Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Use these easy triads to play a 1-4-5 chord progression in ANY key. CAGED System Guitar Lesson – EP446

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to connect 3 triads to play a 1-4-5 chord progression in the same area of the fretboard. You can easily move this shape up or down the neck to play it in any key. Perfect for blues, country, bluegrass, or rock.

Lesson (Free)

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Comments

  11. Kevin S says

    These triad lessons are helpfull. I jam with a local group of fellas and we play oldies. I use these types of triads to create a different octive.

    Three years ago before joining active melody I had no knowledge of how to navigate the neck of the guitar.

    I utilize everything (at least what I can muster at the time) I have learned from Brian. Thank you for all your instructions Brian and Happy new year brother and sister musicians!

  16. Raymond P says

    Nice 1 4 5 lesson Brian. Can you turn on the print function in SoundSlice. I like to print your lessons out with the notation. The notation helps me understand the entire lessons better.

    Thanks again and have a Happy New years.

    Ray P

  20. Dale G says

    What happened to the ability to print out the written notes and tab screen together, from the Video Tablature screen, not just printing the “Download Tablature” box which doesn’t give you the written notes?

  23. Bruce D says

    Love these lessons that open up the neck. Good tools that get us away from mimicking songs, which I’ve been doing a long time. I’m currently working on EP443 which has a bunch of ah ha moments, will work on this one next. Starting to try to add my own licks to songs based on these lessons. Quite a bit of progress the last couple years.

    Also nice to see yet another great vintage guitar!
    Keep it up, Brian, and happy new year!

    Bruce

  26. Alan L says

    Awesome, thank you! Just what I needed!

    I’ve been knee-deep in triads, CAGED, and trying to get comfortable with those shapes in 12 keys. (Still digesting EP356 😉 ) This really hits the spot!

    I’d be VERY interested in a part 2, connecting this to pentatonics 🙂

    Happy New Year!

  27. Alan V says

    Your teaching is excellent Brian and this triad type of lesson is particularly useful to me. Small good-sounding chunks that are easier to play and really help the understanding of the fretboard.
    Wishing you a wonderful 2022

  29. sciencefiction says

    Great short lesson to end up the year, Brian! Reminds me of those old Microlessons you were doing. Love that beat up Tele you are using. Sounds and looks like the Squier Deluxe Tele I just got. Happy New Year!
    Larry

  33. Rich F says

    A wonderful lesson, Brian! This has opened up a whole new way of thinking for me!

    Brilliant in its simplicity, yet so powerful!

    A belated Happy new Year to you and your family, Brian: and happy new year to all you wonderful AM guitarists! 🎉

  35. Roberto C says

    Short and sweet! One (of many) lightbulb moment was playing the 5 triad in the D position of CAGED BUT with the bass note on the 4th string: that made a lot of sense.
    And thanks for the tip on playing pentatonic scales on top of chords; I figured out that I can play major pentatonic E pattern 1 on the 1 in the A/G position of CAGED and I guess major pentatonic A and B pattern 4 on the 4 and 5 in the C CAGED position (sorry a bit confusing…)

  36. David S says

    Brian, Again Happy New Year and thanks for all you do.Really like these simple light bulb lessons.Really liked EP429 Keep it simple.Wish you could do another in this style lessons. Dave

  37. Rick C says

    An instructor commented on ways to play lead. (scales) (arps) and (triads).
    So I’ve be memorizing, moving between triads via CAGED. This lesson fits that effort.
    I like the fluid way that Brian obtains sounds.
    Thanks.

  39. Donald W says

    Hi Brian

    A wonderful lesson thank you. I live on a farm in the wheat belt of Western Australia a long way away from any opportunities of guitar lessons. It hasn’t been until the internet came along that has made it possible for me to learn guitar as much as I’ve wanted to all my life . You have put together many lessons that I have learnt much from, caged, Pentatonic scales, scales, and the list goes on. This has all been wonderful but I must say that working out a progressive order of this knowledge is still a challenge for me. There is just so much on your site and when you don’t know what you don’t know as a novice, knowing what you need to learn first is the hard part. Your wisdom of what is essential learning and what isn’t would prove to be most helpful. It was only just the other day that I discovered Lesson EP 199 when the light bulb of recognizing chord shapes on the small strings went off for me.

    For me I would love to see a category for, essential progressive learning, on your web site. There maybe reasons outside of my knowledge as why this maybe not possible and if that’s the case then please excuse my ignorance.

    Cheers Donald Wallace.

  41. Jim G says

    Really Liked this lesson. That “bar” in any key is my comfort place for melodies. You added the 4 and 5 chords, and that nice bend.
    REALLY LIKE the neck/finger diagrams shown on the screen. Makes it easier to see bends where 2 fingers are engaged.

  43. Don D says

    EP 446 on Triads was a breakthrough lesson for me. The ease with which one can change chords literally on the same fret and move to the 1-4-5 chord change anywhere on the neck and understand the key one is playing in is simply amazing. Brian you just know how to teach. Its simple and the key to playing tastefully is simplicity. Right after this lesson I played along with some tunes on Youtube and continued to discover the versatility of this approach, Thank you,

  46. gazulli says

    Great Lesson on CAGED Triads and Pentatonics. Was wondering if you have or could in the future provide some help with linking the CAGED shapes to Triads on the 1-2 and 3 strings. I can do it slowly but question whether I have identified the correct Pentatonic MAJOR and MINOR Scales for each shape. It would be extremely helpful.

    I know you have lots of requests and suggestion and cannot satisfy everyone but thought I would ask. Thank you for what you provide – I can’t absorb it all that fast but it is great reference material and provides great practice targets. I had to stop trying to deal with each lesson and go back and limit myself to just the takeaways a piece at a time to prevent being overwhelmed at my current beginners skill level.

  47. Jeff T says

    Thanks for lessons like this. Slowly and with repetition, I improve. During the video lessons you show the fingering for many of the chord shapes on the neck. I stop the video and take note but as I am still learning the fretboard it is slow progress.

    Is there a single place where I can find these together? My memory is often faulty and it would be useful to have a singel reference sheet for this lesson. All lessons? Thanks again.

  49. John B says

    I am so glad I found you on Facebook since then I have been improving. Before that I was in a guitar rut chasing my tail getting nowhere. You have given me a breath of fresh air. Yo are a very good teacher and I thank you and hope you will continue your work. Thanks Brian

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