Description
In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play harmonized 3rds and harmonized 6ths when you improvise lead by visualizing them in basic chord shapes.
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Slow Walkthrough
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Nice one Brain happy days yet again and happy weekend 🙂
Great lesson Brian. Nice record collection.
Absolutely beautiful! Thanks Brian
Nice explanation relating harmonies to chord shapes. I know you talked about doing a guitar collection rundown but this red telecaster made me think it’s overdue. 🙂
Just got myself a tele, love yours. Is that the Candy Apple Red?
Mine is the Daphne Blue with Pau Ferro fretboard.
Yes, candy apple red is the color (i’m pretty sure that’s what it’s called)
Inspiring ……
That one inspires me👌👌👌
How many guitars does a man need? In your case Brian, it’s ‘just one more’, – however the tone you get from it justifies the purchase! Seriously though, another wonderful, insightful lesson.
Just cannot beat that Fender sound! Great work, Brian, thanks so much!
M.J.
Wow! Slim Whitman! Shook his hand many years ago!
M.J.
I love Slim Whitman – amazing vocalist
You never cease to amaze, so much from so little. Thanks
Brian, until I discovered Active Melody, harmonized leads were such a mystery to me. I love how you lift the veil on what seem like guitar mysteries and make it accessible. I find myself constantly reverting to harmonized 3rds and 6ths when improvising.
Are there any other harmonies hiding that you haven’t shown us? I’ve been AM for years now and don’t recall any.
Daniel,
Sliding 4th’s and 5th’s in the style of Cornel Dupree are another harmonizing trick. Check any tutorial on “Rainy Night in Georgia”.
John
Thanks John!
I don’t see much use of octaves or 10ths in Brians work yet they are very common
plenty on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWle4-9Vzu8&t=51s
Another great one Brian. You are so good at breaking this stuff down.
This was great! Love ths style and the theory behind the music. You use the harmonies in many lessons, and each time you do, it makes more of an impression on me and works its way into my playing. Thanks again! And keep coming up with those “things you never know what you’ll come up with” Brian!
Wonderful lesson, Brian, so many great connections to chord shapes.
I immediately thought…that’s a new one. I would love to see the collection video before it becomes overwhelming😉. I’ll make sure my wife watches.
John
hah – it’s actually not new. it’s been in several videos – but not for a while.
Good stuff, can’t have too many like this to play. Great lesson, thanks
Terrific lesson, Brian. Always sounds so much better when harmonies are added into the soloing/melody line at strategic places. Thank you for sharing your insight and explaining so well. Also, thanks for that tid-bit of info about mixolydian mode. -Ned
👍 good lesson, thank you. But nothing wimpy about using the pentatonic scale!
Good Lesson Brian because it makes me think more about how to use pieces of chords rather than the entire chord. I really would like to get this down more. You do this a lot with other lessons but it does keep me thinking.
Hello Brian you’ve added another fine slow guitar piece to your collection. Thanks.
But one thing puzzles me. In measure 10 you are playing on the third string a b7 on position 13. I would have expected a 7 on position 14, which is in the key of Bb (like you do in measure 13). Why is this not conflicting with the underlying Bb-chord? Is this because the chord itself only contains only the 1-3-5 and no 7 at all? And Bb-chord with a b7 gives the dominant 7 sound (which you prefer in measure 10) and Bb with the 7 gives the major 7 sound. And you can freely choose a b7 or a 7 as long as the underlying Bb-chord doesn’t contain a 7? Technically speaking you are changing to another key in measure 10?
If my reasoning is true, than I am beginning to understand a lot more of what can be played as long as it sounds good.
Love this lesson Brian. At 87 years old I am more and more drawn to quiet peaceful melodies. As a faithful student, I look forward to your lessons every week.
Great lesson, and I got all of it this time 😀 I watched EP 488 and was then confused what Mixolydian chord progression is. None of the lessons I had seen ever explained the chord progressions of modes. Just a one note difference makes chord progressions quite a lot different.
This is one I’ll have to master. My wife overheard the intro and told I have to learn this one well. LOL
Thanks for another great lesson
Hi Brian, good lesson. Here’s an idea you might consider. When you do a lesson like this, playing a 1,4,5 using mixolydian scales or thirds or whatever, why not suggest trying to use the licks and improvisations over a backing track to some popular song? The licks work over your backing backing track in Bb. But when transposed they don’t sound so good over a blues backing track, for example. I don’t think you would be stepping on anyone’s copyright by linking to some other person’s backing track besides your own. Thanks.
For example, you are friends with Quist, who has dozens of backing tracks out there. Link to a couple of Quist’s tracks that would work well with the licks you are teaching.
Yes, as you first ascend up the frets it sounds like “Let Me Call You Sweetheart”. Nothing never, never changes with music as it all follows a pattern. I am eight-two and I have a lot of melodies in my head I guess.
Beautiful resolution, bringing out the mixolydian of the 5th chord, I enjoyed watching this a couple of times.
Also the harmonized third hammer-ons on the top strings you did as a tangent was really nice but a bit too fast to get, is there a lesson already on that?
Wow!
That’s the coolest 5->1 move ever!
BUT Dr. Evil Brain Brian… you set it in key that I actually have to learn it to transpose it. That’s WORK! Ouch.
So now that I have the world’s coolest 5->1… I’m on the hunt for more! 1->4, 4->1, 1->5, 5->4… etc.
(it never ends…)
Thanks.
Nice lesson, Brian!
Brilliance is finding beauty in simplicity. From one teacher to another, you are a brilliant teacher, Brian. I pray you will flourish in this business as you carry all of us forward in our understanding, not just of guitar, but of music and how it works. I come away happy from every lesson, even when I already know and understand the material. I never fail to get something from your rendering. God bless you man…
I always sound better after incorporating the ideas you present. Aha moments abound. Thanks.
Good lesson very helpful as always
I happened to see a video of Poter McClister with the Don Kelley Band doing the song Streets of Baltimore and it fits in with this lesson. However when Porter starts to bend on the triads to give it the pedal steel feel it puts it up a whole other level.
Thanks very much for this lesson brian
Iwould have likes another one or two backing tracks in different keys
Greetings Klaus
I have been playing over 50 years, but I have learned so much from you, beginning with simple music theory . I get where I’m thinking I’ve got it now, but then I listen to you again and something else clicks! I’m not there yet but I am great strides ahead of where I was when I found you! Looking forward to continuing to improve Thanks so much!
Just went back and re-looked at this one. It’s really beautiful. I’ve been at it for about 10 months now and my left wrist and hand are giving me issues. But watching you play here, I just noticed the guitar is resting on your right thigh with your left arm nestled against your left side. This seems to take the pressure off the left arm and wrist. I had been resting the guitar on my elevated left knee using a footrest a la classical position. But on this, I’m using a Taylor T5Z which can feel pretty heavy at times. Can you address the proper sitting posture using an electric guitar? I think I’m getting myself into trouble. Thanks.