New to the site

Hello everyone and greetings from southern Indiana-

I've been playing guitar for about ten years (not consistently though) and enjoy writing progressions, lyrics and melodies on my Taylor acoustic. I also like to try and play lead over my recordings and am currently trying to understand more about music theory so I can apply it to my creative endeavors.

Recently, I've been introduced to inversions and triads and I am also working on playing the CAGED forms of chords up the neck in all positions. I am having some real difficulty in making the D shape barre chord. As I practice these chords though I am finding more voicings and the little triads are starting to pop out. So when I compose a chord progression, I can see if it is easier to play somewhere else on the neck so I can pull out the melody better in my picking or strumming.

I have committed to memory the pentatonic major and minor scales along with my major scales and keep trying to incorporate them seamlessly. I studied for a bit with an instructor named Greg Moore out of Newburgh, IN and he devised a method for playing lead using half step movements only either ascending or descending along the neck.

I picked up a book by Rikky Rooksby entitled "How to write songs on guitar" and I have benefited from it greatly. In the section on chord sequences, he has numerous progressions drawn from a variety of successful artists and songs. Here are three chord sequences. I am putting them here because I have a question about scales in relation to them in order to solo. I am trying to write progressions with a more major chromatic flavor to them and am having trouble knowing how to play soloing parts, riffs and the such over top of them. Do I just need to switch keys? I am really stuck on this and my question probably sounds stupid but it is really bothering me. It's actually affecting my sleep!!!


Key of C

#1
I-IV-II-bVII: C - F - Bb (What about this Bb flat here? Should I move to the key of Bb for this chord?)

#2
I-IV-bIII-bVI: C - F - Eb - Bb (What about the Eb and Bb here? Should I do the same as above?)

#3
I-bVII-bVI-Vm: C - Bb -Ab - Gm (And finally, a Gm in the key of C??? Not to mention the Bb and the Ab. What should I think about here?)

How would you approach playing lead over the above progressions?

My most familiar fingering pattern for the major scale is the key of G and I tend to follow the root on the low E string to switch scale positions.

Any help would be greatly appreciated and sorry for writing such a long and probably dumb post.

Bill Crandell
Evansville, IN

Hey & welcome!

Originally Posted by: BillCrandell
I also like to try and play lead over my recordings and am currently trying to understand more about music theory so I can apply it to my creative endeavors.
[/quote]
I encourage you to go through GF2 in which you will find a concise overview of theory covering the fundamentals: intervals, scales, chords & how they are all integrated.

http://www.guitartricks.com/course.php?input=2

After that look at my brief intro to music theory:

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=495

After that you will be ready to look at these on how scales & chords are related, how to understand the key of a set of chords, then how to solo over them! Intro to improvisation:

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=876
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=483
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=491

Originally Posted by: BillCrandell
Recently, I've been introduced to inversions and triads and I am also working on playing the CAGED forms of chords up the neck in all positions.[/quote]
Inversions are a wonderful, powerful tool in opening up the fretboard to voice chords in anyway you want to suit your creative desires:

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=148
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=730
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=731
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=733
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=734

Originally Posted by: BillCrandell
I-IV-II-bVII: C - F - Bb (What about this Bb flat here? Should I move to the key of Bb for this chord?)[/quote]
Those chords can all actually be regarded as the key of F major:
F (I) - Bb (IV) - C (V)

So you could look at it like the F major scale to solo or you can call in a C mixolydian progression because of the bVII. Which is the same thing as F major but regarding the note C as the root.

Alternately, you can also view them as in the key of Bb. This actually makes the most sense to me simply as a group of chords (without knowledge of the melody). Because, then you have a perfect slice of the circle of fifths with a nice modulatory chord that ends on a I chord:

C (II or V of V) - F (V) - Bb (I)
[QUOTE=BillCrandell]
I-IV-bIII-bVI: C - F - Eb - Bb (What about the Eb and Bb here? Should I do the same as above?)

That is more of a completely modal chord group. Essentially you need to pick one as the root and then one as a modulation chord to adjust your scale when that chord is happening. Look at the tutorials on improv linked above for conceptual approach.
[QUOTE=BillCrandell]
I-bVII-bVI-Vm: C - Bb -Ab - Gm (And finally, a Gm in the key of C??? Not to mention the Bb and the Ab. What should I think about here?)

Sure, why not? If you like the sound, if it fits your desired intention & melody, then use it. Again refer to the improv tutorials. If you need more help, please ask in my instructor forum!

Remember, the first chord doesn't have to be regarded as the root (I) chord. :) Jazz & classical frequently do this: point to or end on the I.
[QUOTE=BillCrandell]
My most familiar fingering pattern for the major scale is the key of G and I tend to follow the root on the low E string to switch scale positions.

You might want to look at this tutorial on how to visualize the major scale in multiple positions:

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=453

Try all that & let us know how it goes. Best of success with it all!

Thank you CSchlegel,

Much appreciated. I just finished up the GF2 early this morning after pulling an all-niter. I've been working through it all week. I've changed my strategy from trying to solo over various chord progressions in order to focus on more basic and fundamental concepts/skills that you discuss in detail in GF2. Playing arpeggio style, focusing on just the chord tones using triads to try and come up with licks and melodies is keeping me very busy and content. It seems that this simplified approach is much easier for me to get a grasp of at this time rather than try and play lead over chords using entire scales. After finishing GF2, the areas that I need to focus on are:

1) Map out all major and minor scales in all keys on blank fretboard diagrams writing notes of the scale rather than dots. Practice these scales up and down the fretboard using the chromatic approach, three note approach, four note approach and pedal note approach. I also saw Andy Gurley's exercise where he plays thirds, coming back to play the note skipped.

2) Always use metronome when practicing and playing

3) Memorize the whole step/half step intervals of the major and minor scales in order to start from any note on the fretboard and be able to build a major or minor scale from that root note using my understanding of the intervals, not just the notes of a particular key. When doing this, also try to name the note played in order to aid in memorizing the area of the fretboard that I have note memorized yet. Understand fully what interval is occurring when I move across strings. For example, when I start on the C note (5th string/3rd fret) then play the D a whole step up...know that the E on the 4th string/2nd fret is a whole step, not simply because I know that the D# or Eb is a half step but because I understand the interval change between the two notes on the two strings.

4) Incorporate the strategy of linking chords with notes from scale when I am playing various chord progressions. Work on various walk up and walk down movements between these chords.

5) Practice inversions using my new understanding of the triad

Thanks again for all your help,

Bill C

Originally Posted by: BillCrandellThank you CSchlegel

Welcome, of course.

You are organized & systematic in your practice plans. I admire that a great deal. :) Please let us know how it goes & if you have any other questions.

Best of success!