My 'Fingerstyle for the World' guitar course is FINALLY out! I've poured all my knowledge and experience into this course to take your playing to the next level. Check it out at academy.neilchanmusic.com/p/fingerstyle-for-the-world-level-1!
What a lesson! I've just paid for a guitar course, and I've found this video just as informative, if not more, than 3 lessons there. Thank you so much for this content!
Hey Joel, glad you find it helpful! Since you've paid for the guitar course do make use of it. I've also just launched my own paid fingerstyle guitar course actually :D You can check it out at academy.neilchanmusic.com/p/fingerstyle-for-the-world-level-1
Thank you for providing this concept. I find the playing the lower 'open' chords gives my fingers a rest. Otherwise there are too many bar chords in the higher chord voicings and my finger tire out during a song.
Neil, thanks a lot. I sometimes struggled with the voice leading. The reason was that I jumped into another position which made it a lot more difficult to play. Your explanation made it absolute clear.
Hey Manfred, I’m glad I could help you out in voice leading! Happy to hear you’re enjoying working on your guitar skills and that I can help you on this journey.
You're most welcome Rex! I just created a new channel where I'll post all my music videos (not lessons). Do head over there, I appreciate your support :) ru-vid.com/show-UCq0vBALPfPk2gDucRTjzwPw
Thank you for making this video ❤️❤️❤️✨✨✨,if you remember I suggested this video to you. Thank you so much for thissssss ❤️❤️❤️❤️ you are the best ❤️ ❤️ ✨✨✨✨❤️
Hey yes Shiv! Thanks for the suggestion and giving me the idea for this video :) Looking forward to sharing more with you! How do you find my new lesson structure? I'm planning to keep it up with a musical example and exercise each lesson.
Hi, I came in here on RU-vid's suggestion after having done a search on "songwriting quints quarts". I was drawn into your video by you saying "key or scale you are in" - you did not say "chord you are in" (I guess they don't say so) Edit/Insert: you may ignore all else that follows, just do - Sorry, this has become a lengthy comment. Please do not feel compelled to reply or even reply, the following has become a public memo to myself, too, in case you just do not react - thank you in advance for letting me be bubbly in your comment section, for letting me be. I am a newbie to your channel, first time around. Original comment as follows: - and I was excited to find out if and how your lesson relates to my current experience: there are many instrumentals (I am into singing - interestingly, "lead guitar" is a term from "rock" - you make me smile - music which always is some sort of dance music (Wow - it occurs to me now that you were "emphasizing" that 4th beat in context of rhythm "Name any singer male/female that dances while singing!")... that there seem to be many instrumental "songs" - me, as I am into singing, do not feel to sing along - because, as my new explanation, after having seen this video is, the singing is done by "something completely different", some wooden strummer-string (Btw, I am into ethymologye, please allow some pun on "Who is Sumner, Sting?" Answer: the lead that sings) not a human voice that could be mine (but I can always do the jailhouse rock, hope you get the point) (it's not that you could not sing along the lead guitar, but you do not feel like it, it's just too different, mostly much too high - which refers to your topic "smoothness", in another interesting way) .... ...to keep up my thread, from above: .... recently, I came about "instrumentals" that seem to lack a chorus - I now think that the chorus in itself is "smooth" but, I tentatively think, that the chorus "separates" (word you are using right at the beginning) the chorus from what's before. In other words, there might be a hidden break of smoothness - as singers realize: yes, that can play the lead on what had been head before. Yet in other words: the principle of smoothness does not apply to the relationship of chorus and pre-chorus. In fact, I experienced "singing the 5ths" as a technique to get out "when caught in a trap" (rhythmical loop). Second point, a regular question from a newbie: I wonder how smooth voice leading relates to "inverted chords", and if "inverted chords" are a concept that is basically restricted to the keyboard as a specific instrument.
Hey there, thanks for sharing your thoughts! No worries, feel free to share your thoughts out loud :) Inverted chords help a lot in achieving a smooth bass line. They allow you to choose the desired bass note such that the bass line can move up or downwards in closer intervals.
@@neilchanmusic Wow, thank you for what's kind of a perfect reply to a lengthy question - I certainly feel perfectly understood... Wow, considering what's in textbooks on classical baroque basso continuo - open notation, "to choose" - that bass line which is no the melody might be at the heart of arrangement, and transcend to songwriting. Very well-known role-models are bass-player Sting who is a great song-writer. Same for Paul McCartney. What you say makes me think about chords that always bear and carry options to "choose" from - imagine the melody in the making not given. To cut short: indeed, Sebastian Bach might have excelled in the "choice" of a smooth bass line - however, he was neither into songwriting nor did he teach or do arrangements. Should you read that - hope of some interest to you. Cheers! Again, thanks for your reply that's food for further thinking - jokingly I wonder if this "food" idiom is a standard "idiom" - never mind 🙂 (admit tingly I haven't read all your comments, yet 🙂).
This is great🤯🤯🤯 I never heard of voice leading and it gave me new thing to explore. I was curious about something. Suppose that we have a song arrangement in the 6 - 4 scale position ( pinky finger used to play 'Do' note on 6th string ). Now if I want to play that song in the 6 - 2 scale position ( middle finger used to play 'Do' note on 6th string ) then I usually have to change the chord shapes to play harmony. And usually the new chord shapes are not from standard chord shapes. I just use the notes present in a chord to find the new shape that I will have to use for that chord and this results in some quite uncomfortable chord shapes. Is there a way to use same chord shapes in different scale positions ? There are like 7 scale positions ( saw your scale position video and it is simply great ) possible and it would be a nightmare to create chord shapes and remember them for every particular scale position. Do you also create chord shape for different scale positions or is there something that I am missing ?
Hey Satyam, thanks for your question! Thats a good point you bring up and definitely, some chord shapes are simply easier to form than others. As you would probably know I have identified five basic chord shapes (CAGED) that you can move around the neck. Of these I'd say A and E shape are the most intuitive, but the rest are very manageable with practice. In 6-4 scale position, I usually use the G shape chord position, not the entire shape but just the lowest root, 3rd, and 5th or 7th. in 6-2 position, the E shape works well. My recommendation is to be flexible with these 5 basic chord shapes, for if you stick to just A and E shape, you'll find yourself jumping around the neck too much which compromises your voice leading :)
Hi Moon, yes as much as possible keep the melody note as the top voice, it'll be much easier to make it stand out that way. If it's not on the top, make it the loudest note you play.
