Play Fills Between Chords (Slow Dancing In A Burning Room)

In this lesson, we’re breaking down one of the most musical guitar skills you can develop by adding licks and fills between chords, and we’re using Slow Dancing in a Burning Room by John Mayer to show exactly how it works in a real song. The best part? There are only three chords in this example. This isn’t about complexity, it’s about feel, phrasing, and knowing how to fill the space between changes in a way that sounds intentional and musical. This lesson is broken into two approaches so every level can benefit: Approach 1 — Barre Chords & Pentatonic Fills We use full barre chord shapes as our foundation and pull licks from the Pentatonic scale in between. This is the most direct way to apply the concept and works even if you only know one position of the scale. Approach 2 — Small Triad Shapes + Fills For players who want more flexibility on the neck, we swap the full barre chords out for compact triad shapes. These sit closer to where your fills are happening, making the transitions smoother and more natural. What you’ll learn: ∙ How to use the Pentatonic scale to fill space between chord changes ∙ How to apply licks and fills whether you’re using barre chords or triads ∙ How this technique works over a real, recognizable song ∙ How to make a three-chord progression sound expressive and full If you’ve ever felt like your playing sounds like just chord-to-chord strumming with nothing in between, this lesson is exactly what you need. The goal is to start playing music, not just playing chords. #guitarlesson #johnmayer #guitarlicks