Re-ACTIVE Listening ™ 👂

Learn guitar improvisation without overthinking!

Playing guitar using your ears is a lot freer than you think. Music is about feeling and expressing yourself. Knowing the theory behind which notes to play and when is helpful ... but, it’s not always the best option.

When you're playing a guitar solo, you don't have time to think about much. So instead of thinking about the correct theory to use, we listen!

We’ve touched on improvisation in previous lessons, so now it’s time to build on that skill. In this lesson, you'll learn this little trick I call Re-ACTIVE Listening.

What is Re-Active Listening ™?

When we use the reactive listening approach - we're listening to what we play combined with the note that we're playing over. We use our ears to decide if it's a great note choice or not. Then, we change notes until we're playing to a better note option.

Focus on listening to what you're doing and its impact on the music you're playing over. When improvising, some notes sound better than others when played over certain chords. You might notice this happens even if you're staying in the correct key.

If you play a note over a chord and it doesn’t sound right, it's simple. Change notes until you find a note that does sound good. You've heard me say it before, let me say it again - If it sounds good, it is good!

The statistics say that if you're not on a chord tone - a scale step in either direction will USUALLY get you to a chord tone. A lot of this will become easier with time and experience. But, I have some exercises that can help you train your ears and get there faster.

So grab your guitar and play along with me! :)

3 Exercises For Re-Active Listening ™

I’ll start by playing a chord. Your job is to find the note on a specific string that sounds best when played over that chord. Take your time if you need to. Try not to overthink this - it’s all about listening! Here are 3 exercises to get you started on re-active listening.

Re-Active Listening Exercise 1

a) Play the F chord b) Find the best note on the E String

Answer: F

Re-Active Listening Exercise 2

a) Play the C Chord b) Find the best note on the E String

Answer: E or G

c) Find the best note on the B String

Answer: C

Re-Active Listening Exercise 3

a) Play the Am Chord b) Find the best note on the B String

Answer: C

c) Find the best note on the E String

Answer: E OR G!! just not the F (1st fret!)

These are great exercises to do with a fellow beginner guitar player. You can even do it virtually over zoom or facetime! Take turns alternating between who plays the chords and who improvises. Mostly importantly, have loads of fun trying these exercises :)

Now - it's finally time to learn fingerstyle on guitar! So - come along and let me guide you through your first steps. :)