You’ve got the guitar basics down: You can strum your guitar and play a few of your favorite songs, but you’re ready to take the tunes to the next level. In Guitar Scales and Chord Progressions you’ll expand your knowledge of scales, chord fingerings, and common chord progressions. You’ll also learn important skills for soloing, creating melodies, and adding depth and dimension to your guitar playing.
Offered By
About this Course
Learner Career Outcomes
11%
Learners should complete "Guitar for Beginners" before enrolling in this course.
What you will learn
Play scales in a moveable open position
Identify and play major, minor, diminished, and augmented arpeggios
Add rhythmic timing to arpeggios and strumming to enhance your playing
Skills you will gain
Learner Career Outcomes
11%
Learners should complete "Guitar for Beginners" before enrolling in this course.
Offered by

Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music is through the study and practice of contemporary music. For more than half a century, the college has evolved to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business. Berklee serves distance learners worldwide through its award-winning online extension school, Berklee Online.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Welcome to Guitar Scales and Chord Progressions!
Welcome to Guitar Scales and Chord Progressions! Here we will cover all the details about the course and what you'll need to know to get the most out of your experience.
Scales
In this lesson, we'll be learning and practicing the pentatonic scale. First we'll learn the b3 pentatonic scale, then the b7 pentatonic scale, and then we'll learn how to play the scale on one string. We'll also work on improvising using a single string. Finally, we'll practice playing scales in a moveable open position.
Arpeggios
This lesson, we'll be working with arpeggios, which means playing the notes in a chord one at a time. We'll be learning and practicing major, minor, diminished, and augmented arpeggiated chords.
Chords and Progressions
In this lesson, we'll begin practicing chords and popular chord progressions. We'll also begin practicing these progressions with both open and barre chords.
Rhythm
Reviews
TOP REVIEWS FROM GUITAR SCALES AND CHORD PROGRESSIONS
Teaches major and pentatonic scales, arpeggios, chord progression and 12 bar blues. Essential knowledge for beginners. Lectures are nice and easy to follow. Overall a great course for beginners.
Excellent, very helpful, the instructor was fantastic, I learned a lot. Would appreciate more examples of putting it all together. I enjoyed the process, even with my busy schedule.
Good beginner/early intermediate course which touches on some typical chord progressions and arpeggios and the ionian major scale (but not inversions or other modes and scales)
A good course for a guitarist who knows its basics. The professor taught really well. The course content was also apt and carefully constructed. Overall a good course.
About the How to Play Guitar Specialization
Have you always wanted to play the guitar, but never knew where to start? Whether you’re just picking up the guitar for the first time or you just want to brush up on your skills, the Guitar Techniques specialization created by Berklee College of Music will help you practice the techniques you need to bring your playing to the next level. Throughout this 16-week specialization, you’ll lay a firm foundation by learning and practicing major, minor, and pentatonic scales as well as triads and chords. You’ll also practice improvising, writing melodies and licks, and playing through lead sheets. By the end of this specialization, you’ll have learned the skills and confidence to perform your favorite songs in front of an audience.

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