Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

How To Harmonize Using 3rd and 6th Intervals – Harmonized Lead Guitar Lesson – EP363

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play both the major scale and a bluesy version of the major scale (mixolydian mode) by using harmonized 3rd and harmonized 6th intervals. You’ll be able to not only understand where these harmonies come from, but how to connect them back to familiar chord shapes that you already know so that you can start using them when you improvise.

Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson

Part 2 - For Premium Members

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Slow Walk-Through

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Video Tablature Breakdown

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Comments

  4. Sharon C says

    Wow! Lots of tidbits and light bulbs in this one.
    Thank you as always for your
    patience with slow learners like myself. These are very helpful,
    I have been playing for several decades and still can’t believe I have made it thus far without this knowledge.

  12. Ian C says

    Excellent lesson, no surprise there !

    I know people are at various stages in their learning and experience journey with the guitar so the relevance of significance of each lesson will be different for them. I recall when I first joined Active Melody 3 years or so ago I was a little frustrated that I couldn’t see a route through the material. The lessons just kept coming with a new topic each week which rarely referred to the previous week – I enjoyed them nonetheless and stuck at it.

    However, I have to say that in the last few weeks, either by design, good luck, or my perception, there seems to be more of a structure and a sense that ideas and techniques are increasingly building on and reinforcing those recently presented. This has not detracted from the enjoyment, styles or novelty of the new bespoke music you come up with week after week. What it does mean, for me as perhaps an older member, is that I feel I understand and retain a greater amount of the information much more easily.

    All in all you are doing a great job Brian, thanks.

    • Philip H says

      I do agree Ian, a roadmap through the material might be nice seeing as it is so voluminous. But, as uncle Ralph said, “a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, Of petty statesman, philosophers and divines…“. taking each lesson as it comes and piecing together the parts of the puzzle seems to work equally well in its own way.

    • Robert G says

      I think all of Brian’s lessons are too too complicated for a beginner! ! ! …………. I would like to see Brian do maybe 100 lessons without any bends! ! ! A few slides and hammer- one ! ! ! No more complicated than that. I checked out all of Brian’s 400+ lessons and they’re ALL too complicated for me to learn! I would be very happy if Brian would just us beginning pickers just a little something, even just 1 lesson that beginners could master! Thanks Brian

  13. Blaine L says

    Wow, you’ve really been on a roll lately, Brian. Great lessons. If I could make just one suggestion, could you also provide backing tracks in B flat and E flat? I suspect I’m not the only jazzer wannabe among your students, and those are two keys I really need to master. Thanks!

  15. Gaetano Cosimo S says

    Thanks Brian! Great lesson. The topic is very interesting, especially for people studying guitar and trying to improvise on the chords or in a jam with other musicians. Please keep going on posting similar topic.

  21. Jim Dog says

    I recently spent time with the Tony Joe White lesson. We lost another great. Could someone comment on the harmonized 3rds used in the TJW lesson on the 4th and 3rd strings. Two of the three did not fit the definition of a harmonized 3rd based on this lesson. After a lot of scratching my head they appear to be harmonized flat thirds, if such a concept exists. If I am correct, how and when are these used? This is another incredible lesson. The past two have been huge. Thank you Brian.

  24. Andre H says

    Brian just checking in on your tab and G mixolydian scale on strings 1 &2. I thought the 7th was flattened, i.e. in G you go from F# to F. If you put that in thirds I was thinking for strings 1&2 it would not be on 7&5 but on 6&5 to flatten the 7th, however, in your supported chart I see it is going from 7&5 to 7&6? Thanks, Andre

  25. Gary S says

    Yep, not easy but complete. This is the meat in the sandwich and is exactly what I need. Thank you so much for all the trouble you must have had bringing this to us. I’ve seen a lot of teachers out there and none (as far as I’ve seen) are sharing this kind of information in the great way you have. You are a hell of a teacher and thank you for that. You are correct; this is a lesson…

  26. Pat says

    The harmonized third chart has 2 mistakes?
    1. States string 3&4 but should be 2&3 ? No big deal I even figured that out!
    2. Chart for 1&2 strings shows D in string 2 and a G on #1 string. Now that’s a 4 th. is it not so maybe the dot on the third fret 1st string is a mistake?

  28. Duncan M says

    Hi Brian. You’re a born teacher and this is coming from somebody who was a teacher before retirement. I had been unclear in the difference between the use of the major scale and the mixolydian with the 3rds and 6ths and you sorted that out for me. I can only hasard a guess as to how much hard work you put in behind the scenes for these fantastic lessons. Keep them coming. It’s great to be able to learn without being confused. Your taking time to explain is invaluable! So many thanks!

  31. Bill S says

    This was an excellent lesson! I had sort of known these note relationships, but had no idea what I was doing or how they related. I could play some of this stuff, but didn’t know where to take it. This lesson is a major breakthrough. Even the (corrected) charts make sense. Look out, Steve Cropper!

  32. Phil G says

    Great lesson!! Exactly what I was looking for!

    Question though about the 3rds PDF file. For the 3rds on strings 2 &3, you show the open G and B string as the first Major shape. But for strings 1&2, you don’t show the Major shape at B1 and e0. The C chord, which is the 4th interval for the key of G. I am correct in that , right?

    phil

  33. Stobes says

    Hi Brian,
    As i understand the mixolydian mode, it is in fact the fifth mode. Therefore if you count back 5 from say G, you get C. So, correct me if i’m wrong, but when you play G mixolydian, you are in the key of C?
    So, looking at your diagrams, if you play C major scale you are in fact playing the G mixolydian pattern. This helped me understand the change in intervals at the point of G.

  34. Walter D says

    Thanks, Brian. the last two lessons have been an incredible value. In addition to to improving my playing and perception of the guitar, I actually started identifying the harmonized 3rds and 6ths in music I listen to. Any chance you could repeat these two lessons on the piano?

  35. Eddie says

    OMG! Light Bulbs Galore. Thanks so much. I have been working on Double Stops and Triads all month and EP362 and 363 were a great help. Thanks also for all the Charts. It was like you knew what I needed.

  36. Jeff C (Swiss Elk) says

    Brian,

    Double stops.. 3rd and 6ths.. but why does the spacing change When moving up the neck (I always wondered)? When explained in the context of the shapes of the chords for the key, the light bulbs went on like searchlights. If that weren’t enough, you sprinkle in (not inundate) the mixolydian intervals.. just enough to hear the difference and not be overwhelmed. Major takeaways. And it just happened to coincide with the point where my fingers are finally catching up to my brain .

    When I first joined as a premium member it would take me a month to learn half a lesson. . then a whole lesson. Then a couple of lessons a month. Now I can get a half a lesson in a day or two, and I understand so much more. The membership has been an incredible value and I have been exposed to so many different styles! It’s been years and I’m still a kid in a candy store, and I can’t thank you enough.

    Thank you for helping me to grow as a guitarist.

    Jeff (Swiss Elk)

  37. David L says

    Thank you Brian for such a great lesson, and a significant resource for all of us moving forward. I know I will be going back to this information over and over again.

    This lesson seemed a departure, as most of your lessons seemed primarily focused on playing the composition and learning bits of theory along the way. In this lesson, you didn’t even get to the composition until about the 20 minute mark! I love your compositional lessons – they are so beautiful composed and played and I learn a bit of theory while playing music. I also really appreciate a few of these deeper dives into theory every once in a while so that I might improve my playing even more. Very well done!

  39. Philippe G says

    Thanks Brian, wonderful lesson. I was going to skip it, thinking, ah, blah and stayed on. I learned soo much, it’s going to take me some real time and work to absorb it all. Obviously, i am still at the beginner’s level.

  42. charjo says

    This is such a great lesson series you have been creating recently Brian. Combined with mixing the major and minor pentatonic, the CAGED lesson, creating a lead with 4 notes I wonder if you could group these lessons as Fret board Fundamentals. New beginner stage members are always asking where to start and they could be directed to this group of lessons. You could continue the series with basic music theory (harmonizing the major scale) and introduction to the modes, chord substitutions, common chord transitions and sort of have the music theory course you’ve talked of creating. It seems to fit with your Guitar Takeaways idea. All these things are better with your easy to follow teaching style.
    John

    • Brian says

      you’re on to me John! I have created these for that very idea. These are part of a bigger picture – sort of a “Start here” for site members that has all of the fundamentals that can get us all on the same page (theoretically) – the composition lessons then really become reinforcement of those fundamentals and something I can refer back to.

  43. Roger S says

    Hey Brian, loving this background stuff! Learning songs by rote is good for a while but you can’t beat this groundwork. Also need to work harder on rythm and timing etc. so anything you do along those lines always gets my vote.
    P.S. the ‘Mountain Man’ lockdown hairdo is reminding me that I also need to get the shears out 😉
    Keep up the good work and try not to worry too much…

  44. Francisco Marto says

    Great Lesson, Brian. Just one additional remark on the Tablature G Major Scale – strings 1 and 2: The ‘box’ over the note A on the 1st string (5th fret) is wrong. The ‘box’ should be on the note F# on the 2nd string (7th fret). Or am I wrong?

  45. James K says

    Hey Brian
    I have a question for you. In the diagram of the G major scale (harmonized 6th) on the 5th fret you a calling that the minor shape because it outlines the Am triad and you are playing an A and C notes. Could this also be considered to be outlining the D shape triad of the F major chord because you are essentially playing the same notes but just not playing the root of the F chord? I have been trying to learn the intro to the Steve Cropper song “Soul Man” and it is a little confusing because it goes from an F to a G but uses the minor shapes that you show. Am I playing an Am or an Fmajor-I suppose the answer is yes. Anyway-thanks for the great lessons.

  47. Michael Gorges says

    Wow. That was amazing! Bravo. I can think of is I want more more more. After I printed out the PDFs and start deciphering it it all hit home. The first couple times I listened I didn’t get it but I stuck with it and it is great. I don’t know if you can do more with this but I loved it.

  49. Andy D says

    Sooooooo much stuff in there, Brian! Thank you so much for all that astonishing and useful info. It’ll take ages for it to soak in but wow! what wonderful stuff – as always.

  50. stephen a says

    Is this basically saying the root sounds good with all the notes in its scale and, within that scale, the 3rds and 6ths also work well together? (Example: the root and the 2 sound good when played together but the 2 and the 3, not so much.)

  51. Philip H says

    This is wondrous stuff. A complete map of the major and mixolydian court scale with all its attendant intervals. I used to use this stuff on the banjo to a limited degree, but it really comes into its own on the guitar. Thanks for this and the preceding lesson on essential triads Brian – invaluable stuff

  52. Robin S says

    This lesson and previous (EP362) are real eye -openers, brain stimulators, to someone like me without any knowledge of music theory.
    Worth a year’s sub on their own !
    Thanks Brian.
    Robin (Brexit Island)

  53. RobertBlower says

    Thanks Brian for another great lesson. This has to be the most informative lessons on this subject I have found on the internet. I know you have addressed this subject on a previous lesson, but this lesson has helped me consolidate my understanding of intervals in a practical sense. As they say this alone lesson is worth the value of admission, or should I say a yearly subscription.

    Thanks for all your help Brian

    Rob

  54. Craig F says

    Just wanted to say that I am really enjoying these lessons. (Along with the rhythm and fills lessons; slowly but surely the ideas seem to be sinking in to the point where I can use them when I’m playing with others.)

  57. James T says

    Buckle up: this is a little heavy. Thank you for taking the time on this one. I’ve watched it four times and it keeps sinking in, and the fretboard is lighting up everywhere!

    Well, so to speak, I’m blind and took up the guitar a year ago after playing keys for 30 years. I thought the guitar to be an impossible instrument when I picked it up. My fingers hurt like hell, and I had to device a system of Braille tape strips on the back of the neck for fret markers. Now, guitar is all I do.

    During this virus, I’ve leaned on you more than you know, looking forward to new lessons and combing through old ones. You got me through some dark stuff these last months. You are so calm, so patient, and you calling out the frets is so important to the blind and visually impaired. I’m so thankful I found you when I did. Music can get you through anything, especially with a teacher like you.

    Thank you,
    James

  59. redquill2 says

    Brian, Great lesson thank you!
    Question: If your playing a minor blues.Using a chord progression and also knowing you can switch your licks back and forth between major and minor pentatonics can these 3rd and 6th also work. Or, is that a no no??

  61. Dave P says

    Hi Brian…love what you do….
    Youre a born teacher!!!
    Quick question…I’ve been trying to harmonize e mixolydian as chords. I’m using an app with the scale and chords that go with each degree and it says that the third degree is g#dim but when you’re demonstrating the mixolydian in g you’re saying that the 3rd degree of the scale creates a minor chord. Also, the flat 7th in e is d …is that played as a major chord?

  63. Derek W says

    Thanks Brian, another great lesson. I can’t praise you enough I had been trying out some of the other harmonised lessons and was getting there with them but this one just opened the door wider and I see it clearly now. It really hit me when you explained the chords major minor etc. Opened up a whole new chapter in my playing. Thanks again Brian cheers Derek

  66. Steven F says

    This was an intense lesson but so very valuable. I have watched it several times and am investing a significant amount of time playing with the backing tracks. This has been an important lesson for me. Thanks!

  68. Lyn C says

    Hi Brian… I revisited this lesson after a long hiatus. The charts of Harmonized 3rds and 6ths are Really helpful- I think your reservations about them are unfounded and they make it much easier to understand the course material.

  70. DouglasAlaskaDad says

    …so, we are little behind on Brian’s timezone out here in Alaska, I suppose…just watched this video for about the 9th time in a row now. Brian this is really great stuff. You put a ton of info in here and I just wanted to say thanks for yet again improving my playing, as in “every single time I take the time to do this, you make me a better player!”. Your approach to theory is about as painless as I’ve ever seen demonstrated, and this coming from a guy that grew up in a house where my mom taught piano to the neighborhood kids and I heard much of this stuff presented in a more ‘classic’ or traditional approach to absolutely no avail. Awesome awesome dude!

  71. James H says

    You’re a great teacher and a gent, Brain. If this lesson was difficult to do, then it was entirely worth the effort – that’s the clearest I’ve seen this explained ever.

  73. Robert G says

    I think all of Brian’s lessons are too too complicated for a beginner! ! ! …………. I would like to see Brian do maybe 100 lessons without any bends! ! ! A few slides and hammer- one ! ! ! No more complicated than that. I checked out all of Brian’s 400+ lessons and they’re ALL too complicated for me to learn! I would be very happy if Brian would just us beginning pickers just a little something, even just 1 lesson that beginners could master! Thanks Brian

  79. Eddy Rob F says

    Thanks Brian .. Your lessons are so compelling to work at .. Love your helpful style .. clarity .. I,m at last making music. that I love to play.

    Did I tell you My wife bought me a f hole Hofner guitar… for my 21 Birthday .. I could never really play music. Im now 82.

    I now go into the nursing home,
    where she is now in dementia.. and Play to her .. she really lights up . hearing me play her music.. . Thanks., Brian .. Rob . Australia.

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