READ THIS! READ THIS! Ok so two things. First, I have no idea what I was thinking when I filmed this. The second F# is actually played as a MAJOR chord, not a minor. Which is how I usually play it, but for some KZfaq reason, my brain shut off and I said and played minor. How does this affect your soloing? Well in one world it doesn't. Putting the F#m arpeggios and pentatonic over the Major is perfectly fine and Jerry does it ALL the time. On the other hand, you can also add the F#Major arpeggios to the riff if you like and it will add a great flavor. My bad on this.. I beg for your mercy. Secondly, there is a discrepancy of whether or not it is an A Played after that F# or an E. Now, all of the research I did, I did see this come into play, but I looked at Jerry's soloing and saw more A chord tones than E so, I went with the A. I am human and could be totally wrong. If I am, no worries at all, all of the soloing techniques in this video will work, you just want to put in E arpeggios and pentatonics at that moment and you are all good. It's a doozy of a song, and it got me good. Hope you all still enjoy the video and the concepts. Rock on, Stich

Ian, this is fantastic. Like so many of your videos, you are providing a lesson that is truly practical because you are explaining the WHY, and not just the HOW. I already experienced two major “aha!” moments on watching the video once. But they’re probably not where you’d expect. The first is when I realized that “Deal” is the name of a SONG. (OK I’m the first to admit that I’m not a huge Grateful Dead fan and thus not very familiar with their music.) 😊 The second is when you described the key change from A to D in the last line of the chord progression, when you noted that D major has the same notes as A Mixolydian. I already knew that, but it suddenly struck me that this knowledge is very powerful for song COMPOSITION. The G major chord is not simply a “borrowed chord” and the switch to the key of D is significant because D is the previous key (from A) in the circle of fifths. That means (according to the relationships of subsequent keys in the circle of fifths) that the difference when moving from the key of D to the key of A is to raise the G (the 7th) to G#. Which means that to go from A to D (ie, A Mixolydian), you LOWER the 7th - take the G# and make it a G. I already knew that the difference between Ionian and Mixolydian is a flatted 7th, but this illustrated that what you’re actually doing is moving the “parent major key” back one step in the circle of fifths. Understanding how the modes relate to the circle of fifths is a very practical tool for composing songs of greater complexity. In other words, there’s a good reason why key changes work in songs.

Man this is so eye opening not just playing triad but playing the arpeggios in the pentatonics man I need to practice!!

This one was a journey -but,man I’m glad I came along for the ride

I've always loved your lessons and have been following them for years. However, I've always taken dispersed ideas and snippets, and never followed anything systematically. This time, I'm going to do it. No matter how long it takes. I have the feeling that by doing this step-by-step (starting with really learning each chord arpeggio and pentatonic in that position) will unlock a lot of Jerry's playing beyond Deal. THANKS!

I am sooooo thrilled you took the plunge on this one. Can’t wait to get into it. Thank you Ian

I’ve loved playing this song for over 40 years. It always sounds fresh and I so much enjoy teaching other musicians the nuances of it. Though I’m not the teacher you are. Great job Ian.

I am Delighted every time I hear Jerry soloing over chords and your demonstrations give me the same feelings . Seeing the roadmap of chords and scales opens the door! I can see the yellow brick road in living color.

Love jerrys shirt...good taste!!

I’ve always played that 2nd F#m after the A as an F# Major….resolves a bit better into the B

This is better than any guitar teacher I've ever had. This lesson is just beyond my ability, and exactly the kind of challenge I'm after. I can play in key, and move with slower chord progressions hitting chord tones - but this one is a bit faster and moves a lot more. I hope to see more videos like this in future - they keep me become a better player. Thanks Stich, and have a great day!

The timing couldn’t have been better for this lesson! I’m newish to the Dead and I have a jam coming up this weekend and Deal is one of the many Dead songs we will do. This one has more non diatonic chords so it will be nice to see your approach!! Thanks

I learned very basic music theory in high school, but never put the effort in to really learn much. It was this channel that taught me how to play guitar. I am forever thankful Ian. Thank you so very much 🙏

Fantastic lesson, Stitch! Thank you! We met as I was walking up the pav entrance at SPAC this past summer for the benefit shows. You are an incredibly kind person and the best guitar teach I know. Keep on keeping on brother!

Man your videos are so awesome, I also love how you really gently encourage the viewers to get a grip on their theory and remind them that Jerry had a very thorough understanding of theory, the fretboard, chord tones etc. Ever since I heard the Deal off 2/5/78 (Dicks Picks vol 18) I've been on a quest to be able to play like that. Been working my way up slowly to Deal and am finally starting to kind of crack in on it. This video helped me heaps to hone in on the chord tones via the arpeggios and is getting me closer to the point where I can just rip over this without having to think to hard about that damn F note and diminished run.

Love that you tackled this one. There’s a wealth of music theory and phrasing lessons to learn here. You’re an exceptional teacher!

Ok, Ive been following you hered and on Patreon for maybe a year and I'm always impressed but this THIS lesson you really showed your depth of knowledge and skill. The solo I just watched you do where you mixed pent, chord tones and chromatic notes for every chord change at that tempo. I mean I just can't believe what I just watched. I don't see how I can get to this level but I'm going to try to do these lessons and get something out of this.

Wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. I have been watching your videos for about a month and a half starting with the caged system and then your blues master class on truefire and have really taken off with my playing. I went from simply memorizing things to understanding why and what I was playing and it has opened up the door for me to a whole new world 🤙 played yellow led better solo for the first time and puzzled it out myself knowing the chords

One of your best brother. Wow. I'm gonna be here for a month..... Maybe a year..... Lol I just can't believe how active our brains need to be when the chords are moving so fast.

You are the best of the best. Many thanks my friend. And I read an article once that said Jerry was "nailed to the chords" which is kind of what you say here. Love it.

I knew Jerry used a tonne of chromaticity but this explains a lot.great lesson . The only way to do it naturally is to practice the arrpegios till you can do them quickly on the fly.then add the chromatic notes.

I like that you talk about Jerry as if he's still here. I guess, in a way, he is. 😊

Such a great tune ! I'm looking forward to watching this video in its' entirety!!

Love the formula. Great stuff Stitch. Please keep it up.

This is gold!

You're sounding great Stich! So good to see another Dead / Jerry video =)

I love the dominant 7,arpeggios.such a cool sound

Wow, phenomenal look at an intense song- thank you! 🎉

I'm glad you make these videos, I used to watch jdarks do a lot of these too.

Chuffin amazin, thanks learnt sooo much, will try and put it to use and maybe in 10 years the light bulb will come on, but now I know what I'm listening to and what I'm looking out for. Thanks for all the time and effort to put this together Respect 😊

I really love the way you explain the chromatic stuff. especially the B.

Jerry often played mostly A major pentatonic on this solo in the early years... then he started chasing the chord tones later. I think his major pentatonic solos were great too

Great, great lesson THANK YOU! I always learn so much and I love the dive into Jerry’s mind🤣. Seriously though, I always thought the chords went from the F sharp minor to E, ha! It sounded good to me, but now I hear it right , they it goes to A. I also learned about hexatonic scale. Love the new music master formula. Keep it coming please!

Yikes, that IS a lot to tackle. You do it very well. Such a joyful mood that style has!

Great Lesson! Thanks Stich ✌

Great lesson! Thanks Stich! Watched twice and looking at your Patreon posts next. Thinking a lot of these techniques would be good for your Ophelia lesson too. Cheers!

I’m going to love this one

Absolutely great - thanks so much. Unfortunately, Jerry is often underappreciated.

epic solo to break down

Great lessons as always

Loved it.

Thanks!

Truly spectacular as usual!!! Thanks Stitch!! Also... ahem... Franklin's Tower Video 2? Anyone? Bueller?

Good stuff!!

StichMeth od? 😂guitar upload,scared me for a minute, didn't think so,funny notification though. 🤔😂👍

is Edgar Allen Poe your interior decorator? Fantastic lesson!!!

The really funny thing is no other great guitar player does this type of lead playing as well as Jerry that's why he could Jam to anything for hours on end. The knowledge of caged.

Now for true Jerry.... You need to do that after smoking four bowls.

Shout out to Dickie Betts scale thanks

Actually, before the B it’s an F sharp major rather than an F sharp minor.. That’s how I’ve been doing it for years having read that out of a book and it sounds correct to me but maybe the book was wrong but I’m pretty sure it isn’t.

Hey there, do you still teach guitar lessons in the Sarasota area? I am a local musician and have been looking for an in-person teacher I host some open mics, been playing lots of bluegrass but starting to dive deep into the Dead and I know you used to work in this area, if so please let me know how I can get in touch

First time I've heard the term hexatonic, normally just call it the Dickey Betts scale

Hey stitch. Shrooms or paper?

Umm.. Is there any way to play it in C-F-G? 🤔😅

Its interesting, i always playedbit with sn E in place of the A after the f#. It seems to sound correct.?

Somebody has been practicing.....getting your chops back to play live again?

Great lesson, Ian. Thanks!

Just what I needed 🤌

Thanks!

Thanks!