Chord Tone Soloing Series (part 1) - Targeting Chord Tones in the "Home Box"

[@zombieguitar]

If you like these lessons, definitely check out www.zombieguitar.com/ It is a one-of-a-kind site dedicated to helping guitarists to understand the fretboard and create their own music. You will love it!!

[@joebermuda6452]

Well said Brian, you’re the first person I heard say” know the rules first before you break them” you can’t break them without knowing the rules successfully first!

[@sergevanmeerbeeck9988]

This is by far one of the best lessons I found on KZbin if you want to learn to improvise. If you have a basic understanding of caged and know your pentatonic scales, this is an awesome eye opener! Thanks man!

[@PrateekJain-pi9jc]

Finally a teacher who actually knows what he is talking about. Thanks Brian great lesson.

[@mrhyde2484]

Man, this chord tone series and the caged system has lit a fire under me, after a couple years of running up and down scales, I'm excited again about playing.

[@luisamaya3931]

But how do you know what chord is playing in the back ground to me even tho I know the chords sound different while my loop has the progression going j in cant tel them apart

[@SyntagmaStation]

You are probably the best out there at explaining music theory for guitar with out skipping over important details, calling the same thing by two different names without saying so, or making assumptions about what people know.

[@vibestudiosproductions]

Dude, I've been playing for like 10 years. No one has ever explained it like this to me. This is what I needed. Thank you very much. You did a fabulous job!

[@5jkimmels]

You are a MASTER teacher! Despite all your skill, you remember the things that people with less talent / experience struggle with. Listening to you is like hearing myself speak. I've taken face-to-face lessons with two well-educated teachers, but I have been unable to intelligently convey to them the things that I struggle with. I've purchased books with enticing titles, and listened to countless KZbin instructors. NOBODY can hold a candle to you. You KNOW how people think, and convey guidance in a no-nonsense manner that is easy to grasp. MASTER teacher! THANKS!

[@zombieguitar]

Thanks man! I'm really glad to hear that these vids are helping for ya 😀

[@comesatimeband4524]

Hey, Brian. Great lesson. Thank you. By the way, if you are making a living playing music, by definition, you are indeed a professional. When you started playing your guitar to illustrate the lesson, it is really clear that you know what you are talking about. But there wasn't any showboating.that can sometimes gets students lost. Thanks for your humility. It makes for a really enjoyable lesson.

[@zombieguitar]

Comes A Time Band hey thanks a lot for the words bud! Glad the lesson was helpful!

[@chriscurtis8344]

You're right ! Brian is one of the very best guitar instructors in da game! No bullcrap just flatfooted teaching.

[@paulnicholas5082]

Been playing on and off.... More off ... For years. Got back into playing regularly about 6 months ago. Always learning new things. This is a great help. Happy i watched the video. Will be watching more. Keeping me motivated. Thanks

[@mts982]

@@polinidream45 plus NO TAB!

[@blue6633]

Yes I totally agree. No show boating or playing other notes. Everything Brian played was all in his scales that he was very clear on and very easy to understand.

[@billwiebe1579]

Man, you are the best KZbin/ no bull, KZbin guitar teacher I have ever watched, God bless you brother!

[@themrtomward]

Holy Carp Batman! Damn near got it! After all these years…waiting,trying,pounding…nothing sounds right.THEN CAME KELLY! Thank you Brian. Zombie it is.

[@leatherland5454]

You explain it really well this is totally where I’m at 👍

[@garnuts7934]

This is just perfect , found one of my favorite channel , thank a lot mate

[@troyancheta3803]

This has to be the best lesson about chord tone lead that I have watched

[@carltaylor4942]

Thanks, Brian. Just starting to get my head round this and it's all gradually coming together. Learn the chord sequence. Loop it or record it. Play over it with just chord tones in lots of varied patterns. Add embellishments - slides, bends, harmonics, etc. Then work on phrasing and adding spaces. Yeah, it's slowly coming together. For the first time in my life I can _visualise_ solos. Thanks, man!

[@bringrobieback]

I've been playing guitar for quite a long time, and this is honestly one of the best videos explaining chord tone soloing that I have ever come across, thanks Brain! Already applying this to my improv!

[@Jayswindows1264]

I agree. As a bassist, I play chord tones to create lines and solos. Scales do not outline harmony.

[@jbrooks1348]

Well done! I've played for a bloody long time, but I also relied on scales for soloing over songs, and after avoiding theory forever, I finally started digging in, and lo and behold, realized how to play over the changes, targeting the chord tones. Day-by-day, there's improvement, but still not at the point of instantly finding every chord tone during the changes without thinking about it ahead of time. Will be checking out all of your lessons. Many thanks for the time!

[@zombieguitar]

J Brooks that's awesome that you found it helpful! Just keep practicing and thinking "chords" instead of "scales", and over time you will get better and better at it.

[@michaelcoady7085]

Thanks Brian! this is perfect for where I am now. I have more time now to practice and I was looking for "the right thing" to practice. This is it for me. Way more "color" in soloing......

[@jwsorrell]

Finally, an instructor that can communicate with my feeble mind. I never really considered using chord tones in my leads, being satisfied just using diatonic and pentatonic scales. But as Brian says, lead parts can tend to get stale over time, and mine did. This brings them back to life. Many thanks, Brian!

[@bryandoyle7055]

Knowing what pentatonic boxes that overlay over the right CAGED forms is very helpful without playing the chord shapes, but just keep in mind the triads within to focus on.

[@jrossgordon]

Super clear explanation of this Brian! I've been stuck in pentatonic mode forever and to break free I just starting the chord-tone soloing based lesson book "Fretboard Freedom". While this book thoroughly maps the fretboard for every key it lacks guidance on soloing over an actual chord progression. Your example of soloing over the chord changes with the corresponding chord voicings has filled that void in my understanding. Thanks!

[@martypello7870]

Wow this is amazing! If I would recommend any one learning this for the first time learns the chord progression for “Hey joe” and aims for the chord tones during their lead practice sessions

[@Maximuss1999]

You’re a fantastic teacher. It shows you’ve really mastered the material.

[@macklinroberts7818]

Wow this is the first video I've found that genuinely targets intermediate players. This video was very enlightening. Thanks Brian, you are clearly a talented musician!

[@franklescoe1470]

Hey Brian outstanding dude I watched other teachers online teaching the caged system but they were all over the neck and to be honest I didn't understand it but u broke the caged shape all in one box learn a lot thanks

[@Hoodysrecipe]

best teacher on earth!! no cap.

[@georgeherron530]

I want to thank Brian, I watch a lot of Guitar theory and honestly I never watched due to the name "Guitar Zombie" I thought it was a "Metal Guitar" post, was I ever wrong, this guy is a very well spoken instructor that delivers a lesson I can really understand, his lesson on the circle of 5th's was one of the most helpful lessons I've ever had, I've paid for lessons that couldn't compare to these video's.

[@mrbillygebbie2586]

THANKS BRIAN, EXCELLENT TEACHING HELPING ME UNDERSTAND ,EXACTLY WHAT I HAV BEEN SEARCHING FOR. THANKS FOR YOUR GENEROUSITY MAKING THESE VIDEOS , BILLY G.71YRS. YOUNG LEARNER,

[@allanchapman7133]

in 15 mins. you cleared more up then hours and hours of other instructional videos, such as bends and when to use them. Thank you

[@zombieguitar]

Allan Chapman haha thanks man. I really don’t like the sounds of my “demos” in this vid, but at least the information seems to be resonating with people. Glad you found it helpful!

[@na-wk8ex]

Great video. Really been trying to expand my playing beyond just the "scalar" approach that you described and this helped immensely. Going from just seeing the scale shape to actively targeting chord tones while also mixing in some noodling here and there has spiced up my solos quite a bit. Massive thanks.

[@maxkelter3561]

Thanks for showing and then playing the examples of tonal, scaler, and pattern methods. Makes sense...

[@tomreyes4908]

I’m really starting to understand what I need to do to move out of the same ole patterns. Great explanation

[@klfdqjmqboiklnkq]

These solos sound so good.

[@40pianos]

This is a really important concept if you want your solos to be melodic. Most guitar players, at least early in their careers, fail to make the distinction between chord tones (notes of the chord) and scale tones (all the other notes in the scale). It took me a while to recognize that good soloists almost always hit chord tones on downbeats. Also, you can play in a scalar fashion over the changes to a song but it's still critical for you to hit chord tones, not scale tones, on the strong beats. The thing that helped ensure that I was doing this was when I began, as suggested by Barry Harris, to include the b6 in any major scale I played. Keep up the good work!

[@georgeyoung613]

Really great video. I absolutely agree with the comment bellow. You are not just a talented player but a gifted teacher as well. Keep the music flowing and the lessons comming. Thank you

[@StanislawHalasa684]

Very good lesson

[@patrickfajo9617]

Thank you, Brian, you make sense!!! You take the time to explain, "relaxed thinking and playing" is what you do, perfect! Please, keep on doing what you do! Thanks again!

[@zombieguitar]

Thanks for the compliment! Once you really start incorporating this stuff into your playing, you will notice MASSIVE improvements (assuming you were thinking primarily "scales" before, paying no mind to the underlying chords).

[@charlespeterson3798]

This is the first tutorial I've listened to you play. You have a sound that is yours and very beautiful. Thanks.

[@dustindavidson849]

Excellent, excellent, excellent! I really dig your teaching style. Thank you for this. Keep it up!

[@banjerism7281]

Awesome man. For years I've wondered about this stuff.

[@hothempire]

About 2/3 of the way through this lesson something clicked in my head when I finally got the shapes under my fingers and was able to 'see' the 1,3 and 5s of the target chords. So much more musical and fun! So grateful for your channel, Brian. Ordering your Arps and Scales PDF right now!

[@zombieguitar]

Darren P that’s awesome that things are clicking for ya! And thanks so much for picking up a copy of my book. I appreciate the support!

[@danielpeter9096]

Thanks so much :) this tied up some loose ends in my understanding of the caged system and chord tones in one easy video!

[@007graeham]

Very nice job indeed. Graphics compliment the lesson well. Clearly a great deal of planning and thought put in before and after the camera was switched on.

[@mikesolomon6130]

Thank you sir!!! You effortlessly and eloquently explained a thing I have been trying to figure out for years now 👏🏿 . Can't wait to learn this. Amazing!

[@danherdautz9988]

I thank Brian 4 his lessons. it would be very useful fingering tabs of his melodies for slow beguiners. thanks again.🎸🌎👍🙂

[@joebermuda6452]

A good solo has a great mix of scale runs combined with chord tones, great video Brian!

[@gritsguitar]

Exceptional lesson!! So glad I signed up for your course. What you give the student is the WHOLE picture. Know the rules to break the rules! I like it.

[@rudyrod100]

WOW! Fantastic explanation this confirmed what I thought but had problems putting it together you turned on the light thanks so much.

[@zombieguitar]

No prob. Glad you liked the video!

[@mr.cheezle5829]

This is the most helpful video on chords v penta scales. Thanks for the help, I've been playing for over a decade and still haven't quite figured this part out.

[@zombieguitar]

Mr. Cheezle yup...chord tones is where the magic happens :)

[@lunny800]

Bryan your teaching is clear and easy to understand !! Really appreciate...

[@johne.skaggs3793]

You actually show how to Apply the Scales. Thank You Brian. Amazing Job.

[@99Jaapie]

Hi Brian, excellent lesson. Thank you! An amazing amount of clarification here with regards to linking pentatonic, diatonic and chord tones. Staying in the 1st position of the pentatonic really did help as I could see the underlying shapes of the chords. Really helpful!

[@AA_Guy13]

I was stuck like four years , didn’t understand how to soloing ,just scaling but thanks to this lesson I finally comprehend the importance of the fifth circle and targeting the right notes . yt sucks , just today finally found it out the right video hahaha .

[@zombieguitar]

Spick Mans hey glad I was able to help ya out. That's my goal...to give people those "aha moments"!

[@benclancy9572]

Appreciate you bro.... been trying to get a grip on this to help me play some Hendrix style licks in place of a chord

[@chaza.2891]

It boggles my mind as to why someone would have the king kong size balls to put a dislike to videos like theses. This is coming to you free. Love your channel, you just helped me a great deal in using the circle of 5th for modal chords.

[@hellion76]

Excellent, you are very CLEAR and you tell us what most people do, what better people do, that is really important in helping me where to head to. Very very interesting and eye opening ! Nice also that you speak slowly and clearly so us non english native speakers can understand. Thank You for this excellent video.

[@victorgroves7426]

I’ve never played solo and have always wanted to. But I have heard good and not so good soloing. A friend of mine is the main soloist at church since he knows his scales, however, he seems to just play any note in the scale randomly and sometimes it doesn’t seem to fit. I have heard a professional guitarist solo and it sounds right every time. I believe you have pointed out the answer! Thanks so much! It’s playing the notes of the underlying chord -especially at pauses or certain points where the song emphasizes that note. Thanks again!

[@harleyryder777]

Great lesson and explanation of how this works . Now I need to learn to recognize cord tones all over the neck. Thanks for a great lesson.

[@amorsoloreyes7197]

you really know how to teach.. inputs for me are so good..

[@aaronmashburn4203]

Just now finding this vid. Stayed up all night learning about targeting notes and this has helped me realize I've been thinking about scales so wrong. And it's just the first video. Quality stuff man.

[@zombieguitar]

Aaron Mashburn thanks for the comment man! Scales are still very important to understand though...but so are the chord tones/arpeggios within the scales. Both are equally important to understand!

[@aaronmashburn4203]

Brian Kelly I agree man it's held me back. Been playing for over 10 years but by myself for the last 5 so i end up playing mostly rhythm with some inside licks but when there was a complete progression beneath me and I was supposed to solo I choked. I'll work on seeing all the triads and seventh chord chord tones inside the scales now instead of just looking at it like a series of notes and praying I land on a good extension or chord tone.

[@zombieguitar]

Aaron Mashburn I hear ya man. Here's another lesson you might like as well from just last week: www.zombieguitar.com/how-to-solo-with-arpeggios/

[@giftedhandsmedicalservices947]

Bro, you could easily become famous. You are a great teacher, you simplify complex topics into realistic goals and inspire. Stop worrying about the money and flood youtube get more subs and get sponsorships etc. So many companies would support you. Man, where are the social media links? You can easily break the internet. You are a genius, don't forget. I haven't been this motivated in awhile. All the best to you and your family. Blessings.

[@zombieguitar]

I appreciate it man! I'm not just worried about the money, but this is what I do for a living...so I do have to worry about it a little bit 😁. I do plan on flooding KZbin after I'm done my current website redesign project. MANY more vids will be coming. I appreciate you following 😀

[@PeterMajewski-gr3re]

Very good lesson and explanation! Thank you for taking the time to teach and helping us all learn and get better at our passion!

[@zombieguitar]

Hey thanks for watching my vid! Much appreciated 😀

[@clv603]

Good stuff. I have been trapped in the 'scalar box' for years and it is a very hard habit to break. Without even knowing I was doing it, I had learned from ear what notes sound sweet in common chord progressions. I think what I didn't realize was that chords are more dynamic than average players tend to give mind to. There are certain notes that just sound sweeter/darker/impactful on a regular major chord than a maj7 chord. This really opened up a lot of doors for me and really advanced my blues soloing, reaching out from the pentatonic shapes and getting into some really groovy shit!

[@zombieguitar]

clvinning great to hear! The more you stick with paying attention to the underlying chords, and choosing your target notes based off that, you will notice an exponential increase in your playing!

[@jakesparling9811]

Fantastic lesson! I've been looking for chord tone lessons because this is where I've been kinda stuck and this is one of the best I've found. Great explanations!

[@zombieguitar]

Jake Forrest awesome! Glad to hear that it is helpful to ya!

[@Thedeadbeetsband]

Thank you so much for your knowledge. You’re a great teacher and I’ve been listening to this video while working for the past few days.

[@zombieguitar]

Glad you like the vid! Thanks for checking it out 😁

[@darrenmcdowell1622]

This is one of the first lessons in a while that I've actually took something away from, good job and well explained

[@zombieguitar]

Darren Mc Dowell that's awesome! Ya man this stuff will definitely take your playing to the next level!

[@rebuttalc2075]

Perfect lesson for the “box” im stuck in

[@campparsonssundayschool7844]

The late great Jazz guitarist Tal Farlow used the same system; improvising around chord shapes. Excellent presentation of this concept, Brian.

[@tommore3263]

Another excellent lesson with proper emphasis on getting the concepts down. Glad I signed up to your terrific value course. Thanks

[@michaelmcrobert4394]

hi brian you've explained the fretboard in a easy to grasp style having finished the whole series would like to thank you for the effort you put in would thoroughly recommend your series for anyone with a serious interest in progressing absolutely top class mate

[@zombieguitar]

michael mcrobert hey thanks for watching my vids...glad you found this series helpful!

[@edgartheincredible]

i swear you are the best guitar teacher, you have answered all my questions and explained them in a way that make it very simple for me to understand, thank you!

[@zombieguitar]

Thanks man! If you haven't already, take a look at my website. I just updated the design and the flow of all my lessons!

[@nigelhunter4230]

What a brilliant lesson for all aspiring lead guitarists. Thank you very much.

[@NealPenderSellingNearCharlotte]

Nicely done, brother. I've been stuck in that level 2 phase of noodling the scale over the chords with no direction for far too long. This really resonated with me and I look forward to the next lessons in this series. Thanks for your time and work on this.

[@timothyclay3668]

Another super cool lesson... makes me realise just how much I'm missing out on by "scaler mindset".

[@josephmurray4183]

You just joined my brain up. You Rock!

[@sawmebabe]

Thank you very much. Nice series you got going here. I am a self taught beginner/intermediate. Pure gold.

[@donngoodside6885]

Brian _____ For some reason, I had a hard time remembering, and ' using the Pentatonic Scale - ( I'm not a fan of 'Fusion - Non Melodic music ), to compensate, I use degrees ! When playing a Major Chord or Scale, I access the 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 . When I play a Minor Chord, or Scale, I access the 1, 3, 4, 5, 7... from any Fret board location. I also work with, Modes, for Arpeggio's with the, 3rd, 5th, 7th, & 9th... so' anyone having a similar problem with Patterns / Try Scale degrees. Thanks for your clear, and and easily understood instructions.

[@henniecronje2868]

Many thanks for taking the time Brian, great lesson. I'm going to watch all your follow up ones. Seriously think you've provided a way out of my frustration, literally been stuck in the scale boxes and tired of sounding "scaly" .

[@zombieguitar]

hennie cronje glad it was helpful! This stuff will definitely take your playing to the next level!

[@albertomascarenhas9010]

Pure harmony lesson, thank you Brian.

[@RollingExistence]

I really appreciate the work you put into this video. I've been playing for years but I've been stagnating for a while, and this will help me improve!

[@gregschroer2314]

Great job Brian! You're just fantastic at explaining all the concepts

[@prodbyfletch]

Thank you so much. I found your channel last night and it’s already helped me to expand my musical knowledge so much!!!!!! Recently I’ve been breaking out the pentatonic box and learning modal theory and your vids with the circle of fifths and modal chord progressions (and this one) helped a ton!!!

[@zooneyman]

Excellent Brian, you made this really easy to understand, thank you!

[@zombieguitar]

David Haynes glad to help brother!

[@johndakin9164]

this is a brilliant video and very good down to earth way of explaining how it all works, thank you.

[@NarutoUzumaki-jo8lp]

I have found the golden nugget.. This is a video that has changed the game for me.. thanks for your videos

[@zombieguitar]

Naruto Uzumaki hey glad to help...creating "aha moments" is my goal!

[@billyjoechurchwell9988]

That explained a lot. Thanks Brian.

[@TURNKEYiNK]

Thanks for taking time to make these videos. You lay it out in an easy to understand way for moderate guitar players --like myself. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@zombieguitar]

TURnKEYiNK haha I'm a moderate guitarist myself...I just know theory, so that's my contribution to the guitar world!

[@timleem3609]

Excellent lesson. Having a good knowledge of the caged system is I guess the key in order to play chord tones. Will need to study that/check out your lessons. You have a really great teaching style. You pick your words carefully and really talk logically about the subject matter. Excellent teacher! Thank you.

[@zombieguitar]

Tim Morphy cool. Glad you are finding theses videos helpful. Thanks for checkin them out and subscribing!

[@guillermoalejandrovillarre1197]

Hello Brian. Thank You soo much for doing what You are doing. You are so clear and elocuent in how you go about teaching brother. I am able to understand your teachings in a way I have not found with any other músic teacher. You are super awsome brother!! God bless You ... 😁🙏😁

[@user-kl9wb7ig3w]

excellent vid brian! i'm starting with g major at the root and going through all 7 chord tones in that position first. then going to move through all the other notes in g major solely off the e string roots. then eventually the perspective of the a string root bar chords from c major.

[@mr.j8356]

Your videos tought me so much, thank you a lot for that!

[@viper7159]

Major eye opener lesson!! I was always thought in terms of scales as you pointed out in this lesson but your explanations completely helped me understand a different thought process. Thank you so much!! Subscribed!!

[@zombieguitar]

viper 71 yes sir...this stuff will completely change your playing for the better!

[@michaelsmusic3532]

Brian This video is a good example of you teaching me more ideas on how to teach my own students spcifically like when relating our own expieiernce I've also performing music off and on fr 40+ years but I wasn't always progressing or improving any nd I was stagnant and not performing for periods of years and years of performing and the expierience we reach a plateau of learning then as musicians ( and mabey just a degenerte rock muician like mysef lol ) I've practiced and studied very intensely for years and practiced 12 hours a day for years also. We can reach a peak ... where sometimes all our solos will sound the same because ew get used to certain ways of playing a firr or certain set of moves and allthough not exactly bad but ok then we need to take steps to learn more in strudy ad pracice new excesizes for muscle memory the we can put together new ideas from our study into new muscle memory moves then chunk together what we can do without thinking into "clumps" or chunks of info that we can sting together in phrases, then full new soloing/chording moves into songs. Being able to play our instrument without thinking, we need to pay attention to the rest of the band and the element of thetrics that all good rock and roll has! Cord tone targeting has huge brilliant ides waiting to be written ... like I keep saying bro my next releaae your getting credits on the liner notes for if you weren't sharing all your hard work, my work wouldn't be up to the calibre, thanks for your help in getting me to higher levels ...hopefully no more plateaus but continually improving from here on out ! Rock on Michael # Zombie

[@zombieguitar]

Glad it's helping!!

[@michaelsmusic3532]

@@zombieguitar Thanks for the reply .... sorry for so many typos, there are so many that I could barely read it and I'm even the one that wrote it ! lol Can really tell it was a late night of practice & study the other night.

[@johne.skaggs3793]

Thank You Brian, You make it easy to clearly see.

[@kurtturner5120]

I'm very new to guitar, but your teaching style is great. It makes me more interested in learning the theory. Keep up the good work!

[@zombieguitar]

Kurt Turner That's awesome! Ya man, any little tidbit of theory you can pick up and implement into your playing will always help you to improve.

[@david-ky7rt]

Brain, you are a GREAT Teacher

[@alexhuevera939]

heard this same stuff from 1000 different instructors. BUT yours made sense to me. THanks!

[@bobathanreidsiclethe3rd470]

Really enjoy your videos. Seems like we visualize things the same way so your lessons really get through to me thanks for the hard work

[@Travis_in_Florida]

Thank You!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank You. I appreciate your focus on intermediate players like myself.