When I was first learning guitar, I wanted to play one song and one song only; Free bird. I dreamed of being on stage and when the inevitable scream of “FREE BIRD” came from the crowd, I would play all 9 minutes of it. Now the thing about the guitar part on Leonard Skynard’s Free Bird is that it start’s off nice and easy and then becomes ridiculously hard about three minutes in. It is not a song for beginners. I started learning the opening lead line and then I learned the chords to the acoustic part. Then when it came time for the solo, I learned about 20 seconds before it greatly surpassed my ability. This post isn’t about what I didn’t learn, however. This is about everything I picked up by aiming high.
Because I took on more than I could chew, I learned what is called the pentatonic scale which is the classic blues/rock and roll scale for soloing. I learned that it is the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th scale degrees. I learned that most solos play it in the minor key relative to the song. I learned about secondary dominance in the chord progression through the acoustic guitar part. That is where chords are borrowed from another relative key signature as part of a transition to another chord. Academically, I wouldn’t have been taught this until Jazz Theory in my Junior year of college. While I may not have learned all 9 minutes of that rock epic, I did learn concepts that are far beyond beginner guitar students.
You may be reading this thinking I don’t really care about guitar, rock and roll, or music theory. That’s totally fine. What I want you to care about though is development. I want you to take on something you can’t handle. You may not end up shredding guitar or immediately promoted to head of sales but you will end up farther ahead than you are. You will know more, be more capable, and believe in yourself more than if you only do what you feel comfortable with.