The Rock & Pop Chord Glossary Volume 2 - Guitar Course
Guitar Lessons with Rich Shaw
The Rock & Pop Chord Glossary Volume 2
Lessons Included in this Course
Course Content Overview
This comprehensive course dives deep into the concepts that will transform your rhythm playing from ordinary to extraordinary. You will learn not just what to play, but why it works, giving you the freedom to create your own unique chord voicings and progressions. The course is structured to provide a practical understanding of chord theory, enabling you to immediately apply these concepts to your own playing and songwriting.
Lesson Content
- Shell Voicings: Discover the secret to a clean, professional rhythm guitar sound with shell voicings. By focusing on the essential tones of a chord (the root, 3rd, and 7th), you can create harmonically rich parts that sit perfectly in a mix.
- Benefit: Learn to play with greater clarity and taste, leaving space for other instruments while still providing a strong harmonic foundation. This is a must-know technique for any serious rhythm guitarist.
- The CAGED System: Demystify the guitar fretboard with the CAGED system, a powerful method for visualizing and connecting chord shapes all over the neck. This system is the key to unlocking true fretboard freedom.
- Benefit: Break out of the open position and confidently find any chord, in any key, anywhere on the guitar. This will revolutionize your ability to write chord progressions and improvise over them.
- Chord Extensions: Add colour, sophistication, and emotion to your playing with chord extensions. Learn how to use 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths to create lush, modern-sounding chords that will make your music stand out.
- Benefit: Develop a more mature and expressive harmonic palette, allowing you to create more interesting and emotionally resonant music, inspired by artists from The Police to the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Techniques Covered
This course will give you a solid command of essential rhythm guitar and chord techniques, including:
- Shell Voicings
- The CAGED System
- Chord Extensions
- Chord Progressions
- Arpeggiated Chord Progressions
- Barre Chords
- Power Chords
This Course is Ideal for Players Who...
This course is perfect for any guitarist who wants to deepen their understanding of harmony and become a more well-rounded musician. It is especially suited for:
- Intermediate players who feel they have hit a plateau with their chord knowledge.
- Rhythm guitarists who want to add more creativity and sophistication to their playing.
- Songwriters looking for new ways to write interesting and original chord progressions.
- Lead guitarists who want to improve their understanding of the harmony they are soloing over.
- Anyone who wants to learn the secrets of the CAGED system and unlock the entire fretboard.
What will I achieve from completing this course?
The Rock & Pop Chord Glossary Volume 2 is a practical, no-nonsense guide to expanding your harmonic horizons. Rich Shaw’s clear, concise teaching style, combined with his extensive experience as a professional guitarist with bands like Cradle of Filth, makes complex concepts easy to understand and apply. This LickLibrary course provides you with backing tracks and real-world examples to ensure you can use these new chords and techniques in your own music right away. By the end of this course, you won’t just have a bigger chord vocabulary; you’ll have a deeper understanding of music itself, making you a more confident, creative, and versatile guitarist. Enroll today and start building a better foundation for your rhythm guitar playing.
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The Rock & Pop Chord Glossary Volume 2 by Richard Shaw
The Rock & Pop Chord Glossary Volume 2, created by the renowned guitarist Richard Shaw, is an essential resource for guitarists looking to master the intricacies of chord construction, application, and voicing. This course is perfect for players of all levels who want to expand their harmonic vocabulary and elevate their rhythm and lead playing in rock and pop styles.
Exploring Chords in Depth
Shell Voicings
Shell voicings focus on the most critical notes in a chord: the root, third, and seventh. By stripping down chords to their essential components, shell voicings offer clarity and versatility, making them perfect for rhythm guitar in a band setting. These voicings are especially useful in jazz-influenced rock and pop arrangements, providing richness while leaving room for other instruments in the mix.
Learning shell voicings allows guitarists to:
- Simplify complex chord progressions without losing harmonic integrity.
- Play more dynamically by emphasising fewer notes.
- Enhance comping skills in ensemble playing.
The CAGED System
The CAGED system is a cornerstone of guitar chord theory. It organises the fretboard into five overlapping shapes (C, A, G, E, and D) that correspond to open chord forms. This method simplifies navigation of the fretboard, making it easier to find chord voicings in any key.
Key benefits of mastering the CAGED system include:
- Effortless chord transposition across the neck.
- A deeper understanding of chord shapes and their relationships.
- Enhanced improvisation by linking chords to scales and arpeggios.
Chord Extensions
Chord extensions add richness and sophistication by including notes beyond the basic triad. For example, adding the 7th, 9th, 11th, or 13th can transform a simple chord into something vibrant and dynamic. In rock and pop music, extensions often appear subtly, adding depth to progressions without overpowering the melody.
Learning chord extensions enables players to:
- Create more expressive and interesting chord progressions.
- Adapt to various musical genres, from pop ballads to progressive rock.
- Develop a personal style by experimenting with unusual harmonic combinations.
Applications in Rock and Pop Music
The course demonstrates these chord concepts in the context of famous rock and pop songs, helping you understand how legendary guitarists utilise these tools. From the minimalist voicings of iconic ballads to the intricate progressions of progressive rock, Richard Shaw shows how these techniques shape the sound of modern music.
Influence of Legendary Guitarists
The course also pays homage to influential players known for their mastery of chord voicings and harmony. Guitarists like Andy Summers of The Police, with his signature use of extended chords, and John Frusciante of Red Hot Chili Peppers, with his melodic approach to the CAGED system, serve as inspiration. By studying their techniques, you’ll gain insight into how chords contribute to iconic musical styles.
Guitar Techniques List
Below are the chord-related techniques discussed in this course, with links to further resources for enhancing your understanding:
- Shell Voicings
- The CAGED System
- Chord Extensions
- Chord Progressions
- Arpeggiated Chord Progressions
- Barre Chords
- Power Chords
The Rock & Pop Chord Glossary Volume 2 is a must-have for guitarists seeking to unlock the full potential of their chord-playing abilities. With expert guidance from Richard Shaw, this course equips you with the skills and knowledge to craft compelling music and stand out as a versatile player.
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