It took me a while to understand what they mean. This explains the best. The root note of C shape is also the root note of A shape.

Every explanation of CAGED stresses on this connection. OK shapes are connected, what do we do with this knowledge?

I'm not a complete newbie, can do some open chords and strum a little. But I also have not touched a guitar for years now so both of those things might not even be true.

I want to commit to learning the guitar this time around tho. Where do you start, and how do you progress from there?

FYI, I'm using an acoustic guitar.

Hi, this video is from an influencer called 'Lizzieguitarstuff'
I watched it couple times but didn't understand what she is doing. Can you explain what she is doing in this solo?
I mean like "technically", how can we explain her movement in fretboard in music theory?
What scale, mod or key she is using?
I understand that she is changing her key note octave and play it on different fret location. but I don't understand what exactly she is doing. If I want to play same thing, (besides picking tech) what music theory concepts that I have to learn?
ps: Sorry if I explain it badly, did my best.
ps2: external urls: instagram post, tiktok post

Close to twenty years of learning to make music (guitar, bass, mandolin, keys, etc.) and countless musicians have told me, “Learn the circle of fifths”, but no one ever explained to me how it is used as a guitarist.

The instructional books I’ve had on the topic were unhelpful, as were the innumerable online articles I’d read over the years.

THIS VIDEO MADE IT MAKE SENSE! I am now capable of making more interesting compositions when writing as I’m not spending so much time guessing which chords would work together. Also, easily one of the best channels I’ve come across in recent memory.

When I strum the D chord, the D note on the thin E string sounds a bit dead. Or am I hallucinating? I just started learning 2 months ago.

To compare, I put a capo on the 2nd Fret and played the string and it rings out better.

I confirmed that no other finger is touching the string other than me middle finger on the 2nd Fret.

Any idea, guys?

This guy has revolutionized my understanding of the fretboard.

https://youtube.com/@rickysguitar?si=-B6Evd7lK1Yeu0oj

I get that these are barres since you have 9 stacked on top of itself. But what are the arching lines indicating here exactly?

I've been playing guitar for maybe 6 years now? Anyways I'm at the point where I can recognize note intervals, it's just not in the right place. How can I start progressing off of this? I feel like if I can find the first note, the rest comes a lot easier.

I feel like I'm just missing some certain details that are supposed to make it click. Anytime I've tried talking to people they didn't quite get what I was confused about, whether it be keys, scales, etc.

I can play out of the first few frets but anything up on the neck is sort of foreign to me. Sometimes I can just intuitively find the note, and sometimes I'm just totally lost.

Any advice? I might not be making any sense here!

I love Tracy Chapman’s cover of Stand by Me
as she played it on the David Letterman Show. Can anybody explain to me the chords / embellishments she uses in the guitar solo. If you watch the YouTube video, it goes from 2.45. - 3.04. I’ve replayed it so many times watching her fingers but I can’t figure it out. And I’m not that good to be able to recognize what I’m hearing and be able to play it. Hoping someone can point me in the right direction. Thanks.

Hi everyone!

I’ve been playing guitar on and off for about 6 years, primarily just learning songs I like, but I am new to jamming and I’m interested in getting your advice. I’m struggling to come up with chords on the spot to play and wondering if there are specific progressions that you use, if you just play random chords you come up with on the spot, or if you copy the chords from other songs.

I’m also open to any other advice about jamming. Please note that these are casual jams with friends and are all ranging from beginner to intermediate at our instruments. I have limited music theory knowledge so if there’s specific concepts you’d recommend I look into I’d appreciate tips around that as well!

TLDR:
If you have been jamming for a while, what are some of the most helpful realizations you had, or things you wish you knew when you started?

Anyone know any Brooklyn guitar teachers that focus on finger picking/ opening tunings/ slide/ theory… in the musical vein of John fahey, Charlie parr, Glenn jones, gwenifer Raymond, Leo kottke, William Tyler etc
Any suggestions would be helpful thank you

I’ve been playing for about 2 years and in that time I’ve never went more than a day or 2 without playing and that was only cause I couldn’t play if I went way for a couple days or something like that. Lately I’ve been feeling really unhappy with my playing since I hit my 2 year anniversary and I’m not where I thought I’d be at this point so I decided to take a week off and just reset a little bit. So today I picked it back up and somehow I’m playing faster and cleaner than ever and it just feels more natural and fluent. I’m so happy I felt like posting about it. Idk what the science is behind this phenomenon but I’m glad I took that week off!

I’ve been playing for about 10 years, but have only really improved by learning harder and harder songs.

I have intermediate skills, can play whatever chords, bends,hammer-ons, etc. but, I never learned theory, idk how to improvise, idk how to create chord progressions, idk what notes are which, what key im in, that kind of thing.

Where should i go from here? Im afraid to buy handbooks like Ultimate Guitar Method cuz i dont wanna spend $40 on a book then realize i already know 80% of it. Are there any good youtube creators/books/etc that have a good linear progression approach?

White Lion-Lonely Nights

Hi,

I've been playing in Eb a lot lately (Hendrix, SRV, Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer) and love the warmer tone and looser string tension.

What are your favorite albums originally in Standard E (or other tunings) that sound even better when played in Eb? Also, if you have any must-listen albums recorded strictly in Eb, feel free to drop them too.

So when it comes to songwriting a solo or improv, I’ve been having this issue that I am working on where the solo is either stale, going nowhere, bland, lacks tension or excitement. And if not that then it would either sound bluesy, country, or folkish.

I’ve identified the myriad of issues that is causing it from speed, to tone, to phrasing. But one of the things I can’t get quite down and understand is the bends.

Technically, my bends are fine. I’m capable of doing a half step, whole step, or a whole-half step bend accurately. I’m aware of the different ways of actually bending up, either fast, slow etc.

But my bends when working on my own stuff sounds lacklustre. It doesn’t build any tension. It doesn’t scream or sing and invoke the kind of emotion im looking for. It just kind of falls off.

When other solos hit their peak with a big bend after a phrase. My one just falls off when making my own stuff.

And if my bends don’t just seem to exist for the sake of existing, then it just comes off as bluesy. Which isn’t my goal.

I’m beginning to think my problem comes from a theoretical standpoint. Perhaps it’s the way I approach the bend into the solo. What note I’m bending on and what note I’m bending to. Rather than my skill in bending.

What is it that makes other peoples bend build tension, or scream at the peak. Compared to why my bends just seem to deflate the solo or improv that I’m doing. Is it theory? What’s the reasoning and solution?

I've realized that in order to play in a key over different chords, I need to consider that certain notes in that key will sound better or worse over certain chords. Some people suggest memorizing all of the modes, but that sounds inefficient considering how fast chords are moving. If I memorize all of the intervals in relation from the tonic of my major or minor scale (which I know I'm supposed to do anyway), couldn't I just memorize what intervals in relation to the tonic make up each chord in the key? For example, the iii chord would be made up of 3 - 5 - 7 in relation to the key. And to find the chord tones I don't think it would take too long to remember this is the iii chord and then find the 3, 5, and 7 of the scale.

This idea came naturally, and I see some people mention doing it like this, but only kind of rarely. Is this was guitarists do? I don't want to get used to doing this, and memorize every chord's intervals in relation to the tonic if this isn't the way I ought to be learning. Is there a better way?

Nothing against my teacher at all. Literally, I’ve made so much progress since I started with him in April. Yes, they’re at Guitar Center and he’s a college student. But hey, he’s also a classically trained pianist who taught himself guitar and who knows a heck of a lot more than me, so who am I to complain? We get on great too.

But I don’t want to rely on him for every little thing and want the satisfaction of learning on my own. And also, I’ve been trying to get more involved with my local church. And they have meetup groups for people in my age range on the evenings I would have my lessons. I need to get out and socialize more honestly lol.

So, should I maybe cut ties professionally, at least for now? Or stick with him until I feel more confident going at this on my own?

What song would be good to play first, if it has any connection? I like listening to nu metal (soad, slipknot and many others) and other genres.

Remember Paul Gilbert's ‘Intense Rock’ video from the '80s?!  His incredible alternate picking was like watching an elite athlete in their prime! 

In this lesson, I’m taking the ideas from my two-part series on alternate picking, economy picking and pick slanting and applying them to the infamous Paul Gilbert picking exercise.

We’ll look at why both upward and downward pick slanting can be useful, how the direction of a phrase influences your picking mechanics, and how to make those quick transitions between strings feel more natural. Check it out!

Here's the lesson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aqDp2KAjzU&list=PLIb-QWoMzfdjElaqTbK9nKp7D616GJoLu&index=14