| Beginners Lessons | |
The Spider Scale with Alternate Picking. |
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| If you have just bought a new guitar and are wondering what to do next, I totally recommend learning the spider scale and alternate picking. This is a great primer to get your fingers moving, get used to using all your fingers and to start playing with good technique straight away. This will also prepare you to play the blues scale in the following video. | |
| Spider Scale Video | Spider Scale Diagrams |
Pentatonic Scale and Minor Blues Scale. |
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| Having mastered the spider scale and your up and down (alternate) picking style you will probably be looking for something a little more tuneful. The minor blues scale is the most popular guitar scale and highly influential in the styles of greats such as Jimmy Page, BB King , Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton and Jimmi Hendrix. It takes 5 minutes to learn but years to master . | |
| Blues Scale Video | Blues Scale Diagrams |
Pentatonic First Position Slides and Bends |
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| Now you are playing your minor pentatonic and minor blues scales confidently, you are ready to start bending and sliding notes within the scale. This video explains some great techniques I have picked up in the last 20 years to help you not only play these notes but understand them within the scale structure. | |
| Slides and Bends Video | Slides and Bends Diagrams |
First Phrases using the Blues Scale |
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| The previous video will help you to play the blues scale up and down and as well as do a few slides and bends with good technique but it doesn't yet sound very musical. This video introduces the idea of using speech orientated phrasing, pivoting (changing direction), taking breaths and including slides and bends in phrases to start using the blues scale more musically. | |
| First Phrases Video | |
Important notes in the Blues Scale |
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| Hopefully by now you are making some lovely sounding phrases. However there is still a lot of randomness in the process. This video introduces the idea of backing chords and reflecting the root note (first note) of the backing chord in your blues scale derived phrases. . | |
| Important Notes in the Blues Scale Video | Important notes in the Blues Scale Diagram |
Vibrato |
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| To get those notes sounding more beautiful a good vibrato technique is important to develop. This video covers 4 types of vibrato. It doesn't go into too much detail, the most important thing is to be aware that different methods exist. The best thing as a beginner is find which method works for you and stick with it for the time being. | |
| Vibrato Video | |
Question and Answer Phrasing |
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| How to make a phrase sound like an question or an answer by intimating the pitch changes in human speech. | |
| Question and Answer Phrasing Video | |
Intermediate Lessons |
5 Blues Licks from the Minor Blues Scale (plus variations) |
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A lick is a very short musical phrase. It is a good idea to learn as many of these as you can and then you can vary them and use them in your own solos. These 5 licks are all taken from the first blues scale ,in this lesson we are playing in Am on the 5th fret. The licks include blues techniques such as slides, bends, pre bends ,hammers on and pull offs. In the Video I demonstrate each one and then explain in close up detail how to play them. You are encouraged to try and improvise around these licks to create your own variations, In the video I suggest 5 small variations on the original licks. |
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| 5 Blues Licks Video | 5 Blues Licks Tab |
Playing the Blues Scale in Triplets |
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| So far we have looked at playing the blues scale ascending ,descending and looked at pivoting (changing direction). This exercise shows you how to change direction after every 3 notes to create a great effect called a triplet run. | |
| Playing the Blues in Triplets Video | |
Pentatonic Scales all Positions |
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| Every lead guitarist should know these scales of by heart. These are the fundamental scales for Rock, Blues, Heavy Metal and Jazz. In fact most styles touch on these shapes. You should learn these backwards forwards and practice in as many different keys as you can. This video teaches the shapes and also how to slide between shapes (diagonal playing) and how to bend to the next note in the scale on the same string. It also touches on triplet playing. | |
| Pentatonic Scale all positions Video | Pentatonic Scale all positions Diagram |
Blues Scales all Positions |
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| Like the pentatonic scales it is fundamental for any lead guitarist to be very familiar with these scales. They are almost identical to the pentatonics but feature an added note sometimes referred to as a flat 5 or the blues note. | |
| Blues Scales all Positions Video | Blues Scale all positions Diagram |
12 Bar Blues Progression in A |
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| Now that you are getting adept at playing blues phrases it is time to consider the structure of a traditional 12 bar blues or 1,4 5 progression . By understanding the structure of the progression and the notes the backing chords contain we can use this knowledge to emphasize certain notes in the blues scale which we will harmonize with the backing chords. | |
| 12 Bar Blues Progression Video | 12 Bar Blues Diagram |
Finding Roots in the Blues Scale |
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| We can start to look in the blues scale for important notes which will harmonize with the backing chords. In this lesson we learn to identify where the root notes of the 12 bar blues backing chords lie. They can all be found as notes in the blues scale and phrases can be built around them. | |
| Finding Roots in the Blues Scale Video | Root Notes Diagram |
Adding Thirds to the Blues Scale (Sweet Notes) |
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| Now you have learned to target the root notes in your blues scale it is time learn to target the 3rds of the backing chords. These notes all fall outside of the blues scale and so you will learn to modify your blues scale accordingly. The blues scale can sound a bit sad with the backing, adding your sweet notes helps emphasize the major thirds of the backing and so will give your solos a bitter sweet edge. | |
| Adding thirds to the Blues Scale Video | Finding Thirds Diagram |
Handling the Turn Around |
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| Now that you can target the 3rds of the backing chords in your phrases you should be able to solo all the way through the 12 bar convincingly. However the soloing over the E7 chord with A minor blues doesn't sound great even if you add in the 3rds (the G#,s). This video shows you another scale to use called E major blues. It shows you a traditional approach to this section and 4 variations on the theme. It also puts together some phrases which target roots and 3rds | |
| Handling the Turn around Scale Video | |
The Major Blues Scale (2nd Position Blues Scale) Part 1 and 2 |
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| In this lesson we look at extending the Am(5th position) blues scale up the neck onto the 7th to 10th fret. Here we learn the second position blues scale and new bends and slides within the scale. We also look for our backing chord s A,D and E within the scale and identify the backing chord 3rds (sweet notes) within the scale. We will also have a look at playing a turn around in E major/C# minor blues scale. For part 2 of this lesson follow the link provided at the end of part 1. | |
| The Major Blues Scale(2nd Position Blues Scale) | |
The Major Scale and Modes |
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| Here we look at playing a G Major scale . Because a major scale is a seven note scale we can derive 7 modes from it. These are Ionian (Natural Major)starting on the 1st degree, Dorian on the 2nd degree, Phrygian on the 3rd degree, Lydian on the 4th degree, Mixolydian on the 5th degree, Aolian (Natural Minor) on the 6th degree and Locrian on the 7th degree. We end up with 5 shapes with encompass these 7 modes. these are essential for any aspiring lead players to completely master. | |
| Major Scale and Modes Video | |
The Harmonic Minor Scale all Positions |
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| This is sometimes referred to as the heavy metal scale. Use it to spice up your solos if they are sounding a bit dull. It gives a kind of spanish/arabic quality to the solo. As well as in heavy metal, this scale is used frequently in Jazz, especially over 251 progressions. (See my 251 lesson in the advanced section) | |
| Harmonic Minor Scale all Positions Video | |
| Advanced Lessons |
Half tone, Whole Tone and Minor Third Bends in E Major / C# Minor |
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| Learn a routine to systematically strengthen your bends. Gain understanding of over 30 bends in one key. This exercise consists of practicing half tone, whole tone and large minor 3rd bends all over the neck. The bends are taken from the pentatonic scale and the major scale in 5 different modes. | |
| Advanced Bends Video | |
Gliding Triplet Runs using the Pentatonic Scale |
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| Learn an easy technique to get your triplet runs faster and more graceful sounding and also improve the strength and accuracy of your hammer-ons and pull offs. this great technique only has to be mastered across two string in ascending and descending mode before you can apply it to whole scales. | |
| Gliding Triplet Video | |
Harmonizing the Major Scale |
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| Hidden inside the major scale are seven beautiful arpeggios which contain the main four types of arpeggio Major 7ths, minor 7ths, Dominant 7ths and half Diminished. Learning these shapes gives you the ability to add a lot more colour to your playing and take you well beyond the blues scales. Also we look at the fundamental jazz progression called the two five one progression and how we can you use these arpeggios and blend them with a major scale to effectively solo over the two five one progression. | |
| Harmonizing the Major Scale Video | |
The Two five One Progression (Part 1 and 2) |
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| This video explains a major two five one jazz progression and gives some soloing ideas on top. Namely using a Major scales, using Arpeggios, Blues and pentatonic scales and also using harmonic minor scales to give the soloing a slightly Arabic flavour. See the diagrams for full analysis | |
| Two five one progression | |
How to Write Melodic Solos Part one |
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| How to write good solos by understanding bad ones. What constitutes a really good and a really bad solo ? How to try and mimic aspects of human voice and story telling in order to make your solo understandable to the listener. Creating an emotional journey and staying true to your own emotions. Also effective use of speed and pauses. I demonstrate an example solo I have written specially for the lesson. Part two looks at specific scales and shapes to use. | |
| How to Write Melodic Solos Video (Part One) | |
How to Write Melodic Solos (Part Two) |
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| In part one we looked at some very general guiding principles , but if your wondering what notes to play, check out this lesson. Here we get down to specifics ,scales and shapes. An amazing recent discovery I made is to use my rhythm guitar knowledge to enhance the melodic possibilities of my solos. If you are confident with chords and know your blues scale well, this lesson shows you how to blend these ideas using your blues scale as glue and chord shapes to enhance the melodic possibilities of your solos. | |
| How to Write Melodic Solos Video (part 2) | |