Minor Chord Progressions

This masterclass covers playing melodies over minor chord progressions using chord tones. Guitarist Jack Ruch begins by demonstrating a chord progression in A minor, improvising over the chords. He then discusses different scales that can be used, such as natural minor, Dorian, and harmonic minor.

Jack explains that instead of just playing scales, it's better to focus on the notes in each chord, known as chord tones. He shows triad shapes for A minor, G major, and F major chords all over the fretboard. Jack demonstrates how to connect the chords by playing chord tones from one to the next.

When the progression is expanded to include an E7 chord, Jack emphasizes the G# note that is outside the A minor scale. He discusses dominant 7th arpeggio shapes using the CAGED system. Jack encourages practicing chord tones in small sections to internalize the fretboard positions.

Throughout the masterclass, Jack improvises melodic lines by targeting chord tones and connecting them with scale notes. He emphasizes making music over theory by focusing on phrasing chord tones into melodies. The techniques covered can be applied to any chord progression.