I wish someone had taught me this trick when I started learning to play guitar.

You're watching a jam session, and the guitar player starts to improvise beautifully. How do they do that? What an insane talent, isn't it? Well, it's not only about talent - that's a magic trick going on there, and today's lesson is all about that! :)

This super easy, simplified tutorial will explain how chords in keys work, which will help you unveil the mystery of improvising.

💡 If you'd like to understand further how the guitar works, check out my Theory Course. In that program, we talk about the Note Circle, intervals, Major Scale construction, and how to use that stuff to play all over your guitar neck and make music freely!

Today's lesson will keep it all simple, as this is part of my Beginner Course - Grade 3. We won't need any Music Theory, but before we get started, there are a few things you should know. Let's take a look at it.

Before Getting Started!

You must know the notes on the thickest 2 strings of the guitar! It would also be helpful if you could play barre chords, but you can still use this lesson if you don't! You can play the chords as open chords when possible, but don't be afraid to experiment.

What is a Key?

A key is a group of notes (usually a scale) that form the foundation for a composition or a section. Oversimplifying, we can say that a key is a group of notes that sound good together.

Why is a key useful?

Understanding keys is one of the most fundamental things to unlock your guitar fretboard. It's essential for understanding harmony! Learn how chords in keys work, and you will:

Be able to find the notes for creating solos, lead lines, and layers
Improvise freely all over the guitar fretboard
Figure out new songs faster
Understand the songs you learn, both chord progressions and solos
Easily write chord progressions for your songs.

But again - this easy lesson is just a shortcut. If you want to go further and unveil your guitar, don't miss out on my Music Theory Course.

The trick you're about to learn is so easy! I wish someone had shown it to me back when I was learning - it would have saved me so much stress. :) We'll learn this Theory-free shortcut in two parts. Ready? Let's go!

How to find the chords in a key?

The first thing you need to do is to memorize the following pattern:

Major - Minor - Minor - Major - Major - Minor

We'll be playing this pattern starting on a G note: play the third fret of the thickest string on the third fret, then we'll miss one note, play one note, miss one note, and play one note. Then, we'll repeat the same pattern on the fifth string, the third fret, the fifth fret, and the seventh fret. Check out the video lesson to learn more and play along with me!

This combination tells you the chords in the key of the first finger placement. How cool is this? However, you must know the notes on the thickest two strings - so don't skip that practice! If you're following my Beginner Guitar Course, we learned essential notes on the thickest two strings when learning our Power Chords. :)

The Missing Note

You might know that the Major Scale has seven notes, but we're leaving off that last note because the chord built from it is very uncommon, at least in Pop and Rock music. That note can overcomplicate things, so we're just going to leave it out and pretend it doesn't exist!

As per curiosity, we call this other chord in a key VII, and it's a semitone lower than the root note, and it's a diminished triad or a minor7b5 chord. You are unlikely ever see it.

That's all awesome. But how does it work?

We'll jump over to the piano to learn this trick, but don't worry - you don't need to have a keyboard at home, and you can easily apply this trick to your guitar! :) We'll start with the Key of C, which uses notes from the C Major Scale - no sharps of flats - just the "white notes" - so it's super easy to see on the piano!

💡Commonly, chords start as triads, a 3-note chord. To play a triad, we play one note, skip one note, play one note, skip one note, and then play one note.

My Theory Course explains how this works, and we can learn it all in-depth. But don't forget to use your ears - or you'll just have to trust me!

Improvise!

When applying this trick to the guitar, you get the idea that the chords and the scale work well together. Watch the video tutorial to see this "pattern" applied on the guitar - but note that I was using this trick very linearly!

But the idea here is ultimately to improvise, so you're normally looking for a bit more motif development. For today's lesson, you just need to clearly understand that the scale and the chords in a key fit together.

🚀 Major Scale Maestro Course! This free Intermediate Grade 4 course has the best tricks to help you get creative and improvise with the Major Scale. :)

For this video lesson, we were in the key of G - but this trick works in any key!

Open Chords Only?

If you're not comfortable with barre chords, you can still use this pattern to figure out the chords and then use them in an open position. It's not just a thing for barre chords - and you don't even need to know the names of the chords! ;)

As long as you stick to the shape and know what key you're in, this cheat will be loads of fun, even if you're only comfortable playing open chords.

Major, Minor, Pentatonic, & Chords not in key

You can use this pattern with the Major Scale, with the Major Pentatonic Scale, and sometimes, it's possible to weave in the Minor Pentatonic. It's theoretically wrong, but there are occasions when you can make it work!

💡The A, D, and E chord progression is a great example. Technically, it should be the Major Scale that works, but sometimes you can wedge in that Minor Pentatonic too.

The Guns and Roses version of Knocking on Heaven's Door is also an excellent exception. Slash plays mostly the Major Scale but then rips into a bit of Minor Pentatonic in there!

So, what about the chords that aren't in a key?

Well, if it sounds good, it is good! There are theory techniques like ‘secondary dominants,' 'borrowed chords,' and 'modal interchange', but basically - it's down to what sounds good!

Improvising over chords that are not in the keys is much more complicated. It's fun, but it's complicated. :) You will find different approaches to doing so! Sometimes, the chords will be mostly in a key, and then they'll just be one or two chords that aren't, in which case you need to treat them separately.

A simple way is to look at the chord shape and pick some notes out of the chords. You will look at a chord and then see the notes you will use! There are more complex versions of doing that, where you can look at modes or a particular scale over a particular chord, but that's not what I'd recommend for your guitar journey.

What Next?

If you want to get good at freely playing your guitar, the answer is pretty simple: you have to practice it. Like with most things! The best way to practice this lesson is by finding a jam buddy! You will agree on a key one, and one person will play the scale while the other plays the chords in any order.

If you don't have a friend to play guitar with, experiment with JustinGuitarJams - or even try to find a local friend in the JustinGuitar Community. :) Good luck!

So, let's keep going with our Beginner Course. This lesson is part of our Grade 3 - don't miss it! ;)