Description
In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn a simple concept that involves moving just 1 note in a chord to create a melodic movement (or a line cliché).
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Lyn C says
Interesting concept.. very easy to do.
David S says
Really like this.Have heard this in many songs and loved the sound.I will be busy learning all this for a while and listening to songs with it.Keep up the good work.You da man. Dave
Eric S says
Listen to the song Jeff beck and johnny depp does together. I believe its called Isolation. this is what this lesson reminds me of.
blues46 says
Cool. This is going to be fun to experiment with. It will also help cement triads in my tiny brain. Thanks
sunjamr says
Very cool! It’s “organized noodling”. Great stuff to play around with on a rainy day when you feel like just hanging out and relaxing.
Stephen K says
You are right about this lesson, Brian – short but meaningful. I think you were successful! I also added a new phrase to my musical vocabulary “line cliche”. Thanks, as always!
Ralph P. says
Very very cool songwriting tools in this one Brian. I hear Harrison’s Isn’t It A Pity and Lennon’s Isolation. There are at least 50 songs that could come out of these little tips. The ascending part at 4:09, when it resolves to D, I like to then go to Dminor. Very Lennon/ McCartney.
One of your best lessons ever for songwriters. I wonder how many songs The Beatles got out of these simple musical devices.
Great lesson,
Ralph
Art H says
Also I believe in John Lennon’s song…”Starting Over’.
Michael E says
I wanted to wish Brian and all of the Active Melody community a very happy “National Guitar Day” (Feb 11th).
My premium Active Melody membership renews on this day and I have to say it’s the best money I’ve ever spent!
When I look back over the last year I find it hard to find the words to express how much enjoyment I’ve received from being a premium member at Active Melody. Brian’s genuine desire to share his comprehensive guitar knowledge; his clear communication and presentation skills; his weekly creation of amazing compositions that beautifully demonstrate the new techniques of the lesson; his perfect audio, camera and video editing skills; all combine into the ideal guitar learning experience.
Thank-you Brian!
I love what you do, you are amazing! Keep on pickin’ 😉
Tim C says
Ditto to all of that Michael E!
I too am coming up on 1 year on active melody and have learned and well received so much from this site. Can’t say enough about Brian’s teaching and info we all get to help learn guitar. Super cool to be a part of this and am learning so much.
Thanks again for all you do Brian!
Richard G says
Make me the Triad.
Coming up on 1 year also.
Great lesson Brian
Malcolm M says
Lots of great ideas Brian,as usual a very informative lesson.
William Y says
Another great lesson. Thanks
dkt says
you should do a lesson on all the things you do like this….building the chord, little hammer off/ons, slide up and down 6’s and 9’s – stuff you do all the time – probably without realising it! that would be an interesting “how to noodle” lesson too! xxx
San Luis Rey says
This week’s lesson is another example of why Active Melody is the best guitar lesson site on the planet! Just going over this once has brought back memories of several songs that use this technique. It has even got me thinking of new chord progressions and fills to try. Thanks for this Brian!
Jim M says
This is a huge concept. Playing these line cliches with all the triads and there inversions across the neck will bring your playing to a new level. Thank you Brian.
Bob Utberg says
Picture yourself in a boat on a river!!! With tangerine trees and marmalade skies!!!!
Kenneth M says
Good one!
Kenneth M says
This is going to be good for picking control which I am really on need of. Thamks much Brian.
Helmut S says
Sounds like Isn‘t it a pity from George Harrison
https://open.spotify.com/track/25fDeVbN8AYWRriJfutwaG?si=v4wAN9tWSbKqsf68SOuuKg&context=spotify%3Asearch%3Aisnt%2520it
Rich F says
This is a wonderful lesson, Brian. So simple in its concept, yet so powerful… I can “imagine” playing a lead over this!
Going to have great fun noodling with this! Many thanks Brian! 😁🎸
kennard r says
where did you get the cap? I need that.
Darrell Arnold says
This is super helpful. I’ve been working through the Circle of Fifths and am finding it interesting to note here how at least in some of the progressions to the four chord we pass through the relative minor.
E Minor 7th says
There is another lesson from 2 or 3 years ago that involved combining chromatic descending notes with minor chords which I use to practice with regularly. Unfortunately I can’t remember or find the lesson number. This is a great extension to the ideas in that.
Daniel H says
Just a simple twist of fate!
Good idea Brian to occasionally put a concept lesson like this in your lessons.
I can’t thank you enough for your teaching.
Jeff H says
Interesting Lesson, I love the Triads. Watching the Video, seeing you change the fingering of the chords, reminded me of the intro to “Michelle”. Good to see the Chord Boxes included in the Tab. Thanks Brian
Helen Lazaridou says
Oh Brian I’m so glad you put up this amazing lesson !and I’m also glad you used the term cliche,because when I wrote it in the November challenge post,some people interpreted it negatively although my brother had told me that this is what it’s officially called!and what a great coincidence:Mike has found an old Greek song with a cliche in the chorus and we’ve been working on it to present it to the AMers!!!!isn’t it great??
Gordon C says
My Saturday routine is to let the dogs out, get some coffee and spend some time with Brian.
You know what would be cool? If we collected all the greatest hits in one spot. By that I mean all those moments when Brian says “If you get nothing else out of this lesson, you should walk away with this…”
Wouldn’t that be cool?
japie says
Hi Brian,
In your Amin6 you use the C// note! This is the third note and not the b3 note of the A scale! So for me is this a A6 chord; am I correct?
Kind regards,
Japie
Anthony (Tony ) W says
Hi Brian. This idea seems to me ideal for ” sweetening ” anything you already know and play and are not 100 % happy with. Just slip it in once or twice and alter the whole feel for the better.
Thanks for this . Another ” tool in the box Tony
Jerry I says
I heard a little Moonlight Sonata. Great lesson.
Guy S says
I like the way you think of the guitar Brian. But then I also like your hat. As my old dad used to say “I think whole world is mad ‘cept for me and thee lad, and lately I’ve been a bit worried about thee!!”
Alan S says
Great concept never though about chords in that light. Learning stuff!
Thanks
buddhamus says
I love lessons like this. I like having little riffs or chord/triad things like this that allow me to noddle and create things on my own. Thank you.
Mark H says
I play a few descending ones, call me slow but I never tried going up. Many thanks, cool as ever.
Thurman M says
This is a great help in that it gives the true positions of the chords and the way you perform them. Also, since these are movable it will be a great help in the study of the other songs you add. Thanks!
Freddy W says
Hallo beste Brian, weerom een leuke les.
Dankjewel,
groeten uit Belgie.
Freddy
Fred B says
I like this but I have a very hard time stretching my fingers and still maintaining enough pressure to NOT mute the 1st and/or 2nd strings! I have tried on different guitars (a nylon string guitar and steel electric), and and eve with the D chord at the 2nd fret.
Will I ever be able to do this?
Charles H says
Brian
A strong suggestion on the major and minor pentatonic lessons.
It’s is quite helpful to show us where the ROOT NOTE is for your pentatonic patterns. Your pdf diagrams and course lessons should show this.
Thanks . Btw. Love your lessons. Taken me a while to get enough skill and knowledge to completely digest them.
jlg says
A little tangential but who makes those guitars? (P90 Tele)
Carl D says
Very good Lesson Brian…. Like others have said, your Lessons are invaluable…. I know your other advance members want, and need,
more lessons that are “in depth” and perhaps more challenging, but this type of lesson is simply Great for my skills and I appreciate
all that you do….
brendan t says
Just wondering why Brian mentioned a couple of songs by name, but not the Tom Petty Free falling riff
Harry G says
Another great lesson Brian. I use this in Summertime to run down the line “ fish are jumping etc. somebody shared it with me a long time ago but I didn’t know what it was called. In this lesson you’ve certainly turned a light on for me. Like some others on here I’m coming up to my first year as a member and renewing is a no-brainer! Thanks!
Israel U says
That was beautiful.
I almost heard Beethoven’s Moonlight sonata there 🙂
Tony G says
Thanks Brian – just great! I also hear it in Michelle by the Beatles.
Bruce N says
Why was it ok for you to mention the Eddie Money song but not the other one? Tom Petty I believe.
Gabriel K says
Great approach, appreciate this type of lesson. The concepts have been the meat and potatoes for me and the actual songs are gravy. But keep the concepts are what stick with me and what I apply in figuring out songs on my list. “Hear comes the sun.”
brendan t says
Not really into this lesson
Peter M says
This simplicity is exactly what I was looking for. I am new here but from gathering info from these videos, a Reckoning will occur upon enough repetition and practice of these videos.
Arthur B says
It the intro in reverse to Michelle by the beatles
Great lick
Garry W says
This is great Brian,can’t stop playing the variations, some really pretty stuff ,thanks ,Garry.
John G says
So cool! I am learning your triad lessons now and this falls right in line with your teachings.👍