Chord Scales (Guitar Lesson)
What are you waiting for? Get your membership now!
Chord Scales
Emil talks in depth about the concept of "chord scales" and how they can be applied to a practical musical context.
Taught by Emil Werstler in Emil Werstler Artist Series seriesLength: 15:39Difficulty: 4.0 of 5
Video Subtitles / Captions
Supplemental Learning Material
Emil Werstler Artist Series
Found in our Beginner Lesson SetsTackle advanced playing techniques and theory application with metal talent, Emil Werstler.
Lesson 1
Interview Part 1
JamPlay is proud to introduce our newest instructor, Emil Werstler of Daath.
Length: 28:09 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Techniques - Down Picking Endurance Exercises
In Emil's first lesson, he teaches his down picking technique using a riff from "Ovum," a song by his band Daath.
Length: 5:10 Difficulty: 5.0 Members Only
Techniques - Bending and Vibrato
Emil teaches how to practice bending. He also demonstrates various vibrato techniques and explains how to incorporate them into your playing.
Length: 12:09 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
Techniques - Wide Form Pentatonics
Emil shows you a different way to play the pentatonic scale by combining boxes and playing in groups of 4.
Length: 6:26 Difficulty: 5.0 Members Only
Techniques - Switching Gears From Sweeping To Alternate Picking
Emil shows three example exercises that focus on sweeping up and descending alternate picking.
Length: 6:23 Difficulty: 5.0 Members Only
Techniques - Economy Picking The Little Lamb (On Acid)
Emil shows exercise examples on 2 string licks that feature economy picking.
Length: 6:14 Difficulty: 4.0 Members Only
Emil Werstler Interview Part Two: Daath
Emil Talks about his band Daath. Topics covered include the history of the band, the writing process, ozzfest, and more.
Length: 32:44 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Techniques - One String Soloing Concepts
Emil teaches one string, horizontal soloing concepts.
Length: 4:54 Difficulty: 4.0 Members Only
Techniques - Pitch Axis
Emil teaches the concept of pitch axis.
Length: 8:05 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
About Emil's PRS guitar
Emil sat down and gave us a little bit of history about his main guitar and also some of the specs.
Length: 10:00 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Interview Part Three
Emil talks in depth about various topics including theory, goals and balance in your playing, getting out of a rut, his influences and more.
Length: 29:23 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Horizontal Lick Building Part One - Minor Idea
This minor idea lesson is the first part in the five part mini series on horizontal lick building.
Length: 4:58 Difficulty: 4.5 Members Only
Horizontal Lick Building Part Two - Major Idea
Here is the second lesson in the mini series of lessons on horizontal lick building. Emil shows you the Major idea here.
Length: 4:53 Difficulty: 4.5 Members Only
Horizontal Lick Building Part Three - Pentatonic Idea
In this lesson Emil shows you a horizontal pentatonic lick that you can cycle.
Length: 5:00 Difficulty: 4.5 Members Only
Horizontal Lick Building Part Four - Dominant Idea
Emil Werstler shows the fourth lick in this mini series of lessons. This lick is dominant in quality.
Length: 5:03 Difficulty: 4.5 Members Only
Horizontal Lick Building Part Five - Master Idea
In part five of the lick building series Emil puts all the ideas together to create this master example.
Length: 6:11 Difficulty: 4.5 Members Only
Style - Pentatonic Chromaticism
Emil shows you how he incorporates chromaticism into pentatonic licks which adds a unique twist.
Length: 9:30 Difficulty: 4.5 Members Only
Style - Diminished Chromaticism
Emil shows how he incorporates chromaticism into some diminished runs and licks which really makes for some exotic sounds.
Length: 4:30 Difficulty: 4.5 Members Only
Interview Part Four - Playing And Performance
Emil covers different topics related to playing and performance in this interview segment.
Length: 22:33 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
2010 Interview
Emil talks about what he accomplished in 2010 and his new batch of lessons.
Length: 15:34 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
The Importance Of Alternate Picking
Emil provides a lesson on alternate picking warm-up exercises.
Length: 16:32 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Chord Scales
Emil talks in depth about the concept of "chord scales" and how they can be applied to a practical musical context.
Length: 15:39 Difficulty: 4.0 Members Only
Jazz Up Your Pentatonics
Emil explains how the use the pentatonic scale without sounding "pentatonic" or bluesy.
Length: 16:16 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
What You Can Do With Triads
Emil takes an in depth look at triads.
Length: 9:44 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
The Changes: Part One
In this lesson, Emil explains how arpeggios can be used within a solo to effectively outline the chord changes. He uses the 12 bar blues form as an example.
Length: 31:27 Difficulty: 4.0 Members Only
The Changes: Part Two
Emil continues to discuss how arpeggios can be used effectively within a solo.
Length: 12:08 Difficulty: 4.0 Members Only
More Wideform Pentatonics
Emil expounds upon his previous lesson on "wide form" pentatonic patterns and the licks that can be played within them.
Length: 16:03 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
Convenient Chromaticism
Emil shows more ways to incorporate chromaticism into your playing.
Length: 13:21 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Alternative Chords For Metal Part 1 - Standard Tuning
Emil demonstrates some ways to bust out of the power chord rut with some creative voicings that work well with a high gain tone.
Length: 22:11 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Alternative Chords For Metal Part 2 - Drop D Tuning
Emil continues his teachings on alternate chords for metal with a look at drop tunings.
Length: 14:28 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Drop D Warmups
Emil covers his current warmups that he uses before he goes on stage with his band, Daath.
Length: 6:17 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Minor Blues Concepts
Emil covers minor blues concepts.
Length: 14:33 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Adding Style To Your Octaves
Emil shows how some of his favorite players use octaves in their own unique way.
Length: 9:05 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Pickless Chord Comping
Emil demonstrates some fingerstyle comping techniques that can be applied to a 12 bar blues progression.
Length: 7:42 Difficulty: 4.0 Members OnlyLesson 35
Emil-isms
Emil takes you through some techniques that he uses frequently in his style of playing.
Length: 24:36 Difficulty: 4.0 FREE
Percussive Muting Techniques
Emil shows some cool muting techniques that produce a unique percussive sound.
Length: 7:57 Difficulty: 4.0 Members Only
Rock & Roll Cliches That Need To Stop
Emil talks about what it takes to be a rock musician.
Length: 30:00 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Relearn Or Brush Up On Basic Harmony
Emil Werstler is back with a lesson on basic harmony. He explains why it is important for every guitar player to understand harmony and teaches basic chords as a foundation.
Length: 18:00 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
The Harmonic Minor Scale
Emil explains some harmonic minor ideas that can spice up even then most generic sounding licks.
Length: 20:00 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Warmups Pt. Deux
Emil covers his philosophy on warming up and provides some exercises that will get the job done.
Length: 15:00 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Common Chord Progressions To Improvise Over
Emil shows you 3 common blues chord progressions. These progressions are the basis for his improvisation lessons coming up in the series.
Length: 6:07 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Blending Dominant And Diminished
Emil shows you how to make diminished arpeggios sound more dominant. Doing this can make your playing sound less neo-classical and predictable.
Length: 11:17 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
How To Sound Like You Know What You Are Doing
Emil returns with a lesson on a topic he gets asked about frequently. He explains how to play over chord changes and target tones. Once you get a grasp of these concepts, you'll begin to sound like you...
Length: 18:00 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Alternate Picking
Emil shows you five examples that will help you beef up your alternate picking. He uses the comparison of running ten miles every day to prepare yourself for a one mile jog. Applying this idea to your...
Length: 10:00 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
The Art of the Rest Stroke
Emil clarifies his take on economy picking and the art of the rest stroke.
Length: 16:05 Difficulty: 4.5 Members Only
Get Better at Music While Warming Up
Here is a lesson on how to not just get good at warmup exercises but getting better at playing music - while warming up.
Length: 15:00 Difficulty: 4.0 Members Only
Know Your Intervals
Emil covers the basic topic of intervals -- a topic that many guitarists overlook. Intervals are the building blocks of music, and in this lesson you'll learn how to identify them by sight as well as by...
Length: 16:00 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Your Questions Answered
Emil answers top questions asked by his fans. Topics covered include: side-washing cabs, stage presence, practice, programming drums, 7-string guitar approach, incorrect playing, and more. Emil has become...
Length: 20:00 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
About Emil Werstler
View Full Biography
Atlanta based guitarist Emil Werstler is a force to be reckoned with. He is the lead guitarist of the band DAATH (Roadrunner Records / Century Media) and has made a serious name for himself in the guitar world in a very short time. Performing worldwide with his main project DAATH on notable tours such as Ozzfest and along side well established acts such as Unearth, Devil Driver, Dark Funeral, and Job For A Cowboy, Emil continues to gain strength and credibility as one of the most sought after guitarist's in his genre to date.
Recent projects Emil has been featured on, include Austrian Death Machine and guest solo's on "Guitars That Ate My Brain", a 2009 release from Magna Carta Records as well as Arsis's album United in Regret. In addition, Emil was one of the few featured artist's asked to perform at the Experience PRS 2008, a great feat for a guitarist in his scene.
Acoustic Guitar Lessons
Our acoustic guitar lessons are taught by qualified instructors with various backgrounds with the instrument.
Hawkeye Herman
Hawkeye teaches several Robert Johnson licks in this lesson. These licks are played with a slide in open G tuning.
Free LessonSeries Details
Trace Bundy
Trace Bundy talks about the different ways you can use multiple capos to enhance your playing.
Free LessonSeries Details
Mark Lincoln
Lesson 40 takes a deeper look at slash chords. Mark discusses why they're called slash chords, and how they are formed.
Free LessonSeries Details
Robbie Merrill
JamPlay welcomes bassist and founding member of Godsmack, Robbie Merrill. In this short introduction lesson, Robbie showcases...
Free LessonSeries Details
Nick Amodeo
Nick explains how to play some of the most commonly used chords in the bluegrass genre.
Free LessonSeries Details
Mitch Reed
Mitch teaches his interpretation of the classic "Cannonball Rag." This song provides beginning and intermediate guitarists...
Free LessonSeries Details
Phil Keaggy
Welcome to the Phil Keaggy Master Course! In this series introduction, Phil shows and tells us what we can expect from this...
Free LessonSeries Details
Eve Goldberg
Eve talks about the boom-chuck strum pattern. This strum pattern will completely change the sound of your playing.
Free LessonSeries Details
Mario DaSilva
Free LessonSeries Details
Rich Nibbe
Rich Nibbe takes a look at how you can apply the pentatonic scale in the style of John Mayer into your playing.
Free LessonSeries DetailsElectric Guitar Lesson Samples
Our electric guitar lessons are taught by instructors with an incredible amount of teaching experience.
David MacKenzie
David MacKenzie introduces the tapping technique and teaches a fun exercise. This lesson includes a backing track.
Free LessonSeries Details
Billy Sheehan
Billy starts his artist series off with a lesson on something he gets asked the most to explain: right hand 3 finger technique.
Free LessonSeries Details
Paul Musso
JamPlay is proud to welcome senior professor and Coordinator of Guitar Studies at the University of Colorado at Denver,...
Free LessonSeries Details
Stuart Ziff
Stuart delves into all the different aspects of how R&B guitar has had an impact within reggae music.
Free LessonSeries Details
Michael Ripoll
Michael "Nomad" Ripoll dives deep into the rhythm & blues, funk, and soul genres that were made popular by artists like Earth...
Free LessonSeries Details
Steve Smyth
JamPlay sits down with veteran fret grinder Steve Smyth of Forbidden and The EssenEss Project. He talks about how he got...
Free LessonSeries Details
Lisa Pursell
Lisa breaks into the very basics of the electric guitar. She starts by explaining the parts of the guitar. Then, she dives...
Free LessonSeries Details
Braun Khan
In this lesson, Braun teaches the chord types that are commonly used in jazz harmony. Learn how to build the chords and their...
Free LessonSeries Details
Tom Appleman
Tom Appleman takes a look at a blues in E with a focus on the Chicago blues style. The bass line for Chicago blues is very...
Free LessonSeries Details
Brent-Anthony Johnson
Just like with the plucking hand, Brent-Anthony shows us the basics of proper fretting hand technique. In addition, he shows...
Free LessonSeries DetailsJoin over 483312 guitarists who have learned how to play in weeks... not years!
Signup today to enjoy access to our entire database of video lessons, along with our exclusive set of learning tools and features.
Unlimited Lesson Viewing
A JamPlay membership gives you access to every lesson, from every teacher on our staff. Additionally, there is no restriction on how many times you watch a lesson. Watch as many times as you need.Live Lessons
Exclusive only to JamPlay, we currently broadcast 8-10 hours of steaming lesson services directly to you! Enjoy the benefits of in-person instructors and the conveniences of our community.Interactive Community
Create your own profile, manage your friends list, and contact users with your own JamPlay Mailbox. JamPlay also features live chat with teachers and members, and an active Forum.Chord Library
Each chord in our library contains a full chart, related tablature, and a photograph of how the chord is played. A comprehensive learning resource for any guitarist.Scale Library
Our software allows you to document your progress for any lesson, including notes and percent of the lesson completed. This gives you the ability to document what you need to work on, and where you left off.Custom Chord Sheets
At JamPlay, not only can you reference our Chord Library, but you can also select any variety of chords you need to work on, and generate your own printable chord sheet.Backing Tracks
Jam-along backing tracks give the guitarist a platform for improvising and soloing. Our backing tracks provide a wide variety of tracks from different genres of music, and serves as a great learning tool.Interactive Games
We have teachers covering beginner lessons, rock, classic rock, jazz, bluegrass, fingerstyle, slack key and more. Learn how to play the guitar from experienced players, in a casual environment.Beginners Welcome.. and Up
Unlike a lot of guitar websites and DVDs, we start our Beginner Lessons at the VERY start of the learning process, as if you just picked up a guitar for the first time.Our teaching is structured for all players.Take a minute to compare JamPlay to other traditional and new methods of learning guitar. Our estimates for "In-Person" lessons below are based on a weekly face-to-face lesson for $40 per hour.
 |
||||
| Price Per Lesson | < $0.01 | $4 - $5 | $30 - $50 | Free |
| Money Back Guarantee | Sometimes | n/a | ||
| Number of Instructors | 87 | 1 – 3 | 1 | Zillions |
| Interaction with Instructors | Daily Webcam Sessions | Weekly | ||
| Professional Instructors | Luck of the Draw | Luck of the Draw | ||
| New Lessons | Daily | Weekly | Minutely | |
| Structured Lessons | ||||
| Learn Any Style | Sorta | |||
| Track Progress | ||||
| HD Video | - | Sometimes | ||
| Multiple Camera Angles | Sometimes | - | Sometimes | |
| Accurate Tabs | Maybe | Maybe | ||
| Scale/Chord Libraries | ||||
| Custom JamTracks | ||||
| Interactive Games | ||||
| Community | ||||
| Learn in Sweatpants | Socially Unacceptable | |||
| Gasoline Needed | $0.00 | $0.00 | ~$4 / gallon! | $0.00 |
Mike H.
"I feel like a 12 year old kid with a new guitar!"
I am 66 years young and I still got it! I would have never known this if it had not been for Jamplay! I feel like a 12 year old kid with a new guitar! Ha! I cannot express enough how great you're website is! It is for beginners and advanced pickers! I am an advanced picker and thought I had lost it but thanks to you all, I found it again! Even though I only play by ear, I have been a member a whopping whole two weeks now and have already got Brent's country shuffle and country blues down and of course with embellishments. Thank you all for your wonderful program!
Greg J.
"With Jamplay I can fit in a random session when I have time and I can go at my own pace"
I'm a fifty eight year old newbie who owns a guitar which has been sitting untouched in a corner for about seven years now. Last weekend I got inspired to pick it up and finally learn how to play after watching an amazing Spanish guitarist on TV. So, here I am. I'm starting at the beginning with Steve Eulberg and I couldn't be happier (except for the sore fingers :) Some day I'm going to play like Steve! I'm self employed with a hectic schedule. With Jamplay I can fit in a random session when I have time and I can go at my own pace, rewinding and replaying the videos until I get it. This is a very enjoyable diversion from my work yet I still feel like I'm accomplishing something worthwhile. Thanks a lot, Greg
Bill
"I believe this is the absolute best site for guitar students."
I am commenting here to tell you and everyone at JamPlay that I believe this is the absolute best site for guitar students. I truly enjoy learning to play the guitar on JamPlay.com. Yes, I said the words, ""enjoy learning."" It is by far the best deal for the money.
Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.great lesson Emil, that guitar is really nice, sound and look.
Excellent lesson Emil!
Pretty awesome stuff as usual from Emil.
Excellent. And here I was just thinking of a visit to Andalusia for some flamenco, cheap red wine and tapas. OK, I'll take a moment to reorient.