“Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses is a classic rock song released in 1987 as part of their debut album Appetite for Destruction. The song features prominent guitar work by Slash, including the iconic opening riff and memorable solos. The song uses D Mixolydian mode, E Aeolian mode, and E harmonic minor. I […] The post What Scales Are Used in Sweet Child O’ Mine? appeared first on Guitar Music Theory by Desi Serna ..read more

“Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms uses jazzy composition techniques such as voice leading, secondary dominants, and diminished passing chords. I give you a music theory overview of the song in the video below. In this next video, I perform the lead guitar parts from “Jingle Bell Rock” note-for-note. You can follow along with the […] The post Jingle Bell Rock Guitar Theory and TAB appeared first on Guitar Music Theory by Desi Serna ..read more

Music with changes or accents that fall on something other than the most predictable beats is said to be syncopated (Guitar Rhythm and Techniques For Dummies page 29). For example, the verse in the song “Heart of Gold” by Neil Young is not syncopated. The chord changes, and strum pattern emphasize the most predictable beats. […] The post What Is Syncopation? appeared first on Guitar Music Theory by Desi Serna ..read more

“Satellite” by Dave Matthews Band is a great example of using major scale patterns on guitar. The riff also makes a great finger exercise to improve your dexterity. In this video lesson, I show you how to play the main riff in three different positions using three different major scale patterns and fingerings. Follow along […] The post Dave Matthews Satellite Guitar Riff TAB appeared first on Guitar Music Theory by Desi Serna ..read more

Major Scale Chords When you harmonize the major scale by stacking its notes to form chords, you get a sequence of chords that follow the pattern major, minor, minor, major, major, minor, minorb5. In the key of E, the chords are E, F#m, G#m, A, B, C#m, and D#mb5.  The second chord, or “two chord” […] The post Using the 2 Major Chord in Music appeared first on Guitar Music Theory by Desi Serna ..read more

Huey Lewis and the News is a popular American rock band known for their catchy hits from the 1980s. They incorporate various musical elements in their music, including elements of jazz, blues, rock, and pop. The modal scale, Mixolydian mode, is featured in many of their signature songs, including “I Want a New Drug,” “Back […] The post Mixolydian Mode in Huey Lewis and the News appeared first on Guitar Music Theory by Desi Serna ..read more

“The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by Gordon Lightfoot uses sus2 chords, alternate bass notes, Mixolydian mode, plus half-step and whole-step bends. The music is in the 6/8 time signature and uses a sixteenth-note strum pattern. Follow along with the chord diagrams and guitar tablature in the following video to play the chords and lead […] The post “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” Gordon Lightfoot Guitar Chords and Tablature appeared first on Guitar Music Theory by Desi Serna ..read more

No More Mr. Nice Guy Key and Chords “No More Mr. Nice Guy” by Alice Cooper is a classic rock radio staple first released in 1973 on the album “Billion Dollar Babies.” The song uses modal mixture, chromatic voice leading, and pentatonic scales. Music publishers notate the music using a key signature for A major […] The post No More Mr. Nice Guy – How Does This Song Work? appeared first on Guitar Music Theory by Desi Serna ..read more

In this free video guitar lesson, I perform and break down the guitar solo heard in the song “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World from the album Bleed American. I provide you with a full tablature transcription and perform the solo at 162 BPM full tempo plus slowed down at 100 BPM. The music is […] The post The Middle Jimmy Eat World Guitar Solo TAB appeared first on Guitar Music Theory by Desi Serna ..read more

Circle chord progressions refer to chord movement based on the circle of fifths in music theory. The circle of fifths is used to represent relationships between the different key signatures. This information is most useful when you are notating standard musical notation and not always relevant to how we guitar players approach music on the […] The post What is a Circle Progression? (Using the Circle of 5ths and 4ths) appeared first on Guitar Music Theory by Desi Serna ..read more