After looking at many of the other guitar learning channels for insights into triads, I gave up. I spent a couple of hours one Saturday looking around and not finding anything useful or sustainable. But this video today is exactly what I (and I'm guessing most players) need in terms of an exercise and the wisdom that you also have to put in the time to really learn something. And there are some other hidden gems in this exercise that I hope Chris will one day expand on!
I'm ready to expand!! I want to be the expanding man! What are those hidden gems? I might have missed them :D Thanks for all your support Robert! You actually were the inspiration for this video.
The “shallow knowledge cycle”. This lesson goes far deeper than Triads. My biggest issue has been “how to practice properly” and get the most benefit. You answered that question. Thank you!
What? I have to put in EFFORT? I have to PRACTICE? I have always had guitar as a third, forth, fith interest in my life until the last three years. I am know a fully CURIOUS guitarist - thanks to Chris and Michael Palmisano. But I actually coach other sports, and have used this philosophy in them my whole life. I’m about to send this video to several people I know who are not musicians…but are interested in learning, growth, improvement. Like all Chris’s videos - a true “gift’ - but this because of the “message” is my absolute FAVORITE! THANKS!
Chris, yesterday I had to work, so couldn’t do the first run through till just now. I have never taken anything through the circle of fiths before. (had not really used it)…Love it. I am a better musician….I guess a “curious” musician…along with being a better “guitar player”….what an impactful lesson! Thanks
@@curiousguitarist yes please. I guess as many others in that channel, I have been playing for years and I can understand theory and methods explained here but to embed them into my playing requires the effort you mentioned and a lot of practice, so that's probably what I am missing the most - how to practice to ensure that's embedded into my playing and it progresses from theory awareness to knowledge and ability
@@Dave-gf3kd you are so welcome. Isn't that circle amazing? I've not found anything else that serves this purpose so well. It keeps you awake, and forces you to really "see" the fretboard while you play.
Some of your videos remind how far I've got to go, and some remind me how far I've come. Thanks for the previous triads videos that made this child's play. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
This is really good stuff on drilling those triads, so much so that I've gone and joined your Patreon as a keen follower on the top level just today... I think your way of teaching is awesome and easily digestible in these little bite size lessons you can take away and practice getting under your fingers for a few days or a week, try them in music and then come back for more... No more information overload or paralysis for me with guitar (and believe me as a self-taught guitarist picking your path and what to use now and save for later to learn is mighty challenging)... Thanks so much for being on RU-vid and doing the work you do!
Can't wait to get started with you Adam. We're moving The Studio to a new platform next month, so watch on Patreon for news about that. Thanks for your support!
I did 7ths going around the circle. Major, major7, dom7, minor 7, m7b5 and fully diminished last night. Each set on the 6th, 5th and 4th strings. I want to find more of these exercises because they’re rough, but they’re great.
Another brilliant video, since discovering your channel a few months back you have opened up my knowledge and playing Chris. I can’t thank you enough. I liked that you used 3 different triads shapes for the 145, never thought of that and I was taking it easy with 2 shapes, brilliant.
Thanks John! yeah I figure, if there are 3 chords, then why not use all the inversions in the single progression? It really makes for the best voice leading too.
You mean putting in a lot of thoughtful effort is the "One Weird Trick" to guitar greatness? :) Thanks, Chris! Fortunately, my woodshed has heat and air!
I like this so much, I'm going to start making shirts that say "“Take it around the circle of 5ths”" And it's gonna feature a cowboy on a bull with a lasso go'en round.... (Stealing a bit..but cha can't stop me, can ya? .) @ Darren, let me know how many you want (Sold in lots of a gross per shirt size...)
Not sure how I’m just now finding you, but after watching just 3 of your videos, you’ve connected more dots for me than I’ve learned in 7 years of watching other RU-vidrs. Your teaching style is the best I’ve ever seen. Thank you! Seriously.
Excellent Lesson. I just recently started using Triads, and I'm loving them. Started playing in 1963. Professionally from 1966 through 2022, and somehow Triads never even came into the picture. I don't know why, they just didn't. I will work on this daily. Thank You! (The feeling I have reminds me of 1963.)
Thanks so much for this! You're simplifying concepts I've been so scared to tackle. Love how interactive you are with your audience. I have the utmost admiration for you as a guitarist and teacher!
I still can’t understand why more people don’t take the time to leave you a thumbs up like . Thanks for helping tens of thousands of total strangers. I’m a Gen X living in this golden age of RU-vid video learning I bounce between your channel and a handful of others. Seriously and thank you for taking the time to put this stuff out there. I hope you’re making a good living.
Man, I can’t tell you how nice it is to read this post. Doing these videos is a fairly lonely gig, my big love is teaching live. But a message like this really resonates. Many thanks 🙏
I don’t even care about playing songs. I want to know this stuff. I am only very slightly exaggerating. This stuff is more important now than learning songs now. To understand songs, I need and want to understand this triad material. Thank you, Chris!
Fantastic Chris! I fall into that category of "I used to know that tune". Building facility by drilling these will be a great addition to my practice. Thanks so much!
Shallow Knowledge Cycle is most definitely a real phenomenon. Great drill for triads and Circle practice, and great framework for deepening my knowledge. Thanks!
A friend told me about triads recently and this is the most exciting thing I've come around to since I first hit a chord on an electric guitar plugged into an amp! This seems the single most important concept to opening up one's knowledge and playing in creative and more interesting ways. I've watched several videos on this, which have been helpful, but this is the best I've seen. Thanks Chris.
You are so correct, and so very welcome, Scott. Without a doubt, triads were the gateway for me to suddenly, without really realizing why, start to care about the notes. The chord qualities. I started asking MUCH different questions.
WOW thankyou Chris for the D triads -notes and strings----its the last D triad you describe that I could not see clearly --12 th fret D string -11 th fret G string-- string 10 th fret---B string. (and optionally the 10 th fret high E string. giving the final D triad as you played the circle of fifths ---got it thankyou ===as u say --PRACTISE PACTISE HARD ! Apologies --my eyesight at 74 is weak !---most grateful !
Thanks for speaking out the truth loud and clear, too many lessons out there enticing beginners with "not much effort needed" kind of messages. Thanks also for the clarity of your instructions.
I really liked this exercise Chris, thank you. As I started to go through it, I found the pattern easy to repeat and since I know my 6th string root notes, octaves and barre chords, I found it easy to locate the initial root-postion triad for each of the respective I chords. But I didn't immediately know what chord I was playing for IV and V, unless I stopped to think about it. I was just repeating a pattern, anchored off the I chord. So, I decided I wanted to call out all the chords rather than just "one, four, five".... I thought this would be a useful exericse to help locate these triads in isolation. So I went through again, calling out "C, F, G", then "G, C, D", then "D, G, A", etc. For some keys I am not used to playing in, I had to stop, write down the chords of that key, then continue. Then I made a nice little connection (for me). It could well be obvious to others. The list of chords was in front of me, in the correct order, on the screen all along :-) Centred on the root note of the key I was in, the the V chord was the next in the list and IV chord was the previous in the list CGDAEB...etc. I know a bit of music theory and it's not news to me that going around the circle of 5ths clockwise is in 5ths (by definition) and going around anti-clockwise is 4ths. So, my little realisation was that going through a I, IV, V progression in particuar, in the order of the circle of fifths (an exercise I'd not done before), gives you the names of all the chords just from the order of the notes in the circle - the key you are in with the notes either side as the V and IV. Whatever the key you are in (your I chord), the V chord is the next rooted on the next note in the circle of 5ths and the IV chord is rooted on the previous note in the circle. Anyway, I just wanted to share that this was another nice connection of dots that I made while working through this drill. Thanks!
Yeah, I’ve been practicing with lots of RU-vid teachers for a while now and there are a bunch of good ones out there, and you are absolutely right. Won’t find a better one out there.
@@curiousguitarist very welcome sir, really appreciate and enjoy your approach. I’ve been playing the cowboy chords and singing along for many years thinking that since I didn’t have any music training as a child that music theory and lead guitar would just forever be beyond my ability to grasp, but this last October I started dedicating two to three hours per day to learning theory and how to play lead, and have learned a lot from a lot of different online teachers during that time, many of which are amazing players and teachers, and I’d put you on the Mt. Rushmore of teachers I’ve seen online. Just my .02
I felt like Satan took me behind the woodshed with this one. I’ve worked through the circle of fifths with minor and major 1-4-5’s on all string sets. . It took me 6 days 20 minutes a day to go through the circle one time lol. Just one trip around has made a huge difference. I practiced triads for a year and I’m better at them after a few days your way. I will feel a lot better when I get through this in 1 day. Thanks Chris.
Great stuff. A goal of mine for this year (which starts July 5th) is mastering the triads on all closed string sets, with inversions. This lesson was so timely. Marty had a great instructor.
hands down the best guitar channel to improve your playing from the basic chords ever, please include more excersizes session like this. my first ever gig money will defo go to you.
Chris! Again, with a fantastic lesson. I love how your channel is about concepts and knowledge, as opposed to unconnected fragments of information. Thanks for your great work. There are instructors and there are teachers. You, sir, are a teacher. Respect.
I used to tell my audience, when asked, the truth about learning to play an instrument, as you are doing. Not what they wanted to hear, so I told them I was just a natural, which relieved them of burden of thinking that they could play. But any person serious about getting better should follow your sage advice. Thanks
I love this comment, thanks, Z. The vision of reliving the burden is sobering. Love it. And yeah, when the pain of not knowing is greater than the effort needed to know, the choice changes.
Great teaching method. Also applied this concept to the next set of 3 srtings on the high E,B and G strings, then started over using the 6-2-3 chord progression in minor triads. Good stuff! Thank you!
I really like your style of teaching and communicating ideas. You've got a really good thing going here with the series of videos that you've made. Hats off to you
Awesome, thanks for this Chris! Your lessons are exactly what I need to help me make use of and cement the deluge of knowledge out there. Once I get this down through the circle of fifths, I want to see if I can figure it out in one position on the neck...see if I can find all the necessary triads within a few frets of one another...wish me luck!
You got it M! Try this once you're ready. This should unlock the "position" type of approach pretty effectively: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-R-rAKxfuEVk.html Cheers!
Finding good drills for fundamental skill sets is really tough. Have you considered doing a full set of "Woodshed" videos of practice drills covering things like learning the neck, standard scales, pentatonic scales, bar chords, strumming, arpeggios, fingerstyle and any others that come to mind? I just turned on my notifications, so I'll be watching for woodshed practice drills! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us.
You bet GeeDeeBird! Indeed, this is the first instalment of a series I'm calling "Woodshed" and the aim is exactly what you're suggesting. Number two is getting planned and filmed in the next week or so and should be out before the end of the month. Thanks for the sub and bell!
Thank you for the excellent lesson and straight talk on what it takes to really “own” musical information. One of my favorite quotes is: Before you can be great, you gotta be good. Before you can be good, you gotta be bad. And before you can be bad, you gotta try. When I’m feeling frustrated with a lack of progress, it reminds me of what’s possible through the magical power of effort, and to appreciate the small steps forward.
This is really brilliant. I instantly see the reason these triads don't stick in my mind like the rest of the stuff is my not putting in the time and doing the work. Thanks Chris!
I initially stumbled across your channel looking for guitar-centric Circle Of Fifths tutorials. I’m definitely visiting this channel a whole lot more. But even beyond the obvious music theory and guitar playing knowledge resources I’m finding here, the two most important lessons I’ve already learned from you is “staying awake” and “effort = results”.
This is kicking my butt so hard and I’m loving it. This 1-4-5 triad drill taken around the Circle Of Fifths is a wake-up call, it’s brutally exposed my haphazard and lazy practice habits. I’ve been playing along to the drill as you do it on the video, listening to when you call out the key, and I try to keep up. Challenging, but very fun and educational!
In addition to suggesting a very useful practice routine, you hit the nail on the head regarding an essential requirement for improving one’s skills. Subbed.
Thank you for these lessons. It's really helpful to get this kind of mature and experienced perspective when learning on the guitar. I really wish you'd be able to reach out to more guitarists with your videos, they really deserve more views and coverage!
Thanks 30 mins a day on this with the 3 minors around the circle... why i have never organised this work out on my own is worrying haha... thanks for the nudge... this is like spring cleaning for my theory.
I’ll start this. I’ll work it slowly, adding string sets until finally in a few months I’ll be able to do the circle of fifths in a general 5-6 fret position, then in any other group of 5-6 frets.
You are practicing hard your triads and bin…pops another notification from Chris! Another amazing video that made me see the fretboard from another perspective. What I realized with triads in the DGB and GBE strings is that if I look up 1 3 5 grades while playing 5 patrons from Major scale it opens new directions on the fretboard which sounds good within the Major scale. Nice! Thank you coach
Phenomenal teaching. Cant wait to get started on these. Im going to apply the same methodology to 12 bar blues and accompanying pentatonics etc. Thanks for this!
Just revisited this lesson and it got me thinking about mixing the route using the same D, G & B strings. So for example, route C start the triad cycle on the A shape of the C, then for G start the triad cycle on the E shape and keep alternating as you work through the circle of fifths. It's quite a workout doing it that way! Great lesson as always Chris...
Keep at it man good stuff. Vids like these are why I hit the notification bell. I work overnights so when I get home and settled from work I like to take care of chores and practice some guitar. Perfect timing!! Peace
@@curiousguitarist Sorry I didn't remember that Google locked me out of my email, this Chad Harland. Lol she is my mom. I haven't commented in awhile. Your lessons are like going to the gym! I have taken a few months to concentrate on the lessons I had been studying. If I don't stay on it an get those reps I don't visualize I think slows me down. Your the best man thanks a lot!
Eeeeeeeexcellent video as ALWAYS Chris!!! I like the idea of the woodshed series! Putting time and effort into something is the only way one can truly incorporate something into what they consider they "know". Effort is the key. Woodshedding is the how! Thanks as always Chris! P.S. one of my favorite videos, keep the woodshed practice videos coming, I'm certain they'll get eaten up!
I’ve only been at the guitar for 7 months. Eddie’s passing was a wake up call! I’m progressing very quickly with your fantastic lessons! You have a great way of explaining the guitar. I’m now starting to pass my friends who “ have been playing for years “ 🤣. What’s more my son has quickly followed my lead and is just fantastic! He’s a drummer at his foundation. He’s on RU-vid, he did a cover of “sugar we’re going down” by fallout boy. Thanks again! Peace !!
That's great to hear Scott! Knowing that you're making progress and some of it's coming from this channel makes me very happy! I tried to find your son's vid, but there are a lot of drum covers for sugar we’re going down! Send the link!
Awesome lesson! This is such a breath of fresh air! This is miles ahead of the "magic" or "secrets" that other vids claim. The secret is that there is no secret! We were taught the same thing in the Marine Corps. When it gets real, you instinctively resort back to the level of training that you put into it. Its all about training to get that razors edge. Well done and thanks!! Subscribed
@@curiousguitarist Awesome! And thanks! I joined your patreon page. Im a big Hendrix nut so Im thinking learning this will definitely help me learn all the chord shapes better and move around them like he did.
After doing this through the Circle of 5th one time, I realized I was only doing one of the permutations you showed earlier in the video. There are actually two more permutations to be done. Then after that, I get to start focusing on the first three strings. Whoa... I have some woodshedding to do.
Amazing lesson!! Each concept and topic you explain is suitable for a Master degree dissertation in music! thank you for the amazing demonstration and wonderful teaching! ... would you please expand on a previous amazing lesson you explained about creating tension in Blues soloing by using the 3rd and b7 and give more examples. Many thanks for all the help and support!
awesome way to practice these!! i defin needed to start the beat slower...but will be able to hopefully track progress by how fast i should be able to get to 75bpm
Yeah, taking it slow can be frustrating, and seem like a step backwards, but it pays back big time when you get the accuracy. THEN you can really own the capability fully.
dam man takes me a minute each day to get my mind right before playing..ughhh the world!!!! but thats what guitar is for!!....but got the brain reconfigured. Took about 3 hours but got the shape patterns down again from yesterday..had to draw them all out again..then learned the circle progression, and took a while to get it down but started at about 60bpm, sloppy at first then cleaner...seemed slow after doing it for a bit so im at 75 already, and seem to be finding them pretty fast... thanks again for your time on these videos of free knowledge im sorry i cant afford the Patreon but will always buy swag...you deserve the support!! thanks again
Thanks so much. This is exactly the question I have been asking so many teachers with very little in the way of answers. I have started seriously studying guitar after a lifetime of casual play. I can now see the tools that I need. What I have not been able to find out and I would love it if you could comment, is how long does it "generally" take to master these bits. You addressed this in what kind of drilling will really do it which was very helpful. I would like you to finish the discussion by perhaps telling us your take on how long one usually must do the drills of any of these topics to get them solid. This is what conservatory students usually do to master their craft. I would like to know what that really looks like in hours, weeks, months, years. Not an exact answer - that is impossible I know, but a perspective. For instance for an average student how long would one usually need to practice your exercise to get it down pat at fluid speed and understanding? What would a conservatory student need to do to nail it? What in very general terms does the path look like? Nobody seems to be willing to comment on this or perhaps can't remember what it took!! Can you add this second part of the effort discussion? What would you tell your personal student, especially if he/she said they are willing to do whatever it takes. Thanks Chris for possibly entertaining this query. Nobody discusses this. you have just started. How helpful and "real" - yah!
Scott, Malcom Gladwell would tell you that mastery (of any craft) is 10,000 hours away. I'd say I'm still years away from where I want to be. If you can remain hungry for results, while also being satisfied within the process then you are already there sir :)
@@curiousguitarist Ahhh wise answer master. Like a Koan. Well perhaps the question is unanswerable and being in the moment in the process is the key. I get that. Perhaps I can just know that it is a long and not short journey and just get back to work (which is satisfying). It will be interesting for me to discover. BUT, I loved your video because it is the first one I have ever really been conscious of saying that this stuff needs rigor and work. I found that very refreshing and not part of our get it quick culture. Please continue in this vein - great stuff!! (and the fact that you answer comments is REALLY impressive... and generous.......)
Like how you talk about putting the effort in to get the knowledge. I listened to neuroscientist David Eagleman a while back, and he proved that if you set an intention out and really focus and go for it, your brain will go 50/50 with you by creating the necessary neural pathways to complete the job.
