How To Create a Melodic Guitar Solo Using Chord Voicings and Arpeggios – EP164
In 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
In 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
In 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
In 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
Have 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
In 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
In 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
In 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
In 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
This 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
In 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
In 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
This 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 […]
Rock Blues Guitar Lesson (3 Chords) – No Accompaniment – EP151
In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to take 3 chords (A, C, and D) and play lead fill-licks in between the chords. This allows you to have a jam session with yourself, no accompaniment required. You’ll learn the scales that are used as well as the rhythm strum pattern that’s used. Your goal should […]
Dominant 7th Arpeggio – How To Use In Blues – EP150
This lesson was designed both to explain what the arpeggio is and how you can use it when playing lead. The arpeggio can be an extremely powerful tool and can give your leads a more sophisticated sound by mirroring what the chords changes. In this lesson, you’ll see that arpeggios can be created out of […]
Classic 12 Bar Blues Rhythm and Lead (Easy) – EP149
Someone brought to my attention in the forum last week that it’s been a while since I created a 12 bar blues guitar lesson, so… here it is! This is a 2 part lesson that has a classic rhythm shuffle (with a few fill licks thrown in). The second time through I’ll show you how […]
Ragtime Blues Guitar Lesson (On Acoustic Guitar) EP148
In this acoustic blues guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a ragtime blues in the key of E with no accompaniment. The structure of this song is just 2 chords (and E and a B) and it alternates back and forth between those 2 chords (starting on the 5 chord). In addition to learning […]
Funk Blues Guitar Lesson – Rhythm and Lead – EP147
In this guitar lesson, you’ll start by learning how to strum a funky blues rhythm on the first 3 strings. You’ll then learn the “call-and-response” technique of playing a rhythm, followed by a lead. I’ll give you several “response” lead examples and show you the scales I’m using so that you can improvise your own […]
Easy 2 Chord Jam Session (Rhythm and Fill-Licks) – EP146
In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to take 2 very basic chords and repeat them over and over again, while combining them with fill licks (in between the chords). This allows you to create a jam session by yourself, without the need for a backing track and is fairly easy to improvise over. I’ll […]
Delta Blues Fingerstyle Guitar Lesson – EP145
In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a solo delta blues guitar composition that’s played fingerstyle (meaning no picks with the right hand). This is not a difficult fingerstyle composition because the bass (thumb) stays on one string at a time, matching the chord that you’re playing. This makes it much easier to […]
