I’ve decided to start a series of videos for the guitar riff lessons. Hence the name “Cool Guitar Riffs #2.” Mostly because I’m running out of things to call them, so why not start giving them numbers?
I once had one of those Siamese fighting fish as a pet, and I wasn’t sure if he would live very long, so I named him Louis, in case I needed to start a dynasty…
Anyways, guitar riffs are a lot more fun than dead fish, so back on topic here! Today I’ve got one for you that uses fourths, and the A pentatonic minor scale. That’s the first riff in the video, and I’m sure you’ve heard this style of riff all over the place. It’s a pretty classic sound. Keep in mind that these riffs can sound very different if you simply turn off the talent button and play clean for a moment, or if you just change up the timing a little bit.
The second riff comes out of the A diatonic minor scale, root 5 -- also known as the Lydian scale if you like being technical about it. I find it more intuitive to talk about these scales in terms of what they are (A minor diatonic) and where they start (root 5 = 5th string… think about it… that means you’re starting on the 5th string, 12 fret, where you find the A). I’ve never related well to the technical terms like Lydian, Dorian and all the rest, and by and large I don’t find the terminology particularly helpful.
But there’s my rant for the day -- go ahead and hit play, watch the lesson, and then leave a comment below the video when you’re done!
Today’s topic is the difference between major and minor chords. Perhaps you’ve noticed this before, but the difference is only a single note! That note is the 3rd. The other two notes in the chord are the root note, and the fifth -- those notes are the same regardless of whether you’re making a major chord or a minor chord. So the difference between major and minor is quite minor, really.
Anyways, this is a handy bit of theory to know, but even better is seeing the thirds pattern and how it can be used on the guitar. Major thirds and minor thirds are some of the sweetest sounding harmonies you’ll hear, so it really pays to learn how to use those intervals on your guitar.
If you’re not familiar with the scale degrees, and how they can be used like numbers, you might want to checkout my lesson on Unlocking I IV V, as it explains that in detail.
This video is really just an introduction to thirds, but stay tuned -- I’ll be doing more on this topic in future lessons.
In this video lesson you’ll learn how you can cut your bar chords down to size, and still get a great result.
The cool thing about this is that it takes a lot less finger strength to make the chord (you’re not actually barring it), and in addition, you’re getting a totally different and unique sound now from the something you already knew!
The basic idea here is that you take the exact same notes you were playing in whatever bar chords you’re using, but now you just hack the chord in half and only play the top 3 or 4 strings on your guitar.
This really gives the chord a higher sound, which can really help cut through the rest of the band, and it can stand out very nicely from another guitar player who is using the same chords, but perhaps is playing them as open chords instead.
Practice these two patterns -- the major pattern and the minor pattern, and get used to thinking about the root note being on the first string instead of on the 6th string.
The other pattern in there that I realized I didn’t show too clearly is just an open D form, but moved up. The root note for that one comes off the second string.
Here’s a good song to practice your bar chords on: All Along The Watchtower. Many different artists have done versions of this song over the years. It’s a pretty cool jam tune, so if you’ve got a friend who plays guitar as well (or bass), why not rope them into a jam session, and you can trade off on the rhythm and practice your improvising?
The chords for All Along The Watchtower basically go A -- Bm -- A -- G, so the most challenging part is getting the rhythm right.
Any other songs you’ve always wanted to learn? Leave a comment below and let me know which ones they are!
