This free course is for the guitarist who is looking to elevate their musicianship by increasing their understanding of harmony.
Do you know how to play chords like C, Em, A7, Dsus4, FMaj7, E7♯9, B5 and others but don’t know what they mean?
Most guitarists view these chords as shapes on the fretboard without really a true understanding of the individual components. Why do some chords get a 7? Why do minor chords have a little “m” (Em, etc) but Major chords are just the letter (C, etc)? What is the difference between Major and Minor chords?
Memorizing the most essential chords used in music (Major/Minor triads and Major/Minor/Dominant 7ths) was one of the first things I did when I took piano lessons at 14 years old. Doing this helped tremendously with my ability to analyze music, improvisation, and songwriting.
It may seem counterintuitive to put your guitar down (your main instrument) and go to the piano to learn a complex music theory concept. That would be true if I did not use an effective, streamlined method. The method I use to teach chord memorization guarantees results.
What is the result that you can expect?
After completing this course you will have memorized ALL Major triads and ALL Minor triads. In any given key, this is 85% of the chords in each key.
How does this knowledge give you an advantage?
Gaining a deep understanding of harmony has the unexpected benefit of improving melodic improvisation. Melody is the part of music that weaves through chords in a rhythmic manner. Sometimes the melody lands on a chord tone and sometimes it does not. When you only know “scale patterns”, you are essentially guessing what kinds of melodies will work with the song’s existing harmonies. With a deep knowledge of harmony and chords, you can make educated melodic decisions thus making your improvisations more musical.
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