Improv with Brendan

Skill Building Guitar Course from Brendan Burns

In his Theory and Improvisation series, Brendan Burns looks at triads, chord voicings and usage across the circle of fifths.

24 Lessons

Complete course with step-by-step lessons and practice examples.

Multi-Camera

Course filmed with 6 cameras for the perfect angles.

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Full Course Breakdown

In his Theory and Improvisation series, Brendan Burns looks at triads, chord voicings and usage across the circle of fifths.

1

Lesson Series Overview

Brendan Burns provides an overview of the topics that will be covered in his chord voicing lesson series.

4:17 Runtime

0.5 Difficulty

2

Form 1 Tiny Triads

Brendan demonstrates the tiny triad shapes derived from the form 1 barre chord.

13:12 Runtime

1.5 Difficulty

View this Lesson
3

Form 3 Tiny Triads

Brendan Burns demonstrates the tiny triads derived from the 3rd form of the CAGED system.

12:51 Runtime

1.5 Difficulty

4

Form 2 Tiny Triads

Brendan demonstrates the 2nd form tiny triads.

20:57 Runtime

1.5 Difficulty

5

Form 1 Minor Triads

Brendan demonstrates the tiny minor triad shapes derived from the form 1 CAGED shape.

4:41 Runtime

1.5 Difficulty

6

Form 3 Minor Triads

Brendan demonstrates the 3rd form minor triads from the CAGED system.

6:09 Runtime

1.5 Difficulty

7

Form 2 Minor Triads

Brendan burns demonstrates the 2nd form minor tiny triads.

20:21 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

8

Augmented Tiny Triads

Brendan Burns demonstrates the tiny triad shapes for augmented chords.

6:30 Runtime

1.5 Difficulty

9

Diminished Tiny Triads

Brendan Burns demonstrates the grips for the diminished tiny triads.

7:35 Runtime

1.5 Difficulty

10

Tiny Triads Wrap-Up

Now that you've gone through all the tiny triad lessons, Brendan offers some closing statements and insights that will help you with incorporating them into your playing.

2:00 Runtime

0.5 Difficulty

11

More Tiny Triads

Brendan takes a more in depth look at extensions that can be added to the tiny triad forms.

12:07 Runtime

1.5 Difficulty

12

6th Tiny Triads

Brendan demonstrates the addition of the 6th extension to the tiny triad forms.

7:54 Runtime

1.5 Difficulty

13

Minor Triad Extensions

In lesson 13, Brendan covers the extensions for the minor form tiny triads.

13:24 Runtime

1.5 Difficulty

14

Sus 4 Tiny Triads

Brendan Burns demonstrates the Sus 4 forms for the tiny triads.

6:13 Runtime

1.5 Difficulty

15

Tiny Triads Review

To get you setup to start learning more tiny triads, Brendan talks about what he'll be covering next and provides a review of the previous material.

5:45 Runtime

1.5 Difficulty

16

More Major Triads

Brendan Burns takes a look at extensions that can be added to major triads.

16:47 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

17

Major Triad 6ths

Brendan discusses and demonstrates how to add the 6th extension to your major triads.

11:36 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

18

More Minor Triads

Brendan takes a look at the extensions and embellishments that can be added to the minor tiny triads.

22:51 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

19

Unstable Triads

Brendan Burns demonstrates and discusses the unstable or "ambiguous" triads that result from altering the 3rd.

19:48 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

20

Spread Voiced Major Triads

Brendan Burns demonstrates and discusses how to utilize spread voiced triads in your playing. In the first lesson of this mini-series, he discusses major spread voicings.

19:37 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

21

Spread Voiced Minor Triads

Brendan demonstrates spread voicings of minor triads.

14:15 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

22

Triadic Improvisation #1

The first lesson in Brendan's triadic improvisation lesson series covers the major triads and the combinations of their extensions.

24:51 Runtime

0.0 Difficulty

23

Triadic Improvisation #2

Continuing on with triadic improvisation techniques, Brendan discusses and demonstrates how to utilize the minor triads.

27:22 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

24

Harmonic and Melodic Substitutions

Brendan demonstrates and discusses how various tiny triads can be applied to bass notes to imply larger, more complex chords. He also explains how these concepts can be used in a melodic context.

18:26 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

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  • Nashville, Tenesse
  • Playing since 1988
  • 179 lessons at JamPlay
Brendan has been passionate about music since childhood. He began his studies on trumpet, in elementary school, and then moved to guitar as a teenager. He holds a Bachelor's Degree from Berklee College of Music, and has studied with Norm Zocher, Joe Stump, Bret Willmott, Bob Pilkington, Jay Weik, Tim Miller, & Charlie Banacos.

While at Berklee, Brendan was a member of the Music Mentoring Program, teaching private lessons to gifted high school students. He is currently teaches, and is chair of the guitar department at Brookline Music School. Brendan also teaches guitar for Tune Foolery & privately at his home in Cambridge, MA.

Along with educating, Brendan plays out often as a Solo Guitarist, performing standards, pop, and classical repertoire. He has recorded and played with the chamber-fusion band Ra Quintent, and as well as Vessela Stoyanova's Eastern Stories Under Western Skies Project. Brendan also performs as a leader, director and sideman for various Boston art-rock projects, and is former member of MIT's Gamelan Galak Tika.
Reviews & Feedback 93/100 with 30 ratings
dgkenney

All of the above

two_bone35

Brendan is THE best teacher I've encountered on this site so far. I've been playing for 25+ years and never have I had a better understanding of the guitar than since I've begun his lessons. The only negative thing I have to say is that I wish

JakeRhodes

This is cool!!!