Escaping Pentatonic Prison | Guitargate

Masterclasses

This is a first-of-its-kind, 6 month semester for guitarists looking for a truly transformative experience.

Our goal is to provide an ultra-high engagement, world-class online certificate program curated by top professional players & instructors - for the price of local hourly lessons. 

Here's what you'll get:

  • Monday - Friday LIVE Masterclasses with Michael, Jack Ruch, Guthrie Trapp, Lyle Brewer, Jamie McClean and some very special guests :)
  • Exclusive Weekly Lessons + Custom Challenges
  • Unlimited Video Submissions For Instructor Feedback + Coaching
  • Full Lifetime Access To Guitargate's 15+ Course Curriculum
  • Priority for YouTube Showcases (Show us what you've got - but only if you want!)
  • Permanent Verified Badge on Guitargate
  • Certificate Upon Completion
  • Incredible Savings - These Players Regularly Command $250-500+ / Hour 

Enrollment is kept extremely limited, first come, first served, and will close at 25 members.

Price is $2000 (Save $100 Paying In Full) or $350/Month for The 6 Month Semester. Save an additional $500 when committing to a full year.  

To Enroll, please click one of the two options below:

Pay In Full (Save $100) Pay Monthly

Semester
Escaping Pentatonic Prison

This masterclass features guitarist Guthrie Trapp giving an in-depth lesson on moving beyond pentatonic scales and truly understanding chord progressions. Guthrie wastes no time getting to the point, tearing down unnecessary guitar "rules" and focusing on what really matters - making music.

Guthrie walks through chord shapes, arpeggios, pentatonic scales and more, showing how they are all connected and should be viewed as one complete system rather than separate entities. A highlight is his demonstration of approaching dominant 7th chords, emphasizing the notes that change in the chord. Michael Palmisano provides excellent support, ensuring any technical difficulties are sorted and encouraging participation.

This no-nonsense masterclass is packed with invaluable advice from a true professional. Guthrie strips away excess theory and gets right to the core of playing music over chord changes. It's clear he only wants students to focus on the essentials and start making great sounds immediately.

Transcript Summary

Introduction (0:00-0:20)

  • Michael introduces Guthrie and gets things started
  • Guthrie hears the "East Nashville alarm clock" train in the background

Guthrie's philosophy (0:20-4:30)

  • Guthrie tears down unnecessary guitar "rules"
  • Emphasizes listening and making music over scales and theory
  • Pentatonic scales are just for basics, need to expand horizons
  • Focus on melody, phrasing, and musicality over noodling

Fundamentals that helped Guthrie (4:30-6:00)

  • Learning chord shapes all over the neck, not just open positions
  • Relates chord shapes to scales, arpeggios, pentatonic boxes
  • Views all of these as interconnected parts of one system

Approaching dominant 7th chords (13:20-25:50)

  • Outlines the notes that change in major vs major 7 vs dominant 7 chords
  • Emphasizes resolving the flat 7 to the major 3rd of the next chord
  • Introduces the dominant 7th scale and targets chord tones

Closing remarks (38:09-end)

  • Guthrie and Michael wrap up and thank everyone
  • Guthrie offers to expand on any topics in future lessons

Guthrie Trapp

guthrie bw

These are the people out there doing it each and every night, at the very highest level.  To say Guthrie Trapp is one of the best guitarists alive doesn’t even begin to set the stage.  A true, old school, take it or leave it head cutter, Guthrie is no BS.

Guthrie is going to cut through all the fluff and show you the stuff that really works in the music world - the stuff that he uses day in and day out on the heaviest gigs - with the heaviest players - in the world.