Functional harmony explained without the academic jargon. From Beatles progressions to Radiohead's rule-breaking - understand how chords create movement, tension, and musical gravity.

My previous blog post was about modes and their equivalent in Indian music. If you haven't checked that out yet, it might help set the stage for today, which is all about harmony derived from the melody discussed earlier. A diatonic triad is just a three-note chord. Your basic major and minor chords are triads. Pretty straightforward. Diatonic simply means from within the scale. For beginners, it's a question that comes up often: if you're playing all six strings, let's say i

I was recently jamming with my vocalist friend, proficient in Hindustani classical music, and once again felt the need to spend time outside the traditional modes of the major scale. You see, Indian classical music, whether it be Hindustani or Carnatic, has been highly melody-based. Time and time again, I have shared the fact that chords were not even a part of Indian classical music, as a concept. I keep repeating because it came as a surprise to me, yet it explained why so

Learning guitar today is more arbitrary than ever. If you haven’t already guessed the culprit, it’s short-form videos. These bite-sized videos feel relevant, but from what I see in my guitar school, the impact is… mixed at best. Sure, there’s more exposure. Students come in already familiar with diverse renditions of songs, hinting at greater genre flexibility. That’s great. But on the flip side, foundational skills have taken a hit. I’ll be circling in on rhythm from a guita

Songs aren't made right off the chromatic scale. That would be the same as blending verbal sounds from all the different languages.

Chords are one of the first few landmarks in the guitar land. If fortunate enough though, newbies land upon the topic "8 open chords" and not the monstrous chord chart demonstrating an endless number of variations (voicings). Unfortunately due to copyright reasons the 'monstrous chord chart' can't be shared here but it'll come up if you search something along the lines of 'the ultimate chord chart'. It's easily one of the most lethal misdirections to step in — also happens to

The essence of Intervals in music theory beyond dry tables and terms, their application in Indian and Western music & free intervals tool.

The greatest example is the intro to Sweet Child O' Mine. People may refuse to acknowledge the song if you alter it for your creative reasons (or lack of practice). On the other hand, there are parts in the same song where you can improvise. For example, during the outro, there's space for improvisation. So, within the same song, you’ve got a super iconic part you can’t compromise on, and another part where you have some flexibility.

'The big picture' of the scales basically - relation between the most utilized scales (major, minor, and pentatonic).

Playing guitar in a band has its own challenges and pleasures or shall I say Guns N Roses...

Why diving into various music genres is crucial for a guitarist’s growth? Insights on genre exploration.

Navigate the guitar fretboard with ease — grasp the concept of multi-dimensionality and how it affects major scale shapes.

Uncover the nuances of guitar roles. Rhythm vs. lead — and their implication on your practice routine.

Avoid common pitfalls like theory overload and enhance your guitar practice routine. Play more, work less—music is meant to be played.

This comprehensive Guitar 101 guide answers the most frequent queries from beginners — No BS approach and most practical in-depth advice.