Lessons

Chords within a given key have a function, or role they play within the key. Understanding these chord functions can help you understand why some chord progressions sound good while others sound not so good.

If you were to compile a list of the greatest riffs in rock history, it would be littered with Jimmy Page riffs. One of the greatest guitarists ever, his riffs range from edgy to funky.

Arpeggios are a great tool to use when soloing over chord changes or adding fills to rhythm sections. However, when and how to apply them can be a little confusing.

One of the easiest ways to learn your way around the fretboard is by applying licks to each scale position. You take something you already know how to play and apply it to the different positions on the fretboard.

In previous lessons we’ve learned about the CAGED system for learning guitar chords and scales. Another system that is useful for learning scales is the 3 notes per string system.

When we first learn the pentatonic scales, it’s typically done position by position. We learn one pattern, then the next, and so on. There’s nothing wrong with this approach, but if we don’t expand on it we’re bound to feel trapped in the “box”.

Playing chord progressions by position is a great way to familiarize yourself with the different chord voicings found all over the neck. It helps open up the fretboard and reduces dependency on only playing open chords and basic barre chord shapes.

In part one of guitar triads we looked at major triads and how you can learn these triads based on the CAGED guitar system. In this lesson we’ll take a look at minor triads. If you need a review of triads and how they’re formed, check out part one again. Otherwise, let’s get started!

Triads are the building blocks of chords. If you’re used to playing only full chords, triads will help expand your playing and allow you to create more unique voicings and tones. They’re a great way to spice up your playing by allowing you to easily add little embellishments to your rhythms.

Guitar arpeggios are when the notes of a chord are played individually one after another. They can be used to add a bit of color to guitar playing.