Analyzing What You Play

Lesson 3/162 | Study Time: 5 Min

Course: Complete Lead Guitar

Analyzing What You Play

Here is a lick created from the C minor pentatonic scale. Notice the scale degrees written above the notes. This is a useful way of analyzing a lick to see what notes were used to create it’s particular sound.

Once you know the degrees of a scale you are using, it is a good idea to analyze many licks using that scale so you become thoroughly familiar with the sounds available from that scale and you can re-create those sounds at will. Let’s look at the example from the previous page. It begins with the b7 degree being bent up to the root note (1). The root note is then played again, followed by the b7. A pull-off is then used to get to the 5th degree which is then followed by the 4th degree being bent up to the 5th degree. This is followed by the 4th and b3rd degrees, and in the last bar the 4th degree is followed by the root (1) an octave lower than at the beginning of the lick.

Analyzing licks in this manner may seem dull at first, but the more you know about exactly what it is you are playing, the more control you have over what you play, and the more you can interact with other musicians, so stick with it, and in time you will instantly know what you or anyone else is playing as soon as you hear it. In fact, to be a good player it is essential to be able to hear in your mind what you want to play first, and then produce that sound with your hands.

A good way to practice this is to sing a lick (improvise with your voice) and then play what you sang. Keep working at this until you can do it easily. If you are unable to come up with many licks, learn to sing and analyze licks from books and albums and build up a store of them. Everything you learn will rub off on your own playing. Below is another example derived from the minor pentatonic scale, this time in the key of G. Learn to play it and then analyze it using the method shown above.

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Class Sessions

1- INTRODUCTION 2- The Minor Pentatonic Scale 3- Understanding Rhythms 4- Slurs 5- Identifying Eighth Note Rhythms 6- The Slide 7- Bending Notes 8- The Triplet 9- Understanding Triplet Rhythms 10- Sixteenth Notes 11- Identifying 16th Note Rhythms 12- Slight Bends 13- Different Scale Fingerings 14- Learning the Whole Fretboard 15- Five Forms of the Pentatonic Scale 16- Moving Between Forms 17- The Major Scale 18- Scale Degrees 19- Using The Scale Forms 20- More About Scale Degrees 21- The Major Pentatonic Scale 22- Relative Major and Minor Pentatonics 23- The Blues Scale 24- Twelve Eight Time 25- More About Major Scales 26- Transposing 27- Minor Keys and Scales 28- Moveable Minor Scales 29- Harmonic Minor Scale Fingerings 30- Right Hand Tapping 31- Harmonics 32- Understanding all the Notes 33- Intervals 34- Understanding Chords 35- Scale Tone Chords 36- Seventh Chords 37- Combining Scales and Arpeggios 38- Modes 39- Scale Tone 7th Chords 40- Mode Formulas 41- Modes Over Chord Changes 42- Using the Compact Discs 43- Alternate Picking 44- Stopping Unwanted Notes 45- Licks 46- Syncopation 47- Pattern 1 Extension 48- Licks Using Bends 49- Sequences 50- Set Rhythms Using Triplet Figures 51- Picking Technique 52- Sixteenth Note Triplets 53- Vibrato 54- Higher and Lower Octaves 55- Note on the Guitar Fretboard 56- Sliding Pattern 2 57- Memorizing the Notes of the Scale 58- Visualizing Scale Degrees 59- Analyzing What You Play 60- Sliding Major Pentatonic Fingerings 61- Enharmonic Notes 62- Digging Into The Blues 63- The F Major Scale 64- The Natural Minor Scale 65- 5 Forms of the Natural Minor 66- 5 Forms of the Harmonic Minor 67- Adding Left Hand Slurs 68- Pick Harmonics 69- Tones and Semitones 70- Interval Qualities 71- Arpeggios 72- Major Key Triad Pattern 73- Learning Seventh Chord Types 74- Thirty Second Notes 75- Modes and Scale Tone Chords 76- Scale Tone 7th Pattern 77- Fingerings For Modes 78- The <span class="symbolB">2 5 1</span> Progression 79- Electronic Tuner 80- Riffs 81- The Half Bar Rolling Technique 82- Ties 83- The Quick Slide 84- The Release Bend 85- Swing Rhythms 86- Quarter Note Triplets 87- Licks Using 16th Notes 88- Vibrato With Bent Notes 89- Moving Between Forms 90- Notes in More Than One Place 91- The Symbols 8va and Loco 92- Five Forms of the Major Scale 93- Keys and Key Signatures 94- The Harmonic Minor Scale 95- Relative Major and Minor Fingerings 96- Touch Harmonics 97- Sharps 98- Interval Distances 99- Playing Arpeggios 100- Scale Tone Triads in all Keys 101- Major Seventh Arpeggios 102- Modal Tonalities 103- Other Common Progressions 104- Tuning Your Guitar 105- Playing in Different Keys 106- Set Rhythms 107- Licks Using the Slide 108- Licks Using Release Bends 109- The Shuffle Rhythm 110- Common 16th Note Rhythms 111- The Trail off 112- Position Playing 113- The Key Cycle 114- The Melodic Minor Scale 115- Listening 116- The Chromatic Scale 117- Finding Intervals on the Fretboard 118- Chord Construction – Triads 119- Common Progressions 120- Dominant Seventh Arpeggios 121- Dorian Mode Fingerings 122- Combining Modes and Arpeggios 123- Electric Guitars 124- Notes on the Sixth String 125- Rolling the 3rd Finger 126- The Quick Bend 127- The Whip 128- Higher and Lower Octaves of Notes 129- Major Scales in all Keys 130- Relative Keys 131- Transcribing 132- Flats 133- Identifying Intervals by Ear 134- Augmented and Diminished Chords 135- Minor Seventh Arpeggios 136- Phrygian Mode 137- Jam Along Progressions 138- Amplifiers 139- The Importance of Timing and Attitude 140- 12 Bar Blues 141- The Trill 142- Using Chromatic Notes 143- Arpeggios and Chord Progressions 144- Practicing Scales and Arpeggios 145- Lydian Mode 146- String 147- Improvising With Arpeggios 148- Minor 7 Flat Five and Diminished 7ths 149- Accents 150- Understanding the Control Knobs 151- Mixolydian Mode 152- Technique 153- Aeolian Mode = Natural Minor Scale 154- How to Read Music 155- Locrian Mode 156- Tablature 157- Modes in Minor Keys 158- Music Notation 159- Learning The Notes on The Staff 160- Bar Lines 161- Time Signatures 162- Chord Symbols

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Analyzing What You Play