For players who want to master their major triads!
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Apply your major and minor triads in 5 styles!
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Volume 2 includes 5 more fun ways to master your triads!
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About the Solo
I remember discovering Per Nilsson’s solo on Zierler’s track “Aggrezzor” while I was in college, and it absolutely blew me away. Nilsson’s precision is second to none. Like one of my other favorite guitarists, Vinnie Moore, Nilsson’s playing is incredibly melodic while tastefully incorporating blazing fast runs and arpeggios. This solo showcases all of those elements. The Song “Aggrezzor” is by Zierler, a group led by Danish keyboardist Finn Zierler. It’s a groovy progressive metal tune with lots of twists and turns, and Nilsson’s rhythm guitar work takes the song to another level. After a clean break, we’re introduced to some of Nilsson’s melodies, followed by an awesome solo from Zierler (don’t sleep on his keyboard work!). Once Zierler wraps up, Nilsson launches into his solo. Even though it’s only 16 bars at 200 bpm, this solo is packed with great material. The Solo While the key signature suggests C# major, that doesn’t tell the whole story. The chord progression Nilsson is soloing over looks like this: 
Surprising to see a series of four major chords in a metal tune, right? If we dig a little deeper, we can start to unravel what makes this solo sound so interesting.
If it’s not obvious, there’s no single key that contains all four of these chords. To navigate this progression, Nilsson uses a technique called Modal Interchange. While the song’s overall harmony is set by the other instruments, Nilsson’s melodic choices add an extra layer of intrigue. Anticipation This is a fast tune, and the chord changes fly by. Nilsson is no stranger to this, and it’s evident in his use of anticipation. Rather than waiting for the downbeat of each chord, Nilsson often anticipates the changes by playing notes from the upcoming chord before it arrives. Just before measure 3 of the solo, you can see (and hear) him anticipate the major 3rd of the upcoming E major chord (G#). 
Measure 4 has another example of anticipation as Nilsson lands on E#, the major 3rd of the upcoming C# chord, just before it hits.
Rhythm
Not only are these anticipations played ahead of the chord changes, they’re also played on upbeats. Notice how both of the examples above are on the “and” of beat 4. This creates a groove in the solo. In fact, after the first note of the solo, Nilsson doesn’t land on beat 1 again until measure 9! This gives the solo a floating quality, making it feel less anchored to the band’s rhythm. Harmony 
In the table above, I’ve mapped out the notes Nilsson uses in this solo over each chord in the progression. Notice how he doesn’t play every single note of the scale over every chord. For one, the chord changes are too quick for that. More importantly, he carefully chooses which notes he wants to highlight.
Nilsson isn’t afraid to omit some notes to focus on the ones that really matter. This is key—just because a scale “fits” doesn’t mean you have to use every note in it. Take what he does over the E chord, for example. He’s essentially playing a triad with an added 4th degree, and it sounds killer. As you work on your solos, explore different possibilities. For instance, does a ♭6th sound better over the C# chord, giving you a Mixolydian ♭6 vibe? There’s no right answer, just what sounds good to your ears. Further driving this point home, the tapping section at the end of the solo is entirely triadic—and it’s badass! Conclusion A lot of players fall into the trap of overcomplicating their approach, searching for the most exotic scales to use in a solo. But as you can see, you can be just as effective—if not more—by playing fewer notes. This is the whole “less is more” idea applied to scales instead of the number of notes. Don’t get me wrong, Nilsson is playing a ton of notes in this solo! But there are fewer ingredients than you might think. These ingredients work so well together because they’re chosen with precision and intention. Here’s a video of me attempting to play Per Nilsson’s solo:
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While you can’t always account for everything that might happen when it comes to a live performance, there are many things you can do to ensure that you perform confidently and put on a great show. Being diligent about your preparation is a great start. Once the preparation is done, you do the best you can at the performance, rinse and repeat. If you trust in your preparation and process, you've done all you can to ensure a great performance. There are always going to be variables such as adrenaline, strings breaking, cables cutting out, or someone spilling beer on your pedalboard. These things are out of your control. All you can do is work on what you can control. When it comes to nerves, you will grow more comfortable performing with time. However, I do think that for most people, adrenaline will always have at least some influence. This is part of the beauty of playing live. The spontaneity creates a sense of excitement.
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If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants." When it comes to creating original music, people are sometimes afraid of "ripping off" their favorite artists. They don’t want to sound like a carbon copy. This is a valid perspective, but I would argue that not only is it not bad to do, but I would actually encourage it!
Why It’s a Good Idea to Rip Off Your Favorite Artists Our favorite artists and bands are our favorites for a reason. They’ve succeeded in connecting with us on a level that others have not. They have an ability that we desire to have, too. We can study their music to figure out just how they accomplished this. While there are many intangible elements to making great music, don’t let that fool you into thinking that dissecting pieces of music won’t put you on the right path. More specifically, you can use your study of your favorite works to guide you along your own path. Tags:
In my 10+ years of experience as a guitar teacher, I’ve noticed a common thread among my most successful students: they are constantly exploring and experimenting with the instrument.
Working with a skilled teacher who understands your needs is invaluable, but we typically only get one hour a week with them. No matter how great your teacher is, one hour a week isn’t enough to achieve mastery if that’s your only practice. Following your teacher’s assignments to a T might get you pretty far, but if you want to build a deep connection with your instrument and express your unique voice, a willingness to explore is essential. You need to try new things, even if they sound bad or break the “rules” of playing guitar. Tags:
Mixolydian Connections is a course that I transcribed for TrueFire.com, launching on July 11, 2024.
About The Artist Before transcribing this course, I was unfamiliar with Rick Stickney, but I quickly grew to appreciate his style and teaching approach. He runs a fantastic YouTube channel called Tasty Guitar, boasting over 73k subscribers at the time of writing. After exploring his channel, I understood why he is such an articulate teacher. This course is another example of his clear and concise teaching style, from which I learned a lot and have begun applying with my own students. Course Overview This course focuses on applying the Mixolydian scale to the blues. Many of us, when we’re learning to play over the blues while also learning the theory behind it, encounter the idea that "the Mixolydian mode pairs with the Dominant 7th chord." Although this is theoretically true, you will quickly find (as I did to my own dismay) that playing this scale over a 12-bar blues doesn’t sound like the blues at all! This is where a course like this comes in handy; using standard blues conventions to apply the Mixolydian in a, dare I say, Tasty way! Approach Rick’s approach to teaching this concept uses what he refers to as “puzzle pieces.” These are 2 or 3 note patterns that are described based on scale degrees. Aided by my transcription, he demonstrates the puzzle pieces to you in a musical way, always connected to the root in some way. Rick then shows you how to play with each of the puzzle pieces in 5 positions around the neck so you have a grasp of how to play these melodies anywhere on the fretboard. Recommended Prerequisites
Conclusion Even without a guitar in hand, transcribing this course taught me a lot, and I know that anyone interested in these concepts will learn a lot as well. Rick and TrueFire make it easy to work at a comfortable pace to master these techniques and also have fun while doing it! Tags:
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Today is a very exciting day for my band Daughter Chaos. After years of hard work, we have officially released the first single off of our forthcoming album “Noble Rot.” The first single is the title track “Noble Rot” which can be purchased here.
“Noble Rot” is a chunky, mid-tempo tune with a blistering solo (if I do say so myself). My comrade Sara Abrams lays down the foundation with a mighty bass tone that I had the pleasure of stacking my rhythm guitars on top of. This song was designed to sound like a gut punch at every turn and I think we accomplished that. Mixed and mastered by the great Mark Lewis, we have a record with a sizzling top end and a meaty low end ready for your ears. Stay tuned as we will soon be announcing the official release date for the album, as well as other great content leading up to the release. The music video was shot in the depths of a dungeon in Brooklyn, NY and I think it captured the vibe perfectly. In addition to the space, we had the tremendous efforts of our friends over at Ritual Filmz who made this video come to life and we can’t thank them enough. They went above and beyond to ensure that we ended up with a video that captured the energy of the song. The processes for creating this album as well as the forthcoming album from my other band Framework have been harrowing to say the least. However, the most important thing is that there is new music to hear and there will be more to follow. This is only the beginning and I invite you to stay connected so you don’t miss out on what’s to come. Daughter Chaos links: Tags:
About The Solo
Vinnie Moore’s track “Rain” comes from the 1999 album “The Maze.” I was struck by this track, particularly the solo, when I was in college. I remember hearing it and being blown away by the melodic control Vinnie Moore has while still maintaining the badassery of a great rock guitar solo. The solo starts with what I’m pretty sure is an E-bow to create these beautiful, long, sustained notes. If it isn’t used in the solo, it’s definitely used earlier in the song. Some of those notes sustain for days! The first half of the solo sticks to the key of G Minor and it sounds like Vinnie is thinking just that; G Minor. As a result, when the C minor chord comes around, you can hear him landing on the 9th (D) just before resolving to the 5th (G) later in the phrase. While it’s great to be able to look at chord changes and play to them in a vertical fashion (playing to each chord as it comes up), the horizontal approach will yield different results. In the case of the opening of this solo, I think it makes the melodic content sound more cohesive as the chords under it help color the melody. The next section hangs on the bVI and bVII chords, which I’m absolutely a sucker for! I could listen to a bVI-bVII-i chord progression all day. The beauty of the changes in this section is that the resolution to the i chord is delayed. Once it hits, the resolution is very satisfying. But, wait! It gets better. Tags:
 This is what the fretboard might look like to a lot of players. (Image by ChatGPT) I remember jamming with a friend of mine one day when I was at Berklee, and he showed me something he learned in class called the "Never Ending Scale." I was immediately intrigued.
He explained how it was a way of playing one-note-per-string scales, an unorthodox way of laying scales out on the neck. The reason for doing this is to have yourself jumping all over the neck trying to find these notes, thus increasing your fretboard fluency. The "never-ending" element comes from the way that the notes seem to wrap around the neck in a seemingly infinite loop, as you'll see in the example laid out below. This can be quite difficult to pull off, especially when played in time. At this point, I would consider this primarily a note location/fretboard knowledge exercise, as it doesn't really provide much melodic content. That being said, if you can do this successfully, there's a good chance you're pretty adept at finding the notes on the fretboard. Tags:
Hands-On Fingerstyle, Vol. 3 is a forthcoming course I collaborated on for TrueFire.com, scheduled to launch on June 24, 2024.
About The Artist I've had the privilege of working on several courses with Dave Isaacs (details available here), and I've consistently found his approach deeply insightful. Beyond his musical expertise, Isaacs places a strong emphasis on healthy playing techniques, which is invaluable, especially for those who have encountered playing-related injuries. Course Overview Hands-On Fingerstyle, Vol. 3 is the latest installment in the series dedicated to mastering fingerstyle guitar. Approach Dave guides learners through the complexities of fingerstyle technique with a gentle and structured approach. He incrementally introduces more challenging passages, ensuring learners are not overwhelmed. Each example is repeated to facilitate learning by ear, and Dave meticulously breaks down the mechanics required for effortless performance. Recommended Prerequisites
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Conclusion For anyone eager to explore fingerstyle acoustic guitar in a musical, enjoyable, and safe manner, Dave Isaacs offers exceptional guidance. If you're new to fingerstyle, consider starting with Vol. 1 of this series and progressing through all three volumes for a comprehensive learning experience. Tags:
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AuthorAndrew Pevny is a New Jersey based musician. He currently plays in the bands Framework and Archives
December 2024
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