Original source: Paul Davids
This video from Paul Davids covered a lot of ground. Streamed.News selected 8 key moments and summarises them here. Everything below links directly to the timestamp in the original video.
See how simple chord shapes, when inverted, can transform your lead playing and open up the entire guitar neck. This is about connecting chords and melodies in a truly musical way.
Ariel Posen Reveals How Inverted Triads Unlock the Fretboard for Lead and Rhythm Playing
Ariel Posen demonstrates a method for seamlessly blending lead lines with chordal patterns by using inverted triad shapes. Focusing on a simple E, G, and A progression, he shows how first and second inversions of these chords can be found all across the fretboard. What Paul Davids loves about this is how these familiar shapes become launchpads for new melodic ideas, turning a simple chord box into a source of creativity.
This approach fundamentally changes a guitarist's relationship with the neck. Instead of being locked into one position, the player begins to see a connected map of harmonic possibilities, allowing for more expressive and dynamic playing that outlines the chord changes fluidly.
"They're all just the same boxes that are right there... it just gives you this nastier tritone thing."
Ariel Posen Demonstrates the 'Drunken' Rhythmic Feel for Creating Musical Tension
To illustrate a more ambiguous rhythmic texture, Ariel Posen plays a progression first with a straight feel, then a swung feel, and finally with a "drunken" timing that sits between them. This third approach feels intentionally out of time, creating a stumbling effect. While it can sound jarring initially, the beauty lies in its purposeful application to build tension.
What's so amazing about this is the intentionality behind the seemingly "wrong" notes. This technique shows how rhythmic displacement can be a powerful tool for emotional expression, resolving beautifully when it finally lands back on a tight, predictable beat.
"The amount of comments I get where people go 'sounds like it's wrong.' And they don't realize that there's intention behind it."
Ariel Posen's Soloing Secret: Ditch Modes and Target the 'Most Colorful Note'
When improvising over complex chord changes, Ariel Posen reveals he avoids thinking in modes, a common approach for many guitarists. Instead, he maintains a focus on the song's root key center at all times. To navigate the harmony, he identifies how the notes of each new chord, like a C minor in the key of G, relate back to that original root.
His go-to target note within any chord is its third, which he calls "the most colorful note" because it provides the most information about the harmony. This method simplifies the mental process of soloing, creating melodic lines that perfectly outline the changes without needing to switch scales or patterns.
"My go-to is the third of each chord is like the most colorful note that you'll ever come across."
Ariel Posen Breaks Down the 'Lazy' Feel by Adding Ghost Notes for a Fuller Rhythm
Ariel Posen demonstrates how to transform a straight, metronomic rhythm into a "lazy," groovy one. The key difference isn't just timing, but the addition of ghost notes and muted strings between the main chord hits. These percussive elements create a much richer rhythmic texture, filling the space in a compelling way.
What's so effective here is how the guitar takes on a percussive role. By incorporating these subtle muted notes, a guitarist can essentially become their own kick and snare drum, establishing a complete groove that listeners can immediately feel.
"Little mute notes in between. You kind of be your own kick and snare, too."
How to Weave Lead Lines into Rhythm Guitar Without Losing the Groove
Ariel Posen showcases how to play lead fills and melodies while maintaining the underlying rhythmic foundation. The secret, he explains, is an unwavering internal metronome that keeps the groove intact even when stepping away from the main chord pattern. The result is a seamless blend of rhythm and lead.
What Paul Davids finds so compelling is how Posen subtly suggests the bass notes and chord changes even when not explicitly playing them. This creates the illusion that the chords are always present, allowing the lead lines to feel perfectly integrated rather than disconnected 'noodling.'
"Keeping that inner metronome going the whole time is like the key."
Ariel Posen Demonstrates Finding Multiple Chord Voicings in One Fretboard Position
To showcase the density of options on the fretboard, Ariel Posen takes on a challenge: playing a three-chord progression of E, G, and A entirely within a single, four-fret position. He effortlessly cycles through various voicings and inversions of each chord without ever moving his hand up or down the neck.
This exercise is a powerful demonstration of deep fretboard knowledge. It proves that with practice, a guitarist can find rich harmonic movement and musicality in a very limited space, breaking free from standard open or barre chord shapes.
Ariel Posen Explores the 'Gray Area' Between Straight and Swung Rhythms
Ariel Posen explains that rhythm isn't just a binary choice between playing straight eighth notes or a swung, triplet-based feel. He demonstrates a "gray area" that exists between the two, a style he calls a "drunken" or "stumbling" feel. This approach intentionally plays with time, pushing and pulling against the beat.
This nuanced rhythmic concept, often employed by drummers like Ash Soan* who think in complex numerical divisions, is the source of a deep, wonky groove. It's a mix of all those things that makes music feel human and unpredictable.
"There's like just this gray area, which I don't even know how to put it into words, but there's the like slightly in and around both of those."
Ariel Posen Applies Rhythmic Concepts to a Sophisticated Chord Progression
Moving beyond a simple blues structure, Ariel Posen applies his rhythmic concepts to a more sophisticated set of chord changes. He crafts a progression moving from G to its four minor (C minor), then descending to a G over B, and resolving through a two-five-one sequence of A7 to Dsus back to G.
This demonstrates how a deep sense of groove and feel can elevate even complex harmony. The specific voicings, like adding a sixth to the C minor chord, show that these rhythmic ideas aren't just for simple vamps but are essential for making any progression come alive.
"Kind of a fun changes to play, but also fun changes to blow over."
Also mentioned in this video
- Paul Davids provides a kick snare beat for download to accompany the lesson and… (1:07)
- Ariel Posen clarifies that he's playing chromatic power chords with… (1:52)
- Placement in time, especially laying back, which can evoke an uneasy feeling. (2:14)
- The importance of playing like a drummer to feel the rhythm and be able to hold… (3:58)
- Within rhythm and groove. (4:54)
- His ability to see chords in different voicings and inversions across the neck… (9:57)
- Chords with fewer notes often sound better, especially with fuzz, highlighting… (12:09)
- In his mind, and Posen agrees, stating he approaches everything like a song,… (19:00)
- Ariel Posen performs an extended improvisation over the sophisticated chord… (19:46)
Summarised from Paul Davids · 22:42. All credit belongs to the original creators. Streamed.News summarises publicly available video content.
