Countless classic songs have been built using familiar combinations of relative major and minor chords. As you may know, if you start from a major chord, for example, G, its relative minor is rooted ...

Over the last two columns, we looked at various ways to craft melodic solos over alternating relative major and minor chords. As a basis for study, I used the 16-bar chord progression from my original ...

Here, we’ve highlighted the root, 3rd and 5th (a mix of G, B and D notes in this case) within the larger framework of the E natural minor scale. This is a major point to grasp; many useful scale and ...

This is usually the first scale shape learned by aspiring lead guitarists. It’s also a core part of the styles of players such as Chuck Berry, Jimmy Page, Slash and many more. Start on a G note, as ...

In my last column, I presented a shuffle rhythm pattern for a standard 12-bar blues in the key of G, with some inversions of dominant 7th chords that had the 3rd, 5th or 7th in the bass instead of the ...

In the late 1930s, Charlie Christian elevated the electric guitar to an essential solo instrument, paving the way for the electric blues of T-Bone Walker and rock pioneers Chuck Berry and Scotty Moore ...