Pickup Music Chord Melody Arranging TUTORIAL
Learn how to play stunning solo-guitar arrangements.
Join pro touring guitarist Arianna Powell as she breaks down her unique system for composing chord melodies.
Chord Melody Arranging
What you’ll learn
If you want to learn how to play solo guitar arrangements, you’ve come to the right class. You’ll learn music theory, chords, and techniques to craft your best solo guitar songs yet.
In Part I, you’ll learn the fundamentals of how to harmonize a melody. Arianna will walk you through how to harmonize with intervals using 3rds, 6ths, and 10ths, every chord in the diatonic scale, and secondary dominant chords.
Next, Ariana will put things in context in Part II. by teaching you her song Corner Store. Then you’ll harmonize it with basic diatonic harmony, secondary dominants and chromatic basslines.
In Part III, we’ll move into gospel harmony by examining the hymn Doxology. After harmonizing the song with I and II chords, Arianna will introduce some more advanced ideas involved in reharmonization. Then, we’ll look at concepts you can use to fill spaces of chord melodies and in outro cadences in Part IV.
But wait there’s more!! In addition to 20 original jazz licks and three SongSquads from Arianna, we’ve included three bonus lessons based on her experience as a professional touring guitarist. There are some real gems in here that you don’t want to miss.
Who is this class for?
This class is best suited for intermediate and advanced players who are comfortable with diatonic scales, intervals, and jazz chord shapes. You don’t have to be strictly interested in solo guitar to benefit from this class – the lessons within will help you improve your playing across a variety of musical genres.
Tips for learning
Use this Master Class to find inspiration, discover new sounds, and incorporate new techniques in your playing. Learn Arianna’s approach to chord melody and apply the concepts to your own songs, or just learn a quick lick to expand your musical vocabulary – the choice is yours. As always, take it slow, and give yourself time to explore how each concept applies to your own style.
Meet your instructor
Arianna is one of LA’s top guitarists. Though a pop guitarist by trade, she’s passionate about solo guitar playing and has an extremely unique style – think Joe Pass and Johnny Smith mixed with contemporary gospel and neo soul.
Arianna has toured with Halsey, the Black Eyed Peas, JJ Lin, Nick Jonas, Chris Brown, Lauren Jauregui, and Drake Bell in addition to playing in the house band on American Idol. She has a Bachelor’s in music education with a concentration in jazz guitar from Duquesne University and has over 47,000 followers on her Instagram page.
Ready to learn solo guitar?
Let’s get started. You’ll be a whole new player in about two week’s time.