Why Beginners Always Struggle With Guitar Solos

Check out the Patreon for some guided lessons and more:
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Going over a new method I'm using that I wish I would've seen earlier. Also rocking out the D'angelico Deluxe SS if you wanna check one out:
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If you like what we're throwing down in this video, check out the MasterClass I made on how to solo on guitar with another musician. You won't regret it!
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--------------------------
A little about me:
Sean Daniel is a man. A man of simple needs and desires. And the one desire, no, the one NEED, that stands above all is to spread the challenges, joy and intellectual stimulus of music to people of Earth and beyond.
#guitar #solo #handsomegentleman
Born on the mean streets of upper middle class suburban Chicago, Sean learned the ways of the world through the dizzying heights of success to the lonesome depths of failure and emerged with the promise of a better tomorrow reflecting in his eyes and fiery passion in his belly.
He plays and teaches guitar on his KZbin channel where he regularly releases original music and projects to the adulation of legions of fans, who often compare him to Chris Pratt and one time Ryan Reynolds. He’s currently in the market for a nice leather jacket.

[@Jenisonc]

Dude!! I have a student with autism and he see shapes extremely well. The pentatonic scale had him stuck because it was all he could see. He was playing the shape. This is amazing. I know this will be a winner. Thank you!

[@seandaniel23]

So happy to help!

[@persistentpedestrianalien8641]

@C Jenison, wow. Thank you. I am autistic. I never thought about how it effects my playing. I know tons of theory, I play ok, but I struggle with spontaneously applying theory. I tend to fixate on an aspect and it doesn't sound fluent as l would like. Your comment sparked something inside me. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@Jenisonc]

@@persistentpedestrianalien8641 My friend! That makes me very happy to hear. Keep on playing! This world needs it.

[@williamsporing1500]

When I started out playing 40 years ago, I had no idea what the ‘notes’ were. I learned everything as a ‘pattern’, all up and down the neck. I didn’t know what they were, I just know they sounded right. And then, the patterns interchanged with each other. I had no idea I had taught myself pentatonic, Dorian, Lydian etc scales. They just were ‘right’. I really hope this helps your student! As far as autism goes, I’d be willing to bet that there is a high percentage of musicians on the spectrum. I know I am. I also know some with more severe autism, some non verbal, that have music in them. There HAS to be a connection somewhere.

[@justinturnbull6848]

I have Autism myself. I tend to use shapes as well but this explains it so we'll had to use them effectively along the fretboad

[@davidgriffith3938]

1. Play licks instead of scales. 2. The most important note of any lick is the last one, it defines the musical meaning of the lick. 3. Instead of noodling aimlessly, use theme and variations. Play a lick, then play it again but varied in some way. It gives folks listening a handle to understand your melody.

[@liddlebirdie]

the lick is at 15:28

[@acetechnical6574]

"lick" is one of the words guitarists use but are never allowed to have the same definition of. If any 2 or more agree, they are immediately contacted by the DGP (Dept of Guitar Pretense) and firmly told to liven up them ideas.

[@davidgriffith3938]

@@acetechnical6574 Ummm ok. You don't have to listen to my advise. Do what works for you then.

[@acetechnical6574]

I cant even try it - I doint know what "lick" means to you. :D @@davidgriffith3938

[@Hoekstes]

Licks are words. Notes are letters. You can’t learn a language by only learning the letters.

[@aaronberg1618]

Bro you really help some of us old school players jump start. I'm in my 50's and did not grow up learning guitar with you tube videos and am like a kid in a candy store with all these really cool video lessons everywhere.

[@seandaniel23]

Thanks watching Aaron! I'll keep em comin!

[@DomesticTruther]

Same

[@christianbalbuenag]

Any specific lessons you can recommend?

[@donjoseph73]

Me to man me too!!

[@cornstar1253]

I remember putting a coin on the arm of the record player to slow it down so.i could figure it out. When guys came out on KZbin I realized that I got pretty darn close to what Eddy and Randy were doing. No luck with the yngwie stuff though.

[@berniarmstrong]

I watched this last Friday and a light came one! For the first time in my life I was at a jam session at the weekend and when asked to take the solo, I did so without fear. Just noodling around those two shapes (after transposing them into the key in which we were playing, of course) was enough to make me feel I was offering something musical to the gig. That was the first time I have improvised in public. So thanks a million, Sean.

[@Reclaimingmee]

can you help me understand how to transpose what he taught us

[@berniarmstrong]

@@Reclaimingmee Ideally, you need to know the notes on the fretboard. However, even only knowing the notes on the bottom two strings (E & A) up to say the seventh fret will give you a starting position. So, if you know that the third fret on the bottom E string is a G then you start on that. Then continue with the pattern he taught us. When you get to the eight note (5th fret on the D string) you are at a new "G". Repeat the pattern from here. This time you'll have to shift one fret down on the 7th note. so your G will be on the 8th fret of the B string. Now you continue as normal using the shape taught and the next seven will be two frets higher on the high E and the eighth will be the following fret. Hope this makes sense. Since this lesson I have worked out th4 three to a string shapes for the minor scale. This has really opened up the neck for me.

[@zenrobotninja]

@@berniarmstrong thanks so much! I had the same question, much appreciated

[@TheOtherDudeGuitar]

@@berniarmstrong also you have to remember in different modes, and keys the patterns change. For most major keys the every whole step patterns are there, but in some minor keys, and flat maj/min scales those patterns completely change to half and hole steps.

[@berniarmstrong]

@@TheOtherDudeGuitar Good point, TD. But for a lot of pop songs the Major and the straight Major or Minor scales are enough to get on with 😉

[@zakaroonetwork777]

“Close Your eyes, and play in the dark, feel the music flowing through you”. - Carlos Santana.

[@4dogsannacat]

If my eyes are closed it is dark😂

[@redbloodedamerican2346]

​@@4dogsannacat that's the point

[@JonnySublime]

@@4dogsannacat that’s exactly what he said

[@Ramansdo3s]

I'm a bassist, looking to unlock the neck to facilitate good jazz soloing. This video was more useful than any of the bass tuition vids I've watched. Nice job all round, dude.

[@litchqueenasenath5995]

I've found that taking guitar exercises and lessons and applying them to my bass has improved my playing so much in just a few weeks

[@StuartwasDrinkell]

triads triads triads triads

[@dezene]

I play bass and guitar. And one helps the other.

[@TramMcDooley]

Oh man it was great when I figured this out one day in high school-it completely catapulted my playing and songwriting-and I’m so glad to see someone else catch onto it and explain it better than I could. Another thing I discovered then: go drop D, anchor the one-finger power chord to whatever fret you want, then, keeping the index finger as the anchor, use your ring and pinky fingers to play the shape. You can then move that anchored shape around the fret like a power chord. Great, easy way to come up with infectious melodies.

[@bettyswunghole3310]

I tried using my ears to solo, but I just couldn't hold the pick at all.😂 But seriously, nice vid as always Sean!

[@maxteks1653]

I’m a lifelong lead guitar player and I just one day started experimenting and stopped using the pick …after a few weeks It became natural to my fingers and I realized I could do most of the same notes and got the same sounds. If it gets in your way I’d do it however is comfortable for your hands and the way I do it without the pick is I just hold my thumb and index finger together just as if I was holding a pick and use the tip of my fingernail on the index finger to hit the string….now if you have beautifully painted long nails, 💅🏼 it might not work out….but it freed me up to not worry about having to constantly grasp this plastic pick all the time.

[@ProdDJD]

@@maxteks1653 I have pick shaped nails and it helps to play guitar with them cause from day one I never need a pick

[@newt5386]

@@maxteks1653 I think you missed the joke. It took me a minute.

[@musicallyunpluggedmanish9023]

Not many great musicians, unearth concepts make them easy to comprehend and teach in such a fun way. You are one of those super geniuses. Simply the best. Great learning from your videos Sean. Simply love them.

[@russ1915]

Thanks for another EXCELLENT lesson Sean. I've been playing rhythm guitar for over 50 years and only started 'noodling' in the last year or so, mainly using the pentatonic scale. Your method is going to switch my soloing up a gear. THANK YOU 👌👍🎸

[@badger9291]

I've been stuck for years fiddling around with pentatonic, and major scales, but never being able to make it sound musical. Much appreciated!

[@dylanmcdougall5758]

i’ve always been decent at soloing but never understood why, this makes it make so much more sense!! thank you so much

[@Nicky-T]

Okay, now some of you may be wondering why this looks so easy and sounds so good, but when you play it against a backing track it sounds terrible. Here's why: the A Major scale is not really compatible with the A minor pentatonic (does the major and minor give it away?) Some of the notes are the same, but if you're playing a blues or rock song that works fine with pentatonic, the A major scale has notes that are a terrible clash. The C# sounds fine while playing over an A chord, but play it over a D or E chord, and you're in trouble. If you play the G# in the A Major scale over the A or D chords, ecch (sounds great over the E chord, though)! If you're playing non-blues-based music this approach may work fine. First, for pentatonic players that are stuck in that rut - SING what you want to be playing first - short phrases, and then play them on the guitar. If it sounds boring singing it, it will sound boring playing it. Shorten you "phrases" and don't always go up and down the scale - skip over notes. You'll get better and better at this as you discipline yourself to this. And you will be able to come up with longer, more interesting phrases. You can actually use the method he explains quite successfully if you just move the A Major scale down 2 frets and use the G Major scale instead. This will work WAY better because there are very few "clash" notes in the G Major scale. And you get the benefit of two extra notes that aren't in the pentatonic (pentatonic means 5 tones), plus benefit from some of the ideas he is attempting to express. Just remember that you come back to rest on the A and E notes, just the way he explains, NOT the G and D notes that you might expect in the G scale. There are music theory reasons that this stuff works, but the important thing is that you get to hear what the notes sound like and how to use them. That's where the music theory came from to begin with, anyway. No one sat down and said, "oh, lets come up with a bunch of rules musicians will need to follow." What they did was listen to stuff and figure out what made it sound so good. Then they can have a shortcut to understand how to play certain things. Happy practicing! And don't be afraid to break some of the "rules" sometimes, and if it sounds good to you, well, there's probably another "rule" that you don't know yet that explains why LOL!

[@mattkoonts3533]

Kings X never worried about rules!!! "There are no wrong notes...Only wrong choices"🙂

[@Nicky-T]

@@mattkoonts3533 👍 🎸🎸🎸

[@karencao6869]

ooh, thanks for expanding on this concept! i've been trying to marry my separate studies of the minor pentatonic scale with the major scale so i really appreciate the in depth break down (>_o)b

[@m0delgado616]

When you move it down 2 frets, you aren’t playing the G Major Scale- You are playing the C Major Scale. The reason that will sound good/right over A minor is because the A Minor Scale and the C Major Scale are the same (A is the relative minor or C Major). The key thing to remember with the shape he teaches us in this video is that the major key you are playing is the 4th note you would play. So if you start on the G note (low E string, 3rd fret), you would play G, A, B, and then C (A string, 3rd fret). C is the Major Key of this pattern. The second note you plan in this pattern is the relative minor (A). In this video he focused on the A Major Scale, so you would start on an E note. Start on the low E String, 12th fret and play the pattern he teaches- You play E, F#, G#, then A (A string, 12th fret). A is the Major Key of the pattern. The second note you play in this pattern is the relative minor (F#). So if you throw on an F# minor backing track, you can play this A Major Pattern and it will sound good. As you pointed out, you’ll get a few more notes/sounds than if you just played the F# minor pentatonic. And yes, don’t be afraid to break the rules and figure out what sounds good.

[@oswaldgrimmelsworth9774]

Thank you for these videos! I think the most impressive part is the fact that there are no cuts, you're a great teacher.

[@seandaniel23]

Thanks so much!!! One take :)

[@chadhiggins9944]

The way you teach REALLY jives with me man. There is something so distilled about the way you teach. Thank you, you're great!

[@TheOtherDudeGuitar]

I've been working with scales and backing tracks a lot recently. This definitely helps with exploring different ideas instead of just playing up and down the strings.

[@Sussloaf]

I like how you make things simple to follow. Really enjoy your channel. Thanks!

[@seandaniel23]

Thanks so much for saying so!

[@maitreemaitri1632]

Today i tried playing solo n i m so happy to play . Thank u so much. I have seen many videos but this is the best ...n u r right whatever u have said. U have an amazing way n i must say practical implication of explanation of what theoretically a student may know!! . I have been struggling for playing solos as there is so much n so many shapes n this is just simple n easy n it gives so much independence to play solos. Lovely. Thx a lot Sir.

[@bertclark5046]

Hey there Sean, fantastic guitar tutorial. Your lesson provides a unique way too visualize the fret board. Thank you!

[@darrenmcdunnough1332]

Love the simplicity and explanation. Was waiting until the end to hear you put it in practice over the loop.

[@sleepless_160]

Holy moly that guitar is just beautiful

[@seandaniel23]

Thanks! I love that thing

[@drchikosi]

I was stuck in pentatonics, probably annoying my listeners but u’ve opened another one for me to shine a little better. Thanks Sean.

[@lilsnookie4620]

Lovely lesson you've explained everything so well! Been to trying different ways to break out of the minor pentatonic scale and I thank you for these tips!

[@billwentz5014]

I've been following you for a few years, like many years. You keep getting better all the time. Thanks for what you do and most importantly, how you do it!

[@angeloimbesi8791]

Wow!!..I've seen this 3 string note thing before and didn't understand it at all and always went right back to pentatonic..but you broke it down so perfectly. And it really sounds so musical even in the first couple notes. Thank you!

[@seandaniel23]

Happy to help!

[@99vkh]

As Always another Nice one Sean !! I definitely see some light (bulb’s) coming up for guitar in 2022 from you going forward and you are the man inspiring us to keep up our motivation to enjoy the instrument 🎸!! 👍😊

[@seandaniel23]

I'll keep em coming!

[@markrasmussen7940]

You're a great teacher.... You make things simple but very, very deep and instructive..... I truly appreciate it.

[@aronkerr]

Thank you for posting. I am trying to wrap my head around theory and it is super interesting but very confusing. The way you explain things makes so much more sense then anything else I have seen or read and always inspires me to get out the guitar and try things. Love the channel!

[@dr.leonardo9789]

Shawn that was a great lesson. I would like the demonstration of how you play those new shapes with a backtrack to see how a solo would really sound. Love your lessons keep up the good work.

[@kidlargo1]

I was pretty much expecting a demonstration myself. Not sure why he omitted that part…

[@toddj9548]

Easily the best lesson I've seen for breaking out of the pentatonic shapes. I will be practicing this and incorporating it into my playing. Thank you!

[@LiveLoveLaugh102310]

Oh Sean, thank you! I've struggled understanding the fretboard as a beginner. This helped significantly. Something definitely clicked in my mind.

[@Grigsby_golf]

This is a great method for teaching the mapping of the neck. It’s definitely going to go into the tool box. Thank you for sharing this idea!

[@darrylhubbard931]

Sean, Well done sir, I've been noodling and playing for years, you have taught me a lot. Cheers!

[@seandaniel23]

Happy to help!

[@kevinodriscoll3904]

Finally a guitar KZbin channel that makes sense to me. You have a very organic and intuitive approach to instruction! Well done!!

[@seandaniel23]

Glad you like it!

[@jimsmith1959]

Excellent lesson Sean .. it's always amazing to find new ways of playing 12 notes .. thank you !

[@seandaniel23]

SO many ways to do it!

[@whyyeseyec]

@@seandaniel23 We Slyde!!

[@Jenkins_famlee]

Best explanation of scales I’ve ever heard. I’ve given up a few years ago, after memorizing several scales. Now there’s a simple, beginner friendly explanation. Thank you 🙏!!!

[@PE1978C]

Wow, this is in the top five of best video guitar lessons ever! Props, kudos, and gold stars!

[@seandaniel23]

Thanks so much! Stay tuned for the follow up one, I think it's even better :)

[@thebluesrockers]

great lesson by the way, I've been playing off and on for years and never have I ever heard someone teach this. It took me forever to learn how to run the neck, and I'm still not great at it. thank you for helping to keep the music alive. Peace..

[@seandaniel23]

happy to help!

[@hansenmarc]

One shape to rule them all! I love it. ❤️ One of my favorite things about guitar is the way you can study it for years, but still keep finding new patterns or ways of looking at the fretboard.

[@BrownLogan]

I really appreciate the different way to see the fretboard because i was always held back by the scales and note letters. Having a visual geometric representation of it lets me see it a whole new way. Awesomeness

[@Nismo738]

I learned the pentatonic scale (all positions) and Major scale 3 notes per string(all positions). And when I play I kind of just lay the patterns over eachother. It's like I'm seeing the major scale, but I'm also seeing the pentatonic scale within the major scale. And it feels like I have a lot freedom to just do whatever I want far as soloing.

[@paulmyfinger]

Thats where i want to be. It just doesn't sink in

[@koreanname]

that's called the interval method

[@armanj4514]

@@paulmyfinger you gotta play through the positions and connect them slowly sliding up and down and doing the scales kinda randomly to connect them.. it wasnt sinking for me till i started doing this and now its sort of sinking between between positions up and down and hopefully after some months itll be better and then i can skip positions and move up/down the fretboard much more.

[@byroncjohnston1]

@@armanj4514 I downloaded a few backing tracks off of youtube onto a cell phone. I connect a blue tooth transmitter-receiver to my guitar and to an inexpensive $50 PA along with my phone and play up and down the neck to the backing tracks. It is fun and the hours just fly by. I am learning all the pentatonic shapes and having fun playing music.

[@No-mart]

I’ve been looking for a diagram that lays the major shapes over the minor pentatonics but can never seem to find one

[@RaquelFernandespt]

Wow, blow my mind. Not only did it help me visualize new scales, it helped me memorize note positions. I'm really grateful for this vid, thanks man

[@seandaniel23]

Thanks for watching!

[@TexasRy]

HA, dude this is awesome and makes so much sense. I have been playing around with the basics for years and always got/get lost when I start to play around and always fall off/out of key very quickly. Using the basic shape and keeping that shape as I "move around" makes so much sense. Trying to keep my pentatonic's together as I roam around the board always got me lost and frustrated - THANKS and GREAT STYLE, love the laid back attitude!

[@JoelMartinez]

I've been playing for quite a long time (very casually) ... never thought to connect the scales like this. Incredibly well taught, thanks!

[@ranhold1]

Took me a few minutes to understand what point you are getting at but I think I finally got it, and it makes so much sense. Thanks Sean, I never looked at the fretboard this way.

[@seandaniel23]

Glad it made sense!

[@maxkelter3561]

I like the three note per string teaching Sean. I always wondered about it. Thanks for explaining.

[@seandaniel23]

I'm digging it myself!

[@JPVanderbuilt]

Another solid gold homerun lesson! THANK YOU, SEAN!!!!!

[@jnichols5472]

Great lesson, I’ve been playing about 1 year and have been struggling with soloing. I was using pentatonics but I couldn’t figure out how to be creative using them. I like the way this moves up and down the neck as well as low to high. Definitely going to experiment with this

[@dogseathomework4171]

Another gem of a lesson! Thanks Sean!

[@seandaniel23]

happy to help!

[@russelln121]

Another great lesson Sean! Congratulations on hitting 400k subscribers!

[@seandaniel23]

Thank you Russell!

[@thebrownfanchannel8277]

Great lesson and tips! Been playing for over 30 years and still learning. Thanks!

[@The_Rude_French_Canadian]

Wow this really helped me improvising again, I stopped playing for a while and a lot of the little things I learned subconsciously over the years came back with this little trick! Thx!

[@Learnamericanenglishonline]

That was enormously helpful. Thanks for posting this.

[@akivam.5613]

This is a really solid mix of practical application and music theory. Not to heady, but gets people improvising. Nice!

[@seandaniel23]

Thanks for watching!

[@raven-galaxy]

The fret board/theory is so confusing as a newbie. It feels like a good starting point to explore from with this shape/concept. Thanks Sean!

[@robray4826]

This is one of the most basic and in depth videos I have ever seen. As a person who has played for years without learning theory... I started to look up scales and theory and some breakthroughs came together, but visualizing the fretboard was still a dream goal one day. This seems like a way to be able to completely visualize the scale shapes in their most basic forms... and I cant wait to practice this.

[@TheAutoKite]

OMG, this helps so much! I indeed wish this is one of the first thing I was told when I started. Thank you so much! You made learning guitar easy!

[@seandaniel23]

So happy to help!

[@Verminskyi]

Having three per string allows so much better for understanding the full tone bend. My brain struggles with the trad shapes as i want to play with third fingers and really give it some. I think this will help. Thanks

[@seandaniel23]

It'll definitely help! Keep up the good work!

[@Sweendog]

My gosh, you just explained so much in this video so well. Thanks a million

[@flyguyty33]

This makes so much sense. You can make so many fun riffs this way. So easy! thanks man

[@randallmarks6365]

Good job, Sean!

[@seandaniel23]

Thanks so much!

[@bertbotha6370]

I just recently broke out of the boxes of the 5 pentatonic shapes, but I was still stuck on the 5 notes (do, re,me,so,la). Trying to solo also held me in one of the shapes. This 7 notes available in an easy shape makes any solo much more musical and easier to do a melodic solo. This is VERY useful, thanks.

[@qua7771]

When I started playing EVH stuff, I realized staying in scale doesn't matter.

[@ljgood]

Probably one of the better instructional vids Re: guitar lead, that I’ve seen. I’ve been playing over 50 years. Thanks man!

[@naheedismail539]

Really cool stuff. You are the man Sean! Going horizontal with those slides really produces good solo sounds.

[@KayakCampingOffGrid]

You killed it Sean! Beautiful and BRILLIANT AHA MOMENT! The issue is EAR not shapes! Sure shapes are a trick to learning, but IT'S MUSIC, not mowing the lawn! Well done man!!!

[@lancelotlink6545]

I think I heard Mayer call it "having the guitar play you" (regarding relying on the shape and the habits your fingers get stuck in). I try to hum along with my playing or hum a tune first and then try and match it. That way I'm being intentional about what I'm creating. BTW- I have that guitar in red. Love the pickups. Not the tuners so much.

[@stevechurch4728]

seeing that 7th note diagonal as the starting place for the next series of scale building was great. it is the link note for freeing up improvising lead lines and remembering where to come back too where the first scale began, enabling a coming home to the first root note pathway. this was really helpful thanks.

[@Coffee_50]

Great content Sean. It has really helped me to embrace the full major scale as I was finding it very hard. Thanks dude 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@seanbrennan5192]

Completely agree that most people use their shapes instead of their ears when soloing

[@keiranwynyard6347]

Great vid! It also works really well with the fret marker blocks on the guitar. Makes the shape a lot easier to see than the first shape pentatonic, and gives a decent reason for them to be there, the way that they are. One thing that I thought that was missing from the explanation, and may be on purpose, was the lack of focussing on the current key's root. You mentioned the E note quite a bit (the V of A major) but didn't mention the A note and where it appears in both shapes... I find at least being aware of the key's root note a good basis for the solo's 'anchor'... Of course, your mileage may vary.

[@seandaniel23]

Thanks for watching. Yeah I could have spent more time talking about where the A is.

[@westoneguitarsuk2253]

@@seandaniel23 I like the fact that, if you start on the E (the fifth) the A is directly below/down/higher on the same fret, placing it in the 'middle' of the pattern, and the D (the fourth of the scale) is below/down/higher from the A on the same fret (at least on the 3rd to 6th strings). This is the first time this concept has been demonstrated to me, and the clarification and musicality of the concept has blown my fingers! Good job, sir.

[@cathybroadus4411]

Sean, you are my sneaky favorite teacher. You break it down as a guitarist not just application.

[@OpenMik3]

I've always thought of you as a renaissance teacher, Sean. This "simple" lesson takes an old concept and make it palatable for beginners. Awesome.

[@joeurbanowski321]

Great stuff… I used patterns like this for playing bass in gigging bands for decades..

[@seandaniel23]

Def works great for bass

[@vivafreedom4947]

This lesson would be a good segue into the Ionian mode. The first pattern you show with the open strings is also one of the solo's in LA woman by the Doors

[@stanphillips7277]

Robbie had the most unique style in Rock. For that matter, The Doors were unique in every way. Each of them was unique, and the band was unique. Nothing conventional about The Doors. I love that band! 🎸🥁🎶🎤🎹🎼

[@RJDeachman]

Best instructional guitar video I’ve ever seen. Thank you sir. You’ve given us a tremendous gift! Thx.J

[@eddiemowery8777]

Thank you so much for uploading this, this was the video I needed! :)

[@rogerweafer2179]

It's amazing that you can play the A Major scale in a musical manner and freak out a beginner. Even in the normal 5th fret position.They say wow that sounded like music rather than the pentatonic scale which always seems to go BLUES scale no matter what you play. Now, Jimmy Page ROCKS the pentatonic but his sweetest solos always find those HALF STEP scale tones to round out a solo whether he's pulling off,hammering on or bending to them! Great lesson as always.Don't forget Major Pentatonic,which is not taught nearly as much as the Minor.

[@johnbond1097]

That is amazing Sean....Thanks for for freeing me from the "stuck in a rut' habits of a lifetime.

[@seandaniel23]

Happy to help!

[@danhanlon8260]

Great stuff. Ive been trying to get out of the pentatonic jail, and you're defintely giving the keys man. Will be checking out your videos in the future!

[@licksnkicks1166]

This is just so awesome. Shapes. You know I will e practicing this ASAP! Thank you so much!!!

[@hamkaab3634]

Thank you Sean, i have never thought of that. This is brilliant. It’s lightbulb moment for me! 🙏🏼 One question though, if the song is in minor key it would work if i apply this to its relative Major right?

[@seandaniel23]

You're totally right! The shapes is still the same just gotta find that minor note (the 2nd note in that pattern I showed.)

[@Evan-Loftus]

ive played guitar for years and I can solo very well its just improv I stick to one part of the scale etc. watching seconds of this video just improved my playing to a level I didn't even know I could do. As soon as you showed the a major I just instantly pieced everything together and now im using the whole fretboard without sticking to just one little part of the fretboard. Thank you so much man its been such a hurdle ive been stuck with!

[@pandautim3309]

I’ve been learning Octopuses Garden, and this is so relevant! This is all over George’s choices on the solos! Thanks!

[@tedjohnson5210]

Man, not only did I enjoy the video as it’s directly squarely at me and my skill level right now, it was also awesome to see a KZbin guy rocking a D’Angelico! Followed along with my DC premiere. Great video man, thanks much!

[@seandaniel23]

Thanks Ted! I love the D'angelicos.

[@jeffskyberg5615]

I like when teachers simplify! One thing, does the one shift for the key of A happen in any other key? Does the shape for E work for every other key, except A?

[@stevec9972]

Shift happens every major key. Shape works but need to move it according to what key your in. Maybe Re watch, he does explain all that

[@Euthymia]

I played guitar for 20 years without ever learning the pentatonic shape. When I took solos, I was doing what I later realized was playing modally. I did it by ear 'cause I thought it sounded cool. Later I was taking lessons in music theory and thought "hmm, in all these years, I've never investigated the famous pentatonic scale on guitar." So I gave it a shot and my first thought was "this is the right tool if I want to play boring blues/rock cliche leads."

[@Randomonium66]

same here man, I'm lost on this shit, I just play what I like to listen too, tabs and a book taught me

[@rohanmarriner5626]

Guitar is an instrument of shapes! This is deep. Great vid SD 👍

[@meyeame8956]

I love being able to hear different teaching methods and styles. You have a unique way of explaining guitar that is valuable. Thanks.

[@seandaniel23]

Thanks so much!

[@jameschastain6513]

Ive always been fascinated by how Kurt H from Metallica likes to switch from Minor to Major to change the entire tone in the song. He does it in one and master of puppets, it sounds so cool but I can’t seem to pull it off without just memorizing one of his songs.

[@zaccllewellyn8950]

No Kurt h ever in metallica

[@tomekk.1889]

Kurt H? ahahhahahah

[@zendakk]

Kirk Cobain of Megadeth does that as well. Absolute beast of an ukulele player.

[@svalerie98]

@@zendakk lol

[@tomspallone1868]

Eye opener! In school, I had a horrible time adjusting to algebra as a method of mathematics. The way that it was presented to me just didn’t click. I limped across THAT finish line. It took decades before i saw a KZbin video that presented it to me so that I could at least look at it as a helpful method. This lesson is like that for me. I’m going to have to noodle with it. Don’t get me wrong, algebra still blows but, you know what I mean!!

[@matthewettlinger5737]

Wow nice! This just makes complete sense, I’ve struggled with getting to grips with lead and you just hit the nail on the head thanks 👍🏼

[@seandaniel23]

Glad it helped!

[@stormy7091]

A most excellent lesson Sean, thank you!

[@benschroer6923]

This was introduced to me as the “Clapton” method when I first started playing…. I guess it was a little different and also framed around the relative minor pentatonic scale.

[@chuckjls]

It reminded me a lot of Dicky Betts, but I suppose they influenced each other a lot.

[@yarimo]

I like your Boba Fett guitar

[@Ratchman_5000]

Must pay tribute!

[@seandaniel23]

I did not see your litter.

[@OGbrundle]

What kind of guitar is that

[@Batdude2008]

I just found this video. THANK YOU…!!! This helps so much, breaking the guitar into puzzle pieces makes it so much easier and just made me a better student. The smoothness and relaxed playing you do is a huge breath of fresh air. I can feel the intake of that air, flow straight to my finger tips. An Awesome Lesson…!!!!

[@ricklynn6176]

This is an amazing informative video brother! Thanks for taking the time to explain this in layman’s terms !

[@joolstacho8114]

Well. I'm mystified! Sean at first explains how simple his 'new' scheme is, as if it's some wonderful revelation, then goes on to show that it's just as complicated as traditional guitar scale shapes. I must have missed something? I'll try again.

[@henryrich46]

After struggling with the pentatonic shapes, this is like scales falling off my eyes. Can you do a similar lesson for the minor scale? So that the soloing sounds bluesy rather than like the Allman Brothers playing Jessica?

[@stefanos7724]

the minor scale shape is the exact same as the major scale one, but with a different root. This basically means that you will be playing the exact same pattern, but you begin at a different note. In this specific instance, if you where using the a major shape shown, all you would have to do to play in F sharp minor, is use the exact same position, but now your root would be the 2nd fret of the e string (the f sharp), whereas your root used to be the open a string. This occurs because A major and Fsharp minor are relative major-minor scales, meaning that they have the exact same set of notes. So, basically, now to use this shape in the context of a minor scale, just place the 2nd note played on the e string on the note you want to play the minor scale of. This can be transferred to all major scale shapes (basically, the 6th interval becomes your root). If you like this shape you should also check out more 3 notes per string scales.

[@henryrich46]

@@stefanos7724 Thanks Stefanos. Of course, same shapes but just start on the 6th scale degree! I should have realised. I'm happily doing minor solos now

[@1manairband]

Thank you, this has been an eye opener for me. I can now practice with purpose now.

[@paulflatman5629]

As a seasoned guitarist….nit lead guitarist, this is probably the best video explanation of easy lead soloing…superb explanation!