Description
In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to improvise a harmonized lead up and down the fretboard, using just 3 shapes.
Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson
Part 2 - For Premium Members
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Slow Walkthrough
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Video Tablature Breakdown
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Exactly the lesson, I needed at the moment, Brian. I just learned to play „EP 242 Improvise your Lead with Harmonies“ on my acoustic and I‘m totally thrilled about it. This is the ideal follow up to it. I‘m looking forward to learn this one too and will try to create my own lead lines. Thank you, Brian. A great lesson!
Hello, Manfred!
This is a wonderful lesson and I look forward to studying it too.
All the best to you and for your guitar playing,
Cher
Hi Cher, yes, try it out. This lesson is so much fun to play and also so much to learn from it. An ideal combination! All the best to you!
That’s really beautiful Brian, can’t wait to dig in!
this is beautiful and as usual I can’t wait to learn it. Thanks Brian
the timing is unbelievable, Brian. You keep learning fun. Thanks.
What a great way to explain harmonies, chord shapes and scales. You are simply the best!
Hi Brian,
Could you activate the print option on Soundslice?
Activated! Sorry about that.
Thanks Brian
Can harmonized 3rds, 6ths, triads and other similar chord forms be played as scales … as major and minor chords can? Or can they only be played chromatically? If they can be played as scales, what would the 3rds, 6ths played as minor shapes look like?
Sorry, I didn’t get that quite correct. My first sentence should have read, “Can harmonized 3rds, 6ths and other 2 note harmony shapes be played as scales … as major and minor chords can?” If they can be played as scales, what would the 3rds, 6ths played as minor shapes look like?
Yes, you can play the harmonies the same way you can play the chords of a scale. I mention this briefly in the Part 2 video – that there are 2 shapes used in harmonized 3rds or 6ths… one shape represents a major chord and one represents a minor chord… the dimished chord can be represented by a minor shape. You can play the chords in a major scale and then just isolate strings 1 and 3 and you’ll hear the harmonized 6th, and then try isolated just strings 2 and 3 to hear the harmonized 3rd.
If I may offer, your response would be a great video lesson!! I find as I work my way through your lessons, as you explain the music theory behind what you are teaching, it just clicks with me. So many great lessons.
If you want to hear a classic use of these shapes it s in a version of People Get Ready, by the Blues Band……….. Been learning this song and the penny just dropped with this lesson. !!
Brian,
Another useful lesson and it is always so helpful to identify the root string.. Be it an introduction or a revision the reiteration in your videos is so helpful over time to gaining and aiding faster recall of the knowledge until it is fully absorbed and readily recalled. You have a great teaching style.
JohnStrat
What a great lesson.! Thanks
Great lesson Brian… But for purposes of spontaneous improvisation, is it ok to play the changes using the mixolydian scale associated with chord shape of the harmonized 6th rather than using the major scale in the key of the song? … or is that making it to complicated?
I am REALLY confused. I got everything about the Triads OK. But when I got to the section “04:58 – Narrowing each shape down to 2 note harmonies” … I see the “C shape” played with the Root and the Third … I see the “A shape” played with the 3rd and the 5th … and then I see the E shape played with the 5th and the Root. And @5:46 in this section you say we are playing “like a harmonized 6th”.
But I don’t see a 6th (the 6th of D is a B) anywhere? When you play the A shape with the 3rd and the 5th, I don’t even see a root there. Could you explain how the 6th is being harmonized?
I’ve been trying to figure this out since 8:00 this morning and it’s now 11:30. I haven’t even gotten to the harmonized 3rds, so I will probably need that explained as well.
If I’m missing something, I’m really sorry … but I’m just not getting this.
OK … I think I figured this out.
For anybody else having the same problem I was, go watch EP363, part 1 and 2. I found all the answers to my questions.
I always learn something new Brian. Thanks!
That will be perfect to try on my baritone ukulele. Easy peazy!
Sweet and sophisticated, Brian. Basic 3rds and 6ths always sound sweet, and the addition of the linking notes and slides makes it so pretty.. I enjoy blues, but I enjoy this type of thing even more.
Your teaching is amazingly good, Brian. So glad I found your site.
I totally agree with another comment that your repetition of the explanations behind the ideas in many lessons is very beneficial, as we all tend to forget things and this helps to solidify the principles in our busy minds.
Thank you.
This was really helpful Brian … the way you started this lesson made the sequence of learning very clear. Cheers
Whoa another brilliant lesson tks
Brian, You just keep adding things that I really need. Thanks for all you do. Dave
Outstanding!!!
Brian-
Great lesson my man. Love how you teach the concepts behind what you’re doing. This helps me start to connect all the dots. Keep up the great work and thank you!!
Chapeau Brian
Combining many of your lessons to help improvising helps me a lot.
Theoretically i could almost teach the stuff myself, but up to now I was not able to improvise satifactionly with my knowledge.
EP199 3 essential chord shapes and EP 362 9 Triads chord shapes that unlock the neck helped me to use the chords in all 3 positions.
With this lesson I beginn to see a way to improve my improvising
Thanks a lot Brian
Greetings Klaus
These past couple of weeks I have been discovering and learning about thirds and sixth’s. Its been a huge game changer in my ability to connect chords and scales. This is such a timely lesson for my development . Thank you so much for this and your continuing dedication to us folks who want to advance in our playing and enjoyment of the guitar. I have been a cowboy cord player for over 45 years and becoming a member had been one of my best decisions I’ve made. See ya next Friday.
Very good exposition of important concepts. Question: Is there a way to make the Part-2 and Slow Walkthrough videos with point-to-point loops? Thanks, RF.
Beautiful – for me it brings Ry Cooder to mind
These melodies sound so good to my ear.
Awesome. I finally understand the double stop type “chords” like in Margaritaville and Poke Salad Annie.
Another simple and basic lesson chalked full of gold! Soooo valuable!
Great lesson Brian! Very helpful…thanks!
Way to go Brian I learned something off of this.
Nice lesson Brian! Ties a lot together for me, much appreciated!!
thanks Brian….great teacher…..one with your skills, probability think of this as super simple, with basic theory …….but i encourage you to continue to add a sample of this as the little i know theory really helps to understand and LEARN ..self figure out shapes and work able possibilities in daily practice and playing…..(it becomes a bonus along the road to appreciation) thanks again, i dont post much but to me this is a great aid in learning…jack
fabulous lesson..epic for me..I have been focusing on your lessons on triads, 3rds, 6 s harmonizing. double stops …relative minor etc…I ll find the past lessons and stay on em for weeks..great for improvising at jams..i ll be on this one for weeks ..i use the search feature to find them ..i think I’ve found most of them..any suggestion on how to round em all up would bwe helpful for me
thanks..super lesson
Fantastic lesson Brian !! my playing has improved so much now starting to understand its been staring me in the face for so many years and you have made it so much clearer
so thank you
I basically understand this lesson and want to use it but I can’t keep it all together in my head when I try to improvise. Do you have a tab for this in the key of A which I assume would use strings 3 and 4 as you demonstrated in your video? I only saw a tab for G. Thanks!
Brian , Thanks so much for this lesson. I ‘heard’ the progression in my head and my hands found the notes almost like magic. I’ll keep at the lesson till I can play it smoothly.
thanks again Brian from down under, your lessons make me sound so much better than i really am! havnt been able to master the compositions but have fun making up my own.
Gran bella lezione, semplice lineare e scorrevole!
Sei il mio maestro preferito.
So long Brian
Love this lesson, for years I have been stumbling around using 6ths and 3rds in my playing but not really being able to anchor them or know the ‘why ‘of things, yet another light bulb moment !!!
I woke up this morning, Dan, Dah, Daaah Dah and my second thought after a cup of tea was how are minor chords treated, what happens if I try a 1, 6, 4, 5 progression? Can I outline the minor, yes two of the positions have the major third in them, which I could flatten and the E shape doesn’t so Stays the same ….
And that’s what I love about Brian’s teaching style, he opens the door and invites you in …
Time to put the kettle on again, it’s going to be a long, enjoyable day 🎵👍😎
It’s the same three shapes for minor but in a different order 😂😂😂💡💡💡💡
Hey Brian, love the lessons and after playing guitar (99% solo just to sing along with) for 50 years, I’m just starting to learn what I’ve been doing. Sad but true. Anyway, I now play guitar and sing harmonies along with a friend who has arthritis so it is up to me to come up with some lead parts or at least some fill-ins. I”ve learned some of your riffs and enjoy them, and I can mimic popular songs, but I really need to learn more about how to apply all this theory and to improvise the leads and fill-ins. Where to come in, how to come in, how to apply all this to a song. Can you do a lesson giving some tips on how to apply all this to playing with a band or with another person? Thanks!
It’s confusing when you use an acoustic guitar with two dots on the b fret.
Hi Brian would these 2 note harmonies be also be call double stops ? Like in Bob Dylan’s = Sweetheart like you.
Very helpful lesson. One question: when you play just strings 4 and 2 could you show how you are doing that with the right hand? Are you using pick and fingers? What finger? Playing two non adjacent strings can be a little bit of a challenge. Can you explain how you are doing it?
Thanks