How To Play Lead Fills Between The Chords Of A Progression
by Simon Candy
In this video, you learn how to play lead fills between the chord changes of the progressions you play on guitar.
Commonly known as rhythm fills, or chord fills, these are the types of sounds you hear in the rhythm guitar playing of such greats as Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
In this lesson, you learn 3 common minor chord fills you can apply to any progression you play on guitar. Each fill is based on the minor pentatonic scale and a commonly used minor triad shape. This makes it easier for you to locate each lead fill on the fretboard.
I will also provide three examples of how to use these fills in common progressions so that you can apply them to your own playing.
Plus, I share a cool trick that can convert any minor fill into a major fill, giving you even more options to explore.
Watch the video below to learn more:
Lead Guitar Fills
Below are 3 lead fills that work great between the chords of the progressions you play on guitar.
Watch the video above for a detailed breakdown of each.
• Lead Fill 1
The first lead fill features some double stops adding a nice texture to the sound:
• Lead Fill 2
The second lead fill contrasts double stops with single notes for a great sound:
• Lead Fill 3
The final lead fill is similar to the first two along with some rapid 16th note triplet hammer ons:
Lead Fill Application
Below are 3 examples of applying the lead fills from above to some chord progressions.
Watch the video above for a detailed breakdown of each, in particular how to instantly convert a minor lead fill into a major lead fill.
• Example 1
The first example uses lead fills 1 and 2 across a chord vamp in Em.
Lead fill 2 needs to be moved to the 5th position to fit the Am chord:
• Example 2
The second example applies all 3 lead fills across a chord progression in A Minor:
• Example 3
The final example uses the leads across a major chord progression.
Moving minor fills down 3 frets converts them to major fills, a neat little trick that’ll instantly double the amount of lead fills you know. Watch the video for a detailed explanation of this:
