Rhythm Guitar Fundamentals - Shells (Guitar Lesson)
What are you waiting for? Get your membership now!
Rhythm Guitar Fundamentals - Shells
Now Sheryl explores one of the basics of rhythm guitar: shell voicings. It's amazing what you'll be able to do with these simple 3 note chords!
Taught by Sheryl Bailey in Creative Chords seriesLength: 5:01Difficulty: 2.5 of 5
Video Subtitles / Captions
Supplemental Learning Material
Creative Chords
Found in our Beginner Lesson SetsJamplay welcomes Jazz virtuoso Sheryl Bailey with her series, "Creative Chords". Dive into the rich world of chord voicings and inversions that will help you understand harmony in a new way!
Lesson 1
Series Introduction
Jamplay welcomes one of Downbeat Magazine's 2014 "Rising Stars", Sheryl Bailey! Sheryl's series "Creative Chords", takes you down a rich harmonic path of understanding a multitude of chord voicings and...
Length: 6:21 Difficulty: 0.0 Members Only
Diatonic 7th Chords - Root Position
To get started, Sheryl first looks at the basic root position chords used in harmonizing the major scale. Getting your ear familiar with these sounds will be a great benefit for you down the road!
Length: 6:55 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Diatonic 7th Chords - Drop 2's Root Position
On to the next set of chord voicings: Drop 2's in root position. It's a fancy name to be sure, but some simply put, these voicings will add some more colors to your chord palette!
Length: 5:45 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Diatonic 7th Chords - Drop 3's Root Position
Continuing on with the diatonic 7th chords, it's now on to Drop 3's in root position.
Length: 6:43 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Diatonic 7th Chords - Drop 2, 2nd Inversion
Now Sheryl takes a look at some 2nd inversion chords (chords with the 5th on the bottom), starting with Drop 2's.
Length: 9:33 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Diatonic 7th Chords - Drop 3, 2nd Inversion
Yet more colors to add to your palette! Here are the very rich, Drop 3 voicings in 2nd inversion.
Length: 9:57 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Review of Diatonic 7th Chord Voicings
In this lesson, Sheryl gives us an overview of every voicing she's covered so far, only this time she organizes them by the type of chord instead of in the diatonic scale.
Length: 11:14 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Rhythm Guitar Fundamentals - Shells
Now Sheryl explores one of the basics of rhythm guitar: shell voicings. It's amazing what you'll be able to do with these simple 3 note chords!
Length: 5:01 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Rhythm Guitar: ii-V-I with Shell Voicings
The ii-V-I progression is straight out of Jazz 101! Sheryl Bailey shows you the shell voicings that will cover lots of mileage in your rhythm guitar playing.
Length: 5:20 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Rhythm Guitar - Pocket Playing
Playing rhythm guitar is about more than just playing the right chords. It's about finding "the pocket" and the groove. Sheryl gives you some practical advice and techniques for finding and keeping yourself...
Length: 6:40 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Rhythm Guitar - Bb Blues: 4 to the Bar
Time to put all the shells you've learned into an actual tune! In this lesson, Sheryl shows you a blues in Bb and utilizes walkups and chromatic approaches to get that classic 4 to the bar sound.
Length: 12:21 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Rhythm Guitar - Smooth
Giving the material more of a practical use, Sheryl now shows us a tune she calls "Smooth". She introduces more walkups and pushes within the context of a standard progression to expand your rhythm guitar...
Length: 7:03 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Defining Drop 3's
Have you always wondered what a drop 3 chord is? Join Sheryl as she demystifies the drop 3 chord voicings.
Length: 7:52 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Walking Bass Lines
The classic jazz technique of accompanying yourself with a walking bass line can seem daunting at times, but Sheryl breaks down the technique here by showing us a practical and demystifying approach with...
Length: 5:45 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Walking Bass Line - Minor Blues
Now, let's put the walking bass line into an actual chord progression. Sheryl breaks down each step in making this a reality!
Length: 13:20 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Defining Drop 2 Chords
Now, Sheryl takes a look at another commonly used voicing - the Drop Two.
Length: 8:47 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Four Chord Types of Drop Twos - High Set
Now that we know what a drop two chord voicing is, Sheryl now shows us the four major chord types: minor 7, dominant 7, major 7 and minor 7(b5). Starting in this lesson with the high set, she covers root...
Length: 7:47 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Four Chord Types of Drop Twos - Middle Set
Join Sheryl as she continues her look at the four chord types of the drop two voicing. This time, she explores the middle set.
Length: 7:38 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Four Chord Types of Drop Twos - Low Set
Finally, Sheryl explores the low set of the four major chord types in the drop two voicing.
Length: 10:23 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Drop Two - ii-V-I-VI Inversions - High Set
The ii-V-I-VI turnaround or "turnback" progression is very common in the world of jazz. Using voice leading concepts and drop two voicings, Sheryl shows you how to get this progression under your fingers.
Length: 5:05 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Drop Two - ii-V-I-VI Inversions - Middle Set
Sheryl continues looking at drop 2 voicings within the ii-V-I-VI progression. This time, she uses the the middle four strings.
Length: 5:47 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Drop Two - ii-V-I-VI Inversions - Low Set
Sheryl continues in this section of her series by looking at the low set of the ii-V-I-VI drop 2 voicings.
Length: 4:14 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Drop Two - ii-V-I-VI Inversions - Review
Join Sheryl as she does a quick review of all the ii-V-I-VI drop two chord inversions we just learned!
Length: 6:57 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
Drop Two - ii-V-I-VI Extensions
Now it's time to achieve some of those quintessential jazz sounds by exploring chord extensions on the drop two, ii-V-I-VI inversions!
Length: 15:03 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
Minor 7ths a la Wes Montgomery
In this lesson, Sheryl takes a look at a technique used by the legendary Wes Montgomery that connects your minor 7 voicings with passing diminished chords. This techniques leads us closer to the idea of...
Length: 9:17 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
ii-V-I-VI Melodic Voicings
This lesson could also be titled "Intro to Chord Solos"! Here, Sheryl gives you four usable chordal licks to play over a ii-V-I-VI progression.
Length: 15:04 Difficulty: 4.0 Members Only
Bossa Blues Voice Leading, Part 1
This is the first in a group of lessons where Sheryl takes us through "Bossa Blues", focusing on voice leading on certain sections of the neck. Up first - Grip 1.
Length: 6:51 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Bossa Blues Voice Leading, Part 2
Continuing up the neck, Sheryl looks at the next 'grip' of chords for "Bossa Blues".
Length: 5:04 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Bossa Blues Voice Leading, Part 3
Using "Bossa Blues" to cover the whole neck with drop twos, Sheryl now looks at what she calls "Grip 5".
Length: 4:13 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Bossa Blues Voice Leading, Part 4 and Review
In this lesson, Sheryl covers the 4th grip of drop twos using the standard, "Bossa Blues". After that, she puts all four grips together, showing us the entire range of drop twos over the whole fretboard!
Length: 6:07 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Bossa Blues Chord Melody, Part 1
Now that we've learned to voice lead our drop two chords across the fretboard in "Bossa Blues," it's time to learn the melody! But not just the melody...We learn to harmonize the melody with our drop twos!
Length: 12:17 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Bossa Blues Chord Melody, Part 2
Sheryl continues is this lesson with the Bossa Blues chord melody. Putting it all together, she reviews the shapes, then plays it with the track.
Length: 7:18 Difficulty: 4.0 Members Only
Bossa Blues Chord Melody, Part 3
Finally, Sheryl shows us some of her personal favorite colors when playing the "Bossa Blues" chord melody.
Length: 11:25 Difficulty: 4.0 Members Only
Blues Comping
Join Sheryl as she shares some of her favorite voicings and some of her philosophy in this blues comping study.
Length: 9:31 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
Minor 7, Drop 3, Fretboard Organization, Part 1
The title is a mouthful, but the lesson lets you inside Sheryl's mind and how she organizes her fretboard, using 7 scale positions!
Length: 10:54 Difficulty: 4.0 Members Only
Minor 7, Drop 3, Fretboard Organization, Part 2
Sheryl continues showing us how she organizes her fretboard using minor 7, drop three voicings and their corresponding arpeggios. Join her as she puts it all together with a track!
Length: 8:12 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
Major 7, Drop 3, Fretboard Organization, Part 1
After exploring her minor 7 fretboard organization, now Sheryl takes a look at how she organizes the major 7ths.
Length: 14:14 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
Major 7, Drop 3, Fretboard Organization, Part 2
Sheryl wraps up her major 7 fretboard organization by putting it all together with the track!
Length: 9:26 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
Acoustic Guitar Lessons
Our acoustic guitar lessons are taught by qualified instructors with various backgrounds with the instrument.
Danny Voris
Lesson 7 is all about arpeggios. Danny provides discussion and exercises designed to build your right hand skills.
Free LessonSeries Details
Mark Kailana Nelson
Mark Nelson introduces "'Ulupalakua," a song he will be using to teach different skills and techniques. In this lesson, he...
Free LessonSeries Details
Dave Yauk
Learn a simple mini song that illustrates just how intertwined scales and chords really are. Dave uses a G chord paired...
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
Calum Graham
Award winning, Canadian fingerstyle guitarist Calum Graham introduces his Jamplay Artist Series, which aims to transform...
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
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 Details
Jim Deeming
Jim discusses the importance of setting goals. He provides some tips that will help steer your practicing in the right direction.
Free LessonSeries Details
Trace Bundy
Trace Bundy talks about the different ways you can use multiple capos to enhance your playing.
Free LessonSeries Details
Tyler Grant
Tyler Grant is back with an introduction to his new series "Classic Country Chops." In this series, Tyler goes in-depth...
Free LessonSeries DetailsElectric Guitar Lesson Samples
Our electric guitar lessons are taught by instructors with an incredible amount of teaching experience.
Brendan Burns
Brendan demonstrates the tiny triad shapes derived from the form 1 barre chord.
Free LessonSeries Details
John Shannon
Meet John Shannon and his approach to rhythm guitar. John discusses why he put this lesson series together and what his...
Free LessonSeries Details
Andy James
Get an in-depth look into the mind of virtuoso guitarist Andy James. Learn about Andy's early beginnings all the way up to...
Free LessonSeries Details
Rex Brown
Dive into the playing of Rex Brown. As the bass player for Pantera, Down, and Kill Devil Hill, Brown's real world experience...
Free LessonSeries Details
Lita Ford
Lita Ford, guitarist for The Runaways, presents a fantastic and in depth series on what it was like and what it took professionally...
Free LessonSeries Details
Evan Brewer
Evan Brewer explains everything you need to know in order to get going with your bass guitar. Topics include the parts of...
Free LessonSeries Details
Tosin Abasi
Tosin explains some of the intricacies of the 8 string guitar such as his personal setup and approach to playing.
Free LessonSeries Details
David Ellefson
David Ellefson, co-founding member of Megadeth, explains his overall approach to teaching and learning bass in this introductory...
Free LessonSeries Details
Mark Brennan
Mark Brennan teaches this classic rock song by Jethro Tull. Released on the album of the same name in 1971, this song features...
Free LessonSeries DetailsJoin over 518305 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 | 89 | 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.