So, I'm stuck, i know open chords, I know power chords, I know bar chords, I know the major, and the minor scale, not perfectly yet though, I can read tabs, but I want to be able to pick up a guitar, and come up with some cool chord progresioons etc.... I would also like to jam over a chord progression, and I'm very lost there.
So my question is; where I should go from here?
Thank you in advance.
Here are a couple of suggestions that might help:
Do you know the fretboard 'cold'. You should learn the fretboard so well that you can always name the notes you are playing. It makes playing inversions, substitutions, etc. much easier. As well, it becomes a simple process to learn a melody or lick in one place on the neck and move it easily to another location.
If you have not already done it, stop memorizing chords. Start by learning a major arpeggio (for example 'C' - - C, E, G) over the entire neck. When you can move easily to any position on the neck, then use the major triad (C, E, G) to make a C minor (C, Eb, G). Then refinger it as a Cmaj7 (C, E, G, B), then as a C7 (C, E, G, Bb) then as Cdim, Caug, C9, C10, etc. Throw away the chord books and learn to create the chord you need by altering your fingering. You will be surprised how quickly you can learn to do this and you will never get lost or confused again.
Finally, learn the harmonized scale (in 'C' - - C, Dm, Em, F, G7, Am, Bdim) When you learn that, and combine it with the chord excercise above, you will begin to see tonal centers more easily. For example, you can substitute scales - over a 'C' chord, you can play a 'C' scale or an Am scale. You can play a 'C' scale over a G7 chord, etc. Eventually, you will be able to move easily through a set of changes without the need to think about what chord is playing and what scale to use. It is a short, easy step from here to undersanding and using 'modes'. In fact, the fundamental modes are based on the harmonized scale.
It takes a while and a lot of work, but it it better than playing things that you have memorized but don't understand. Ideally, any time you find something that sounds good to you, you should try to understand what is happening musically and try to apply the ideas in different keys and different song settings.
This is a lifetime journey, you can't rush it, but you can make it a lot easier.
Hope that is of some help,
Bill
