In guitar lesson 31, Dan reminds me about some of the approaches you can use when embellishing chords, including the use of double stops and different intervallic sounds.  You will hear Hendrixisms, discussion on how to connect major scales, chords and intervals in your thinking and some interesting approaches to help make your rhythm playing more interesting.  Finally we look at the different flavours created by a variety of intervals.  We hope you enjoy this lesson and use it as a springboard to improve your own rhythm playing.

Main timings:

• 5:34 Double stops are somewhere in between chords and melody
• 11:21 I pick a chord progression – Am Dm F and C
• 14:30 Build notes into chords as embellishments
• 30:17 Discussion of old amps including the MAJOR 200W
• 32:35 Little Wing as a prime example of this emellishment style
• 36:24 Double stop ideas in open chords which becomes Chris Rea’s Road to Hell
• 43:00 Demonstration of open chords with chord extensions
• 45:00 Using the notes of the chord to end your melodic runs
• 47:41 Double stops being used in thirds like in Brown Eyed Girl
• 51:25 Harmonising using 6ths
• 52:52 Harmonising parts of a melodic solo as 5ths and utilising octaves to recreate phrases
• 60:00 7ths for a jazzy or dominant 7ths for a bluesy feel

Detailed timings:

• 1:25 Our introduction and initial questions
• 1:58 Story about music course at Canterbury University with Big Jim Sullivan
• 3:04 Dan raises the issue of how there is a slight disconnect between lead and rhythm playing
• 4:40 Can you see how the two -chords and melody – link together?
• 5:34 Double stops are somewhere in between chords and melody
• 7:41 Look at chords in a key and write out the chords and notes
• 9:10 The chords and notes in any key go in a cycle
• 9:34 Relative minor and see the chords as part of a minor key
• 11:21 I pick a chord progression – Am Dm F and C
• 14:30 Build notes into chords as embellishments
• 15:11 Am chord embellishments
• 17:03 Dm chord embellishments at 10th fret
• 19:00 Dm chord embellishments at 5th fret
• 20:30 F major chord embellishments at 8th fret
• 22:06 C major chord embellishments
• 24:40 Analysing the added notes used in embellishments
• 28:11 Hendrix type playing – who’s used this embellishment style
• 30:17 Discussion of old amps including the MAJOR 200W
• 32:35 Little Wing as a prime example of this emellishment style
• 34:04 Hendrix – Little Wing
• 35:07 E shape Hendrix type embellishments
• 36:00 Hendrix – Hey Joe
• 36:24 Double stop ideas in open chords which becomes Chris Rea’s Road to Hell
• 37:54 Chris Rea – Road to Hell
• 40:00 rolling the fingers of the picking hand
• 42:06 Guthrie Trapp – Commodity
• 43:00 Demonstration of open chords with chord extensions
• 45:00 Using the notes of the chord to end your melodic runs
• 46:33 Me using this idea and creating a melody over some of Dan’s rhythm playing
• 47:41 Double stops being used in thirds like in Brown Eyed Girl
• 48:40 Van Morrison – Brown Eyed Girl
• 50:00 Learn the scales not just as single notes but as intervals and double stops
• 51:25 Harmonising using 6ths
• 52:09 Integrating what we have learnt so far and using more than one tactic
• 52:52 Harmonising parts of a melodic solo as 5ths and utilising octaves to recreate phrases
• 56:23 Different styles and using this type of technique
• 56:39 Using 5ths to create a heavy rock or metal sound
• 58:23 flicking off to open strings for a split second to create a jagged rock sound
• 60:00 7ths for a jazzy or dominant 7ths for a bluesy feel

Keep listening for more great lessons and advice from Dan as he teaches and mentors Gary to gain some skills and ideas.