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Guitar Music Theory

Ep105 Under the Bridge - How Does This Song Work?

Guitar Music Theory

Desi Serna

Musictheoryforguitar, Guitar, Guitarscales, Performing Arts, Guitarmusictheory, Music, Guitarlessons, Arts, Guitarchords, Guitartheory

4.6931 Ratings

🗓️ 25 September 2021

⏱️ 45 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

🎸 What do you SPECIFICALLY need to do in order to play guitar better? Visit https://GuitarMusicTheory.com - answer the questions about your playing and get FREE custom video instruction calibrated to your current level.

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"Under the Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers features chords that don't seem to fit together in any one key. In this lesson, I show you how guitarist John Frusciante makes use of pedal tones and modal interchange (also called modal mixture or borrowed chords) to compose this 90s classic. I break down the intro, verse, chorus, and bridge and explain the music theory behind the chord progressions.

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OTHER VIDEOS
https://www.guitarmusictheory.com/under-the-bridge-chords-and-tab/

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GEAR
Bluesman Vintage Guitars Sedan (Stratocaster-type guitar)
Kemper Profiling Amplifier
Top Jimi '68 Sup Ld Profile Pack

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

In episode 105 of the guitar music theory podcast, I have another installment of how does this song work featuring under the bridge by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I'm going to Greetings guitar engineers.

0:23.0

Greetings guitar engineers welcome to the guitar music theory podcast I am your host

0:35.5

Desi Cerna and today we're going to analyze another song under the bridge by the

0:41.3

Red Hot Chili Peppers now I'm not going to be teaching under the bridge by the red hot chili peppers.

0:43.0

Now I'm not going to be teaching you the specific parts that are played in that song.

0:48.0

Rather, I'm going to give you an overview of what's happening musically in the song so you can understand the key, the chord

0:55.4

progressions, and the composition techniques.

0:59.0

I also have recorded a video and posted it to YouTube, So if you'd like to see this lesson, you can head

1:05.8

over to YouTube. Just search my name Desi Cernum, plus under the bridge to see my latest video on this song.

1:13.0

I do have some older videos where I break down the intro

1:17.0

and the other parts that are played in the song

1:20.0

if you actually want to take a closer look at playing the particular parts.

1:25.0

In my last podcast episode, I answered some email questions,

1:30.0

including a question about my remarks made about Hosa cables.

1:37.0

Not too far back, I had an interview with sound man

1:40.1

Joe Joel Hilsden, in which a few jokes were made about Hosa cables and so someone

1:46.4

had emailed me and said hey I use Hosa cables is there something wrong with

1:50.8

them should I not be using them and so last

1:53.4

uh... podcast episode i clarified and i said no hosa cables are fine

1:59.1

uh... they're very good i use them like myself but you will hear some sound men crack jokes about them because in some

2:07.6

professional situations they would prefer to use something different.

2:14.0

Well, how's this for timing?

...

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