How I Actually Learned the Fretboard over the Last 30 Years

[@zombieguitar]

Thanks for watching! Here are the timestamps for this vid: 0:00 - Intro 1:12 - The Beginning of my Guitar Journey 2:55 - Learning Songs 6:35 - Learning Music Theory 9:28 - Intro to "Guitar Theory" 15:40 - The Diatonic Scale 19:57 - The Pentatonic Scale 25:48 - The CAGED System 35:42 - DON'T Learn the Notes...Yet 41:55 - Learn Intervals Instead 45:33 - Learning the Piano 49:42 - Fully Embracing the 12-Key Model 52:03 - Summary of my Suggested Path to Follow

[@SmallFox74]

Best teacher bar none.

[@martynspooner5822]

I feel so lucky to have found this channel some years ago. I was someone who for some reason thought theory was something beyond me, but with the help from this channel I managed and thanks to Brian it was easier than I ever thought. It has been an immense benefit to my playing and enjoyment of playing and I cannot thank him enough. Cheers for everything.

[@mortenjohansen5781]

Just in case anyone ever has something negative to say about Brian please refer them to this specific video. Anyone who sees this will understand just how many many many..... hours /years Brian has spent going through music and guitar theroy, and developing his way of teaching.

[@joeblough261]

If someone has something negative to say about Brian, I'll just tell them to f*** off, end of story. Lol

[@rickstube5299]

​@@joeblough261 right? Like this guy is world class atp, how do you talk shit about him?

[@philjames1019]

Brian Kelly at his logical best!! I was 11 years old in 1967 ... I only wish that Zombie Guitar was available then. I intend to concentrate on the 5 suggested tasks, watch the associated videos yet again, and hopefully make further progress in my guitar journey. Thanks again Professor!! 😎

[@codelikealawyer4585]

I have to say, Brian...your ability to present music theory, its application to the instrument, and how it all fits together is fantastic! Your language is accessible and you haven't forgotten how you've learned music. You channel is one of my favorites and I don't even play guitar!😂

[@poratl]

Excellent teacher, wonderful channel, I consider myself lucky to have finally come across it after hundreds of wasted hours on KZbin. Thanks Brian.

[@zombieguitar]

I appreciate the words! Thanks for checking out my vids 😀

[@vladrapchan5330]

I've already commented on this video but I'll do it again: this video is exactly the kind of talk a teacher need to have with his student. I wish I had someone to explain me this roadmap when I was younger. I've spent so many useless years trying to understand how to progress, what to study, and so on... I'm older now but I think I finally get it!

[@YonathanMizrachi]

Absolutely ‼️‼️

[@galelongputt]

Lifetime member. The more you know, the more you know you don't know. Very much appreciated 🙏. Thank you, Brian.

[@vladrapchan5330]

So happy I found your channel. For some people like me, understanding the concept behind theory is VERY important. Your explanation about CAGED being a "layer 2" concept is really important. CAGED system don't replace scales. It actually works like a "heads up display" on a pilot helmet. Scales help you to stay on track, while CAGED system points you towards the best path inside that track. I sometimes doubt all these players who teach CAGED ate actually ALL THE TIME thinking about chord tones... It looks so absurdly hard.... Anyways, great video! I'm still studying your CAGED videos posted many years ago! Cheers! 🇧🇷👊

[@jeffro.]

Brian, I like the way you describe learning music as "layers." It makes sense. It kinda reminds me of the "7-layer OSI network model" for computer networks. In that model, if you want to play the music in your head, you mostly want to focus on the "application layer," which is the highest, layer 7. I'm like you in that the reason i wanted to learn guitar is because i have music in my head all the time. When i was younger, it could sometimes be violins, sometimes piano.... Nowadays it's mostly guitar music and sounds. I think your advice is spot on, the 5 steps to understand music on the guitar that you spelled out in the end. You're exactly right, everything on the guitar is about patterns, so intervals should be the way to go. I learned things differently from you. When i was a kid my (older) sister and I had piano lessons. I didn't like the teacher, and i hated "homework," so i learned to learn songs by ear. The teacher would play a song, and i was supposed to learn it (or a portion of it) by reading the music for the next lesson. I would simply memorize what she played and practice that. But i did learn a few things from music notation, that is about chords. I kearned that the lines in the staff were every other note, and same thing for the spaces. And i noticed that chords used every other note. Today i know the notes in every chord. But i still haven't memorized the sharps/flats of the different keys. (I also haven't learned the circle of fifths.) But i do know all about using that circle to determine which chords are the I, IV, V. But it's just as easy to count them from the starting point. I've been focusing lately on intervals. I know the intervals of the Major scale, and i relate everything back to that. I've learned quite a bit in the last year of so. Overall, good sound advice! 👍 👌

[@tcpUtube1]

I got my first guitar when I was about 10. Right off I took about 5 or 6 lessons. The instructor had me trying to play a very simple song (The Old Grey Goose”) from sheet music (staff). He never gave me any instruction on how to read music on a staff. He never explained the guitar fretboard, or notes, or scales, or keys, or cords, or patterns. So I couldn’t do anything but play short songs from memory. I never got past that 1 song with that instructor. My friends were playing guitar and we started playing popular songs together. I really didn’t know what I was doing, but I could memorized the songs and play with my friends. But my understanding of the fretboard was very limited and my knowledge of music theory was nil. I stopped playing guitar for years several times. Flash forward 20 years and I discovered tabs. Another 20 years and I found You Tube video song lessons. I could do more but I was still music theory ignorant. Then I started watching your You Tube videos on music theory for guitar and lessons on the patterns and techniques. These were the keys that have unlocked the guitar for me. Thanks.

[@crucifixgym]

Love it! Pattern locking, puzzle pieces; shapes are intervals! Modes are just the C major scale played from different roots, so the scale is the key of the song! Guitar can be more creative because the notes can always change if you change your tuning, but a keyboard stays the same, the notes don’t move. So many guitar greats didn’t need to learn “notes” but instead learned patterns and intervals and made groundbreaking music. This channel has all the info a guitarist needs to understand how to express their inner music.

[@ChristofferKeizer]

Man, our musical understanding journey is very similar. The struggle is real. Well presented, sir. 🤘🏻

[@nuclearcharlie6867]

Brian Thank you for your comprehensive presentation. Even after years of playing mostly chords and riffs I am always lost when it comes to improvising any kind of lead I am always lost I always feel like I am missing a piece Something Garcia or Duane intuitively knew. I still feel lost but you help me a lot to fill in the blanks

[@joeblough261]

Fascinating how you show how to visualize the pentatonic shapes as 4 instead of 5. The "5th" is obviously still in there, but its just how the player visualizes and apllies the patterns. That's wild, never seen anyone teach that before.

[@chriscurtis8344]

Best teacher bar none. Some pun intended . Brian Kelly thanks. You’re makin Good-Tar 🎸America great again ‼️You’re awesome and appreciated ‼️🌃

[@Owl-qh2rh]

Wish i saw this 30 years ago!!!! Thank you for making it!!! 😎🙏🕊️

[@alexandrevalente9994]

Great video, it summaries my path to the guitar play too. I also think about patterns. This is a natural way for our brain to get the essential of information. Then I compare playing an instrument like flying an airplane. Theory is essential but is what you learn on the ground. Then all this theory is translated in know-how and how-toes that contain already best practices ready to be used when flying. I mean if you learn a procedure on the ground, you study and get the why on the ground. When flying it must already be understood . Then while applying the procedure, you don’t rethink it, you just execute it but you know what you are doing. I see theory in this way.

[@oldrrocr]

Thanks Brian! great as always... but I jumped to 23:23 to appreciate your brilliant pentatonic system!

[@jamesnewton485]

"The learning never stops." At 49 years old we were locked down. I decided to take on the one task that everyone told me was crazy hard, music theory. Just so you know, IT'S NOT! 🎼🎵🎼Brian Kelly was my GO TO GUY when learning the Circle of Fifths and understanding modes. Amazing teacher. Thank you so much Brian.

[@stevec9972]

All good advice. A clear learning path of the essentials needed. Your explanations of 12 keys and modes etc has saved me untold years of confused learning off in the weeds. Thankyou

[@scottwheeler7615]

Always great listening to you talk about how you see the relationships on the fretboard, it's what got me out of the rut I was stuck in for years. Seeing the caged chord shapes within the related scale positions has changed my playing so much, I used to get stuck in a scale position kinda guessing where the best sounding notes were without really knowing where they were. Combining the chord tones and scales without having to think has changed the dynamism and intuitiveness of my playing soo much, and I'm forever grateful to you Brian! Keep up the great work 👍

[@stephendennis7871]

Brian, I know we have never met but your journey has been similar to my own and many others but I totally enjoyed this post and your honest and further guidance, great job and thanks

[@duesenberger]

Thx for this video. The perspective You take here sums up all those things perfectly.

[@AcousticalButtnugget]

Thanks for all the content Brian! Your website has been a big part of my guitar journey and I still feel like I've only just dipped a toe into the vastness of that ocean lol

[@JoshC-j1h]

Thanks so much Brian, keep up the great content! I'll definitely be watching many of your lessons more than once!

[@DJCJ999]

Excellent round-up Brian.. I haven't been on the channel or the ZBG site for a while for that matter and this is a great refresher. I have a couple years on you but share the same passion for making music. My dad bought me an acoustic for Christmas when I was around ten along with a book of songs full of the greats like Bob Dylan and The Beatles... trouble was I didn't know who they were and the guitar was huge to me! but I loved the blues! and could 12 bar on 1 string and I thought that was the coolest thing ever! pursuits

[@mrdcwdcw]

Love your content and delivery. Keep up the good work. Probably my favourite guitar/music teacher.

[@BasilBrown-bw9gh]

The honesty is what makes your videos great :)

[@scooperjs]

Extremely helpful explanations. You are genius.

[@_LoneWoulfe]

You're one of the few guitar teachers who've earned my respect. Thank you Brian.

[@zombieguitar]

I appreciate that! Thank you for following along with my vids 😀

[@Mujcanal]

Thank you Brian, I took the notes down , now its time to start the proper way.

[@foolsgold8486]

Thanks Brian......it is overwhelming to really know what is the best approach on such a vast undertaking. Your coaching and insights are going to help and inspire many young guitarists/musicians. And at the same time save them priceless years of frustration. Your work feeds the type of guitarist that need music theory. Not just doing covers and learning songs. That works and brings satisfaction to many players,and that is awesome. But some of us want to comprehend whatvis going on under the hood. Great Work. Thank You for sharing Your Music journey with us🤜🏻🤛🏽😎

[@zombieguitar]

I appreciate the words! Understanding the fretboard has been a passion of mine for many years. I'm glad to find that others also feel the same way 😀🎸

[@gertjanvangastel]

100

[@YonathanMizrachi]

Brilliant as always‼️This time also emotionally touching with your personal story ❤️ I found so many parallels to my own personal journey. This is a MUST SEE FOR EVERY MUSIC TEACHER! (I personally teach the Open CAGED chords via major blues, than 5 minor pentatonic + blues notes, than basic guitar music theory, then CAGED, then adding diatonic notes to the 5 pentatonic shapes, and lastly adding the notes of each modes to each of the five pentatonic shapes (e. g. 2 & 6 to play a Dorian mode...). Thanks a lot Brian for hours and hours of fantastic learning materials‼️

[@brianschuette9839]

THANK YOU BRIAN!!!!! .....GREATEST GIFT EVER!!.....IVE BEEN WAITING FOR A VIDEO LIKE THIS!!

[@mortenjohansen5781]

Too little space too much to say. This channel has been and still is my goto, it's helped me to understand basic and more advanced theory and made me able to make sense of what I'm doing. The major comment here is what a father!! actually supporting his child, WOW !!!

[@ja_guitarandcbgstudies]

Thanks, Brian! That was a very useful overview/summary.I am enjoying my progress.

[@Desertviews-y5x]

Very enjoyable. Great video.

[@invisigoth777]

that is so crazy, about that toy phone, i had one and wrote a few songs, lyrics and all, but that got me into piano

[@Ahmed-kv4up]

Thanks, Brian. Your lessons are always on top!

[@ronniesearcy6602]

I don't have time to listen to all this right now but, I will return. Thank you

[@douglasbroccone3144]

Love Brian, wish I had known him growing up I would have been a good guitar player

[@ksharpe10]

Ironically, when I thought about all this. It reminded me, I know a keyboard player he can read music like anyone can read a sentence in a book, even speed reading, if I were to hand him my Guitar and ask him to play a simple C chord, well he knows it is C,E,G, and I ask him well give me CEG, he will give it back and say where are they. All of a sudden he is totally lost. One thing that seems to never get discussed is how Guitar Playing is all about Phrasing, not only knowing what chords/scales/etc. But how does one use Phrasing with that, hammer on's/pulloffs. pre bends/harmonics, 2 hand techniques, this is what has distinguished certain players thru the years. It was Hendrix phrasing, EvH Phrasing, Eric Johnson Phrasing, how did they handle all the bits of Caged/scales/boxes/shapes, GEAR usage. One fellow watched me play, and remarked wow those Bends are so Cool, or what was that way that note was sustained or shaped. For me I still dig the sound that was made by the early Rock and Rollers, into the Early Beatles, even though that stuff is more simplistic, try to imitate that now, all of a sudden you have to pair all that shredding stuff back to a basic clean no gain, maybe even no breakup sound, and you stop and say Whoa, now I got to THINK about what was done or not done. Just a perspective viewpoint. You do great things with your Channel.

[@jonbigg7385]

You were great in Anger Management

[@ModernConversations]

YOUR DAD WAS IMPRESSED? Wow. Easy Dad goals.

[@joebutkins4019]

Your a great teacher

[@Hustada]

I played lead guitar in a band for 7 years and haven’t heard about modes at all.

[@TheChicagoTodd]

Wow...this is really great!

[@theelderskatesman4417]

Awesome dad!

[@joeblough261]

Funny, I thought we were the same age and then you made me feel REAL old when you said you were 11 when you learned Plush. Then I remembered I was only a 19 year old college sophmore when that came out so I'm not that much older. I just suck at guitar, bc I didn't learn Plush until about 6-7 years ago, LOL! Honestly, I've always had some weird dyslexic mental block reading tab, so the odd fingering of the intro kept short circuiting my brain Everytime I'd try to learn it, even though I could play plenty of far more difficult stuff. Then it occured to me to just look up a YT lesson and I picked it up immediately just watching someone play it. I don't know why I have such an issue reading tab, I'm not dyslexic otherwise.

[@chezriff4275]

Thank you so much Brian for your contents. I am starting layer 2 and you help me a lot to find the right way. I have one question : at 40:35 you display all chord shapes on top of the same penta position. I thought it was more adapted to change also the corresponding penta position behind. What do you think ?

[@zombieguitar]

Remember...the pentatonic scale in all of its positions remains unchanged assuming the KEY doesn't change. However since the chords are constantly changing, so do the CAGED shapes within any given positions. If a song remains in a single key then...Layer 1 remains constant, while layer 2 is constantly changing 🎸 I have a bunch of videos about this, but this one is pretty relevant to this topic: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oX-Ucndvn7yem9Esi=BJ2lOkxUoGCO22At

[@basketcas3717]

Wow. A lot of this stuff blew right over my head. I've only been teaxhing myself guitar for about 2 months and have a good handful of chords down with a couple of scales. I really want to buy your lifetime membership. Do you have like a start from scratch course that will explain everything as i go along to be able to understand keys, scales, and modes to someone who has no idea what that all means? I swear im not mental i just dont know music that well

[@zombieguitar]

Hey thanks for checking out the site! Yes the course starts out very beginner-friendly. You will learn the lingo as you go on too 😀

[@leeanderson9486]

This story is almost identical to mine. 😂👍

[@deewekoms]

top bloke

[@punkmusiclessons]

we started exactly the same way! just replace Nirvana and Metallica with Blink 182 and Jimmy Eat World. having an experiential framework and then diving into theory second i think gives players a much more intuitive approach. we didn’t know what the hell we were doing for years!

[@abraralvi4831]

how do I learn intervals instead of notes?

[@zombieguitar]

I have a bunch of vids on intervals. Here's a good one to check out 🎸: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l2KuhYqvgsxnfpYsi=QxIon-j0jlex1Vz4

[@ssiowi]

Thx BK. By '3 Patterns' do you refer to picking the three major mode patterns for major scale songs or three minor mode scales for minor scale songs? For example, for 'Baby Blue' in B Major from Badfinger; would the 3 Pattern method work with the Ionian, Lydian, and Mixolydian mode patterns for B? BTW man, buried the lead here: excellent summary of your three decades and the fretboard!

[@zombieguitar]

I call the 3 patterns the "Home Box", the "A-string Home Box" and the "3NPS pattern". They work in any key 😁

[@stevec9972]

Brian has a vid on this. Combining boxes of the full diatonic scale so you have 3 large patterns, more diagonal vs vertical instead of 7 boxes or 5

[@TheFreeman4955]

Is that a boss Katana Artist in the background? If so what do you think of that Amp?

[@zombieguitar]

I love it! I first got the Kat 50, then eventually got the big boy Kat Artist 🎸

[@TheFreeman4955]

@@zombieguitar I just got the Waza air headphones a month ago and was blown away. They say the headphones are basically the katana on your head. Now I want the Amp.

[@zacharyneely]

10:00

[@joeblough261]

"I wasnt trying to become Billy Joel or anything", haha.

[@hervedelille2468]

Thanks to your parents for buying you a guitar at 11 !

[@pdub2762]

Killer

[@superderekscott]

Video is an hour long that you just posted. Could’ve been cut down to 10 minutes. It’s called cord tones lonesome scales maybe a mode or two and cord tones that’s simple

[@wuldntuliktonoptb6861]

Those early online tabs were notoriously bad. Either they had it dead on and you’d know quick or it was so far off you’d just kind of play it your own way.

[@MichaelTrentColvin]

Led Zeppelin The shape remains the same 😅

[@joeblough261]

Learn your modes, bro. LOL!

[@Hoodysrecipe]

first pin me teacher.

[@jasonwojcik]

Shameful plug, I wish I had zombie guitar when I started. The site is full of guided lessons. . My advice to beginners is this: focus on a topic and really internalize it WITH A LOOPER. There is so much to learn but be careful of jack of all trades, master of none.