The EASY WAY to Play with Confidence - Learn in 5 Minutes

[@davidheidemann1052]

Hi Mark. As you know, I have been playing for many years. This is simply the best tutorial on improvising that I have ever heard - absolutely brilliant! Simple, really - but profound. Thank you for putting this video together!

[@MarkZabel]

Hey Dave! Thank you so much. That means a lot coming from you!

[@RonRegan]

Have I already said that this is one of the best videos, evah?

[@MarkZabel]

I don't know, but you can say it as much as you want!! Thank you!!

[@philipbeasley72]

Yes I like that you said that, "You can play anywhere as long in the same mode, but ending up where you want.." like a map. Little bit of confidence will help too.

[@MarkZabel]

Yep!

[@johnmacmillan627]

Thanks Mark! That is exactly where I am at….know positions etc but cant make music

[@MarkZabel]

Glad to help. Thanks for watching!

[@bmcpsd31]

This is undoubtedly the best video on playing the changes I’ve ever watched.

[@MarkZabel]

Thank you so much!!

[@Westernerd1]

Love it. The best "solos" and licks that I create are what I hum in my head with no guitar in my hand.

[@MarkZabel]

Absolutely! That's would probably be my #1 recommendation (singing/humming what you play), except that I know from experience people don't want to do it!! If you enjoy it, it's the best thing to do!

[@grassblade63]

Thanks, Mark, for bringing this into 'focus', so to speak! I'm guilty of aimless playing at times, too. Sometimes, I'm focused, and my solos really smoke, and seem to just flow naturally. Other times, I lose focus, and I just sound like a total noob. By you pointing this out, perhaps I can identify those aimless times, and eliminate them.

[@MarkZabel]

I understand completely and I'm still guilty of it from time to time. But this helped me a lot. Thanks for the kind comment!

[@CD_Character]

Great lesson, Mark !

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks!

[@woodycrabtree5096]

Fantastic lesson Mark thank u very much

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks! 😃

[@GimmeJimmy23]

Haha! So simple, yet so brilliant! It can be irksome when you watch a "tutorial", and they just tell you to "play the changes". You actually articulated what that means for those who needed it. Thank you for posting this. Concise, informative content. Love it!

[@MarkZabel]

Awesome. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@edmelihe]

Thanks to much for your lessons!!!👍👍🎸🎸

[@MarkZabel]

Glad you like them!

[@tallpaul1020]

Another great lesson with great tips and moves. Thanks Mark!!!! See ya on the next Livestream 🎸👍🎸

[@MarkZabel]

Rock on! See you tomorrow!

[@frankortega4280]

Always love your videos Mark. Very clear and practical lessons that make us all better players. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@MarkZabel]

Glad you like them!

[@dwkarl55]

Man...this is such a gift. Thanks!!

[@MarkZabel]

Glad you like it!

[@jimc6687]

Somebody ate their Wheaties once again this morning! Perfect timing here, Mark.........I am sheltered inside today on the weekend (108 F just earlier this afternoon here in the Dallas area!) and struggling with just this........need for inspiration and quality stuff to work on for soloing.......and man......did U deliver!! Jim C.

[@MarkZabel]

Awesome. Sounds great! Stay cool and take care of yourself. I darn near had a stroke on a walk yesterday. It's humid, but nowhere near as hot here (mid-90s). So take care.

[@eddieholmes3236]

Excellent Mark! Many thanks. I always fall into the trap of just picking up the guitar and playing over the song as that's fun and easy. But actually understanding the chord changes gives you so much more.

[@MarkZabel]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@michaelmerrullo2043]

Just watched it. Nice lesson Mark. I love that laid back blues. I'll definitely work on and have myself a nice little jam with those ideas. I'm going steal that long bluesy chromatic run. I like that

[@michaelmerrullo2043]

😎

[@MarkZabel]

By all means steal it! I'll be posting the tab tomorrow morning. Just didn't have the energy to tab it up tonight.

[@tbone2451]

That’s a good one Mark.

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks buddy! (And I used a Les Paul even! LOL!)

[@tbone2451]

@@MarkZabel That didn’t go unnoticed!

[@tbone2451]

@@MarkZabel That didn’t go unnoticed!

[@ffemto4]

Groovy lesson. Probably be playing around with it tomorrow!! Thanks

[@MarkZabel]

Glad you dug it. Rock on ... or blues on I guess. Ha!

[@johnbraid1696]

Thanks Mark. Excellent lesson . I usually just noodle around over a backing track or on my looper. Sounds okay I guess but no improvement or direction just mindless noodlig . I'm looking forward to putting your tips and borrowing your licks into my practice. Thanks again Mark!!

[@MarkZabel]

Sounds great!

[@silbanis.3674]

Thanks a lot, Mark. You're right... more focus should be on chord notes when improvising/soloing. Great tips. Appreciate it.

[@MarkZabel]

You're very welcome!

[@Krullmatic]

Another great lesson Mark! Thank you once again for the inspiration!

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks a ton!

[@johnnyfreedom4117]

Another good one thank you Mark! RESOLVE.....

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks ... and exactly!

[@andystottenham]

Brilliant. Thanks.

[@MarkZabel]

Glad you liked it!

[@humblegeorge]

This will be a great new advantage for me ! Thank you more than word can express.

[@MarkZabel]

You're very welcome!

[@robertgoodwinr6523]

Thank you Mark. Always Great. Such a huge help and still hitting this thing just about as much as I can. I always play your Hendrix/George Harrison lick lesson to keep my fingers in line - So great and impressive. Thank you Sir. Hope all is well. Peace from Boston.

[@MarkZabel]

Great to hear from you Robert! Glad you're enjoying the videos and finding them helpful!

[@robertgoodwinr6523]

@@MarkZabel Same here Mark. For sure. Peace my friend.

[@timspencer1]

Excellent. Thank you!

[@MarkZabel]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@ClaudioBrogliato]

Very well explained, couldn't be any simpler.

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks!

[@perihelion7798]

I play aimlessly until ,accidentally, I play an amazing riff. But then I forget how I did it. Dang!

[@thefrancs8622]

I do that with cool chord progressions!

[@Yundra344]

helo

[@HumblyServingGod]

There’s nothing worse than forgetting a good riff, sure the chords are easy, but good luck remembering exactly the feel of the rhythm.

[@perihelion7798]

@@HumblyServingGod It's horrible. A really nice riff is hard to come by, and then forgetting how to play a great one that you just came up with...frustrating.

[@Paul197A]

Welcome to my world 😂😂😂

[@MrBluesrat]

That’s the blues sound I want!

[@MarkZabel]

Yeah!

[@BedeLaplume]

Really well explained..

[@MarkZabel]

Thank you 🙂

[@cymbalsplus]

Smooth! Chromatics add class. I want to play like that when I grow up.

[@MarkZabel]

LOL! Love it!

[@conifergreen2]

Thank you for doing this. It has been a mystery to me for many years of what exactly is happening with soloing, and this really helps. I just can't seem to get that blues "tune" so maybe now I can.

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks. It takes practice to get your ears and fingers in sync, but having clear targets is a HUGE key.

[@waynegram8907]

MARK, When you did that double stop over the D7, that double stop the pinky note was out of key note? because that pinky note is not in the key of A major or A minor

[@MarkZabel]

Hey Wayne. It's over the D7 and it's a C - the b7 of D and the minor 3rd of A. So it's in A minor. So essentially what I'm doing is bending from a D7 to a D9 chord and back. One of my favorite bends over the 4 chord. It's often done in country guitar playing, but rarely in the blues.

[@waynegram8907]

@@MarkZabel Yes I see now. You should do more video lesson about add in those country double stop bends and out of key double stop bends. Blue Saraceno guitarist would often find "tritone double stop/diads" and play them in chord progressions. How Blues Saraceno does this is he takes any scale degree or chord tone and finds the "tritone double stop" and add it into the blues minor or major pentatonic scale. This would be a good video lesson about this subject.

[@jessejordan8116]

Brilliant. Glad I found you. Subbed.

[@MarkZabel]

Awesome, thank you!

[@KraussEMUS1]

Thanks a lot! Sounds awesome!!

[@MarkZabel]

Glad you like it!

[@johnmac8084]

Those chromatic runs up to each chord tone in turn sound really cool, thanks Mark. I'm gonna wear that one out now ;-)

[@MarkZabel]

Perfect!

[@imannonymous7707]

I really like the chromatic runs in octaves...nice

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks!

[@Jeff_H_the_Guitarist]

What a great solo. It's not often I hear something and say "I have to learn that. It's a gem." But after I heard it I said, "I have to learn that. It's a gem." Now that I know it, I know I'll always have it in my backpocket to use at the next blues jam. I love that it's got me thinking of getting to my target notes chromatically as you beautifully done. And I'm noticing how well the minor 3rd sounds on the I chord and on the V. Neven really pondered on that so much. Thanks again for the lesson. I'm considering a membership with ya. Just not at the moment. Soon!

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks Jeff! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@nckcunningham]

The best I've seen it described

[@MarkZabel]

Wow, thanks!!

[@joefockler1870]

Great lesson

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks!

[@lauriecarter8931]

Hi Mark Great vid as always,the chromatic runs sounded real nice I will be tryin them out forsure Cheers Mate.

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks Laurie!

[@krisstieghorst7415]

Thanks Mark, love ❤ the analogy, question: at the beginning of the video you gave a small example...that lacked intent? No way...Excellent tips as always! 🖤 Kris IL 🦋

[@MarkZabel]

LOL! You crack me up Kris. Thanks as always. See you later today in the livestream! (hopefully)

[@krisstieghorst7415]

@@MarkZabel looking forward to it!

[@JustinNogle]

I suppose technically, embarrassingly, that this should all be ingrained in my brain by now for how long I've played, but I am thoroughly impressed by how simply and expertly you laid this out and I greatly appreciate it. I'm slowly but surely grasping the concept and I'm super excited to uncover what is possible with this amazing instrument! 😎🎸🤘

[@MarkZabel]

It's a lifelong thing. Getting comfortable one can't learn it all is great, because it means the learning (and fun) never stops!

[@zeppelinfan9360]

Curious the year of your Gold top Les Paul deluxe and the neck wood? I have a 78' natural maple top deluxe with a maple neck. Description specifies mohogany neck but mine is maple. I'm a personal advocate of the mini-humbuckers. Love the clean tone you get. Really curious on why some Les Pauls have Maple instead of mohogany?

[@MarkZabel]

2012 1970s Tribute. Maple neck, Maple fretboard(!) The neck also has a volute. It's a fairly thick profile neck, and I think most people don't like that OR the mini-hums. But I love the mini-hums myself. I'm totally in agreement with you on the tone.

[@MarkZabel]

*LIVE STREAM TOMORROW (Sunday, July 24) at 12:00 pm EST* Click and bookmark: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYKwgItjqNhqfZY

[@Rooster7six]

Great vid! To me that first little solo sounded cool too! But the latter was great.

[@MarkZabel]

Cool, thanks!

[@EvilSapphireR]

Probably a stupid question, but how do you keep track of the chords playing in the background. Do you just get better at recognising them by ear given that you know the root chord/scale?

[@MarkZabel]

Great question. You build up your ears if you can't yet do it. Get the chord chart to a simple song you like, maybe "Father and Son" by Cat Stevens or "Brown Eyed Girl" - something simple and not a riff-based thing like "The Ocean" by Zeppelin. Then listen with the chord sheet and lyrics in front of you. Follow along with the chord changes, make sure you can pick them out. Of course if you're confident, you can use a backing track where you know the changes as well. But I prefer something with vocals, because it also (through "osmosis") gives me an idea of a great melody line - the singer's vocal line. Singers usually seamlessly sing through chord changes and end at great notes. I'll bet when you sing you're not thinking about scales, arpeggios and the like!

[@freddycookjr.2164]

LEARN THE SONG FIRST LYRICS AND ALL SING IT TILL YOU HATE IT THEN GO FOR THE SOLO

[@jackgriffith9229]

Try singing your solo. Try listening to George Benson. Now play singable solo guitar lines. You sound better already!

[@MarkZabel]

That's another great idea and great practice. The only issue? Almost nobody will do it. A real bummer. I even try using the word "hum" instead of "sing". No dice. Anyway, glad *you* like doing it. I do too.

[@jackgriffith9229]

@@MarkZabel Mark, I actually used to sing 🎤 my solos on a Jazz standards gig in a hotel lobby. I had not studied how to play two five one type jazz chord changes so I sang my guitar solos and I sounded fine . Now I’m even close to the “Benson” sound but no one in the band complained about it! Enjoy!

[@johncharal1698]

Thanks, Mark. This 3 fret chromatic approach to a chord tone is wonderful. This will definitely impact my soloing. Some great chord tone based licks, also. Sorry to be critical but I notice that at times your video lags the audio. It makes it a little harder to see exactly what you're doing.

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks John. The lag is very device dependent and could be on your end. If you let me know the exact times you're seeing lag, I'll check it out to see if it's on my end.

[@wesleyAlan9179]

I like "aimless" playing. But, I don't think of it as aimless playing. I like to think of it as it's coming from a place deep down in our subconscious, or...from the soul, so it's totally unique and it's not "by the books" playing... (That's what I tell myself because what I'm really doing is aimlessly playing because I don't know what I'm doing, lol) 25+years here of playing guitar. I wished I had KZbin when I was 14, I'm 40 now and I feel like there's so much I don't know😅 Great lesson, my friend, very informative 👍 Thanks!

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks!!

[@lesternielson9280]

Mark, is important to hit these chord tones on the 1 beat of each chord change?

[@MarkZabel]

Hi Lester. Good question! It doesn't have to. The first beat is the most obvious and most easily understood by the listener, but other places work as well. I'll discuss in an upcoming video.

[@lesternielson9280]

Thanks Mark! I'll be practicing what's in this vid in the meantime

[@nicolim6656]

Hey Mark, thanks for your videos. I have a question: does this require you to know which chord is coming next? And are the notes your targeting at the beginning of a new chord or at the end of one? For example if you are changing from A to G, do you want your lick in A to land on a G in time with the start of the G chord...? or is the G supposed to come at the end of the G chord part? Hope that makes sense

[@MarkZabel]

My pleasure. Usually you'll want to target a note in the next chord, but there are exceptions. Start by targeting a tone in the chord that's coming so that you land on it when it hits. Once that's natural you can carry your line into the measure a bit.

[@nicolim6656]

@@MarkZabel thanks for responding. This is super helpful, will definitely check out some of your other lessons! This topic would also be a great one to expand on as I know there are lots of people in this boat!

[@GaryBook]

Jerry Garcia followed the chords as well. Let the record show Mark Z is a KZbin star, those bands that passed on you are no where! Brian May and Carlos Santana use their guitars to sing. It becomes their voice.

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks so much Gary! I'm happy to be doing something that Jerry did ... well, on the guitar for sure! 😀

[@georgemasonsghost4062]

Nice vid. Most of us are guilty of playing over the changes. Once you learn to play through the changes, it creates an entirely different soundscape. Not saying it's wrong, or bad to play over the changes, just saying. Thanks for the great demo.

[@MarkZabel]

Well said!

[@scottkingsley8037]

I was just explaining the other day that leaning into a bend release with aggressive picking will blow more of your audience away than all the flash you know. After all Smoke On The Water is not the riff. The money shot, so to speak, is that second to last and last note of the solo. Get that with intention and everybody forgets anything else you played.

[@MarkZabel]

Right on!

[@jeremyjamesmusic]

Great lesson Mark! I gotta talk to you! Lol

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks and yes! Gotta find a way to talk for sure! Let me try having a look at your playing schedule again.

[@josephgraf2167]

My mentor taught me “as long as the begging and the ending are good, you can get away with a bunch of crap in the middle of the song”

[@MarkZabel]

That's usually right. Knowing where to end though ... people usually don't work on that much.

[@MrPhotonjockey]

Beginning (sorry)

[@LOFIGSD]

Chord tones, everybody wants to be a lead player, but most would do themselves a favour by playing rhythm for a while and understanding chords, inversions, arpeggios etc, then they will know where to go, I know and play with some very good pro musicians, tbh most can hear something and play it, that's where people should be aiming for, with some it's natural, others, it's a learning process, understanding chords and the notes under them is fundamental, learning visual patterns, is not the way to go.

[@GaryBook]

FYI: GuitarLessons365Song was hacked. Check out his video July 30, 2022 about securing your channel so you don’t have any issues.

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks Gary. I'll do that.

[@GaryBook]

@@MarkZabel Make sure you establish a direct contact with someone at KZbin in the event of an emergency.

[@Yundra344]

helo friends🤝🏻👍

[@MarkZabel]

Hello 👋

[@luckyfamilyman]

Bottom line if we all play like everyone else ya got zero differentiator … play whatever to be different then bang on the root note hard 🤣😎

[@JohnStraussmusic]

This is Birds philosophy. Play any notes you feel like just end it on something related to the progression

[@MarkZabel]

He knew a thing or two!! One of the real masters for sure.

[@porkyfedwell]

Probably was the ponytail. :)

[@MarkZabel]

Lol!

[@smellymala3103]

I am a drummer 😔🥁 god bless

[@MarkZabel]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@smellymala3103]

@@MarkZabel videos like this one really help me move towards unlocking that instrument and I do appreciate your effort tremendously! :)

[@MrNumber1gator]

Looks like a 70s reissue Les Paul...

[@MarkZabel]

1970s Tribute.

[@gergemall]

I play in circles

[@MarkZabel]

I can relate.

[@davidevans3175]

Playing the notes in the chords as the chords are played comes from Bebop and jazz. Overlaying scales onto chord progressions is amateur, it's debatable if it's even music.

[@renecross392]

Not getting it at all Play/pause/play/pause all the way through Frustratingly slow process Guitar is back up against the wall after enjoying playing a few chords

[@MarkZabel]

What is it you're not understanding? There is one and only 1 point to this video - that if you don't want to play aimlessly, you must know where your solo line is going to end. And where should it end? A chord tone - a note within the chord the rest of the band is playing. That's it for understanding. For execution, this is not a beginner video. If you can already solo using, say, some licks from the blues scale, then this is for you. If you cannot, then: 1. listen to someone solo. Should not be a "shredder". Someone like David Gilmour is good. Listen until you can hum the solo by heart. 2. Learn 1 or 2 or 3 licks or the "pentatonic box" (Google it) Do that for a while until you feel you've got some chops. Then come back to this video. Even if understanding is quick, execution takes quite a bit of time and practice.

[@phineus8397]

I don't mean to be negative but that solo mark was playing there to me was really bland and boring dare I say

[@pjokivuo]

A great lesson, many thanks!

[@MarkZabel]

Glad you liked it!