October 9th.

Jackson Browne’s birthday.

And Sean Lennon’s too – still in his 50s, October 9th being what it is in music history.

Jackson’s second album – For Every Man – really grabbed me when it came out. Particularly the way Take It Easy morphed into Our Lady of the Well as the opening medley. Great tunes. Great chords. The kind of songwriting that makes you want to be a better guitar player just by listening.

I also played a bit of The Road – written by Danny O’Keefe, who also wrote Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues. Jackson made it famous but didn’t write it. Beautiful tune with some augmented chord movement that doesn’t get talked about enough.

JACKSON BROWNE GUITAR LESSONS HERE

A Quick Note On Augmented Chords

While I was playing The Road, I mentioned something worth expanding on.

The opening has a G chord moving to G augmented.

What’s happening there is the D in the chord moves up a half step to D sharp.

We don’t talk about augmented chords nearly enough. They create a particular kind of tension – not as dissonant as diminished, but more unstable than major. Like something reaching upward that hasn’t quite resolved yet.

Worth knowing when you hear that sound.

Don McLean And A Pack Worth Checking Out

Got Don McLean on the brain too this week. We have a Don McLean pack that I believe is on sale this week – worth checking out if his songs have been on your radar.

DON MCLEAN LESSON PACK HERE

Student Reviews – Getting Started

One student review came in this week – Dennis uploaded something he was working on and I recorded a response. By the time you’re reading this it should be live in the Student Reviews section.

Really encourage you to check it out. And if you’re a Gold or Platinum member – upload something. It’s essentially a free private lesson.

MEMBERS ONLY STUDENT REVIEWS HERE

Also worth mentioning – someone asked about Carpet of the Sun on the Forum. A Renaissance tune I’d never thought about playing before. Gave a hint in the Forum thread if anyone wants to dig into that one.

The Main Topic: Connecting Songs In Different Keys

A guitar player asked me this week about putting together a medley of two Rolling Stones songs that are in different keys. That’s what I really wanted to dig into today – and it turns out there are several ways to handle key changes, ranging from completely abrupt to carefully prepared.

Method 1: The Cold Turkey Key Change

Some songs just go up a whole step without any preparation. Bang. No warning. And it works.

Think of a typical country song in the key of E – three chords, comfortable and familiar – and then suddenly everything jumps up a whole step to F#. The intensity ratchets up immediately. Kenny Rogers used this in The Gambler. It’s direct. It’s effective. It requires no setup.

Method 2: The Half Step Pivot

Other songs use a single chord to pivot into the new key. Rainbow Connection does this beautifully at the end – the D chord (chord five in G) moves up a half step to E flat, and suddenly the song continues in A flat.

John Lennon’s Woman does the same thing.

One chord. Half step up. New key established instantly.

Method 3: The Common Chord

If I Only Had A Brain from The Wizard of Oz uses a more elegant approach. The song is in G but wants to move to A for the final verse. The only major chord that lives in BOTH the key of G and the key of A is D – chord five in G and chord four in A.

So the song moves to D, plays a little guitar lick, then moves to A, then to E – and you’re solidly in the key of A before you know it.

The final verse is a whole step higher than everything before it. More intense. More emotional. And you got there so smoothly you almost didn’t notice.

Method 4: The Ascending Chord Sequence

This is what I suggested for the Rolling Stones medley question specifically.

If you need to get from C to C# minor, you can use a chain of chords that rises step by step:

C to F (one to four in the key of C).

Then up to D to G (same relationship, one step higher).

Then up to E to A (same relationship again, one step higher still).

Now E and A are both in the key of C# minor. You’ve arrived.

What you’re hearing is exactly the progression in Classical Gas – C to F to D to G to E – which sets up the key of A minor perfectly. The ear follows the chain without feeling jarred by the destination.

That’s the elegant version of a key change. Not a sudden jump but a journey that feels inevitable by the time it arrives.

The Mystery Song

Still under construction. Taking up way too much time. Going to be very cool.

Hoping to have it finished by next week.

See you then.

— Neil