This PERFECT SOLO got me to STOP Playing Randomly - In Minutes

[@philm.6113]

40 years ago, I took a few guitar lessons from a guy that was too cool for Seger. He was all about Zeppelin and Blue Oyster Cult. However, one day, he admitted to me that he loved the guitar work on Seger's Mainstreet. Of course he did. Awesome lesson, Mark. Your talent/teaching skills never cease to amaze me. I will never be too cool to admit you are the best.

[@MarkZabel]

Thank you so much for the kind comment my friend. I truly appreciate it!

[@BkBk-gy6vr]

So if the song changes to say the G chord which note in the G chord should you land on or can you land on any note from the chord being played?

[@MarkZabel]

@@BkBk-gy6vr Any note of the G chord works - in the beginning that's all you need to know. Later on, you'll find certain notes work better in certain parts of a solo, but for now, any chord tone will do.

[@BkBk-gy6vr]

@@MarkZabel Ok. So if a song is say in the key of A pentatonic minor then switches too a C chord, I target C chord notes but do I also continue with the pentatonic notes in the key of A also? Thanks 👍

[@MarkZabel]

@@BkBk-gy6vrYes, that's fine.

[@1man1guitarletsgo]

The explanation in this video is spot-on! I play by ear, and visualise shapes on the fretboard (so I usually find myself looking at the neck while soloing). The shapes I see, and aim for, are combinations of scales and chords, so as long as I know what key I'm in, and what chords are used in the song, I can improvise solos effortlessly. The thing is, solos based entirely around one aspect are not interesting. That applies whether we focus on pentatonics or chord tones. The key is to switch the emphasis from scales to chord tones during a solo, and don't be afraid to (sparingly) play notes that are outside these boxes.

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks!

[@sn7miller]

Exactly! Visualizing shapes of many things on fretboard is how I learned as well. Just as in Yardbird's song, Shapes of Things. lol, but sure applies here

[@kwimms]

Yeah, this is how all the greats play guitar... they visualize little shapes on their fret board and then play them... And great artists, when they draw, they imagine musical phrases and manage those feelings of tension and release displayed on a blank canvas, then draw over them.

[@kevgmei]

I enjoy switching between minor and phrygian and weaving that with switches between pentatonic and blues

[@1man1guitarletsgo]

@@kevgmei My approach to modes is to simply play notes from the "wrong" scale against the chord, so if there's an E Major in the background, for instance, then picking notes from the C Major scale is instant Phrygian. And I agree: flit from one to another, otherwise solos are boring.

[@dreaminginnoother]

I think this video could help me a lot if I can incorporate the concept. I'll probably be coming back to this video a few times.

[@MarkZabel]

Sounds like a plan. It takes some time and it takes a couple of things to come together. But it's worth it. Once it happens, life becomes much easier and better!

[@jesse_cole]

I've never noticed that solo as having been particularly remarkable... but you made me go listen to it, and in addition to having some of the best melodic elements a solo can have, it has possibly the best dry "broken up" overdrive I've ever heard from a guitar solo... it's almost fuzz-like in quality, but you can just feel the tubes pulverizing the guitar notes in all the right places without losing any tonal quality, especially in the low notes. I'm going to be chasing that sound for the rest of my life now, I fear.

[@MarkZabel]

Ha ha! Yes, Pete nailed the tone. The only tone I'll envy more is David Lindley's on "Late for the Sky". Love that solo too. They had such a beautiful touch on the instrument.

[@jeffdubuque3755]

Always liked the warm tone on this solo. cheers from across the river in Ontario.

[@MarkZabel]

Yes, beautiful tone on the song from Pete.

[@AdamAllaun]

This guy is not only a great player but even more importantly a great teacher ..thankyou

[@MarkZabel]

Thank you so much!

[@musicguy3725]

Eye opening lesson. Perfect song to examine. I'm an ok player, playing for 40+ years, but never really got beyond power chords, cowboy chords, and minor pentatonic scale soloing. Getting into triads and inversions in the past year or two has really been helpful. Scatting/singing your leads is helpful too, but I often forget to do that. Thank you for your wonderful teaching!

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed this one!

[@gergemall]

You’re correct Mark. You’re on the right track. Love the visual aids you use. You are an incredible player.❤ VERY HELPFUL FOR ME.❤

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks so much!

[@nordicfrost]

Someone once asked me for songs to learn while singing. Night Moves was my immediate suggestion. That record is a gold mine for guitar beginners.

[@MarkZabel]

Totally agree!

[@andrewsinclair5203]

Great lesson, from a fabulous song. Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band played at the Glasgow Apollo way back in '77. I was there and it's still one of the very best gigs I've ever been to. Thanks for this one!

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks!

[@Chewwy153qt]

Mark, I find your laid back and concise explanations very easy to listen to and understand. Please move to my town so I can take lessons.

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks! (and LOL, where do you live? It's cold here!)

[@bluesmansunnyfournier4727]

It's nice and warm here in Cambodia. Cheers! @@MarkZabel

[@andercoyote4170]

Great lesson! Thx! This is the most clear and simple beginning to chord tones I’ve come across! Great song too. 👍🏽

[@MarkZabel]

Awesome. Thanks for the feedback!

[@Joel_Powell]

Wow! Mark I have been watching your videos for sometime and have learned a ton, but never knew you were a fellow Michigander until today. I am probably a bit older than you - grew up in the 60s (born in 58) in Brighton (west of Detroit). I got to meet Bob very briefly before his success when it was the Bob Seger System - he did have Heavy Music as a hit at the time. Thanks for all the great content. This is another of many great approaches you have shared.

[@MarkZabel]

Love it! Thanks!

[@sirwinston2368]

I'm 62. Grew up in Livonia in the 60's and 70's. First electric (ES-335) on July 3, 1976. All these years and I'm still somewhat of a hack. Signs of greatness are nearby though. Any day now! 😎

[@scottashe984]

I'm a Michiganian.

[@edge1289]

Great album! Great explanation and Mainstreet is one of my favorite songs. “Sometimes even now, When I'm feelin' lonely and beat, I drift back in time and I find my feet, Down on mainstreet”. Man, at my age those lyrics really hit home! Thanks Mark!

[@MarkZabel]

My pleasure. Thanks for watching and for the kind comment!

[@eltonron1558]

I learned the solo, note for note, for love of the song. Then used the descending riffs of the end of the song, in alot of other songs.

[@Planet9_music]

Im really glad you mentioned the ear in this! Great vid.

[@MarkZabel]

Hey, thanks!

[@rickhammel9541]

I took one guitar lesson in my life, I definitely could use a ton more, but in that one lesson my teacher told me to talk with my guitar, use the melody in your head to say things in your head that you're feeling, like a sax or trumpet player would. Totally works.

[@MarkZabel]

Yes, the only issue with that is 99% (or maybe 98%) of guitar players won't do that. It really works great if you sing your lines too and then play what you sing. It's surprising how many players simply don't come up with ideas. Listening to melodies, developing your own ideas and vocalizing (with the willingness to make mistakes) is all it takes.

[@kwimms]

​@@MarkZabel Soloing is singing inside while listening to our own playing and responding to the emotions and tensions in real time to take listeners on a journey as they resonate with our soul.... AND 10,000 hours of consistent concentrated slow practice to develop the muscle memory and technical skills necessary to make the instrument disappear so there is just us and God remaining.

[@dallasspohn6840]

Mark, I love the stories and reasons you choose this or that path. It helps.

[@MarkZabel]

Awesome! Thanks for the feedback. Really helpful!

[@j.p.7708]

Excellent lesson, the visuals are the best on KZbin 👍👍👍👍

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks! 😃

[@kennewton6626]

When I was a freshman in high school (Somerville NJ, class of '80 yikes) I had to do a paper in my English class. I scribbled the lyrics to "Down On Main Street" onto a piece of plain paper. Handed it in...got an A+, my teacher loved it. Next year, as a sophomore, I learned how to play a song by Spanish classical composer/guitarist Fernando Sor, "Andante". All the other students in the class were writing 15 page papers, that kind of thing, about the Spanish revolution, stuff like that...I specifically remember the guy who became our Valedictorian (last year, the judge who authorized the search warrant of a certain ex-president's home at a compound known as "Sea To Lake") created a diorama of a battle scene during the Spanish revolution...I performed "Andante" in front of the class using my cheapo nylin stringed guitar...I got an A+ again. At that point, I thought to myself, hmm, I might be onto something...

[@MarkZabel]

Ha ha! Same year for me BTW - 1980.

[@travismiles5885]

I wrote down the lyrics to Extreme's "More than Words" for an assignment in my 11th grade creative writing class. I got an A as well. The song wouldn't be released until that summer but I was a big fan already so I had the cassette for a while before the album really blew up. I always wonder what my creative writing teachers reaction to the song was the first time he heard it. I want to think that he said to himself "where have I heard these words before?"

[@codyjarrett8274]

I grew up in Somerville NJ in the 80s to and played and still play guitar. I wonder if we might know each other?

[@kennewton6626]

@@codyjarrett8274 wow. I graduated SHS 1980. What year did you graduate?

[@codyjarrett8274]

@@kennewton6626 oh, my mistake I thought you meant as in Somerset County. I grew up in South Bound Brook. Thought maybe it was Bound Brook high you were referring to. I left right before I was to start at BBHS so whenever I hear Somerville I think Somerset County. My bad buddy

[@JagadisM]

Mark sir .. your teaching methodology is super good.. Thanks

[@MarkZabel]

So nice of you. Thanks!

[@ロクアンドロルしかない]

Just one critique, for those of us who haven’t heard the song playing the solo before the analysis would have helped especially for those of us who already know about basing solos on chords, I have been improvising that way from the beginning and I still have chord tones and harmonics flying out that I can’t duplicate but I would like to add, anyone who has tried to learn from Hendrix’s longer pieces such as Machine Gun, the tab books notate the tonality as being in E minor but this is not the case he shifts through chord progressions even in the E minor pentatonic box shapes or typically E Dorian shape, the song I have transcribed about 75% of is Hear My Train Coming live at Berkeley and the lead solo after the singing is not just E minor improvising, in that E minor 12 fret box area you have a G major chord, A major chord E minor, B altered, using the flat seventh 9th and six you get a D major triad and so on and he plays through those progressions with the phrasing, that’s the secret to making a 12 minute long guitar solo a masterpiece it’s not just E minor noodling and then when you add the major/minor ambiguity from the blues that adds even more chords as well as using the flat 5th passing tone as a chord tone gives you altered chords and Hendrixian noise from a feedbacking guitar.

[@MarkZabel]

No worries. The issue is that it instantly demonetizes the video. In the case of Bob Seger it also means the video likely gets taken down in a few countries. You're right about Machine Gun and pretty much all of the interesting solos of the greats. They didn't just play scales and meander - even when improvising.

[@joecarson1062]

Excellent! Thanks!

[@MarkZabel]

Glad it was helpful!

[@whitelightest9933]

This is so far beyond my understanding. I’m new. But I’m sure this will become very helpful in the future. Thank you!

[@MarkZabel]

My pleasure. I would guess that it's not as far beyond your understanding as you think right now. Just remember scales and chords are related to each other. That's enough for now.

[@Probablythatonedude]

I quite literally found this video randomly on my homepage at the best possible time in my guitar learning journey… been looking for this video for a long time my guy ❤

[@kevgmei]

One common thing I hear in soloing tips is to follow the chords, and doing that instantly made my soloing and improv a lot more fun because it's like speaking a language instead of gibberish. I also read a comment that mentioned how Marty Friedman wrote his famous Tornado of Souls solo just by following the chords. I still find chords tough to follow, though, and have a hard time remembering where I am on the neck.

[@MarkZabel]

Yes, it can still be difficult.

[@raoulduke344]

Fantastic video, Mark. This video has helped me at the perfect time. Great lesson as always and a huge thanks from the UK.

[@MarkZabel]

Great to hear! Thanks!

[@Nicholasjkonyha]

awesome guitar strap man

[@paulsalazar3765]

Thank you for the Triad Road Map.

[@MarkZabel]

My pleasure.

[@8MinuteAxe]

Hey Mark. You've made some real gems lately. I love the uncompromising yet highly relevant content. This video is awesome. Thank you.

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks so much!

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks so much!

[@bookscheckmout]

Thank you! Good stuff 👍

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks so much!

[@jimc6687]

Another one of your best (and very pertinent) guitar lessons, buddy!! Great work! Jim C.

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks brother!

[@johnmccarthy5245]

This is an outstanding explanation of how to solo using a great example. Thanks, Mark!

[@MarkZabel]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@garrettr2]

Super helpful! Big ties to CAGED, I just hit a wall with that so this is great to get back in the groove! Greetings from metro Detroit 🤘

[@MarkZabel]

Glad it helped! Metro Detroit, my old stomping grounds!

[@grassyknollblues]

You’re a great teacher!

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks!

[@TheeSlickShady_Dave_K]

2:18 This image changed my life

[@robschaller9061]

The reason knowing the fret board is so critical is to be able to know and immediately play your triad these triads outline your chord progressions. For example on the G string on 11th fret is a F# on the B string 10th is an A, and on the high E string 12 fret is an E, those three chords are the triad for a Bm. The sequence you play those 3 notes give you multiple combinations with just those 3 notes add in the rest of the scale and you have even more. Soloing through the chord changes outlining the chords in their triad shapes INSTANTLY change you soloing and you sound much more melodic. Other things I do is emphasize the dominate note of a chord that gives that chord its emphasis. For example a G7 chord the sound that gives it that 7th distinction is the F note well, I would likely want to play the nearest F note while I am in my Solo when the change to the G7 happens drawing attention to that aspect of the change. What begins to happen is while you are LISTENING while you are playing those things start to become natural to your playing because you have trained yourself to LISTEN while you are playing and your approach is to complement and augment what the song is doing. Start with learning your shapes for example where are the R, 3rd, and 5th in the D shape

[@jeffstram5666]

Nice Lesson, Mark! Thank you. Oh, BTW; that scale on your guitar neck that shows up at about 2:12 is E Major pentatonic, barred on the 7th fret. Am I looking at that right?

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks. That's D-major pentatonic (same notes as Bm pentatonic).

[@jeffstram5666]

@@MarkZabel I know you meant D Major; the graphic in the video shows E Major. Thank you.

[@arissongsmusic]

Very nice, it kinda reminds me of the way George Harrison used his ears + technique around the chords for his solo on "LetIt Be" Rock on ArtyThan ☆♡☆

[@MarkZabel]

Absolutely. Given your comment, you may enjoy this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jWTKd4x5gbSVjNk

[@AnthonyTardugno-c4s]

That was a great tip thanks

[@MarkZabel]

You bet

[@MrDoneboy]

Thanks, Mark...As usual!

[@MarkZabel]

My pleasure. Thanks for listening!

[@berryj.greene7090]

A nice tune and a nice tone. You can't beat it - End of!

[@LambertDriveStudios]

Amazing stuff Mark !! Sidenote I just visited Detroit 2 weeks ago for first time ever !!

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks!

[@michaeljam2132]

Thanks Mark for the hard work! Still noodling at 60. 👍🏼

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks!

[@sirwinston2368]

Good video Mark. To this day, I am not a lead player. All my leads I play in my house when I'm all alone, seem to be just strings of notes in some scales. Not always; I do have flashes of greatness from time to time. And I'm like Joel_Powell... 62 years old, grew up in Livonia... first electric was a mid-60's 335 (July 3, 1976 - you never forget your first Gibson) that I still have and play regularly. Though I did buy a Heritage 555 (a blinged out Heritage 535) that plays very well. Thanks Mark. I appreciate your time and effort. sw P.S., love the Muscle Shoals guys. I think Hood is the last guy standing, unfortunately.

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks! It's all passing, as time does. I was lucky to know Joe Messina of the Funk Brothers ... last one. He passed on about a year ago now.

[@krisstieghorst7415]

Thanks Mark, love Bob Seger & The Bullet Band. Fantastic work on this lesson. 💯👋🖤🦋🖤

[@MarkZabel]

Thank you Kris!

[@dw7704]

The song that made this make sense to me, where it clicked, was Albert King’s version of Crosscut Saw

[@eohippusone]

I learned that solo as well! Fun song!

[@dawin6710]

I think Pete just picked two Major/Minor pantetonic shapes 1 and 4 that coincide in same part of the neck and just changed the scales by switching the root and came up with a beautiful but obviously not improvised solo. BTY, Thanks for bringing forward to the present a beautiful song of the past.

[@MarkZabel]

I'd guess it was 100% improvised and that Pete used the D major Hexatonic scale (no need to mix major and minor here). The video is about how it works though - playing chord tones. Pete, by the time this was recorded, was no doubt playing the chord tones by ear. Most players blow through scales choosing notes by random and thinking, "The scale is right, so any note works," and that sounds, well, random. Connecting your notes to the changing harmony (chord changes) is the key to breaking this. Over time, you don't need to think about it, but many veteran players of 20, 30, 40 years still suffer from it. Doing this consciously will break you of that habit.

[@kbradford2270]

Hey, mark got a question. That maybe you can help me on a deperiod. I'm thinking of purchasing James Burton telecaster. Do you know or have you played one about this get? Tar, does it still have that real good Tele sounds would greatly appreciate input BROTHERS MARK MY FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH BOB SEAGR LIVE BEAUTIFUL LOSER DUE TO MY FIRST WIFE😂

[@MarkZabel]

Hi. I haven't tried the James Burton Telecaster. The 7.25" neck radius is a deal-breaker for me. But people tell me that it sounds like a classic Tele.

[@kbradford2270]

@@MarkZabel Well, I'll thank you, sir. What would you recommend as a telecaster? If you even go for a telecaster cause i've only play Les Paul and Strat but I have a 1972 gold Top Court copy of a Les Paul and oddly enough it all came start with all Gibson hardware and the P90s which I have set up to play slide but one of the best guitars I've ever played but again Mark thanks for your input

[@MarkZabel]

@@kbradford2270 I like the Harley Benton stuff. (Not the cheapest, but the next up.) I also like the Fender American and Mexican (player series) Teles. G&L Tributes (and their standard series) are great. Try a few out and see what you like!

[@kbradford2270]

@@MarkZabel I will definitely be going to try these guitarsget. I appreciate it. Love your show, bro. And oh, by the way, that gold top you had was sweet. But thanks for everything, mark.

[@InfinitelyQurious]

This a great tutorial, and I really appreciate the visual aids/graphics.

[@MarkZabel]

Thank you!

[@jeffro.]

Great stuff, Mark! Thanks for showing us how to do this. I've never mapped it out like that, it's more something I might do in my head (but it's not as thorough.) This would be a good way to create a solo (like in a song that i wrote) 8:07 . It would help if there's a motif in the song, I could use that as the starting and ending parts. Then the motif could be transcribed over the chords. Looks awesomely useful, not just for learning a solo! 👌 👍

[@MarkZabel]

Glad it was helpful!

[@danielsmith7902]

Just what the doctor called for...... Thanks Mark, better than I could have "asked" for.

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks Dan! Got your email obviously. We can still talk about it in the next meeting!

[@charlie5thumbs351]

Your random, noodling example are still light years better than my attempts at lead guitar. Lol

[@MarkZabel]

LOL!

[@crthompson5930]

Thank you Mark you broke it down very well and simply I like that song I grew up on that song 😎

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks!

[@TheeSlickShady_Dave_K]

Liked and subbed Thank you 🏆

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks!

[@scooperjs]

So, I can see the G shaped D chord in the D major pentatonic. No problem. Then when playing over the C chord I am supposed to see the E shaped C chord at the same position on the neck. So the D major pentatonic scale is still there but I am not to focus too much on that on but instead focus on the notes in the C shape but I can still play notes from the pentatonic shape. So I really need to see both the D pentatonic shape and the C shape at the same time when playing over a C chord. Is that right? If so, then I really need to know the remaining chords and their associated shapes for that same position on the neck. So to me, that is the lesson I need to see: how to figure out what the required shapes are for the chords of the key at the required position. Am I understanding this correctly?

[@MarkZabel]

That's basically right.

[@scooperjs]

Great. I am glad I am understanding all of this correctly. Now, when you have some time, I would love to see a video from you explaining how to figure out what the chord shapes I need for a given key while maintaining the neck position I have chosen based on the pentatonic scale I have chosen.

[@extramile734]

You are a great guitar player and that is a great guitar.

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks.

[@johnhallman7499]

I come across what feels like thousands of videos about how to get out of the "So, you are stuck in a solo box...". And I started watching this with a lot of trepidation. Until Bob Seger and Night Moves was called up. Sure, I want people thinking my playing is in line with Randy Rhodes, Jason Becker, Marty Friedman, John Petrucci, yadda yadda... but I have got to admit, if I was in a band as the guitar player of the caliber of the Silver Bullet Band or the Swampers, I would be beyond happy. Great video, going to dive into its lesson intently.

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks. Enjoy!

[@billymountain1124]

As a guitar teacher, I wish I’d learn a similar approach. I surely will try to transmit this to my intermediate student. BTW what is the program we see when you show the chords of the song. Is it open source, Win10 compatible? Keep the good work!

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks! The program is called Band in a Box. Not open source, but it's Win10 compatible.

[@isramirez7]

USEFUL TIP!!! thanks!!

[@MarkZabel]

Glad it was helpful!

[@eaglet260100]

HI MARK! You always give great lessons but you just confused me with the G major with tonal center D Mixolydian because I thought that was D Phrygian please correct me if I'm wrong 😊

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks! It's definitely not D phrygian. The chords (and melody too) revolve around D major, not D minor. So D phrygian is out. You could argue B phrygian. Here's the brief analysis using the chord structure. Chords: D, C, G, Em and at the very end Bm. Those chords fit the key of G ( G=1, Bm = 3, C=4, D=5, Em=6). There is only one key those chords fit into and it's G. Then we have the following definitions. Using the G-major scale with a tonal center (beginning and ending on the note specified we have): 1. Ionian 2. Dorian 3. Phrygian 4. Lydian 5. Mixolydian 6. Aeolian 7. Locrian So it's D-mixolydian if you use the notes of the G-major scale with a D tonal center.

[@Frostensen]

Is there a pattern when you should target 5th or 3rds of chord tones or does it just come down to current feel of the song?

[@digitaldrive1192]

interesting perspective, I've been doing this in reverse by starting with the chord and looking at the surrounding scales. I guess in the end you're just looking at intervals whichever way you play.

[@MarkZabel]

It's just a way of understanding why he ended his lines on those notes. Most guitar players look at a chord progression and then decide what scale (or scales) fit all or part of the progression. That's fine. But it's not enough.

[@michaelmendillo7513]

Seagers songs were really basic in nature,,but its amazing how it worked perfectly with his great lyrics and awesome vocals,,, goes to show you !!! It doesnt need to be difficult to be good !!! 😎✌️🎸💕🎶💕🎶

[@MarkZabel]

Couldn't agree more!

[@keith2570]

Good stuff.

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@harvey1954]

Mainstreet is a gem that puts Seger into the great songwriter category.

[@MarkZabel]

Among a number of his compositions IMHO. He's a very good storyteller.

[@harvey1954]

@@MarkZabel He certainly does take time with his lyrics. Too many so called "songwriters" just try to rush the lyrics so they can finish the song. Merely trying to make the rhyme.

[@harvey1954]

@@MarkZabel Check out early Danny O'Keefe.

[@DaveFredriksz]

Hi Mark, thanks for the video. Can you also use the chord-tones, when the chords are not Major or Minor. For example, the 7 chords - or should I stick with the root, third and fifth? And how about 6, suspended, augmented and diminished chords?

[@MarkZabel]

My pleasure. Any chord tones will work. So landing on the 7 over a D7 will sound great. You can use other notes of course (6, 9, 11, 13, etc.) but those take a bit more sophistication. You'll sound jazzy and they're not as strong in pop music as the root, 3rd or 7. Augmented and diminished chords, as a rule, don't last very long. Our brains can't take the tension and they'll resolve to a 4 or 1 chord quickly. So you don't usually use them as ending notes in phrases. What's common is that a player will "play through" them. For example, suppose a D#dim leads to an A. A very common way of approaching that would be to play through the D#dim using, say, a D#dim arpeggio, but end the phrase on beat 1 of the A7 on a C# - the 3rd of A.

[@DevlinDomini]

Seger …. Yes, loving it.

[@orbea42]

Noodling always has value in it. Noodling around keeps one's mind from trying to organize too many things at one time which absolutely destroys all progress on anything one tries to do. People have a lot of other things they must organize in their head on a day by day basis. Overloading one's brain with a lot of information will make a person fail. Noodling can stop that from happening for most people. I would argue that it should always come at the end of practicing right when one starts to feel overwhelmed or tired. Doing a fun thing at that moment is important and keeps one interested. The issue is that too many people start with noodling around when they should start with some theory. I would argue that committing the entire circle of fifths to memory with all the relative minors and playing the scales from it.....slowly and very accurately is the best starting point for everyone regardless of the instrument. Doing very slow scale drills (under 50 bpm in 4/4, 3/4 straight time) and understanding what one is doing for even 5 minutes a day is what is going to work for the majority of people.

[@orbea42]

I have taken up piano and I play scales and arpeggios in time with a metronome for no more than 15 minutes a day. My brain is usually getting to being completely fried and checked out by then. This is a hobby; not a job for me. Then I noodle and I listen to what I am playing. I do that until my hands get tired or my brain completely checks out. Then I stop and walk away. That is exactly how I play guitar as well. It works and I have never been burned out by doing it this way.

[@dizzywilliams3557]

Great! Thanx

[@MarkZabel]

Glad you liked it!

[@sashaloobkoff]

Terrific video. However, I don't understand why if we are in the key of G the homebase is D. I get that the first chord is a D but we are in G. Thank you in advance.

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks. "Home base" is what I call the tonal center. A tonal center is the resolution point or resting place or a chord progression. Here that's D (and on the last time through it's Bm). It's often (not always) the first chord of a progression, because your ear will hear the progression start on that chord, cycle through a series of additional chords and come back to that chord again. If you ever decide to learn the modes (Dorian, Mixolydian, etc.) you'll find the idea of resolution points / tonal center invaluable, because it will determine which mode you'll use. Hope that helps.

[@ChrisSide]

masterclass : )

[@MarkZabel]

Thank you!

[@ezkempinkemp3467]

Thanks!

[@markwalters7498]

Oh man that was a really cool lesson and I think it will help all of us noodlers to play better with focus and attention, and now I’m going to use a whole bunch of extra words in a really fast sequence that don’t really add anything to what I was trying to say just to make it more complicated boring and hard to follow just like I do when I improvise. Oh wait, usually less is more. Now I get it!

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks!

[@seanh4674]

This video reminds me of Marty Friedman's "Melodic Control" except I understand it way better. Still hard to wrap my head around but thanks for the video and lessons

[@MarkZabel]

Cool, thanks! I'll have to check that "Melodic Control" content out.

[@buzzstankos8532]

Mark, another great lesson… thanks very much…. Slash is another guy who uses this method in his incredibly melodic solos..

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks! And yes, Slash is a guy who does this very well!

[@travismiles5885]

I thought Bob was from Ann Arbor? I grew up in Port Huron, MI. My dad played at a gig once where Bob was way back in the day when he was known as Bob Seger and The Last Heard. Cool lesson! Earned ya a subscriber.

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks!

[@blayneb7290]

Hi Mark. Found the triad roadmap very useful, thank you. I found myself relating those triad shapes to the CAGED system to ease me in finding and remembering them (each are indeed a piece of CAGED shapes). Might it have been useful to include the CAGED shapes for each so everyone could see the relationship? Or maybe it was better to make me do it myself to help learn the fretboard even more!! As always, great stuff!

[@MarkZabel]

Hey! Glad you enjoyed it. I think it's actually *very* important to see the triads themselves and not simply as part of the larger CAGED shapes. When you move up and down the fretboard using the smaller shapes it's far easier to focus. Most lines/licks don't immediately cover 6 strings, so moving about the fretboard can be done with only the small shapes. The other thing is that for each triad string set (here D, G, B) there's always one triad that's somewhat ambiguous - it shares 2 CAGED shapes. For example, the 2nd triad inversion (5, 1, 3) can either be thought of as "the A shape" or "the G shape". In any event, good on you for extending it in a way that makes it better for you. That's the only way to learn - to understand things in your own way! Nice!

[@blayneb7290]

@MarkZabel Yes I noticed the sharing of CAGED shapes in some of them and I get your point about seeing them as distinct, different smaller shapes and inversions and will concentrate on seeing and using them that way. Thanks Mark!

[@MarkZabel]

@@blayneb7290 You bet! Have fun!

[@arsbadmojo]

Want to know where you lost me? @2:12 "...all these chords are in the key of G, with the home base being D...." Are you saying D is always the home base of the key of G? I don't think you mean that; I think you mean that's because the solo starts on the D chord, right? But I can't focus on that right now, because you sorta glossed over why the Dmaj pentatonic and Bmin pentatonic are the same? How does that work?

[@MarkZabel]

No, it's a specific example. D is not always the tonal center of chords in the key of G. But it is here. D major pentatonic and Bm pentatonic share the same notes, as shown in the video. They have exactly the same notes and exactly the same pattern. It's shown quite clearly in the video. I didn't discuss *why* because I didn't want to focus on theory, but it works by definition. (A good place to start is "major scale" on Wikipedia. You could also find "Pentatonic scale" there as well, but it's good to start with the major scale if you'd like to understand basic theory. Hope that helps.

[@arsbadmojo]

Hey Mark, the whole video helps; it's wonderfully produced and the screen overlays are very helpful. It's still a struggle for me anyways when I'm following along and then come to something that doesn't make sense. I know how to play a major scale across and up the neck, (ttsttts) but like fledgling you, what that all means is still out of reach. I totally understand why you didn't focus on why. After watching this I googled 'how can the same notes be in both a major and minor scale?' Evidently it has a lot to do with intervals. (Does that make Bmin the 'relative minor' of G? I've heard that term before) Maybe you already done a video on this, but I stumbled across this lesson while trying to better understand triads. A guy was using the "top 3" strings (Aside - holding the guitar, which strings are closer to the floor? Now tell me why those are the "top" strings?) and he said the "first position" C major started with the 5th fret of the G string, but he didn't say what "first position" meant. Is it as simple as that's the first place the root note appears on that string? And then I saw the shape is just a partial bit of the C Maj bar chord and I wondered if that was part of the CAGED system...and yeah. I just kind of go down these rabbit holes and try to get nuggets of understanding. Scale positions, that's next. Thanks for the reply!

[@stratoleft]

Les Paul deluxe? You've had that guitar for quite awhile now, haven't you? My left handed deluxe model needed major work, including neck removal.

[@MarkZabel]

It's actually a 2012 LP Tribute model. They're still available on Reverb. Quite economical ... comparatively in any event.

[@stratoleft]

@@MarkZabel If it has the mini humbuckers, which your guitar appears to have, then it's a Les Paul deluxe. That's what it is. The only reissue of that routing procedure Gibson does that I see, is for the P-90 single coil Standard models prior to Seth Lover's miraculous invention.. Now, as far as Gibson doing a reissue of the Deluxe model, that's news to me.

[@brada-smith2807]

What does that mean - the chords G, C, D, Em and Bm are in the key of G (that part I understand) but then you say 'with the home base being D or Bm'? Isn't a 'home base' of a key the tonic? How did you determine that the 'home base' is a D or Bm? Thanks.

[@MarkZabel]

It's the "tonal center" - the resolution or resting point of the chord progression. Although the chords fit into the key signature of G, G is not the rest or resolution point of the progression. D is the chord upon which the progression (and melody of the song) revolves. If you listen to the song, the melody is sung over D, C, G, Em, D then rests through C, G, Em and starts again on D. (until the pre-chorus when it ends on Bm for a bit)

[@brada-smith2807]

First off - I'm actually quite touched that you responded at all, let alone so quickly! This means a lot to me believe it or not (a man of simple pleasures). I see you read all the comments below too. You are committed man! As far as your specific teaching - wow! What a left curve. I had no idea we could consider the tonal center to be anything other than the tonic. I always thought the tonic is where we resolve. I take it that the tonic is still 'usually' the 'home base' but you just have occasional exceptions (like Mainstreet) where things resolve to a different chord. ?? No need to answer further unless there is more to say. I love discovering things that turns my whole understanding of something upside down. So - much value here. Thanks so much and looking forward to discovering what else you teach. @@MarkZabel

[@davidwalker41]

This is a very thought-provoking video! The song is in the key of G but you're saying that the tonal center ("homebase") is D, which leads you to suggest D major pentatonic thoughout (you do say also that you could use G major / D mixolydian). Anyway, if you stick with D major pentatonic, you have all 3 notes of the D (homebase) chord, 2 notes of the G chord, and 1 note of the C chord. But it seems like you could, in theory, instead choose the G major pentatonic which would give you 2 notes of the D chord, 3 notes of the G chord and 2 notes of the C chord, or even C major pentatonic which would give you 2 notes of the D chord, 2 notes of the G chord, and 3 notes of the C chord. My point is that any single major pentatonic rooted on any of the major chords of the key give you ample opportunity to play chord tones assuming the chords are in the key. I wonder then if sticking to either of the other two major pentatonics would also yield a pleasing solo if you knew what you were doing, or if our ears/brains are accustomed to hearing the major pentatonic rooted on the homebase chord and the other approaches mentioned would sound weird or awkward. Maybe when I get a looper I can do the experiment and judge the results empirically.

[@MarkZabel]

Hi David. You're onto something! The truth is, any of the scales you talk about (and many more) will work. I would even say *ANY* scale will work. It's where you resolve that truly matters. The main reason D major pentatonic is "better than" G major pentatonic is that it's easier to resolve to D - which is the most important resolution. So it's easier to play the D major pentatonic over this progression. It's fun to try using other scales as a framework to see what other sounds you come up with and whether you like them! Try Em pentatonic. Heck, try the chromatic scale even. If you know where you're going to end up, the way you get there is personal style. Many roads lead to Rome. It's fun to explore!!

[@waynegram8907]

MARK, Try to find more guitar solos that "Put the chords into the scales" and "MAKING the chord changes" because most guitar solos aren't MAKING the chord changes which the guitar solo lead lines itself has ZERO and NO chord changes. When using modes this is considered Tonicization? meaning the mode is a NON-Tonic.

[@MarkZabel]

Almost all good solos heavily use chord tones. Stairway to Heaven ... check. Bohemian Rhapsody ... check. Comfortably Numb ... double-check. Hotel California ... triple check. It's hard for me to name a memorable solo that *doesn't* rely on chord tones to make its points. (Let It Be, Suffragette City, Rock You Like A Hurricane, Fight The Good Fight, Crossroads ... getting tired now.) Maybe you mean something other than emphasizing chord tones. Chord tone soloing doesn't mean you don't use scales. It means you understand and respond to the changes. Let me know what you mean.

[@waynegram8907]

@@MarkZabel No I don't mean guitar solos that use Chord tones, all those you listen are Chord tone guitar solos mostly the lead line is mostly use just chord tones. I'm talking about if you don't have any backing track or rhythm section how do you make your guitar solo lead line apply "making the changes" like playing box#1 pentatonic scale but adding in and applying "making the changes". Playing Unaccompanied guitar leads lines that will emphasize "making the changes" it what I'm talking about.

[@MarkZabel]

@@waynegram8907 Oh, okay ... got it! Yes. There's a really simple trick that all jazz guys know that will make you sound like you're playing the changes every time - backing track or not. When the time is set for the change to the new chord, play the 3rd of the chord. If major, play the major 3rd, if minor play the minor 3rd. Works amazingly well and there's so little theory needed to do it. Also, any scale or pattern will do when actually playing over the chord itself. Just play the 3rd on the change. The way I stumbled upon it was through a lecture by the great Herb Ellis. He was playing a jazz blues in G and as often happens, instead of standard 12 bar quick change blues, he back cycled to the I chord by playing a series of II-V's ... B7, E7, A7, D7 and then to G. He said something when playing over the E7, "You don't HAVE to play the G#, but it always works and everyone hears the change when you play it. In any event, it clicked for me then.

[@waynegram8907]

@@MarkZabel yes I have heard that David Gilmour was taught by a Jazz Guitarist for lessons when he was in his teens that is why he mostly bends the scale degree 2nd up to either the m3 or M3 per each chord change, he mostly never lands on the tonic or 5th per each chord change for the start of the phrase or ending of the phrase. Its a rule mostly in jazz to start the phrase on the 3rd chord tone and end the phrase on the 3rd chord tone of the next following chord.

[@petegdula4749]

I think I'm getting the jist of playing the chords with the scales. You do a good job in explaining it. Now then, why am I hungry for pasta?

[@MarkZabel]

Thanks and haha!

[@lospopularos]

The chords and note positions in the mirror position to the viewers is extremely confusing. When I look down on my fretboard B is three frets left from D, whereas on my computer screen it's three frets to the right. I find it impossible to find my way around. But I guess it's just me being dyslexic because no one else has mentioned it in the comments. Oh well. Still, very valuable, that's why I subscribed. Thank you!

[@MarkZabel]

Yes, it's sort of a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation, as I've presented both ways (and more as well).

[@robertnewell5057]

Great. This happens all the time. Endless scales that go nowhere; simple chord tones that sound like something. You hear this everywhere. When I first started learning, I got taught a stack of scales, with the advice to 'emphasise the chord tones', but music really doesn't work like tht, especially in fast harmonic tempos. There just isn't time - you need to know the chords and, as Pat Martino said, have 'prepared for' the piece. Doesn't mean a pre worked solo, doesn't mean even listening for the changes (you'll always be behind and sound disjointed - or at least I will). Instead, you need to have a sense of the structure of the piece, which means listening to a lot of changes before you put you hands on the instrument and start digging in. Charlie Christian was maybe THE master of chord based playing, and it sounds completely natural and coherent.

[@MarkZabel]

Thank you! I agree, Charlie was probably the best of all. Hard to say for sure, as electric guitar was in its infancy, but he was a big part of expanding its role as well as moving music forward at the time. I will often just listen (or play through and record the changes, then listen) several times before I even attempt. I usually try to hum or sing a solo before I do anything on guitar also. That helps me quite a bit. Thanks for stopping by and for your thought-provoking comment!

[@ericmoreau4568]

Already in the first ten seconds of the video, I'm connecting big time with what you're saying! I feel that despite knowing a good part of the scales, especially the pentatonic one, when I play it feels and sounds robotic and cold; sure, every now and then, I muster a cool sounding lick only for it to fade away from memory very quickly. I'm so discouraged right now (trying to learn Night Demon's Black Widow 😎, which begins with a real sinuously melodic intro for the life of me I'm stumped on) that I'm starting to wonder, what's the point of even trying anymore; as in, did I just pick this guitar back up as part of on going mid-life crisis, here?) At one point I thought okay maybe I need to learn all the scales/modes/positions up and down the neck everywhere and things will work out but I'm not so sure anymore. Thanks though, I'm taking this lesson to heart. 🤗

[@MarkZabel]

Hi Eric, glad it connected! Yes, learning the scales/modes/positions isn't a bad thing, but it won't confer "instant soloing". IMHO the cost/benefit equation is probably better learning triads or chord tone soloing or 2-bar phrasing or singing what you play or learning melodies. All of those things help to give you melodic ideas and to develop that ear-finger-brain connection that makes playing so free and fun! At any rate, that's my 2 cents ... although I've spent a great deal of time with scale patterns too ... sigh. Thanks for the kind note. Really appreciate it!

[@ericmoreau4568]

@@MarkZabel Sometimes I wish I didn't have all this musical theory in my head so I could just simply go into with a fresh slate. 🙃 In the end though, it's good to have in one's tool kit...

[@paulfleming4710]

Or use the em2,xdm,bm,gm,dm..same as d in gm,dm,cm....

[@LP-123]

Why a Dmaj/Bmin pentatonic over an Gmaj/Emin pentatonic here?

[@MarkZabel]

The tonal center is D is the main reason. The D major pentatonic is contained in the G major scale. You could certainly use G major pentatonic. The disadvantage would be it doesn't have an F# (the 3rd of D), so you have fewer chord tones of D to resolve to in that scale. In the solo, Pete Carr actually used the D-major hexatonic scale, but I don't personally think it's healthy to go down that road. I believe it's far, far better to put focus on resolving to notes over the chords being played.

[@alansimpson8962]

Go lions

[@jotice9]

I keep wondering "what the heck is noodling". So I am hoping to find an answer by watching this. (minutes later) Okay, turns out I really like this fellow, and it's nice to know that I haven't been noodling all these years.

[@richandrose777]

Didn’t get the triad delivered to my email. Go Lions!

[@MarkZabel]

Okay. If you leave your email address I can investigate.

[@revtimewest]

Whats wrong with playing randomly?

[@cd_8773]

doesnt sound meaningful, therefore not memorable

[@XJT0428]

A major triad in the middle of pentatonic minor? I guess so haha

[@MarkZabel]

Yes. Don't let scales fence you in. Playing any note of a chord that is currently being played will sound good. Great players like Larry Carlton are not just playing scales. They're playing "the changes". Worse, don't think that the scale is the song. Melodies are melodies. Scales can be used as a framework, but are not the melodies themselves.

[@ВладимирПрименко-о5б]

It's very difficult. You can just play D-mixolydian. This is immediately visible by the chords, because there should be a C sharp chord and there is just a C that is, a lowered 7 step. That's my way of thinking.

[@MarkZabel]

Yes, but "just play the D-Mixolydian" is exactly how we get the endless noodling scale players. Not every note of the scale is going to be good as a resolving place at any time. For example, the C is strong and edgy over the C and D chords respectively, but over the G it's not going to be nearly as strong. It's not wrong to say, "play the D-mixolydian over the chord progression D, C, G, Em", but that's just shorthand for understanding the notes that generally work. For example, the melodies you produce for the progression Em, G, C, D will be decidedly different even though the structure is the same.

[@ВладимирПрименко-о5б]

@@MarkZabel Em, G, C, D Here you can use pentatonics or play chord notes all the time or a minor scale. By the way, playing chord tones all the time is also boring than playing scales, perhaps you need to mix it all.

[@MarkZabel]

@@ВладимирПрименко-о5б Of course you don't want to play chord tones all the time. I don't advocate that at all. I think you're watching a different video.

[@MarkZabel]

@@ВладимирПрименко-о5б The point - which you're missing - is that although D, C, G, Em and Em, G, C, D have the same chords they will produce different melodies, because they have different resolving places. As an aside, tempo and rhythm also matters a great deal - probably even *more* than the notes.

[@rolandosoto4545]

sounds like i need to be a pro to learn what your teaching.

[@MarkZabel]

It's pretty basic. Early intermediate I think. See basic chords in scales.

[@rolandosoto4545]

I can’t deal with all the terminology. Scales, modes, one to the other.

[@TomdeSabla]

Geez, this solo ain't all that. Yeah it's melodic and all but no more than a million other solos. I played this song hundreds of times. Now let's talk about the solo to "Fooled around and fell in love" That'll bring tears to your eyes

[@David-w9i7j]

I can really hear it in David Gilmour's solos.

[@Redbelly357]

Most of the speed demons nowdays are just playing scales as fast as they can. No heart and no soul.

[@yourpetard]

Our master insists

[@shartne]

The rest of kids stole our records from the mail order offer.