Song Analysis | 08
Song Analysis | 08

Hot Bodies in Motion's "All Night" | Pt. 3 - Bridge

This is the final installment of my little series about the song "All Night" written by me and my friend Ben Carson. Our band Hot Bodies in Motion is releasing the song this Friday the 13th on Spotify and everywhere else.

Here is a cool presave link to remind you when the song is available on Spotify. Feel free to share that link (if you feel like it.) The music video will be public on Friday as well.

In this video I'm talking about the bridge of this specific song as well as my general philosophy about bridges. We'll cover the parts (bass, guitar, vocal) and discuss the tonality of the bridge and why I chose a "dig into the groove" bridge over a "if, but, however" bridge.

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Song AnalysisScott Johnson
Community Challenge | 57
Community Challenge | 57

Write Something Difficult (For You)

You don't have to write something CRAZY difficult, just set out to write something that is hard for you to play. Watch the video for elaboration.

What is a Community Challenge? It's an invitation to all of my Patrons to create SOMETHING. When you're learning guitar, it's easy to lose track of what ALL your favorite musicians have in common. Creativity. It's easy to lose track of the fact that music isn't something to study, it's something to explore and experience.

The goal of a community challenge is for YOU to write in a fun, low pressure environment. No need to write a whole song, no need to write multiple parts. You start from your comfort zone and write from there. Wether thats a single-note melody, a chord progression or a whole multitrack song. You can record what you write with your cell phone, your ipad, or your home studio. Post what you write to the community forum.

The only rules are:

1. Write something new

2. Write something based on the prompt

These rules mean you're supposed to write something new, based on the writing prompt, rather than posting something you've previously written that might fit the prompt.

These challenges come out every other Thursday. This gives you about two weeks to write something for each prompt, but I recommend spending no more than an hour or two on each challenge.

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Community ChallengesScott JohnsonCommunity Challenges 31-60
Live Stream | 103
Live Stream | 103

12 Strings, Motivation, Right Hand Technique, Finding Your Path, Used Guitars

I was a little under-slept and over-caffeinated for this one but it went pretty well and I was very excited to show off a new feature: I was finally able to offer an easy way to have Patrons ask questions via video live on stream! I'll do more of that in the future. I was only testing this feature for this stream. Thanks Jeff and Tyler for helping me out!

Question 1 was from Thijs looking for 12 string guitar tips

Question 2 - Brian was looking for tips on how to stay motivated while learning music theory.

Question 3 from Jeffery was about right hand relaxation while strumming (and fingerpicking, but I focused on the strumming part)

Question 4 - Jason was wondering how to find the clear path forward after the initial music theory lessons. My advise is always this: Make the most specific goals for yourself - what do you like? What excites you? What challenges sound fun and which ones make you want to quit guitar? Move toward the fun challenges and don't worry about the others. The more specific you get with goals, the easier it is to see the path forward.

Question 5 - Liam had questions about buying a new or used guitar. When to buy? What to buy? Red flags for used guitars? Liam was also looking for ergonomic tips when playing guitar standing up with a shoulder strap.

Question 6 - Joe had a question about looking at the neck while playing - are you supposed to practice without looking? Can you look? It is OK to look! It's also ok to memorize so you don't need the sheet music. It's also ok not to play it PERFECTLY before moving on.

Question 7 - Tyler (Surfdad83) was asking about the chord progression Fm Eb Bb - what key is it in? Is it modal? I concluded that it was in Dorian Mode, but if it was part of a bigger section, it might not be.

Question 8 - Kevin was wondering about the tonality of the song Killing an Arab by the Cure. Wow! There is a LOT going on here. We dove into it and considered some big music composition implications.

From there, I invited my Patrons to help me test out an easy video chat system that requires no downloading an app, no creating a login or password, easy peasy. You just type your name and join. I'm very excited.

Feel free to continue the discussion on the community forum or in the comments below.

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Live Stream ArchiveScott Johnsonlive streams 91-120
Live Stream | 102
Live Stream | 102

Motivation, Playing Over Chords, Remembering Ideas, Strings

These were the questions:

Question 1: Jeffery was wondering how to practice when you lose motivation - I also recommend checking out Practice Thoughts 

Question 2: Richard had questions about soloing over specific chord progressions. I strongly recommend MTM lessons 17 18 19 for melody making and CAGED Soloing for applying that information specifically to the CAGED system.

Question 3: Jeffery was wondering how I write my ideas down when I don't have access to my recording equipment

Question 4: David was asking if there is an app for quickly tabbing ideas

Question 5: BB was asking about ear training advise. I recommend spotify roulette plus my course on Ear Training.

Got more questions? Come hang out on the community forum.

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Live Stream ArchiveScott Johnsonlive streams 91-120
Live Stream | 101
Live Stream | 101

Percussive Guitar, Switching Guitars Mid-Show, Chord Identification, Tuning with Harmonics

Great questions this week. 

Question 1: Ray wanted my opinion of percussive guitar playing.

Question 2: Mateus was curious about how/why guitar players switch guitars in a show.

Question 3: Graeme wanted help identifying a specific chord.

Question 4: There are a variety of questions from chat at this point ranging from how to tune using harmonics, where my music will release, how to write a lot of ideas, and how to release music.

If you'd like to continue the conversation, do so in the comments or on the community forum.

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Live Stream ArchiveScott Johnsonlive streams 91-120
Song Analysis | 07
Song Analysis | 07

Hot Bodies in Motion's "All Night" pt 2

Hi Everyone,

Sorry it took me so long to post this second installment! I just got internet set up in my new studio here in the Pacific Northwest. I'll get more lessons posted soon and another community challenge this week. I still have a lot of work to do getting this new studio set up, but I'm very excited about the potential for a wider variety of lessons, interviews, etc. It's very exciting.

Anyhow, this song analysis video breaks down the chorus section of my band's song "All Night." I broke down the bass line, guitar parts, and vocal melody, talking about my approach to writing these kinds of parts and how the tonality makes sense to be. Considering you now have access to almost 200 videos and 100 livestreams where I explain how I think about guitar, songwriting, and music theory, I hope you find this breakdown interesting! Let me know in the comments and in the community forum if you learn anything interesting from these breakdowns.

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Song AnalysisScott Johnson
Community Challenge | 56
Community Challenge | 56

Write Something with a Big Transition

Here are a couple ways to approach this challenge: 

1. You could think of it as a position transition. For example, this could be a jump from the 3rd fret to the 12th fret in either your melody or chord progression. For example, if you're playing a D Shape D Chord down in open position, you could write a progression where you zoom that shape up to frets 7&8 for that G chord. To be more general, write something that takes you up and down the fingerboard.

2. If you like writing lyrics, write about a big transition in your life.

3. If you want to be more etherial, think of the big transition as a transition from one section of a song to another section. Maybe the first section is playing low low bass notes, the chord progression is also using low voicings, and the melody is using lower notes. The second section could be an explosion into a higher register for each instrument, creating the effect of "woah that was a big transition from one section into the next."

Remember, keep it simple. Good music does not equal difficult music.

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Community ChallengesScott JohnsonCommunity Challenges 31-60
Song Analysis | 06
Song Analysis | 06

Hot Bodies In Motion, “All Night” | Pt. 1 - Verse

I thought it might be fun to do a little songwriting analysis on something I've written with my band, Hot Bodies in Motion.

We'll discuss the general arrangement and tonality of the song, and then dig into the melody, bass line, and guitar parts. Specifically, we'll focus on how they interact with the chord progression and each other. These lessons are designed to give you some insight into my approach to songwriting, and hopefully inspire you to take part in more community challengesand writing exercises.

You can listen to the song by watching the music video here but don't share it with anyone yet! The song (and video) will officially release on January 13th.

If you want to practice ear training, see if you can figure out all the parts yourself before watching the videos!

This song started out as a loose groove/idea I came up with sometime toward the end of 2017 or beginning of 2018. I gave it to my friend and bandmate, Ben. He started writing lyrics and we finished writing the song sometime in 2019. We filmed the music video around Christmas 2021.

Let me know if you enjoy this format! I've been thinking it's time to do some more song analysis

Song Analysis - Hot Bodies in Motion's "All Night":
• Part 1: Intro/Verse
• Part 2: Chorus (coming soon)
• Part 3: Bridge/final thoughts (coming soon)

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Song AnalysisScott Johnson
Live Stream | 100
Live Stream | 100

Final Stream Before Seattle Studio!

This was my final stream in Southern California before moving back up to the Seattle area.

Question 1: Ray asked about the fundamentals of muting - see also Question 11 below

Question 2: Jeff was wondering about positions in the CAGED System. I cleared up some confusion about terms.

Question 3: Wayne wanted to work through the CAGED system in a particular way. I like it, BUT had a few key things to keep in mind.

Question 4: Ray was curious about how the 3NPS (3 notes per string) method compares to CAGED

Question 5: Mark was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of things to keep track of. I gave some advise on how to simplify and divide up practice time.

Question 6: Holly was wondering where to sell gear

Question 7: Tamara had questions about developing a personal style.

Question 8: Patrick was considering buying a loop pedal. I talked about workflow.

Question 9: Dede was wondering how capacitors affect your tone. I don't know!

Question 10: Stevie was asking wether to get into GarageBand or go straight to Logic Pro

Question 11: Patrick had a more specific question about muting that I didn't address in Question 1

Question 12: cblulu asked about making practice more fun and musical

Question 13: Patrick asked if it's best to buy the nicest or cheapest equipment AND asked if gear depreciates like computers do - NO. Also, check out JHS channel - always good advise

Question 14: David asked for advise transitioning from D to D7

Follow up on the community forum if you have more to say.

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Live Stream ArchiveScott Johnsonlive streams 91-120
Community Challenge | 55
Community Challenge | 55

Write Two Quick Things in Under an Hour

The idea behind this challenge is to help you see what you create when you don't have a lot of time to stop and think. What are your go-tos? What are your hangups while you're writing? What slows you down?

In the video I talk about this as your baseline. It doesn't mean this is how you always write, it's just supposed to be a snapshot of your strengths and weaknesses at the present moment. It's a good opportunity to think about the kinds of things you might like to practice and improve and adjust.

You could set a timer for 30 minutes two times, or just a 1 hour timer.

You don't have to write the way I did in the video, thats just my comfort zone. Your comfort zone should be your starting point - wether thats just guitar and voice, just guitar, or a full DAW experience.

Have fun, don't overthink it and post what you come up with to the community forum. As an added bonus, I would love if you could share what you learned through this process about your own writing.

Check out the Lesson Archive for more Community Challenges - you’re welcome to participate on any past Challenge at any time!

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Community ChallengesScott JohnsonCommunity Challenges 31-60
Confused about CAGED Naming Conventions?
Confused about CAGED Naming Conventions?

What Sucks About The CAGED System

I don't usually engage in clickbait and this video is no exception. I love the CAGED System, but there is certainly an aspect of the CAGED System that sucks. You mainly see it when you describe chords like this: G Shaped D Chord.

For some people, it's hard to think of a chord shape as anything other than a chord. So this lesson is about giving everyone a funny way to think about CAGED shapes as people names instead of the typical names for the shapes.

I hope you enjoy! If you think about CAGED Shapes differently or want to start a discussion about this lesson, feel free to leave a comment below or on the community forum.

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CAGEDScott Johnson
Live Stream | 99
Live Stream | 99

Silly Hat, Modes and I IV V, Mixer, Major Blues with Minor Penta

This week started with my ridiculous radish hat and a little talk about what kind of videos are coming out soon.

Question 1: Frank had some questions about Mixolydian mode and Dom7 chords

Question 2: Halo Hat was wondering about my mixer (Tascam Model 12)

Question 3: Nis-Momme also had a question about Dom7 chords, but this question was more about the blues.

Question 4: Halo Hat asked: do I see the fingerboard horizontal or veritcal?

Question 5: Halo Hat had a question about inversions

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Live Stream ArchiveScott Johnsonlive streams 91-120
Live Stream | 98
Live Stream | 98

Logic Pro X, MIDI Controllers, Chord Tones

Question 1: Stevie was wondering if and when to upgrade from GarageBand to Logic Pro. My computer was ridiculous and messed up my audio for a minute or two, but I got it fixed by this point.

Question 2: Julian was wondering which MIDI controller keyboard to buy of the two I own: The Korg MicroKey 25 or the Akai LPK 25 - I weight the pros and cons. Also, it looks like there is an Akai LPK 25 MkII that looks really nice.

Question 3: Ray had a great question about chord tones and voice leading. I mentioned MTM 17 18 19 for melody making and CAGED Soloing.

Question 4: StratMan WannaBe was worried about learning to fast on paper without applying to the fingerboard. I went in depth on how to practice by setting goals and how to practice by focusing on one thing and letting other things fall apart.

Question 5: Dan was wondering where to start on the fingerboard when starting a solo

Question 6: Ahmed was wondering about the cons of playing with low action

Question 7: Kevin was curious about truss rod adjustment. I explain with the ipad

An intonation question was related, so I went into a bit of explanation about how intonation works.

I did challenge people (as per Stratman's question) to share their goals as specifically as possible on the community forum.

I also invited Tim to share how the jam session went!

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Live Stream ArchiveScott Johnsonlive streams 91-120
Community Challenge | 54
Community Challenge | 54

Harmonic Minor II

Since I've switched to offering Community Challenges every other week, I decided it would be worth it to include a quick review or lesson about the topic. This way, you can get involved without digging through lessons.

I got a little fancier in this quick lesson since I got a few questions about harmonic minor in the previous challenge. If you have more questions about harmonic minor, or you feel that you need more clarification on these concepts, lets have a deep dive discussion about harmonic minor on the next Office Hours!

One thing I mentioned, but would have liked to emphasize a little better is this: the bizarre and awesome fully diminished chord that results from the sharp 7 can function like the V chord. Meaning you can use it in place of the V chord, or even do a fun transition like i - V7 - #vii° - i or i - #vii° - V7 - i

Have fun with these weird, cool concepts and post what you write on the Community Forum.

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Community ChallengesScott JohnsonCommunity Challenges 31-60
Live Stream | 97
Live Stream | 97

Analysis, Bach, Logic Pro, Ear Training, Nerves, Gear

Question 1: Ahmed asked for an analysis of my melody in my latest Community Challenge

Question 2: Jeff was working on a cool piece by Bach and had questions about practice

Question 3: Tasha wants a comprehensive course on Logic Pro X.

Question 4: Ray wanted some tips on how to learn a song by ear - we took Ledbetter by Pearl Jam and spent a few minutes with it.

Question 5: Tim is meeting with a friend to record and jam - maybe write music together and maybe work on one of Tim's song. Tim is a bit nervous and wants tips on a) how to prepare/what to expect and b) how to deal with nerves.

Question 6: Halo Hat was looking for good drum software - I recommended something like Native Instruments Drums but I'm sure there are other good ones on the market. Halo Hat was also wondering how I like my M1 Ultra

Question 7: Kevin was looking for speakers for an FX unit. As a community, we discussed the pros and cons of switching to an audio interface, using an amp as a speaker, using a studio monitor as a speaker, or other options!

Got follow up questions? Want to rehash a topic? Come hang out on the community forum.

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Live Stream ArchiveScott Johnsonlive streams 91-120
CAGED Basics II
CAGED Basics II

Lesson 07 | E Shape

In this installment, we'll build the E Shape pentatonic scale from the E Shape triad and its relative minor shape, the D Minor Shape triad. You'll have a little homework (do it! It will help!) and a fun tune to play with E shape and D Minor shape chords to get used to. After this, we have one more CAGED Shape to cover! That means you'll be set up to play anywhere on the neck.

You can find the PDFs and Play-Along videos on the Patreon post.

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CAGED Basics IIScott Johnson
Live Stream | 95
Live Stream | 95

9th Chords, Metronomes, Penta-As-Canvas, Harmonizing

Question 1: Andy was looking for clarification on 9th and 11th chords

Question 2: Sean was wondering if there are rules for hammering on open chords

Question 3: Wayne wanted to know what amp I use for my videos, AND what a good practice amp would be. I use the Milkman "The Amp" 100

Question 4: Ahmed had a question from last week about the pentatonic scale as a canvas. I only partly answered it. This week, I went a little deeper.

Question 5: Davin was curious about harmonizing 2-guitar guitar riffs like The Boys are Back in Town

Question 6: Jeff was looking for tips on how to play with a metronome

Question 7: Sahela didn't have a question, but based on their comment, I suggest checking out Octave Shapes

Question 8: Ray asked about hybrid picking and fingerpicking - worth learning?

Question 9: Mateus wanted to know what to consider when trying to make a cohesive album.

Question 10: Brody had a question about secondary dominants and borrowed chords.

Question 11: Ahmed was wondering if I had any lessons about transcribing. I don't, but I have a mini ear training coursethat should help you along!

Got any followup question? Come to the community forum.

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Live Stream ArchiveScott Johnson
CAGED Basics II
CAGED Basics II

Lesson 06 | Pentatonic Pitstop

In this lesson, we spend some time moving between the A Shape and G Shape pentatonic scales with a fingering exercise and a tune designed to make you think about your finger choices.

These exercises are designed to give you a manageable playground to practice what many beginning & intermediate guitar players would consider the most under-explained aspect of guitar playing: choosing which fingers to use and why.

I learned things like this while taking classical guitar lessons, but even then I had to infer the logic from the written fingering. This "fix or foreshadow" idea isn't an all-encompassing method, but it is a great start for designing your own ergonomic path through a melody, riff, solo, etc.

Play-Long Tracks available on Patreon Post.

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CAGED Basics IIScott Johnson
Live Stream | 94
Live Stream | 94

Time Signatures, Reverb.com, Electric vs. Acoustic, Inconsistent Technique

Question 1: Noah wanted some understanding around time signatures

Question 2: Graeme had questions around buying used equipment without seeing/playing it first.

Question 3: Chris K was wondering why strumming on an electric is harder/different from an acoustic and was looking for pointers to make that transition easier.

Question 4: Nis-Momme was noticing the phenomenon of inconsistent technique from day to day and wanted some ideas for how to deal with it. I'd recommend Practice Thoughts for some encouragement as well.

Question 5: Ray struggles with singing and playing and was looking for advise on how to practice.

Question 6: Ahmed was wondering about my use of the pentatonic scale as a "canvas." I recommend MTM 15

Question 7: Mark R was curious about my Gibson ES-125T 3/4

Question 8: Joseph wanted to know what recording software I used in my Community Challenges: Logic Pro X Check out my GarageBand series to get started with the basics.

Question 9: Kevin has issues with catching the string above on a bend. I have a few responses.

There weren't any more questions, but I showed a draft of a little tune I've been tinkering with.

Want to continue the discussion? Come hang out on the community forum.

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Live Stream ArchiveScott Johnson
Community Challenge | 53
Community Challenge | 53

Write Something In Harmonic Minor

I'm switching to every-other-week Community Challenges to promote more community involvement by giving a little more time between challenges. I'm also switching from text to video so I can do a mini lesson about the topic before diving into the challenge myself! I'm still playing with the format, so expect these videos to have a different vibe to them as I settle into the ideal method. Feel free to comment below if you have any ideas for how to make these community challenge videos more engaging.

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Community ChallengesScott JohnsonCommunity Challenges 31-60