Chord Melody 101 for guitar

Harmony is vertical, it's more than one note played at the same time. It's chords.
Melody is linear, horizontal. It's notes played one after another.
Combining these together is "chord melody" and is a powerful tool to understand the fretboard as well as make incredibly cool music.
00:00 Demonstration
00:30 Thesis
01:22 Introduction
05:00 Lesson
09:26 Wrap Up
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Thanks for watching!
Chris

[@TheMinorFallsTheMajorLifts]

This gave me the ability to work on something completely different this morning. Thank you.

[@curiousguitarist]

Of course! This is worth keeping in the routine for a couple of days running…just to really let it soak in.

[@petergreene5794]

Translates perfect to piano. Thx! A writing necessity!

[@curiousguitarist]

Mr Greene!!!!! Good to see you back in here!

[@francocerasuolo1200]

I've been waiting for this one, Chris. Excellent lesson, sir. Simple, elegant, and to the point. Thanks for the knowledge.

[@curiousguitarist]

You bet Franco!

[@meleecritical]

Clean demonstration! Melody horizontal, harmony vertical. Love that.

[@joelstephenson8017]

I love chord melodies.

[@ariecht1807]

Thanks for providing another music theory launchpad.

[@curiousguitarist]

You bet Ari, and thanks for your support!

[@kevinhayes8806]

Wow!I have learned something. Thanks for posting these videos for free!

[@curiousguitarist]

You bet Kevin! Thanks for being here!

[@kevinhayes8806]

@@curiousguitarist You are welcome Chris.

[@michaelzimmer1115]

Good. I like the discussion that this is not jazz specific, and jazz seems to be the thrust of most KZbin videos on this. I would just say that the calssical guitarists have been playing this way forever, but they don't call it chord melody. Most often it is just called playing the guitar, or occassionaly solo guitar. Also, I would organize things a little differently saying that harmony has both vertical and horizontal aspects. So the fit of chords with the melody note is vertical harmony; progressions and voices (including melody and bass) are horizontal harmony. Maybe voice leading is both. You have made a useful contribution here.

[@curiousguitarist]

Thanks mate! Great post and nice context. Thank you

[@bryanleclerc]

This was very helpful. I will practice connecting.

[@curiousguitarist]

Glad it was helpful Bryan!

[@little_orange_az]

Long time my brother! Thank you!

[@curiousguitarist]

Welcome back...where you been?

[@rdesutter76]

Chord melody or Chord-centric soloing is the basis of Jerry Garcia style playing. It also kinda points to bluegrass style flat picking and Django. @Chris you are really helping me figure this stuff out. I really appreciate that. Thanks for all your hard work. You're vocabulary and ability to explain an idea or musical concept is top notch. Specifically, how you've deconstructed the way I've learned the instrument wrong (RE: minor pentatonic scale) and how to use these already imprinted self taught mistakes as an advantage to my ability to retain the correct info. All the while, you're motivational approach and excellent speaking voice... all add to an immersive thought felt lesson. I'm gonna go back and watch the triad lesson that brought me here. I always find a new idea to apply in that lesson, alone. If only I'd had you and KZbin 20 years ago...

[@curiousguitarist]

Wow, thanks @KZbin Luthier, I really appreciate that, and so glad this stuff is helpful.

[@adammusic1124]

Great lesson Chris, I would certainly love to learn more about how to put acoustic songs together in this sense from cover songs or any song really in your Patreon (Stage Area) where we can learn by you choosing a song for us, then allowing us to have a go at it and then you breaking it down for us, so we get this "ongonig" voice leading, melody and harmony principles for creating our own songs... Maybe I'm just too new to your membership as yet and have yet to find this, but there isn't too many teaching how to break a song down and voice lead, harmonize and melodize the whole thing, but this is certainly fascinating stuff and you're teaching it 👍

[@curiousguitarist]

That’s a great idea, Adam. I have a few videos on how to break down a song to learn, but there could always be more. Message me on Patreon and I’ll get you a link or two. I like the idea of assigning a song to learn, we do looper challenges in The Studio, which isn’t exactly the same but folks have a blast with it!

[@joycegrove5602]

I have been looking forward to this lesson - another gem! Thanks for posting this, Chris!

[@curiousguitarist]

You're so welcome Joyce, glad you're here.

[@stefankotarski8530]

great lesson thanks,he communicates his knowledge very simply thanks 😊

[@curiousguitarist]

Glad you like the channel Stefan, thanks for the views and comments

[@Roots222]

Great lesson. Watched it a few months ago but it didn't click. Now it makes sense and it's beautiful. I've been looking for something to give me a little more "freestyle" skills and this hits the spot.

[@timsellsted521]

I really like your lessons Chris. You take a topic and break it down so its easily understandable. I've been writing a few tunes. i'm going to see how this works!

[@curiousguitarist]

Sweet, so glad this was helpful

[@russr1338]

Seems simple but never thought to play the last note in a melody with the next chord. It sounds great. Thanks Chris!

[@curiousguitarist]

Of course Russ!

[@rajeshgumber363]

Thankyou Chris, I enjoyed this lesson, it's full of nice Harmonies and Melodies!

[@curiousguitarist]

You're very welcome Rajesh!

[@LiveToPlayGuitar]

I’ve been working this concept on my own for awhile…your insight just pushed it up another notch…Thank You Good Sir! 🎸🔊🎶🤘

[@curiousguitarist]

You are SO welcome!

[@AlexKienlen]

That was wonderful! Thanks for putting this together.

[@curiousguitarist]

Glad you enjoyed it, Alex. Thanks for the views and comments.

[@lawrencedeans1433]

Thanks Chris love James Taylor's guitar playing very melodic

[@curiousguitarist]

Me too, thanks for all your support Lawrence. It is greatly appreciated.

[@scottkidwellmusic9175]

Definitely something to work on! Thank you, Chris!

[@curiousguitarist]

You bet Scott...these examples are a nice start up for the technique, and you can take it super far!

[@tone-glide2402]

Great skill to have when your the only guitarist in the band! Thank you! Sir!

[@curiousguitarist]

Rock on!

[@ipuya]

That really cemented the idea in my head about the relationship of harmony to melody and even as a beginner that i am, gives me some confidence that i too can be creative in the way i put them together. Thank you 🙏

[@curiousguitarist]

You’re so welcome ipuya!

[@steveschenker1380]

Thanks man, this video was great; I will give the exercise a whirl. I dig your guitar-teacher vibe; very relaxed and exploratory, yet you never babble like you don't know where the lesson is going... Like you're the Bob Ross of guitar! Pretty groovy.

[@curiousguitarist]

I love that analogy, thanks Steve.

[@donlessnau3983]

You just made my year. Chord-Melody is all I play. Or try to. It's a lot of rock pile work at the start. Thanks a lot.

[@curiousguitarist]

Nice! I'll probably take this idea further in a follow up at some point Don.

[@ScottMcdonaldMusic]

A simple concept that has me thinking about the fretboard differently.

[@curiousguitarist]

That's the best comment I could read here Scott...thanks for being here.

[@2good2betrue3]

Very Helpful and clear Chris, I learned something very valuable.😊 Subscribed!

[@curiousguitarist]

Thanks so much for the sub, good to have you here!

[@scottstevens9323]

Excellent!!!

[@curiousguitarist]

Glad you like it, Scott!

[@Dean.Jubb.Guitar]

Cool great idea Thanks again Chris

[@curiousguitarist]

You bet, Dean!

[@LowRaw]

Thank you for that 💯🙏👍

[@curiousguitarist]

You bet!

[@Jake66564]

Looking at your videos while waiting in the chiropractor's office. What song comes on? Sittin on the Dock of the Bay. Seems like a signal I'm on the right path!

[@curiousguitarist]

Haha Jake! Hope your adjustment went well!

[@vltjd]

Sweet!

[@mikelawrence4849]

Once agin golden.

[@curiousguitarist]

Thanks Mike! Glad you like this one

[@SyntagmaStation]

I keep meaning to watch Rick’s Metheny video but I keep getting distracted by this channel. :)

[@curiousguitarist]

It's really good, it inspired me for sure. Pat is such a down to earth guy, and so knowledgeable.

[@blazemoyer]

Thank you. I was looking for something simple and basic to get me started. I will be going to Patreon for the tab. Do you have more information on this subject?

[@curiousguitarist]

TONS! Message me on Patreon and I'll send you some links to further lessons on this subject.

[@EclecticEssentric]

Beautiful! I'll be tinkering with this today. Thank you for the time you give! P.S. You misspelled "chord melody" in giant yellow letters. You know I had to point it out. :)

[@curiousguitarist]

Of course! Went back and trimmed that out...should show without the error here in a little bit. Thanks for pointing that one out Timmy!

[@TheMinorFallsTheMajorLifts]

❤

[@garywatling430]

Hi Chris, This is beautiful and a great lesson. How do I get the TAB for this? How do I subscribe so I can access your lessons? Cheers Gary

[@curiousguitarist]

Hey Gary, welcome aboard! here's the link to my Patreon page, TABs there, plus SO much more at the highest tier. www.patreon.com/chrissherland See you there!

[@splashesin8]

😊 🎵🎶🎵

[@christophervincent8420]

Chris, that is a beautiful and great fishing trip. I really wish I wasn't moving at the time. I would have looved to pick your brain in person. I will be contacting you for an online something in the very near future

[@curiousguitarist]

Sounds good Christopher!

[@user-wi2og6mp2m]

U didn’t teach anything, just saying what we already know

[@curiousguitarist]

Who is “we” in your example? You and who else? Many, many guitarists benefit from core principles, especially those that have limited access to quality instruction and contextual guidance. I understand this might have been too fundamental for you, and those other folks you are referring to, but many have found this lesson to be of value. Thanks for giving the channel a try!