Chords Archives - Unlock the Guitar

From Multiple Scales to Multiple Chords

January 10, 2019January 10, 2019Graham TippettLeave a Comment

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)

September 25, 2018October 5, 2018Graham TippettLeave a Comment

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 … Read more

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

March 24, 2018October 8, 2018Graham TippettLeave a Comment

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)

March 23, 2018October 8, 2018Graham TippettLeave a Comment

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

March 18, 2018October 8, 2018Graham TippettLeave a Comment

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 … Read more

The 2 Golden Rules for Combining Scales with Chords

February 12, 2018October 16, 2018Graham TippettLeave a Comment

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 … Read more

How to Solo Over Chord Changes (Part 8)

February 8, 2018October 18, 2018Graham TippettLeave a Comment

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 … Read more

How to Solo Over Chord Changes (Part 6)

February 6, 2018October 22, 2018Graham TippettLeave a Comment

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)

February 1, 2018October 22, 2018Graham TippettLeave a Comment

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 … Read more

5 Types of Power Chords to Enhance Your Playing

December 24, 2017October 31, 2018Graham TippettLeave a Comment

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 … Read more