Chords for How to Improvise a Guitar Solo

What's going on everybody I would like to introduce you to Ian Stitch
He may look familiar because he's actually the homeless looking guy I rescued off of a raft in the overcast video Literally, yeah
And today we're gonna talk about a very common situation for musicians when you get thrown in to an uncomfortable position
Where somebody's playing chords and they expect you to solo and you have no idea what's going on.
No idea, right?
So we actually have been through this before.
That's right.
Our origin story actually
Kind of met at a place and I was like, hey, I'm just gonna throw down some chords
Why don't you why don't you hit a quick solo?
I was terrified.
He was terrified.
I know and
Just kind of reenact it.
Yeah, basically I started playing a G _ _
_ [F] Okay, _ _ [G] _ _ _
_ [D] all right
[Cm] D flat [Eb] minor 7 _
[Gm] G minor 6 Oh God
[Bb] Bro
Come [E] on Dean
So if that's you this is gonna be the lesson for you because we're gonna talk about how you can just jump in to any
Situation and at least pretend like you know what you're doing so you can keep up with another musician.
So Ian, take it away All [F] right well
my specialty or my favorite thing to do on guitar is to improvise or jam and
[Bb] So what we're gonna do today is we're gonna bring to you the ability to like Sean said play with a chord progression
So Sean and I sat for about I think six and a half hours
We designed a chord progression and we both agreed on it.
Yes, and the and [G] the chords are it's gonna be G G
[F] F and [C] C C six hours of liberation.
We did that.
Yeah, [G] this is in the key of C in the key of C
Okay, so as we've kind of talked about the channel before I've talked about writing solos and how you like link together
Arpeggios and scales and chord voicings, but this is gonna be more kind of doing things on the [Bb] fly on the fly
Which is again what I love doing because when you're [N] when you're thinking on the fly, it's exhilarating if you can make it work
It's even better when people listen to you.
You have a sense of authority when you play
So let's get to it if we can.
All right, cool.
All right, so we're gonna discuss the scale.
Yeah, it's really all about
Common tones common tones of a key, right?
So if I'm playing [G] we're playing in the key C
I'm gonna play a G chord.
What sounds good over a G chord.
Let me guess.
Oh, I think a G a G note
Yes, there we go.
Absolutely gather together harmony.
There's a synergy synergy here like Sean Ian, right?
Yeah, your computer probably melting right now from this energy
And then I go to [F] an F.
I'm gonna guess that the F
Where we go with it.
How about [C] a C totally gonna be C
So now we got it done.
[Cm] I'll show you the scale for sure
Okay, so what we're referring to is a we have to have a scale to work from since we're in the key of C
We're gonna use a C major scale and Sean has taught the scale many times.
So we're gonna get to it
It's gonna start it looks very familiar to an a minor [F] pentatonic and a minor [Bb] diatonic
Because it is so here we go.
We're gonna start the fifth fret here down.
This is a C major C major scale
Thank you, but we're starting on the fifth fret here.
So it's gonna be five seven eight five
seven eight five seven four five [D] seven five
six [G] eight five [Fm] seven eight
Now you probably know that but we need to learn the names
I do want to make a quick distinction, please the way I [C] played a minor scale in the same position
There's actually five seven eight five seven eight five [Cm] seven nine five [Em] seven five six eight five seven eight
I'm a [Bb] carny exact exact same thing small.
He has some freakishly small hands
So that's kind of he likes to kind of like just choke up.
Yeah, I come I come [Bb] back to this note
You can you can [A] play you [B] can play the ninth fret no problem same difference what I can do it
[Ab] You saw the notes in this scale and you really want to take the time to learn them because it is very important
There's me a B C
[E] D [F] E F
G A
_ [Cm] B C
D [Bb] E F G A
[Cm] B C now it takes more than just 15 seconds to learn that [Bm] if you don't so feel free to pause
Sure, and we'll be right here
But really I think what you want to do is just take one note and learn it all through the shape, right?
[Bb] So yes, so to pick a note from the progression G.
[G] All right, so we start on G Yes
That's gonna be the eighth fret of the B string and
Also the fifth fret of the D string these two notes in the scale in the scale our G's, right?
So you're just kind of like learning pieces of it and then just kind of like a road map
You're just connecting [D] them to get whenever you want.
Absolutely.
Yes.
Well, it has to be on top of the court
But yes, so we have our G's here and I guess Sean's gonna play a quick G chord
And I'm gonna play from this G to this G and I'm gonna sew it together with the scale
We got one two ready go _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Now I totally messed up my first note, but [F] whatever so but what you may have noticed is he's [Ab] landing in a certain spot
Yes.
Well, yes, that's actually really good
I when I when I talk about landing I always talk about planes our favorite moment in the plane is when we land
So if you're playing in front of the audience, you got to give them that landing that sense of coming home
And that is the note associated with the chord
Onward spoken like a non [G] member of the Mile High Club _
but yeah, but
Anyways, so just memorize those spots.
Yes memories of spots, right?
Yeah, and then just put them together [F] together, right?
Yeah, so let's get to the F.
Okay, so we got
G for for [G] each like _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [F] _ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _
_ [F] _ _ _ _ [C] There you go, very good the synergy is working it's hard to [Bb] believe yes not rehearsed not at all
Just cuz this guy knows where his notes are.
Yep, actually
It's a valuable thing
so we have the [G] G on the eighth fret of the P and the and the G on the fifth fret of the D and the
F [Fm] is the sixth fret of [N] the B string and if you want you get crazy with it get that pinky on to the
[F] Eighth fret of the A string right but it's deep and is a sprinkling in random [Bb] notes throughout that scale
But just landing on the ones when the chord changes and it has the feel that we know what we're doing
Yes, [Bb] absolutely.
It works and I'll do the location of the C's do one more.
Okay, I'm kind of pointing [C] out first
Please do okay.
So the C here is gonna be on the fifth for the G string and the eighth fret of the
E-string [Em] so now we have this chord progression
[Bb] I'm gonna hit those chord tones over his chord [E] changes
So I'm done together [Bb] with the common scale and next thing, you know
If I could have a time machine go back in time
I would have blown him away with my solo when I met him sit back and watch the magic happen one
[G] Ready _
_ _ _ [F] _ _ [C] _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ [F] _ _ _ _
[G] _ _ _ [F] _ _ [C] _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ [F] _ _ _ [C] _ _
[G] _ _ Cool there you go.
That was so good.
And [F] all this is movable, right?
Oh 100% movable
So let's move it up us up a step right one step.
So instead of G F and C
we don't even have to think about the scale we just move everything up so it'll be a
_ [Gb] G a G and a D
_ [Gm] Slot a [Cm] GD right D.
So I'm just gonna play a G 1 _
[A] _ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _ [D] _
_ [A] _ _ _ _ [G] G
[D] G
[A] G _ _ [G] _ _ [D]
here [A] _ _ _ [G] we [D] go modulation back [G] to G G.
Oh, oh so [F] tasty
_ [C] _
_ [G] _ _ _ _ [F] _ _ [C] _
_ [G] G _ _ [F] _ [C] a minor 7 flat 5 I
_ _ [E] See it doesn't work in every situation
But [Bb] it is very helpful very helpful.
So learn your code your chord tones
Yes people in in where they are in the scale.
Mm-hmm.
That's very important.
That's it
I'm number one rule number one
and I also humbly humbly want to thank Sean for having on this channel as you all know this guy's a
Juggernaut in YouTube and I can't thank him enough and then that's what I wanted to say
Yeah, but please so this guy is a total fish head and he actually fish being the band fish
I hate actually the taste of real fish.
Yeah, you know me too.
Yeah, sometimes my oh
My aunt my aunt Dora used to chew fish [E] with her mouth open and that's in my [N] head.
Mm-hmm.
No, no, that's pretty gross
Yeah, I can't never touch fish.
But if you're into fish and stuff like that and check out this channel.
Yeah grateful dad
Yep, check out the channel because he does he does all that stuff.
Yeah, I kind of can't touch that stuff the way he can
Right here, but the way you do your stuff I can so it's a good synergy
My youtube channel if you're interested is stitch method sti CH method guitar and I will link you below
I really appreciate having you having me here buddy.
And by the way, you should all be jealous cuz I can actually smell him
You can't yeah, what is it?
What does it smell like?
It smells like what I picture like a Roman
_ _ _ _ _ Roman statue.
Oh, I got yeah like a rich marble.
Yes, like so it's like gladiator blood
I've