Hey guys, welcome back! Today I want to show you how we can put together a chord progression using chords from two different keys.
The chord progression I am playing at the beginning of this video is played with the chord C major and Bb major. Now, I know that it seems like these chords have nothing to share, but trust me, they sound fantastic when played in sequence.
I am actually playing a Cadd9 and a Bbsus2(#11). Such mouthful names for a straightforward chord shape.
The reason why I love these two chords so much is that they create an endless loop that never resolves. I can play these chords all day long!
We will also learn how to play two different sections. One in C major and one in D minor.
The reason why we can switch between these two keys is that we can decide to emphasize the chords that belong to the C major key as well as the ones that belong to the D minor/F major key (which is where the Bb major chord comes from).
Hey guys, welcome to another video. Today I am going to answer one of the most asked questions I get on my YouTube channel: Which guitar I use the most and why?”
In this video, I want to show you why I decided to use these five guitars in my videos, recordings, and daily practice.
Each guitar is unique and allows you to express yourself differently. I consider myself really like to be able to change guitar based on the music style I feel like playing.
I am also fortunate because I didn’t have actually to buy all the guitars I own. A lot of companies send me guitars to try. This is awesome for me, but also you guys because I get to discover so many amazing guitars and share it with you.
I don’t get paid to say good things about these guitars, and I don’t ask for an affiliate link. I only showcase guitars that I really like, and that resonates with the music style I play.
I don’t recommend that you buy any of the guitars that I use in my videos unless you try it yourself and decide that it is the guitar you need.
Don’t buy stuff just because I use it. If you like one of the guitars I use, do your research and try it (if you can) before you buy it.
Now, let’s go back to the video!
The guitars are listed based on how much I use them.
I will go through the things that I like about each guitar so that you can have an idea as to why I own them.
We will talk about the:
5. Journey OF410.
4. Paul Reed Smith Single Cut Trem.
3. Avian Skylark 4A
2. LAVA ME 2
1. Eko Massimo Varini Signature.
Enjoy this video, and let me know your favorite guitar!
Hey guys, welcome back to another guitar lesson. Today I want to show you how to use the Bossa Nova rhythm over a simple chord progression.
For you who don’t know, the Bossa Nova is a music genre born in Brazil, and it is most commonly played on the classical guitar. Some of the most influential Bossa Nova players are Joao Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Luiz Bonfa. If you want to know how the real Bossa Nova sounds like, you should start with these guys!
Now, I am not a Latin music expert, and as much as I love the genre, I don’t see myself digging into incredible complex chord progressions that are so characteristic of the Bossa Nova style.
Instead, I am more intrigued by using one of the Bossa Nova rhythms over a simple chord progression to make things simple and more approachable.
As you will see, playing the Bossa Nova rhythm over NON-Bossa Nova chords doesn’t sound quite the same. But, hey, we have to start somewhere, right!
I suggest that you take things step-by-step and practice the rhythm over one chord before moving on to the next one.
All the info in the video! Tab on my Patreon page.
Hey guys, welcome to Just Play Along Module 3. In this module, we are going to learn how to play a beautiful melody in G major using the G major scale.
The melody will be played four times in two different positions. Section one and two of the solo is played in position one while part three and four will be played starting from position seven (index of fret seven).
I hope you enjoy it!
In Just Play Along, we practice scales along with backing tracks. I try to make the scales sound as musical as possible so that it feels more like playing melodies than scales.
We made it to Module 3! I received a ton of great feedback from you, and you guys seem to appreciate this program.
Today, we focus on the G major scale. If you are new to scales, I recommend that you check out my course Scales, Arpeggios & Musical Ideas. In this program, we learn the scales mechanically in different positions. You can learn how to play the G major scale before getting started with Module 3 of Just Play Along.
Both courses (as well as a ton of other classes and YouTube tabs) are available on my Patreon page inside the $15 tier.
APOLOGIZE FOR LAST WEEK!
I apologize if last week, many of you in the $5 tier got confused and expected to access this course. It’s 100% my fault, as I wasn’t clear in the video introduction in Module 2.
When I post a new lesson for Just Play Along, I always post two videos.
The first video, which is available to everyone, is an introduction to what you will learn in the video tutorial. This video is available to everyone. So, if you pledge $5, you will be able to watch the free video but not the video tutorial, which is priced at $15. Sorry about that.
I UNDERSTAND YOUR FRUSTRATIONS!
I also got one message from an angry Patron complaining about the fact that the course wasn’t available for $5. I understand your frustration, man. However, the fact that some of my lessons are available for $5 (the YouTube tabs and Fingerpicking Guitar in 7 Days courses) doesn’t mean that everything I do will be priced at $5. Again, I understand your frustration. I know you get upset because you want to access the lesson, but unfortunately, some of the courses have a higher price.
Hey guys, in this lesson, I am going to show you a simple exercise that should help you with fret memorization.
I started playing guitar when I was a little kid. My first teacher was bad and he taught me the guitar for two years. Fortunately, after a couple of years, my dad took me a better one.
So, in my first lesson with him, he said, “Ok, you have been practicing for two years. Can you please play the note F starting from the low E string up to the top E string without skipping a string?”
It took me about twenty seconds to play all the Fs, and I was already sweating!
Now, he was a talented teacher! And, in one moment, he showed me two things:
First! I wasn’t able to navigate the fretboard with confidence.
Second! Playing the same notes on adjacent strings gives you a pattern.
In this lesson, I am going to show you a simple exercise that will help you with fret memorization. We will be playing one note on each string with the metronome (no time to think).
This exercise can drive you crazy! After years of playing guitar, I am still messing notes up! However, it will help you a lot with fretboard navigation and fretboard knowledge.
Hey guys, welcome back to another lesson. Today, I want to talk to you about chords and how to use them to write songs. Precisely, I want to show you how to write a beautiful chord progression with just one chord.
The awesome thing about the guitar is the fact that we can move the same chord shape in different positions of the neck. This approach is excellent because it allows you to learn one chord shape and move it up and down the neck.
The chord shape we are learning today can be played with just two fingers, one on the 6th string and the other on the 2nd string. We will also play the top E string open to add color and extensions to some of the chords.
These types of chords are perfect for beginners but also singer-songwriters who want to find an easy way to spice up chords.
Hey guys, Marco, here! Welcome back to another guitar lesson. Today we are going to talk about a lot of things. First of all, I am going to show you a sweet, beautiful, and simple melody in E minor.
Now, learning this melody is not the primary goal. I mean, it’s a lovely melody, so I am happy to show it to you, but I also want to show you all the musical elements and techniques that I used to play this melody.
I am sure you know that it is never just about playing the right notes. I mean, this is important, but what’s the point of playing the right notes if what you play sounds flat and uninspiring?
So, let’s take a look at a bunch of techniques that I use all the time to enhance such a simple melody. I am talking about over-ringing, vibrato, dynamics, and a technique I call “Strummed arpeggio.”
The melody is entirely played with the E minor scale over one string, the top E string. We will repeat this melody four times and add a musical element every time we start over.
Hey guys, welcome back to another lesson. I received so many requests about this song that I had to record this video hehe.
Today, I am going to show you how to play a beautiful Christmas song called Silent Night. I believe this is indeed one of the most popular Christmas songs ever, so I am thrilled and excited to teach you that.
The arrangement is in E major. We are going to be using a combination of Pop and Jazzy chords. The melody is very simple to play, and most of the time, we only have to play two or three strings.
I tried to write the most simple version of this song without making it sound too banal. I hope you like my version of the song! Also, I hope you will be able to learn it by Christmas.
It’s time to challenge your guitar skills. We only have twenty-five days! Grab your guitar and start playing.
Hey guys Marco here! Welcome back to another guitar lesson. Today, I picked up the electric guitar again!
I want to talk to you about one of the most amazing guitar players in history and how he was able to influence millions of guitar players with one of his unique technique.
For you who don’t know, Jimi Hendrix was an American guitar player and singer-songwriter. He is one of the most influential guitar players ever existed and rightfully labeled as “The greatest instrumentalist in the history of the Rock music.”
Too bad, his mainstream career only lasted for four years. Alcohol, drugs, and depression took over his passion for music, and lead him to premature death.
I found it incredible that Hendrix was able to influence entire generations of guitar players in the short four years of his career. And we are indeed pretty lucky that he did!
I don’t listen to his music, but some of his techniques influenced me a lot. One of them, the “Rock&Roll” thumb technique is the one I use the most.
In this technique, the left-hand thumb plays the bass note of the chord. So you want to roll the thumb on top of the neck and play the bass note.
This technique is excellent for two reasons.
Number 1. Keeps your fingers free to play whatever they want.
Number 2. It makes it easier to noodle around with the notes of the chords.
The thumb technique works for all the chords that have the bass note on the low E string.
In this lesson, I am going to show you how to use this technique over a chord progression that is closer to the music style I like, but you can feel free to also experiment with other chords.
Have you ever heard someone saying the word”Jazzy chords” or ” Can you make this chords jazzier?” Well, if a jazz player is in the room, you know he is gonna play something cool!
Jazz players have such an amazing understanding of music theory and chord functions. Almost everything they play sounds beautiful, complex, and impossible to play.
So, what are the elements that we have to master to make our chords “Jazzy?”
Before we get into this, let me tell you something right away, guys! We don’t have to become Jazz players to play a few jazzy chords.
I am saying this because I know that many guitar players feel intimidated by anything that is labeled as Jazz music. And even though it is true that Jazz music can be extremely complex, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t a way to grasp a few ideas here and there and use them in our playing.
I am not a Jazz player. But I learned the chords that I always wanted to learn. The ones that inspired me the most, and I am happy this way because I am not forcing myself into trying to learn all the Jazz rules that are way too complex for the type of music I play.
Here are a few elements that make your chords Jazzier.
Subdominant and dominant chords.
Extended chords.
The phrasing.
The chromatic approach.
In this lesson, I am going to combine these elements in one chord progression, and I am going to break down the chords and notes choice so that you can understand the process I use.
We are going to be using quite popular Jazzy chords such as Min7, Dominant 13, and Maj9 chords.
The chord progression is this one.
|A | Em7 A13 | Dmaj9 | Dm G13 |
| Cmaj9 | Bm7b5 E7 | Am | Dm Fmaj7|
| G11 | Amaj7|
Now, as you can see from the chart, there is always a bar with one chord followed by a bar with two chords.
The bar with one chord gives you the Tonic chord, which is the chord that establishes the key or the tonal center. It’s the chord built on the I degree of the major or minor key.
The bar with two chords gives you the subdominant and dominant chord, which are the chords that set up tension that needs to resolve.
The subdominant is the chord built on the II degree of the major key; the Dominant chord is built on the fifth degree.
I made a video where I talk about chord functions, which explains in detail the role of the subdominant and dominant chords. I recommend that you check it out if you want to know more about this type of chords.
So, now you realize that this chord progression is a bunch of II V I in different keys.
After the first chord A, we play a II V I in D major key. Then a II V I in C major key followed by a ii V i in A minor key. And the last II V I that resolve on a different tonic chord.
