“The only thing that will hold you back is the time you have left on this Planet”. You Sir are are a great teacher. Thank you for this Lesson & Channel!
This really should be the first video for a budding guitar student to watch. You can dance around music theory your whole life but you're never going to really get to where you want to be until you start learning it. Your circle of fifths on guitar video is priceless too, letting people easily memorize the notes once they see how basic it is laid out. Great channel!
So true - I know people who bend themselves into pretzels trying to avoid even rudimentary music theory...and instead engage in all manner of "gear fetish" to compensate.
@@mvp019 it all adds up to this: the pain of not knowing has to exceed the pain of learning. That’s the only time a human can really fully commit to learning something new
@@curiousguitarist heh! So true, I like that phrase and usually I search for knowledge. With my guitar it was always a fear of sounding like someone with no soul. Some things were better learning the long hard way, cements them into your psyche more. It was also fun discovering things, like the day in my second year when I thought I invented the power cord/5th. 🥴 Leaving theory till the end of 30 years to learn this gave me something to do during the pandemic but I wish I had learned it from the start.
So true - when I began learning guitar, I just followed the pentatonic pattern blindly - but it got me started, even though I hadn't a clue what these notes were! Not a bad thing if I only wanted to copy a certain song... but I understood that to really attempt to master the fretboard, hit the sweet notes in a solo, I had to dig deeper. Still got a long way to go, but finding new things every day makes me enjoy playing even more :)
Years ago when I tried to learn guitar as a teenager I was at the mercy of what the bookstore had, and what little my friends knew. I went nowhere with the instrument. I put it down for years. When lockdown started I got my guitar back out and went deep into music theory. With how much information is available on the internet I have finally made significant progress. I still consider myself a beginner but I feel like I'm building a bulletproof foundation to have a life-long skill. The biggest challenge in the beginning was figuring out what to learn. Where I am right now is practicing inversions around the neck to develop fluency. I'm starting to learn how express myself musically instead of just walking around scales aimlessly.
Always been a lazy learner, started in the 70's with the Beatles Complete song book with pictures of the chords above every song. Sure I learned quickly, so many shapes but no understanding. In later years I was getting curious about the theory side but found most UA-cam theory lessons daunting. You my friend have opened up a door to learning theory without realising it. Many thanks. It's time to dust off my old guitars and start learning again.
Thanks for acknowledging that pattern based learning is useful for guitar. It seems like the more context learning I do, the more patterns I discover. Having both, pattern and context learning, is critical to mastering guitar.
The more you know, the more you know. Knowledge is not an impediment to progress. Great lesson and explanation for those that never saw the need. Stay Well Groovy One!
Thanks, Chris. Forty years ago I picked up a guitar. I didn't think I needed much more that the basic chords and knowing how to barre. I was into punk rock, after all. Three chords and a backbeat. Along the way, I picked up the bass. Kind of the same thing. Minimal theory, lots of patterns, and I was playing gigs. Here I am all these years alter trying to figure things out and get them to stick in my mind and my fingers. Just a long way of saying thank you for the lessons and clarity in your teaching. Be good to you
Hey Chris, I’m so glad I ran across your site. After more than 3 decades of not picking up the guitar out of sheer frustration, I’m ready to give it another shot. Thanks for you enlightening and thought provoking method of teaching music theory as it relates to the guitar.
Great video! You hit the nail on the head. After my pattern plateau, the one thing (besides covid, which locked me in my house with my guitar for a year) that really skyrocketed my guitar skills was joining a band, and holding myself accountable.
In the town I lived no one ever even cover their face ..the only way we new about COVID is t.v on phone..that and I got sick two times ..it blows my mind people listen to the government like that
I was curious (no pun intended) when I saw the thumbnail, so I watched the video. Been playing 35 years, and I can't tell you how fortunate I was to have learned this principle very early. Always asking, "What MAKES this a diminished chord? What MAKES this 'harmonic' minor?", etc. So many players I knew were only thinking in terms of where their fingers were supposed to go, while I was thinking in terms of pure musical information that could apply to any instrument. It did put me way ahead, and made EVERYTHING easier-playing, memorizing music, analyzing, communicating with other musicians, composing, arranging, etc.
I did start out learning simple chords and such when I started out, but I was very quickly introduced to the 12 individual notes of western music, all the intervals, how to build scales, building chords, harmony and so on - but not on the guitar, but from a music theory perspective. I've always been very happy with that. It didn't really catch on for a long while, but it was always in the back of my mind and all of a sudden it kinda bloomed into life a lot more. I've always been more interested in composing and studying other people's songs and what makes it work the way it does, as opposed to "just learning patterns". I never found much interesting learning a solo from someone else "just because Kirk Hammett is cool", and for as much as I love Petrucci's and David Gilmour's playing, I've hardly ever learned all that much of their music specifically, more so the principles behind their writing and playing. I think in many ways that thinking just always led me more so to what you refer to as context-based.
This one really hit home. I knew these things work, but I didn’t know “why” they worked. Being self taught and stumbling upon some triads while learning a few Allman Brothers and Grateful Dead songs 25 years ago, I didn’t know what a triad was and I certainly didn’t know why they worked. I just started using those same patterns up and down the fretboard. Here I am all these years later, I know all these triads, but I still don’t really know how to string them together and make them flow. Your videos are helping me do that now. I’ve learned more in the last two weeks than I have in the last 10 years, man. I find myself watching these things when I don’t even have a guitar nearby because I always learn something new. Even if it’s one little piece of the puzzle. I’ve basically been trying to do Algebra without knowing how to add or subtract, first. Learning these basic steps, the building blocks, makes it so much easier. I’m kicking myself for not doing this sooner. Thanks again for what you do, man. Great stuff!
That ominous sound and ending message gave me existential dread! Everyone I know who plays guitar only know pattern-based knowledge. So I thought I was too dumb because they know so much chord shapes but they won't tell me how those are formed. I soon realized that they did not know the concept behind the shapes and all of it were just from years of memorization. Thank you for this my doubts have cleared, and I will keep on being curious!
I didn’t mean to scare anyone, but I did think it was an important message to highlight seriously. We all want to reach our potential and including context just makes it faster and easier. Thanks for the comment!
Great lesson, thanks! Use context to discover patterns and then use the patterns to free some brain power and focus on the music. Context became really critical for me when I started learning keyboard, and things didn't just "slide" over 😊.
I needed to see this video today. At just over a year of learning the guitar your instruction here will stay with me going forward. Thank you for this and all of your videos.
So my brain absolutely understands what’s your saying about knowing context. I have been playing guitar for 50+ years but have acquired most of my guitar playing ability in the first 5 years. Being a garage band musician I just learned from those around me. I treated music theory like learning mathematics. That’s not for me. Hell the Beatles never learned formal music theory so they have said. But I’ve always wanted to become a much better guitarist. So here I am at 71 and still love to pick up my guitar everyday. It’s really hard to change old habits. But your excellent video hits home. I still have some time left. It’s either learn context or continue to play the same old tired chords and notes. Thank you for your words of wisdom!
You are so welcome!! I’m glad you’re here friend. Also, about those Beatles. They absolutely knew the context, but they got it from playing 5-8 hours a day for years. While I’d love to have that opportunity, I took the short cut and studied, mostly because I did not have that luxury myself of just “living” music. Great comment, thank you!
Chris, excellent lesson. I have been at it now for about five years and viewed 1,000’s of You Tube videos. This one ranks at the top of the list for me. Even taking piano lessons now to learn more music theory to apply to my guitar playing. Rock on!
i learn something from each of your videos, and I have watch most of them. I'm still not as good as the teacher but a much better player than when I started. Thanks Chris, you do nice work.
Quite a timely video ! As a (bad) keyboardist considering exploring the guitar, this is exactly what i was figuring out : "guitar beginner" tutorials rarely speak to my understanding of chords & scales. I guess it is indeed for the reason mentionned in the video : the pattern based playing. This approach rarely comes with the saying of which notes are actually being played & why. So, i looked at a guitar neck chart, looked at the E minor chord shape on open strings, so R5R+b35R, which means the top 3 strings are my left hand and the bottom 3 strings are my right hand in 2nd inversion (a usual configuration when playing chords with 2 hands on keys). Then it is a question of vocabulary : this shape is called "barre chord" ! Thanks for confirming i am on a correct path, time to find a guitar i like and start rocking 🎸
Where was this video 10+ years ago when I finally realized just what you say. I have been working the last year or more breaking bad habits and now have begun the path of learning music theory and how it is all connected. some of it is sticking some I still scratch my head over. In the end progress has been made. I still won't call myself a guitarist but I do say I play guitars.
I am just starting out at 53 years old, I am annoyed at my 18 year old self for not sticking with it, so I'm starting again now. This is going to be THE moment where I realised I want more than to learn Tabs...... I'm going to need to do it right..... Thank you.
Thanks for this. I used to play from rote memorization but finally put in the work to understand WHY things worked the way they do in music and on the guitar and it has made a huge difference.
I've been picking a guitar for around 50 years and I listened to this vid. Augment this, flat that, this root, that minor and so on. This thing requires a great understanding of music theory to implement and I'll confess right up front that none of it made any sense.
It's not needed, and until the pain of not knowing exceeds the pain of actually learning it, there's not going to be much motivation. Totally understand. And if your happy where you are, then it's really full stop right? I'm just one of those guys who's never happy where I am, always want to be getting better as fast as I can. Thanks for being here and the comment, 58landman!
@@curiousguitarist Well, it often comes down to time and effort paired against intent. Learning is wonderful and I do it daily but like with any hard science, most of that learning is much like plowing a field without a tractor and later on is about as useful as Calculus, to most people. I studied classical guitar for 3-4 years when I was younger and the combination of reading music and playing, in itself, required a lot of dedication. I learned to read quickly and to play well but beyond that rigid approach, there really wasn't much enjoyment in it.
@@58landman Indeed, sustained effort over time on specific goals gets everything done faster. If that progress isn't worth the time spent, then in deed, why bother. But learning in both of these ways, is simply better, more effective, and more satisfying than not :)
Absolutely great advice, and I wish I was taught this when I was starting out as a beginner 13 years ago, I've been slowly learning patterns over time, the usual Pentatonic pattern 1 and onwards adding the coloured notes as time goes on... But if they'd have only said, "Dude, just learn the intervals of the major scale really well" and then teach me the changes required for each variation as you explained... How much more advanced I would be, thank you for being on UA-cam Chris and uncovering the real truth of guitar playing for us 🙂... I'm not saying that all the patterns I've been learning for the last good few years is wrong, I still use them when I feel stuck whilst learning the "contextual" things and theory behind them, and this is really where the rubber hits the road, theory is great and when both tie together a whole new universe opens up, but I think should be taught in unison from the start together as you've explained here.
That’s exactly what I’ve been thinking about lately! A couple of weeks ago i ditched all the scale shapes and started looking into intervals, and I’m positively surprised by how much more melodic i can be now. I started seeing my own little patterns i like, and it’s so much better than using a cut and dry shape, because you internalize them better I would presume. Also learning triads is so much more satisfying, rather than moving little shapes around the neck I look for notes and then the intervals to make the chord I want, which helps visualize the fretboard better also. I wonder, is there any way of getting more out of this approach? Also, since I’ve seen another UA-camr talk about this and say that he still considers the major scale shapes as a good visualization tool alongside the interval way, do you think it still has some value to try and learn those shapes? Or will I be better off sticking only to this context-based approach?
Ultimately you need both, realy. The way to get more out of this approach is to seek out the formulas of the things you're curious about, and map them yourself...then you can turn THOSE into your own patterns as you pointed out. Thanks so much for being here!
This video should be required viewing for beginner guitarists, especially those who insist the learning music theory is impractical since most things on guitar are pattern-based. Excellent video.
You're absolutely right! My early years of learning guitar were spent with hours and hours of scales and technical exercises and very little actual music. So my fingers could do a lot of things, but I had no idea how to apply any of that in a musical context. It was very humbling seeing students who a year ago were at a very elementary level suddenly now are playing stuff I had never dreamed of.
Lucky for me Howard Morgan was my first guitar teacher. New School NYC. 34 year ago? I have had a lot teachers since then. They were all great teachers / but Howard was the only “teacher” - he didn’t call it context - but that’s what it was. In fact - context based is so good - I remember everything Howard Morgan taught me - so - I don’t need lessons from you - (well we all need lessons - like seeing a therapist) - though I won’t be signing up - if you weren’t lucky enough to live in NYC - and learn from one of the best 7 string - finger style jazz cats ever - ps Howard wrote a regular column in Guitar Player (or world?) - as a former student of Howard Morgan (ps Howard was also Paul Simon’s teacher - I 100% do hereby validate/authorize Chris as your lucky path to truly learning guitar (via - visual music theory aka contextual) - also Mr. Chris doesn’t have visible nose hair - wear a flat cap - and breathe super loud while playing - and by studying online you don’t have to put up with moldy smell of the Scales Intervals keys triads rhythm and meter book.
Oh my goodness, best comment ever. Thanks!!! I still take lessons frequently myself, always something new to learn from folks further down the road! Thanks for this!
As a player for 40 years, I can say this is indeed excellent advice, especially for beginners. I can sum up the entire 11:24 video with just " If you want to reach your full potential on guitar study theory". Ask yourself this simple question, do you want to be just a guitar player or do you want to be a musician?
I have been trying to find a way to put this concept into words for the guys that I play with. Since my first instruments were piano and clarinet, I have always been aware of triads, intervals in chord construction. When I picked up guitar, I started with pattern learning then eventually found where my scales, triads and intervals were inside those chord forms. But explaining that to players that never played a band instrument or piano has been a problem. Thanks for putting it into words and maybe it will help me teach my fellow band members when I say “no it’s a minor 3rd”
Haha I know that feeling SO well! Our drummer does not speak the language at all, but he's incredibly creative, sometimes it can be SO frustrating trying to negotiate a musical idea together! Thanks for being here RF!
I agree 100%. When I look at scale for other instruments, it’s usually one octave. Above that they are called extensions. After I saw that, I pretty much ditched pattern based. I still use it on a limited basis though, like noticing how inversions are fingered.
I can't honestly say that I've seen every video you've produced, but I have seen a large majority. I find myself repeatedly asking the question, "Has this guy ever made a video that doesn't *reek* of good ideas?" It doesn't hurt that they're also concise and logical; excellence in form and content. Thank you yet again, Chris, for continuing to inform my education!
Really enjoying your videos, Chris! Your style and method remind me of my teacher from waaaay back in the 80's. It's refreshing to see, and also refreshing my skills. Thanks so much! Jam on!
thank you chris, i am a beginner and was very excited when i first learned the pentatonic scale but as i have memorised the scale and a few licks, i feel stuck and limited where i find myself forcing the same when practicing soloing. i have recently started to understand music theory, doing your music theory 101 course with marty music alongside things like arpeggios and inversions. i am really happy i came across you because this gives me a new perspective to music and guitar playing. thanks again! 🙏🏽
Excellant lesson!!!! I always wondered if the "great players" knew theory, ie context, or just play because they have "talent'.. I now understand they use BOTH! I have always hesitated to lear "context" because it seemed like to much 'thinking' was involved. I just wanted to play and sound great without "thinking". I guess I 'll have to learn "context". If you see smoke rising out of my house, it will be cause I'm trying to "think".
Haha, Peter. Take it slow, do a major chord, or the major scale first, and stay on that until the smoke clears. It will get easier and easier as you go and you will never look back!
Hello Chris , i am a pattern based guitarplayer for over 40 years now and i realize i need to dive into this context way of playing the guitar . i have noticed my lack of understanding music theory for a long time now , but every time i try to understand music theory i hit a wall , my brain just does not grasp it , this really bums me out because i fullly realize that this lack of understanding musictheory is holding me back to fully exployed the guitarneck and improve my playing , so what should a dumm ass like me do 🤣, and yes , i already tried the "guitar for dummies " learning method but even that i did not understand 🤣
Here are the degrees for the minor pentatonic scale: R b3 4 5 b7 Play each one of those against the root of the scale (use A for example). Now listen to each one and try to notice which of the notes pulls your ear back to the root more than the others. Those notes are the heart and soul of the scale. When you get to know the sounds, and the tension/emotion you can control, even with only 3 or 4 notes, then the only limit is your curiosity. Start slow. Know one small thing. Then move on. It will accelerate.
CHRIS, page and hendrix would use bass lines to change the chord function and upper register. What I'm saying is that the bass player would play a m3,M3,P4,P5,m6,M6 down from the root note of the chord which changes the guitar players chord. I'm not sure what trick this is called when the bass player does this but I think its called Implied harmony? but when you have time listen to a lot of zeppelin and hendrix to find when the bass player does this to make a lesson about it.
@@curiousguitarist True, they do they that also but Hendrix and Page use a different trick. Example if the guitarist is play an E minor chord but the bass player hits a C note, its Implied harmony is C major 7th. The note C is not an inversion chord tone or a slash chord. The Bass player is changing the Upper register Chord, Its not slash chords or inversions. I'm not sure what this is called because its not inversions or slash chords, I think its something to do with implied harmony.
@@curiousguitarist I know the bassist for Guns N Roses uses the 4th scale degree as the bass note or the 4th chord tone as the bass note. I'm not sure really what this is called because its not a slash chord or a chord inversion.
I totally agree with you but I know I have a mental block and there are just too many patterns and shapes of theory and modes and oddities on the fretboard. I play by ear and patterns.
Chris, your work is really helpful. Context-based learning is one of the best things you can learn when studying an instrument. Not only does is help you see the guitar fretboard more clearly, but it imparts an understanding to it as well...will subscribe in a minute...
Excellent video. I recently had some ask me about wanting to just jump into guitar without lessons and it isn't going good for them as I know first hand about pattern based learning and music theory. I wish they weren't impatient in just wanting to play because it seems they gave up because chords didn't really make sense to them and want instant results.
Ive been trying to improve my playing for some time, and could never find the right videos to teach me. Thank you for helping me understand the scales and music theory!! Do you have more videos in order for music theory?
I have a bunch uploaded here already. I'd say watch these first, and see where you end up. ua-cam.com/play/PLunQlxH_jM1STg3WuVOFmd2BZ3WwJ4xNS.html&si=opU4RPDeYcpaaNxZ Let me know if you're interested in a specific aspect of theory and I'll try to help. Cheers!
Next question then - your friend says “the blues scale would work better here”, how do they know? The way of modifying chords from one to another I think I figured out a while back, maybe not as quickly as I’d like, but we’ll enough. What I’ve never quite worked out though, is how to do that next bit.
I'm addressing this exact question next week! Stay tuned. Ultimately you need to hear the sounds that a scale or chord provide to understand if it's going to be preferable over something else. This idea of context gets you there fast.
“If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” - Chinese Proverb This is like the difference between teaching memorization of formulas versus conceptual understanding in math education. Memorization is brittle, whereas conceptual understanding is robust. Great video!
@@curiousguitarist in many ways… I’m that guy. I mean I do know quite a bit of music theory. But I still don’t know my way around the fretboard, as well as I should, for someone who’s been playing as long as I have. Number of years ago I made some flashcards and learned all the triads so I could spell all the basic chords. I think it’s about time for me to actually learn all of the notes on the fretboard and start locating triads all over the front porch
@@JohnnyArtPavlou just keep learning the next thing, one at a time, and you get used to generating the hunger for new information. Sounds like you’re on track my friend!
Wow! This is game changing and eye opening! I know pentatonic and a bit of caged but need to start learning contextly. How would you recommend learning?
Try this, Thomas... Here are the degrees for the minor pentatonic scale: R b3 4 5 b7 Play each one of those against the root of the scale (use A for example). Now listen to each one and try to notice which of the notes pulls your ear back to the root more than the others. Those notes are the heart and soul of the scale. When you get to know the sounds, and the tension/emotion you can control, even with only 3 or 4 notes, then the only limit is your curiosity. Start slow. Know one small thing. Then move on. It will accelerate.
“The only thing that will hold you back is the time you have left on this Planet”. You Sir are are a great teacher. Thank you for this Lesson & Channel!
You are so welcome, Andy!
🎉8
Now, a lesson on how to get more time on the planet.
Yes, it's a brilliant comment.
.... The little tendon click I'm getting in my first finger from over playing is trying to hold me back too though ;-)
This really should be the first video for a budding guitar student to watch. You can dance around music theory your whole life but you're never going to really get to where you want to be until you start learning it.
Your circle of fifths on guitar video is priceless too, letting people easily memorize the notes once they see how basic it is laid out.
Great channel!
Thanks, Herman!
So true - I know people who bend themselves into pretzels trying to avoid even rudimentary music theory...and instead engage in all manner of "gear fetish" to compensate.
@@mvp019 it all adds up to this: the pain of not knowing has to exceed the pain of learning. That’s the only time a human can really fully commit to learning something new
@@curiousguitarist heh! So true, I like that phrase and usually I search for knowledge. With my guitar it was always a fear of sounding like someone with no soul. Some things were better learning the long hard way, cements them into your psyche more. It was also fun discovering things, like the day in my second year when I thought I invented the power cord/5th. 🥴 Leaving theory till the end of 30 years to learn this gave me something to do during the pandemic but I wish I had learned it from the start.
So true - when I began learning guitar, I just followed the pentatonic pattern blindly - but it got me started, even though I hadn't a clue what these notes were! Not a bad thing if I only wanted to copy a certain song...
but I understood that to really attempt to master the fretboard, hit the sweet notes in a solo, I had to dig deeper. Still got a long way to go, but finding new things every day makes me enjoy playing even more :)
Years ago when I tried to learn guitar as a teenager I was at the mercy of what the bookstore had, and what little my friends knew. I went nowhere with the instrument. I put it down for years.
When lockdown started I got my guitar back out and went deep into music theory. With how much information is available on the internet I have finally made significant progress. I still consider myself a beginner but I feel like I'm building a bulletproof foundation to have a life-long skill.
The biggest challenge in the beginning was figuring out what to learn. Where I am right now is practicing inversions around the neck to develop fluency. I'm starting to learn how express myself musically instead of just walking around scales aimlessly.
Great post edubs, thanks! I'm glad you're here mate.
Always been a lazy learner, started in the 70's with the Beatles Complete song book with pictures of the chords above every song. Sure I learned quickly, so many shapes but no understanding. In later years I was getting curious about the theory side but found most UA-cam theory lessons daunting. You my friend have opened up a door to learning theory without realising it. Many thanks. It's time to dust off my old guitars and start learning again.
So very glad you’re here, Des!
Thanks for acknowledging that pattern based learning is useful for guitar. It seems like the more context learning I do, the more patterns I discover. Having both, pattern and context learning, is critical to mastering guitar.
Truth!
Welcome to theory put into context for you. Pun intended.
The more you know, the more you know. Knowledge is not an impediment to progress. Great lesson and explanation for those that never saw the need. Stay Well Groovy One!
Thanks Noah, you stay well too sir!
Thanks, Chris.
Forty years ago I picked up a guitar. I didn't think I needed much more that the basic chords and knowing how to barre. I was into punk rock, after all. Three chords and a backbeat. Along the way, I picked up the bass. Kind of the same thing. Minimal theory, lots of patterns, and I was playing gigs.
Here I am all these years alter trying to figure things out and get them to stick in my mind and my fingers.
Just a long way of saying thank you for the lessons and clarity in your teaching.
Be good to you
Hey Chris, I’m so glad I ran across your site. After more than 3 decades of not picking up the guitar out of sheer frustration, I’m ready to give it another shot. Thanks for you enlightening and thought provoking method of teaching music theory as it relates to the guitar.
Thanks for being here, Mark. I'm glad this stuff is resonating with you, welcome aboard!
I’m in the same boat dude. Pre internet I could only get so far by myself, ended up getting frustrated
Great video! You hit the nail on the head. After my pattern plateau, the one thing (besides covid, which locked me in my house with my guitar for a year) that really skyrocketed my guitar skills was joining a band, and holding myself accountable.
So very true! Glad you enjoyed this one Vaughn. And thanks for your support on Patreon.
In the town I lived no one ever even cover their face ..the only way we new about COVID is t.v on phone..that and I got sick two times ..it blows my mind people listen to the government like that
I am a pattern learner trying figure it out thanks for the lesson
You bet, David! Best to have both!
I was curious (no pun intended) when I saw the thumbnail, so I watched the video. Been playing 35 years, and I can't tell you how fortunate I was to have learned this principle very early. Always asking, "What MAKES this a diminished chord? What MAKES this 'harmonic' minor?", etc. So many players I knew were only thinking in terms of where their fingers were supposed to go, while I was thinking in terms of pure musical information that could apply to any instrument. It did put me way ahead, and made EVERYTHING easier-playing, memorizing music, analyzing, communicating with other musicians, composing, arranging, etc.
So good, so true!
I did start out learning simple chords and such when I started out, but I was very quickly introduced to the 12 individual notes of western music, all the intervals, how to build scales, building chords, harmony and so on - but not on the guitar, but from a music theory perspective. I've always been very happy with that. It didn't really catch on for a long while, but it was always in the back of my mind and all of a sudden it kinda bloomed into life a lot more. I've always been more interested in composing and studying other people's songs and what makes it work the way it does, as opposed to "just learning patterns". I never found much interesting learning a solo from someone else "just because Kirk Hammett is cool", and for as much as I love Petrucci's and David Gilmour's playing, I've hardly ever learned all that much of their music specifically, more so the principles behind their writing and playing. I think in many ways that thinking just always led me more so to what you refer to as context-based.
This one really hit home. I knew these things work, but I didn’t know “why” they worked. Being self taught and stumbling upon some triads while learning a few Allman Brothers and Grateful Dead songs 25 years ago, I didn’t know what a triad was and I certainly didn’t know why they worked. I just started using those same patterns up and down the fretboard. Here I am all these years later, I know all these triads, but I still don’t really know how to string them together and make them flow. Your videos are helping me do that now. I’ve learned more in the last two weeks than I have in the last 10 years, man. I find myself watching these things when I don’t even have a guitar nearby because I always learn something new. Even if it’s one little piece of the puzzle.
I’ve basically been trying to do Algebra without knowing how to add or subtract, first. Learning these basic steps, the building blocks, makes it so much easier. I’m kicking myself for not doing this sooner. Thanks again for what you do, man. Great stuff!
Of course! Thanks for the kudos, I’m so glad doors are opening and stuff is making sense. Happy to be helping!
Hi Chris, thanks for the vid. I think you are the role model guitar teacher.
Wow, that's so kind of you. I really appreciate that and I'm glad you enjoyed this one, Grzegorz!
That ominous sound and ending message gave me existential dread!
Everyone I know who plays guitar only know pattern-based knowledge. So I thought I was too dumb because they know so much chord shapes but they won't tell me how those are formed. I soon realized that they did not know the concept behind the shapes and all of it were just from years of memorization.
Thank you for this my doubts have cleared, and I will keep on being curious!
I didn’t mean to scare anyone, but I did think it was an important message to highlight seriously. We all want to reach our potential and including context just makes it faster and easier. Thanks for the comment!
Great lesson, thanks! Use context to discover patterns and then use the patterns to free some brain power and focus on the music. Context became really critical for me when I started learning keyboard, and things didn't just "slide" over 😊.
Love that context...yeah we guitarists got it easy with the slide overs :)
I needed to see this video today. At just over a year of learning the guitar your instruction here will stay with me going forward. Thank you for this and all of your videos.
So glad to have been of assistance! Glad you're here
So my brain absolutely understands what’s your saying about knowing context. I have been playing guitar for 50+ years but have acquired most of my guitar playing ability in the first 5 years. Being a garage band musician I just learned from those around me. I treated music theory like learning mathematics. That’s not for me. Hell the Beatles never learned formal music theory so they have said. But I’ve always wanted to become a much better guitarist. So here I am at 71 and still love to pick up my guitar everyday. It’s really hard to change old habits. But your excellent video hits home. I still have some time left. It’s either learn context or continue to play the same old tired chords and notes. Thank you for your words of wisdom!
You are so welcome!! I’m glad you’re here friend.
Also, about those Beatles. They absolutely knew the context, but they got it from playing 5-8 hours a day for years. While I’d love to have that opportunity, I took the short cut and studied, mostly because I did not have that luxury myself of just “living” music.
Great comment, thank you!
But, but, but... you want me to understand what I am doing?!?! Radical. LOL Great grounding lesson. Very helpful.
😆
Chris, excellent lesson. I have been at it now for about five years and viewed 1,000’s of You Tube videos. This one ranks at the top of the list for me. Even taking piano lessons now to learn more music theory to apply to my guitar playing. Rock on!
This idea will open the doors for you, then you can walk in the light for the rest of your journey!
Probably the best advice i have seen for years - thanks
Of course!
i learn something from each of your videos, and I have watch most of them. I'm still not as good as the teacher but a much better player than when I started. Thanks Chris, you do nice work.
The only comparisons I enjoy are those to my past self. Thanks so much for being here!
I've been trying to get out of the same scales and patterns. Context is now my focus. Thanks a ton! God bless you.
Of course, you are welcome, and I'm so glad you're here.
Quite a timely video !
As a (bad) keyboardist considering exploring the guitar, this is exactly what i was figuring out : "guitar beginner" tutorials rarely speak to my understanding of chords & scales. I guess it is indeed for the reason mentionned in the video : the pattern based playing. This approach rarely comes with the saying of which notes are actually being played & why.
So, i looked at a guitar neck chart, looked at the E minor chord shape on open strings, so R5R+b35R, which means the top 3 strings are my left hand and the bottom 3 strings are my right hand in 2nd inversion (a usual configuration when playing chords with 2 hands on keys). Then it is a question of vocabulary : this shape is called "barre chord" !
Thanks for confirming i am on a correct path, time to find a guitar i like and start rocking 🎸
Where was this video 10+ years ago when I finally realized just what you say. I have been working the last year or more breaking bad habits and now have begun the path of learning music theory and how it is all connected. some of it is sticking some I still scratch my head over. In the end progress has been made. I still won't call myself a guitarist but I do say I play guitars.
I am just starting out at 53 years old, I am annoyed at my 18 year old self for not sticking with it, so I'm starting again now. This is going to be THE moment where I realised I want more than to learn Tabs...... I'm going to need to do it right..... Thank you.
I'm with you bud! Right along side! go go go!
Thanks to your teachings I use conceptual learning for almost everything musical that I try to learn..👍🏼❤️ Thanks Chris!
Of course, Joe! Thank YOU for your support and trust in me.
Thanks for this. I used to play from rote memorization but finally put in the work to understand WHY things worked the way they do in music and on the guitar and it has made a huge difference.
Yes. Clear explanation and also direction so we can find out more. Great lesson.
Glad you enjoyed it Maryk!
I've been picking a guitar for around 50 years and I listened to this vid. Augment this, flat that, this root, that minor and so on. This thing requires a great understanding of music theory to implement and I'll confess right up front that none of it made any sense.
It's not needed, and until the pain of not knowing exceeds the pain of actually learning it, there's not going to be much motivation. Totally understand. And if your happy where you are, then it's really full stop right? I'm just one of those guys who's never happy where I am, always want to be getting better as fast as I can.
Thanks for being here and the comment, 58landman!
@@curiousguitarist Well, it often comes down to time and effort paired against intent. Learning is wonderful and I do it daily but like with any hard science, most of that learning is much like plowing a field without a tractor and later on is about as useful as Calculus, to most people.
I studied classical guitar for 3-4 years when I was younger and the combination of reading music and playing, in itself, required a lot of dedication. I learned to read quickly and to play well but beyond that rigid approach, there really wasn't much enjoyment in it.
@@58landman Indeed, sustained effort over time on specific goals gets everything done faster.
If that progress isn't worth the time spent, then in deed, why bother.
But learning in both of these ways, is simply better, more effective, and more satisfying than not :)
This video should be mandated content before EVERY other guitar video on the web!
Wow, thanks mate, that's awfully kind of you. I appreciate it.
Amazing as always
Thanks, Pavel.
Absolutely great advice, and I wish I was taught this when I was starting out as a beginner 13 years ago, I've been slowly learning patterns over time, the usual Pentatonic pattern 1 and onwards adding the coloured notes as time goes on... But if they'd have only said, "Dude, just learn the intervals of the major scale really well" and then teach me the changes required for each variation as you explained... How much more advanced I would be, thank you for being on UA-cam Chris and uncovering the real truth of guitar playing for us 🙂... I'm not saying that all the patterns I've been learning for the last good few years is wrong, I still use them when I feel stuck whilst learning the "contextual" things and theory behind them, and this is really where the rubber hits the road, theory is great and when both tie together a whole new universe opens up, but I think should be taught in unison from the start together as you've explained here.
Well said! Thanks for this, it’s great to hear other stories and perspective, glad you enjoyed this one, Adam.
It’s very liberating to break away from just playing patterns and actually chasing notes👍👍👍 thanks for the lesson and far from the last.😉
Thank YOU Bubba!
Very logical
That’s exactly what I’ve been thinking about lately! A couple of weeks ago i ditched all the scale shapes and started looking into intervals, and I’m positively surprised by how much more melodic i can be now. I started seeing my own little patterns i like, and it’s so much better than using a cut and dry shape, because you internalize them better I would presume. Also learning triads is so much more satisfying, rather than moving little shapes around the neck I look for notes and then the intervals to make the chord I want, which helps visualize the fretboard better also. I wonder, is there any way of getting more out of this approach?
Also, since I’ve seen another UA-camr talk about this and say that he still considers the major scale shapes as a good visualization tool alongside the interval way, do you think it still has some value to try and learn those shapes? Or will I be better off sticking only to this context-based approach?
Ultimately you need both, realy. The way to get more out of this approach is to seek out the formulas of the things you're curious about, and map them yourself...then you can turn THOSE into your own patterns as you pointed out. Thanks so much for being here!
This video should be required viewing for beginner guitarists, especially those who insist the learning music theory is impractical since most things on guitar are pattern-based. Excellent video.
Thank you Derrick. I’m just trying to get as many guitarists on the bus as I can :)
My brain is saying ya. This is what I’ve been saying. I want to understand why I’m playing what I’m play. Great video
Just amazing. Ive never seen or been taught something this simple but so important. Just subscribed. Awesome content.
Welcome aboard, thanks so much! Great to have you here, KB.
This is the first time in my 65 years scales and patterns ever made sense to me
Man, I can't tell you how honored I am to have that happen here for you, Murphy. Welcome aboard!
Yes. Many guitar players forget that they are not only guitar players, but they are musicians.
So true!!!
Amazing! This video REALLY may be the LAST one I needed to see.
Master, Your teaching is a blessing🙏🏽
So grateful that it’s been enlightening for you Miro!
You're absolutely right! My early years of learning guitar were spent with hours and hours of scales and technical exercises and very little actual music. So my fingers could do a lot of things,
but I had no idea how to apply any of that in a musical context. It was very humbling seeing students who a year ago were at a very elementary level suddenly now are playing stuff I had never
dreamed of.
Yeah, this is the greatest box Pandora ever left us guitarists....
Love that! Yes, once the door is open the horizon is limitless.
Truth
Lucky for me Howard Morgan was my first guitar teacher. New School NYC. 34 year ago? I have had a lot teachers since then. They were all great teachers / but Howard was the only “teacher” - he didn’t call it context - but that’s what it was. In fact - context based is so good - I remember everything Howard Morgan taught me - so - I don’t need lessons from you - (well we all need lessons - like seeing a therapist) - though I won’t be signing up - if you weren’t lucky enough to live in NYC - and learn from one of the best 7 string - finger style jazz cats ever - ps Howard wrote a regular column in Guitar Player (or world?) - as a former student of Howard Morgan (ps Howard was also Paul Simon’s teacher - I 100% do hereby validate/authorize Chris as your lucky path to truly learning guitar (via - visual music theory aka contextual) - also Mr. Chris doesn’t have visible nose hair - wear a flat cap - and breathe super loud while playing - and by studying online you don’t have to put up with moldy smell of the Scales Intervals keys triads rhythm and meter book.
Oh my goodness, best comment ever. Thanks!!!
I still take lessons frequently myself, always something new to learn from folks further down the road!
Thanks for this!
even though this is the last guitar vid i'll ever need, i went ahead and subbed. thanks for casting light.
Haha, thanks for the sub! Glad you’re here.
Very interesting I kinda understand what you're saying!! I think it's all very true very interesting. Thank you
You bet, Marc. Let me know if you have any questions!
As usual, your teaching knowledge and methods are enlightening, thanks again !
My pleasure, always happy to help.
Another Eye opener!! Always !! Learn a new way of looking at things through your teachings!! Thanks you! Sir!
You bet, Tone!
As a player for 40 years, I can say this is indeed excellent advice, especially for beginners. I can sum up the entire 11:24 video with just " If you want to reach your full potential on guitar study theory". Ask yourself this simple question, do you want to be just a guitar player or do you want to be a musician?
Best comment ever!
@@curiousguitarist In my best Elvis voice " Thank you, thank you very much".
Thanks alot for your directions and explainations and straightforward approach
Of course, Anslem. Glad you enjoyed this one.
This has to be the 1st video every guitar player MUST watch! So nice I liked it twice!
Haha I love it, once on the way in, then again on the way out ;)
I have been trying to find a way to put this concept into words for the guys that I play with. Since my first instruments were piano and clarinet, I have always been aware of triads, intervals in chord construction. When I picked up guitar, I started with pattern learning then eventually found where my scales, triads and intervals were inside those chord forms. But explaining that to players that never played a band instrument or piano has been a problem. Thanks for putting it into words and maybe it will help me teach my fellow band members when I say “no it’s a minor 3rd”
Haha I know that feeling SO well! Our drummer does not speak the language at all, but he's incredibly creative, sometimes it can be SO frustrating trying to negotiate a musical idea together!
Thanks for being here RF!
Merci, great advice. The only pattern I use now is to find more of your videos.
Haha! Welcome aboard!!!
just discovered u...as a full time music teacher here in nyc for the past 20 years...I FULL ENDORSE YOUR VIDEO:))
Wow, thanks so much, Chris. That means a great deal to me.
@@curiousguitarist u are fantastic...where do you live and teach??
@@soofitnsexy Denver, CO. Where in NY are you? My mother was born and raised in Brooklyn
@@curiousguitarist nice im in astoria queens very close to manhattan where I teach!
@@curiousguitarist ill bet Denver is very nice! go Nuggets!!
Best explanation I've ever heard!
Thanks Andy!
I agree 100%. When I look at scale for other instruments, it’s usually one octave. Above that they are called extensions. After I saw that, I pretty much ditched pattern based. I still use it on a limited basis though, like noticing how inversions are fingered.
Nice! Great stuff, Dave. Thanks for the comment.
Your lessons are great.
Thanks! Glad you're enjoying the channel.
I am happy that my teacher taught me both….great video !
Yeah, both is best :)
Thanks for the comment.
I can't honestly say that I've seen every video you've produced, but I have seen a large majority. I find myself repeatedly asking the question, "Has this guy ever made a video that doesn't *reek* of good ideas?" It doesn't hurt that they're also concise and logical; excellence in form and content. Thank you yet again, Chris, for continuing to inform my education!
You are so very welcome, C-String! Glad to know these are valuable for you. Thanks for being here
Yup. What C string said.
Really enjoying your videos, Chris! Your style and method remind me of my teacher from waaaay back in the 80's. It's refreshing to see, and also refreshing my skills. Thanks so much! Jam on!
Jam on!!
Another lesson very appreciated!
Thank you 😊
Of course!
Very good lesson Chris.
Glad you liked it, Paul.
You: This is the last guitar video you will ever need. Me: watching, my mind expanded then watching all of your videos over and over again 🙂
I love this comment, thanks JL!
thank you chris, i am a beginner and was very excited when i first learned the pentatonic scale but as i have memorised the scale and a few licks, i feel stuck and limited where i find myself forcing the same when practicing soloing. i have recently started to understand music theory, doing your music theory 101 course with marty music alongside things like arpeggios and inversions. i am really happy i came across you because this gives me a new perspective to music and guitar playing. thanks again! 🙏🏽
You are welcome, k. Glad you found Marty and I, and I’m grateful you’re getting inspired. Thanks for being here
appreciated Chris! you helped me a lot.
Excellant lesson!!!! I always wondered if the "great players" knew theory, ie context, or just play because they have "talent'.. I now understand they use BOTH! I have always hesitated to lear "context" because it seemed like to much 'thinking' was involved. I just wanted to play and sound great without "thinking". I guess I 'll have to learn "context". If you see smoke rising out of my house, it will be cause I'm trying to "think".
Haha, Peter. Take it slow, do a major chord, or the major scale first, and stay on that until the smoke clears. It will get easier and easier as you go and you will never look back!
Great little lesson. I really think I'm ready for the next step in my music
Once you turn this corner, it all get so easy to see.
Hello Chris , i am a pattern based guitarplayer for over 40 years now and i realize i need to dive into this context way of playing the guitar . i have noticed my lack of understanding music theory for a long time now , but every time i try to understand music theory i hit a wall , my brain just does not grasp it , this really bums me out because i fullly realize that this lack of understanding musictheory is holding me back to fully exployed the guitarneck and improve my playing , so what should a dumm ass like me do 🤣, and yes , i already tried the "guitar for dummies " learning method but even that i did not understand 🤣
Here are the degrees for the minor pentatonic scale:
R b3 4 5 b7
Play each one of those against the root of the scale (use A for example). Now listen to each one and try to notice which of the notes pulls your ear back to the root more than the others.
Those notes are the heart and soul of the scale. When you get to know the sounds, and the tension/emotion you can control, even with only 3 or 4 notes, then the only limit is your curiosity. Start slow. Know one small thing. Then move on. It will accelerate.
Solid lesson. Thanks.
Love Your Content, and that you share your knowledge! Rock/Blues On!!! 👍🎸✌️😎
Great to have you here. David!
CHRIS, page and hendrix would use bass lines to change the chord function and upper register. What I'm saying is that the bass player would play a m3,M3,P4,P5,m6,M6 down from the root note of the chord which changes the guitar players chord. I'm not sure what trick this is called when the bass player does this but I think its called Implied harmony? but when you have time listen to a lot of zeppelin and hendrix to find when the bass player does this to make a lesson about it.
That is called slash chords (6
and 4) or inversions (3 and 5)
@@curiousguitarist True, they do they that also but Hendrix and Page use a different trick. Example if the guitarist is play an E minor chord but the bass player hits a C note, its Implied harmony is C major 7th. The note C is not an inversion chord tone or a slash chord. The Bass player is changing the Upper register Chord, Its not slash chords or inversions. I'm not sure what this is called because its not inversions or slash chords, I think its something to do with implied harmony.
@@curiousguitarist I know the bassist for Guns N Roses uses the 4th scale degree as the bass note or the 4th chord tone as the bass note. I'm not sure really what this is called because its not a slash chord or a chord inversion.
@@waynegram8907 any chord with a bass note that isn’t the root can be seen as a slash chord. Very cool stuff Wayne!
I totally agree with you but I know I have a mental block and there are just too many patterns and shapes of theory and modes and oddities on the fretboard. I play by ear and patterns.
If it works for you then it’s right, right? Learning the why just makes progress faster and easier in the long run. Thanks for the comment!
Great lesson 👍
This is great stuff! Learning piano on the side is really opening my eyes too!
Oh yeah, that’s a great addition. Learning a second non-stringed instrument provides excellent context.
Chris, your work is really helpful. Context-based learning is one of the best things you can learn when studying an instrument. Not only does is help you see the guitar fretboard more clearly, but it imparts an understanding to it as well...will subscribe in a minute...
Wow, thanks for the sub and this comment, I appreciate it!
Thank you again. I think pattern based learning has hurt me and held me back for 35 years. I will really study all of your context based learning. 🙏
An absolutely brilliant lesson thank you
That was great! Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it, Don!
Great lesson and some things I needed to hear now. Thank You
You bet, Gary! Happy to help.
Thank you
You are welcome!
Thank you very much Chris, excellent lesson!
You are welcome, Mario!
Thank you!
You are welcome, Hamlet!
Wonderful lesson, Chris. Thank you very much!
Of course!
Excellent video. I recently had some ask me about wanting to just jump into guitar without lessons and it isn't going good for them as I know first hand about pattern based learning and music theory. I wish they weren't impatient in just wanting to play because it seems they gave up because chords didn't really make sense to them and want instant results.
Yeah, that won't work in the long haul, but they might get short term gains. Pattern based learning is a great method, but it's by no means holistic.
Excellent video. Thank you.
You bet, Russell.
Thank you, subscribed 👍
Thanks for the sub, much appreciated!
💡Thanks!!
You bet!
Ive been trying to improve my playing for some time, and could never find the right videos to teach me. Thank you for helping me understand the scales and music theory!! Do you have more videos in order for music theory?
I have a bunch uploaded here already. I'd say watch these first, and see where you end up.
ua-cam.com/play/PLunQlxH_jM1STg3WuVOFmd2BZ3WwJ4xNS.html&si=opU4RPDeYcpaaNxZ
Let me know if you're interested in a specific aspect of theory and I'll try to help.
Cheers!
Thank you😊@@curiousguitarist
Next question then - your friend says “the blues scale would work better here”, how do they know? The way of modifying chords from one to another I think I figured out a while back, maybe not as quickly as I’d like, but we’ll enough. What I’ve never quite worked out though, is how to do that next bit.
I'm addressing this exact question next week! Stay tuned.
Ultimately you need to hear the sounds that a scale or chord provide to understand if it's going to be preferable over something else. This idea of context gets you there fast.
Good stuff Chris, thanks. ✌🏼
Thanks, Steve!
Good stuff Chris!
Awesome ❤
Sweet lesson. Thanks man!
You bet, Josh!
Nice !
Probably not the last guitar video I'll ever watch. I was hoping it would be (way) better.
At least I used the word probably and not definitely :)
So sorry this was disappointing for you.
“If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” - Chinese Proverb
This is like the difference between teaching memorization of formulas versus conceptual understanding in math education. Memorization is brittle, whereas conceptual understanding is robust. Great video!
Great comment, love the brittle vs robust connection. Thanks!
Brutal and truthful. 😩
Sometimes the truth is like that. Thanks for being here, Johnny!
@@curiousguitarist in many ways… I’m that guy. I mean I do know quite a bit of music theory. But I still don’t know my way around the fretboard, as well as I should, for someone who’s been playing as long as I have.
Number of years ago I made some flashcards and learned all the triads so I could spell all the basic chords. I think it’s about time for me to actually learn all of the notes on the fretboard and start locating triads all over the front porch
@@JohnnyArtPavlou just keep learning the next thing, one at a time, and you get used to generating the hunger for new information. Sounds like you’re on track my friend!
Wow! This is game changing and eye opening! I know pentatonic and a bit of caged but need to start learning contextly. How would you recommend learning?
Try this, Thomas...
Here are the degrees for the minor pentatonic scale:
R b3 4 5 b7
Play each one of those against the root of the scale (use A for example). Now listen to each one and try to notice which of the notes pulls your ear back to the root more than the others.
Those notes are the heart and soul of the scale. When you get to know the sounds, and the tension/emotion you can control, even with only 3 or 4 notes, then the only limit is your curiosity. Start slow. Know one small thing. Then move on. It will accelerate.
@@curiousguitarist thank you sir for that valuable info. This is a total game changer!