How to Link Guitar Chords using Scales

This simple trick uses bass notes to connect guitar chords. That adds movement and interest to your playing!


View the full lesson at How to Link Guitar Chords using Scales | JustinGuitar

Did you review the chromatic scale in an earlier video, or is this exercise the chromatic scale? I do like this, however.

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a little hard getting that strumming, rhythm and picking down -any pointers?

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ok - i got it. For the C to G : Strum 4 bars C / Strum 2 bars C , pick E ,pick A / pick G, Strum G 3 bars / Strum 2 bars G, pick A, pick E / pick C, Strum 3 bars C / Strum 2 bars C, pick E, pick A / ā€¦

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I think your supposed to try and work it out for yourself. Get a bit of TAB paper and see what notes link A to C or whatever. Thatā€™s what Iā€™m doing anyway, itā€™s fun and forces you to think about scales and the relationship to chords
EDIT : Iā€™ve been playing around with these for the A to D (iā€™ve got a couple for the others but iā€™m still fiddling with those)

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Welcome to the community Chris. @spev11
Thatā€™s the best way to learn.
Figuring thinks out for yourself with a little guidance will stick
with you for life. Good job.

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Cheers stitch, my only struggle now is making it not sound country and western (not a bad thing but not my thing) :grinning:

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Can do this is straight time (bass strum) but Justin is doing a nice little swinging strum for most of this that I canā€™t replicate. Any tips?

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Oddly I can do the swing time without any problems but cant do it straight or with alternate bass notes without fumbling. Like everything It takes me a little practice and perseverance.
Iā€™d suggest getting the swing strum feel without doing the links first maybe? Thats what worked for me, I already could do the swingy pattern so it fell in easily

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The way I understand it is that you ā€œlinkā€ the 2 chords by running either up or down between them using notes that both scales have in common. Between C and G those could be (note: not ā€˜shouldā€™ be) A and B. Between A and D chords, the notes B and C# spring to mind. Justin does mention them, but I donā€™t think you should focus too much on tabs because the point seems to be to experiment with the linking notes, and learn your fretboard in the process. Sometimes no common note seems available that works, and to solve this you find a chromatic that sounds good.

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Welcome to the community Gert.
You are 100% correct.

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Could someone point me to the alternating bass line lesson Justin mentions in Grade 2 . Looked , but for the life in me canā€™t find it.
As an aside, I did the ā€˜oldā€™ beginners course but check out the new lessons as there is more stuff on the new course I still find interesting.

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Adrian

Welcome to the Community.

I was wondering the same thing as I am doing the same as you. Playing catch up on all the additional material and hit this today. Canā€™t find the Grade 2 lesson either. :sleepy:

@Richard_close2u or @LievenDV

Any pointers chaps.

Cheers

Toby

:sunglasses:

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How would you do this on say going D to E in a I, IV, V progression?

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Youā€™re ascending and only by two semitones so thereā€™s not much scope apart from a chromatic run, catching the note between D and E.
But try something, maybe you can find something pleasing to your ear by taking a linking note run digression before landing on the E chord.
Cheers :blush:
| Richard_close2u | JustinGuitar Official Guide & Moderator

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Ah struggling to pick the rythmn up at the same time as the note fingering - driving me mad

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Love this lesson, great fun

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:bulb: Level this up even more! :slight_smile: You can play alternating bass chords, just like weā€™ve learned previously in Grade 2. So, for example, here youā€™d have a C/G, C, then the walk down. It sounds great, eh? Check out the video lesson!

Welcome to the Community.

I was wondering the same thing as I am doing the same as you. Playing catch up on all the additional material and hit this today. Canā€™t find the Grade 2 lesson either. :sleepy:

@Richard_close2u or @LievenDV

Any pointers chaps.

Cheers

Toby

Trawled pretty much through all of Grade 2 again and still canā€™t find a lesson where alternate bass strumming is mentioned. Have vague recollection of this coming up in the old BC but canā€™t locate anything from there. So from a theory perspective is the alternate bass note always the 5th ? If so Iā€™ll work the rest out myself.

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Has anyone found a way to link C and A?

What key has both those chords?

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Chromatic steps as Justin says in the lesson. B Bb A and reverse A to C. :sunglasses:
Edit ie Bb B C

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