I also quite enjoyed the session, so thanks! The sync problem wasn’t much of an issue the 1st half, since you were (mostly) only playing one strum per bar, the fact that the strum came on approx. beat 3 was not that big a deal.
One other observation: I quite liked the exercise where you introduced the little licks. However, I needed maybe 1 or 2 minutes of time to practice and memorize the licks, before diving into the 12-bar blues. It would have been helpful (to me) if you had spent just a minute or two on the licks themselves. I realize that you are teaching a range of levels and maybe most folks could get those licks without any practice at all, so take this for what it’s worth.
Hi Richard, I am sort of glad that you picked this up as an issue as I thought the problem was at my end as I was on a tablet. It definately wasnt a video/ audio sync issue but a delay between your two audio feeds that must have been the backing track and it put it out by about 2 beats.
It was a great lesson though and thought it was going to be way above my head but it actually was the first time that the penny dropped about the relationship between a chord progression and what notes can be used and when if soloing over them.
Would I be correct in saying that the same technique could apply using major triads (ie using the root of each triad , third or fifth) if you were using a major chord 12 bar progression but also minor triads would also work in major ?
Good question Chris.
The theory says YES that should 100% work and everything should sound fantastic. The major triads all contain 1, 3, 5 of the I, IV and V chords. Those chords are typically played as dominant versions so they would contain 1, 3, 5, b7.
Your ears need to guide you here also.
A lot of discussion takes place about the blues-friction caused when the minor 3rd of the A minor pentatonic scale is played over the major 3rd of the A7 chord. If you deliberately target and place a lot of emphasis on the major 3rd, the sound may surprise you.
Often the minor 3rd is given a blues-curl, a tiny bend, to nudge it and suggest a move to the major 3rd without actually reaching it. This sounds great in major blues, and may hint at avoiding the major 3rd as a note to use as a full landing pad. But many licks do play the major 3rd as a good note choice and they sound great.
It is - as in so much of music - what your ears tell you.
There was a rightful copyright claim made against my use of the short audio clip from Groundhog Day. I hold my hands up to that - a silly error that I should not have made.
There were four wholly unjust copyright claims made against me for the 12-bar backing track that I composed and created on Guitar Pro. One of those has been upheld. Yeah - go figure. But getting entangled in a legal fight with a publishing company is just not worth it.
That means (for now at least) the recording is not available on Youtube. Boo.
But it is on the website in the Club Archive pages. Hooray!
When I thought it might not be able to make it public at all I decided to record an additional (much more concise) video demonstration. This shows me playing the ideas I taught in the session - and what is in the audio and TAB from Guitar Pro.
I am targeting the root, 3rd and 5th respectively for a 12-bar sequence. Each is followed by motifs built around them for another 12-bar sequence. Then, for each, there is a final 12-bar sequence of motifs with minor pentatonic fills.
NOTE:
I have kept the playing as simple as possible. There is little in the way of articulation or embellishment. A few slides and hammer-ons is all I added.
Please take these study pieces as concepts that you can learn, use, adapt and make your own. And, of course, add in more in the way of bends, vibrato etc. to bring them to life.
PS
Apologies if my playing in the demo is not 100% perfect. My mind was distracted and upset by the copyright problems and my heart wasn’t fully in it on the day of recording. But I didn’t want to not do it - so I’m taking the ‘publish and be damned’ approach!
Richard
PPS
I would love it if people record and share some of their own playing using these ideas!
hint hint
Further to the question from @ChrisEve about major key blues and major triads, I have been asked a similar question in the whatsapp group.
My response:
Major triad = 1, 3, 5
Minor triad = 1, b3, 5.
There is only one difference.
I used minor triad shapes over a minor key backing track.
If you take what I created (as shown on the TAB) of the slide to root plus root motifs extended to root motifs with fills it will all work over a major key backing track.
I created two root note motifs (parts 1 and 2 of the newly released video recording in the shared folder).
The same goes for the slide to 5th plus 5th motifs extended to 5th motifs with fills.
These are part 3 of that demo video.
That means three quarters of what I demo in the new video will work in a major blues context.
Only the last part, targeting the b3 will not.
Thanks for this lesson Richard. Unfortunately I missed the live broadcast due to work commitments & have just been through the recording & resources. I found it very useful & ties in well with the concepts covered in the immersion course.
There was a little more Q&A that is worth copy / pasting here.
RE: using triads to target notes in a major blues.
Everything I did with root and 5th is the same with major key / major triads.
Only the b3 in the minor triads is specific.
Major triad = 1, 3, 5
Minor triad = 1, b3, 5.
There is only one difference.
I used minor triad shapes over a minor key backing track. If you take what I created (as shown on the TAB) of the slide to root plus root motifs extended to root motifs with fills it will all work over a major key backing track.
I created two root-note motifs (parts 1 and 2 of the newly released video recording in the shared folder).
The same goes for the slide to 5th plus 5th motifs extended to 5th motifs with fills. These are part 3 of that demo video.
That means three quarters of what I demo in the new video will work in a major blues context.
Only the last part, targeting the b3 will not.
In the root-oriented motifs and fills I absolutely avoid the b3rd of the Dm triad and the 5th of the Em triad. Neither form my specific target notes in those passages nor are they in the minor pentatonic from which I pulled notes to play the motifs and fills. I did not / would not necessarily avoid the b3rd of Em triad because it is in the minor pentatonic scale anyway.
If it was a major key, the 5th of Em triad could be used. In the pentatonic framework it is the 9.
But the b3rd of Dm is a stinker in major blues.
Also, when playing the 5th motifs and fills, I again avoided the b3rd of Dm.
At no time, for any of the three target notes, did I avoid the three roots. A, D and E are all notes in the minor pentatonic scale.
Further, in my four demo parts, I maintain a strict and singular focus.
Part 1 then part 2 = root note targets only.
Part 3 = 5th targets only.
Part 4 = b3rd targets only.
The keep it simple concept.
Limiting the variables for learning purposes.
Once a certain comfort and confidence is attained, within any given 12-bar sequence you may target the root of a chord here, the 5th of a chord there, the 3rd / b3rd (for major / minor blues) elsewhere. And you might mix that up with licks that do not specifically target anything.
That is long-term. To do it at will.
Short-term the process of learning and assimilating involves target notes far more than is natural. To the point of saturated overkill.
Also note - there was an error in my Guitar Pro file that happened when I was copy / pasting to combine multiple files into one longer file.
I have corrected it and uploaded new versions of the TAB and audio track now.
Hi Richard - I was just going through your tab again but with a major backing track. As you say, the slide to root and slide to 5th motifs and fils all work. In terms of the slide to b3 motifs and fills can I just replace all your b3 notes with major 3 notes and re-finger and blast ahead?
