For any of you guys who can't "speak the language" or feel out of your element with the way they talk about numbers and inversions and all that sophisticated music theory talk... get your ass on the ball. It's not that hard. There are only 12 notes, and you can get by with only 3 of them at a time like Ariel says. Don't be intimidated and don't be discouraged, but know that it does take some work and focus and dedication to learn it. Once you know it you'll love yourself forever for learning it because then this stuff will start to make sense and you'll be able to actually apply it to your own stuff. When I was younger this stuff was all greek but I've spent the time to try to understand it and yes it's hard but it's not impossible to find useful things in it. You'll never know everything but that's the beauty of it.
We are very fortunate to live in the era when two musicians of this caliber are giving away such a great lesson and doing it with such joy and enthusiasm. Awesome stuff.
@@dareelantonio.3056 Yes, they may not be talking about quantum physics. The magic resides in knowing something and be good enough to teach it the way they are.
I could not agree more. This lesson is so important technically...but also very inspiring. I'm looking forward to really understanding and incorporating triads into what I play.
The more I listened to Posen, the clearer it became that what makes his playing so engaging is his use of dynamics. He's constantly emphasizing some strings over others, always moving to different dynamics. It's his version of breathing. The "in" breath is louder, then he let's it out gently. It's very much like he's intimately singing to you...on the guitar.
I would argue that his constant attention to melody is more engaging to the listener than the dynamics. That said, those dynamics help enhance and keep the focus on the melody, so a vital piece also. Just a great player doing what great players do 🔥
Ariel's courses on TrueFire are all about targeting notes using Triads. Hands down some of the best teaching material I've come across in my 40 years of playing.
This is what I love about your channel: you’re talking in the language I learned as a Jazz major in Music school as a non-guitarist. Not “frets” and “shapes” and “strings”, but I-ii-VII-IV, inversions, and all those things you learn in first semester theory and show how to adapt that knowledge to this specific instrument. Plus all the stuff about building melodies around the thirds, voice leading using guide tones, and dynamics. Discussion of guitar this way -truly in terms of music- is so much more familiar and useful than people just talking about frets, fingers, and positions.
Ariel Posen plays the most beautiful guitar music I have ever heard, actually beyond that... Some of the most beautiful sounds my ears have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. I lost some of my hearing in my right ear suddenly in 2008 and though it was over for me. I gave up my dreams of being a producer after years of working in that direction because I no longer had the best ears in the room. But years later and with lots of ear training, I can hear pitch correctly again. Those higher frequencies I lost are still gone but the human body is full of adaptability. Then in 2020 I got stage 4 cancer and thought my time was up. I'm still here and inspired to try guitar again for as long as I can and share it with my kids. I don't even have an electric guitar. So, I have been drawing fretboards, plotting out numbers and notes and their relationships, finding triads, and trying to teach my kids the major scale by singing it in numbers instead of syllables. I'm sub'd to both your channels and thank you both for getting me through these rough times. Music is healing 100%.
I wish I'd been taught guitar with triads from the beginning. For learning the guitar neck, thinking about chord tones in solos, and harmony in general, triads really are the foundation. I wasted so many years focused on scales. Once I started focusing on triads everything opened up and made so much more sense.
@@s_u_l_f_u_r as I understand it, it helps to know both. Every triad falls right into a scale. Triads/chords basenote gives you the right scale to play around that spesific triad. What I love about triads is that if I have the right chord progression to play, like 1, 4, 5, it's easy to change to a right scale on every chord change and I don't have to memorize where each scale part (CAGED) is located on the freatboard.
@@s_u_l_f_u_r I'd really start with understanding the major scale, like from a music theory perspective. You need to know how its formed, hearing the distinct intervals/qualities, how to make chords, how to name them, how to make a progression. It's the fundamental blocks of music theory. It will give you a foundation to understand all this stuff. From there, scales start to make a bit more sense. Scale positions and blending between them make more sense. But importantly, you start to pick up on the 1st, 3rd and 5ths of the scale, the chord tones, due to an understanding of their role and importance. That's your arpeggios and your triads, with the rest of the notes being mostly "flavour" to taste to put it simply. The triads and arpeggios become your "highway" around the fretboard. When you lock into one, you can map that mentally to a scale position, or a barre chord and link adjacent shapes/positions/chords by the CAGED concept... which at this point it should all click together. So get to grips with scales and the fundamentals of the major scale, but you don't need to know every position over the whole neck. Once you think you start to understand it, learning the triads is a great foundation. As for a goal, it's a blend of learning the fretboard note by note as well as you can then triads, arpeggios, full scales, chords, patterns and systems are all just ways to visualise the same underlying information.
@@nathanbull9652 Thanks a lot for such detailed response. I was actually going through the minor scale today and learned what a scale was essentially, and that along with the triads are starting to help me have more vision across the fretboard and make sense of it. I will take your advice on starting with the major scale!
@@s_u_l_f_u_r When you learn a little bit more, the minor scale is just the major scale from the 6th position. This also means that every major scale is a minor scale and every minor scale is a major scale...
I saw him live and there were moments he was playing so quietly that you could speak above his playing but he commanded the room in such a way that no one said a thing.
I had the exact same reaction as Paul 13:34 after Ariels improvisation. When you are so confident in the fretboard that you can just create the melodies you hear in your mind is a fantastic achievment i hope to get one day.
Arial has become one of my all time favourite guitarists over the last few years. Great songs, beautiful voice. Thanks Paul, this was a gem of an episode.
I only discovered Arial a few months ago, then had the incredible pleasure of seeing him play his hollow, metal body Mule Resophonic seen here in Asheville. Best performance I've seen in years!!!
Ariel is quite possibly one of the kindest and most knowledgeable guitarists I have had the pleasure of meeting. I saw him at a clinic in Portland last spring, and he was so willing to share his knowledge and perspective, it was exciting and mesmerizing. I was drawn in and couldn't think of any questions to ask... just ended up enjoying the whole experience. Thank you, Paul, for getting Ariel into your studio and sharing more of this information. Be good to you 🤍💛
I’m in the process of really learning the notes on the fretboard, the circle of fifths, and the notes in major and minor triads. I feel like I want to watch this video every six months to see if it makes more and more sense each time.
@@nickvermeer3512 same for me man, but keep up, everything comes with time ! My teacher told me « I never thought I would know the notes I play, however, once you start figuring out bit by bit, you end up knowing it »
Practice Travis picking your CAGED chords up the neck with a simple progression, and go around the circle of fifths with it. You will get good so fast. vi-IV-I-V is good, it hits the important chords in a key.
I remember seeing Ariel in Minneapolis at a John Mayer show back in 2019, I didn't know who he was at the time but the chicks were all over him. I'm really glad you had him on the channel, he is an incredible player.
I LOVE ariel's playing. This lesson is amazing. I've always wondered how I could make my guitar sound more like my wife's piano playing, and this is starting to open up that door a little bit.
Paul! I just signed up for your "Learn,Practice,Play" Course & while I still can't believe it, I shocked myself working thru your Modules. After all these years, finding you on TH-cam was sort of a "Kismet Moment" that lead me to such an amazing & inspiring Teacher. No other way to say it. You & your Teaching Courses are like "Finding a Jewel in a Heap of Dust" .... Grateful & Humble Thanks to You. !
Very exciting to hear Ariels way of thinking about the song and the improvisation that follows. I hear the song as a V-VIm-IV-I in A when I listen and I struggle to hear the E major as the tonic chord.
6:40 This what I’m finding out. I’m playing more than ever. New ideas and inspiration from TH-cam guys like this. I’m not saying I’m good but I can definitely tell the time spent. It is paying off. And listening to music I love. Cliche of the day. You are what you eat.
Cliche or not it’s true! The time spent with the guitar in hand and the music that you imbibe, indulge in, absorb… creates us. Great insight from a great video. You’ve demonstrated your point of the post by posting this. How meta, lol. Cheers!
I learned so much more in the first 5 minutes than I have in nearly 10 years!!! I've been struggling with "getting to know the fretboard" for that long without progress. thank you this is super helpful!
Gotta give Paul credit…even though this is pretty basic information, he sells it like it’s the first time he’s heard about it. I assume in an effort to make beginners feel comfortable…what a guy ❤
I feel like his reaction was genuine. To improve continuously you have to be a humble student. He probably learned a thing or two, even if it was just a simple lick.
This is exactly how interviews should be done. Paul does an incredible of allowing Ariel to teach without feeling the need to "upstage" or "impress him". What a wonderful learning experience for us as viewers!
Ariel Polsen is the most melodic and dynamic player. Always very generous of his time and techniques. And an awesome songwriter on top of that! More people need his music in their life!
I would just like to add that after practicing the triads for sometime, it's very useful to put them together as full arpeggios. Instead of doing each inversion and switching strings for example, use your 1-3-5 shape and do the full arpeggio (horizontal, but also vertical), and you will really start to see the chords and individual notes come together on the fret board. When you do the 3-5-1 inversion starting on the G string for example, you will notice that you're just playing the top 3 notes of the 6th string barre chord. 1-3-5 starting on the G string will give you the top 3 notes of the 5th string barre. 5-1-3 top 3 notes of the "usual" 4th string chord shape, the D shape. 1-3-5 starting from the D string is the middle part of that 6th string barre, etc. When you practice the arpeggios horizontally with this in mind chords starts to spell themselves out, and when you play arpeggios vertically you reinforce your knowledge of how these all fit together over the fretboard.
He is an amazing player - addressing all the different dimensions - timing / dynamics / really the music becomes a real thing that’s living and breathing
I could listen to the two of you play guitar together on repeat. Super informative video too. Sometimes that “boring” practice of chord inversions pays off, and yeah, you can actually get lost in it… but in a good way.
You can also make the "not fun" exercise kind of fun by drilling the triads into your head to a drum track you like, not only will you be cementing the shapes but you might also come up with something cool with them at the same time which might actually help them stick faster.
I love Ariels excitement to share his philosophy on soloing almost as much as his playing. Got to see it live in Groningen last October and the recordings definitely live up to the live experience. Great guitarist and great person all together. Thanks for the amazing video!
It's great how Paul, you can hear and understand all of it and still see it as a eye opening lesson. Very complimentary to Ariel and encouraging for a lot of us out here.
My favorite episode yet. Ariel is such a massive inspiration!(I think he's from my home town,Winnipeg Manitoba!) Brilliant album full of texture and perfect performances
If ever someone's playing mirrored their personality it's Ariel. Warm, intelligent and even if he wouldn't say it, I will, sophisticated. Seems like a great guy.
Ariel is my favorite guitarist along with John Mayer and Richie Kotzen since 2019. Amazing sense of melody, great harmony always, a good voice and catchy songs on top of all that. Unique talent really. Thank you so much Paul for this lesson, it was chill but at the same time very informative and inspiring.
This is just what I needed to understand how to use all that scales and CAGED system that took some time to learn. That premise “take just two inversions of the chord” really opened a world to me
The best thing a jazz guitarist once told me about memorizing the fret board..."don't do it one string at a time, do it one fret at a time." Just like how we all have E, A, D, G, B, E memorized as standard tuning, so too do we apply that same concept to each new fret (e.g. first fret = F, A#, D#, G#, C, F And F, Bb, EB, Ab, C, F), one day at a time.
Great video Paul. I am hoping this is part of a new direction where you get people into your studio. You are a good host, you give your guest time to speak, ask the right questions, really good stuff.
I just started doing the exact same thing with one of my guitar students a couple of weeks ago - just taking him through major and minor triads in all of the string groupings. I agree wholeheartedly - it's an excellent way to learn the fret board. I'll need to share this video with my students to reinforce what we've been working on. Unfortunately, it won't automatically make you sound like Ariel Posen - but it's a step in the right direction!
I have been practicing these very things (triads and inversions) that I learned from another great youtuber and teacher. Has made a great difference in my understanding of the fretboard. Thank for including it here as well.
I went for many years not thinking in terms of triads but the last couple years I’ve worked on them and it has been a great learning experience. Thanks Paul
So I watched this video and it made sense to me. I spent two weeks practicing different ways of playing the Bold As Love 'A, E, F#M, D' progression using triads only and all of a sudden I started to see the scales amongst the chords and was able to come up with something. I feel like I've unlocked a new level! Thank you ❤❤❤
4 minutes into this but I have to comment: I really appreciate when you write out the stuff being played. If you just say "ooh, like this and then that" and play it, sometimes I can't figure out whats going on.
“All the good notes are in the pentatonic.” “It’s true.” That was my breakthrough. Once you learn the pentatonic scale you’ll hear SO many famous melodies instantly.
Saw Ariel at Rotown in Rotterdam a few months back. Absolutely fantastic guitar player and singer with a unique sound. I hope you had a good time as wel Paul ;)
This is my favorite guitar lesson ever on youtube. I was actually practicing this exact thing before i saw it, maj min pick a chord and do all inversions. Big circle in tge end. Thanks for this paul!
How come are you talking about E major key when D major isn't part if that scale? Isn't that supposed to be A major where E is 5th, F#, 6th, D 4th and we come back to the root - A? Maybe I got something wrong but I just don't get it. Thanks!
I am no musician at all (lawyer lol) but I play the guitar as a hobby. Its just amazing to me how pro musicians in general are willing to share their hard-worked knowledge for basically nothing (views, of course, but you get my point). To see two pro musicians of such a caliber just talking and sharing technique with the world for free is simply incredible. Huge fan of both, especially Paul, with whom I have learned a lot.
Ariel is my current favourite guitarist. He plays as if everyone listening to him is 'The' love of his life. And it's for sure because of his dynamics. It brings so much emotions and brings the instrument to life.
Excellent video - I really like the sort of interview/conversation format and Ariel's perspective helps a lot in that we can begin simply and add those value-added extensions and inversions to get to beautiful, sophisticated sound.
On learning all fretboard notes.. combining that with learning the triads at the same time! THAT's the key, for me. Learning the notes as an isolated task I've found mind-numbingly boooooring. I could just never stay with it.. BUT combining that with learning, say, all the Emajor TRIADS on the fretboard.. now that's kinda thrilling! Awesome. TY again, fellas! 🙏🥳🤘
Truly the finest kind ... I would like to keep this on my phone so when in the woods and peace all around .. play around. I have been looking / exploring and finding some of these things recently (two noting it) ... wondering why I'd not seen anyone try such ... it is building a clear sound understanding (meant in two ways) and steps further beyond... this will help my connection growth quickly ... not that I want to have haste that makes waste. You both deserve a raise in pay and send me 5% ... 🙂
Exactly how I taught myself to solo as a kid. Now I just jam out deadly riffs, loop them and practice soloing over weird and difficult chord progressions for practice. Loop pedals are key!!!
Thanks for having me Paul! Fun fact, Paul made the most delicious bread that I’ve ever tasted.
Classic Paul 'Breadboy' Davids 😎
Paul, can you give us the recipe? Stellar work from both of you
Why does that not surprise me lol
May I borrow chords, please?!
Tasty Dutch bread? Cannot believe that😀...
For any of you guys who can't "speak the language" or feel out of your element with the way they talk about numbers and inversions and all that sophisticated music theory talk... get your ass on the ball. It's not that hard. There are only 12 notes, and you can get by with only 3 of them at a time like Ariel says. Don't be intimidated and don't be discouraged, but know that it does take some work and focus and dedication to learn it. Once you know it you'll love yourself forever for learning it because then this stuff will start to make sense and you'll be able to actually apply it to your own stuff. When I was younger this stuff was all greek but I've spent the time to try to understand it and yes it's hard but it's not impossible to find useful things in it. You'll never know everything but that's the beauty of it.
We are very fortunate to live in the era when two musicians of this caliber are giving away such a great lesson and doing it with such joy and enthusiasm. Awesome stuff.
Ehh this is simple stuff
@@theGPTexperience oh I can do it I’m very much confident
@@dareelantonio.3056 Yes, they may not be talking about quantum physics. The magic resides in knowing something and be good enough to teach it the way they are.
I could not agree more. This lesson is so important technically...but also very inspiring. I'm looking forward to really understanding and incorporating triads into what I play.
@@dareelantonio.3056Of course it's gonna be easy for you if you already know it. You bragging about this being simple is just cringe
The more I listened to Posen, the clearer it became that what makes his playing so engaging is his use of dynamics. He's constantly emphasizing some strings over others, always moving to different dynamics. It's his version of breathing. The "in" breath is louder, then he let's it out gently. It's very much like he's intimately singing to you...on the guitar.
great analogy !
It’s sort of how everyone said Steve Vai could make a guitar sing, Ariel does it extremely well
I would argue that his constant attention to melody is more engaging to the listener than the dynamics. That said, those dynamics help enhance and keep the focus on the melody, so a vital piece also. Just a great player doing what great players do 🔥
I'd say it's a lot of study ahaha
Ariel's courses on TrueFire are all about targeting notes using Triads. Hands down some of the best teaching material I've come across in my 40 years of playing.
This is what I love about your channel: you’re talking in the language I learned as a Jazz major in Music school as a non-guitarist. Not “frets” and “shapes” and “strings”, but I-ii-VII-IV, inversions, and all those things you learn in first semester theory and show how to adapt that knowledge to this specific instrument. Plus all the stuff about building melodies around the thirds, voice leading using guide tones, and dynamics.
Discussion of guitar this way -truly in terms of music- is so much more familiar and useful than people just talking about frets, fingers, and positions.
Ariel Posen plays the most beautiful guitar music I have ever heard, actually beyond that... Some of the most beautiful sounds my ears have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. I lost some of my hearing in my right ear suddenly in 2008 and though it was over for me. I gave up my dreams of being a producer after years of working in that direction because I no longer had the best ears in the room. But years later and with lots of ear training, I can hear pitch correctly again. Those higher frequencies I lost are still gone but the human body is full of adaptability. Then in 2020 I got stage 4 cancer and thought my time was up. I'm still here and inspired to try guitar again for as long as I can and share it with my kids. I don't even have an electric guitar. So, I have been drawing fretboards, plotting out numbers and notes and their relationships, finding triads, and trying to teach my kids the major scale by singing it in numbers instead of syllables. I'm sub'd to both your channels and thank you both for getting me through these rough times. Music is healing 100%.
I wish I'd been taught guitar with triads from the beginning. For learning the guitar neck, thinking about chord tones in solos, and harmony in general, triads really are the foundation. I wasted so many years focused on scales. Once I started focusing on triads everything opened up and made so much more sense.
I’m currently learning. How do I start with this and do you still think it’s better than learning the scales first?
@@s_u_l_f_u_r as I understand it, it helps to know both. Every triad falls right into a scale. Triads/chords basenote gives you the right scale to play around that spesific triad. What I love about triads is that if I have the right chord progression to play, like 1, 4, 5, it's easy to change to a right scale on every chord change and I don't have to memorize where each scale part (CAGED) is located on the freatboard.
@@s_u_l_f_u_r I'd really start with understanding the major scale, like from a music theory perspective. You need to know how its formed, hearing the distinct intervals/qualities, how to make chords, how to name them, how to make a progression. It's the fundamental blocks of music theory. It will give you a foundation to understand all this stuff.
From there, scales start to make a bit more sense. Scale positions and blending between them make more sense. But importantly, you start to pick up on the 1st, 3rd and 5ths of the scale, the chord tones, due to an understanding of their role and importance. That's your arpeggios and your triads, with the rest of the notes being mostly "flavour" to taste to put it simply.
The triads and arpeggios become your "highway" around the fretboard. When you lock into one, you can map that mentally to a scale position, or a barre chord and link adjacent shapes/positions/chords by the CAGED concept... which at this point it should all click together.
So get to grips with scales and the fundamentals of the major scale, but you don't need to know every position over the whole neck. Once you think you start to understand it, learning the triads is a great foundation. As for a goal, it's a blend of learning the fretboard note by note as well as you can then triads, arpeggios, full scales, chords, patterns and systems are all just ways to visualise the same underlying information.
@@nathanbull9652 Thanks a lot for such detailed response. I was actually going through the minor scale today and learned what a scale was essentially, and that along with the triads are starting to help me have more vision across the fretboard and make sense of it. I will take your advice on starting with the major scale!
@@s_u_l_f_u_r When you learn a little bit more, the minor scale is just the major scale from the 6th position. This also means that every major scale is a minor scale and every minor scale is a major scale...
Ariel's dynamics gave his playing SO MUCH more soul!!
Just put on a lot of fuzz and forget about dynamics! 😃
I saw him live and there were moments he was playing so quietly that you could speak above his playing but he commanded the room in such a way that no one said a thing.
A little bit too exaggerated imo
"of course I'm using dynamics, I'M PLAYING AS LOUD AS I CAN!" - guitarists
@@Cestariarts No, then all the (wanna be) shredders in this guitarworld.
I had the exact same reaction as Paul 13:34 after Ariels improvisation. When you are so confident in the fretboard that you can just create the melodies you hear in your mind is a fantastic achievment i hope to get one day.
You will!
Think of a bunch of melodies and play them slow then keep doing that for hours and increase the speed
Paul, I like the way you host your guests. Humble, listening ,appreciating.
Love this, he really emphasizes understanding the foundation and “essence” of a progression before coloring in the bigger picture.
Arial has become one of my all time favourite guitarists over the last few years. Great songs, beautiful voice. Thanks Paul, this was a gem of an episode.
I discovered Ariel about a year ago. Brilliant! I listen to his stuff a couple times a week.
I only discovered Arial a few months ago, then had the incredible pleasure of seeing him play his hollow, metal body Mule Resophonic seen here in Asheville. Best performance I've seen in years!!!
Ariel is quite possibly one of the kindest and most knowledgeable guitarists I have had the pleasure of meeting. I saw him at a clinic in Portland last spring, and he was so willing to share his knowledge and perspective, it was exciting and mesmerizing. I was drawn in and couldn't think of any questions to ask... just ended up enjoying the whole experience.
Thank you, Paul, for getting Ariel into your studio and sharing more of this information.
Be good to you 🤍💛
It’s so nice to see 2 musicians so amazing at their craft but are so respectful of each other, and so excited to learn something nee
I’m in the process of really learning the notes on the fretboard, the circle of fifths, and the notes in major and minor triads. I feel like I want to watch this video every six months to see if it makes more and more sense each time.
I’m exactly in the same process man, I really started figuring out the notes I play and practicing the triads since a month I would say.
@@salvatormundi5184 same here... really trying to get this down but to be honest... still a massive struggle for me.
@@nickvermeer3512 same for me man, but keep up, everything comes with time ! My teacher told me « I never thought I would know the notes I play, however, once you start figuring out bit by bit, you end up knowing it »
Practice Travis picking your CAGED chords up the neck with a simple progression, and go around the circle of fifths with it. You will get good so fast. vi-IV-I-V is good, it hits the important chords in a key.
@@scottheaton8469 I did that for two years however it didn’t teach me the note of the entire fretboard, neither their relation.
I remember seeing Ariel in Minneapolis at a John Mayer show back in 2019, I didn't know who he was at the time but the chicks were all over him. I'm really glad you had him on the channel, he is an incredible player.
Austerely elegant. Less is more. When there is less noise, the signal is clearer, and one's tone is heard more. LOVE it. Thanks, guys!
Ariel and Paul. The collaboration album I didn’t know I wanted to hear until now. So great.
There is a couple of years practice in this. Ariel is great at explaining. Its made me want to lock myself in my music room
I LOVE ariel's playing. This lesson is amazing. I've always wondered how I could make my guitar sound more like my wife's piano playing, and this is starting to open up that door a little bit.
@@grak1396 will do!
The respect you have for each others skills is absolutely beautiful.
Paul! I just signed up for your "Learn,Practice,Play" Course & while I still can't believe it, I shocked myself working thru your Modules. After all these years, finding you on TH-cam was sort of a "Kismet Moment" that lead me to such an amazing & inspiring Teacher. No other way to say it. You & your Teaching Courses are like "Finding a Jewel in a Heap of Dust" .... Grateful & Humble Thanks to You. !
I could sit whole day and listen to you guys just chatting about music and exchanging experience.
I literally just started a triad series with Tomo Fujita, and watched your CAGED video. This is perfect! Love Ariel's playing
Stick to tomo ;)
Tomo is the absolute best online teacher.
Ariel’s point can be summed as “Addition by Subtraction”. Sometimes less is more meaningful!
Great work David and Ariel!
Very exciting to hear Ariels way of thinking about the song and the improvisation that follows. I hear the song as a V-VIm-IV-I in A when I listen and I struggle to hear the E major as the tonic chord.
thank you. i got so hung up on that i wasn't listening to what they were demonstrating. ha!
Same here. It definitely feels like A major to me, but then that matches up with E mixolydian so it's all gravy ☺️ just keep playing those 3rds!
Same here. That A at the end feels like everything is coming back 'home'. And makes sense diatonically speaking.
Beautiful stuff tho
You are correct. It is in the key of A major, not E
Same feeling here!
6:40 This what I’m finding out. I’m playing more than ever. New ideas and inspiration from TH-cam guys like this. I’m not saying I’m good but I can definitely tell the time spent. It is paying off. And listening to music I love. Cliche of the day. You are what you eat.
Cliche or not it’s true! The time spent with the guitar in hand and the music that you imbibe, indulge in, absorb… creates us. Great insight from a great video. You’ve demonstrated your point of the post by posting this. How meta, lol. Cheers!
I learned so much more in the first 5 minutes than I have in nearly 10 years!!! I've been struggling with "getting to know the fretboard" for that long without progress. thank you this is super helpful!
Gotta give Paul credit…even though this is pretty basic information, he sells it like it’s the first time he’s heard about it. I assume in an effort to make beginners feel comfortable…what a guy ❤
I feel like his reaction was genuine. To improve continuously you have to be a humble student. He probably learned a thing or two, even if it was just a simple lick.
That's Joe Rogan's secret as well.
It's a more specialized skill than a lot of people realize.
This is exactly how interviews should be done. Paul does an incredible of allowing Ariel to teach without feeling the need to "upstage" or "impress him". What a wonderful learning experience for us as viewers!
Ariel Polsen is the most melodic and dynamic player. Always very generous of his time and techniques. And an awesome songwriter on top of that! More people need his music in their life!
Paul you’re the real thing man. Huge fan
I would just like to add that after practicing the triads for sometime, it's very useful to put them together as full arpeggios. Instead of doing each inversion and switching strings for example, use your 1-3-5 shape and do the full arpeggio (horizontal, but also vertical), and you will really start to see the chords and individual notes come together on the fret board.
When you do the 3-5-1 inversion starting on the G string for example, you will notice that you're just playing the top 3 notes of the 6th string barre chord. 1-3-5 starting on the G string will give you the top 3 notes of the 5th string barre. 5-1-3 top 3 notes of the "usual" 4th string chord shape, the D shape. 1-3-5 starting from the D string is the middle part of that 6th string barre, etc. When you practice the arpeggios horizontally with this in mind chords starts to spell themselves out, and when you play arpeggios vertically you reinforce your knowledge of how these all fit together over the fretboard.
interesting, this is a great idea. thanks
love the conversational approach to theory, keeps things interesting and practical.
I absolutely love that such depth and beauty comes from such simplicity. There's a huge lesson here. Thanks Paul and Ariel!
He is an amazing player - addressing all the different dimensions - timing / dynamics / really the music becomes a real thing that’s living and breathing
I could listen to the two of you play guitar together on repeat. Super informative video too. Sometimes that “boring” practice of chord inversions pays off, and yeah, you can actually get lost in it… but in a good way.
I appreciate the graphical representations accompanying the demonstrations. Thank you.
You can also make the "not fun" exercise kind of fun by drilling the triads into your head to a drum track you like, not only will you be cementing the shapes but you might also come up with something cool with them at the same time which might actually help them stick faster.
Two of my favorite guitarists in one video. Excellent.
I love Ariels excitement to share his philosophy on soloing almost as much as his playing. Got to see it live in Groningen last October and the recordings definitely live up to the live experience. Great guitarist and great person all together.
Thanks for the amazing video!
It's great how Paul, you can hear and understand all of it and still see it as a eye opening lesson. Very complimentary to Ariel and encouraging for a lot of us out here.
My thoughts exactly
You guys personality’s mesh so well together. Its such a gift to all of us. We got so much out of this episode.
Thank both of you !!!
Great to see Ariel on here. Love his playing.
Man, I just don’t get tired of hearing Ariel play. He’s one of the best out there. Truly a master
I saw Brothers Landreth at the Hillside Festival in Guelph Ontario a few years back. A true "Hillside Moment"! What a band; what playing.
My favorite episode yet. Ariel is such a massive inspiration!(I think he's from my home town,Winnipeg Manitoba!)
Brilliant album full of texture and perfect performances
If ever someone's playing mirrored their personality it's Ariel. Warm, intelligent and even if he wouldn't say it, I will, sophisticated. Seems like a great guy.
Ariel is my favorite guitarist along with John Mayer and Richie Kotzen since 2019. Amazing sense of melody, great harmony always, a good voice and catchy songs on top of all that. Unique talent really.
Thank you so much Paul for this lesson, it was chill but at the same time very informative and inspiring.
This is just what I needed to understand how to use all that scales and CAGED system that took some time to learn. That premise “take just two inversions of the chord” really opened a world to me
Please have Ariel back for a slide video! This was great. Ariel seems like such a nice guy and an amazing guitar player.
The best thing a jazz guitarist once told me about memorizing the fret board..."don't do it one string at a time, do it one fret at a time."
Just like how we all have E, A, D, G, B, E memorized as standard tuning, so too do we apply that same concept to each new fret
(e.g. first fret = F, A#, D#, G#, C, F And F, Bb, EB, Ab, C, F), one day at a time.
Great video Paul. I am hoping this is part of a new direction where you get people into your studio. You are a good host, you give your guest time to speak, ask the right questions, really good stuff.
There's always such beauty in all of Paul's lessons and featured players. Simple amazing next level playing. Inspirational.
I just started doing the exact same thing with one of my guitar students a couple of weeks ago - just taking him through major and minor triads in all of the string groupings. I agree wholeheartedly - it's an excellent way to learn the fret board. I'll need to share this video with my students to reinforce what we've been working on. Unfortunately, it won't automatically make you sound like Ariel Posen - but it's a step in the right direction!
I have been practicing these very things (triads and inversions) that I learned from another great youtuber and teacher. Has made a great difference in my understanding of the fretboard. Thank for including it here as well.
Who keeps locking these fretboards!? We must find this miscreant once and for all! 😆😂
The guitar locks itself only unlocks to those who paid their dues (put in the work)😊
I went for many years not thinking in terms of triads but the last couple years I’ve worked on them and it has been a great learning experience. Thanks Paul
Paul and Ariel, thank you both for this slow and musical video, just relaxing and informative, exctly what I like 🙂! Cheers, Lars
So I watched this video and it made sense to me. I spent two weeks practicing different ways of playing the Bold As Love 'A, E, F#M, D' progression using triads only and all of a sudden I started to see the scales amongst the chords and was able to come up with something. I feel like I've unlocked a new level! Thank you ❤❤❤
The amount of inspiration here is MASSIVE. Thankyou!
Ariel Posen should definitely be doing master class sessions if he isn’t already.
the dude with the orange Fender , I luv that guitar, it's got character
Ariel is just such a great artist and guitarist. And soo humble…
As always brilliant and gorgeous material! Cheers!!!
Thanks for this episode. I didn't notice at the end what was the more pleasing exercise ...
4 minutes into this but I have to comment: I really appreciate when you write out the stuff being played. If you just say "ooh, like this and then that" and play it, sometimes I can't figure out whats going on.
The idea of using inversions to bring finger placement closer together for a cohesive sound is so awesome.
Who keeps locking all the fretboards!?! Cheers Paul and Ariel!!
Great guest. Very clear. Very accessable.
“All the good notes are in the pentatonic.”
“It’s true.”
That was my breakthrough. Once you learn the pentatonic scale you’ll hear SO many famous melodies instantly.
Ariel’s playing is so beautiful.
Saw Ariel at Rotown in Rotterdam a few months back. Absolutely fantastic guitar player and singer with a unique sound. I hope you had a good time as wel Paul ;)
Saw him play as well, exceptional!
This is my favorite guitar lesson ever on youtube. I was actually practicing this exact thing before i saw it, maj min pick a chord and do all inversions. Big circle in tge end. Thanks for this paul!
This whole video embodies the "did we just become best friends?" In the eyes between these two master guitar players. 😂
Instant BFF, great chemistry, it's nice to find someone with the same mindset as you.
And I'm still struggling to change from Em to C, very beautifully played to both of you!
22:00 - Ariel's amazing outro performance of After the Rain.
How come are you talking about E major key when D major isn't part if that scale?
Isn't that supposed to be A major where E is 5th, F#, 6th, D 4th and we come back to the root - A? Maybe I got something wrong but I just don't get it. Thanks!
You are totally right Marcin.
I absolutely love the way Ariel approach the guitar playing!
Reminds me a bit of John Mayer
A lot...especially slow dancing in a burning room
This is the best, most useful lesson EVER. Just beautiful. So grateful to you both
Alternate Title: How to play Slow daning in a burning room in 666 different ways 🙃
Thank you. I thought it was just me.
Lol.. good to know I’m not hearing things :)
It's not a silly little moment
It's not the storm before the calm
This is the deep and dying breath of
This love that we've been working on
Paul Davis it's an honour to watch every single videos of yours,this guy is humble creative i just love it
You two have a lot of chemistry. Would probably make a great podcast together!
I love Ariel’s playing. I wish more people could hear him
Criminally unknown outside of guitar players
Please make more of these videos!!! this was so much fun to watch
Really good teachers these two gentleman. Thank you.
I am no musician at all (lawyer lol) but I play the guitar as a hobby. Its just amazing to me how pro musicians in general are willing to share their hard-worked knowledge for basically nothing (views, of course, but you get my point). To see two pro musicians of such a caliber just talking and sharing technique with the world for free is simply incredible. Huge fan of both, especially Paul, with whom I have learned a lot.
Thanks! Beautiful guest, beautiful music, both albums are great!
Ariel is my current favourite guitarist. He plays as if everyone listening to him is 'The' love of his life. And it's for sure because of his dynamics. It brings so much emotions and brings the instrument to life.
Ok, first off and foremost, that intro lick had an absolutely dream like sound ....incredible tone guys !
I agree with the dynamics statement, not being talked about enough. Adds so much depth and emotion to even the simplest of songs.
Very reminiscent of Andy Timmons's playing. Very much enjoyed this look into Ariels playing style!
Excellent video - I really like the sort of interview/conversation format and Ariel's perspective helps a lot in that we can begin simply and add those value-added extensions and inversions to get to beautiful, sophisticated sound.
On learning all fretboard notes.. combining that with learning the triads at the same time! THAT's the key, for me. Learning the notes as an isolated task I've found mind-numbingly boooooring. I could just never stay with it.. BUT combining that with learning, say, all the Emajor TRIADS on the fretboard.. now that's kinda thrilling! Awesome. TY again, fellas! 🙏🥳🤘
Truly the finest kind ... I would like to keep this on my phone so when in the woods and peace all around .. play around. I have been looking / exploring and finding some of these things recently (two noting it) ... wondering why I'd not seen anyone try such ... it is building a clear sound understanding (meant in two ways) and steps further beyond... this will help my connection growth quickly ... not that I want to have haste that makes waste. You both deserve a raise in pay and send me 5% ... 🙂
Ariel Posen is a great inspiration. So are you Paul. Thank you both
Exactly how I taught myself to solo as a kid. Now I just jam out deadly riffs, loop them and practice soloing over weird and difficult chord progressions for practice. Loop pedals are key!!!