In this lesson on music theory basics we learn all about whole steps and half steps on guitar. Also know as tones and semitones, these are the basic building blocks of all music.
What is Music Theory?
In this video we discuss what music theory means for guitar and get a basic overview of why it’s important. We take a basic chord progression and look at how it comes from a scale. We also discuss melody vs harmony on the guitar.
Beginner Guitar Lesson 2 – Basic Guitar Chords D, Em, and Am – More Strumming Patterns and the C Major Scale
This is the second lesson in the beginner series. In this easy beginner guitar lesson we learn some new chords. We learn the D major guitar chords, and then practice a chord progression using D, E, and A major chords.
Then we learn to play E minor and A minor. Last week we learned easy versions of these chords using only one note, so this week we expand them into the standard guitar chord finger positions.
We are slowly working through learning the basic guitar chords, and these are among the easiest.
We also learn some new strumming patterns, and I show you how to alternate strings in your strumming patterns to add some variety to your playing.
Finally we wrap up the lesson with the C major scale. For beginners, the C major scale is a great starting point because not only is it the foundation of most music, it’s also easy and familiar sounding.
Here are the chords charts from this guitar lesson:
And here are the charts for the C major Scale:
Here’s the tab for the C major Scale:
Power Chords for Guitar! The Secret to Punk and Most Rock Guitar
In this beginner guitar lesson we learn power chords. Power chords are the most common chord your will find in most punk rock and rock music.
Power chords are a finger shape you can move around the guitar neck, so you learn one pattern, and you can play a power chord for any note on the guitar neck. To learn all the power chords you really only have to learn one power chord shape.
The most basic power chords on guitar use 2 notes, but the more common 3 note version is just as easy to play.
You can play the three note power chord with three fingers
You can also play a 3 note power chord with a bar
The Jazz Blues Chord Progression – Step by Step
In this lesson on the jazz blues chord progression, we turn a regular blues into jazz blues changes, step by step.
Going from the standard blues to a jazz blues chord progression is easier than it sounds. With just a few added chord movements you have “jazz blues” changes.
For me, the jazz blues changes are the blues changes that I hear when I play a blues tune. Even if it’s a basic 12 bar blues, I’m still thinking the jazz blues changes as I play. They have become my “basic blues”.
Whether you are comping for another soloist, or playing a solo, knowing the sound of the changes will allow you to think “jazz blues” instead of just blues.
It’s easy to take the basic 12 bar blues and convert it into a jazz blues chord progression.
We start with this basic blues chord progression:
First we add a the quick change in bar two to get more movement.
Now we use a ii-V jazz chord change in bar 4 to get to the four of the song, the C7 chord in bar 5… this is where it starts to get the jazz blues sound:
Now we add a diminished passing chord in the 6th bar, and a iii-VI-ii-V-I in bar 8
Finally, we throw a cool jazz blues turnaround on the last 2 bars of the jazz blues progression. In the following chart we use the “Coltrane turnaround”:
And in this example of jazz blues changes we use a regular I-vi-ii-V jazz turnaround:
Here’s the ii-V-I lick from the video:
And here are all of the chord charts from the jazz blues guitar lesson:
