Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Minor CAGED System (All 5 positions!) Connect the minor pentatonic and natural minor scale – EP525

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play minor chords, the natural minor scale, and the minor pentatonic scale in each of the 5 CAGED positions. Use this lead as a practice exercise.

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Comments

    • Gary W says

      This and the prior mixolydian licks lesson have been very helpful to me for connecting licks with their scales. please consider moving us forward with a lesson(s) using licks in a multiple chord format, using 1) all major chords, 2) minor chords with a major 7 fifth, and a mix of minor & major chords, relating each lick with its scale.
      Thanks!

  2. Kiwi Rowan L says

    Thanks Brian
    Loving this mini series – such a greast ‘go-to’ reference thank you

    A third episode demonstrating arpeggios, major & minor , or relative majors and minors perhaps, ..? ……like you often do ‘afdditional licks?

    Thank you again so much .

  4. Kiwi Rowan L says

    PS – I meant mixing relative major and minor together like you explained when you were talking about modes.

    I have always found your clever mixes of these majors and minors super useful for embedding flexibility and understanding – even though it’s mind numbing to start with and takes hours of revision to get it into my head and fingers !

    Your lessons are pure gold with so many hidden gems once you really revisit them and explore them deeply rather than just learning the tune and moving on !!!

    • George V says

      It was really helpful showing the minor pentatonic scales inside the full minor scale in every position along the fretboard. These last lessons have been more complicated and more about music theory but I’ve really felt they’ve helped and I’m coming to understand all the possibilities along the fret board for playing lead improvisation .Thanks Brian.

  10. Mark H says

    Excellent lesson Brian. I’d vote for a lesson on how to practice / drill the major scale, once you’ve got it down, to work through the modes. Mixo is pretty straightforward, the others are more challenging.

  11. Jimmy W says

    Great lesson. Helps to learn the fretboard and put things together. I would love to see a lesson using this knowledge to play changes and harmonize the scales. Thanks for presenting this and making it understandable.

  16. Michael H says

    Was looking forward to this all week. Thank you.
    A big yes to Level 3 of playing through chord changes
    Perhaps I-V-VI-IV-I-V-III-IV
    and then perhaps demonstrating playing in the key versus playing the changes
    Your comments about taking the time to analyze rather then just memorizing is key for me.
    It’s more work but I’m getting more out of it

    I realize there is a broad range of abilities between beginner and intermediate levels. It must be difficult for you to navigate that, but you do a great job of it.

  17. Michael N says

    These last two lessons have been extremely helpful. Combined with EP 374 and EP 375, I’m able to significantly advance my knowledge and playing. Keep up the great work, Brian. It’s very beneficial!

  20. Kiwi Rowan L says

    Understanding Modes – Simple Explanation (I hope)

    The one piece of information that might make what Brian is saying a bit clearer and might help make modes click for people is to explain it this way – and Brian comes close when he says, “it’s the chord underneath it”.

    ‘The chord underneath It’ is like saying that the root note is your starting note.

    So a D chord really means a ‘D ‘root note as your starting point.

    For example … If you play an E chord underneath it, it’s like saying the E is your root note and it has a nice different sound – if you want to give it a fancy name you call it ‘Dorian’. (Boy I hope I got that right as even I am still learning !!)

    The one key thing – which I think doesn’t quite get said but everyone comes close , – and which I hope will be the ‘aha’ moment for a lot of people is that……….

    …… you can play the same exact same notes or scale in the same order but THE NOTE YOU START FROM is what makes the difference to your ear and will define the mode and the ‘sound’.
    Each of the 7 modes simply starts from a different note on the same scale.

    It follows then that when you play the D major scale, but starting on the B, you get the ‘minor’ Bm scale – or ‘Aeolian’ to give it a fancy name. It is the sound that starts from the 6th note of the scale .

    So you are probably thinking, well if I’m playing the same scale, what stops Bm from sounding like D major and not different – and this is the crucial thing – learning how to hold the listener’s ear in the key or mode you want to by repeating particular notes or pattens which ‘trick’ their ear so that as Brian says you can’t hear the D major in a Bm scale or vice versa

    It’s exactly like Escher’s famous stair drawing – the listener may see the stairs going up or down – but the notes you repeatedly play or emphasise will hold them in and keep them seeing (hearing) it the way you want them to see ( hear) it.

    I hope this helps.

    Love and peace

  23. Scott T says

    Hi Brian
    Great stuff ,
    Is there a way to get a pdf of the minor pentatonic imposed over the minor scale. These are very helpful guides for jamming
    Thanks. Keep up the great lessons !,,

  26. Mike R says

    I really like these types of lessons also. I find it helpful to chart out the scales next to the chords, next to the pentatonic versions they relate to. Please keep them coming. Like how you make these cool licks where ever you are on the fretboard.

  27. sukumaran u says

    This is fantastic ! It reminds me of various very old Indian songs but cannot identify which one is it .
    I think some sections of this composition are similar in those songs that i am trying to recollect.
    Possibly, it is the scale or note combinations that is creating the similarity.

  32. Mike H says

    Wow Brian this is and the prior are pure gold! Im going to remember these last 2 lessons as a defining moment in journey with the guitar. None of the concepts were new to me, but I have never seen them packed up and presented like this. And wow did it ever help bring some things together for me!

  34. mritalian says

    I have to say it again and again, yes thanks so much these lessons they are well thought out and I have learned so much in the time I’ve been a member. The tabs and the ability to practice with the tabs have helped out tremendously for myself. Yes, I would like and appreciate more of this content, Keep up the great work Brian. I wish for you and yours all the best.. Ron T

  35. Kevin S says

    Really good stuff, Brian. I would love it if you continue the thread. An early teacher of mine had me practicing the major scales until I was blue in the face and I’ve (for the most part) considered it a colossal waste of time. Thanks for bringing it full circle

  37. bruce s says

    This is great material Brian, It’s really nice to see the scales in different positions to see where the licks are coming from. It’s always good to review scales and keep them fresh on your mind and this is a great way of doing it. I say keep moving forward in this direction….

  39. Gary K says

    Brian, you often say that it almost always works to slide a minor chord up the fretboard one whole step, e.g. Bm to C#m, but you are not sure why. My theory is that these both are in the scale of A major, which you could also think of as B Dorian. So when you slide the minor chord who a whole step, you are playing Dorian mode. Quite possibly however I don’t know what I’m talking about …

    Please do a follow up lesson sometime using chord changes. Thanks so much.

  45. Ainur B says

    This lesson was the first time I could follow along and understand what’s going on – thank you for such a thorough explanation and the licks to illustrate each position! Things are starting to click, finally (been here for about a year)!

    • Peter R says

      Don’t know what happened there. 🙂 it just posted while I was still typing… What I was about to ask. Is it possible to get the scales that were included in the video in pdf for this and the previous lesson?

  52. Harold V says

    I am an Active Melody Member and have been over the last three years. I follow you each week on a regular basis. These last two lessons were really eye openers for me. My first eye opener was when I learned the CAGED system three years ago. It gave me the ability to play major and minor chords up and down the neck, My next big eye opener was learning both major and minor triads and how they are connected to chords and licks. Now these last two lessons have given me a whole new set of tools that I can use to play songs melodically. Yes, I would like for you to continue the series and teach us how to use these scales to play the chord changes.

  54. Dan I says

    Thanks for all of your hard work, Brian! Every lesson you do is always so clear and understanding becomes easy! Even though I know all these scales and modes, it’s always good to see the way that you work, and explain everything!
    I sure am grateful to be part of this experience with you, Brian!

    God bless you my friend.

  57. Victor T says

    I realy like your lessons Brian. You bring all useful theory together : CAGED, Minor, Major, Natural, Pentatonic ….. And learn to use them in an understandable way. I personally love to play the blues. Thank you so much !!!

  58. Norman D says

    Fingers knew it. Ears knew it. Now brain knows it.

    😂😂😂 Now to turn the darn brain off again and play.

    Brian, if it is possible could you give some clues on how to be more innovative and less repetitive —-maybe more “musical?”—- now that these basics are melding together?

    Maybe this is something that can’t be taught, but if you know how to it might be helpful to many of us.

  61. Ross H says

    wow, lots of comments, looks like a part 3 will be coming, these lessons are really helping. i did a lead at practice last night and the steel player gave me and “awesome”, thanks to you Brian.

  62. Nick Ll says

    Great lesson as usual Brian – brilliant teaching using another clever composition to illustrate the points.

    Just one thought if I may but…

    Am I the only one who finds it a little confusing, in a lesson which keeps overlaying scale patterns with fret numbers and references to note names being given, when the tab has a different fret number + full bend and I’m trying to play on a guitar on which full bends are not possible, so in order to incorporate a bend at all I’m having to do a half-bend. For example, on the B minor G shaped position reference is made to the use of the pentatonic during one phrase and Brian is playing 5th fret second string with a full bend, so then I’m having to think, yes but that’s 7th fret if I’m imagining the pentatonic superimposed over the B minor G position. But then I can’t do a full bend, only a half, so I’m suddenly looking at 6, then 4 rather than 7 then 5 (or 5 then 3 as it is played in front of me). This I find soooo confusing. Would it not be better to avoid big bends on lessons which are intended to cement one’s understanding of CAGED positions and scale patterns around them, at least in recognition of those of us who aren’t learning on an electric guitar?

    • Nick Ll says

      And as a measure of just how confused I am, the above comment was intended for lesson EP524, NOT this one – apologies for the confusion. Brian please remove from here if you are able or I’ll look confused in perpetuity 🙂

  63. Ross H says

    maybe im more visual, could you add the pdf, it is really helping me learn and memorize the scales. i ve got the 5 pentatonic scales down, im working on the major positions. can you show them for the lesson. thanks

  68. Jeff S says

    Found it somewhat fascinating how the relative major scale is embodied in it’s relative minor scale. Can you provide diagrams for downloading of the minor scales? Or are these available in a prior lesson?
    Thanks.

  69. Kevin L says

    Hi Brian brilliant lesson. Yes please continue with this, you are gradually clearing the fog and mystery from guitar music. Not only from music theory and how it all fits together but also the mechanics of playing it. Many thanks, well done keep it up.

  70. frank p says

    Realy nice lesson (in // with EP 524) ! But i have a little question : let’s suppose we’re in the A shape (B minor) and that instead of playing a G note , i play a G # note. It sounds good to my ears, more « dreamy », or something but what am i doing (it’s like playing the position 1 instead of position 4) ? Is it a another mode and if yes wich one ?
    Could it be a part 4 🙂 ?
    Thx in advance !

  72. Steve says

    Brilliant lesson.

    I really appreciate the fretboard diagrams embedded in the video and wish they could somehow also be present on this lesson page for quick reference.

  73. Bobby D says

    Hi Brian, A while ago I picked up and really enjoyed playing the “Relative Minor” as a step off from the “Relative Major”. Watching this lesson really helped tie the relative scales to the positions where B/Bm is located on the fret board based on the “Cage” positions.
    At about the 5-minute mark the Am shape at the Bm location I see the scale posted is the same as the G Major Scale using the C-shape the scales. Can anyone relate to this association?

  75. Stephen P says

    Great lesson. Love how these recent lessons really tie in with each other. I watch each of these lessons multiple times. Always amazing how much info is in each one and how I pick up additional little tidbits each time I watch. My brain can’t possibly remember all these licks, but I feel it’s way more important to know where they are coming from and why rather than just memorizing them. Thank you!

  76. Rick C says

    BEST CAGED lessons, EVER. !! Best CAGED minor by far.

    About ARPS: I’ve got the I-IV-V, (1-3-5-6-b7) for A, Str6:Fret5, in my fingers… will have learn other positions. Starting on the 3 of each ARP works at (A is Str5:Fret4).
    About Harmonic Minor: the only way I could make any progress was by counting from roots. Couldn’t memorize it other wise. (1-2-b3-4-5-b6-7)

  79. Steve says

    Excellent lesson, this smaller 3 part series is catching my interest. I came to this after the recent 5 caged positions, as I feel weakness around the minor caged shape patterns. I think we often play 1,4,5 or just minor based and not mix the two together. The 1,5,6,4 is the most popular song structure and adding that 6 gives a chance to bring minor practice into a regular 1,4,5. And don’t need to switch scales either!

    It was interesting you showed the G minor shape here with 3 top string higher compared with 2 top strings on the recent lesson on all minor chords related to the 5th fret, I guess it’s just 2 different ways of playing that obscure chord.

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