand how to improvise in these shapes rather than just running the scales. Also, I live on that flat 7 for turnaround, etc. I do this instinctively, but would love to see a focused lesson on this. I need to always know exactly where those are rather than just feeling it. Been playing 45+ years but always find something really useful every week. Keep ’em coming.

  43. Jason D says

    I’ve been playing along with this lesson for around a month now and each time I watch it, I somehow seem to pick up something new and it still amazes me that after playing guitar for 30 years I see and hear things and think ‘why didn’t I think about that before’ and lessons like this are the reason I am a premium member. I challenge anyone to find a better teacher of blues, who writes really good melody lines and teaches you an ORIGINAL song each week. This lesson is great and only has 2 chords but that doesn’t stop Brian from making it unique and melodic!

  47. chris m says

    It isn’t the “connecting chords (0r shapes) with scales” part that’s challenging here, so much as getting the syncopated timing of the notes right. Lots of phrases starting on off-beats, up-strokes, etc (if you’re using an alternate-picking approach).

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