In this video
Welcome to episode sixteen of Another Guitar Show, in this video we'll be talking about jamming! We all love the idea of meeting up with friends, or band members, picking up the guitar and jamming away for hours... But how do you actually do it? The boys have some great tips in this episode.
FIRST UP: DIATONIC CHORDS
Before tackling this lesson we would highly recommend studying and learning diatonic chords. This is the knowledge of what chords will be in a key.
If you're totally new to this or would like more info, here are thew two things I recommend you check out;
Beginners - Check out this video on the chords in the key of C
Intermediates - Check out Andy's Intermediate Course for a complete guide on chords, keys and essential scales
It is also worth remembering that we actually want to copy ideas from songs that you like, certainly at the beginning. That is important to remember, as you don't want to try and reinvent the wheel from the start!
JAM 1: D MAJOR SOUL
The first jam the guys look at is in the key of D major and based around a soul style. The actual chords Andy uses are D major, Em and G.
JAM 1 Lead
Thomas then improvises a cool lead line over the top and you can find the main lick tabbed below as well as the pentatonic shapes he is using.
JAM 2: G# FUNK
The second jam the guys look at is in the key of G# and based around a funk style. In funk we are often borrowing from the 12 bar blues idea, taking dominant chords rather than major and minor, and playing the 1, 4 and 5 chords. In the case of G#, the chords will be G#7, C#7 and D#7. Remember that 9th chords are very much based on dominant 7th chords, with the extra addition of the 9th.
JAM 2 Lead
Andy goes straight for a rhythmical, low end lead line, which we've tabbed out the main riff below (he varied it a lot in the jam, of course, but that was the main idea, which is super cool). He is very much using the G# minor pentatonic, with the occasional major third thrown in. When Andy and Thomas break into some lead over the top, they both start to blend the G# major and G# minor pentatonic scales, in a blues fashion.
JAM 3: Bb MAJOR POP SONG
The last jam is in the key of Bb major and in a pop style. Andy draws upon the 1st, 6th, 4th and 5th diatonic chords in that key, which are the Bb, Gm, Eb and F chords.