I’ve been on Doug Seven’s mailing list for awhile now. I’m a fan of his marketing work in particular and enjoy reading the emails he sends out about his products.
This particular instructional video (which is available as both a Digital Download & DVD), is one that caught my eye the first time I read about it. I like to understand the guitar fretboard and especially enjoy discovering how other guitarists think about the guitar.
This one, The Triads Mindset is a pretty in-depth instructional video divided into 5 parts. It contains:
- The Triads Mindset Main Lessons – One hour of videos, consists of 9 videos
- The 5 Minute Triad Domination videos – 7 complete 5-Minute Practice Routines
- CD Tracks and TABS (or digital download versions, available via downloadable ZIPPED files)
- PDF Tab Book
- Triads Update Videos – 9 videos consisting of lessons on Soloing Over Slow Country Ballad
The Triads Mindset begins with an introduction video of the course goals. Then Doug explains the concepts via 8 chapters. These form the main lessons of this course.
He goes into concepts like:
- triads
- the Mixolydian mode/sound
- blues notes + Major notes & minor notes
- 2 notes (diads/double stops)
- how to say the most from 3 chords
- syncopation in licks
- ideas using the primary major triads in a key
- a shape based approach
- a triad lesson and then how to transpose ideas into other keys
It’s important to note that not all of these shapes he uses are standard triads. He goes through practical shapes that he uses to create country guitar licks. In Chapter 6, Doug goes into 4ths (jazzier sounds). In Chapter 7, he explores the A13 sound via a 3-note shape. Finally in Chapter 8, he demonstrates triads on the top 3 strings using triad pair like moves .
Doug’s emphasis on using country guitar picking techniques (chicken picking, hybrid picking) to get country guitar lines make his video unique compared to some other videos exploring triadic concepts for guitar.
My main takeaway, (or suggested practice routine from this video is to get shapes, get licks, transpose ideas, use backing tracks, internalise melodies and visualise shapes.
In the Updates section, Doug emphasises the importance of relating new licks to the existing Triads Mindset lessons which simplify how to create licks. The next part with the country ballad is my favorite part of the entire video. A lot of the ideas can work within R&B, rock & even neo-soul guitar context. To me this is the best part of the entire video.
In conclusion, this instructional video uses the combined approach of introducing a concept “The Triads Mindset” and then goes into lick demonstration, with a focus on encouraging the student to practice with backing tracks to get the licks at performance tempo and level.
To be honest, I have mixed feelings about this video. On one hand, I love how Doug has managed to figure out his own take on the fretboard to both visualise and create licks. On the other hand, the inconsistencies in the way he names the chords bother me & I feel can be confusing to beginners.
I would recommend this video to more experienced players coming from different styles of music who want to get into country guitar playing. If you’re the kind of person who wants more clear theory explanations, check out some of Levi Clay’s country guitar books for more insight on this.
PROS: Good usable ideas for country guitar playing. Doug is very passionate when he teaches & the examples sound great. The video is good to help develop right hand technique and your ability to play across the fretboard using triad based lines.
CONS: Doug Seven doesn’t name the triads correctly in the video at times and it’s not very consistent.
TLDR: If you’re into country guitar playing & want to learn to play better country guitar, this is worth considering. This is a very playing based video so be prepared to learn by WATCHING Doug play to get the details. TABS are included but it’s best to absorb directly from his videos.
You can get Doug Seven’s The Triads Mindset here: http://sizzlingguitarlicks.com/the-triads-mindset-guitar-system.html
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