Outlining the chords to Hotel Ca.

I saw this video on YTube by Rick Beato called Famous Progression Triad Exercise.

Rick is playing lead to Hotel Ca. He lists the chords on the screen but my question is, "what exactly is he fretting?" For example, the tune is in Bm. He starts out with a simple Bm run. Is he playing the 1st position of the B MINOR pentatonic scale? Then, as the chord changes, he goes to F# MAJOR and does a run there, then onto A MAJOR, E MAJOR, G MAJOR, F# MAJOR. I understand that individual NOTES are neither MAJOR or MINOR. I was refering to the CHORDS that he is chasing and the scales he is using. So is he then switching over to play the respective MAJOR scales? I thought that you usually stay within the main scale- so in this case it is B MINOR. This is where my confusion lies.

It sounds great as he outlines and chases the chords. I am new to chord chasing- I usually just randomly play scales and try to land on the right note- at least on the "one." This definitely sounds better and more advanced so I am eager to learn from anyone who knows. Once I get this down I figure it will carry over to many other tunes.

Thanks in advance!

I thought about this more. Let me know what I am thinking makes any sense.

Is Rick perhaps playing the arpeggioS of the different chord shapes (major and minor arpeggios?) I could be off here but I am thinking that if tried to play the respective scale for each chord, there will be 2 or 4 notes per chord that are off depending on Major or Minor. Penta=5 note or Major=7 note arpeggio...since chords/triads only contain 3 notes.

Technically, I could play in Bm penta and focus on the right notes. It will work but I would likely sound a little off. Likely, in the original tune, they do both- the arpeggios up and reverse, and play licks that fall within Bm scale. Despite being in Bm, most of the chords are MAJOR.

On that Triad Exercise short video he's literally just playing chord tones.  Every time the chord changes he plays a variety of that chord that's happening at the time.  Nothing but different voicings of the chords all over the fretboard.

The B minor chord is made of the 1-3-5 from the B minor scale.  

b (1st) - d (minor 3rd) - f# (5th)

When the B minor chord is happening he's playing those 3 notes in various configurations all over the fretboard.  He plays:

1-5-3, 3-1-5, 5-3-1, 1-5-3 (an octave higher)

Then the next chord is F#.  That chord is made from the 1-3-5 of the F# major scale.

f# (1st) - a# (major 3rd) - c# (5th)

When that chord is happening he's playing those 3 notes in various configurations all over the fretboard.  He plays that pattern down picking up where the B minor went up.

He does that for all the chords.

I have a collection of tutorials on chord triad & inversions that show how to visualize & play these voicings for any & all major & minor chords.

https://www.guitartricks.com/collection/triads-and-inversions

Next, question: "So is he then switching over to play the respective MAJOR scales? I thought that you usually stay within the main scale- so in this case it is B MINOR. This is where my confusion lies."

Again, it's not either-or.  :)  It's both.  The chords are found in the scale.  When you harmonize the B minor scale you get a collection of chords.  And some of those are altered to fit the harmonic & melodic minor scales.  Hotel California is a big circle of of fifths motion (many of the chord root notes are a fifth apart which is a common harmonic motion technique).

You can look at the entire progression as chords related to the key of B minor.

B min (i) - F# (V harmonic minor) - A (bVII) - E (IV) -  G (bVI) - D (bIII) - Em (iv) - F# (V) - B min (i)

Or you can look at the relationship of each chord to the previous.

B min (i) - F# (V of B) - A (bVII) - E (V of A) -  G (bVI) - D (V of G) - Em (iv) - F# (V of B) - B min (i)

Both ways are mutually reinforcing.

I explain all of these concepts in my tutorials on harmonizing the major & minor scales & the improvisation collection.  

Hope that helps!

Thanks again and yes, it certainly does help. It makes more sense now. I have to take more of your course to learn these different triads/voicings and how to play them. I think this song can serve as a great exercise since it seems pretty straightforward and also very familiar in how it is suppose to sound.

Last night I looped the chords and just played the Bm scale and harmonized on individual strings like the low E string. It sounded great. Then the power went out (reminents of the hurricane.) It was fun challenging myself to play this mostly in the dark. I have some battery powerded gear that I use when camping. Practicing in the dark really helps with ear training. I was literally a little disappointed when the power came back on.

You're welcome!  Glad it's starting to make sense.

That particular song has a lot of chords in a predicable order.  So it is a good one to practice targeting chord tones.  But even a simple 3 chord progression is great too.