Scott Paul Johnson

Music Theory Monday | 14: Phrygian, Mode Mixing, and Repetition

Where to Start • Lesson Archive • Recommended Lesson Plan • 2020-11-30 16:06:35 +0000 UTC View Post

Live Stream | 22: OFFICE HOURS Q&A

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Hi Everyone,

In this stream we talked a bit about technique - fingerpicking, holding a pick and getting comfortable with single note picking - but we also tackled some questions about how to actually use half diminished and fully diminished chords which led to a fun Django Reinhardt riff.

We also talked about why scale circles have to go clockwise when makin...

Music Theory for Guitar | 06: Minor Triads | Homework 2

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Hi Everyone!

In this second homework exercise for the Minor Triads lesson, we talk about how to identify minor triads, and how to convert major triads into minor triads and vice versa. We also take a close look at the familiar and unfamiliar shapes on the guitar neck and how to shift th...

Live Stream | 21: OFFICE HOURS Q&A

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Hi Everyone,

This was a fun stream! We talked about the order of chords in a key and how songs like Creep by Radiohead use chords outside the standard set that fits in the key. We then talk about the difference between Dom7 and Maj7 chords and how the chords in a key can all be converted to a set of 7 chords.

Then we went into how to make your solos sound mo...

Music Theory for Guitar | 06: Minor Triads | Homework No. 1

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Hi Everyone!

Here is the first homework lesson for the Minor Triads lesson. In this lesson, I walk you through a homework exercise that is eerily similar to the Major Triads homework. We write out every Minor Scale and b...

Music Theory | Major Triads Bonus

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Scroll down for more helpful links.

Hi Everyone! 

I filmed a whole series of Youtube videos earlier this year and realized it was going to take me about 100 years of editing before I finally got through them. This was when I realized I would need to find a better way to do my camera guitar system. I managed to edit this...

Live Stream | 20: OFFICE HOURS • Q&A HANGOUT

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Here is a link just in case: https://youtu.be/DNBO6vaqoJE

Hi Everyone,

This week's live stream will be on Thursday, November 12th at 7pm. I'm trying to accommodate more people and be open to more topics, so come prepared with questions! If you have questions now, feel free to post them belo...

Music Theory for Guitar | 6 | Minor Triads

Where to Start • Lesson Archive • Recommended Lesson Plan • 2020-11-09 14:01:02 +0000 UTC View Post

Live Stream | 19: OFFICE HOURS • Q&A HANGOUT

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Sometimes Patreon gets weird with video links so here is a hard link: https://youtu.be/vqF6l8ZGiNU

Hi Everyone,

I think I need to mix it up a little bit here. It's been really fun to have the livestream on a consistent day, but I want to be more inclusive and give folks a chance to catch a ...

Live Stream | 18: More CAGED Camera Guitar

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Hi Everyone,

Every Wednesday at 11am PST, I go live and do a lesson related to the topic of the month. This month I surprised everyone with my new camera guitar and I've been talking about general CAGED concepts.

I've been working out a few more bugs with the camera guitar and I think I'll hopefully have a few cool and educational visuals prepared for you. 2020-10-28 00:38:43 +0000 UTC View Post

Live Stream | 17: MORE CAGED | Major & Minor

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Hi Everyone,

Every Wednesday at 11am PST, I go live and talk about the topic of the month. This month I surprised everyone with my new Guitar Camera and I've been talking about CAGED concepts.

Join me tomorrow to discuss Major and Minor in the CAGED system. I'm talking chords and scales.

If you join live you have the opportunity to comment and ask ques...

Patreon Forum issues

Hi all,

A few new Patrons have reached out saying they can't access the community forum - I just signed up for my own Patreon with a different email address to see if I ran into the same issue and it turns out that I can't get in either. So I've reached out for help and I'll hopefully have this issue figured out soon. In the meantime, if you don't have access to the forum, don't try signing into the forum until I get this sorted out. Here on Patreon everything is fine though!

Thanks for your patience while I figure this out.

Live Stream | 16: MORE CAGED guitar camera

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In this livestream, I continue to investigate some different ways to think about the CAGED System using the new Guitar Cam. 

Jam track I used: F Major I V progression 

Here is the same track without the Rhythm Part: 2020-10-14 01:51:52 +0000 UTC View Post

Live Stream | 15: NEW CAMERA GUITAR and CAGED Study

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Hi Everyone,

Surprise! If you've seen my youtube videos, you know that the camera guitar with fingerboard dots is kind of my thing. Well, in this live stream you get to see the first glimpse of the live camera guitar I've been working on for months. It's a lot like my youtube lessons, except live.

I'm still working out the kinks and I'll be continuing to ref...

Music Theory for Guitar | 05: Major Triads | Practice No. 2

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Hi Everyone!

This exercise is a free for all! This lesson gives a few ideas for how you might come up with your own sequence of A Major, D Major and E Major Triads. Remember, the goal here is not to make a masterpiece or even a finished painting. Think of this like a musical sketch book. Sit down with the supplied scratch paper and plot out your own sequences. Keep them simple. It...

Music Theory for Guitar | 05: Major Triads | Practice No. 1

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Hi Everyone!

Once you've watched the Major Triads lesson and the Major Triads homework lesson, feel free to move on to this lesson.

In this practice exercise, we’ll be playing arpeggios of three Major Triads...

Music Theory for Guitar | 05: Major Triads | Homework

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Hi Everyone!

Here is some homework to help drive home the concepts covered in Music Theory for Guitar | Major Triads. We go through every Major Scale and create Major Triads using the first, third, and fifth note of each Major Scale. Then, we cover the bonus homework: creating your own voicings on ...

Music Theory for Guitar | 5 | Major Triads

Where to Start • Lesson Archive • Recommended Lesson Plan • 2020-10-06 19:54:10 +0000 UTC View Post

Live Stream | 14: Rhythm Guitar Week Four

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Hi Everyone,

For the final week of Fun with Rhythm Guitar! we get into add11 chords and talk a bit about how weird they are to figure out on guitar, how certain voicings don't sounds very good, AND how when you find a nice voicing they can be quite beautiful. 

Jam tracks used today

2020-09-29 22:59:37 +0000 UTC View Post

Best time for Office Hours

Hi everyone,

If you've already attended a few live streams, please don't vote in this poll!

If you haven't gotten the chance to catch a live stream, I'd like to know what times would work best for you. I'm planning on doing an occasional office hours stream to answer questions about homework and whatever, but I'm also willing to experiment with my weekly Wednesday Stream once the weather starts getting colder here in Seattle.

Cast your vote and comment your country and city/town if you like. I'd love to know where ...

My first OFFICE HOURS - Thursday, 9/24/20 - 1pm PST

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Hi Everyone,

I've been trying to figure out how to meet everyone's needs as effectively (and efficiently) as possible. I get a lot of questions on here and I LOVE answering questions, but I don't think its very effective for me to go around typing away for each person's questions. Office Hours is an attempt to create a place where I can answer everyone's questions...

Live Stream | 13: Rhythm Guitar Week Three

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Hi Everyone,

In this lesson, I talk about add9 chords and how they are similar to sus2 chords, but not identical. Then we tinker with how to use them in a rhythm guitar context. From there, we combine this add9 thing with concepts from previous weeks and create some tonally interesting rhythm guitar parts. The homework is to come up with your own ABAC pattern over...

Music Theory Monday | 13: More Blues

Where to Start • Lesson Archive • Recommended Lesson Plan • 2020-09-21 20:26:16 +0000 UTC View Post

Live Stream | 12: Week Two of Fun with Rhythm Guitar

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Hi Everyone,

We're taking on another chord concept today: sus4 and sus2 chords! 

C Major I - IV Progression: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBNDndQDlAA

F Major I - V Progression: https://youtu.be/X_F...

Soloing | 03: A Look At Future Lessons

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 Hi Everyone, 

No Music Theory Monday today - I just got back from my trip to Ann Arbor, MI and I'm back to my office in Seattle. I haven't filmed a MTM lesson yet because I've been frantically assembling a new livestreaming rig to use on Wednesday, when I will continue with the theme of making rhythm guitar more interesting.

This lesson is kind of...

Music Theory Monday | 12: Blues Tonality

Where to Start • Lesson Archive • Recommended Lesson Plan • 2020-09-07 13:01:01 +0000 UTC View Post

Song Analysis | 03: Hotel California

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Hi Everyone,

In this video I'm breaking down Hotel California. First, we'll talk about how the chord progression is an excellent example of Melodic Minor. Then, we'll talk about how the melody fits over the top of the progression.

Click 2020-09-06 23:48:46 +0000 UTC View Post

Live Stream | 11: Fun with Rhythm Guitar

This stream had some audio issues that made it difficult to watch. Feel free to watch at your own peril or skip it. Here is a link: https://youtu.be/JKe7RcMY4zA

I was also trying a streaming service that I didn't like so if you're not seeing a thumbnail its because Patreon would not let me replace the video.

New here? Wondering where to start? 2020-09-02 00:25:29 +0000 UTC View Post

Music Theory Monday | 11: Mixolydian Mode

Where to Start • Lesson Archive • Recommended Lesson Plan • 2020-08-31 21:40:36 +0000 UTC View Post

CAGED Soloing | I - IV Progression (5) • D Shape

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Watch in this order:

(1) C Shape

(2) A Shape

2020-08-31 13:01:01 +0000 UTC View Post