Spanish Guitar Improvisation Lesson

► Free improv guide to this lesson: bit.ly/3UDCuJU
Learn how to improvise in a minor key Spanish guitar style with 3 chords and one scale shape!
In this video we learn to improvise on guitar in a minor key with three common chords and one easy scale shape in one position. Combining the strumming of a i, iv, V7 chord progression with the playing of the natural minor scale and the harmonic minor scale in time helps inform our improvisation so that we give more intelligibility to our improvising rather than just randomly playing notes. (Although at first, randomly playing notes in the scale is how we get comfortable with improvising).
I discuss the importance of "seeing" the chords living inside the scale pattern which greatly helps us land on relevant notes as the chords pass.
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[@CarlWinter-oy8uf]

Wow --E Phrygian open scale --is identical to the old A minor pentatonic ----spot on Scot ! --Thankyou!

[@CarlWinter-oy8uf]

Thankyou Scott ---- --getting it slowly --appreciate your help !

[@CarlWinter-oy8uf]

Astounding --! the 7 th fret is the E MINOR Pentatonic !---note for note !

[@Playsinvain]

This lesson hits the sweet spot of my guitar training needs

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

That was my plan 🤓

[@ememe1412]

This is absolutely fun to play around with. Thank you

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

Glad you like it!

[@CarlWinter-oy8uf]

Thankyou for going to all the trouble to clarify the distinction --now I understand your scale ---appreciate the feedback !

[@seangalbraith5286]

Excellent Scott thanks!!

[@vtphan2012]

Dear Scot, I am so glad to have found your channel. I love your focus on the minor scales in your teaching. I love that you have a practice exercise in your lesson. I'd love if you have videos on improvisation like this, but based on the melody of a specific song. For many beginners like me, I understand the theory (e.g. the harmonic minor scale), and the concept (e.g. hitting the right notes in a chord while keeping the rhythm and timing), but without a teacher hand holding me through each step, it's very hard. For example, I love the rumba strumming pattern you do here. It's simple but so elegant. I will have to rewatch this clip many times to learn it. I would love if you could expand this into a mini-course with a dozen video lessons or so. Does your nylon guitar workshop cover all of these?

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

I have a free workshop where I teach the correct and efficient way to play the most important techniques for the right hand: arpeggio, rasgueo and picado. But I do have a nylon string course that teaches all the necessary techniques up to and including rumba patterns like this. As a monthly member, you have access to that course and all of my courses including all of my improvisation courses, tutorials and practice loops. www.theversatileguitarist.com

[@vtphan2012]

@@TheVersatileGuitarist Thank you, it looks interesting. I will look into it and probably subscribe for long-term studying. I think if you have courses/materials dedicated to the context of accompanying singers (embellishments to chords when accompanying a singer, intros, transitions between verses, etc.), many of us will be interested in this.

[@homeskoold]

Excellent. Thank you!

[@morrisj09]

I would never have thought that I would be able to do this even after messing around on guitars on and off for years. You have made it so easy to understand. Thankyou so much!

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

That’s awesome! Glad I could help!

[@waiyintam7992]

Hi Scot you deserve a high rate guitarist, your videos are direct and helpful.

[@darkertime225]

thank you so much, this video was exactly what I needed. I feel being able to efficiently do this is a clear bridge from a beginner to an intermediate guitarist. its putting everything a beginner has learned (coming from only playing classical) and then changing the style is the cherry on top. Now I just need to do some bar chords and blues and its Hendrix

[@stavrosk.2868]

This is great stuff. I'm Greek and you inspire me.

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

Thank you! Great to hear I am inspiring you, I’ve got some Greek music coming up….

[@artvandelay1555]

This is a fun practical lesson. Your guitar has a very nice tone, the bass included, which can be rare in a Blanca. I like a little bit of sustain in a Flamenco. Some can be overly "tinny" .sounding for me. Thank you.

[@CarlWinter-oy8uf]

Wow -is that all ? G becomes G sharp -? Thankyou so much Scott --I now have a much clearer picture of E Phrygian --just love Flamenco --will keep practising ---so many confusing vids -- but I will get it eventually --really appreciate your expertise---gracias !

[@digletttexano678]

Thank you very helpful!

[@Order4627]

That 7th fret thing was a light bulb moment for me, I have been playing at the bottom of the neck “ open chords” for 15 years.

[@Soothing.Zoundz]

Fascinating lesson. Thanks!

[@CarlWinter-oy8uf]

You really need TABS TO illustrate this complex Phrygian scale and variations you mention in the vid -specially when you change to harmonic minor etc -so much info is overwhelming !

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

Tabs are worse, it’s about seeing the patterns and shapes, not specific frets so that you can move it around to other keys

[@artvandelay1555]

On the Am Harmonic scale after the E7 it looks like you have the finger on the 2nd string 3rd fret which would be a D note right, but it sounds like it goes with. On the visual it shows the high E string 4th fret as being the root which also sound like it should go with the E7 and what i expected on the harmonic minor. What am i missing here? I always go with the ears, if it sounds good then do not fret on the name. By the way, the C minor harmonic scale is totally cool also. Thanks Scot.

[@neilifiras]

Thanks Great lesson

[@sergeantdef.3572]

Thanks for the lessons sir.. I have subscribde..

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

Great !

[@CarlWinter-oy8uf]

SO the E phrygian open position ----OCTAVE. ----STARTS ON THE 7 TH FRET /5 TH STRING. ---!is a repeat of the open position E Phrygian ---except its on the 7 th fret 5 th string E OCTAVE !----Wonderful. --got it !

[@Not_Even_Wrong]

This is soo good.

[@allguitars]

Awesome lesson.

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

I learned from the best

[@catinthebookshelf]

Nice and effective exercise! think I will try this again! I was first advised to do this kind of exercise many years ago by my current guitar teacher @Martino Vercesi but I think i have not practiced it enough 😭 It was using the Autumn Leaves progression but I think the principles apply anyway! Thanks 😊

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

Cool! The next step is to do this in all 5 positions …

[@rippog1]

Wow… I’m just discovering this type of music and have been playing around with E Am and Dm.

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

Great! There so much fun stuff to play on nylon string!

[@derekadams2897]

Hey Scot! I’m so happy I stumbled upon your videos; it is kinda what I was looking for. I’m average in playing ability, and jump around to much in different genera’s (blues, rock, folk, but always end up liking the strumming of flamingo, turning those other tunes into flamingo attempts. Do you offer a free mini course to ground my feet in Flaminco playing? Thank you again 🙏

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

Thanks for the comment! I don’t have a free course per se, but I do have a free 45 minute workshop that gives you a great starting point for getting into this style: t.ly/oeax … you can also get a lot of good tips and info from the videos on my channel - and after that maybe you’d like to become a member where you can have access to all of my courses and tabs and community as well… Just a thought!

[@CarlWinter-oy8uf]

Where can I find this correct Phrygian scale --a diagram or illustrated printout -- on the fifth fret ? --THANKYOU FOR your advice !

[@seanbabbitt8503]

Great video Scot! Do you think you could cut the section out where you play to the metronome and place it in the comments or somewhere else so I can loop it easier?

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

Hi Sean, I can put up a loop as an unlisted video, but come to think of it I could also start a little improvisation loop series on my channel

[@alexalexalex2001]

Hey Scott nice video! I have a question : What would be the next step or steps to improve in improvisation? :)

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

If you can already do what I describe in this video, the next step would be to do it in all five positions all over the neck. At first we are just trying to navigate the scale and “see” the chord that’s in the scale but after that second step I would then work on arpeggios all over the neck as well (five positions). After that I like to set parameters for my students like “you’re only allowed to play on strings two and three,“ or “you have to combine hammer-ons, pull offs, slides and at least a few chromatic notes“… I could go on and on and on…

[@alexxak338]

9:54 loop 11:52 loop

[@user-lf3ey6vv9v]

hey there, great video, thanks a lot. I´ve got a question: when I come to the E7 chord.. do I improvise in E major or in E harmonic minor? Meaning can I include F# and G# or just the D#? Actually I think I have this general question.. like for the d minor part you are playing do I just include the notes that are in d minor (do I play the b flat instead of the b?). Hope I can make may question clear. thanks for any advice.

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

You are making a very common mistake which is to think that the key and scale are changing as the chords are changing. This chord progression is entirely in the key of A minor, so when you hear the D minor chord definitely DO NOT play the D minor scale, you can continue to play The notes from the A minor scale (one could argue you are now playing the D Dorian mode but don’t think about that). The E7 chord requires us to change just one note: G becomes G#. By changing that note but keeping the rest the same you are now playing the A harmonic minor scale so you definitely shouldn’t play the E major scale or the E minor scale - because again, we are still in the key of A minor

[@user-lf3ey6vv9v]

@@TheVersatileGuitaristDear Scot, thank you so much for clarifying and explaining. I´ve just been trying to do my first steps in improvising and having clarified this is helping me a lot. I just found your videos a few days ago and love them.

[@johndoyle5706]

So, Scot is great, but a couple of things: He talks and goes too fast for me, but I suppose if he went slower the clip would be a lot longer and I think that longer clips can be hard to see all the way through for the viewer, so I'll just concentrate! I was also fine with the music theory up to about 5 - 5 minutes in then it started to get a bit confusing for me. Nonetheless, I will be using this clip over and over because I can see that it is VERY useful for my progression. I particularly like the ending where the chord progression is played and I/we can just concentrate on our improvisation. Thanks Scot.

[@darragiraafet7754]

Improvising is not a beginner stuff. He goes fast for you because he made the video for guitarists who have a bit of knowledge in music theory. Dont rush things and take your time studying theory then come back you will notice he is talking in the right speed

[@CarlWinter-oy8uf]

I WAS TAUGHT 40yrs ago --the A minor pentatonic started on 5 th fret ---5 -8 ,5-7 5-7 frets etc

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

That fits into this key but is missing 2 notes. You can play any scale anywhere on the guitar your teacher just showed you how to play it in one particular place

[@CarlWinter-oy8uf]

Forgive my inquisitive nature -but how do you find your way around the neck without fret marker dots ? ESP ?

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

It’s easy, there’s only 12 frets!

[@aberhan]

Just a question regarding the rhythm. It sounds like 1,2&,3,4. Is that correct? If so what is the technique for accenting the (&)? With the right hand.

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

There’s a million variations you can do on the rumba rhythm, but here I am doing a tie over the 3rd beat and accenting the & of 2 (that’s a crucial accent in a rumba)… Basically just hitting the upstroke with the thumb a little bit harder and the fact that we are doing nothing at the beginning of the 3rd beat calls attention to that accent… Check this video out for more about that: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZWqZZysqKykrKM

[@CarlWinter-oy8uf]

Been playing the A minor pentatonic-in all 5 positions - for 40 years ---totally different to your Phrygian E scale -----so I have to learn all Phrygian scales in all 5 positions --ALL OVER AGAIN ? --- ------yU SHOW the E FORM Major scale ---its unlike any scale I have ever seen----and no indication of position --ie 3 rd or 5 th or 7 th frets --very frightening !

[@pong336]

Great video! So youre using E phrygian for Am and Dm and switch to E phrygian dominant for E7. but why phrygian? just to make it faster to switch to phrygian dominant to avoid jumps? Also why not use D minor for Dm so A phrygian instead of using E phrygian for all diatonic chords

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

E Phrygian is the same as A minor, just two ways of saying/thinking about the same exact scale. And E Phrygian dominant is the same as A harmonic minor. You wouldn’t use the D minor scale or A Phrygian because the key hasn’t changed to D minor we are still in the key of a minor or E phrygian so you can continue to play the A minor scale over the D minor chord but just highlight the notes in the chord to make it sound appropriate

[@CarlWinter-oy8uf]

So you hit the open A string ---then play the A minor chord ---with scale melody notes --then the D open string--D Phrygian melody --then the Eminor chord ---then back to open E and the E Phrygian melody ---then wack the E7 chord ---! ok --now I am getting it --slowly !

[@CarlWinter-oy8uf]

So why is the A minor pentatonic on 5 th --8 5 7 5-7 5-7 5-8 5-8 different to you Phrygian E scale in the open position ?

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

You can play A minor Pentatonic in the fifth position in the key of A minor but you are missing two notes when you play a pentatonic scale. A conventional scale has seven notes. In this tutorial we are talking about two scales: the natural minor scale and the harmonic minor scale. Not the pentatonic scale. Because it removes two notes, a pentatonic scale can actually fit over more than one pattern and still be “correct”. If you played the full natural minor scale in the fifth position you would find that you would have to add an F note and a B note, by doing so you would also be playing the notes of E Phrygian.

[@CarlWinter-oy8uf]

So E PHRYGIAN. -----scale I found ---is basically incorrect ?---I have to ADD a f and B NOTE ?

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

Phrygian is just all natural notes, which is the same as the a minor or C major scale.E Phrygian is: E, F, G, A, B, C, D. However, for Phrygian “dominant“ (related to the harmonic minor scale) we turn the G into G sharp,

[@CarlWinter-oy8uf]

Hang on --the A minor pentatonic is played on the 5 th fret to 8 th ----NOT 7 TH FRET ? THIS is very confusing ?

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

The A minor pentatonic scale - or any scale for that matter - can be played in any position anywhere on the neck if you know what scale pattern to use. The purpose of this lesson though is to stick to one scale shape in the open position

[@williaminavanbottle9297]

Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! "T O A Y C A R D T S" How many of us have done that for one reason or another.

[@mastgmc]

Phygiant dominant

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

What are you referring to?

[@Fabishko_Guitar]

@@TheVersatileGuitarist thats the scale that you teaching its the E Phrygian Dominant Scale

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

@@Fabishko_Guitar this is the natural minor scale and the harmonic minor scale when E7 plays. Am is definitely the tone center, not E.

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

Harmonic minor scale

[@CarlWinter-oy8uf]

At 74 --I will keep on asking related questions on Spanish guitar -- from experts ---despite moderators stupid interference

[@CarlWinter-oy8uf]

A minor pentatonic ----not on the 5 th fret ? but. anywhere ?--I do not understand --missing 2 notes ?? huh ? now I,m really confused

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

Pentatonic just means five notes, whereas most conventional scales have seven notes (one for each letter of the musical alphabet). The guitar has redundant notes everywhere so you can play an A minor scale whether it’s Pentatonic or not in any position on the guitar. In this video, we’re talking about the key of A minor which is basically all natural notes with A as our “homebase“ tone center. so if you played the scale in the open/1st position that I show in this lesson and then go to the fifth position and play your pentatonic minor shape they will fit over each other because they are the same notes

[@shahrokhmafi135]

I signed up to receive the tabs for this video. I received an email with a link. The instructions were to cloying the link and I the tabs would be emailed to me. Nothing happened except bunch of promotional stuff wanting me to pay $39 a month to join. Is this a fraudulent site?

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

Hi, the confirmation button is to make sure you’re not a bot… After you click that the free PDF should arrive in your inbox immediately. Did you check your spam folder? The email will come from “the versatile guitarist“ the name of my membership site

[@shahrokhmafi135]

@@TheVersatileGuitarist thank you. I just submitted. That form through me off. But I completed and submitted.

[@shahrokhmafi135]

I received an email from Kajabi ?? Saying that I had to contact someone else. This is definitely a scam. Not your videos and teaching but obtaining the PDF version of this particular tab sheet. So bad!!

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

Thousands of people are downloading my free PDFs from KZbin every week, and no one has had any problems that I'm aware of like this. Can you forward that email or a screenshot to me at [e-mail]? I can email you this PDF directly. Kajabi is the name of my course hosting platform although i don't know why you would get an email from them… I'm also not sure why you call this a scam because I am giving away material for free. A scam would involve me trying to take some money from you.

[@shahrokhmafi135]

@@TheVersatileGuitarist as I said your videos are fantastic and you seem to be an excellent guitar teacher. However, I have been trying to get a copy of this video so I can evaluate and decide if I want to go any further. I will send you and you an email with more details. Thank you!

[@thesportsjunkie4827]

Sounds complicated instead of being a fun lesson

[@TheVersatileGuitarist]

This is one of the most fun things you can do on guitar. Try it.

[@gemmaster9369]

👍👍👌👌🙏🙏