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Chord Melody Part 1

Group guitar class taught by Molly Miller

7 lessons · 1 hour per week · intermediate

In my opinion, chord melodies are one of the most challenging things you can do on the guitar - you have to hold down melody, harmony, groove, and tempo, while making it all sound good at the same time. In this course we will dive into chord melody playing. What are some of the key elements into taking a song and making it sore in a solo guitar setting. We will look at different approaches from right hand technique, to harmonic options, to phrasing, to chord voicings. Chord melody is a bit endless, so in the course there will be clear guidelines of how to start on this magical and challenging journey. We will look at specific arrangements, dissect them, and understand them so you can then make your own. Chord melodies changed the way I play and see my instrument - I am excited to show you what I have learned in my 15 years of studying and obsessing over it. As a note: we will study a mixture of genres. This will not be just jazz - we will also check out pop, soul, and r'n'b. I know sometimes when we hear "chord melody" we go right to Joe Pass- we will be using chord melodies to look at a variety of genres.

What's included

Video chat lessons

Learn and ask questions with Molly Miller every week.

Lesson replays

Unlimited access to recordings from class.

Private community

Practice with people who share your love of guitar.

Taught by Molly Miller
Teaching on Til since 2021

4.97 · 579 students · 160 lessons

I am a lover of guitar. I have been playing since I was 7 - I grew up playing with my 4 siblings. I studied at USC, where I received my Doctorate in Guitar Performance and now am a professor. I play constantly- touring with artists such as Jason Mraz, Molly Miller Trio, and all over the internet!

Molly's highlights

What you'll do

Phrasing

How to get your melodies to sing!

Hybrid Picking/ Right Hand Technique

I found this technique super helpful for chord melodies. You have more control over what notes are being played and more options when you can hybrid pick. We will work on some right hand technique through different exercises as well.

Triadic Chord Meldies

You can do a lot with just a few notes.

Seventh Chords in Chord Melodies

Using these slightly larger chords can help fill out the sound- let's investigate!

Arranging For Chord Melody

While this is endless (which I love!), let's look at some key elements of how to arrange a chord melody

Who you are
Strong Intermediate to Advanced Player: Have a strong understanding of the fretboard. I would recommend having taken my String Theory 2 course. You should know: - Some seventh chord voicings - Some triads throughout your instrument - Basic theory knowledge (major scale) - Barre chords and open chords
What to bring
Guitar, zoom, and time to dig in! I would recommend having 1.5+ hours throughout the week to work on the material. I understand life is crazy, but if you can spend three sessions of at least 30 minutes a week diving into the material, you will be so solid in this course!
5.0 (165 reviews)
C

C.R. M.

June 2025·

Exactly what I was looking for. Learning triads and inversions all over the neck, and then working with them in songs and progressions skyrocketed my fret-board knowledge.

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Bob C.

May 2025·

I got a ton of useful perspective on playing tunes for solo guitar. Molly Miller will take you through chord voicing options and fingering choices, but more importantly, teach you what to listen for and how to truly prioritize the melody in your arrangements. Great stuff.

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Peter K.

May 2025·

Great teacher. Great feedback. Super interesting.

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DJ

March 2025·

Loved the class--learned so much and have a TON of things to work on now after taking Molly's course!

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Chris

March 2025·

Loved the Intro to Jazz class. We learned 4 standards and Molly introduced concepts like arpeggios, enclosures, scales and drop2 chords in a way that's digestible and rooted to the songs we were learning. I did really feel a build during the 6 weeks and I'm excited to continue 🙌

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Kim D.

March 2025·

Molly Miller is a very gifted player and educator. She is dedicated, and personable, and very good at demonstrating and explaining the lessons. I highly recommend her classes !

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