Rhythm Player’s Toolbox for D
Most rhythm players reach for another instrument, or a singer, to carry the melody. But the melody was hiding in your chords the whole time. With a handful of modifications, slash chords, and spread triads… all in the key of D… you can weave one through your strumming yourself.
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The struggle
Picture yourself beside a campfire, acoustic in hand, jamming away and improvising a brand-new melody you’ve never played before. The chords come to life, and you can just feel the music welling up and coming out of you. Even after years of playing lead and rhythm in bands, that’s still one of my favorite ways to play guitar.
But here’s the thing most players never get told. Improvising while you play rhythm is a completely different animal from soloing. When you take a lead, licks are everything. When you’re holding down the rhythm, you need a different source of inspiration, one that lets you keep the groove going at the same time.
And when you don’t have it, the rut creeps in. Every song starts to sound a little like the last one, because you’re always reaching for the same handful of chords. So the melody gets handed off… to the singer, to the other guitar, to anyone but you.
The shift
Here’s where that new source of inspiration lives: in the chords… and the scale. If you know the scale for a key, you can pick notes out of it and add them to the chords from that same key. The moment you do, the chord takes on a different flavor. Play a few of those modified chords one after another, and you’ve got a melody happening, right there inside your strumming.
And it’s easier than it sounds. Most of these modifications take a single finger movement, so it’s no trouble to string a bunch of them together into something musical.
You don’t need a second instrument to carry the melody. You need to find the one already hiding in your chords.
And no, you don’t have to be a theory whiz to do it. I value theory, and I think every player should have a little under their belt… but this is a trick you can start using today, even if your theory hasn’t caught up yet. To keep it focused, the whole course lives in one key, D major, so you can really get it under your fingers in an evening or two. D is a beautiful key on the guitar, perfect for exactly this kind of jamming.
What’s inside
It’s far more than a chord dictionary. We look at the chords, the scale, and how to merge the two into something new. Here’s some of what you’ll pick up.
Every tool comes laid out in a printable supplement book too… the theory, the riffs, and the patterns, ready to keep by your guitar.
For a veteran player like me, it helps to widen the scope of guitar playing… to get out of the barre-box, as well as refresh the theory. It’s useful that the teacher himself can demonstrate all the tricks in an instructive way.
Seppo AhvenainenReviews
As a rhythm guitarist, I’ve primarily strummed chords and played riffs. To say this broadened my horizons as a rhythm player would be an understatement. Room is left for creativity, the pace is perfect… by far the best online course I’ve taken with an emphasis on rhythm playing.
I really need help with my rhythm, and this is very helpful. I really enjoy going over the 3rds and the chord modifications. I’d highly recommend it to anyone serious about learning to play guitar.
The material makes me aware of nuances I’d otherwise have never focused on. Every course I’ve bought from these guys has been great, and I have many of them.
Strummers and seasoned players alike… the moment rhythm stops being a backdrop and starts carrying the tune.
Before you buy
It’s not a beginner course, but it isn’t an advanced one either. If you’re comfortable playing rhythm with open chords, and ideally know your bar chords too, you’re in the right place to start putting this to work.
A little theory helps, but it isn’t required. If theory is new to you, Guitar Theory Unlocked pairs beautifully with this one. And if you’re already a strong rhythm player just hunting for new ways to fold melody into your progressions, this might be exactly the thing that rockets you to the next level faster than you expected.
Go through the whole course and put the tools to work on your own playing. If you don’t hear a real improvement in your rhythm… if you’re not weaving melodies through your chords within a few weeks… just email me inside 60 days and I’ll refund every penny. No questions, no hassles, no hard feelings. I’ve never once turned down a refund inside that window. I’ll teach it slowly and patiently, and I think you can do this.
Jonathan
Get the course
What's included A focused video course you can stream or download to any device · a PDF supplement book packed with the theory, riffs, and patterns · every modification, slash chord, interval, and spread triad demonstrated in D major · lifetime access · questions answered in the member’s area · 60-day money-back guarantee
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All prices in USD. One-time payment, instant access, lifetime access.
The point was never to learn a pile of new chords. It’s to find the melody that was already sitting inside the ones you play… so you can hold down the groove and sing through it at the same time. Learn it once, in one key, and it changes how you hear every progression you touch afterward.