In this lesson I'll show you how to play a typical reggae style rhythm guitar part. The most important part of this lesson isn't necessarily learning to play reggae, but it's the left hand muting effect that you'll learn, because that be used in all style of playing from blues to jazz. In the beginning you'll want to be sure to practice getting the rhythm down slowly and then over time you'll be able to work up to playing with the jam track. This lesson is intended for beginners - advanced and … [Read more...]
Keith Richards Style Rhythm Guitar Lesson – LEG016
In this guitar lesson I'm continuing showing different rhythm guitar parts and in this lesson I demonstrate how to play a Keith Richards style rhythm. Keith is about the best rhythm guitar player out there and his contributions to Rolling Stone songs are what define them (well Mick Jagger's voice too of course). Keith is a nice mixture of Muddy Waters style Chicago blues, mixed with some Carl Perkins rockabilly, with a little country pedal-steel sounding twang. Even though he's technically the … [Read more...]
Bo Diddley Style Rhythm Guitar Lesson – LEG017
In this lesson I'll show you how to play a driving rhythm very similar to the style that Bo Diddley would often use. He used this rhythm in songs like "Who Do You Love". Other artists would later use this rhythm style in songs like "Hand Jive" by Eric Clapton. I've added a few extra twists in it to make it more interesting (including a Steve Cropper style turn around at the end of it). This is definitely a rhythm style that you should learn and become familiar with (if you haven't already) … [Read more...]
Blues / Rock Rhythm Guitar Lesson (Key of A) – LEG018
In this lesson I show you how to play a standard driving blues/ rock rhythm on an electric guitar (I'm going to focus on interesting guitar rhythms for the next few lessons). I played this with an electric guitar with overdrive, however, that isn't required to play a rhythm like this - you could use clean channel on electric or even acoustic and still be able to play this rhythm. The key to getting the fat "chunky" sound is to use palm muting with your right hand (which I'll demonstrate in the … [Read more...]
Slow Blues Guitar Lesson – Just Guitar – LEG019
In this lesson I'll demonstrate how to play a slow blues solo in the key of A minor without using a backing track. Often times when we're learning how to play electric blues solos we are totally reliant upon a jam track or a backing band to define the parameters of the song, but the reality is you don't always have a band or a jam track, so in this lesson I show you one way to approach playing electric blues by yourself (with no accompaniment). There are obviously many different styles in … [Read more...]
Steve Cropper Funk Blues Rhythm Guitar Lesson – LEG030
I wanted to put together a tribute to Steve Cropper and that Stax / Memphis sound that came about in the late 50's early 60's, and so this is my attempt at a Steve Cropper style rhythm part. In a lot of styles of music, the rhythm guitar part can be overlooked or dismissed but that isn't the case with the Memphis Soul sound - to me, the rhythm guitar defines the song. Steve Cropper was the guitar player for Booker T & the MG's and that band became the house band for Stax Records and backed … [Read more...]