Guitar Theory For Dummies: Book + Online Video & Audio Instruction
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So far, you’ve covered various chord progressions built out of root movements of 5ths and 4ths, but how is a lead guitarist supposed to play over these types of progressions? Secondary dominants borrow not only their chord function but also their notes from another scale. As a result, you treat them as V chords and use the dominant scale, Mixolydian mode, for your solos.

Here is a tab of a simple sequential bass line that works with the progression E-A-D-G.

[Credit: Illustration courtesy of Desi Serna]
Credit: Illustration courtesy of Desi Serna

A root, 3rd, 5th, 6th, and f7th are played over each chord. These scale degrees belong to a Mixolydian mode; the f7th should give it away. As a lead guitarist, you can play complete Mixolydian scales over each chord, as many jazz and country players often do when dealing with dominant chords. However, if you consider yourself a blues or rock player, you may want to take a different approach.

Generally speaking, blues and rock guitar players like to keep things simple, both technically and musically. They don’t try to chase a series of dominant chords by changing scales for each one. Instead, they may choose to use one scale that works over the complete progression, often a minor pentatonic.

Take a look at “Hey Joe” by Jimi Hendrix, which uses an ascending 5ths progression C-G-D-A-E. The roots of these chords are all found in the E minor scale. In fact, the chords themselves belong to either E minor or E Dorian, the two most popular minor modes.

For this reason, the E minor pentatonic scale can work over the complete progression. It even works over the E major chord, creating a minor-over-major blues sound. Jimi Hendrix built the “Hey Joe” guitar solo out of mostly E minor pentatonic in the 12th position.

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About the book author:

Desi Serna, hailed as a music theory expert by Rolling Stone magazine, is a guitar player and teacher with over 10,000 hours of experience providing private guitar lessons and classes. He owns and operates one of the most popular guitar theory sites on the web, guitar-music-theory.com.

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