Western Swing Style Guitar Lesson – Lead Guitar Lesson – EP171
Published on September 23, 2016In this guitar lesson, learn how to play a jazzy sounding, western swing lead over a I, IV, V chord progression. I’ll show you how to play a few jazz runs by targeting the notes within the chord. This gives you a much more melodic sounding lead, and you’ll find it’s really not that difficult […]
How to use a Diminished Scale and Chord in a 12 Bar Blues – EP170
Published on September 16, 2016If you’re looking for a simple way to add a little jazz to your blues rhythm or lead, then you’ll love this lesson. I’ll show you how to use a diminished arpeggio and chord over the 4 chord in a 12 bar blues. This is a simple technique for adding a jazzy flair to your […]
Solo Acoustic Blues Guitar Lesson – Rhythm with Fill Licks – EP169
Published on September 9, 2016In this blues guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a stand-alone blues composition that requires no jam track or accompaniment. This works great on acoustic or electric guitar. This lesson primarily focuses on strumming and rhythm, although it does include some fill licks as well. I’ve also included arrows in the tablature to help […]
3 Blues Rhythms with added Fill Licks – Blues Rhythm Guitar Lesson – EP168
Published on September 2, 2016In this blues guitar lesson you’ll learn how to add fill licks to the 3 blues rhythms that were taught in last week’s lesson (EP167). Here’s a link to last week’s blues rhythm guitar lesson. I’ll show you how to play the same fill licks over all 3 rhythm patterns so you get a feel […]
Learn 3 Unique Blues Rhythms, Played Over The Same Jam Track – EP167
Published on August 26, 2016Playing rhythm in a band doesn’t always get the respect that it deserves. Rhythm is essential to any ensemble of musicians and is the glue that holds everything together – defining the parameters of the song. This blues guitar lesson is made up of 3 very different sounding rhythms that you can be played over […]
Creating a Melodic Guitar Solo Using Chord Voicings and Arpeggios (PART 2) – EP166
Published on August 19, 2016This lesson is a follow-up to EP164, which you can view here. In this guitar lesson, I’ll show you how to create more melodic sounding leads by incorporating chord voicings into your solos. This is meant to be additive to what you already know, but hopefully allows you to view the fretboard in a different […]
Rock Blues Rhythm and Lead (With a Catchy Riff) – EP165
Published on August 12, 2016This lesson is a bluesy, rock rhythm and lead that has a catchy riff which is repeated throughout the composition. In this lesson, you’ll learn both rhythm and lead parts. Everything can be played on acoustic or electric guitar. I’ll also explain the theory behind the notes so that you understand where it all comes […]
How To Create a Melodic Guitar Solo Using Chord Voicings and Arpeggios – EP164
Published on August 5, 2016In this guitar lesson you’ll learn how to create a more melodic sounding lead by playing chords in different voicings up the neck of the guitar, and connecting those chords with arpeggios. It’s not difficult to do and will help you connect leads to chords, so that you play a more sophisticated sounding lead. This […]
George Harrison Style Slide Guitar Lesson – Standard Tuning – EP163
Published on July 29, 2016In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a George Harrison inspired solo that’s played with a slide in standard tuning. I’ll be playing this one without a pick – using my thumb and index finger on my right hand. I’ll also show you the scales that are used so that you can improvise […]
Rock Blues Solo Guitar Lesson – EP162
Published on July 22, 2016In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn a solo composition (played with no accompaniment) in which you’ll play a blues progression in the key of A. This is reminiscent of something you might hear a blues trio play (think Cream or ZZ Top). I decided to leave out a jam track with this lesson because it […]
James Burton Style Lead Guitar Lesson – EP161
Published on July 15, 2016In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a lead on electric guitar that is made up of several signature James Burton licks. James Burton is a good combination of country and blues. He’s a fantastic “chicken pickin” style player, but he also injects a lot of soul which gives him more of a […]
How To Find The Key A Song Is In – EP160
Published on July 8, 2016Have you ever walked into a jam session and had no idea what key everyone was playing in? Or have you ever wanted to improvise along with one of your albums but had no idea where to even begin? In this week’s guitar lesson I’ll show you the method I use to find the key […]
Solo 12 Bar Blues Guitar Lesson – EP159
Published on July 1, 2016In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a 12 bar blues shuffle with some interesting fill licks to spice things up. This composition is played solo guitar (meaning no accompaniment is required) and you can play this on electric or acoustic guitar. I’ll provide all of the theory behind the notes so that […]
Slow Blues Jam (Rhythm and Lead) – Blues Guitar Lesson – EP158
Published on June 24, 2016In this blues guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play both rhythm and lead over this slow, bluesy chord progression. Both rhythm and lead are played without a pick, so you’ll be using only your fingers on your right hand. It’s all played very slowly, making it fairly easy to play along. In addition to […]
Harmonized Lead Guitar Lesson (Latin / Hawaiian Style) – EP157
Published on June 17, 2016In this guitar lesson, I’ll show you how to play a harmonized lead (2 strings at the same time). I’ve provided the background theory in this lesson so that you understand how to find the major scale, how to stay within the same scale even as the chords change, and how to improvise the harmonized […]
How To Play Lead Using Chords – Guitar Lesson – EP156
Published on June 10, 2016In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a bluesy, up-tempo lead using chords. You’ll learn how to play chords using different chord voicings as well as how to play several double stops (lead harmonies) and how they related to the chords. Understanding chord shapes up the neck of the guitar is really the […]
Slow Groove in B Minor (Solo Guitar Lesson) – EP155
Published on June 3, 2016This guitar lesson is another “no accompaniment” composition (also referred to as “solo guitar”). You won’t need a jam track for this one, just a guitar and a pick. This slow groove is played in B minor and you’ll be alternating between playing rhythm and lead, going back and forth between the two. Make sure […]
Gypsy Waltz Guitar Lesson – G Minor Blues – EP154
Published on May 27, 2016In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play both the melody and rhythm parts to an old fiddle tune called, “Gypsy Waltz”. At a recent jam session, someone introduced this song to me by playing it on the fiddle and I thought it would work really well as a guitar melody. Pay attention to […]
Slow Blues Lead Over a Minor Progression – EP153
Published on May 20, 2016In this blues guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a slowly bluesy lead over an A minor chord progression. I play through the progression 3 times, each time introducing something new. The first time through, I’ll show you how to pick the notes out of the chords, the 2nd and 3rd time I’ll play […]
Blues Boogie Rhythm Guitar Lesson (With Lead Part) – EP152
Published on May 13, 2016This lesson was designed to help you with rhythm guitar. You’ll learn how to strum this up-tempo blues guitar boogie and how to keep your right hand in motion while delivering the chords and muted strums at the right time. To really improve your timing, practice this with the provided MP3 jam track. The jam […]