How to tell the difference between add chords and altered guitar chords By Richard Barrett published 19 June 23 Here are five chords with names to test the brain and a sound that's kind to the ear. Add them to your chord vocabulary now
Take your guitar solos to the next level with these genre-spanning tips By Richard Barrett published 26 May 23 Soloing ideas for lead guitar in rock, blues, acoustic, metal and more to make you a better player now
How to use chromatics in a blues guitar solo By Richard Barrett published 25 May 23 A working knowledge of the in-between notes can get you out of a jam when in a jam
5 easy ways to create complex sounds from simple chords By Richard Barrett published 22 May 23 Using open strings to embellish your chord work can yield magical results
How to use chords in a blues guitar solo By Richard Barrett published 1 May 23 We all think of the blues solo in terms of which notes sit atop which chords, but reversing that proposition – and building chords into the solo itself – generates some tasty new phrasing ideas
How to play acoustic blues in open D tuning By Richard Barrett published 24 March 23 Open minds with open tunings can bring new shades to the blues, and in this acoustic piece inspired by Molly Tuttle and Jimmy Page, we bring bluegrass, blues and folk to the party
Learn 5 guitar chords that evoke the golden age of Hollywood By Richard Barrett published 17 March 23 These chords have an orchestral quality that radiates a certain silver screen soundtrack magic
4 soloing ideas you can learn from Leslie West By Richard Barrett published 15 February 23 Scale the blues-rock mountain and balance on the edge of major and minor tonalities with this lesson in the style of one of rock's greatest players
Learn 5 Lydian chords that can add mood and atmosphere to your playing By Richard Barrett published 9 February 23 Joe Satriani is a fan. Danny Elfman, too. And by learning these chord shapes, you can drop some Lydian magic into your songwriting for dramatic effect
Jazz up your chord progressions with this introduction to voice leading By Richard Barrett published 18 January 23 Thou shalt Joe Pass with this lesson in gradual transitions between chords, which allow you to move around the fretboard for new musical ideas
Learn the vibrato styles of 5 giants of the blues By Richard Barrett published 21 December 22 Welcome to vibrato bootcamp, where we'll be looking at how B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Gary Moore, Peter Green and Paul Kossoff shook those strings
Learn 5 Eric Johnson chords that utilize his trademark ‘shell’ voicing for big ambient clean tones By Richard Barrett published 21 November 22 Got a wicked clean tone but don't know what to play? Step right this way...
Learn the essentials of 12-bar acoustic blues By Richard Barrett published 14 November 22 It's time to dig out the flattop and learn the blues with this exercise that combines elements of Eric Clapton, Robert Johnson, and Skip James
How to play blues like the early electric guitar masters By Richard Barrett published 16 September 22 This lesson takes electric blues back to the start, when electricity found its way to the guitar and players such as John Lee Hooker and Hubert Sumlin changed the world
Add suspense to your chord progressions with these augmented shapes By Richard Barrett published 1 September 22 The music theory math is easy in this lesson, but can be devastatingly effective
How chords can literally be turned on their heads to produce interesting new harmonic effects in songwriting By Richard Barrett published 11 August 22 Using inversions – or slash chords as they are more commonly known – is a great way of experimenting with familiar chords
Turn up the volume on your blues-rock soloing with this lesson in the style of Joe Bonamassa and Jimmy Page By Richard Barrett published 9 August 22 Boost the gain, dig in, and don't let perfect be the enemy of good in this lead guitar workout
How to apply consecutive scale tones in your playing with cluster chords By Richard Barrett published 25 July 22 Five inspirational ideas to take cluster chords out of the realm of fretboard theory and into something you can put into practice
How Eric Gales’ signature licks can hot-wire your blues playing By Richard Barrett published 11 July 22 Gales’ genre-mashing guitar style is rooted in the blues but takes exhilarating detours through his expansive musical vocabulary. This primer establishes the mood with some jazz chord melodies before tackling his lightning quick picking
How to transform the C major chord into something magical By Richard Barrett published 17 June 22 Few players go weak at the knees at the thought of a C major, but with a couple of different voicings it gives us a world of interesting and versatile sounds to work with
How to journey across the fretboard using wide-interval chords By Richard Barrett published 31 May 22 Take the route less traveled when it comes to chord voicings, and add new shapes to shake up your songwriting
How to get more out of fewer notes in a guitar solo By Richard Barrett published 19 May 22 Here are four blues solo ideas that demonstrate how sometimes less is more, reminding us that the space between the notes is music too
How to play Motown rhythm guitar By Richard Barrett published 2 May 22 R&B, soul, Motown, it all goes well with the blues – and with the following four examples, you can add a little invention to your rhythm game
Funk up your blues with these Joe Walsh-style solo ideas By Richard Barrett published 28 April 22 Four ways to supply fiery blues-rock leads over a two-chord vamp in the style of Walsh, Joe Bonamassa and Gary Moore
Extended guitar chords explained By Richard Barrett published 27 April 22 Adding notes to a chord to enrich harmony can be a confusing topic – and gymnastic for the fingers. We're here to help