How to play chord melody - basics
In the following article I'll show you the basics of how I play chords and melody at the same time. You have probably heard jazz players or fingerpicking/fingerstyle guitarists playing this way, and I know that especially for a self taught who can't or doesn't want to afford a guitar teacher for whatever reasons, it can be quite a challenge to figure out how to play the guitar in this style. First of all, I don't want to discourage you, but as most anything else, it requires some patience and persistence to practice, but don't worry, it will settle in after some time, and if you keep at it stubbornly enough, it might even become your second nature.
So what's the secret you may ask. Well nothing mysterious as you probably already expected. You only need to know some chords, chord shapes - preferably barre ones, so you can play in just about any key anywhere on the fretboard (of course other kind of chords can work fine as well) – and be able to find the melody notes needed on the fretboard. As you will try to play the following examples, you will notice that sometimes it requires some stretching of the hand and fingers to reach certain notes and grips, though nothing serious or exceptionally difficult that you won't be able to achieve with some practice. It's also worth pointing out that one of the most, (if not THE most) often used finger in this playing style is the pinky, so if you are not used to play with your little finger, it might be a bit awkward at first to try to use it a lot. But don't let that discourage you, and as usual, if you feel you're getting fatigued, stop it for a while and come back to it only when your hands and fingers feel relaxed again.
Now let's check out some of the more versatile chords I often use. I'll start with an E major shape (remember the CAGED system) G chord, and build up a G major scale on top of it, playing the melody notes as the top notes of the chord:
The next one is A major shape D chord, playing a major scale with the top notes again:
Now here's a part of an Eb melodic minor scale on top of an Ebm7 chord:
And finally part of an E dominant scale on top of an E7 chord:
I hope my examples helped to reveal some of the secrets of chord melody guitar playing. Have fun!
Check out how I integrate these things into my playing: