Interval Lessons?

I'm looking to learn intervals to improve my soloing. Are there any video lessons here that talk about what intervals are, what's their purpose, how to play them, and where to find them?

Thanks!

Hi Deanhorneck,

Intervals are first touched on during our Rock Level 1 course. Check it out here: https://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=20187&s_id=1590

It's a fully-loaded crash course! So I hope it helps.

Originally Posted by: Deanhorneck

I'm looking to learn intervals to improve my soloing.

[/quote]

Do you already know how to solo & are just trying to improve? Can you play single note lead lines? Have you learned any solos from songs as examples?

With all that in mind the admin suggestion to work through the Rock 1 course is the best comprehensive option. It will give you a structured curriculum to work though.

[quote=Deanhorneck]

Are there any video lessons here that talk about what intervals are, what's their purpose, how to play them, and where to find them?

Intervals are the distances between notes. The purpose of studying & knowing about intervals is to identify the unique sound each of those distances. Once we learn, remember & know the sound of any given interval we can choose to play it when we desire that sound (or groups of sounds, scale, riff, lick, etc.)

If you are playing music, then you are already using intervals. Melodies (riffs, licks, melodies) consist of a series of intervals. Chords are groups of notes played at the same time, but all those notes in each chord are also some interval distance apart. Chords sound major or minor because of the intervals distances between the notes. So, even whole chord progressions (especially the bass motion) are ways of playing intervals.

This tutorial & the few that follow it are a basic music theory guide to what intervals are & how they are organized as the basic building blocks of music.

https://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=10661&s_id=362

Work through those lessons & then continue on through the basic major & minor scale tutorials for a primer on intervals.

After that you will be ready for these tutorials on the basics of improvisation.

Intro to Improvisation for Beginners

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=876

Improvisation in a Major Key

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=483

Improvisation in a Minor Key

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=491

If you are already beyond all that info, then please let me know & I can point you to more advanced tutorials that dig deeper into those concepts.

Hope that helps!

Originally Posted by: ChristopherSchlegel

Do you already know how to solo & are just trying to improve? Can you play single note lead lines? Have you learned any solos from songs as examples?

Yeah I know a couple solos. I leanred Wish you were here, Shine one you crazy diamond, and Another Brick in the wall pt 2. (Pink Floyd fan). Gilmour uses alot of intervals in his solos which got me into the idea. When I normally toy around with the major or minor pentatonics over a backing track, I usually find myself just playing notes up and down the scales so I thought intergrating intervals will help spice things up a bit.

Originally Posted by: Deanhorneck

Yeah I know a couple solos.[/quote]

Okay, good deal!

Originally Posted by: DeanhorneckGilmour uses alot of intervals in his solos which got me into the idea.

I'm not sure exactly what you mean here. Maybe you mean chord tones? As I mentioned, anyone that plays any music is playing intervals. That's what music consists of.

The trick here is to be aware of what intervals you are using so they aren't just fretboard shapes you use without knowing why.

[quote=Deanhorneck]

When I normally toy around with the major or minor pentatonics over a backing track, I usually find myself just playing notes up and down the scales so I thought intergrating intervals will help spice things up a bit.

I think you could benefit from looking at these tutorials in which I explain the intervals of the pentatonic scales.

Pentatonic Scales: Boxes & Frameworks

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=296

Then practice them like this to get used to the sound & location of all the intervals as they make the various shapes across the fretboard.

Pentatonic Major Scale Exercises

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=722

[br]Pentatonic Minor Scale Exercises

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=185

Finally, the above tutorials on improvisation will help you understand why certain scales & shapes work over certain chords. The idea in all lead playing is:

1. Stay in key (what scale are you using?).

2. Target chord tones (use the scale to follow the chord progression).

3. Build melodies.

That's exactly what Gilmour does. That's what the vast majority of guitar players so when they take a lead solo.

If the above improvisation tutorials are below your skill level, then look at these that expand on the concept with plenty of backing track practice play alongs!

Improvisation in a Major Key Series 2

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=2318

Improvisation in a Minor Key Series 2

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=2329

Hope that helps!

Originally Posted by: ChristopherSchlegel

I'm not sure exactly what you mean here. Maybe you mean chord tones? As I mentioned, anyone that plays any music is playing intervals. That's what music consists of.

The trick here is to be aware of what intervals you are using so they aren't just fretboard shapes you use without knowing why.

I have a music theory book that described intervals as playing two notes within a scale at the same time. So if you play the root and the third note in the major scale at the same time it is a major third interval. If you play the third note in the major scale but flat and the root its a minor third interval. etc. Is this definition correct?

I taught myself to memorize all 5 pentatonic shapes and memorize the major scale patterns within the pentatonics or should I say the pentatonics that are within the major scales?

What I'm looking to do is spice things up by playing two notes at a time rather than having my solos just be singular notes throughout.

Originally Posted by: Deanhorneck

I have a music theory book that described intervals as playing two notes within a scale at the same time.[/quote]

Okay, got it! Yes, some people call that an interval. Playing two notes together is called a diad, or dyad (from the word meaning "two of something").

I think Anders uses that term in this tutorial on how to use diads in rock soloing licks.

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=1590

[quote=Deanhorneck]So if you play the root and the third note in the major scale at the same time it is a major third interval. If you play the third note in the major scale but flat and the root its a minor third interval. etc.

...

What I'm looking to do is spice things up by playing two notes at a time rather than having my solos just be singular notes throughout.

What you describing here is essentially harmony. You are harmonizing with yourself by playing two notes from the scale at the same time.

I have some tutorials that show how to play various diads here.

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=1849

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=1937

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=1316

See if those tutorials are aimed at what you are trying to work on.

I also have these tutorials on major & minor scale harmonies that explain how harmonizing scales works. The purpose of the tutorial is to build whole chords (of three notes) on each scale degree. But I spend time explaining the concept & clearly show how it works with just two notes as the first step.

Major Scale Harmony[br]https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=2387

[br]Minor Scale Harmony

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=2393

Let me know if any of that helps!