I thought it would be a good time to direct you to the collection of licks and ideas that I have under “Lick of the Week”. These are tidbits of fun and interesting ideas, and if you haven’t explored this section yet, I invite you to do so. Recently, I posted one lick from here […]
Blues rhythm guitar is something you have to work on, if your goal is to play blues lead guitar well. Here is a lesson that covers the more unusual 16 bar blues. It’s fun alternative!
Here’s a fun swing or jump blues lick. It’s played in the key of A, and it is one of those types of old school blues licks you’ve likely heard before. It’s not too hard to play, and it’s a great staple lick.
I wrote this Halloween song for my daughter Amalia. Spooky enough? It’s a kid’s song without words… but perhaps we will add words to it one day! I was going for a scary theme that would sound both cute and eerie at the same time. You let me know if you think I succeeded. Lesson […]
Here is a great scale pattern to know. When I say scale pattern, I’m not talking about a fingerboard pattern. The notes are all from the C major scale. You can look at it this way – each 2 notes per chord are a 6th apart. The chords are C, Bm7b5, Am, G, F, Em, […]
Alternate picking – the biggest hurdle for many people, myself included. I find that it is easiest for me to always pick towards the string I’m switching to. This is called “outside picking” and it only occurs when switching strings. When you play on one string, it’s called “tremolo picking”. Now if you recall, I […]
Here’s a funk groove guitar lesson for you. You can do a lot with this idea, and it works for blues, country, rock as well. When playing funk rhythm guitar, you have to keep steady time. To help you keep an even rhythm, let your picking arm swing up and down freely, and play muted […]
Today I’m sharing some modern blues rhythm guitar ideas with you. I’m playing over a standard blues in A, but I use several other, more sophisticated chord ideas than what the chord progression states. Cool? This if a form of embellishing chords, by using – other chords! Let me know how you like this […]
Time for some old school country! Here’s a simple 1-4-5 tune (E, A, B) in the style of Hank Williams. I’m mostly playing double stops (3rds) to create this melodic solo. It’s an easy way to “fatten up” melodic licks.
It’s no secret that I often tell students that triads is my “secret”. It’s a simple, powerful concept to make sure you hit strong notes as you play lead guitar. In this example, I’m using triads to build two similar licks for Am and Dm, respectively. Then the 2nd time, I alter the phrases a […]