Chords Archives - Unlock the Guitar

From Multiple Scales to Multiple Chords

3 Note Per String ScalesGraham TippettJanuary 10, 20190

A couple of days ago we looked at How to Easily Learn Multiple Scale Patterns in parallel using just three different scale patterns/positions. In this lesson, I’d like to revisit those scale patterns and give you an easy way of … Read more

The Missing Link Between Open Chords and Barre Chords (Part 1)

Barre ChordsGraham TippettSeptember 25, 20180

I see this a lot with beginners and experienced guitarists alike. Most of us start out by learning a selection of open chords, next we move on to barre chords once we have enough hand strength, and then we come

Chords: How to Learn the Harmonized Major Scale (Part 2)

Chord InversionsGraham TippettMarch 24, 20180

In Part 1 we looked at the basic theory behind the harmonized major scale and how to learn four sets of root position chords that will give you over 300 if you include all 12 keys. These chords, and a

Chords: How to Learn the Harmonized Major Scale (Part 1)

Chord InversionsGraham TippettMarch 23, 20180

A great way to learn chords and chord progressions is to learn them in context, whether it be a song or the chord chart for a backing track (yes, don’t just wail over them, learn the chord progression). Chords are

Diatonic Harmony: Soloing Over Chord Progressions

ChordsGraham TippettMarch 18, 20180

Knowing what scales to use over a given chord progression was always shrouded in mystery for me until I understood diatonic harmony and non-diatonic harmony. Don’t worry though, this isn’t a full-on theory lesson because what I want you to

The 2 Golden Rules for Combining Scales with Chords

ChordsGraham TippettFebruary 12, 20180

We’ve been talking a lot on the blog lately about improvisation methods and systems. The guitar is a double-edged sword in this regard as a solo can be approached in many ways depending on the player and the desired

How to Solo Over Chord Changes (Part 8)

ChordsGraham TippettFebruary 8, 20180

In Part 8, we look at the last of the upper chord extensions: the 13, and we’ll also be walking you through the process of analyzing a set of changes in order to approach soloing over them using everything we’ve

How to Solo Over Chord Changes (Part 6)

Chord InversionsGraham TippettFebruary 6, 20180

In Part 6, we look at the mysterious world of 11 and #11 chords and how to simplify the process of soloing over them. If you missed any of the previous parts, here are the the links:

Part 1
Part

How to Solo Over Chord Changes (Part 4)

ChordsGraham TippettFebruary 1, 20180

In Part 4 of this series of blog posts, we look at how to decode chords and compare improvising with scales to thinking in intervals. The latter approach allows us to have more control over what we play while understanding

5 Types of Power Chords to Enhance Your Playing

Beginner GuitarGraham TippettDecember 24, 20170

If you’re a guitarist of the rock, metal, punk or even blues persuasion, one of the first things you learned was probably a power chord or two. Combining these easy-to-finger chords with a hefty dose of distortion and volume not