Summary: No amp required!

In this episode we really focus in on how to bring your acoustic playing to life. Both Thomas and Andy have some great tips to get your acoustic chords and lead playing sounding fantastic, without making too many changes to your playing style.

Jam 1: Spangly Chords

For our first little jam we are in the key of E major, and we are using basic chord shapes with a bit of 'spangle'! This generally means inserting some open chord shapes. Here are those 4 chord shapes that Thomas is using:

Lead: E Major scale

The first thing Andy mentions is trying to use the E major scale across the neck, on the B string, but keeping the E string open the whole time. Andy is also using the pentatonic positions shown below and turning that into the E major scale. Here are those scale shapes and positions, as well as the backing track if you want to give it a go yourself.

Jam 2: 4 Chord magic

For our second jam we are in the key of C major. On the rhythm side of things, we are using four basic chords, as shown below, but Andy varies the chord substitutions all the way through. Here are the basic chord shapes we are using, followed by some of the sustitutions.

Lead: C Major scale

For the lead part Thomas sticks to the same position of the fretboard the whole way through, utilising slides and sequences to bring the sound to life. Here are the scale shapes Thomas was using when improvising, as well as the backing track to play along with if you want to try it for yourself.

Keep Learning: John Mayer Player study

Many thanks for watching this video and visiting the website. If you love this style of acoustic playing, then you'll love our John Mayer course. We show you how to play in his acoustic style, his electric style and his bluesy style! It's 100% free and ready for you to use, including interactive tab! See the course here: How To Play Like John Mayer.

Jam 3: Jazzy Minor Chill!

For our final jam we are vamping between two chords, the Bm7 and the E7. We are using the fingers rather than the plectrum to give ut a more 'elevator / jazz bar' sound. Thomas also uses a percussive slap as well to really bring it to life. Here are those chords.

Lead: B Dorian Mode

Don't be scared of the Dorian mode! All Andy is doing to get that awesome sound is taking the B minor pentatonic scale shape 1, and adding in two exta notes. These scales are shown below as well as the backing track for you to try to jam over.

Keep Learning: Guitar Modes

If you want to dive a little deeper into the idea of Dorian, or any of the other modes, check out our Theory Lab section for the modes. We'll talk you through all of the theory behind the modes, so that you can really start to understand it. Here is that course: https://www.yourguitaracademy.com/courses/the-modes-part-one.