Before we start, let me qualify that the ‘four notes’ part of this lesson’s title refers to four fretted notes (E, F#, A, B), plus whatever string bends I can use to squeeze more out of them!

This is an exercise in getting a lot out of a little, inspired by the likes of Albert and B.B. King and Peter Green. If you’ve never tried this before, it’s really surprising to discover how much we rely on patterns and shapes when we’re playing – and this can potentially be at the expense of thinking melodically or rhythmically.

A slow blues like this example is the ideal way to experiment with such minimalism, not because it’s easy, but because it’s so challenging! We’re really exposed here… One thing that isn’t particularly emphasised here is the use of space. But just as Albert King advised Gary Moore to play “every other lick”, we should consider each phrase and try to put ourselves in the place of the listener.

We encourage you to ask yourself questions such as: am I using enough rhythmic variation? Am I always starting or finishing on the root note? and so on. The idea isn’t to completely disregard the vocabulary and chops you’ve already developed, but rather to, ultimately, put you more in control of them.

The nature of the guitar does make it tempting to rely completely on the patterns and shapes we’ve discovered over the years and not venture outside of them. This can lead to us becoming a little jaded about our own playing. But a four-note blues such as this one is a great way to break out of that cycle.

As you play through the examples here, consider other details such as bends, vibrato and slides. Recording our playing and listening back later with an objective ear is also enlightening. I hope this approach is useful and see you next time!

Example 1

This first example makes use of short staccato notes and contrasting longer held ones. Though all these examples are transcribed as faithfully as possible, there is a little bit of ‘push and pull’ in the timing, which is to be encouraged.

One of the things great players such as Albert King, Jimmy Page and B.B. King have in common is that they don’t always play squarely across the beat. It’s also a good idea to check out the rhythmic phrasing of other instruments, or even vocals, to see if there are any ideas worth stealing.

Example 2

Making use of the note groupings on the fretboard, this second example begins with a few doublestop-type ideas. There is potential to space these out more or play with the rhythms, but that didn’t seem the best use of the space available here.

In the following bar, there’s a tone and a half bend from B up to D, the only way we can get this note without breaking our self-imposed ‘four-note’ rule… The pre-bend to C immediately afterwards follows the same rationale.

Example 3

Another tone-and-a-half bend here – it was really tempting to just play a G at the 12th fret, but that’s not in the spirit of this idea! Also, Albert King and David Gilmour are no strangers to this type of bend, and it does force us to concentrate on the pitching, which can’t be a bad thing.

As mentioned earlier, do experiment with pushing and pulling against the beat. None of this is written in stone.

Example 4

Having held a note over from the end of Example 3, we’re rejoining the action here with this Albert (or perhaps B.B.) King-style lick. Another wide bend up to D leads to a quick shift in hand position.

This allows for changing the fretting hand fingers around, giving the strength to bend the E at the 9th fret of the third string up rhythmically up to F#. This finally lands back on the E to finish.

Hear it here

Albert King – Various

Albert’s solos are a masterclass of economy and wild string bends. This is partly facilitated by his unusual tunings and ‘upside down’ playing orientation, but there’s no reason why we can’t take lessons from this to use in our own playing.

Check out Born Under Bad Sign, the version of Oh Pretty Woman where he duets with Gary Moore, and Laundromat Blues to get a taste of how he creates excitement and dynamics without moving far around the fretboard.

B.B. King – Various

Another player who wasn’t afraid to leave space and didn’t feel compelled to play long complicated runs was B.B. King, who maintained that his objective was to play simply and honestly – in his words, “like never lying”.

Check out his sparse phrasing on The Thrill Is Gone, Don’t Answer The Door and Why I Sing The Blues. It’s also worth pointing out that B.B. felt it was important to improvise and play from the heart, rather than rehearse his licks.

Peter Green – Various

Revered by players as diverse as B.B. King and Gary Moore, Peter brought a finesse to simple lines that reached players and non-players alike.

The tracks most people know are Need Your Love So Bad and Albatross, but it’s worth investigating a little more deeply to find gems like Long Grey Mare, A Fool No More and Apostle.

It’s often said that the primary objective of solo guitar playing should be to benefit the song; Peter certainly seemed to agree with this.

Pinch harmonics are one of the most exciting and expressive sounds on the guitar. They can be used to add aggressive squeals to riffs and leads (think Billy Gibbons and Zakk Wylde) or produce different pitches off a single note for melodic application (a la Steve Vai and Eric Johnson).

Put simply, playing pinch harmonics involves a combination of the pick and the side of the picking hand thumb making almost simultaneous contact with a string during a down pick. There are many areas along a string that can produce a harmonic in this way, but they're commonly favored above the pickups which suits where the picking hand is naturally positioned when playing.

When starting out, sounding pinch harmonics can seem elusive. This is because you're aiming to combine the 'pick and side of thumb' technique while exploring exactly where the best harmonics are. Initially, you will find the process a hit and miss affair (especially if you're varying open strings and fretted notes) until you chance across a your first few successes.

This is part of the joy (and frustration) of playing them. Some will sound partially (often called semi-pinch harmonics), others will be bold and screaming. With a developing technique and armed with a distorted amp and the bridge pickup selected (a humbucker tends to be more fruitful than a conventional single coil), you will find where the juicy harmonic spots are along a string.

Over time, your ratio of 'squealers versus snifflers' with improve, allowing your guitar to scream at will more consistently.

Pinch Harmonics - getting them to squeal

To achieve a great pinch harmonic, angle the pick so after you pass the string, the side of the thumb can lightly make contact. This is all done as one movement that occurs very quickly. As for velocity, aim for medium to strong force when picking - harmonic screamers are less likely to happen with light contact.

Exiting the string with the pick may take some practice; while you want to make string contact with the thumb, you don’t want it to accidentally mute the string which will create a dead sounding note so watch out for this.

Examples

Example 1 - One open string to sound two pinch harmonic notes

This example shows the fundamental approach to pinch harmonics. The tab shows just a low E note played on the open sixth string but with two pitches in the notation.

Using the pinch harmonics technique, you will sound a low E and then a higher E by moving the pick's position from the neck pickup (shown as 'neck' above the tab) to the middle pickup ('mid' shown above the tab). Spend time experimenting with different positions until you find the sweet spots for clear E note pinch harmonics.

Example 2 - One open string to sound four pinch harmonic notes

Here, you will expand on example 1 by sounding four different notes: two different octaves of the E note as well as G# and B.

First practice locating your exact picking points so the notes all sound clear, then engage with the exercise so you can perform this within a specific rhythmic context.

Master these notes and you'll likely be astounded that you achieve so much without the fretting hand being involved at all!

Example 3 - Riffing with fretted note pinch harmonics

Here's a short riff incorporating the pinch harmonic technique applied to fretted notes. It is primarily based around E minor pentatonic (E, G, A, B, D), pedaling off the open sixth string.

The pinch harmonics in the riff scream out, resulting in a very dynamic and exciting delivery. Be sure to spend time perfecting the picking hand positions where you get the pinch harmonics.

At the end (bar 9) you will shift the position of the pick from the middle pickup to the neck pickup to sound different harmonic pitches on the open sixth string.

Example 4 - Soloing with pinch harmonics

Here's a short melodic solo that includes pinch harmonics to achieve different pitches. Those achieved with pinch harmonics help to underpin the accompanying chord progression and highlight chord tones.

Pay attention to achieving accurate 'squealers', playing a static note whilst moving the position of your picking hand to achieve a new pitch (the directives of 'neck' and 'mid' shown above the tab will help).

Example 5 - Whammy bar aided pinch harmonics

This explores whammy bar movements with pinch harmonics - ideally you'll have a guitar with a whammy bar that floats (ie it can both drop/doop and raise/scoop the strings). This combination is a favorite of Joe Satriani (eg Flying In Blue Dream, Ice 9).

To begin, perform a pinch harmonic on the open third (G) string. You will hold the whammy bar by reaching over with your fretting hand, depressing it just before you strike the pinch harmonic, and then raise it to achieve a high squeal. Use the tab as a guide and treat the pitches as approximate guides.

Example 6 - Pinch harmonics galore!

For your final piece, the earlier examples have been combined to create a short hard rock groove that mixes melodic phrases with pinch harmonics and stylistic squeals. For the latter, consider the pitches as a guide, whereas the melodic examples are more specific with the pitch and picking hand placement.

Bars 1-8 kick off with a Zakk Wylde inspired riff based around Em7, embellished with power chords. During the riff you'll see pinch harmonics performed on the third and sixth strings. This section repeats, with the final bar leading into the solo.

The solo starts at bar 9 with a single note figure that follows the chord progression. These are performed with pinch harmonics, picking at different points above the pickups to highlight chord tones derived from the accompanying chords.

Bars 12-13 feature a screaming string bend followed by a descending blues run. The piece finishes with a Satriani inspired, whammy bar enhanced pinch harmonic squeal. Enjoy!

Three rock legends that use pinch harmonics

Black Label Society - Stillborn

The riffs and solo to Stillborn really come to life with Zakk Wylde's searing squealers. Achieving strong pinch harmonics on lower strings can be demanding but Zakk makes them sound effortless.

To emulate him, use a bridge humbucker with a Marshall amp-styled distorted tone (he favored JCM800s for many years). For his lead tone, add a dash of chorus and stomp on a wah pedal (push toe down for the pinch harmonics - they'll scream even more due to exaggerated brightness).

After The Burial - Behold The Crown

Screaming pinch harmonics, low string pedaling and a deep distorted guitar tone form the riff from this modern metal stomper. Featured as the opening track for After The Burial's Evergreen (2019), Behold The Crown features Trent Hafdahl on guitar duties, showing how a great pinch harmonic technique can be pushed to consistently produce bold squealers!

Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) - La Grange

Texas Bluesman Billy Gibbons is arguably the godfather of pinch harmonics. His unique approach is more about digging into the note to see what squeals will come out, making his solos dynamic and organic.

Surprisingly, Billy doesn’t use a lot of amp gain, and is able to produce pinch harmonics with a clean-ish Marshall amp tone. La Grange includes excellent examples in the second solo: in places he’ll play one note but move his picking hand to different positions over the pickups, altering the pitches of the harmonics.

Most of us guitarists are perpetually chasing ways to raise our game. That is part of the fun, after all. But sometimes what we seek is already freely available, without studying music theory, learning scale/arpeggio shapes or drilling picking exercises.

I’m talking about the rhythm of what we play, which is arguably 50 per cent (if not more) of what makes phrases appealing and memorable.

If we feel we should be working harder, this is when we’re most at risk of overplaying, filling all the gaps and overcomplicating things (take it from someone who’s done it). Sometimes what feels good to play doesn’t translate to what sounds good to the listener, who may not play guitar or be wowed by rippling arpeggios.

If we listen closely to the greats, especially in this genre, you can hear that not only do they leave spaces, but when they do play, there’s a rhythmic signature to their phrasing.

For example, Clapton in Crossroads, Gilmour in Comfortably Numb and Peter Green in Black Magic Woman all have their own take on how they approach rhythms in the phrasing, giving a uniqueness while using the very same pentatonic shapes.

One thing that isn’t demonstrated explicitly here is the spaces in between. That would certainly be easy to transcribe (and read!), but ultimately not particularly helpful, so do bear in mind that even these examples are a concentrated version of what you might want to play in a real-life musical scenario.

The four phrases were played separately, but could be joined up to make a solo if you prefer. That being said, the fourth example is really an alternative take on Example 1, or perhaps a suggestion of how you might continue onwards in a similar style. I hope these examples are useful and enjoyable. See you next time!

Example 1

A quick rake leads into a contrasting held bend, giving a sense of space to start. Bar 2 then features some repeated triplets – feel free to pull back and play these late, you’ll know when you’ve gone too far.

Note the quarter-tone bends in bars 2 and 3. These are very subtle but add so much in terms of attitude. The final phrase crosses bars 3 and 4 – it’s a smooth bend/release leading to a quick flurry, similar in essence to the introductory phrase.

Example 2

Keeping with the triplet theme to start, this example then takes a leaf out of Peter Green’s book, especially in bar 3 where the rhythmic groupings feel as though they’re floating independently of the beat.

They aren’t really in this case, though the last four semiquavers do pull back in tempo noticeably.

This shouldn’t be set in stone, keep experimenting – you can always dial it back if you think you’ve lost the feel. The pre-bend with fast vibrato in bar 3 is another detail worth spending some time on.

Example 3

This rhythmic idea is similar to some of Eric Clapton’s phrasing during his solos in Crossroads. The rhythmic groupings are quite funky and you will want to use down- and upstrokes to aid with this.

Use this idea as a basis for further experimentation, rather than conforming precisely to any rhythm. There are no rules, but you can pick up some hints from watching the video. Also, watch for details such as quarter-tone bends, staccato/short notes and vibrato.

Example 4

An alternative opening phrase, or a suggestion for how things might continue, this example draws on David Gilmour’s phrasing from the solos in Comfortably Numb, Another Brick In The Wall (Pt 2) and Have A Cigar.

As with Example 3, it’s questionable how useful it would be to duplicate this exactly. This is more of a ‘feel’ thing, based around choppy/staccato or muted up- and downstrokes.

We finish with a classic pentatonic lick, the last note of which (D) holds, adding a slow quarter-tone bend after crossing into bar 4.

Hear it here

Eric Clapton – Crossroads

One of the details which makes Eric’s playing so appealing is his use of rhythm. Check out the solos in Crossroads and you can hear him experimenting – and really pulling against the beat at times. He can also be heard (in a more restrained manner) on the Bluesbreakers (‘Beano’) album a few years earlier.

More recently, he revisited this approach in Bad Love. Like anything, the rhythm is just a part of the picture, so often isn’t as blatant as some of the examples.

Albert Collins – Truckin' With Albert Collins

The Iceman himself, Albert used an unusual F minor tuning (low to high: F C F Ab C F) often with a capo at the 5th to 7th fret, which contributed to his sound, but that need not concern us too much here. All the same, check out Frosty from the 1969 album Truckin’ With Albert Collins.

On that same album, see if you can sit comfortably with the lilt between the guitar and brass on Tremble! Finally, have a listen to his playing alongside Gary Moore on his cover of Too Tired.

Peter Green – The Pious Bird of Good Omen

Peter’s manipulation of rhythms is perhaps the most subtle of the players cited here, but his rhythmic groupings on Black Magic Woman, Supernatural and Need Your Love So Bad demonstrate a free flowing ‘push and pull’ against the beat, with some unexpected pentatonic flurries that sound easier to play than they actually are.

All are great demonstrations of the use of space, plus you can hear the intention behind each and every note.

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Throughout his playing with Ozzy Osbourne and his own band Badlands, Jake E. Lee created stunning riffs and solos that combined melodic blues-rock licks with fast shredding. But there is one technique that really made him stand out: his fretting hand versatility, which included using his thumb to achieve otherwise impossible stretches with fingers alone.

Using the thumb to play low notes was popularized in the late 1960s by Jimi Hendrix and a decade later by jazzer Pat Metheny, to name two guitar icons. But incorporating the thumb over the fretboard in conjunction with the fretting hand fingers for high strings is a much rarer technique. Using large note intervals and making difficult stretches possible are just two of the applications for this barrier-pushing technique.

The following four examples are inspired by Jake E. Lee’s playing with Ozzy during the mid ’80s. They can be used to increase your fretting hand stretching and stamina, as well as introducing the “thumb over the neck” fretting technique. All are in the key of E minor and make use of the E natural minor scale (E-F#-G-A-B-C-D) with some occasional chromatic passing tones.

These examples should be approached slowly and for short periods at a time. Angle the guitar neck upwards, and place the thumb in line with the second finger. For ideal posture, maintain relaxed and level shoulders to attain these stretches and avoid injury.

MatchMySound: play-along enhancements

For this lesson, we've partnered with MatchMySound, to offer the ability to record yourself and see how close you are. MatchMySound is a great tool to help track your progress.

Click on the word 'options' (lower left, below the tab/notation) to select from 'demo audio track' (just guitar), 'backing track' (just the backing), 'full audio' (backing and real guitar audio) and 'metronome' (just a click to play along to).

Below that, select 'options' for how you can record your performance.

At the upper right, the magnifying glass images let you alter the playback speed for learning and pushing your playing onwards.

Follow the cursor to keep up with the tab/notation accurately on screen.

Lastly, to view the music better by filling your desktop/tablet/phone screen, click on the square brackets at the top right.

The Four Jake E. Lee Examples

Example 1: six-note legato sequence

This starts with a classic six-note legato sequence popular with '80s and '90s shredders. It is phrased in triplets at three notes per click and introduces increasingly larger stretches to avoid a predictable scalar sound and provide a work out for all four fretting hand fingers.

If you are new to this technique, break the exercise down into four separate exercises based on what's played for each bar. After you've built some precision and stamina, aim to double your speed with six notes per click instead of three.

Example 2: two note extended pentatonics

Your second example uses a two note extended pentatonic approach, with stretches that decrease in size and have a distinct feeling of moving inward and relaxing, while also exercising all four fingers.

Pay attention to the notes on the second (B) string as they'e all picked as well as any notes that are played in multiple positions. Also watch where your fretting hand thumb sits on the back of the neck: keep it in line with your second finger for good hand posture.

Example 3: Using the thumb to fret higher strings

Here you are introduced to fretting with the thumb over the neck. Each bar uses a finer rhythmic subdivision so you can become comfortable with the technique. Aim to use the fleshy area adjacent to the outer side of your thumb.

If you've never used this technique before, be mindful that this will be uncomfortable at first as you get used to the posture and develop new thumb calluses. That said, you should notice how easy it is to play stretches over 7 frets (or more!) using this technique. Once you're comfortable with this, experiment with your own ideas.

Example 4: all three techniques used together

To finish, here's a short solo study that utilizes each of the three previous exercises. Choose a combination of techniques and approaches that suits you the best.

Jake E. Lee in action!

Jake's thumb on the fretboard technique

This shows Jake playing the solo for Ozzy's Suicide Solution. Using his thumb on a lower fret, he varies which fingers are used on the higher frets.

Jake uses his thumb here for chordal playing with a clean tone. This demonstrates how versatile (and freeing) thumb fretting can be.

When we talk about phrasing on blues guitar, this can often translate to rhythm. It’s possible to play a great solo without many notes if the rhythm is interesting.

Obviously, the same goes for rhythm parts – so the example piece concentrates on this area but using a hybrid ‘rhythm/lead’ approach favoured by John Mayer, SRV, Nile Rodgers and Jimi Hendrix, among others. Blurring the boundaries between the traditional distinctions of rhythm and lead guitar also serves a trio format well, and, as you’ll hear, the backing track consists of only bass and drums.

While we can be minimal at times, there is a responsibility (some might say freedom!) to fill the harmonic and/or rhythmic gaps. Not all blues is ‘funky’ per se, but there is a lot to be gained from understanding displaced/off-kilter rhythms, and this is what the example piece is designed to help you with.

A good starting point is to think of each beat in the bar as divided into four semiquavers. Initially, mute all of the strings then play alternating ‘down-up-down-up’ strokes, four per beat of the bar/16 to the whole bar. You’ll sometimes hear this described as a ‘1-e-and-a’ pattern.

Accent the first downstroke on each beat of the bar, then try moving the emphasis around, maybe to the ‘e’ or ‘a’ on the upstrokes. This is the basis of the approach used in the example piece, though you’ll notice I’m not playing every single semiquaver beat, even though my picking hand often goes through the motions.

Another thing to bear in mind is to keep it relaxed and don’t hit the strings too hard. This is an easy trap to fall into when playing tight staccato rhythms. Finally, remember you can mute with both picking and/or fretting hands to control ringing strings. Hope you enjoy and see you next time!

Example 1

Almost every bar is 'locked down' with a double hit on an A5 power chord and a more rhythmic answering phrase in the subsequent three beats.

This can often be a repeated phrase, but it’s more useful to show you a range of options in this context. Though the muted hits are notated as faithfully as possible, this is not an exact science, so allow yourself a little flexibility, rather than attempting to duplicate anything precisely.

Example 2

Moving to the IV chord (D), this second phrase plays around with the initial chord hits using a dotted rhythm. This is a bit of a liberty as the bass and drums stay with two straight quavers, but I think we'll get away with it...

Concentrate on the drums to aim your accents/pauses as precisely as possible, and note that not every 1-e-and-a’ space is filled, even if your picking hand does go through the motions to keep the timing.

Example 3

The C and D chords use a similar pattern in this final example. Note the tied/held chords going across the rhythm – slow the whole thing down if that helps make sense of what’s happening on the various subdivisions of the beat.

Like Example 1 (and 2), the muted hits should be played without over-thinking which strings you’re hitting – just make sure everything is muted and it won’t matter too much. For the last bar, it was fun to change to the bridge pickup and go for a rockier feel. This is optional!

Hear it here

John Mayer Trio – Try!

Recorded live, this album is a particularly great example of what a trio can sound like – and it was a major inspiration for the example piece, especially Who Did You Think I Was. Also on this album, check out I Got A Woman and Wait Until Tomorrow.

Bonus mention goes to Another Kind Of Green for combining Little Wing-type chordwork with a funky shuffle feel. There are a good many ideas waiting to be used here – it’s an ample source of inspiration!

Jimi Hendrix – Band of Gypsys

Though he loved to overdub complementary rhythmic parts in the studio, Jimi was adept at making it work live, too. Check out out Freedom from The Cry Of Love for an example of his studio savvy, then compare with Who Knows from Band Of Gypsys to hear it live in a trio format.

Also, listen to Message To Love from the same album, with funky and unison riffing. This really makes the distinction between rhythm and lead guitar seem obsolete.

Nile Rodgers – Various

We’re going unapologetically funk for the last suggestion here – and Nile Rodgers is still the definitive example of a funk rhythm player. Check out his work with Chic: Le Freak, Good Times and I Want Your Love.

Alternatively, try Sister Sledge with Thinking Of You, We Are Family or Lost In Music. Elsewhere, why not check out I’m Coming Out by Diana Ross, or Get Lucky by Daft Punk. All these parts are based on the ‘1-e-and-a’ rhythm described earlier.

• This article first appeared in Guitarist. Subscribe and save.

Alternate tunings can be a gateway to creative ideas and new textures, but they often require re-orienting yourself with the fretboard. Nashville tuning, however, requires no such effort, as you can replicate anything you play in standard tuning.

There is one caveat: you have to restring the guitar in order to get this tuning. In practice, it’s not hard at all – you start with a 12-string set and use the higher octave sixth, fifth, fourth and third strings in place of your standard gauge strings. The first and second strings remain the same.

Get these strings in place and you’ll be greeted by a phenomenal sound – part 12-string, part high-strung guitar. The real magic comes in the relationship between the high octave strings and the standard gauge first and second strings. Even just strumming simple CAGED chords yields a unique timbre and this sound can add brightness and definition, particularly if a song is missing some high end sparkle and vitality.

A secret weapon of the country world (hence the Nashville monicker), you’ve heard this tuning many times, even if it’s not immediately apparent – everyone from Keith Richards (Wild Horses) and David Gilmour (Comfortably Numb) to Taylor Swift (Love Story features it in the band mix) has employed it.

There are various reasons for using Nashville tuning, as you’ll discover in this lesson. Sometimes it’s a subtle layering tool, sitting back in a track or doubling a regular tuned guitar, whilst at other times it’s more upfront, adding brightness and energy to a track.

One of the great things about Nashville tuning is that it makes any guitar sound great. You don’t need an expensive instrument – a cheap, smaller-bodied guitar will come alive when strung in Nashville tuning.

Check out David Gilmour's Nashville-tuned guitar below and then delve into the following examples to see how it can inspire your own music-making.

Example 1: Simple chords made chimey, Nashville style

The open position is the obvious starting point for any new tuning and you’ll immediately hear how simple CAGED shape chords are given new life with the Nashville sheen and jangle. Indeed, many studio players are just overlaying chords like these onto a rhythm track when using Nashville tuning.

Example 2: Nashville strumming

This simple strummed two chord pattern demonstrates how useful Nashville tuning can be when creating simple rhythm parts. Give the chords some added color with added 9ths or 11ths and you’ll basically hear the sound of modern country pop.

Use common tones (notes shared between the chords) for added glue. The first audio example is at 75bpm (beats per minute), the second at 112bpm.

Example 3: Nashville picking

Picked parts sound fantastic in Nashville tuning and can be useful when you want to bring the Nashville part to the fore. What’s more you can double these parts on a standard tuned guitar to get a faux 12-string effect. Indeed, doing this can even be easier than playing an actual 12-string guitar!

Example 4: Nashville doubling

Doubling simple strummed open chords is another great way to use Nashville tuning. On its own an acoustic guitar could sound overly full or even muddy when playing chords like these but introduce a Nashville guitar and pan both instruments and the sound will both thicken and brighten up.

Example 5: Nashville to the foreground

You can create more complex parts in Nashville tuning, and this Pat Metheny-inspired example shows how evocative the tuning can be when played on its own. Adding a capo introduces an even brighter, richer tonality. This could also be used in a track for more dramatic effect when you want the part to leap out.

Example 6: Exploring all the benefits of Nashville tuning

This puts the previous examples into practice on a modern country pop-inspired track. Before playing this, have a listen to the full track and the backing track with the Nashville guitar removed so you can really appreciate what the high-strung guitar is bringing to the track.

As you’ll hear, it can work as both a blending tool with the other instruments or as a more prominent voice when arpeggiating higher up the neck. Listen to the full track first, then play along with the backing track using your Nashville tuned guitar. Enjoy!

Players who use Nashville tuning

Pat Metheny - Sueño Con Mexico

This is a great track for hearing Nashville tuning up front and center instead of as a layering tool. Metheny’s rich, picked arpeggios immediately get to the heart of the magic of this tuning. This tuning excels with rapid picked parts as there’s no low-end mud build up to worry about.

Taylor Swift - Love Story

Swift’s modern pop classic showcases Nashville tuning in its more common format as a layering tool. In this track, it’s more subtle, adding a top-end sheen with simple chords but it’s the kind of thing you’ll miss if it’s removed. You’ll hear a similar effect on Lady A’s Bartender…and pretty much most modern country pop!

The Rolling Stones - Wild Horses

The combination of a 12-string and a Nashville-tuned acoustic give this track its super-rich sound. Keith Richards is a big fan of Nashville tuning though it’s possible that Mick Taylor was playing the Nashville guitar on this track. Listen to this one and the guitars are the very definition of ‘sheen’.

One of the wonderful things about the acoustic guitar is its ability to be completely self-sufficient. More than that, in the right hands it can even give the illusion of two or more guitars playing together. Nobody knew this better than players such as Lightnin’ Hopkins, Big Bill Broonzy and, of course, Robert Johnson.

The demo piece isn’t modeled on any particular one of these, but it borrows from that country/folk-blues style that inspired a surprising amount of the ’60s Blues Invasion and rock bands of the ’70s.

As a general rule, the picking-hand thumb plays the bass part and establishes the rhythm, with the remaining fingers adding chords and/or melody on top.

However, if you watch Big Bill Broonzy’s picking hand, he’ll play simultaneous notes in a triad like a classical player, use his index finger in a flicking motion across the strings, and occasionally strum across a chord with his thumb. There are also times when he’ll accent a downwards strum in an almost flamenco style.

It’s hard to say how systematic or methodical he was about his technique – it was most likely developed by instinct over time – but it is very effective. That’s not to say we can’t pick up tips and tricks by watching or listening carefully, though.

For this reason, the picking-hand technique is left to you in the example piece, but there is a logic to assigning the bass notes to your thumb.

Going on from there, treat this as a starting point for your own experiments. Key considerations are to establish a strong rhythm before getting too fancy with licks, and keep it simple when accompanying a vocal. See you next time!

We start with a classic descending chord line, using syncopation between the bass line and top triads. It’s also nice to give those triads a little vibrato if you can. This leads to an abrupt stop on the A7, followed by the piano-style lick that will lead us to the IV chord (D7). You might need to work up some stamina in your fretting hand for those hammer-on and pull-off licks.

However many arguments exist for the superior tone of heavy acoustic guitar strings and a high action, this stuff works better with a lighter touch – there’s a happy medium to be had with action height and string gauge.

Bars 4 to 8 spend most of the time sticking to rhythmic patterns, though there are a couple of flourishes. Note that open strings are often used to facilitate more seamless position changes, such as the one down to A, where there are a few quick-fire changes – almost a chord melody approach here.

Bars 8 to 12 borrow more classic moves, but there is a bit of a shift in the syncopation at times, maybe more than you might typically hear, but this piece tries to cover much ground in a short time.

The final descending chords take some inspiration from Jimmy Page’s ending to Babe I’m Gonna Leave You. The swung feel stops and we slow down for that last rake across A major.

Hear it here

Big Bill Broonzy – The Bill Broonzy Story

A strongly rhythmic player, Big Bill was very adept at creating the illusion of bass/rhythm, choppy chords and ringing top notes. Seek out his performances of Hey Hey, Worried Man Blues and This Train.

There is some really clear footage of his playing available online, which is great for analysing his technique and learning his approach. It sounds (and looks) as though he was able to coax a lot of volume out of the guitar with quite a relaxed technique.

Lightnin’ Hopkins – Lightnin’ And The Blues

Though he used a thumb-pick, Hopkins used thumb and fingers to create simultaneous rhythm and melody like Big Bill Broonzy. Hearing him play Baby Please Don’t Go, Have You Ever Loved A Woman and Ain’t It Crazy, it’s easy to imagine a young Van Morrison, Jimmy Page and others getting hooked on this style and wanting to emulate it.

However, there is a suggestion of power in the solo acoustic guitar, which arguably doesn’t need a loud rock ’n’ roll band to back it up.

Robert Johnson – The Complete Recordings

Regarded by many, including Eric Clapton, as the definitive solo blues guitarist, quite a mythology has developed around Robert Johnson. Having a listen to Sweet Home Chicago, Me And The Devil Blues or Devil Got My Woman should explain why.

The recordings are slightly ‘grainy’, but the power of his playing and deftness of touch come through loud and clear. Perhaps more than anyone’s, Johnson’s music inspired the generations that were to follow.

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In a world where we’re so often encouraged to expand our vocabulary, learn more scales, play over complex changes and improve our technique, this example solo takes the contrary approach of exploring simple bluesy ideas over a single chord.

It does venture a little outside of the regular pentatonic shapes towards the end (check out Example 3), but this is the exception, rather than the rule. In this section we’re looking for interesting melodic lines instead of deliberately referring to specific chord tones, but – deliberately or not – this is what’s going on during the last four bars…

One of the advantages of staying with a one-chord ‘drone’ backing such as this is that we can experiment with different melodic ideas without having to consider the constantly ‘shifting sands’ of changing chords.

This concentration on the melodic possibilities in a narrower context can be gradually expanded from a single chord to some straightforward changes at first, then gradually building in complexity as you become more conversant with the various possibilities.

Let’s talk a little more about the example solo. It was played in a single pass but is divided up here into three four-bar sections. The first two of these stay within the accepted parameters of blues playing (albeit with a little more distortion than a ‘classic’ blues).

After establishing a riff in Example 1, Example 2 plays around with the shape 1 A minor pentatonic box. None of this requires a huge vocabulary or theoretical knowledge; it’s much more about melody and rhythm. While it’s always good to expand our horizons, most classic solos aren’t derived from esoteric scales and arpeggios!

That said, Example 3 does deliberately (and repeatedly) refer to the 6th (F#), culminating in a fiddly Am6 arpeggio idea. Hope you enjoy and see you next time!

Example 1

This introductory phrase establishes a riff based around an A chord, though it progresses towards a more pentatonic ‘lead guitar’ approach by the time we reach bar 4. In terms of pentatonic positions, you could say this is based predominantly around shape 5 until bar 4, when we shift up to shape 1.

I’m using fingerstyle to play this, but any version of hybrid or even flatpicking can be made to work. Try them all and see what you prefer.

Example 2

Having established that bluesy groove, we’re now ‘lifting off’ with some solo playing. We stay pretty constantly with the shape 1 A minor pentatonic we shifted to at the end of Example 1.

This phrase isn’t looking to push any boundaries harmonically – it’s about building intensity via that repeated string-bending lick, then breaking it up with some rhythmic doublestops. Maybe a good way of viewing this is to think of Jeff Beck shifting to Billy Gibbons!

Example 3

Here’s where we change from a more pentatonic-based approach to experimenting with ‘outside’ ideas – not in the hard bebop sense but non-pentatonic and arpeggio-based shapes based around Am6.

This translates as including lots of F# (the 6th), along with the other notes from A minor (A-C-E). Looking closely, you’ll also spot a good chunk of the shape 3 A minor pentatonic in there, too.

Once again, it’s your choice whether to use fingerstyle, pick or hybrid picking. Arguably, once you add enough gain, the tone difference is minimal, but how you attack the notes will influence your phrasing.

Hear it here

Jeff Beck – Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop

The title track of 1989’s Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop was definitely an inspiration for the riff in Example 1 of this issue’s piece, though Stand On It is also in there, too. Staying with that same album, Two Rivers explores some unusual non-pentatonic ideas.

Elsewhere, check out Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers from 75’s Blow By Blow as this contains a mixture of melodic exploration and more recognisably pentatonic themes. A little of this creeps into Example 2 with its repeated string-bend lick.

ZZ Top – Eliminator

Billy Gibbons manages to take blues ideas and incorporate them into a non-traditional context without losing their essence. His riffs and solos on the tracks Legs and Sharp Dressed Man from 1983’s Eliminator illustrate this particularly well, as all the other instruments sound very programmed and ‘1980s’.

The same is true of Rough Boy from Afterburner (1985): the two solos in this track really show Billy stretching out and soloing in a way he doesn’t allow himself on the other two examples.

Oz Noy – Who Gives A Funk

Though he definitely comes from the more technical end of the spectrum, Oz Noy has an understanding of what makes the blues the blues, in the same way that Robben Ford does. In fact, you can check them out playing together on his version of Ice Man from 2016’s Who Gives A Funk album.

Elsewhere, check out Come Dance With Me from Twisted Blues Vol 2, released in 2014, or his incredible soloing on Sit Tight from the Ha! album, from earlier in his career in 2005.

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Sometimes fate plays a big hand in how the world sees you. Back in February 2004, KT Tunstall was propelled to stardom courtesy of a last-minute booking on the BBC TV show Later With Jools Holland.

Armed with a guitar, tambourine and a looper pedal (an Akai HeadRush, to be precise), she wowed the studio and TV audiences with a vibrant, rhythmically fueled rendition of Black Horse and the Cherry Tree.

Since then, the song has gone on to become a modern acoustic hit, loved and performed by her (and many others) around the world. It originally featured on her debut album, Eye To The Telescope, along with another classic, Suddenly I See.

To celebrate 20 years since its release, the album has been reissued with additional B-sides, live tracks and three new songs. Tunstall has a world tour that starts in the US from March, and then journeys to Australia, New Zealand, UK and Croatia, before returning to the US towards the end of the year.

Talking to Guitar World, Tunstall has been kind enough to sit down with her acoustic guitar (and dog!) to cover five elements of her guitar playing and songwriting that she feels enrich her music.

During the video you’ll see her perform segments of her hits and how she developed her rock-solid strumming technique. As she states in the video... “the foundation of playing for me is rhythm. You’ve got to have an extremely stable foundational rhythm in your playing.”

Following this, she uncovers her chord sophistication, which is often borne from avoiding barre chords. “One of the very noticeable things about my playing is I can’t play proper barre chords. It’s a blessing in disguise because I’ve ended up finding more interesting chords and using a lot of open string voicings.”

To enrich her music vocabulary, she has various picking approaches that extend interest in each chord's duration. As she discloses, “One of the patterns I’ve always really enjoyed playing around with is going outside, outside, inside, inside.” Certainly, if you’ve been struggling to learn Silent Sea with its ear catching G(b5) chord, you’ll find this picking approach here.

For her final insights, she explains the fun that can be found playing melodies on the guitar, specifically playing riffs that she also sings. Feel It All is one example where her strumming/picking style shapes a riff that she also sings. “I had to teach myself the melody which wasn’t difficult, but it’s making sure it sounds the way I sing it. The vocal is perfectly following the guitar riff, which I love.”

And almost as a means of summing up her unique tutorial video here, she leans in towards the end to emphasize “even if you get this really simply, it makes you sound like a really good guitar player.”

• Visit www.kttunstall.com for further info about the re-issue of Eye To The Telescope and tour dates/venues.

A common piece of advice given to guitarists is play less. Albert King once advised Gary Moore to “play every other note”, for example.

To be clear, this is not to say having great technique (and flaunting it) is a bad thing – there are few experiences more thrilling than hearing Gary Moore tearing around the fretboard at full speed – but even then it’s true to say the way he plays things is at least as important as what he plays.

Obviously, a lot depends on the kind of music. It would feel strange hearing Yngwie Malmsteen play a minimal emotive blues over a neo-classical backing track, just as we wouldn’t expect David Gilmour to break into lightning speed arpeggios at the end of Comfortably Numb.

The idea of the solo/examples is twofold: to put some solid vocabulary and fresh ideas under the fingers of less experienced players, and to remind the more technically preoccupied player that a bit of light and shade enhances both sides of the spectrum.

Working with slower phrasing (and at a slow tempo) is like putting a magnifying glass to details such as vibrato, pitching bends, rhythm and timing. There’s also the matter of melody, which is surely the most important detail of all. A lot of these ideas are pentatonic-based, but the slow-paced chord changes allow us to (literally) think outside the box.

Another often given but great piece of advice is to record yourself and listen back as objectively as you can. Pushing through any initial discomfort (we all go through that), you’ll learn a lot about playing with intent, rather than allowing habits to run the show.

Surprisingly, what feels good to play isn’t always what we want to hear as a listener. Hope you enjoy and see you next time!

Example 1

Peter Green is a big influence on this first example, following another great piece of advice: steal from the best!

Things to be conscious of here are, first, vibrato; this is one of the more treacherous areas. It’s all too easy to apply vibrato to everything by default, so try to be intentional about where you use it.

Pitching of bends is self explanatory, but it deserves a mention. Some of the bends creep slowly up to pitch, while others are more incidental. Finally, don’t miss the staccato notes and spaces in between phrases.

Example 2

All the same advice applies to this second example, but note that it departs more from the pentatonic box approach. It also takes a few more liberties with timing here and there, usually erring on the side of behind the beat, rather than before.

It’s difficult to notate this precisely, so listen carefully to the audio and watch for the ‘lay back’ markings on the transcription. Having said that, please don’t feel it’s necessary to precisely duplicate this. There are a thousand ways to interpret it that can be equally valid.

Example 3

Switching away from the ‘out of phase’ middle position to the bridge pickup gives a bump up in volume and gain. This could also be achieved by flipping on an overdrive, or leaving a bit of headroom on the guitar’s volume control then maxing it for this part.

There are a few more ideas from outside the pentatonic boxes here. Halfway through bar 1 there’s a bend to F#, which fits nicely over the D major chord, then the bend up to G at the 13th fret starts the phrase over the Bb and F chords.

There is a conspicuous quarter-tone ‘blues bend’ at the end of bar 2, leading ultimately to a couple of D major-based doublestops.

Hear it here

Pink Floyd – The Wall

Okay, we’re going to go for the lowest hanging fruit first… Obviously, the solo in Comfortably Numb has the kind of power and self-assurance many more ‘technical’ players would kill for, but even the faster pentatonic runs maintain their poise.

The two solos from On An Island on Gilmour’s third solo studio album are also a great demonstration of classy pentatonic playing with an awareness of melody. Finally, check out the phrasing towards the end of Cluster One from The Division Bell.

Peter Green – The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions 1967-1969

It would be negligent to omit Peter Green here, as few players attract such universal reverence. Need Your Love So Bad is a clear example of melody and feel as primary considerations. The same can be said of Albatross (also acknowledge Danny Kirwan on harmonies).

Finally, the original version of Black Magic Woman demonstrates that while Peter was more than capable of adding little runs to enhance the melody, his tone, timing and feel were always the priority.

The Beatles – Abbey Road

In the context of a band primarily known for their songs, George Harrison’s refined guitar approach (and songwriting) was all too often unacknowledged.

His solo on Something is as memorable as the vocals, with impeccable bends, vibrato and phrasing. Turning the clock back a few years, his Scotty Moore-style break on All My Loving is short but packed with sophisticated ideas.

Finally, his rhythmic soloing in Octopus’s Garden suddenly makes a novelty track sound very cool!

• This article first appeared in Guitarist. Subscribe and save.

For many guitar fans, the term 'shred' evokes speed, precision and virtuosity. Desired and admired in equal measure, building your shred guitar skills lies in learning short patterns and sequences that can be repeated and varied. With enough learnt and playable at high speeds, you can reach Shred Heaven.

These shred patterns can be formed from many types of scales, typically derived from 2 note per string based pentatonic shapes and 3 note per string based modes such as Dorian, Mixolydian and Aeolian. Techniques-wise, you'll typically find a mix of picking (alternate, economy and sweeping), legato, and tapping.

A tried-and-trusted way to develop your shred chops is to use speed bursts. This typically involves a short pattern-based figure (a 'cell' sequence, typically 4, 6 or 8 notes long) that is (once mastered) played quickly for a brief duration before resting, giving your hands time to recover.

This process is repeated while gradually pushing up the metronome tempo and elongating the repetitions without stopping. Speed burst practice is a fantastic way to building strong left and right hand technique, as well as increase your speed and stamina.

Some of the biggest names in shred mastery make use of stunning speed patterns in their solos including Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Nuno Bettencourt, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, John Petrucci and many more. Paul Gilbert is a great advocate of patterns:. through his teaching videos, Paul has demonstrated stunning lead lines based around the minor pentatonic scale and three-note-per-string sequences.

In this tutorial, you will learn some of the best and most relied on patterns of the fast and famous. Ranging from pentatonics to modes, it's time for you to turbo boost your playing to whole new levels. Let's go!

Ex 1. A minor pentatonic pattern 1 with burst playing

Here's an A minor pentatonic (shape 1) sequence using the notes A-C-D-E-G. Inspired by Slash and John Petrucci, this starts with an 16th note pattern that involves 8 notes and repeats twice using alternate picking and pull-offs.

The second bar is where you catch your breath and lessen any tension in your hands as you only play a short E note on each beat. This burst approach (play fast then play slow) is a popular way to sharpen your technique, allowing you to increase speed without straining for too long.

The example concludes by continuing this sequence across the remaining string groups.

Ex 2. A minor pentatonic pattern 2 with burst playing

Here's a variation of Example 1, still based in A minor pentatonic. This ascending and descending fragment uses both alternate picking and fretting hand legato.

The eight-note pattern repeats for one bar, and is once again followed with a 'chill out' bar, keeping time by playing a short D note on each beat. This example concludes by continuing the sequence across shape 1 and across the top three strings of shapes 2 and 3.

Ex 3. A minor pentatonic pattern 3 with burst playing

This is your final pentatonic example, evoking the shred style of Randy Rhoads and Zakk Wylde. Here you're using shape 1 of the A minor pentatonic scale plus its b5 blue note, Eb.

Remember, A minor pentatonic + an Eb note (this is the diminished 5th/blue note interval for A minor) results in the six note A blues scale (A-C-D-Eb-E-G).

Once again, a fast 16th-note based repetitive sequence is followed by a one note per beat chill out bar for energy recuperation. To conclude, the sequence travels across the remaining string groups of A minor pentatonic, shape 1.

Ex 4. A Aeolian sequence 1 with burst playing

Here is your first three-notes-per-string sequence, as used by the likes of Paul Gilbert, John Petrucci and Steve Vai. It's based around the A Aeolian mode (A-B-C-D-E-F-G). The shred element is an eight note pattern that ascends and descends on the low sixth and fifth strings, using strict alternate picking.

Once again, you will use the repeating speed burst practice method, with a rest bar played. You then continue the sequence across all six strings, including position shifts as you climb the neck. It concludes by continuing the sequence on the top two strings.

Take care with this one, as the additional position shifts add to the complexity of the run. It sounds absolutely fantastic once you've got it to 'beast shred' levels (ie 4 notes per click from the metronome at 140 beats per minute or more).

Ex 5. A Dorian sequence with burst playing

Inspired by Eddie Van Halen and Paul Gilbert, this exercise is based around A Dorian (A-B-C-D-E-F#-G) and uses a 16th note triplet rhythm (othrwise known as sextuplets) to ascend on the top two strings.

The three notes on the second string should be played with legato and the first string's three notes are performed with alternate picking. Experiment with alternate picking for all notes, or if you find this too demanding, pick every three notes (ie pick, hammer-on, hammer-on).

This sequence is pretty demanding at the 100 bpm tempo – 6 notes per click at 100bpm is often considered shred speed territory – so practice slowly then gradually build up your speed. Pay attention to the timing of your fretting hand, as this is vital when synchronizing with your picking hand.

Ex 6. Mini Piece - putting it all together

To close the examples, this is a mini piece that combines the approaches you've worked on in the previous examples.

Bars 1-4 feature a repeating pentatonic sequence inspired by Zakk Wylde. You develop the phrase in the first bar, which repeats before continuing the sequence across the remaining string groups.

The pentatonic sequence has been embellished with additional notes, including the b5, resulting in the A Blues scale, plus the minor 6 interval which gives the lick an Aeolian vibe.

Bars 5 and 6 include a pattern that ascends and descends with the A minor pentatonic and include some double picked notes plus fretting hand legato. This concludes with a sequence that shifts through three positions of the A minor pentatonic on the top three strings.

Bars 9-10 include an ascending sequence based around A Aeolian. This includes position shifts, so take care with your hand synchronization. The solo concludes with an ascending sextuplet pattern on the top two strings using notes from A Dorian. This sequence uses both legato and alternate picking.

Shred speed burst classics

Paul Gilbert - Scarified

This is a shred instrumental classic originally recorded by Paul Gilbert's first big rock band, Racer X. It more than lives up to its name and is full of picking and legato licks, many of which are built on foundations of small 6 or 8 note cells/patterns. If you want proof of the benefits of this article, this is one of the best pieces to be inspired by. Prepare to have your face melted!

Ozzy Osbourne - Miracle Man

This was a new era for Ozzy Osbourne with Zakk Wylde. Hard rocking and powerful, Miracle Man is a full-on rock assault with a stunning solo!

Following a climbing arpeggio sequence, Zakk rips through an outrageous fast picking pentatonic sequence that still perplexes guitarists to this day.

Check out his blues scale lead licks at 2:21 – you will notice example 3 pays tribute to this. Much of Zakk’s playing makes use of fast pentatonic sequences, but this solo shows how far he (and in turn, you) can push it!

Dream Theater - As I Am

As I Am features a blistering solo that demonstrates why John Petrucci is hailed as one of the greatest rock guitarists to have emerged during the early '90s.

This solo is chock full of sequences including both pentatonic and three note per string, performed with precise alternate picking. The solo includes single string figures that develop into extended runs across multiple string groups. The pentatonic sequences are also breathtaking.

You may need a lie down after watching this, all born from Petrucci's admiration of Steve Morse's alternate picking style and his teenage years' intense shred pattern practicing.

The jangly, chiming sound of acoustic and electric 12-string guitars have played a crucial role in popular music, from blues to rock, pop to folk.

12-string guitars feature six pairs of strings, known as courses, that results in their trademark loud and rich sound. Each string pair is separated by a narrow gap that allows it to be articulated almost like a single string.

They are typically tuned with the highest two courses in unison and the lowest four courses consisting of an octave pair, with the lower octave corresponding to the standard pitches of a 6-string guitar. Natural variations in pitch between the unison strings, along with the addition of octave strings results in a natural chorusing effect.

The added strings often means that 12-string guitars have wider & thicker necks, and the added tuning machines and headstock size can result in a neck heavy feel. Physical differences aside, 12-string guitars have long been used on recordings as a secret sauce to enhance and elevate guitar parts.

Every decade and (almost) every genre has featured this type of guitar. Headliner names would include George Harrison (The Beatles - Ticket To Ride), Roger McGuinn (The Byrds - Mr Tambourine Man), Pete Townshend (The Who - Substitute), Joe Walsh and Don Felder (The Eagles - Hotel California), Brian May (Queen - 39), David Bowie (Space Oddity), Johnny Marr (The Smiths - Bigmouth Strikes Again), Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi - Wanted Dead Or Alive), Tom Scholz (Boston - More Than a Feeling) and John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers - Breaking The Girl). And that's just for starters!

Restringing and tuning

Watch our video above to see all the detail to restring and tune a 12-string but here are some pointers to help you quickly.

The Playing Examples

Ex 1 - Strumming chords

There’s no simpler way to enjoy a freshly restrung 12-string than strumming some open-position chords. Using a Cadd9 chord in place of the typical open C shape means the fretting hand third finger held in place for the first few bars will make chord changes easier. Pay attention to fingerings that are shared between the G, Em, A and C chords towards the end.

Ex 2 - Arpeggiating chords

Once you're comfortably changing chords and strumming, you can make use of the signature sound of string pairings by arpeggiating the chord progression from Example 1.

Aim to play the arpeggios with all down strokes or alternate picking for consistency of tone. Downstrokes will emphasize the octave strings, while alternate picking will provide contrast and texture between the notes.

You can also experiment with different note selections from each chord. Treat this example as a study piece if you’re a beginner, or as an outline to expand upon if you’re a more experienced player.

Ex 3 - Honing in on the third string and its octave

This example hones in on the most unique aspect of the 12-string guitar - the third string and its octave. It uses a droning G string and some modified CAGED shape arpeggios in the key of E minor.

This works particularly well on an electric 12-string, with some light overdrive and reverb, reminiscent of players like Alex Lifeson of Rush or Chris DeGarmo of Queensryche. The combination of octave strings and drones creates a natural modulation effect that sounds magical when double-tracked in a recording.

Ex 4 - Folk Rock styled cross picking

This is inspired by the seminal 12-string work of Roger McGuinn with The Byrds, and the lead lines and chords used by Jimmy Page and John Butler. It combines droning fourth and third strings with descending melodic lines and partial chords.

Pay careful attention to articulating the fretted notes while allowing the open strings to sustain and ring through. This can be played utilizing all downstrokes, alternate picking or country-style hybrid picking. Focus on the tone of each note and keeping each phrase a consistent volume.

Ex 5 - Using a capo at the 7th fret

Since 12-string guitars are often used as textural tools, combining them with a capo can add depth to a recording and inspire new ways to play common chord progressions.

Inspired by The Eagles, this example uses a capo at the magical 7th fret and revoices the chords from example 3 (Em, C, D and A) using the CAGED shapes for Am, F, G and D.

Since 12-string necks are generally wider and thicker than 6-string necks, several companies manufacture 12-string specific capos. My electric 12-string works with a standard 6-string capo but my acoustic 12-string is too wide!

Ex 6 - Final piece featuring arpeggios, strumming and cross picking

I’ve chosen to combine my favorite elements of bands like The Byrds, Led Zeppelin and The Smiths into this final study piece.

It begins with a breezy open string melodic line in G major (Example 4), before a pre-chorus combining open position chords and arpeggios (Examples 1 and 2), and building into a dramatic set of droning arpeggios in E minor (Examples 3 and 5).

I can safely say that if you can play this, you’ve definitely progressed beyond “beginner” level on the guitar. I’ve chosen to perform it on an electric 12-string, but it also works great as a standalone acoustic piece. Enjoy!

Classic 12-string guitar songs

The Byrds - Mr Tambourine Man

Arguably the definitive electric 12-string song, Roger McGuinn’s jangling Rickenbacker 12-string transformed Bob Dylan’s original into a dreamy, soaring pop anthem. McGuinn’s use of droning open strings and Bach inspired melodic lines bring together the seemingly disparate worlds of folk and baroque music.

McGuinn used the 12-string to enhance The Byrds signature vocal harmonies, as well as a textural tool – an approach that still influences guitarists today.

Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven

Is there a more iconic rock and roll image than Jimmy Page wielding a double-neck Gibson EDS-1275, or a more iconic tune than Stairway to Heaven?

While the guitar solo tops many “greatest guitar solos of all time” lists, the intricate 12-string parts (recorded with a Fender Electric XII) showcase Page’s unparalleled arranging and composition skills. Combining open chords, arpeggios and chordal fills, Stairway is still the tune all rock epics measure up against.

John Butler - Ocean

John Butler began busking in Fremantle, Western Australia, before taking the rest of the world by storm with The John Butler Trio. Fusing blues, folk, hard rock and pop, with the unorthodox combination of a 12-string (well, 11-string, actually, with no high G string) acoustic through a Marshall stack, Butler is both a formidable songwriter and guitarist.

Ocean is a virtuosic composition reminiscent of Michael Hedges and Andy McKee, utilizing open tunings, body percussion and tapping that evoke the vast and beautiful scenery of Australia’s south west.

While scales are great for getting your fingers and brain in shape to play single-note solos and melodies, there are situations in which a knowledge of the chords you’re working with is a big advantage. One good example of this is the trio format, where you might only have bass and drums for support.

There is a limit to how much a bass guitar can convey harmonic details (such as a major or minor chord) without forfeiting its main function of keeping a consistent low-end, so it’s down to the guitar in this context to provide more harmonic and melodic content.

A single-note solo played over just bass and drums runs the risk of sounding a bit empty and lacking in musicality after a while. The solution is to include some chord tones, fragments or arpeggios to help outline the harmony for your listeners.

This isn’t as daunting as it sounds. The key is being able to find the triads around the fretboard, then embellishing them. It’s surprising how little it takes to transform a chord accompaniment into a ‘featured’ part.

If you break down the beginning of Little Wing by Jimi Hendrix, you’ll see that’s basically what he’s doing. Larry Carlton takes triads and superimposes them over different chords to create a complex, layered harmony. You can also break the triads into arpeggios and spell them out a note at a time.

This does sound like a lot to absorb, but these four examples are designed to give you some ideas to try covering each of these areas. You don’t need to become a music theory genius to use triads in this way – just find a few go-to ideas and build from there using trial and error. Hope you enjoy and see you next time!

Example 1

The root notes played by the bass in this first example are A, D then back to A. Upon this foundation, I’m starting with an A7 triad but then taking a boogie-woogie piano-style movement to D, G and C triads where the bass is playing D.

This gives a sense of movement and harmony, without clashing with the root on the bass. Bar 3 takes a similar approach by superimposing the triads of Gsus2, D and A. It’s probably a good idea to treat this as a ‘lick’, rather than examine the chord/scale relationships too much.

Example 2

Having established some harmony with all those triads, this example starts with a short ascending chromatic run, leading to a single-note line based around a Dadd9 arpeggio in bar 1, which then turns into a melodic lick based on that same pattern.

Bar 3 resolves back to A, with the guitar following suit, starting with a slide up to C#. The final lick is another piano-style idea, based around D major, but it could also be viewed as part of the A minor pentatonic scale, adding a brief Eb (b5) and a staccato C natural for a bluesy feel.

Example 3

After a brief pick-up, these descending 6th chords are reminiscent of a lap steel but are played more aggressively. Shifting down chromatically from E6 down to C6, these triads are superimposed over the E and D notes from the bass.

The beginning of bar 3 features the arpeggiated triads of A and G major. The beginning of what would be another A major triad is interrupted by the short, sharp G6 and A6 chords, then finishing with D-Eb-E in another chromatic run.

Example 4

Here’s an alternative take on Example 1. The repeated triad triplets are a classic blues device, staying static for the whole of bar 1, then shifting to D for bar 2 and relenting slightly – a small detail, but this is the stuff that gives a good feel and avoids too much repetition.

Bar 3 gets things moving with A7, D, A and D6 arpeggios superimposed over the A on the bass. The final bar is similar to how we came in on Example 1. The grace notes and staccato hits are an important part of the feel but allow a bit of looseness, rather than trying to be too exact.

Hear it here

Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble – Texas Flood

SRV manages to fill a lot of space – both harmonically and sonically. Check out his playing on Texas Flood, which establishes a strong sense of the harmony before breaking out into single notes. In fact, the whole of the Texas Flood album is a masterclass on how to play blues guitar in a trio format.

Beyond this album, Cold Shot demonstrates how chordal accompaniment and a riff with fills can be one and the same thing. Finally, listen to how he integrates chords, doublestops and solo lines on Lenny.

Kirk Fletcher – Heartache By The Pound

As well as his own solo career, Kirk has worked with Charlie Musselwhite, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Joe Bonamassa. He’s comfortable both as a soloist and accompanist, who clearly knows his chords and triads back to front.

Check out his playing on Afraid To Die, Too Scared To Live from Heartache By The Pound to hear him mixing triads and self-assured single‑note lines. Elsewhere, try Ain’t No Cure For The Downhearted and Love Is More Than A Word, both from the 2020 My Blues Pathway album.

Jimi Hendrix – Axis: Bold as Love

Jimi is a renowned master of creating sophisticated harmonic textures in a trio format. Have another listen to Little Wing on Axis: Bold As Love, and then The Wind Cries Mary and Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland) elsewhere.

Admittedly, there seem to be a couple of layers going on here, but plenty happening in terms of superimposed triads, doublestops and embellished arpeggiated chords. Don’t stop at these three tracks – there’s a wealth of ideas on the original studio albums, and be sure to check out the live recordings, too.

• This article first appeared in Guitarist. Subscribe and save.

Guitarists know all too well about gear acquisition syndrome. But before you order that new pickup, pedal, or amp to fix your niggling tonal troubles, have you considered that your pick, even how you hold the pick, could be the answer you’re looking for? It certainly was for Steve Vai and his own playing.

“I just was getting tired of not having a great tone,” he once said. “I went through all these amplifiers. I was searching for something that sounded like some of the things I was hearing at the time. Edward Van Halen had hit the scene. You had Yngwie. So many players. And I could never figure out why I don’t sound good.

“I started to experiment with the way that I pick, where I pick, how I pick, the angle, all of these things. You get to a point where you hear it and you know it, and then the work starts.”

As Vai points out, the pick is your most tangible link to the sound you make on the guitar, and is often the tonal secret to a player’s identity. It’s difficult to imagine Brian May without the metallic rasp of his sixpence, Yngwie Malmsteen’s thunderous 1.5mm fury or Paul Gilbert’s precise pick attack which owes a lot to his pointy 1mm (or thinner) pick played at an angle.

Not only can the pick help inform your tone, it will also help hone your technique, so it makes sense to consider your options. If you want a loud sound and/or play quickly, a 1mm or thicker (even 2mm+) pick is great as it won't flex when you dig in. If you want a bright tone for acoustic or electric playing, a thinner pick such as 0.88mm with light playing is ideal. It certainly works for many strummers as well as funk legend Nile Rodgers.

This article will help you discover, as Steve Vai did years ago with his own practice, that focusing on your picking technique and hand posture can provide immense improvements for both your technical versatility as well as a much broader sound palette.

Before you get to the playing examples (from warm to bright, pinch harmonics to the secretive clarinet tone), the photos below highlight beneficial options about holding the pick, how to pick and where to pick.

How to hold the pick

Examples

Example 1 - Flat and angled picking

Play this single string B harmonic minor [B-C#-D-E-F#-G-A#] lick with alternate picking throughout. Start with your pick flat against the string, then rotate the pick angle 45 degrees to the string so the edge of the pick cuts through the string. Listen to how the pick angle changes the tone, becoming brighter with the angled picking.

Experiment with the angle as well as the guitar's pickup selections – a Stratocaster's neck, middle and bridge pickups all sound very different and can enhance your picking choices.

Example 2 - Varying picking dynamics

This A harmonic minor scale [A-B-C-D-E-F-G#] lick is phrased firstly as 3 groups of 4 notes, then 4 groups of 3 notes. As you alternate pick, accent the initial note of each grouping with a louder down or upstroke to expand your volume dynamics.

For the accented notes (shown above the music notation with this symbol >) use your wrist to snap the pick through the string with more force and conversely pick the regular notes more softly.

Example 3 - Picking in different places along the string

Use this example to pick at different positions along the string to access different tones. The two phrases are based in the A blues scale [A-C-D-Eb-E-G].

For the first phrase, pick nearer the neck for a warmer, fuller tone then compare to the brighter attack. You may find that your preference is somewhere between these extremes, so do experiment.

Example 4 - The clarinet tone

And now to the clarinet tone – the secret sauce for connoisseur pickers! Whatever you're fretting, pick the string exactly 12 frets higher. The photo above shows a 10th fret note being picked at the (virtual) 22nd fret. The tone noticeably changes to a thick, almost hollow sound that is akin to a clarinet. For sure, it's a game-changer when playing melodies with only downstrokes.

This melody is based in D Lydian [D-E-F#-G#-A-B-C#] and outlines two triad arpeggios: D major at the 7th fret and E major at the 9th fret. Maintain note separation by fretting each string with a different finger.

Next, count up 12 notes and pick the string exactly an octave higher than the fretted notes, which in this case would be at the 19th and 21st frets. Use down strokes for all notes to get the clarinet tone.

Example 5 - Palm muting and pinch harmonics

Based in A minor pentatonic [A-C-D-E-G], this incorporates palm muted notes and pinch harmonics. Use the bridge pickup for a bright tone and touch the string with the side of your thumb nearest the strings just after you've picked.

As you pick the string, lift off your thumb simultaneously. It's this very fast, double contact (pick then thumb) that generates a pinch harmonic.

Experiment with picking at different points along the string to produce different harmonic pitches (there are a wealth of different pitches to be found between the neck and bridge pickups).

If you want inspiration for pinch harmonics, check out Billy Gibbons, Eric Johnson, Zakk Wylde and Steve Vai: all know how to make a distorted guitar scream with their pick.

Example 6 - All picking approaches together

This longer piece is an amalgamation of the previous techniques. Based around the G Phrygian dominant scale [G-Ab-B-C-D-Eb-F], it starts with alternate picked accents with heavier pick strokes played every 3 notes, then every 4 notes.

Next, move your pick near the neck to give the sweep picked notes a fuller, rounder sound. Finally, pick nearer the bridge for a bright tone and to awaken squealing pinched harmonics.

Three pick masters in action

Eric Johnson - Cliffs Of Dover

This is one of the most loved guitar instrumentals ever written with some of the most articulate picking recorded, here in a ramped up live presentation.

The intro features hybrid picking for the chords while the distorted lead lines feature masterful pick based playing including precise economy picking, up picks and pinch harmonics.

The otherwise mellow tone is balanced by the zingy attack of the fabled red Jazz III, which has a sharper point than traditional picks and a harder material which provides a very quick attack.

U2 - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

The .88mm blue Herdim pick is the secret to The Edge’s early sound, not only because of the particular sound nylon picks provide, but also how he holds it.

By gripping the tip backwards, with the tip of the pick between the thumb and first finger, the strings are strummed by the textured, dimpled grip side of the pick, adding a unique scratch to the proceedings.

Holding a pick backwards isn't unique to The Edge – Pat Metheny and Robben Ford both favour this, too.

John Scofield - Blue Matter

Jazz fusion legend John Scofield uses a signature Ibanez 1mm pick which has a small teardrop style shape. His recognizable clear, articulate sound is in part due to his picking close to, or directly over, the bridge pickup.

Altered tunings can be one of the most fun and rewarding elements associated with the guitar. Specifically, the ability to change the tuning of some or all strings in the pursuit of finding new chord shapes and evocative progressions is really inspiring. And inspiration is what we all crave when playing and writing.

It’s common to associate 'big change' tunings like open G (D G D G B D) with slide players, but it has also driven some of the most famous non-slide songs in rock and blues. Two fine examples are The Rolling Stones' Brown Sugar and Jumpin’ Jack Flash.

The beauty of this tuning is its instant usability. While tunings like DADGAD can be a challenge during first forays, open G (aka Spanish tuning) gives up the goods far more readily as you’ll discover in the following examples.

When I’m playing in open G, I keep a close eye on the triads (three-note chords) on the fourth, third and second strings as the results are the same as with standard tuning.

So, all the normal major and minor triad shapes can be used as reference points around which you can add colour with the other strings. Typically, this can involve using open strings to provide a relationship with the triads. Or you can really exploit the I to V relationship between the fifth string (G) and the sixth and fourth strings (both D).

As would be expected, open G major often pulls you towards playing in the key of G. While this isn’t a bad thing, you do want to ensure you get the best out of any altered tuning by exploring other keys, too.

For example, open G is particularly effective for playing in C major and D major as the open strings can be used to create colour or tension against fretted notes. In this regard, it’s a good idea to map out common open position major and minor shapes to begin with. Remember, the magic of open G lies in the fact that you have familiar reference points on the fourth, third and second strings. Onto the examples!

Example 1 - The open strings of Open G

It may seem obvious but the best place to start with any tuning is simply to hear it. This is best done by slowly playing the open strings to hear their relationship to each other and then play all strings together to hear the open chord. In this case, you'll be sounding a huge G major. Don't under-appreciate the loudness and resonance of all open strings sounding together in Open G – it's that good!

Example 2 - Simple C and G chords in Open G

Next you can start locating simple open major and minor chords and find out where chord progressions such as I – IV and I – IV – V lie. In this example, you’ll play G (the I chord) to C (the IV chord) progression. Listen how the open fourth string (D) at the top of the C chord creates a rich add9 extension.

Example 3 - Fingerpicking in Open G

Open G can take some of the work from the fretting hand as the open strings do so much. In this fingerpicking example you’ll play through the I – IV – V chords in G major (G - C - D). Check out how the chords require very few fretting hand fingers, a nice relief!

Example 4 - Thickening notes in Open G

Open G is a fantastic Americana and bluegrass tuning, even more so given how many traditional tunes are written in keys like G and C. Check out how easily you can thicken a G major chord using unisons (unison = two occurrences of the same note played together).

In bar 1, the G5 chord has two G notes and two D notes, sounding like a variation on a 12-string guitar.

Example 5 - Extended chords in Open G

It’s easy to find rich chords in open tunings, and Jimmy Page took this approach with many of Led Zeppelin’s classic tracks. This example explores rich-sounding G and D chords where the open strings add interesting textures: rich chords with little fretting hand work.

Example 6 - Americana stylings in Open G

This example is an Americana/folk inspired piece inspired by Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes. Importantly, it gets you out of all the ruts you may find in standard tuning so will, physically and sonically, sound fresh.

It’s based around G, C and Dm chords, using the open strings and textural options of the tuning to bring the piece to life.

Players who use Open G tuning

The Rolling Stones - Brown Sugar

Keef is perhaps the player best associated with open G tuning through the massive early Rolling Stones hit, Brown Sugar. Study this song and you’ll appreciate how the triads on the fourth, second and third strings serve as an anchor in open G tuning.

The Black Crowes - Remedy

The influence of Keith Richards and Jimmy Page is ever-present in Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes. That said, he took open G tuning and made it his own by writing many gorgeous parts in this tuning. Check out Remedy to hear how he uses it in a blues-rock context.

Charley Patton - Magnolia Blues

It's not just '60s and onwards guitarists that love Open G. The early blues pioneer, Charley Patton often used open G tuning which gave his playing a softer, folk blues feel. Magnolia Blues used this tuning, often with a capo placed at the 2nd fret or higher. For sure, you can hear Charley's influence on Keith Richards.

For many guitarists, one of the major draws to learning jazz and jazz blues is the richness and beauty of the chord work: a tapestry of stunning voicings and extensions that brings a whole new level of emotion and depth to the music.

Jumping into this world can seem daunting at first, so let's simplify the process so you can play gorgeous new chords in a way that is inspiring and easy to understand.

One of the most common progressions in jazz, and in popular music generally, is the I-VI-II-V progression. In the key of C major, this would involve the chords C-Am-Dm-G or Cmaj7-Am7-Dm7-G7 if you wanted a jazzier sound.

Often used as a turnaround, this sequence forms a solid foundation which we can modify with extensions, voicings, inversions and substitutions – the options are almost endless!

Sometimes you’ll end up with a progression that on the surface may appear to bear little resemblance to its humble I-VI-II-V beginnings, but dig a little deeper and you’ll see that there is a logic to explain how and why we end up there.

For this article, you will get to understand a handful of these common modifications. These will provide more artistic freedom of chord choices, so you can express yourself with sophistication and richness. So let's take a close look at some of the tricks of the trade, as used by a handful of jazz guitar legends.

Example 1: The foundation

First, let's establish a basic starting point; a purely diatonic I-VI-II-V progression in the key of C major. Diatonic simply means that we’re using only notes from our parent scale to build these chords, the C major scale in this case. This progression will be the template for this article, allowing you to adapt and modify these changes in interesting and inspiring ways.

Notice that each and every chord is extended with its 7th: The I chord is major 7th (Cmaj7), the VI and II chords are both minor 7th (Am7 and Dm7), and the V chord is a dominant 7th (G7).

For the second pass through the progression, you will go straight in with a couple of common modifications: a substitute for the I chord (Cmaj7) with the III chord (Em7) to add a minor vibe. Then the quality of the VI chord will change from minor (Am7) to dominant (A7) in order to set the II chord (Dm7) more elegantly.

As far as voicings go (ie how the chord's notes are placed together), the most useful and common options are used for each chord type throughout this example.

Example 2: Herb Ellis style

Here you'll take a look at how Herb Ellis might have extended these chords further, and be introduced to some important modifications. Instead of a Cmaj7 chord, this time you'll play one of my personal favorites, a C6 chord. This is a straight major chord with a 6th added: C major with an A note. This is a bedrock chord of swing and traditional jazz, not a plain major and not as bluesy or (perhaps) unresolved sounding as C7.

A couple of diminished 7th chords (ie four notes, each a minor 3rd apart) are introduced to create a chromatic climb in the bass, before cycling back around and using dominant chords for the III, VI, II and V. Notice the use of passing chords a semitone above the destination chord each time also (eg Bb7 passes to the destination A7). This adds a slinky bluesy flavor to the progression.

Lastly, enjoy the final C6/G chord: C6 in second inversion (5th in the bass). It's one of the richest and sweetest low voiced chords you can play on guitar. More importantly, it's very jazzy sounding!

Example 3: Joe Pass style

Joe Pass was a true master of adding movement and internal melodies within his chord changes - his 1975 live duet show with Ella Fitzgerald in Hannover is a must-see for just how incredibly adept he was at this as a sole accompanist.

You'll expand your chordal palette even further with the addition of minor 11ths, Dominant 13ths and stacked alterations: rich and sophisticated extensions to 7th chords. There are also internal melodic movements into the chords.

Adding movement to chord changes is about maintaining momentum, sometimes along the bass strings, other times on top of the chords, or even in the middle of them. All three approaches feature throughout this example.

Notice the G#13 chord preceding the G13, similar to the Herb Ellis example: this is simply a passing chord (G#13: a richer version of G#7) a semitone above the destination chord (G13).

Example 4: Johnny Smith style

Johnny Smith was quite the chord magician. His use of dense closed voicings, often moving alarmingly quickly, created an almost otherworldly, organ-like tone. In this example the tempo is kept low which allows your focus to be about clean and articulate technique.

These stretchy chord voicings are a great work-out for agility building and hand posture. Make sure to keep your thumb low down at the back of the neck in order to allow your hand to fully open up. It’s also important to keep a shallow wrist angle as anything too severe will cut your mobility down right away.

The opening C6 chord voicing is a good example of a closed voicing, which simply means that the intervals in the chord remain in perfect ascending order. In this case, you have the C major triad running from low to high on the fifth to third strings, with the 6th (an A note) added on the 10th fret, second string.

There’s a certain magic to this sound and it’s a world worth exploring. Notice the use of more upper extensions on the minor chords: 9ths and 11ths.

Take note of the Db7(b5) voicing in Bar 2. This is a tritone substitution and is as simple as taking the original G7 voicing from the opening progression, and swapping the G bass note, for the note three tones (a tritone) away which is Db. This helps the bass to resolve seamlessly down a semitone further to the C note in bar 3.

You'll use two different voicings for the Dm11 chord, one contains the 9 also and one omits it. Then for the cherry on top, you'll play a Johnny Smith classic dominant chord voicing; a G13(b9). It's a good finger-tangler of a shape that requires a thumb over the fretboard for the G bass. You can always choose to omit the bass note if you prefer though. This chord resolves beautifully to C6 - notice the chromatic voice-leading along the first string in the last three changes (G, Ab, A).

Example 5: Barney Kessel style

Barney Kessel’s playing was often lively with a keen focus on swing, groove and pocket. Here you'll look at how the I-VI-II-V progression can make for the perfect, hard-swinging mid-tempo intro.

You start off with a C major in first inversion (ie the chord's third - E - is the lowest note) played as a spread triad. Then there's a common substitution; swapping the VI chord (here, it would be Am7) for a diminished 7th built off the root of the key.

In Bar 1 the diminished 7th is highly colorful as it’s not Cdim7 in root position (ie the C is the bass note) but Cdim7 in first inversion (Eb is the bass note) with a spicy major 7 (B note) at the top. In isolation, this chord can sound odd and tense. However, within the context of Bar 1 moving to Bar 2, it’s simply a jazzy passing chord that is evocative of guitarists like Barney as well as pianists like Oscar Peterson and McCoy Tyner.

The chromatic bass-line continues as you connect to the II chord (Dm7). You then cycle round the same progression again starting with C6. This time you use a favorite Barney Kessel/George Van Eps/Freddie Green/Matt Munisteri style manoeuvre for the II-V. Bar 4 starts with a spread Dm triad before walking the middle note of the chord up to the major 3rd of G7 (a B note).

Example 6: Wes Montgomery style

Wes Montgomery was a huge fan of the “ladybird turnaround”, a progression derived from Tadd Dameron’s 1939 tune, Lady Bird. Based in C, this would involve four major 7th chords: Cmaj7-Ebmaj7-Abmaj7-Dbmaj7. This sublime little run of chords soon became another very popular turnaround amongst bebop and swing musicians. Although not technically hard to play, theory wise it benefits from a little explaining.

Starting on Em7, you're re-using the trick of subbing the III chord in place of the I (Cmaj7). From there you get into tri-tone substitution - Eb being the tritone sub of Am, Ab being the tritone sub of Dm and Db being the tritone sub of G7.

Wes liked to use a mix of major and Dominant chord types for these progressions, so do play around with as many options as you can think of here. Try using various major 7ths, or all major 9ths, or perhaps all dominant 13ths.

In short, mix and match to your heart’s desire!

Jazz legends in action!

Joe Pass - Ain't Misbehaving

Joe was as creative as he was virtuosic. Watch how he navigates the chord changes and creates intricate inner melodies with confidence and clarity.

Tal Farlow - Misty

Tal was renowned as a fast player with big hands. Watch how he uses his thumb to grab 7th, 9th and altered chords as well as the ease of his picking hand during this beautiful jazz song.

Wes Montgomery - Here's That Rainy Day

If you can take your eyes away from Wes' unique thumb-only picking style (and how he splays his fingers out on the pick guard), you will see much beauty coming from his fretting hand as he uses single notes, octaves and chords for the rich changes to this famous piece.

Tremolo picking is the relentless, rapid-fire technique that has electrified generations of guitar players across multiple genres. It’s the thread that connects surf rock to extreme metal, classical finesse to experimental noise rock. At its core, tremolo picking involves continuously alternating up and down strokes on a single note (or set of notes), creating a sustained and often urgent texture.

Its origins trace back to acoustic instruments like the mandolin, oud, and classical guitar, where it was used to emulate sustained tones on otherwise percussive instruments. The electric guitar’s amplified nature supercharged this technique, pushing it from subtle shimmer to full-blown sonic assault.

If you've been playing for several years, learning tremolo picking is a powerful skill as it will develop speed, stamina, and control. It builds wrist strength, teaches rhythmic precision (and when to abandon it), and enhances your tone. Whether you’re aiming to channel the wet, reverby energy of Dick Dale, the sinister churn of Morbid Angel, or the textural nuance and kineticism of Radiohead, tremolo picking is a must-know guitar technique to take your playing to the next level.

The key to mastering this technique is in the wrist motion, pick angle, and watching for excessive tension in the picking hand.

You’ll use your wrist – not your elbow – to generate motion. Keep your pick slightly angled (about 15-20 degrees) to minimize resistance, and avoid tensing up - especially at higher speeds. If you feel your arm locking up, stop, reset, and try again.

When holding the pick, don't use too much pressure and expose the pick's tip between 2-5mm from the thumb - you don't need lots of pick connecting to the string. As for the pick itself, most fast players opt for substantial thickness: while it can be pleasing to strum an acoustic with a 0.60mm pick, anything under 1mm is likely to be moving around too much when you're picking fast with a moderate amount of force.

Timing and Tremolo: What Do Those Slashes Really Mean?

Let’s demystify the timing side of tremolo picking. Two rhythmic styles are used:

● Measured tremolo, often played in 16th notes.

● Unmeasured tremolo, where you try to cram in as many strokes as possible within the written note’s duration.

In notation, the number of diagonal slashes on a note’s stem tells you how fast to pick. One slash means 8th note tremolo, two slashes for 16th notes, and three for 32nd notes. At slower tempos, it’s easy to keep things precise - 8ths and 16ths can be played with steady, measured picking. But once you hit 32nd notes (or faster), it’s a different story. This is a max-out speed for many, where trying to track every individual stroke becomes mechanically unrealistic or impossible. That’s where unmeasured tremolo comes in.

Instead of counting, you simply unleash a rapid, all-out, continuous motion - to create a fluttering effect. The goal here isn’t precise rhythmic accuracy, but sonic texture. Think of it as controlled chaos: fast, loose, and expressive rather than mathematically perfect.

In tablature without note stems, you may see the slashes placed above or below the fret number.

Ready to dive in? Great. What follows are six comprehensive examples that unlock the deep potential of tremolo picking in your guitar playing!

Tremolo Picking examples

Example 1: Dick Dale and the surf guitar tsunami

Dick Dale brought tremolo picking into the mainstream with high-speed, reverb-soaked lines that sounded like crashing waves. His technique and tone were inspired by jazz drummers like Gene Krupa - fast, bombastic, and full of syncopation.

In this example, use a clean tone with spring reverb (the 'boingy' type found in old tube amps) and focus on measured sixteenth note tremolos, with accenting on specific beats for rhythmic bounce. Explore picking closer to the bridge for that classic surf guitar snap and bite.

Example 2: Eddie Van Halen's classical twist

Eddie Van Halen’s Little Guitars intro is a pastiche take on nylon-string fingerpicked guitar tremolo which involves either the thumb, first and second fingers or those plus the third finger. Here, you are maintaining a high open string with unmeasured tremolo while the fretting hand fingers hammer-on lower notes to create a layered, two part sound.

Inspired by composers like Francisco Tárrega (check out the famous Recuerdos de la Alhambra) and classical guitarists like Andrés Segovia, Eddie used tremolo in this case as a texture, not just a technique. This one demands twitch picking - the rapid wrist shake that comes from a relaxed shoulder and snappy wrist, not brute force. If you’re struggling with the 'hammer on from nowhere' technique required by this example, check out this 10 Guitar Tips article that includes hammer-on strength exercises.

Example 3: Jonny Greenwood and the art of texture

Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood brought tremolo picking into the world of alternative and art rock. He blended measured and unmeasured tremolo, double stops, and octave shapes across wide string spans for a textural, orchestral vibe.

This style requires more wrist mobility and a looser picking grip, like a funk rhythm guitarist. The result? Ambient washes, punchy cacophony, and ethereal richness. In this example, there's a set of 'false notes' - two of the same exact pitch played on two different strings simultaneously. This adds thickness and dissonance as the C note on the third string is slowly raised by a ¼ step.

Example 4: Slayer and the thrash revolution

In thrash metal, tremolo picking is an engine of aggression. Slayer’s riffs - like in Postmortem or Raining Blood - use measured 16th-note tremolos to match relentless double bass drum.

As stated earlier, there's a key skill to maintaining fast tremolo picking. Here's what Kerry has said about fast tremolo picking: "A lot of people don't know that they don't need to play from the elbow. If you want any kind of speed and you want to be articulate, play from the wrist. You've got to have as minimal movement as you can."

Add distortion and pick hard(ish) for maximum attack but be mindful about tension and/or pain over long bouts of heavy and fast picking. Use single-string dissonant intervals and punctuate with occasional unmeasured bursts to ramp up tension. Thrash tremolo is tight, rhythmic, and physically demanding - this is a real stamina-builder.

Utilize the unused parts of both hands to control noise in this style. Quick position shifts and fast tremolos with this amount of distortion makes playing tight and cleanly a battle. Again, you can refer to chapter six of the 10 Guitar Tips article to work on controlling string noise with both hands.

Example 5: Death metal and the extreme edge

Bands like Morbid Angel use tremolo picking with almost reckless abandon, creating riffs that sound like turret fire. This style leans heavily on unmeasured tremolo, often alternating between rapid picking and muted power chords.

As stated earlier, keep your pick angle sharp not flat contact to the string but angled so each stroke has less resistance. Practice in short bursts to avoid hand stress as 200 bpm with constant tremolo is intense. This example is a great workout for tone control and switching between muted chords and high-octane single note runs.

Example 6: Black metal – something wicked this way comes!

Black metal, pioneered by players like Euronymous of Mayhem, uses tremolo picking in haunting, melodic ways. This style incorporates arpeggios and scalar runs, all tremolo picked with sixteenth notes at warp speed over blast beats.

Unlike death or thrash metal, don't mute - let the strings ring with icy clarity. Practice bar-by-bar to learn the fingerings, then stitch each bar together. Think piercing winds and revelatory chaos: this is tremolo picking’s most brutal form.

Tremolo picking in 5 iconic songs

Dick Dale – Miserlou

The original surf tremolo anthem. Fast, dry-picked, and soaked in reverb. An electric guitar game-changer.

Eddie Van Halen – Little Guitars

Flamenco flair in a classically inspired masterpiece. Combines blazing tremolo with fret hand tapping/hammer-ons for added challenge.

Radiohead – Just

Jonny Greenwood unleashes tremolo picking through octave swells and fuzzed-out textures in this explosive solo from The Bends.

Morbid Angel – Immortal Rites

A blueprint for death metal riffing. Unrelenting tremolo picking and tonal brutality.

Yngwie Malmsteen – Trilogy Suite Op: 5

Perhaps a good starting point for a part two, this neoclassical opus combines fast measured tremolo picking between fretted notes and the open string.

Many great guitarists spend pre-stage time warming their hands up in preparation for a full night's worth of riffing and soloing. Gus G is no different, be it with his band Firewind or when he was touring with Ozzy Osbourne.

How to do this well with limited time can be overwhelming, so we asked Gus how he actually does this.

These six warm-ups will help you quickly bond with the guitar as the exercises are designed to isolate techniques such as legato (hammer-ons and pull-offs), alternate picking, sweep picking and one finger-per-fret fingering. In similar ways to sporting athletes, the incentive for warm-ups is to reduce strain and boost overall performance. After these, you'll be hot to go, for sure!

Before you set sail though, it is worth noting that Gus has detuned all his strings by one tone on his signature Jackson Pro Series San Dimas guitar. This means the typical tuning of E-A-D-G-B-E now becomes D-G-C-F-A-D.

This dropped down tuning creates a deep, resonant sound and also decreases string tension, making fretting easier. If you have a whammy bar you may need to take care when altering the string tension as it can drastically affect the setup.

However, you can easily play these exercises in standard E based tuning as they are pattern based and all will sound perfectly fine. The tab/notation shown below reflects exactly what Gus played but if you're in standard tuning, just follow the tab's fret numbers for similar results.

Gus delivers the examples at brisk speeds so this may make them sound more intimidating than they actually are. Watch him play and listen to his explanations then learn the examples in small sections, slowly and carefully. After this, glue the sections together to duplicate Gus's playing duration. You will find they're all logically pattern based and fall well under the fingers.

Once you've done all six, we recommend using Gus’s examples as a springboard for your own warm-up ideas. What do you find easy here? Don't work on this as much. What do you find difficult: is there a string crossing or a fretting finger that is hampering your results? This is what you want to work on. Addressing your technical weaknesses head-on may feel like hard work and require discipline, but it will maximize your progress.

Example 1: Chromatic jumping

This first example is a variation on the classic chromatic warm-up pattern that utilizes all four fretting hand fingers. Instead of simply ascending and descending on a single string though, Gus goes between two strings to ascend then descend. This introduces the need for greater picking accuracy, as you need to cross the strings with great precision.

Gus plays this example with strict alternate picking (down, up, repeat) and also demonstrates a spider-style variation where you move up one fret after each 1-2-3-4 pattern thus creating a diagonal path.

Tip: embedded in this exercise are various options for creating dark sounding riffs as there are a number of diminished 5th intervals (eg the first two notes of G and Db). Explore and be creative!

Example 2: Finger combinations for legato

This is a legato exercise designed to maintain and develop your fretting hand fingers for independence and stamina. There are six notes played per beat and you can see in the notation what fingers to use. This is a well-designed workout as it will highlight which finger groupings are your weakest. Once you've decided, practice these the most.

Example 3: Legato across all strings

This next exercise uses a fingering pattern of the first, second and fourth fingers across all six strings. On the way up you will hammer-on and on the way back down you will pull-off. There is no need to change the fingering pattern as you would do for diatonic scales (ie scales that are in a key such as D major or E natural minor) as this is meant to work just as a symmetrical warm-up exercise.

It’s easy to get carried away with exercises like this that involve stretching so take a break when you feel discomfort or fretting hand 'burn'. Gus likes this exercise when he needs a quick way to get his fretting hand muscles primed to play.

Example 4: Sweep picking

Here you are concentrating on the synchronization between the picking and fretting hands. This warm-up may seem hard to play as it uses sweep picking and one note per string arpeggio shapes, but the symmetrical pattern is logical and straightforward.

You will use all four fingers, moving over to an adjacent string each time you lay down a finger. This creates a diagonal pattern of notes on the fretboard that can be picked with a single sweep across the four upper strings.

The trick here is to time the fretting of the notes with when the pick sweeps across. Alternatively, if the notes are held down with the fretting fingers then there will be no note separation. With a clean tone, this can prove useful as you can concentrate fully on the picking hand's sweep requirements. But to duplicate what Gus plays, the fretting hand fingers will need to fret then quickly come off the strings slightly to stop the note sounding.

Reality check: this is a tricky exercise if you have never used sweep picking before but hopefully you'll discover it's an exciting approach for guitar playing. If so, slow and careful early steps with your practice will create a solid technical foundation.

Example 5: Alternate picking with scales

This next exercise is a good one for maintaining and developing your alternate picking technique. Here, Gus uses a popular rock/metal three notes per string approach in G natural minor (or A minor if you're in standard tuning) and ascends and descends using alternate picking. The key is to start slow to establish accuracy. You may find isolating two string segments (totalling six notes) will help to establish your precision and speed.

Example 6: Finger strengthening with chromatics

This final exercise is excellent for building your fretting hand strength and precision by slurring notes. The legato pattern contains eleven notes so to make the tab easy to read, these eleven notes are grouped within each main beat. This way, you can easily see where the next position starts and ends. We have also written in the fretting hand's fingerings for the first set of eleven notes.

Once you have the pattern down in one position, you will find it easy to transfer it around the fretboard. When played fast, this pattern is reminiscent of chromatic pieces like Flight Of The Bumble Bee.

Hear it here: Gus G – Advent

This instrumental showcases both Gus's burning metal chops (spot some licks that evoke his warm-up exercises!) and melodic phrasing. There's plenty of powerful riffing too, courtesy of his Jackson seven-string.

"Heavy metal and drop D is a match made in heaven," Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil once said, and for heavy rock riffs and thick-sounding chords, drop D is hard to beat.

It's a simple one to set up, too: the sixth string is lowered by a whole step from E to D, while the other five strings remain in standard tuning. Easy!

The term drop D refers to the fact that only the bottom sixth string is “dropped” and results in a D5 power chord when playing the open (ie not fretted) bottom three strings. This unique quality makes it easy to play a movable power chord on these strings, as you simply barre with one finger and move the shape around the neck.

Other benefits to drop D include the sixth and fourth strings both being tuned to D, which opens up the possibilities for symmetrical (and easy) fretting patterns. Also, altering the tuning of the sixth string will breathe new life into your chords, and enable richer chord voicings (especially D and G-based ones).

When it comes to string gauges, it's advisable to have a slightly thicker sixth string, as the drop in pitch can make the string slightly looser (and easier to sound out of tune). A gauge of .046 (from a standard .010 set) or .048 (even .052) would aid keeping a tighter tension on the sixth string after dropping the pitch.

Many guitarists have favored drop D to add thickness to their riffs. The list would include Eddie Van Halen, Jimmy Page, Kurt Cobain, Kim Thayil, Jerry Cantrell, Dimebag Darrell, Tom Morello, Adam Jones, Dave Grohl, Tony Iommi, Brian May, Zakk Wylde, Ty Tabor, Nuno Bettencourt, and David Gilmour. And that's to name just a few!

Example 1. D5 chords using drop D

This example introduces you to the basic of concept of drop D tuning, and how lowering the E down by a whole tone to D will result in a D5 power chord on the bottom three open strings.

In this first example, you will get accustomed to the sound of the tuning, by practicing the open D5 power chord with some basic rhythmic variations. Use palm muting to enhance the 'chug' effect!

Example 2. Drop D riffing with power chords

This example shows how you can play a movable power chord shape on the bottom three strings by applying a barre with the first finger. This riff illustrates the effectiveness of the approach by using a series of single finger power chords. It's a powerful sound.

Example 3. More adventurous power chord riffing

Here you will develop flexibility between single finger power chords (root on the sixth string) to three string power chords with their root note on the fifth string. Shifting between these two shapes allows greater scope for creating dynamic riffs with bigger intervallic jumps. Take care when crossing string groups and keep unwanted string noise under control.

Example 4. Arpeggiating with drop D

This illustrates how drop D tuning broadens and inspires your options for extended chord types and different voicings. The chords in this progression are performed as arpeggios so pay attention to your picking and allow the notes to ring and sustain.

When playing this, listen to how drop D has elevated basic shapes, especially when including open strings for lush chord extensions.

Example 5. The sixth and fourth string advantage of drop D

Here you can see the fretboard symmetry between the sixth string and the fourth string as both are tuned to D, but an octave apart. This enables the same fingering and fret positions to easily achieve wider intervalic jumps.

Take care with the timing of this riff as well as note clarity for the fast open string pull-offs.

Example 6. Power chord and arpeggio fun!

This combines many of the techniques covered earlier. Bars 1-4 feature the first riff using power chords with root notes on the sixth and fifth strings. Specifically, you are mixing the one finger power chord shapes with traditional power chord fretting. Pay attention to the palm muting directions to keep the riff tight.

Bars 5-8 introduce a new riff the includes melodic variations to the fifth string root power chords when utilizing the dropped sixth string. Also included in this riff is a symmetrical single-note riff on the sixth and fourth strings. This section is covering a large portion of the neck, so take care when shifting positions.

Bars 9-12 conclude with rich chord voicings performed as arpeggios. Make sure you allow the notes of each chord to sustain.

Drop D in action

Van Halen - Unchained

This is one of the greatest drop D riffs of all time, with a tone to match. Eddie’s iconic drop D riff fuses the thick flanger tinged driving low D with the harmonic movement of triads, weaving between a D major and D minor tonality.

Soundgarden - Outshined

Kim Thayil helped defined the sound of grunge with this drop D Black Sabbath-inspired riff. The riff includes palm muted power chords performed on the bottom three strings, producing a thick and heavy sound. The riff has a dissonant quality with the inclusion of the Ab5 power chord, implying a diminished fifth interval for additional tension and release.

Kings X - Pleiades

Kings X guitarist Ty Tabor is very creative when it comes to using drop D. Pleiades helps to illustrate the contrasting possibilities of drop D, from thick and heavy power chords, to rich and expressive open voiced arpeggios. Ty adds movement to a static chord by moving the bass note, altering the harmony and function of the chord.

There are two fundamental strokes you use as a pick player. One is down-picking where the pick's direction is towards the floor and the other is up-picking where the pick moves upwards, towards your face. Both are vital, sharing the work required to sound the strings.

At a very fundamental level, many guitarists use down-picks on down beats and up-picks on up beats. This allows for technical consistency that keeps general playing simple. You'll see this throughout the examples below.

But while down-picking gets a lot of focus – especially in metal – there's not as much discussion about up-picking, despite its importance.

One outstanding element to up-picking is tone: with the upward motion and the angle of how the pick is held, up-strokes often have a bright and lively sound (clean or distorted) that cuts well through a band mix. If you're after a way to have a note or chord 'bite', an up-stroke can often be the solution.

Then technically, since they often follow down-strokes, confident up-strokes help to define your timing during off-beats and playing syncopated rhythms. This is why reggae, ska, and funk players use a lot of up-picking for their chord chops.

Now to the fundamentals: below are two images of an up-pick being used on the fifth string.

When used strategically, up-picking can make string changes smoother and reduce timig 'hiccups'. Power pickers like Paul Gilbert and Andy James like to add strength and bite when crossing strings, using up-picks to help achieve this.

But perhaps one of the best ever up-stroke moments is at the end of the guitar solo in Deep Purple's Smoke On the Water where Ritchie Blackmore pick chokes his gradually dropping string bend. What a rhythmically biting result!

So without further ado, here are six exercises to hone the foundations of your up-picking technique. With a focus on developing accuracy and good tone, you will explore off-beat and syncopated phrasing in both your lead and rhythm playing. And then over a period of time, you will see your stamina and speed improve greatly.

Example 1. The foundations of up-picks (low sixth string)

This focuses on developing a strong and confident up-picking technique, playing the low sixth string with just up-strokes. Whilst an unusual approach, using just ups will greatly strengthen this stroke.

Rather than keeping the underside of your picking hand parallel to the strings, rotate your hand slightly so your pick moves away from the strings. This adjustment stops your upstroke from connecting with an upper string. You'll see this in the video.

Start with just quarter notes (as shown in bar 1), played slowly so you don't tense up and can maintain even timing and volume. Once this is secure, you can complete the whole exercise which switches from quarter notes (1 note per beat) to 8th notes (2 notes per beat).

Example 2. Developing up-pick agility on the low strings

This phrase consists entirely of 8th notes, either as eight notes in a bar (bars 1 and 3) or as four notes (bars 3 and 4). Count a steady 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & to feel the two-notes-per-beat subdivision. Most of this example involves riffing on the sixth and fifth strings so you get used to crossing two strings that are close together.

That said, during bar 3's beats 3 and 4 there is a bigger jump from the sixth string to the fourth string. This requires a bigger picking hand motion so practice this on its own if you're struggling to maintain the jump. Throughout, keep your picking hand’s wrist and forearm relaxed to prevent tension and ensure smooth transitions between strings.

Example 3. Up-picking for off beat high string chords

A change of scene now as you focus on a chord strumming pattern on the top three strings. To do this, you'll need to make a wide "U" shaped strumming motion, allowing both down-strokes and up-strokes to connect with the first three strings.

The relevance of this rhythm is you will mute the strings with your fretting hand on the down-strums (which happen on the down beats) and then fret the chord for all the up-strums (which happen on the upbeats). With regular off beat chords being sounded like this, you're learning a reggae styled groove and if played faster, it'll be more ska like.

Pro tip: have your fretting fingers lightly resting on the strings to mute them during down-strums. For chord clarity on the up-strums, make good contact with the fretted notes.

For consideration: experiment with how long to sustain the up-strummed chords by taking your fingers off as soon as the pick has strummed. Certainly, some reggae and ska styles can require very clipped/staccato chords indeed.

Example 4. Emphasing off beat notes with up-picks

This returns to a single-note approach but uses a muted down-stroke with the fretting hand, followed by notes sounding on the up-strokes. Each muted down-stroke serves as a rhythmic marker, helping you to maintain accurate timing and create strong off-beat phrasing from the up-picked notes. As there are many off beat notes, the overall effect has a strong groove especially when a drummer plays a standard rock beat.

Example 5. The triplet challenge: 3 notes per beat, all up-picks

Now you will work with 8th note triplets, counted as ‘1 Trip-let, 2 Trip-let, 3 Trip-let, 4 Trip-let.’ A word of advice: with frequent up-strokes, fatigue can quickly set in. To prevent this, aim not to tense up too much and use small controlled picking motions. These tips will allow you to maintain stamina without burning out too soon. Start slow and then increase your tempo over time as this exercise is designed to build control, accuracy, and up-picking endurance.

Example 6. Syncopated riffing that exploits bright sounding up-picks

The final example is in E Phrygian Dominant (E F G# A B C D), the fifth mode from the A Harmonic minor scale (A B C D E F G#) and an ear catching approach to imply or augment an E7 chord. It features a melodic sequence divided into phrase groupings of 3 + 3 + 2. The first note of each group is played with a down-stroke then the remaining notes are played with up-strokes. This keeps the picking hand moving in the same direction as each string change. Finally, add picking hand palm muting to provide chunk to the low sixth string E notes for a driving rock riff.

Tick, tick, tick....

Be it a wind-up device or an app on your phone, a metronome is part and parcel of being a focused musician. Simply put, it keeps time at whatever tempo you set it to and then you interact with the regular clicking it provides. Tempo is usually shown in numbers (typically ranging from 40-208) which means how many beats per minute (usually referred to as bpm).

Physical wind-up metronomes have a percussive click that will continue for as long as the wind-up can provide (there are a maximum amount of turns you can physically do). Alternatively, metronome apps are convenient and often more versatile: the click sounds can be changed, time signatures can be selected and altered plus the main downbeat can be made louder and/or the sound varied.

Regardless of what is used, how you interact with a metronome is best served from two perspectives: it acts as a time keeper, maintaining tempo for your playing and also as your speed checker when wanting to play faster.

For time keeping, learn your song then set the metronome at the correct tempo so you can play it all the way through. If there are tricky passages you're struggling with, work on these segments in isolation then practice with the metronome set to a much slower tempo. During this first session (or over several), these passages can be mastered allowing you to then return to the required tempo.

For the second option, increasing speed is popular with many musicians, especially guitarists who want to impress when soloing. For example, an easy lick at 100bpm can be tackled at 110bpm. If that's working well, you could move up to 120bpm, and then 130bpm. The metronome is confirming how you're making progress with your playing.

What follows are seven examples that show not only how useful metronomes are for honing your picking and time keeping, but also how they can unlock new levels of musical confidence.

Example 1. Simple time keeping with chord strumming

For this first example, the metronome is set to 100bpm and you’re working a steady 8th note rhythm with a Dm7 chord. Aim to be precise with the beat where your chord and the click are sounding exactly at the same time. Slightly emphasize the downstrokes that occur with the click by strumming louder than the upstrokes.

The latter part features the gallop rhythm which involves one down strum plus two quicker strums (down then up) per beat. The first down strum is what connects exactly with the metronome click for each beat. Maintain a loose picking hand wrist and lock to the click.

Example 2. Alternate picking short note sequences

This is focused on single notes and the development of speed using the metronome. A simple four-note pattern is a great place to start: here you'll repeatedly alternate pick four 8th notes at 100bpm.

Once this is accurate and consistent (no miss-picks or concerning variations in tone or volume), use the same pattern at the much higher tempo of 180 bpm. If this is too much of a jump, drop the tempo down to 140bpm and see how you do.

With short exercises like this, you can develop a two pronged approach to technique building.

One is how fast and accurate you can play with only a few repetitions: the emphasis is on speed, not stamina. The other is to find what speeds you can play at with longer repetitions, the emphasis now being on stamina and not full-out speed.

Example 3. Varying note groupings

Getting accustomed to varying your rhythmic groupings is critical for many reasons ranging from technical ability to musical applications. You need to understand and feel them at any tempo, which creates a perfect reason to use a metronome.

Start with quarter notes using a 1 2 3 4 count, one note per click. You will then move onto 8th notes (two notes per click: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &) then rapid 16th notes (four notes per click: 1 e & a, 2 e & a, 3 e & a, 4 e & a).

Example 4. A musical way to developing speed

Here are more rhythmic challenges now as you shift between 8th notes, triplets (3 notes per beat: 1 & a, 2 & a), 16ths and sextuplets (six notes per beat).

Sextuplets are particularly challenging both technically and musically so if you're struggling, start first at a slower tempo (eg 70bpm) with only two repetitions of six notes, finishing on a down pick with the first note. This will develop your precision and ability.

Now slowly increase the tempo to 100bpm, same two repetitions so you can see your speed and note clarity improving. Once you're good at this speed, then explore shifting between the different note groupings.

If your precision and ability to seamlessly shift between groupings is going well, consider yourself on the way to a new musical high ground. All thanks to your practicing with the metronome!

Example 5. Speed burst practice to get faster

This example is like running exercises that switch between jogging and sprinting. For each bar, you will 'jog' for three beats of three notes grouped into triplets and then for the final fourth beat, you will 'sprint' with a sextuplet.

While taxing, it is a great way to work on bursts of speed you will encounter in music. Al Di Meola, Paul Gilbert and John Petrucci are masters of this: check out Race With Devil On Spanish Highway or Scarified. As with the previous example, work at slower tempos first if your picking (or indeed, legato if you're using that instead) isn't allowing the notes to sound clear and precise.

Example 6. Mastering chord rhythms with clicks on beats 2 and 4

Here’s a great example that many jazz and chord compers use to improve their timing, especially for swing grooves. Set the metronome at a very slow tempo such as 50bpm so there is lots of space between clicks. Now you need to think and feel one click is beat 2 and the next is beat 4. These clicks can be considered where the drummer's snare drum (the back beat) is usually sounded in typical rock, blues and pop music.

With beats 2 and 4 dealt with by the metronome, it is your appreciation of the silence exactly between the clicks that will provide the important beats 1 and 3. You might want to clap or foot stomp a steady 4 beat first, with the metronome providing beats 2 and 4.

By doing this to hone your internal timing, you'll then be ready to pick up the guitar and play the jazzy chords used in this example. Thankfully (!), the rhythm is very easy, just a steady 'four chomp' per bar but each bar's second and fourth chords need to align with the clicks.

Developing an internal pulse so you can feel where the silent 1st and 3rd beats are is not easy. However, with an understanding of what is required and quality time spent practicing, you should achieve great results.

Example 7. Improving lead phrasing with clicks on beats 2 and 4

To finish this article, you are playing a short jazz-blues solo. You can try this along with the backing track rhythm part or just with a metronome click. After you’ve learnt these licks, explore writing a new solo or improvising freely to see if you can feel where those 1st and 3rd beats are. Enjoy your metronome!

Tapped harmonics have been used by guitarists in many styles over the decades, from acoustic through to rock. Notable fans of this technique include Nuno Bettencourt, Michael Hedges, Jeff Beck, Tuck Andress and Steve Vai.

But the guitarist most often associated with tapped harmonics is Eddie Van Halen. Eddie would include this technique in both his electric guitar solos and chord playing as well as on a nylon-string acoustic guitar.

To begin, the simplest tapped harmonic involves open strings and the 12th fret. Tap a string at the 12th fret with a picking hand finger and use a confident tap/slap motion to connect with the fretwire then come away quickly.

Eddie liked to use his picking hand's first finger while holding the pick between his thumb and second finger. However, it's become more common for guitarists to use the second finger as it doesn't alter how the pick is held between the thumb and first finger.

The resulting notes should be loud and strong, creating a bell-like sounding natural harmonic which is one octave higher than the open string.

The tapped harmonic technique is more versatile than just using open strings though. You can also fret notes with the fretting hand and then tap with the picking hand, 12 frets above.

For example, fret the 5th fret on the first string then tap a harmonic 12 frets above at the 17th fret. Again, remember to tap the actual fretwire, with a quick 'on then off' motion and do not allow the tapping finger to rest on the fretwire. This will either mute the natural harmonic or totally stop it sounding.

The result is, again, a bell-like in tone with the note being an octave higher than what is being fretted. It's a wonderful and versatile effect that adds additional tone and color, be it for slow ballad playing or blazing lead playing.

With an electric guitar's tonal options courtesy of the pickup selector switch, it's best to choose the brightest tone available which is the bridge pickup (either a single coil or, as used in the video, a humbucker).

This will help enhance the harmonic's bite which can be boosted even further when using an overdriven amp or a distortion pedal. This was Eddie's preferred approach as well as many others such as Steve Vai and Nuno Bettencourt.

But there's even more to be gained from this technique: you can sound other harmonics by tapping at different frets, producing new notes off of the same fretted note.

So while the '12 frets above' approach is the most common (and often the easiest to do), you can also tap 5 frets, 7 frets and 9 frets away from a fretted note. Some will be tougher to sound (eg 5 frets away), so you'll need to fine tune the strength and exact placement of your tapping.

You might also like to (perhaps) add a little more distortion but be careful of unwanted string noise: use whatever fingers and hand placements you can to mute the other strings.

And if all this wasn't enough already, tapped harmonics aren't just about single notes either – there are chords, too!

For single-string tapped harmonics, you will be using a picking hand fingertip but to sound double-stop or chord based harmonics, slap the strings with your fingerpad. To get the best results with these chordal slapped harmonics, all fretted notes should ideally be at the same fret as a finger can stretch only so far.

However, plenty of players play big chords across several frets and then slap them with stretched out finger, getting most of the harmonics most of the time. It's really a case of experimenting with finger angle and where finger/string contact is.

Now onto the examples: you have six to work with going from open strings to a final lead and chord tapped harmonics stunner. Enjoy!

Example 1. Open string tapped harmonics

This introduces the technique of tapped harmonics. For this example, you will tap at the 12th fret producing tapped harmonics from the open strings. Be sure your tapping finger makes contact with the fretwire at the 12th fret. Spend some time experimenting with the position of your tapping finger so the harmonics really pop out.

Example 2. Tapped harmonics with fretted notes

Here, you will tap harmonics while fretting notes on the first string, tapping 12 frets higher than the position of the fretted notes.

To begin, fret the A note at the 5th fret, then use a picking hand finger to tap the harmonic at the 17th fret. Next is a C note at the 8th fret which is tapped at the 20th fret. This example then builds, making use of different rhythmic subdivisions.

Example 3. A minor pentatonic with tapped harmonics

This illustrates how you can play an A minor pentatonic scale by tapping harmonics 12 frets higher. This will keep your hands busy, as you will be changing positions with your tapping hand at the same time as you ascend and descend through a scale. Pay attention to muting unwanted string noise when crossing the strings.

Example 4. One fretted note, three tapped harmonic notes

This is typical Eddie Van Halen, changing the pitch of a static note by tapping harmonics at different positions along the string. Fret the C note on the 5th fret, third string and then tap harmonics at the 17th, 12th and 9th frets.

The closer you tap to the fretted note, the harder it will be to sound a clear harmonic so be patient and spend time getting a quick and precise strike on the fretwire.

Example 5. Tapping chord harmonics

Here is an introduction to tapping harmonics in chords, with an example reminiscent of how Steve Vai and Jason Becker utilize tapped harmonics.

You will start by arpeggiating each chord, before striking a cluster of strings with the flat fingerpad of your tapping finger to sound harmonics on more than one string. This technique adds a bell-like quality to chords.

Example 6. A whole lotta tapped harmonics!

This combines the previous approaches to tapped harmonics for a short rock solo. Bars 1-4 kick things off with licks based around the A minor pentatonic, embellished with tapped harmonics.

The opening phrase sees you tapping at different points of the string against a static fretted note, so take care the closer your tapping hand gets to the fretted note. Also take care with the bending licks, where you tap the harmonic prior to bending.

Bars 5-8 kick off with bluesy double-stops, embellished with tapped harmonics. This section concludes with a descending sequence, leading to another phrase where you tap harmonics in different positions against a static note.

Bars 9-10 include a few challenging phrasing, where you hold a bend while tapping at different points of the string. This is a classic EVH technique and a challenge to achieve so be patient. Happy harmonic tapping!

When fingerpicking, single notes should be as strong and confident as chord playing. While there are several ways this can be achieved, the best route means developing a solid picking hand technique that countless players favour.

Essentially, there are two ways of plucking a string with fingers: free stroke (tirando, in classical guitar speak) and rest stroke (apoyando or picado in the world of flamenco guitar). Both approaches have the same goal which is to pick the string with an inwards motion (ie, into the guitar) and then release it.

Free stroke is arguably the more challenging because you have to keep the picking hand fingertips away from adjacent strings after each pluck, despite only having a clearance of approximately a centimetre between each string. This technique is best for arpeggiated passages or multi-voice sections where notes need to sustain over others.

But today we're all about the rest stroke. For rest strokes, you also push the string perpendicularly inwards but this time allow the fingertip to land on the adjacent (lower, thicker) string.

Due to the mechanisms in play, rest stroke not only allows for easier access to a louder tone but is also ideal for plucking quick and/or bold single line melodies. This makes it a popular choice for legends like Paco Peña, as well as fingerpicking virtuosos like Marcin Patrzałek and Matteo Mancuso when whizzing through scalic runs.

What follows are eight examples that demonstrate the benefits of rest stroke, ways to overcome common hurdles when crossing strings and approaches to develop versatility and power for single note playing.

Example 1. Playing simple rest strokes well

By using just an open first string, your whole attention can be focused on honing your rest stroke technique. To start, perch your plucking hand thumb on the sixth string and perch your first finger (this is always shown as i underneath the tab) and second finger (m) on the second string. This sets up your picking hand's posture.

Now proceed to raise each finger away from the string fully-extended before firing them through the first string then coming to rest on the second string.

Aim to keep the shape of the finger constant through its motion, allowing a little ‘give’ in the joint closest to the fingertip. The amount of give in this joint determines how loud your pluck will be: the more flaccid the joint, the softer the resulting pluck will be.

Keep alternating your fingers between plucks – your hand should resemble a soccer player doing ‘keepie uppies’; as one finger goes down, the other comes up.

Example 2. Getting a great tone with rest strokes

Developing a round tone as a result of good rest stroke technique is your primary aim here. Mute the strings with your fretting hand then adjust your picking hand angle so a pluck results in a percussive click that has a deep and thick tone. Get this right and then all your actual notes will have body and projection.

This round tone can be relatively easy to achieve if you have no fingernails, but if you do have fingernails the challenge is to minimize the click caused when the nail connects with the string.

To reduce this, most classical guitarists file the edges of their nails into a smooth ramp and then contact with the string at the side of the fingertip. This plucking motion leads the string onto the ramp of the nail instead of colliding directly with the nail. You will likely find a slightly diagonal plucking motion is required to achieve this.

Example 3. Developing rest stroke versatility when crossing strings

Here you are practicing three notes per string counting in both 3's and 4's. In the first three bars, accent the first of every group of three notes and for the final three bars accent the first note of each bar.

This is quite a challenge at first, especially when reaching to a higher/thinner string with the first finger (i), but once proficient you will find changing strings to be relatively fluid and automatic.

Be sure to keep firing the fingers through the string, starting the plucking motion out in front of the string as opposed to ‘at’ the string.

Example 4. Applying three-notes-per-string to basic scale playing

With your focus shared between both the left and right hands, it can be easy to lose track of alternating fingers with the picking hand.

To help with this, visualize starting each string with the opposite of what the previous string started with. For example, the fifth string starts with the first (i) and the fourth string starts with the second (m), and so on.

Example 5. Applying three-notes-per-string to extended scale playing

In this exercise, you will cover the full range of strings in the same manner as example 4. In the opening bar, once you have finished plucking the three notes on the sixth string, perch your plucking hand thumb on that string to keep your plucking hand stable and relaxed.

As the fingers ascend through the remaining notes, only remove the thumb once you have returned back to the sixth string for the final three notes. If you struggle for tone and timing consistency, consider accenting the first of each group of three notes on each string as this will highlight your picking technique.

Example 6. Thumb free-stroke bass notes and rest stroke higher notes

You are now approaching a two-note texture where the high note gets plucked with a rest stroke finger (i or m) and the low note gets plucked with a free stroke thumb pluck (shown as p under the tab).

This technique can be a little tricky so in this example you are practicing plucking the note one after the other in both directions before plucking simultaneously.

For every instance your goal should be to maintain a static picking hand. Explore finding an angle that works for you, focusing on a still row of knuckles in the picking hand.

Example 7. Playing two-parts with rest stroke upper melody and free stroke bass notes

Here, you want to focus on maintaining an equal tone between the 2-note chords plucked p-i and p-m. It can feel a little like trying to pat your head with one hand whilst simultaneously rubbing your stomach with the other.

If maintaining alternating fingers is a significant challenge early on, explore plucking the upper voice staccato (clipped/short), placing the next note’s finger on the string immediately after plucking the previous note.

Example 8. Final two part piece using a rest stroke melody and free stroke bass notes

Here you are applying everything covered for a final mini-piece. Keep those picking hand fingers kicking up when they are not plucking, driving the fingers through the string every time with a strong rich tone.

In the fretting hand, relax the spread of the fingers and aim to make all movements when placing and removing notes come from the fingers rather than the hand itself.

In the late 1930s, Charlie Christian elevated the electric guitar to an essential solo instrument, paving the way for the electric blues of T-Bone Walker and rock pioneers Chuck Berry and Scotty Moore. These players in turn inspired blues rock icons such as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page.

All of these players made extensive use of the minor pentatonic scale because it is flexible over many chord progressions, with a bluesy sound that is intuitive for guitarists to play. Certainly, combining fast minor pentatonic sequences with expressive licks is a hallmark of many great guitar solos.

Moving to the '80s and beyond, the scale has been an integral part of impressive solos by Eric Johnson, Robben Ford and Gary Moore as well as rockers such as Zakk Wylde, Paul Gilbert and Nuno Bettencourt. Today, Joe Bonamassa, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram and Matteo Mancuso all excel with muscular pentatonic playing.

For this article, the following six minor pentatonic examples are in the key of A minor, so you'll be using the notes of A C D E G. Since each note is either found in the A minor chord (A C E), or can be bent up by a whole tone to one of these chord tones (D to E, G to A), the minor pentatonic is well suited to blues phrasing and bombastic rock blazing.

The six examples show solid approaches for using the minor pentatonic with confidence, control and speed. Each is designed to build upon the previous one, gradually introducing new techniques and patterns, before culminating in a solo study that brings everything together.

Let's go!

Example 1: Ascending and descending A minor pentatonic, shape 1

An ascending A minor pentatonic phrase grouped in four notes followed by a descending cascade grouped in six notes gives this lick an accelerating feel.

Picking every note will bring to mind players like Eric Johnson and Joe Bonamassa, but it also works great with fretting hand hammer-ons and pull-offs. Start slow, aiming for good note clarity and hand synchronisation before attempting 120bpm (and above).

Example 2: Jimmy Page's fast minor pentatonic style

If you're after fast and iconic minor pentatonic licks, this is a ripper, even if you just learn the first bar. While many late '60s/early '70s players had licks like this, Jimmy Page’s rapid-fire chops on early Led Zeppelin albums are an outstanding go-to source to learn how to burn with pentatonics.

Here, you'll be looping a blues bend/pull-off phrase that then merges into a descending sixes sequence. Make sure not to over-bend or to rush the pull-offs.

Example 3: Zakk Wylde and John Sykes styled pentatonic shredding

Joining adjacent pentatonic boxes with rapid alternative picking is a favorite technique of players like Zakk Wylde and the late John Sykes.

While some legato could be used, the machine-gun like attack of all notes being picked is a sure fire way of sounding bold and fiery.

Accent the first downstroke in each group of six to help keep your timing tight. Use a downward pick slant and angle to avoid the feeling of getting stuck between the strings.

Example 4: Michael Schenker and Marty Friedman style pentatonic blazing

Building on the previous example, this extended phrase combines rapid pull-offs with economy picking (using one stroke to cross two or more strings, either down or up). The higher picked notes on the first string are always played with an upstroke, while an economy downstroke (sweep) is used to play the second and first string notes.

It may take several practice sessions with these mini sweep picks – and to feel in control of your timing – but they can provide smooth technique with high tempo playing. Get this mastered then gradually up to 120bpm before tackling it at 160bpm and faster. You'll likely appreciate those gliding sweeps now.

Example 5: Nuno Bettencourt and Paul Gilbert-style power pentatonic playing

This has all the hallmarks of '80s shred: three-notes-per-string shapes, fast legato, alternate picking and wide stretches. And all this without venturing outside the minor pentatonic scale!

To build up to speed, start by drilling each group of six with hammer-ons before working up to the half-picked/half-hammered approach here. Get this one nailed over a period of time and you'll sound very modern and very shred!

Example 6: Minor pentatonic mastery – putting it all together

This works the previous five examples into a rock solo that builds in intensity to a speedy climax. Experiment with different rhythmic groupings and change up-picked/legato runs to make these licks your own. Happy pentatonic shredding!

When Swedish metal icons Meshuggah unleashed their mighty, low down, single-string riffs on Nothing in 2002, the meaning of the word heavy was henceforth redefined. From then, the 8-string guitar has gradually gained more popularity in the progressive metal sphere, with bands like Periphery, Animals as Leaders, Dream Theater and Sleep Token underpinning their music with the extended range of the instrument.

Simply put, the 8-string is a 6-string with two extra low strings. The most common tuning from low to high is F# B E A D G B E (that is, standard guitar tuning with low B and F# strings). There is also a drop E version for extra heaviness (low to high): E B E A D G B E. Pitch-wise, this essentially takes the 8-string guitar into bass guitar territory, but the lighter string gauge and the various pickup options lend it a different sonic character.

Popular string gauges for the low eighth string (F#) can range from around 0.64 (light) to 0.80 (normal/heavy). The tuning stability and string tension is often aided by a longer scale length of around 27”, which is often aided by fanned frets to make the lower strings longer than the higher ones, much like the strings under the lid of a piano.

In this article you’ll use transferrable six-string skills that can be applied to the 8-string, so you’ll be up and running in no time. Across the six examples you'll expand scale shapes across eight strings, use octave shapes to aid navigation, play new chord shapes with wide interval spacing, plus use essential riffing techniques such as single note syncopation and effective string muting.

Sonically, you will need a clean tone and a distorted tone. For the clean tone, use mild compression, chorus and some delay to keep dynamics even and to help notes blend together. For the distorted tone, a boost pedal in front of an overdriven amp will help control the low end and prevent it from sounding flubby.

Example 1 . A minor pentatonic scale for 8-string guitar

This is an obvious way to get acquainted with the lower strings: playing the A minor pentatonic. Start at the 8th fret on the first string using your fourth finger and descend the A minor pentatonic scale [A C D EG ], using the same fingering you would use on your 6-string guitar.

Once you reach the root note on the sixth string, add four more notes on the lowest two strings, then shift down to the 3rd fret and ascend in this adjacent position. In short, you're descending shape 1, then ascending shape 5, of A minor pentatonic on an 8-string guitar.

Example 2. Low octaves to develop familiarity

This riff provides a great way to map out the natural notes along the eighth string (F# string). First play the familiar G A B C D E F notes along the sixth string with your fourth finger. After each note add the octave below with your first finger positioned two-frets and two-strings lower. For note variety and rhythmic color you will alternate the fretted notes with the open eighth string for some serious Swedish riffage in the vein of Meshuggah’s Fredrik Thordendal and Mårten Hagström.

Example 3. Chugging with low notes and rhythmic syncopation

This riff uses just two notes G and F#, but the focus is on the rhythmic syncopation. You can think of this as a pattern of nine eighth-notes which repeats three times, then ending with a phrase of five eighths. Use both fret-hand and palm muting to keep the rests in-between absolutely silent.

Example 4. Arpeggiating with eight strings

This upbeat clean arpeggio part is reminiscent of Misha Mansoor and friends from Periphery. Keep your third and fourth fingers on the 4th fret notes while allowing the first string to ring together with them. Use your first and second fingers to reach down to the low strings' bass notes.

Tip: use the picking directions shown, at least to begin with, as keeping arpeggios sustaining on an 8-string guitar can be tricky and you might be inclined to readjust your picking hand posture. All down strokes then all up strokes is the most straightforward option here.

Example 5. Lead line using the A harmonic minor scale

Exotic scales and 8-string guitars can be perfect partners so here's a great example to get you comfortable across all eight strings. This lick is based in the A Harmonic minor scale [A B C D E F G#] and can be viewed as four different octaves of the scale, with each octave played on two pairs of strings. Use alternate picking to descend each six notes of the scale, and fret using your fourth, third and first fingers. Shift your first finger down a fret to finish each descent (eg Bar 2, beat 1's G# note at the 9th fret, second string) and add vibrato to the sustained notes.

Example 6. Putting it all together

This final example is a mini piece that combines techniques from the previous examples and has a Dream Theater-style flow with various twists and turns. Start with the arpeggiated clean chords, followed by a tight riff version of this theme; play both sections with downstrokes throughout. Next play the descending scale with alternate picking and finish with the sixteenth-note F# Phrygian [F# G A B C# D E] riff using a combination of palm-mutes and hammer-ons.

Great examples of 8-string guitar

Meshuggah – Bleed

For many, Meshuggah are titans in the world of progressive metal. Bleed first featured on their 2008 album, ObZen and has since become a popular live song. Listen to the low string rhythmic syncopations on two 8-string guitars – it sounds aggressively huge!

Animals As Leaders – Monomyth

Being that he has his own range of guitars, Tosin Abasi is a leading light for 8-string excellence and his approach is unique and instantly identifiable. Monomyth uses the full range of the guitar, from arpeggio based melodies, to fusion-esque chords to thumping slap guitar percussive riffing, all combined in a seamless composition.

Periphery – 22 Faces

Periphery's huge and intricate sound is headed up by three guitarists: Misha Mansoor, Jake Bowen and Mark Holcomb. This live rendition of 22 Faces is an excellent example of their creativity with 8-string guitars.

Sleep Token – The Summoning

The low end riffing by IV (yes, that is his credited name) on The Summoning is used as a perfect balance to Vessel’s emotive vocal melodies. It also finds space to add djent inspired syncopation, locking in tight with the bass and drums. Emotive soloing too at 2:04 – beautiful brutality indeed.

Dream Theater – In The Arms Of Morpheus

The latest Dream Theater album Parasomnia opens with an instrumental featuring some hefty, magisterial tones from John Petrucci's signature Music Man Majesty 8-string. This is still the Dream Theater we love, but with added dimension, proving that the instrument can adapt to and enhance the player’s style, without defining it. Check out the heavy riff he drops at 1:52 and then gets even more intense at 2.37.

Even for experienced steel-string guitar players, the world of nylon-string and classical guitar can be intimidating. There is a lot of jargon, much of it in Spanish, and an entire vocabulary of new techniques to learn.

But help is at hand, as Guitarist welcomes Samuel Moore, Tom Kerstens, and Francisco Correa from the International Guitar Foundation to explain the differences between classical and flamenco guitars and talk through the essential techniques and terminology.

How do flamenco and classical guitars differ from each other – and why?

Samuel Moore: “Although the basic construct of flamenco and classical guitars is similar, it is subtle structural differences that make each instrument type unique. For example, flamenco guitars tend to be more lightly built than their classical counterparts, with shallower bodies, thinner tops, and lighter internal bracing.

“Additionally, the types of wood used to construct flamenco guitars tend to be different from classical instruments. Although both commonly have a solid spruce top – cedar is sometimes used as well – the materials used to construct the guitar’s back and sides are different. When constructing a classical guitar, luthiers tend to favor heavier woods such as mahogany or rosewood.”

“By contrast, when making a flamenco guitar, luthiers tend to favor lighter woods, such as cypress. Alongside this, the golpeador (tap plate) attached to all flamenco guitars is an appendage not commonly found on classical instruments.

“The purpose of the golpeador is to protect the wood on the guitar’s top from golpe (a percussive technique seldom used in classical music). Finally, the action tends to be lower on flamenco instruments.”

Why is the fretboard of classical guitars typically the widest and flattest among all six-strings?

Tom Kerstens: “Because the polyphony and counterpoint – several voices played at the same time – are easier to realize. There is more space for the left hand to separate the different lines, or melodies, in the music. Rock or folk techniques use chords as blocks more and that is easier with a more narrow and rounded fingerboard. However, some fingerstyle playing also needs space on the fingerboard.”

What do you look for in a good classical and/or flamenco guitar?

Kerstens: “A certain ‘speaking’ quality – hard to define, I know! After all, when you play a piece of music, you’re telling a story, and a great guitar helps tell it. More technically, I like a guitar that responds quickly to what I do.

“Some famous guitars have great volume and presence but respond little to what the player is doing. I mean specifically the so-called lattice top guitars that sound great but are also pretty uniform and samey. Also, I look for a singing sound and subtlety and variety of sound. I find I need to spend quite a lot of time with the guitar to find out what it can do.

“A quick word about different historical instruments: I also play Baroque and 19th century instruments like Stauffer and Torres guitars. I found that these guitars really helped me to find the right way of playing certain music, such as [Johann Kaspar] Mertz or [Francisco] Tárrega. In a way, the guitar tells me how to play the music – after a lot of trying! I’m sure that’s the same with electric guitars like Fender Stratocasters and Les Pauls.”

What are the origins of flamenco?

Kerstens: “Flamenco comes from Andalusia, a mixing pot of Gypsy, Jewish, Arab, and European folk music. Originally, the singer (cantaor) was the most important, then the dancer, and the guitar was only accompaniment – it only gradually became a solo instrument. Ramón Montoya is often credited with being the first guitarist who became center stage.”

Flamenco is extremely percussive and rhythmic – what are the key techniques?

Moore: “The rhythmic techniques that are essential for flamenco are rasgueado and golpe. Perhaps more than any other technique, rasgueado personifies the sound of flamenco. It’s a strumming technique and requires considerable precision to execute well. There are many different types of rasgueado, each demanding different technical considerations and finger strum combinations.

“Golpe is a distinctive percussive technique; at a basic level, it consists of your right hand’s ring finger tapping against the body of the guitar. Most commonly, golpe is used in conjunction with other techniques, such as rasgueado or a thumb strike, but it can also be used on its own.”

For the uninitiated, how does classical vibrato differ from that commonly used in folk and rock playing on acoustic?

Francisco Correa: “Classical vibrato is typically subtle and controlled, created by rolling the fingertip back and forth on the string using a combination of finger, hand, and arm motion to slightly alter pitch.

“It’s even and continuous, adjusting in speed and depth for expressive nuance. In contrast, folk and rock vibrato is often wider, faster, and more dramatic, achieved by pulling the string side to side, similar to bending. This results in a more pronounced effect that enhances individual style and helps notes stand out in a mix.”

How does bossa nova as played on nylon-string acoustics relate to classical or flamenco traditions, if at all?

Correa: “Bossa nova on nylon-string guitars blends classical and flamenco influences. Its fingerstyle technique and chord voicings draw from classical guitar, while its syncopation and rhythmic drive echo flamenco.

“Unlike flamenco’s percussive attack, bossa nova favors softer dynamics and harmonic richness, creating a smooth, intimate sound rooted in both European and Afro-Brazilian traditions.”

• This article first appeared in Guitarist. Subscribe and save.

It contains just five notes and yet the minor pentatonic scale has been central to countless classic riffs, licks and solos over the decades. The beauty of the scale lies in its simplicity – play an A minor pentatonic scale over an A minor chord and you'll be playing the root note (A), the minor 3rd alternatively named b3 (C), a 4th (D), the 5th (E) and the minor 7th, also named b7 (G). That gives you three strong notes derived directly from the A minor chord (A, C, E) and two colour notes, the 4th (D) and b7 (G).

Below is a fretboard diagram of A minor pentatonic using its most popular shape on the fretboard: there are five different minor pentatonic shapes and this is shape 1.

To the left of the fretboard is '5 fr' – which means the 5th fret – so play this shape at the 5th fret. The black circles with R in them show the root notes of the shape (ie the A notes). All other red circles show the remaining four notes of the scale: b3 = C note, 4 = D note, 5 = E note and b7 = G note.

When you play this scale, use a 'one finger per fret' approach as it's a good habit to develop: first finger plays the 5th fret notes, third finger for the 7th fret notes and fourth finger for the 8th fret notes.

Of course, if you play the A minor pentatonic over other chords the note relationships will change. That said, if you were soloing over a 12 bar styled three chord minor blues (eg Am7 Dm7 Em7) you can't go too far wrong with your note choice.

The fact the shape falls under the fingers easily means it is no surprise that guitarists from all genres are so fond of it. From the blues of B.B. King to the groove metal of Dimebag Darrell, you will find it everywhere.

The real power of this scale lies in the ‘success rate’ of the notes. Most scales contain seven notes and typically two or three of those may not work too well with the underlying chord. You’ll have experienced this if your licks contain sudden unwanted dissonance or just don’t seem to resolve (end) well.

When practising, play the minor pentatonic against a minor chord and sit on each note for a while so your ears become accustomed to each note and how it works against the chord. With time and practice, you will develop a good relationship between what chords you are hearing and what you want to play over them.

Now onto six examples that cover the scale and how it's used by five great guitarists: Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Slash and Chris Buck.

Minor Pentatonic Examples

Example 1. A minor pentatonic scale

The audio for Example 1 features one strummed A minor chord and then the A minor pentatonic scale (shown below) being played ascending and descending against a low A note drone. From this you will learn how the sound of each note sounds against the drone.

Example 2. Chuck Berry’s pentatonic style

The minor pentatonic scale found its original home in blues and then shaped the sound of rock ’n’ roll from the early 1950s onwards. Chuck Berry’s licks were actually inspired from piano players but his use of minor pentatonic double-stop (two notes played together) licks helped define an entire genre.

Here you will learn double-stops, sliding into them and adding a few single notes to end each exclamatory phrase. Notice how the popular shape 1 of the A minor pentatonic that you learnt earlier is now being drawn on in different string combinations to create a performance that is musical and enthused.

Example 3. Eric Clapton’s pentatonic style

A blues player at heart, there’s also a strong rock element to Clapton’s playing due to his tone and strength of performance. While he has often played with passion and power (e.g. his soloing on Cocaine), he’s also a master at playing slower melodic parts (e.g. Old Love and Wonderful Tonight).

Here you're learning how Eric may create single note lead lines from A minor pentatonic, enhancing them with blues curls (small string bends) and finger vibrato added to the A root note to provide color while it sustains.

Example 4. Jimmy Page’s pentatonic style

By the late 1960s the minor pentatonic had moved beyond blues to shape the nascent sound of rock. Jimmy Page’s whirlwind approach to soloing can be hard to replicate but there are elements that are great to work on even if you're starting out.

In this example solo, you'll see his use of repetitive string bends (à la) Chuck Berry and blues curl bends that evoke early blues players. In addition, you will play the scale in longer ascending phrases (see bar 5 and 6) and how to add a little flash with speedy triplets (3 note groupings) using pull-offs (see bars 7 and 8).

Example 5. Slash’s pentatonic style

While Slash often dips into more exotic sounding scales – e.g. the use of the harmonic minor during his solo in Guns N' Roses hit song, Sweet Child O’ Mine – the minor pentatonic remains at the core of his playing. His melodic approach to the scale is another factor that sets him apart.

This short A minor pentatonic solo explores his GN'R and Velvet Revolver ballad playing with double picking of notes using alternate picking (bar 1), doublestop bending (bar 2) and speedy triplet based segments (see bars 4 and 7).

Example 6. Chris Buck’s pentatonic style

Minor pentatonic licks have been popular for around 80 years now, but modern players are still finding new ideas and approaches within the style. Young blues rock pioneer Chris Buck uses the minor pentatonic scale to create long, emotive lines that bristle with technique but always remain controlled with impeccable phrasing and melody.

Here, you will appreciate effective ways to balance A minor pentatonic sustained notes using finger vibrato with short bursts of ascending and descending notes which add excitement within phrases.

More guitar legends, more minor pentatonics

Free – Wishing Well

It goes without saying that Free guitarist Paul Kossoff was a minor pentatonic master and his solos are essential learning. For Wishing Well, the main riff is a masterclass in minor pentatonic riffing as Kossoff literally plays a descending E minor pentatonic (E G A B D) scale to create the song’s signature riff.

John Mayer – Belief

John Mayer’s solo in Belief is a great example of how to create a melodic solo using just the D minor pentatonic (D F G A C). Whilst some players sound like they are on autopilot when using the scale, here Mayer plays a considered, memorable solo playing over more than just a basic I – IV – V chord sequence. Notice his use of sliding into notes, repeating small combinations of notes, stinging finger vibrato and quick hammer-ons and pull-offs.

Ozzy Osbourne – No More Tears

The minor pentatonic can be used to create monster rock licks. In his solo for Ozzy Osbourne's No More Tears, Zakk Wylde closes with an astonishing sequence that ascends through the various minor pentatonic shapes using the first and second strings. Powerful and melodic, this one is a great example of building tension and release through the scale.

Mr. Big – Colorado Bulldog

This may well be the most intense and technically difficult minor pentatonic passage ever recorded. For sure, it is stunning to hear and see.

Mr. Big's guitarist, Paul Gilbert – along with bassist Billy Sheehan – starts the song with a blisteringly fast ascending and descending series of notes that are from E minor pentatonic (E G A B D). This scale is arranged as 3 notes per string (not 2 notes per string as is more typical with pentatonics), which requires big fretting hand stretches. Using fast sextuplets (6 notes per beat) and arranged in sets of two strings, Paul's stunning playing is a product of a lot of practice. Indeed, this intro is derived from a warm-up exercise that was then added to for this song.

Vintage blues is all about character and personality. The great guitarists from the 1930s onwards were truly laying the foundation for the blues-infused guitar music we all love now. Each player had their own clear identity and unique ways of approaching a solo. Personally, I’ve always been drawn to guitarists with character and culture in their playing; players that you can recognize from a mile away when you hear them.

Blues is a feeling, a language, a voice that evolved through the beautiful blending of musical cultures. African American spirituals and work songs infused with elements of European folk music… and this approach of blending musical ideas is extremely apt when it comes to the hallmarks of the vintage blues sound: blues and jazz colliding in the coolest ways you’ve ever heard!

The six players that we’ll be taking a closer look at really knew how to harness the raw expression of pentatonic scales and juxtapose it with the smoother, more sophisticated note choices associated with jazz music. Each of our six example licks will feature this balance of yin and yang musical moods.

The major and minor pentatonic scales lay the foundation, and with some harmonic awareness (knowing which chord you're playing over at any given time), we can add particular chord tones, extensions and flavorful notes to give your playing intent and melodic focus. Outlining the changes like this not only gives solos a more song-like structure, but is an easy way of sounding more jazzy.

All the following six examples are based in the key of G major so let's go!

Charlie Christian

Charlie Christian was a true pioneer of the swinging pre-bop era (approximately 1930-1945), and what he did to solidify the electric guitar’s place in the jazz world was immeasurable. Only 25 years old when he tragically passed, his playing was full of essential hot jazz vocabulary and maturity. His phrasing had an unstoppable momentum with boatloads of swing and groove, and his tone was bold, confident and strong, often sounding more like a horn player than a guitarist.

Charlie always knew how to clearly outline the changes. He had a handful of simple, commonly used shapes that he would favor, and he would decorate these shapes with extensions such as the 6, b7, 9 and even the b3 courtesy of the minor pentatonic scale.

Liberal use of chromatic passing notes and enclosing the major 3rd (ie playing notes either side of it) will get you a long way as you play through the changes for the opening 8 bars of a 12 bar blues in G. Notice the tasty Cm6 chord in bar 6 – this is something discussed in the video portion of this lesson.

T-Bone Walker

T-Bone Walker had style, showmanship and energy in his back pocket. His licks could be down and dirty, or poetic little clusters of jazz sophistication. His biting, twangy and overdriven tone was truly unique in a time where guitar players were generally after fatter, warmer sounds.

T-Bone was all about vibe, spontaneity and a truly distinct phrasing style and tone. For the following example, you'll stick mostly with the G minor blues scale (G Bb C Db D F – G minor pentatonic with the addition of the b5). Finishing on G major's major 3rd, the B note provides insightful harmonic savvy.

For that biting T-Bone tone pick right next to the bridge. And make sure to under-do your string bends for authenticity: remember, these guys used heavy flat wound strings, no gauge 0.08 or 0.09 string sets favoured back then!

B.B. King

B.B. King played the guitar the same way that he sang: with feel, heart and passion in every single note. His control over dynamics, vibrato, touch and tone was second to none and he could captivate you with just a handful of well chosen notes. Often using the guitar as a second voice to respond to his vocals with, each and every one of his phrases is full to the brim with emotion and melodic purpose.

In the true spirit of The King, we focus on blending small portions of the major and minor pentatonic scales here and leave plenty of space between our phrases to really let the music speak. Dynamic playing is a must – whisper some notes and shout others, and get some fast finger vibrato going on any long held notes.

Grant Green

Grant Green really defines the jazz/blues genre. His playing is the perfect blend of both worlds and is an exciting and accessible place to start your journey if you’re looking to add jazzy flourishes to your 12 bar blues solos. His playing heavily features the minor pentatonic and blues scales, but he’ll throw in some super tasty bebop II-V licks along the way. The Charlie Parker of the electric guitar.

We open our example solo with one of Grant Green’s greatest tricks; G minor blues scale double stops. Make sure to keep your fourth finger anchored down on the root note. Let the double stops ring clear like a bell, with no muffled notes. Similar to the Wes example, you'll use the V chord (D7 is the V chord of G major) as our chance to jazz things up a little with an altered line featuring chromaticism and a #5 courtesy of a D augmented triad (D F# A#/Bb).

Wes Montgomery

For many fans, Wes Montgomery took the baton from Charlie Christian and ran with it! He brought a wealth of new, sophisticated bebop vocabulary to the blues and had the smoothest tone you’ll ever hear. The most advanced jazz improviser of his day, capable of the most complex altered lines, upper extensions, chord solos and tri-tone substitutions. But all that said, he never strayed too far from the origins of the blues. You can hear it in his fingers and his soulful expression.

If there’s one quick way to “Wes-ify” your playing, it’s with the use of blues scale octaves. Make sure you’re muting any unwanted notes in the fretting hand. You'll get a little fancy on the D7 chord at the end and play an altered lick, focusing on the #9, b9 and #5 extensions (these are popular exotic jazzy notes). Picking with your thumb like Wes is optional as we navigate the final few bars of a blues in G.

George Benson

George Benson ushered in a new generation of blues inspired jazz guitar. A player with serious technical chops and an insane feel for groove and swing, with an ability to solo over the most complex of jazz chord progressions. As a fantastic songwriter and composer in his own right, he had a real pop sensibility which allowed him to craft melodic and truly memorable lines. George spoke highly of Charlie Christian and the influence he had on his own playing. I’m certain Charlie would’ve spoken equally highly of George if he’d had the pleasure of hearing him play.

This final example is also the jazziest. It starts with upper extension notes over the D7 chord courtesy of a Cmaj7 arpeggio (the notes of which are C E G B), before bringing things back down to earth with a G minor blues scale (G Bb C Db D F) line featuring a couple of quick hammer-ons and pull-offs to the b5 and back. It then switches to a major blues tonality targeting the 3rd and the 6th degree, a la Charlie Christian. You'll close with a couple of choice jazz chord voicings; a rootless D9, and a 3rd inversion (b7 is the lowest note, an F note) of G13.

Erja Lyytinen is one of today’s foremost blues rock guitar players, with an exceptional grasp on expressive slide playing that has left an impression on some of the biggest players in the game. Fellow slide master Sonny Landreth once praised her playing, while Carlos Santana said she “represents the future” when he jammed with her in 2018.

Her most recent album, Smell The Roses, is a stellar example of her guitar prowess, brimming with stunning riffs and lead lines. We recently asked Lyytinen to break down her approach to slide playing and share her six go-to licks and riffs.

Her tone simply involves plugging her guitar straight into the amp. This is set to a medium overdrive, and her guitar's bridge pickup is selected to enhance the biting tone of the slide.

To bring the slide ideas to life Lyytinen uses two classic slide tunings. The first is open D and features in the first three of her examples. The open strings are (low to high) D A D F# A D, just like a big D chord. Open D tuning works great for blues slide as each fret will sound a major chord. The second tuning is open G, which features in the last three of the six examples. The open strings are (low to high) D G D G B D, just like a G major chord.

When it comes to the slide itself, you have many options: brass, steel or glass are the most common materials, with variations available in size and weight. As choices are so broad, you want to get the size right to suit the slide finger you use (more on that soon).

As for weight, a heavy slide will make fretting easier as you can just rest it on the string as opposed to leaning in too hard. Just bear in mind, you don't want your finger too fatigued from an overly heavy slide. Brass also tends to have a warmer tone than glass.

The guitar's set up is also important. Using heavier strings and a medium action (2mm distance between the sixth string and the fretboard at the 12th fret) provides more resistance for the slide, and you'll reduce the amount of times you accidentally knock against the fretwire.

These are all aspects you want to consider. As for Lyytinen, her preference is a medium action and a thick glass slide as shown in the picture above.

When playing slide, your first choice is what finger to put the slide on. This is a personal preference and it varies between guitarists. Lyytinen and Sonny Landreth use their fourth fingers and Derek Trucks uses his third finger, while Brett Garsed uses his second finger, like Jeff Beck and Bonnie Raitt.

Finger choice sorted, you want to establish good contact between the slide and the string. If too little pressure is applied, the string will rattle and buzz against the slide, too much and the slide will knock against the frets.

As for placement of the slide, aim to be directly above the actual fretwire, not behind the fret as with conventional playing. This is because fretting above the fretwire allows all your notes to be in tune. See the photos above and below of Erja playing both low and high on the fretboard.

Along with all these aspects, you also want to be mindful of reducing string noise. Lyytinen's outstanding control involves placing the slide on her fourth finger with the first, second and third fingers behind to lightly mute the strings.

As for expression in your playing, sliding into and out of notes is great, just like a vocalist reaching up for a high note or dropping away from a low note for a blues-y vibe. You will see this in a lot of Lyytinen's slide playing during the video.

Then there's vibrato, which is achieved by moving the slide back and forth along the string, either side of the fretwire. This makes the chosen note or chord slightly sharp and then slightly flat, repeatedly. The rate and width of the vibrato can vary a lot and as you become more focused on this, you will develop your own preferences.

For example, Lyytinen will sustain a chord or note for a second or less, then add various amounts of vibrato. This allows her to achieve the correct pitch (directly above the fretwire) and then vocal-like emotion for the sustain's duration.

As you go through this lesson, look to see what you can adopt for your own playing, even if it's a few expressive notes or a new way to start a phrase.

Examples in open D tuning

Example 1. Open string motif (open D tuning)

This first open D tuning (D A D F# A D) example establishes a motif that pulls off to open strings. The slide is used to swoop in and out of fretted notes, using the open strings to provide transition time to get to another string.

Once you have practiced the pattern you can experiment with transferring it to different strings. Due to the open D tuning this structured pattern works well on the second, fourth, fifth and sixth strings.

Example 2. High string sliding (open D tuning)

This example uses the approach of sliding down between two target pitches and then using the open first string as a returning pedal tone. This provides a three note motif that fits nicely into the 12/8 time signature (3 notes in each beat which provides a triplet feel).

This lick starts way up on the 19th fret and moves down the D minor blues scale (D F G Ab AC ). There's a lot of fun to be had with this expressive lead phrase.

Example 3. Evoking Elmore James' slide style (open D tuning)

This evokes the style of slide blues legend Elmore James due to the classic sounding bottleneck chords high up the fretboard. Using the bluesy I IV V chords in D (D, G and A), Erja's playing focuses on the 12th, 17th and 19th frets. To add an authentic blues style delivery, any of these chords can be approached from below and slid into.

Examples in open G tuning

Example 4. Repetitive doublestop riffing (open G tuning)

Swapping to open G tuning (D G D G B D), this example features a doublestop repeating lick on the middle two strings, using open strings and sliding in and out notes.

The open string lick at the end features a quick dab of the slide at the required fret (referred to by Erja as slide tapping). The open second string (B) functions as an effective pedal tone.

Example 5. Question and answer phrasing (open G tuning)

This open G example uses classic blues-style question and answer phrasing. First, a descending melody is played on the first string. This is then answered with a double stop phrase played further down the fretboard. Arranging guitar parts in this way creates form and good phrasing, regardless of genre or guitar tone.

Example 6. Repetitive riff with finalising high notes (open G tuning)

This final lick combines hammer-ons and pull-offs with the slide to create a great ear catching motif. Erja enjoys repeating riffs and this provides melodic shape for the listener to engage with. The final high note of each repetition is well considered as it's an important 'pay-off' to the repeated riff. Played on the first string, this high note could be changed around in a longer improvised setting.

Erja Lyytinen slide songs

Lullaby & You Talk Dirty

Here are two sides of Erja's slide style: an emotive, free time solo that excels with slide phrasing and whirling ambience, then a rousing rocker with screaming slide work. Notice the picks on her fingers; she can play fingerstyle with more attack than flesh alone provides. For high notes, she likes to do small upstroke strums for a bright and biting tone.

Wedding Day

This song has a blend of Elmore James and ZZ Top with the open chords and up tempo boogie feel. At 4:47 there's some very impressive slide bouncing/tremolo picking on the first string. The fretboard jumps at high speed are reminiscent of Steve Vai's famous piece, Eugene's Trick Bag, that featured in the 1986 movie, Crossroads.

Abyss

A single from the Smell The Roses, Abyss is powerful rocker with heavy distortion and dynamic lead licks.

Whether you’ve been playing guitar for a couple of years or just picked up your first axe, you’ve probably encountered technical hurdles that make you sound less polished than you’d like.

Maybe your bends are slightly out of tune, or your barre chords don’t ring cleanly. These small details can separate an amateur-sounding guitarist from a professional one.

The good news? Most of these issues are easy to correct once you identify them.

In this lesson, we’ll cover 10 key zones where many players struggle and provide straightforward solutions to help you sound better immediately.

These aren’t complex theoretical concepts or advanced shred techniques – just fundamental adjustments that will enhance the quality of your playing across the board. Let’s dive in!

1. Fret cleanly

Finger placement is crucial for good tone. If you press down directly in the middle of the fret, you’ll need to apply greater pressure to get a clear note, which can cause pitch issues and lead to fatigue. If you’re too close to the fretwire behind your finger, you might get note buzzing or an almost dead note.

How to fix it: Aim to place your finger just behind the fretwire (as highlighted in the photo below). This requires the least amount of energy for a clean, in-tune note.

A great way to train this is by practicing slides – which teach you to intuitively land in the correct position as you move across the fingerboard.

Player who nails this: Tim Henson | Listen to: Playing God.

Notice how clean and articulate every note sounds, even at high speeds.

Watch this clip for a crash course in finger placement. Tim’s fingers are perfectly placed behind the fretwire throughout.

2. Don't over-fret

Many guitarists press down too hard, causing notes to go sharp. This is especially common among beginners who are still building finger strength and maybe overcompensating in pursuit of producing clear, strong notes.

How to fix it: Maintain a relaxed hand position and avoid excessive tension. Stay in contact with the fretboard (using your thumb, and first finger below the knuckle). This will make you feel supported and in control of your playing.

Player who nails this: John Mayer | Listen to: Vultures.

Every note is perfectly in tune, resonant, with controlled, expressive phrasing and steady pitch.

3. Keep downstrokes and upstrokes at the same volume

Uneven picking – where downstrokes are stronger than upstrokes – can make your playing sound inconsistent, especially in fast passages.

Don’t worry, it’s a common issue. We all start out playing more downstrokes than upstrokes, so you’ll need to incorporate some exercises that isolate the upstroke and help it to catch up.

How to fix it: Explore playing licks and riffs with more upstrokes than downstrokes to strengthen your weaker motion. A great exercise is using an upstroke-heavy triad pattern (two upstrokes for every one downstroke).

Player who nails this: Paul Gilbert | Listen to: Technical Difficulties.

Every note is crystal clear, no matter the picking direction. Paul’s alternate picking is always immaculate, with crisp and clear tone plus even dynamics.

4. Strengthen all four fretting fingers, especially the fourth finger

Many guitarists neglect their fourth finger, making certain runs and stretches more difficult, and limiting their potential down the road.

How to fix it: Practice hammer-ons and pull-offs between your second, third, and fourth fingers to develop independence.

Three-note-per-string scales are also a great way to improve this. Exaggerate the hammer-on/pull-off motion to isolate and train the finger muscles.

Player who nails this: Steve Vai | Listen to: For the Love of God

Intricate legato passages and vast positional shifts rely on strong finger independence and heavy use of the fourth finger.

5. Master buzz-free barre chords

Barre chords have made a lot of beginners give up, and these often find themselves much higher on their lists of difficult guitar techniques than you’d think. A lot of players struggle with getting their barre chords to ring out properly, especially the six-string E minor shape where the third string (G) often gets muted or buzzes.

How to fix it: Shift your wrist position to bring the thumb back behind the neck. This allows your first finger to straighten and apply even pressure across all six strings. You can check for clarity by plucking each string one at a time, like an arpeggio.

Still buzzing? Arch your remaining fingers (third and fourth) to avoid covering up the third string and therefore muting it.

Here's a photo showing an isolated first finger barre chord – get all six strings sounding clearly this way and you've nailed it!

Player who nails this: Billie Joe Armstrong | Listen to: Holiday

Punchy, clear barre chords drive the entire song; including the rich and robust chordal riff during the intro.

6. Reduce unwanted string noise

Even when playing the right notes, excess string noise can make your playing sound sloppy. This happens when unused strings vibrate due to sympathetic resonance or accidental contact.

How to fix it: Using both hands, there are four techniques for controlling string noise. You can use all of these zones independently or in tandem to improve your tone and playing!

Picking Hand

• When playing a part on the higher strings, allow the pad of your thumb to rest against the lower strings. You’ll still be able to pick the first, second and third strings, while using the thumb pad to palm mute.
• Let your unused picking-hand fingers rest on the upper strings when playing in lower registers.

Fretting Hand

• Use the underside of your fretting finger to mute higher strings. When playing in the pentatonic box for example, you can let the flesh below the knuckle on your first finger rest against the higher strings, helping to mute them and control not only ringing, but also prevent inadvertent contact.
• Use your fretting hand fingertip to mute the string directly below the one you’re playing. For instance, when sliding from the 7th to the 9th frets on the third string, let the tip of your first finger rest against the fourth string. This keeps the fourth string from ringing or being struck accidentally.

Player who nails this: James Hetfield | Listen to: literally any song!

Fast, articulate playing with total control and zero unwanted noise. Battery, Blackened, and Master of Puppets stand out. Check out his technique's clarity during Battery from this live performance.

7. Nail your string bends

If your bends aren’t in tune, your playing will sound off, no matter how adequate your other techniques are. Many beginners don’t bend far (high) enough, and come up flat. Luckily, there is a quick fix that will unlock the world of string bending ten-fold.

How to fix it:

• Use multiple fingers behind the bending finger for extra support. Because the cutoff point of the string is the note we are fretting, adding extra fingers behind doesn’t alter the pitch or sound. Therefore, we can use our first and second fingers for added support when bending with our third finger (see the photo below).
• Check your target note by playing it first, then bending up to match.
• Practice bending half-step and whole-step intervals repeatedly without finger vibrato. Once you can consistently get the pitch bend correct, you can then add vibrato for color and extra emotion.

Player who nails this: Brian May | Listen to: Bohemian Rhapsody

May is a master string bender who favors very light-gauge strings (usually a set starting with a first string gauge of 0.08). His operatic bends are always perfectly in tune with vocal-like vibrato added. A true master of making the guitar sing.

8. Match legato and picking volume

When transitioning between picking and legato (hammer-ons, pull-offs), many players struggle with inconsistent volume. This makes fast runs sound uneven and limits your palette when improvising and playing solos.

How to fix it:

• Pick then hammer-on/pull-off. Pluck a note then hammer onto the same note attempting to match the output level. Over-exaggerate hammer-ons and pull-offs during practice.
• Alternate between picking and legato within the same phrase to match dynamics. Try playing your legato lines with picking and vice versa.

Player who nails this: Guthrie Govan | Listen to: Erotic Cake.

Guthrie’s slick legato lines blend seamlessly with a smooth and controlled pick attack.

9. Play with a wide dynamic range

If you play everything at the same intensity, your music will sound flat. Dynamics (playing from very soft to very loud) add expression and depth to your performance.

How to fix it:

• Take a simple phrase and play it gradually from pianissimo (pp) to fortissimo (ff).
• Experiment with light and heavy picking pressure and angles.
• Use your guitar’s volume and tone knobs for greater dynamic control.

Player who nails this: Eric Johnson | Listen to: Manhattan

Notice how Eric seamlessly transitions from soft, delicate passages to powerful, bombastic, overdriven lines.

He even manages to pull this off in live performances, a true master of touch and command.

10. Keep your guitar properly tuned and intonated

Even if your playing is perfect, poor intonation can make you sound out of tune, especially higher up the neck.

How to fix it:

• Always check your tuning before playing.
• Compare the open string with the 12th-fret harmonic on the same string using a tuner. If they don’t match, your intonation needs adjusting.
• Get your guitar professionally set up or learn to do it yourself.

Player who nails this: Every touring musician with a great guitar tech | Listen to: Your guitar teacher.

Now enjoy your playing, improved and in tune!

As a bass player, it’s hard to imagine a world without slap bass. The technique has come a long way since Larry Graham first started thumpin' and pluckin’ with Sly and the Family Stone. And in the hands of Victor Wooten, Flea and countless others, it has truly become a worthy addition to the bassist's technical arsenal.

Remember that slap bass doesn't just exist in funk and pop – check out our interview with metal rocking bassist Billy Gould from Faith No More. Fieldy from Korn was also instrumental in bringing the technique to the nu-metal scene with his fearsome slapping on an Ibanez 5-string.

Basically, the idea is to punctuate basslines with additional percussive sounds – the ‘slap’ referred to in the name is primarily performed in a ‘thump and pluck’ style, where the thumb ‘thumps’ the low strings, A and E, striking them against the fretboard, while the little finger usually hooks itself under the G string and plucks the string, allowing it to then snap against the fretboard.

Thumb exercises

The biggest hurdle that many starting slappers have to negotiate is the correct angle your thumb should take in order to get a solid tone. Start by taking aim at the very edge of the fretboard and neck, so that you get a little snap from the frets.

Now strike the string with the side of the thumb onto the last fret of the E string – this should give quite a magnificent ‘thump.’

To add to the challenge, you'll also need to mute the strings with the heel of your right hand and experiment with how much pressure you apply.

By exploring how much palm is used to rest on the strings, it is possible to achieve various degrees of muting, moving a millimetre or two forwards or backwards as required.

This is why I have different tab for measures 2 and 4, and 6 and 8 in the exercise below, although they are the same notes. Thumbing an open-string can be more difficult because it’s harder to make it ring true while muting the other strings.

The next challenge is to get your thumb working a little faster. You will need to relax your arm and hand and let your thumb bounce off the string, like the tip of a drumstick bouncing off of a drum head, instead of being forced down by the arm for every strike.

For examples of some of the wildest and energetic slap bass antics anywhere, listen to Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. “Flea would always be playing very percussive, and a lot of dead notes,” said Vulpeck's Joe Dart.

“So I really learned how to hit the strings without making any notes ring out. He was my first influence on the instrument, and his commitment to playing every note as if it were his last – he inspired me as a kid and still does today.”

Triplet exercises

Our next exercise introduces a triplet figure. There are many great ways to utilise the triplet in this style of bass playing, so it is important that you take the time to build a solid foundation for things to come.

Dynamic control exercises

The thumb can also be used in rock music to get a more plectrum-like tone. By mastering the accents below you'll learn to control the volume of each note (dynamics, anyone?), which will improve your overall control of the technique.

Play the following exercise through without the accents first and then add them in and see what a difference it makes to the sound, feel, and groove.

Popping exercises

Once you’ve figured out the whole thumb thing, it's time to introduce the finger pop. Place your index finger under the D string and your middle finger under the G string, fretting the F and Bb on the 3rd fret. Rest your thumb on the E string.

Now rotate your thumb away from your body towards the G string. This motion will move your whole hand; your index and middle fingers will have to move as well, and as they do they will pull up on the D and G strings.

Remember to let your wrist do the work, not your arm or your fingers; this will be key as we move on through these exercises. There really isn’t a whole lot of motion required, and it’s easy to overdo it when you start out.

The trebly staccato tone of Stanley Clarke’s Lopsy Lu is another great example. Clarke threw razor-sharp pops and huge string bends into the mix.

Slap and pop exercises

Taking in our next exercise, with your hand in the same position, bring the thumb down, striking the top of the E and A strings, then flip your wrist over to pull your finger up, popping the D and G strings.

Keep your wrist loose so that when you thumb the 8th notes you’re using a bouncing motion, and not forcing your hand to rigidly repeat the notes.

Now let’s put all of these exercises to one side and use what we’ve learnt to play a groove.

Remember, to play the 16th notes smoothly you need to be relaxed: there’s no way you’ll get them to speak if you try to force them.

Now let’s try using the slap and pop combo in a more rock feel by playing 8th notes, alternating between the thumb and finger on the same string to create a plectrum-like groove.

Notice again that I am advocating using the index finger under the D string and the middle finger under the G string.

As bass players we naturally have to know our chords, and ideally a fair bit about harmony and chord progressions in general, as we are the ones banging out the root notes! But there are many different ways to play chords on the bass guitar – and they’re not just power chords.

First, let’s recap how we construct chords in a given key. Starting on any note in the key as the root of our chord, we play the next two alternate notes above it in the scale to give us the third and fifth. In G major, starting on G, we get G, B and D to make a G Major chord.

This gives us a triad, which is a three-note chord comprising the root, third and fifth notes of the scale. Let’s begin by looking at the four basic triads: major, minor, augmented and diminished.

I'm including standard notation here because notes on a page are really useful for seeing interval relationships, far more so than tab. Note that the tab here is quite tricky to play – it’s really only there to show where the notes should be played on the fingerboard, so don’t get too stuck trying to play the chord shapes.

Normally, we’d start by playing the G in the bass, because the root is our first port of call for constructing a bassline – but there are occasions when the music presents an opportunity to use one of the other notes instead of the root.

This device creates what are known as chord inversions. Master songwriters such as Elton John and Paul McCartney use inversions, via bassline substitutions, to enhance their chord progressions. You may be familiar with a little number called Hey Jude from some English band?

To turn any chord into a first inversion, we invert it, as the name suggests. That is, we take the lowest note and move it up an octave, leaving the next lowest note – the third – in the bass.

To play the G major in its first inversion, fret the B with the ring finger (14th fret of the A string) and barre the D and G on the 12th fret of the D and G strings.

There’s a symmetry to how music is written in this way. You can see patterns of intervallic relationships that will help you understand what’s really going on. It also helps to read music on the bass as a series of intervals, rather than having to translate every single note into a position on the fingerboard by name.

Remember that there’s no tempo markings on this exercise. It’s just that, an exercise – so you should start at a really slow tempo to give yourself time to work out exactly what’s going on, before gradually increasing the speed.

Our next exercise shows our four triads played in the second inversion. Second inversion chords will have the fifth of the chord as the lowest note of the chord.

Notice that the augmented chord has exactly the same fingering for each of the inversions, just starting on a different note of the chord.

This means that C augmented, E augmented and G# augmented are interchangeable. Now that we have some of the basic chord forms under our fingers let’s make some music.

The following exercise is based on a common I-VI-IV-V chord progression, which has been the chord progression of countless turnarounds in popular music. A turnaround is a chord progression at the end of a tune that brings it back around to the beginning.

I have used different inversions to create a sense of voice leading, and to make the progression easier to play than trying to play each chord in root position.

Let's add some interest by playing in a 6/8 feel and playing the chords as arpeggios. Don’t let all the notes intimidate you – it’s still only a chord, just played one note at a time, and holding all the notes for the duration.

Finally, let’s add a pick-up line, and then play the chord as an arpeggio in the first half of each measure and the melody line in the second half.

This is one of those occasions when it’ll really help to get someone else to play the chords for you to hear how the melody works against it.

The guitar is a versatile and dynamic instrument capable of many different sounds via a wide variety of techniques. One particularly expressive technique is violining, or volume swells, which allows the player to fade into chords or single notes, altering the attack and release. This is achieved by fading in and out with the guitar's volume knob or a volume pedal.

Some of the biggest names in guitar have used volume swells to great effect, including Eddie Van Halen, Roy Buchanan, Jeff Beck, Michael Landau, Steve Lukather, Ty Tabor, Allan Holdsworth, Steve Morse, David Gilmour, Larry Carlton, Gary Moore, and Yngwie Malmsteen.

The basic approach is to have the guitar's volume control at zero, play and sustain a note or chord, then roll up the volume control. This will then allow your playing to be heard. While other picking hand fingers can be used, the fourth finger is the most common to execute volume swells, not least because it's the closest to the volume control. See the two photos below of a volume swell being executed by the fourth finger.

Here are two photos of a volume pedal being used, heel down to begin a swell then toe fully down to allow the guitar's full volume through.

By eliminating the initial attack, notes and/or chords can sound more like a keyboard pad or an emotive orchestral string section. The attack and release achieved with the volume control can produce different effects, with long and atmospheric sounds, especially when using delay and reverb, or short and almost gated sounds. The gated approach can yield interesting effects when embellished with a rhythmic delay.

Great examples of this are Cathedral by Van Halen, and Black Star by Yngwie Malmsteen. Now onto the examples...

Tab examples

Example 1. Chord volume swells

This example introduces the technique of violining. For this exercise you shall play a single E major chord and allow it to sustain for a full bar. As you strum the chord, extend your fourth finger to operate the volume control to swell the chord in. Look again at the guitar photos above if you get stuck.

Example 2. Chord progression volume swells

In this example the concept is taken further by playing a full chord progression with violining. This example illustrates how you can use the technique to give your progressions an orchestral string-like feel. Both major and minor chords feature as well as 1st inversions (the 3rd of the chord is the lowest note) to provide smooth transition between the chords. Once again, use your fourth finger to control the volume knob on your guitar, fading in the chord directly after the strum.

Example 3. Sophisticated chords with volume swells

Here's another approach when violining, using chord clusters constructed from notes of the scale the progression is in. This concept is similar to how Steve Morse or Allan Holdsworth would approach chord construction. A volume pedal is used here instead of the guitar's volume control, as there are more chord shapes to tackle and there are fade outs too. Add a healthy dose of delay and reverb for an ethereal synth pad-like sound.

Example 4. Clipped chords with volume manipulation

Here you'll experiment with a faster attack and release with the volume control, achieving a gated effect. This example has a vintage “Prog” feel. It's important to use a delay to get the full big ambient effect. Set the delay to an eighth note repeat at the track's tempo of 80bpm as this will allow the delay to sound as you re-finger between chord strikes. You can also try this technique with lead guitar phrasing.

Example 5. Single notes solo with volume swells

This demonstrates how you can use volume swells with lead guitar playing. It has long sustaining swells, and short gated swells, which work great when playing a run or scale based line. It is based around the E Aeolian/E natural minor scale (E-F#-G-A-B-C-D), and should be embellished with delay and reverb. Be sure to set the delay to the tempo of 80bpm to get the same results.

Example 6. Multiple approaches with volume swells

Here all of the approaches are combined to create a short mini piece. Based in the key of E minor, the example kicks in with volume swelled full and cluster voiced chords. For the solo section, long sustaining lines are played with brisk fade ins and outs. Notice that there are some fretting hand slurs and an emotive pre-bend. Be sure to make use of delay and spacious reverb for an ambient vibe.

Examples of volume swells

Allan Holdsworth - Above And Below

Allan Holdsworth was a master guitarist and for many he is the ultimate guitarist's guitarist. Aside from his astonishing lead technique which glistened with stunning legato passages and bewildering note choices, Holdsworth had an incredible approach to chords and harmony. This track highlights Holdsworth's use of volume pedal violining with an unmatched approach to constructing chords, performed with a lush delay.

Van Halen - Cathedral

This instrumental by the late guitar legend Eddie Van Halen highlights the gated approach whilst using echo for dynamic rhythmic repeats. Van Halen performed the piece with fretting hand hammer-ons, whilst quickly fading in and out the notes using his guitar's volume control. This is a unique and creative applicate of the violining technique.

Larry Carlton - Emotions Wound Us So

The LA session guitarist has played with many legends from Joni Mitchell (whose fly fishing quote references him) to Steely Dan, Michael Jackson to Barbara Streisand. He's had a long running solo career with stunning instrumentals such as this. Watch how he plays the intro with his gorgeous string bending technique. At 0:18, the artificial harmonics are swelled in with a volume pedal (he's always been more a pedal than guitar knob user) with more harmonic stunners at 0:40.

Jeff Beck - Where Were You

This track is one of the most beautiful pieces of guitar playing ever recorded and often raved about by other legends, from Joe Satriani to Steve Lukather. Jeff Beck's violining technique was sublime and he used it on many of his instrumentals. Here, Beck embellishes the haunting harmonics infused melody with whammy bar bends and smooth volume swells, giving the guitar a vocal-like quality.

Kings X - The Burning Down

Guitarist Ty Tabor is revered for his unique tone and playing style. From the band's album Gretchen Goes To Nebraska, this features an ethereal outro solo where Tabor uses the volume control for long atmospheric phrases, as well as short gated/rhythmic phrases with the delay.

Incubus - Pardon Me

Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger is a very creative and dynamic guitarist, utilizing effects with a variety of different playing techniques to get rich soundscapes. This track is a great example of how he uses volume swells to perform the atmospheric verse chord progression.

Any time spent in the world of metal and rock guitar playing will have downpicking show up sooner rather than later.

It's because so many bands, ranging from Slayer to Megadeth and Meshuggah to Killswitch Engage, rely on down picking to create their riffs.

For many, the player most revered and credited fror the technique is Metallica's James Hetfield. With its use in so many of the band's iconic songs, he has been a vital source of inspiration for countless guitarists over several decades.

The essence of downpicking is a pick motion starting on top of one string (or perhaps two strings to sound a power chord) and then striking it, moving the pick towards the ground in one small motion.

To repeat the down-pick you will need to return to the original position by moving your pick up, towards your head. This up-pick will not sound or connect with the string, though, so consider it a 'ghost' stroke – it occurs but is not heard.

The combination of a heard down-pick and a silent up-pick will allow you to play powerful riffs, emphasize a melodic sequence, or accent notes and chords.

In this article, the fundamentals of downpicking are covered so you can establish a solid technique foundation. Then, you'll move on to a series of exercises designed to improve speed, clarity and control.

Tab examples

Example 1 - downpicking primer

This exercise is a primer for developing steady downpicking. Keep your picking motion controlled by using your wrist instead of your arm, and make sure each note is played with the same pick angle and velocity.

Don't forget up-picks are silent after each down pick.

There are four downpicked low E notes in the first bar (each is a 1/4 note - a quarter note - long). The next bar is silent so you've time to rest and reflect. Bars three and four are the same as bars one and two. It can be tempting to speed up, so pay close attention to the consistent tempo provided by the drums.

Example 2 - 1/4 and 8th note downpicking

This is a combination of down picked 1/4 notes and 1/8th notes (typically called 8th notes). The 8th notes here mean 8 notes in each bar of 4/4 but it's easier to count each bar like this so the main 1/4 note beats are clear: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &’.

The played 8th notes occur at beat 3 of bars 1-3 where two down picks are used. Be careful you don't tense up too much with the faster 8th notes and watch your silent up pick doesn't get caught on a string.

Example 3 - downpicked power chords

In this exercise, you’ll continue with the 8th note feel, but now with power chords (two note chords of root and 5th) with more emphasis on the ‘&’ of each beat.

By highlighting the weaker parts of the bar (that is, the '&'), you create syncopated phrases which sound appealing. As for the powerchords used, Bb5 isn't in the commonly used E Aeolian mode (E-F#-G-A-B-C) or even the spicier E Phrygian mode (E-F-G-A-B-C). The latter mode is more relevant here due to the F5 chord in bar 4.

The Bb note in Bb5 could be considered from the E blues scale, though - E-G-A-Bb-B-D.

Theory aside, it's all very metal-sounding!

Example 4 - downpicked triplets

This exercise features 8th note triplets (three notes played per beat counted either as 1 & a, 2 & a or straw-be-ry, straw-ber-ry) to speed up the rhythms and bring you closer to hard rock and metal stylings.

Palm muting (shown as PM above the tab) is a fantastic picking hand technique for rhythmic clarity and tightness. However, be careful not to press your picking hand's palm too hard or too far over the strings as this can alter and/or muddy note clarity. For more on palm muting, check out this extensive lesson.

Example 5 - 16th-note downpicking

Now you’ll work with 16th notes, counted here as ‘1 e & a, 2 e & a, 3 e & a, 4 e & a’. To create breathing space, you'll play two 16th notes and an 8th note on beats 1 and 3, and rest on beats 2 and 4.

Use the pauses to relax your picking hand and avoid fatigue.

This 16th-16th-8th rhythm is called the reverse gallop: for more on gallop rhythms check out our lesson on the topic.

Example 6 - 16th-note stamina with downpicking

In this final exercise, you'll play all four notes in each 16th note grouping.

Pay attention to the accents in bars 2 and 4 (shown as > under the notation), as they provide contrast within the long 16th-note sequences.

When using palm muting, it's common to create accents, not by playing harder (although that is an option) but by reducing the muting effect (or indeed, not using it at all).

This contrast results in open, bright notes (no palm muting) for the accents and tight, bassier notes (palm muted) for the regular 16ths. Keep your picking arm relaxed to prevent tension.

Examples of downpicking

Metallica - Master of Puppets

Many of Metallica's songs feature down picking riffs. These include Seek & Destroy, Creeping Death, And Justice For All, Blackened and the performance included here: Master of Puppets.

Watch and listen to how James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett use palm muted downpicking for the fast percussive riffing. This is famous – and technically infamous – for good reason.

Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train

This features Randy Rhoads' fantastic F# minor intro with 8th-note downpicking before the busier 16th note riff that shifts to the more cheery A major. An undisputed iconic rock/metal song fueled by the Les Paul virtuoso.

Status Quo - Down Down

Watch Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt play this famous 8th-note based riff at the Glastonbury Festival in 2009. The balance of precision and stamina for the song's duration is harder than they make it look.

Notice many of their up-strokes are 'ghost' strokes that aren't heard, and when they do make contact it adds further rhythmic energy to the relentless downpicking.

String bending is an essential part of a guitarist’s toolkit. While the technique can be daunting at first, if you work on the fundamental technique and good bending intonation, you will be on your way to developing this emotive sound.

From B.B. King to Joe Satriani and Eric Clapton to Van Halen, string bending isn’t confined to a single genre and its vocal qualities bring any solo to life. Take iconic solos like Sweet Child O' Mine or Comfortably Numb: remove those intro bends and you are left with a less impactful sound.

There are several elements to consider when you start string bending. First is the fretting hand's function: in order to develop strength and stability hook the fretting hand thumb over the top of the neck for support.

Next, ensure that you have one or two fingers behind the bending finger for additional strength and to avoid strains. The third finger is generally the most common for bending but there are also times when the second finger can be used with support from the first finger behind it.

Bending with the first finger is possible but less common and usually dependent on where you have to move to after the bend. With these elements in place the bend comes from an upward twist of the wrist that shouldn’t feel forced.

Let's take a closer look at where you should place your fingers for optimum bending technique.

Technique check

1. Before bending…

...position your fingers together for extra support, put your thumb over the neck for leverage, and press your first finger knuckle against the neck as a fulcrum.

2. Executing a bend

The curve and shape of your fingers shouldn’t change much from the pre-bent position, because your wrist does the work.

3. Fourth-finger bends

Fourth-finger bends are tough – it’s everyone’s weakest digit! Use as many spare fingers as you can to share the load.

With the physical elements covered, the main focus is the musical result of having good intonation: bending to a note that is in tune with the music. It’s easy to fall flat or sharp here with either too little or too much energy applied to the bend.

A good tip is to play a fretted note, remember that pitch, then go down to a lower note and bend up to the required note. Switching between the standard fretted note and then the bent note will develop your sense of pitch and make your bends musical.

Remember, a few poorly intonated sustained bends in a solo can make the guitar's most emotive technique sound bad.

It's worth bearing in mind that your bending ability is linked to your choice of string gauge. When you start, the slacker feel of a 0.09 - 0.42 string set allows for smooth bending to desired notes.

But you may find you over bend too often so you'll need to either adjust your strength or opt for a heavier set to compensate such as 0.10 (this gauge refers to the first string; people often ask in a shop for a set of 10s which means a 0.10 first string and then default string thicknesses for the other five strings).

There is no correct choice here so go for what feels best for you. On the light side, Billy Gibbons prefers 0.07s for effortless playing, Brian May has remarked on liking 0.08 gauge whereas Josh Smith opts for a hefty 0.13 for his blues riffs and solos.

Finally, players mostly bend on the first, second and third strings as it's easier and better suited for soloing. That being the case, the examples played in the above video and tabbed below focus on only these strings. All the bends will be drawn from the A blues scale (A, C, D, Eb, E, G).

Tab examples

Example 1 - semitone bend on the third string

Bends are generally pitched a tone (2 frets' worth) or semi-tone (1 fret's worth) above the fretted note, so we’ll start with the smaller semi-tone bend on the third string, D bending to Eb.

To reduce unwanted string noise, place the picking hand palm on the strings below the one you are bending. Low strings are louder and can feedback sooner than higher strings so this is the first approach to playing more cleanly.

Example 2 - tone bend on the third string

Next we’ll bend up a tone (2 frets' worth) on the third string, D to E. The rhythms are very simple but remember that there are endless possibilities when it comes to rhythm and string bending – everything from rapid up and down to sustained string bends are possible.

When you’ve worked on this one explore changing the rhythm of what you are playing.

Examples 3a and 3b - bend repetition on the third string

Strength and stamina (not brute force!) are key components of string bending and repetition is a vital skill to have.

In the following examples, semitone and tone bends are repeated four times in a row which is a great way for developing the ear, ensuring you can bend to the target pitch each time.

Examples 4a and 4b - bending on the first string

String bends feel different on each string because of the pressure required to hit the target note. Bending on the first string can be more of a challenge so you may have to put more force into the upward twist of the wrist to meet the target note.

When you move to the second string you’ll need slightly less pressure: this constant compensation of force is part of what controlled bending is all about.

Examples 5a and 5b - bend repetition on the first string

As with the earlier examples, here are the bends on the first and second strings with some repetitions.

Don’t overdo it here as wrist strain and finger injuries are possible if you are new to string bending. It’s better to do brief repetitions like this and then work on a different technique.

Example 6 - Final piece featuring tone and semitone bends

Here, everything is put into practice in a Jeff Beck-inspired track. The rhythms are simple and the licks are melodic so when you’ve played this a few times consider changing the rhythms and adding more notes.

Finally, when you have mastered this solo, add vibrato on top of the sustained bends. This will add further emotion to your playing if you do it right: bend up to the target note, drop the bend down a little then bend back up to the target note.

This can be repeated for as long as you want, with pitching width and repetition speed both worth exploring. The main focus is to keep returning to the target note; don't have it wander due to inconsistent over or under bending.

Three legendary string-bending guitarists

Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb

David Gilmour is well known for his tone and melodic soloing but his string bending mastery is at the heart of it all.

The solo from Comfortably Numb is a masterclass in pitching bends and sustaining them – they transcend technique and become a vocal compositional device.

Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine

Slash’s thick tone is perfect for long, sustained string bends. He’ll often display his control of the technique by bending up to pitch and down again with several repetitions in between.

BB King - Live At The Regal

Before the birth of rock, blues players used string bending to mimic the sound of the voice, especially workers singing field songs.

Listen to B.B.’s Live At The Regal with songs such as Everyday I Have the Blues and Sweet Little Angel – his bending control is often capped off by an almighty singing vibrato placed on top of the bend.

For many music fans, B.B. King had the most soulful string bending ever and his 'King of the Blues' crown was confirmed because of this iconic album.

It’s tempting to see the capo as a simple tool to facilitate quick key changes without having to learn new shapes.

However, when you start using a capo on the higher frets you unlock a fresh new timbre from the guitar. Chords and sequences that may have sounded dark and muddy down in the open position suddenly come to life with a brightness and ‘zing’.

The sweet spot for this approach appears to be at the 7th fret and some of the greatest bands and songwriters have discovered their most famous ideas through playing in this register.

The magic partly comes from the fact that you are starting to exist in a world that is somewhere between guitar and mandolin. There’s still depth and heft but it’s joined by a clarity and immediate attack on the notes that creates something very special.

Classic tracks capo’d at the 7th fret include Hotel California and Here Comes the Sun but even just playing simple a I-IV-V chord progression (eg E-A-B) up there will sound fresh and vibrant.

While the capo’d part is a main feature in both these tracks, this doesn’t always have to be the case and simple chords at the 7th fret can be a perfect thing to overlay on a recording that sounds too dark or dense – this is a sound you’ll hear in modern country and the Nashville pop of Taylor Swift all the time.

One caveat – use the best capo you can, as they do make a difference! Fortunately, we have a buying guide for that.

To watch each of the examples, click play on the video at the top of the article, or to listen, use the Soundcloud playlist below.

Tab examples

Example 1. CAGED shapes

Here are the CAGED chord shapes when using a capo at the 7th fret. The literal chord (eg G) is named above the notation and the bracketed chord (eg C) underneath is the familiar common shape.

After playing this, try other common chord progressions as previously obvious ideas can sound unique up at the 7th fret.

Word to the wise: this may sound (too) simple but make sure you know what every actual chord is – other musicians only care about the literal results, not the guitar-friendly chord shape you're playing.

Example 2. The Eagles style

Played around the low frets, this country rock-tinged progression could have sounded muddy.

Transformed with high arpeggiated patterns using a capo at the 7th fret, the results sparkle with brightness and air.

Example 3. George Harrison style

This shows how chords can be arpeggiated and embellished with melodic ideas whilst still retaining plenty of clarity. Ideas like this can sound muddy down in the open position but the capo provides a crisp and clear sound.

Example 4. Paul Simon style

Playing up at the 7th fret can make an already interesting chord progression sound even more unique.

This example uses folk-esque chords to create more of a mysterious sound that is accentuated by playing higher up the neck. This is where the mandolin-esque tone really shines.

Example 5. Passenger style

Melodic chords can work especially well when played with a capo higher up the neck. This is especially useful in a band mix where a more detailed part can get lost low down on the fretboard.

Using a capo at the 7th fret, the notes and chords will stand out more and not get in the way of the bass.

Example 6. Nashville pop

When layering guitars it’s common to build a track with low register and high register parts. However, many bands and arrangers like adding a middle area part to add further depth to a song.

For this example, the combination of airy sounding chords using 9ths and suspensions with the 7th fret capo provides richness without adding clutter.

Example 6 continued. Second guitar part

Examples of using the capo at the 7th fret

The Eagles - Hotel California

Don Felder’s mystical sounding arpeggiated part that opens this classic track features a 12-string guitar with a well placed capo

It's one of the most ear-catching guitar moments in rock history, in part thanks to the magical 7th fret placement for the capo.

The Beatles - Here Comes The Sun

The very definition of ‘jangle’, Here Comes The Sun would actually lose most of its jangle if played in the open position. At the 7th fret, however, the chords actually evoke the bright, hopeful sound of summer.

George Harrison’s picked part is actually quite detailed and uptempo so the higher pitch brings a balance and brightness, making every note distinctive.

Simon & Garfunkel - Scarborough Fair

Paul Simon used the capo at the 7th fret to great effect on this folk classic, even more so as the high airy sound of his fingerpicked parts married perfectly with Art Garfunkel’s vocal register.

Played up high, his guitar sounds more like a traditional folk instrument such as a mandolin or cittern.

Passenger - Let Her Go

This was a massive hit for Passenger helped in no small way by the melodic guitar that was picked out up at the 7th fret.

This is another great example of a part that could lose clarity in the open position but up here everything is even and balanced with a brightness that means none of the essential melody is lost in a wash of strings.

If you're still wondering what the pictured chord was earlier it was 1) G major shape and 2) D major. Did you get both of these right?

Ahead of his UK tour, which begins on March 18 in London, Polish percussive fingerstyle virtuoso Marcin Patrzałek took a few moments to share his backstage warm-up routine with Guitar World.

Marcin has a huge social media following and his skills have been showcased in mainstream TV talent shows. His latest album entitled Dragon In Harmony features stunning guitar arrangements of classic tunes such as Smooth Operator, Clair De Lune and even Nirvana’s Heart Shaped Box. There are also collaborations with Polyphia’s Tim Henson, Ichika Nito and Delaney Bailey.

To bring his explosive guitar arrangements to life, Marcin uses pretty much every trick in the book including two-handed tapping, harmonics, fast strumming and percussive taps of the guitar body.

Marcin uses broad dynamic changes and large finger stretches so his strenuous guitar gymnastics require some warming up before a show to avoid injury and insure a consistent performance.

The first thing to note is Marcin is using D-A-D-F-A-D tuning. As the name suggests the sixth, third, second and first strings are tuned down a tone to provide the D-A-D-F-A-D tuning. This tuning creates a deep, resonant sounding D minor chord when the open strings are strummed.

You can play all these warm-ups in standard tuning, however. They will sound different, but the end goal of warming up with sequential note pattern will still be achieved.

Marcin delivers the examples at fast speeds, and this combined with the D-A-D-F-A-D tuning may make them sound more intimidating than they actually are. All five are pattern-based and fall nicely under the fingers so should prove fun to tackle.

Start very slowly with one small section of the pattern. Once perfected, you will then find it easier to extend the pattern all over the fretboard.

We’d also recommend using Marcin’s ideas as a springboard to create your own warm-up ideas. These could be tailored to help you work on a fingering permutation (eg, strengthening the fourth finger) or technique you find hard or inconsistent (eg, crossing strings).

In the video, Marcin is playing his signature Ibanez MRC10-NT guitar. This comes complete with a percussive scratch pad and extra bracing to deal with the rigours of percussive guitar. The guitar also has a low action (distance between the strings and the fretboard), which helps with the delivery of fast two-handed tapping runs.

• Marcin tours the UK in March 2025 – head to MarcinOfficial.com for tickets.

Tab examples

Example 1. Fretting hand tapping warm-up (first, second and fourth fingers)

This uses a repeating four note pattern, which is played exclusively with fretting hand tapping. Concentrate on tapping down just behind the fretwire to insure a clear and strong note is produced.

When you get to the descending portion the pattern is changed, but this is still played with fretting hand tapping (hammering-on). To see Marcin play this, watch the video at the top of the article.

Example 2. Fretting hand tapping warm-up (first, third and fourth fingers)

This uses the same ascending groups of four pattern shown in example one. To get more mileage out of this exercise change the fingering to the first, third and fourth fingers.

Example 3. Fretting hand tapping warm-up (second, third and fourth fingers)

Another fingering permutation for this pattern is the second, third and fourth fingers. This will feel awkward because the first finger – the most important pivot finger for many patterns and shapes – isn't used. However, with time and practice, you will develop greater finger independence for the fretting hand.

Example 4. Fingerpicking with alternate fingers

Now it's time to get the picking hand involved. This warm-up may seem complex, but it uses the same eight-note pattern played across a pair of strings and moves it around the fretboard.

The fretting hand fingering is one finger per fret and the picking is a strict alternating pattern played with the first (i) and second (m) fingers.

The start point is moved up one fret each time the pattern is completed so you can keep going until you run out of frets!

Example 5. Fretting hand stretching

This final warm-up idea provides a good finger stretch and is harder than it looks. First place the first and second fretting hand fingers on the 1st and 2nd frets of the first string.

Then the third and fourth fingers can play the descending pattern shown in the tab, keeping the first and second fingers planted. Marcin picks the strings using his fingernail as if it was a pick but you could fingerpick this instead (or use a pick).

Marcin playing examples

Marcin Patrzałek and Ichika Nito - I Don't Write About Girls

A stunning collaboration featuring Marcin's hammer-ons and tapping technique.

Marcin Patrzałek - Bite Your Nails

Marcin incorporates great fingerpicking and blistering pick-style playing in this rhythmic piece.

The sizzling Andalusian climate of 19^th century Spain famously gave birth to the flamenco guitar and with it the popular style known as flamenco.

The chief technique employed in flamenco guitar playing that gives the style its signature rhythmic energy and flare is rasgueado (‘strummed’) technique.

In modern music, the word ‘strummed’ evokes the image of someone strumming away at a guitar with a plectrum in hand, but rasgueado technique takes this further with the player employing all four fingers and thumb as separate plectrums.

As such, Rasgueado technique allows guitarists to explore intricate rhythmic patterns that wouldn’t otherwise be possible with a single plectrum.

This lesson consists of five fundamental exercises followed by a short piece that brings all the examples together. At its core, Flamenco technique is all about speed and being able to execute each individual strum or pluck rapidly.

This mantra also needs to be adhered to when starting out at slow tempos – when initially approaching the outward ‘flicks’ within the strumming patterns, tuck each fingertip either behind the thumb or into the pit of your palm in a way that allows for each finger to be released in an explosive flicking motion.

When moving the fingers with such power it is very easy to allow tension to creep in. Tension is the arch-enemy of speed so be sure to practice emptying the tension out of the hand after each strum before increasing to higher tempos.

Flamenco has many luminaries but none are as famous as Francisco Sanchez Gomez, known the world over as Paco de Lucía. His modern style of Flamenco became a staple on '70s and '80s TV as well as the Saturday Night In San Francisco trio with John McLaughlin and Al Di Meola.

Paco often favoured the Bulerías dance style of Flamenco so for anyone looking to explore his music, this is the place to start.

Use the video above in conjunction with the audio and tab/notation below.

Tab examples

Example 1. Basic flicking with the first (i) and second (m) fingers

Perch your thumb on the fifth string to keep your plucking hand stable and to allow for your flicks to focus in on the just the top four strings.

Do downstrokes with the second (m) and first (i) fingers with the upstrokes played by the first finger using a loose closing motion of the finger so that the hand stays relaxed.

Example 2. Adding the third (a) finger

When flicking ‘a-m-i’ on the opening beat of each bar be sure to focus on hitting this beat with the first finger (i) to maintain a clean rhythmic flow.

Keep your fretting hand thumb loose behind the frets when you shift up and down between first and second position.

Example 3. Introducing the fourth (c) finger

The fourth finger (c) does not have a great deal of strength so be sure to practice slowly with rapid flicks to build up confidence in its motion.

All chords in the fretting hand can be achieved by simply sliding the first and second fingers up and down the third and fourth strings.

Example 4. Adding a second bass voicing using the thumb

As the title suggests, we are no longer perching the thumb on a string but instead holding the plucking hand elevated in a static position, swiping the thumb to sound a bass chord in between rasgueado strums.

The more stable you keep your hand, the more consistent your rasgueado will become.

Example 5. Increasing rhythmic interplay between bass voicing and rasgueado chords

As we advance the rhythms between the upper and lower voice you may find using ‘a-m-i-i’ (where the second ‘i’ is an upstroke) easier than ‘c-a-m-i’. I certainly do so explore this pattern as shown in the video.

If it feels easier then have another go at Exercises 3 & 4 with this updated strumming pattern, otherwise keep going with ‘c-a-m-i’.

Example 6. Short piece

To bring this tutorial on Rasgueado to a close, enjoy this short study. In the opening section slide the fretting hand's third and fourth fingers up and down between the 3rd and 4th fret to easily shift between chords.

Several bars consist of strummed chords followed by bass notes plucked with the thumb – aim to sustain each chord over the adjacent bass notes to keep a sense of continuous flow. Keep that rhythmic flare alive by ensuring those rasgueado flicks stay rapid and loose.

Examples of rasgueado

Paco de Lucía - Concierto de Aranjuez

There are few examples better known for the rasgueado technique than the opening chords of Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez, one of the most famous classical guitar compositions of all time.

Watch how chords like D major on the upper strings have an added rhythmic beauty thanks to this unique strumming technique. While many versions have been recorded of this piece – from John Williams to Miloš Karadaglić – Paco De Lucia's has a particular dynamic sparkle due to his flamenco roots.

Paco Peña demonstrating rasgueado

Paco Peña was a titan of flamenco music and like Paco de Lucía, a master of rasgueado rhythms. Here he is describing and performing the technique.

Marcin Patrzałek - Carmen Habanera

The outro to Marcin Patrzałek's virtuosic arrangement of this famous classical piece features precise rasgueado. Watch below for his stunning strumming.

As guitar players, perfecting different types of rhythm is essential, and one particularly demanding example is the gallop. This is a powerful driving rhythm pattern that's widely associated with rock and metal, but which can also be heard in pop and funk. Well-known purveyors of gallop riffs include Iron Maiden, Metallica, Judas Priest, UFO, Dio, Heart, Queen, Black Sabbath, Slayer and many others.

The gallop is a short rhythm created in one beat: an eighth note followed by two 16ths. It's important to understand that although you are playing three subdivisions per beat, the rhythm is not a triplet. The first eighth note lasts as long as the two 16ths combined.

The gallop rhythm should be counted: 1 _ & a 2 _ & a 3 _ & a 4 _ & a

Played with a consistent down-down-up picking motion, the first downstroke lasts for the first half of the beat (1 _), whilst the offbeat is divided into two 16th notes (& a).

A variation of the standard gallop is the reverse gallop, which has been used by bands such as Slayer, Metallica and even the Osmonds! As the name suggests, the reverse gallop changes the rhythmic ordering: two 16th notes followed by a single eighth note.

This reverse gallop should be counted: 1 e & _ 2 e & _ 3 e & _ 4 e & _

This should be performed with a down-up-down picking motion (1 e &).

Both variations of the gallop are demanding because they are precise and repeated, often at fast tempos. Because of this, they are great workouts for your picking hand's accuracy and stamina.

Once you have these two rhythms mastered, experiment with different amounts of palm muting as well as many different tempos. Remember, for maximum 'metal', faster tempos are essential.

Use the full video above in conjunction with the audio and tab/notation shown below.

Tab examples

Example 1. Basic gallop

This example illustrates the gallop in its most basic form, played on an open fifth-string A note. Make sure to count a constant 16th note rhythm (1 e & a, 2 e & a, 3 e & a, 4 e & a), using a foundational alternate picking technique throughout.

The key here is to not pick the 'e' count of the division, but instead perform a ghost pick: an upstroke is made but doesn't make contact with the string (it's 'ghosted').

This regular down-up picking motion will help with counting and performing the rhythm, as well as exiting the initial downstroke and preparing for the next one (on the '&' of each beat).

Example 2. Gallop with power chords

Here we put the gallop into a short musical example. For this example you will apply the gallop to two-note power chords.

There are some sustaining Fmaj7add#11 chords to break up the rhythm slightly which add harmonic color as well as give your picking hand a brief rest!

Example 3. Uptempo gallop

For this Iron Maiden-inspired example, the tempo is increased so make sure to keep your picking hand relaxed (you don't want to play with too much tension in the hand or arm).

We've included power chords with their root notes located on the fourth, fifth and sixth strings, so take care with the position of the picking hand.

Enjoy the two-string chord inversions, G/B and D/F#, which act as linking chords in the progression. Add light palm muting for further tightness and a thicker bass tone.

Example 4. Reverse gallop

Taking inspiration here from both The Osmonds and Joe Satriani (check out the riff under his solo on War), this reverse gallop riff uses a single-note line based around the G minor pentatonic scale (G-Bb-C-D-F).

The riff is embellished with power chords as well as a descending pentatonic run to finish off. Be sure to maintain a constant down-up-down picking motion throughout, but follow the final downstroke of each beat with a ghosted up-pick to set you up for the initial downstroke of the following downbeat.

Picking control with the reverse gallop can prove difficult so work on this riff slowly to begin with, focusing on precision and stamina before speed.

Example 5. Uptempo reverse gallop

This Slayer inspired example shows the reverse gallop as an essential approach for thrash metal. The main focus is the tight reverse gallop played on the sixth string using palm muting.

The riff is enhanced with double stops and single note lines, all of which use notes from the E Locrian mode (E-F-G-A-Bb-C-D).

This riff is demanding, especially when pedalling the tight palm muted sixth string, and accenting with the two string double stop chords. Slow and precise practice will allow you to get this up to speed.

Example 6. Gallop riffs and solo

This final example includes both the gallop and the reverse gallop, with a riff inspired by the likes of Iron Maiden, Slayer, Metallica and UFO.

The first section rounds up the concepts we've looked at so far before concluding with a short solo based around the E minor pentatonic (E-G-A-B-D) and E natural minor scale (E-F#-G-A-B-C-D) played with a reverse gallop.

Once again, this example is at a fast tempo so stay relaxed and practice slowly to start with.

Outstanding examples of the gallop rhythm

Iron Maiden - Run To The Hills

Iron Maiden are well known for their use of the gallop rhythm. Run to the Hills is a great example, with the rhythm not only driving the song but also intensifying the narrative of the lyrical conflict.

Metallica - Battery

The gallop rhythm plays a vital role in creating this song's aggressive feel. It is performed at a very fast tempo with the guitars maintaining a constant tight gallop. The guitar tone is very distorted with a typical scooped tone (midrange EQ is reduced) to enhance the palm muting.

Slayer - Raining Blood

Slayer are probably the most notable purveyors of the reverse gallop and their landmark track Raining Blood made it an essential technique in the thrash genre. The ultra-fast reverse gallop contributes to the song's unrelenting intensity.

Level 42 - Lessons In Love

This is a great example of the gallop being used in an ’80s pop funk context. Using the same rhythm pattern heard in metal, Mark King’s iconic thumb-driven bassline takes on gallop duties. His precision and stamina is impressive.

The Osmonds - Crazy Horses

This '70s classic illustrates a fusing of styles and is a refreshing example of the reverse gallop. Mixing '70s rock with pop, this hit was propelled by the driving reverse gallop guitar and bass riff.

This is a lesson in ‘modern blues’ – that may seem a little ambiguous at first glance, so to be more specific, I’m referring to the inclusion of unusual and non-pentatonic phrases alongside more traditional ideas.

The example solo was played as a continuous live take, but we’ve broken it up into four sections to make it easier to digest. The more modern lines either take the shape of arpeggios (and fragments of these) or pentatonic ideas that are more influenced by players such as Joe Bonamassa and Eric Johnson, rather than the more ‘classic’ vocabulary of B.B. King or Eric Clapton.

In addition to this, there are some unusual picking patterns, or combinations thereof. Some of these may seem counterintuitive to start with, but they are worthwhile as they can enable the relaxed articulation of licks that would be far trickier otherwise.

Despite this, it isn’t always an exact science and there may be instances where you prefer to pick something differently from the suggestions on the transcription. You’re the final judge in these situations, but do bear in mind that one of the hardest things about expanding our technique is going ‘against the grain’ of learned patterns – sometimes referred to as muscle memory. It might seem like a backward step at first, but if you’re prepared to deal with the initial discomfort, the rewards are well worth it.

The solo was recorded with a relatively high-gain tone, so you’ll want to stay in control of any unused strings with the side/heel of your picking hand. There are also times when your fretting hand comes into play in this regard, only pressing down the strings as and when they’re needed, and not allowing notes to ring together. Hope you enjoy the solo and see you next time.

Example 1

This first phrase begins with a more classic pentatonic feel but quickly switches to a more three-note-per-string approach using a combination of shapes 1 and 2 of the E minor pentatonic.

Watch the picking hand closely here: there are quite a few consecutive downstrokes played as one movement when crossing adjacent strings. Start by following the directions exactly, but you’ll find there are many ways this technique can be used, so be prepared to experiment.

Example 2

This example sandwiches an alternate-picked descending pentatonic lick between some more traditional ideas. We’re descending the shape 1 E minor pentatonic in groups of six, starting on the first string then coming back to start another group of six from the second string and so on.

This finishes with an octave jump you’ll often hear from Eric Johnson and Joe Bonamassa. All this strict picking is then balanced out with a more funky phrase using doublestops and bends.

Example 3

This is the most ‘technical’ part of the solo; the trickiest part to get your head around is probably the first two bars. We start with a G major arpeggio but quickly switch to a more pentatonic approach, using a similar picking style to Example 1.

As a general rule, I’m using alternate picking when there is more than one note played on a string, but I’m using one single downstroke to change to the adjacent string.

The C major arpeggio in bar 3 takes a one-note-per-string approach, played with a single downstroke and only pressing the strings down with the fretting hand when needed.

Example 4

This is a much more traditional lick to finish things up, though notice there are places where it’s most practical to press notes at the same fret on adjacent strings by ‘rocking’ one finger between the two.

There are a couple of instances where you’ll notice this happening in the previous examples, but check out bars 2, 3 and 4 for some clear examples of this. It is possible to finger this more conventionally, but it might not sound as fluent.

Hear it here

Hear it here

Joe Bonamassa – Live From The Royal Albert Hall

Joe Bonamassa is most definitely the touchstone for the example solo this month, and this album contains quite a few examples of the techniques we’ve been looking at but in a more ‘real world’ musical context.

To start with, check out So, It’s Like That, Sloe Gin and So Many Roads. It’s worth bearing in mind that these techniques – though a lot of fun once you’ve got them under the fingers – form part of the whole, rather than becoming the basis of your vocabulary.

Eric Johnson & Alien Love Child – Live And Beyond

Eric is very much an originator of this fluid but bluesy approach, combining non-traditional pentatonic lines with arpeggios and chord fragments. Have a listen to Zenland, Last House On The Block (which includes a great extended Cream-style jam) and Once A Part Of Me.

In this live trio format, Eric does a great job of implying chords and keeping up harmonic interest by using these non-traditional approaches, to say nothing of the range of exemplary tones!

Gary Moore – Still Got the Blues

Though Gary’s playing leans more towards the more technical side of traditional pentatonic, his picking-hand technique falls firmly into the area suggested by the example solo.

He frequently brushes across adjacent strings with a single movement to articulate phrases in a much more fluent way than alternate picking could produce. Check out the title track, plus Oh Pretty Woman and Walking By Myself, for some great examples that may have previously slipped under your radar.

Back in the ’50s, Chet Atkins used palm muting for his walking basslines on the lower strings while upper register chords were left unmuted. This combination of muted/not muted sounded like two guitars playing together. In the same decade, Les Paul used muting for his fast picking lines across all six strings, making his lead phrasing punchy and dynamic.

A few decades later, palm muting evolved further, not least because of the broader guitar tones being used across more genres. From the thick chugging riffs by Metallica and Megadeth to the tight clean funk of Nile Rodgers, we often overlook this humble technique, yet it’s such an important tool for expressive rhythm and lead playing.

Palm muting is achieved by lightly placing the fleshy side of the picking hand at the bridge, just covering the strings. Be careful how much pressure is used as heavy picking hand placement on a guitar with a floating vibrato bridge (eg Stratocasters with vintage bridges and Floyd Rose-equipped Superstrats) can stretch the strings out of tune.

By exploring how much palm is used to rest on the strings, it is possible to achieve various degrees of muting, moving a millimeter or two forwards or backwards as required. Start on the lower bass strings as that is easier for picking hand placement then move onto to the higher treble strings.

Once your muting is mastered, you can add accents to riffs by adding in non muted notes. This makes simple rhythm parts more interesting. Great examples of this muted/not muted approach can be heard in the intro riff to Summer of ’69 by Bryan Adams as well as Basket Case by Green Day.

Using more amp or pedal distortion as well as applying heavier palm muting will help you achieve the metal chug that is associated with Metallica, Pantera and Periphery.

Palm muting is also an expressive phrasing tool for lead guitar, allowing for contrasts between tight muted figures and accented phrases. For example, Al Di Meola and Steve Morse use palm muting to great effect, especially for fast-picked lines and syncopated arpeggios.

Now onto the playing examples to get your palm muting like the pros: use the video above in conjunction with the tab – all audio is below.

Tab examples

Example 1. Open-string palm muting

This is a great and simple introduction to palm muting. Play the low open E string with a consistent eighth note rhythm.

Gently place the side of your picking hand on the bridge, lightly touching the strings to produce a muted and bassy sound. Practice this with all down-picks, keeping your hand relaxed and the muting consistent.

Example 2. Power chord palm muting

We now introduce palm muting to power chords played on two strings. Once again, apply the mute with the side of the picking hand, finding the point where the chord is muted but still clear.

Use a constant eighth note rhythm performed with down picks, taking care to only strike the two fretted strings. Check out the intro to Turn It On Again by Genesis or All the Small Things by blink-182 to hear great palm-muted chord riffs.

Example 3. Muted and non-muted power chords

This involves three string power chords using palm muting and non muting. Here, the top two notes of the power chord are accented (not muted), contrasting with the muted low E notes. For the second half, there are a palm muted double stops on the higher strings.

Palm muting higher strings can be challenging as there will be a slight position change required for your picking hand. Check out ’80s classic such as The Heat Is On by Glenn Frey and The Power of Love by Huey Lewis and the News for melodic palm muting.

Example 4. Palm muting, metal style

This demonstrates a heavier muted approach to achieve the popular metal chug effect. Use a rich distorted guitar tone with your bridge pickup and enhanced palm muting by moving your picking hand very slightly forward towards the bridge pickup – experiment by 1mm at a time (a tiny movement can make all the difference).

The busy syncopated rhythm involves muted/non muted power chords, some fretboard positions shifts and precise rests (silences).

Example 5. Palm-muted lead line

This is a short lick that shows how palm muting can be used in a lead context; think Gary Moore (Out In the Fields) or Jason Becker (Altitudes).

Based around E natural minor (E Aeolian mode), the ascending run switches between non muted legato flurries and palm muted picking.

The example concludes with a palm muted pedal tone lick, with the lower E note muted whilst the upper moving line of the lick is un-muted.

Example 6. Palm-muted riff and lead piece

For this final example, the techniques and concepts featured earlier are put together to create a short piece. The opening riff features a syncopated rhythm, with silences on beats 1 and 3.

In contrast, the second riff features a tight pedal tone figure based on a single note melody and power chords, pedalling off the palm muted fifth string.

The solo section kicks off with a melodic palm-muted pedal tone figure that outlines the accompanying chords of C5 and D5. Take care with the palm-muted pedal tone on the third string.

The solo finishes with a lick that combines legato with palm muted picking, climaxing with a percussive E minor pentatonic sequence.

Palm muting songs

Steve Morse - Tumeni Notes

This jaw dropping instrumental features some of Steve’s most inspired guitar playing and highlights how he includes palm muting in a lead guitar context. We hear Steve applying palm muting to the fast clean tone alternate picked arpeggios during the bridge section of the song.

Steve also adds dynamic excitement to the sextuplet picking figure at the end of the solo, palm muting the chromatic line whilst accenting the top melody of the figure.

Bryan Adams - Summer of ’69

Where would this song be without palm muting? The intro riff is a great example of how this technique can elevate a basic single chord/eighth note pattern, combining muting with non-muted accents to create one of the most recognisable riffs in rock history.

Van Halen - Aint Talkin’ ’Bout Love

While Eddie Van Halen used palm muting a lot, this classic from Van Halen’s debut is a great example of how palm muting can create a tight and dynamic riff.

The intro's distortion rich picking features well placed muting to add clarity to the chord arpeggios. This technique works in contrast to the final single note figure of the riff where muting stops. An iconic riff indeed!

The Locrian mode is one of the most sonically challenging sounds in music. And, though built on the major scale, this mode sounds totally removed from its parent scale's bright, happy vibes.

Most often, the mode is used in heavy metal (Metallica's Sad But True being a good example) or as a way to improvise over the m7b5 chord (the ii chord) in a minor ii-V-i progression in jazz – so there's plenty to be gained from adding the mode's signature tense sound into your own playing.

Let's start by comparing the notes and intervals of the Locrian mode with the major scale:

A major notes: A B C# D E F# G#

A Locrian notes: A Bb C D Eb F G

As you can see, nearly every note is different, with the two scales sharing just a root note and a 4th interval (A and D). Now, here are the intervals:

A major intervals: Root, major 2nd, major 3rd, perfect 4th, perfect 5th, major 6th, major 7th

A Locrian intervals: Root, minor 2nd, minor 3rd, perfect 4th, diminished 5th, minor 6th, minor 7th

With nearly every interval being either minor or diminished, you can probably understand why this mode sounds just so darned 'out there'!

As with any mode, the most colourful sounding intervals are the character notes. In the case of the Locrian mode, lean into the minor 2nd and diminished 5th, and, to a lesser extent, the minor 3rd and minor 7th, when soloing.

Check out our video lesson where we'll break it all down and help you get out of your musical comfort zones. Scroll down to find the tab and audio.

A Locrian mode (5th position)

Let's get started with a play-through of the Locrian mode in 5th position. Play the shape slowly so you can appreciate the role of each note. The in-built tension can make things sound ‘wrong’ but over time you'll get used to its sound and what it can do for your licks and riffs.

A Locrian mode (pedal exercise)

Play the Locrian mode with a repeating A pedal tone (as we have here) and you’ll hear its tense sound even more clearly. In some ways it’s an easier scale to get a handle on as the dissonant notes jump out immediately, unlike, say, the Dorian mode where the major 6th is a more subtle tension.

A Locrian mode (diads)

Playing the mode in 3rds against an A drone note reveals its tense, dark sound. Played like this it may seem unwieldy and perhaps even unusable, but remember it’s all about the musical context – and, for this mode, that’s tension throughout.

A Locrian mode (triads)

There aren’t too many well-known songs that use the Locrian mode and when you play it as chords (instead of single notes) you’ll hear why. With a diminished triad as the root chord, any progression resolving back to that root is going to sound pretty wacky!

A Locrian mode (7th chords)

The tension ramps up even further when the Locrian mode is played as 7th chords. A real benefit of doing this is becoming acquainted with the m7b5 chord on the i (Am7b5). This chord is very popular in jazz and bossa nova where it generally serves as the ii chord in the minor ii–V–i progression.

A Locrian mode (arpeggios)

The dense, dark sound of Locrian makes it a great choice for heavier sounds and it’s a great chord and riff-building tool for heavy metal and Latin rock – though the Phrygian mode is perhaps a little more commonplace. Our arpeggio example uses simple chords from the Locrian mode with a heavy rock sound.

A Locrian mode (rhythm guitar)

The diminished triad on the root chord is a great sound for when you need tension. Play the Adim chord as a simple arpeggio as in this example and you can draw the tension out for the duration of the bar. You may find diminished chords voice better on the higher strings though. Their in-built dissonance can sound muddy when played in the bass range.

A Locrian mode (lead guitar lick)

Like the Phrygian mode, much of the Locrian tension comes from its minor 2nd degree – and that’s emphasised at the start of this solo. You’ll also get the real sound of the Locrian mode by targeting the diminished 5th, Eb, over the Adim chords.

Emotive and powerful, if you're looking to move listeners with your guitar playing then the Aeolian mode is a great choice. Also known as the natural minor scale, it’s the sixth mode of the major scale – but what does that mean? Well, it's quite simple. Take a look at the notes of C major:

C D E F G A B

Play these notes starting on C and you're playing the C major scale (also known as the Ionian mode – the 'first' mode). Start on D and you're playing the second mode (D Dorian, as it happens). By the time you get to A you're on the sixth step of the major scale and you've arrived at the Aeolian mode. You can probably guess the notes:

A B C D E F G

So if the notes are the same, what makes the two scales different? The answer, as with all modes, lies with the pattern of intervals in each scale/mode. Compare the intervals of the major scale and the Aeolian mode and you'll see they differ on three steps:

Major scale intervals: Root, major 2nd, major 3rd, perfect 4th, perfect 5th, major 6th, major 7th

Aeolian mode intervals: Root, major 2nd, minor 3rd, perfect 4th, perfect 5th, minor 6th, minor 7th

The minor 3rd, minor 6th and minor 7th mean the Aeolian mode sounds starkly different to the major intervals of the major scale. Put simply:

Major scale: bright, happy

Aeolian mode: Dark, moody

And, though it's a moody blighter, the Aeolian mode does sound stable and solid, making it easier to jam with than, for instance, the Dorian mode or the melodic minor scale. It even contains the notes of the good old minor pentatonic scale, so you're in friendly territory for noodling out melodic lead licks here.

Make sure to watch our video lesson where we'll explain all the ins and outs. We'll give you some Aeolian exercises to try out, plus some chords, riffs and licks that'll take you way beyond the basic structure of the mode.

A Aeolian mode (5th position)

This shape is a great starting place for playing the Aeolian mode. Notice that although you begin in 5th position you'll need to jump to the 4th fret as you reach the third string, before heading straight back to 5th position on the very next string. Despite this, it's an efficient pattern – commonly used and very similar to the good old minor pentatonic scale.

A Aeolian mode (pedal exercise)

Here we're playing the Aeolian mode up and down one string – a great way to get to grips with how the mode sounds. Using the open A note as a repeating pedal tone reveals how each scale note harmonizes with the root.

A Aeolian mode (diads)

Here we play the Aeolian mode in a run of major and minor 3rd diads. For example, the opening diad (C-E) is major and the second diad (D-F) is minor. Remember though, every note here is from the A Aeolian mode and the mix of major and minor 3rds is a natural part of the layout of the notes.

A Aeolian mode (triads)

Hopefully you're in familiar territory here with these chords (though the Bmb5 is a little uncommon!), all made up of notes from the Aeolian mode. With this grounding you can start writing your own Aeolian chord progressions. Remember, these chords are called 'triads' because each one has three different notes.

A Aeolian mode (7th chords)

Now the mode is played as 7th chords up the neck, giving you even more options to create chord progressions and loops to solo over. Try playing Am-Fmaj7-G7-Am to hear a classic Aeolian chord pattern.

A Aeolian mode (chord riff)

The minor i-iv-v is one of the most common chord progressions and in the Aeolian mode it doesn’t reveal any surprises – except all three chords turn out to be minor. Our Aeolian rhythm guitar riff is a Sheryl Crow-style country-rock idea following the i-iv-v progression. Add some notes from the mode around each chord and you start to create simple riffs that tie the chords together.

A Aeolian mode (arpeggios)

Not quite as common as the i-iv-v but still very useful, play the ii-v-i in the Aeolian mode and you get the tense sound of Bm7b5-Em7-Am7. Though it can be heard in many styles, this type of progression is especially common in jazz, bossa nova and broadway tunes.

A Aeolian mode (lead guitar lick)

Now it’s time to put it all into practice over the two progressions. When soloing with modes, instead of letting your fingers drift aimlessly, try to build your licks with chord tones (root, 3rd and 5th) as strong openings and endings – and employ any colour tones within the mode for brief tension. In the Aeolian mode that means the tense sounding minor 6th or the minor 7th.

Like its Lydian cousin, the Mixolydian mode deviates from the major scale by just one note – the major 7th, which is lowered by a semitone to become a minor 7th. It's a crucial difference that gives Mixolydian licks and chord progressions a bluesier edge than the sometimes overly bright-sounding major scale.

To demonstrate this, we'll start by looking at the notes of the A Mixolydian mode compared to A major:

A major notes: A B C# D E F# G#

A Mixolydian notes: A B C# D E F# G

As you can see, the two scales are identical except for the G#/G note, and the Mixolydian intervals are as follows:

Root, major 2nd, major 3rd, perfect 4th, perfect 5th, major 6th, minor 7th

Built from the fifth degree of the major scale, the relationship between the major 3rd and the minor 7th gives the Mixolydian mode its defining sound. If this combination of major 3rd and minor 7th sounds familiar (and don't worry if it doesn't!) it's because these are also the most important intervals in a dominant 7th chord. And what's the root chord of A Mixolydian? Why, A7 of course!

A7 notes: A C# E G

A7 intervals: root, major 3rd, perfect 5th, minor 7th

Built from the fifth degree of the major scale, the dominant nature of the Mixolydian mode makes it perfect for blues-rock, jazz and classic hard rock.

Make sure to watch our video lesson where we explain all of this and more. Scroll down to find tab and audio for all the examples you see played in the video.

A Mixolydian mode (5th position)

We'll begin with a simple two-octave shape of the Mixolydian mode in A. If you're new to the Mixolydian mode, play through it slowly and listen out for the minor 7th G note. This is the only note that's different from the major scale.

A Mixolydian mode (pedal exercise)

Playing the mode up and down the fifth string, alternating with the open-string root note is a great way to hear the unique Mixolydian quality. Again, home in on the minor 7th. It’s the G note at the 10th fret.

A Mixolydian mode (diads)

This time the mode is played as major and minor 3rd diads on the first and second strings. When you've played through this a few times, see if you can work out the Mixolydian diads in 3rds on the remaining string pairs.

A Mixolydian mode (triads)

Harmonizing the Mixolydian mode as simple major and minor chords is another great way to hear the unique sound of the mode. You can also view these chords as being from the parent scale of A Mixolydian (A B C# D E F# G) – that’s the D major scale (D E F# G A B C#).

A Mixolydian mode (7th chords)

Develop the triads further into 7th chords and you'll notice that the I chord, A, becomes the edgy sounding dominant 7th (A7). This is the gateway to some interesting Mixolydian progressions and provides a big difference to the major scale whose root 7th chord is the smoother maj7.

A Mixolydian mode (rhythm guitar)

Mixolydian is a natural starting point for blues and jazz, but the sound of 7th chords also works really well in pop and rock. This simple progression hints at bands like Maroon 5 who frequently use sophisticated chords and progressions.

A Mixolydian mode (chords and arpeggios)

Here’s an interesting variation on the ii – v – I progression, in the Mixolydian mode the ii chord remains minor (Bm here) but the v chord also becomes minor (Em7) and the I chord is now a dominant seventh.

A Mixolydian mode (lead guitar lick)

As with the other modes you want to target the colour tones when soloing, so, here, in bar 1, that means hitting the G (the minor 7th) over the A7. However, we're not hanging on it for too long. This tense interval either wants to resolve to a stronger chord tone (A, C# or E) on the A7, or it will become a clash on the following Dmaj7 chord.

As he has previously recounted, Dweezil Zappa first met Eddie Van Halen when he was just 12 years old following an unexpected phone call one evening. It was to be the start of a close friendship, one that would involve jams, writing sessions and, notably, the bestowing of some crucial beginner guitar tricks and tips.

In a new video posted to his YouTube account, Dweezil takes a trip down memory lane to recall the early lessons he had with Van Halen, and shares the ‘surprising’ entry level guitar knowledge the electric guitar virtuoso shared during their meetings.

When he was 12, Dweezil was writing My Mother Is a Space Cadet when Van Halen – and his iconic Frankenstein – came round to help out. Armed with Frankie, the pair dove into an impromptu lesson.

“I want to show you the most basic things that I learned from Edward the first time I sat down and played his guitar,” Dweezil says. “Let me share with you the most basic thing Edward Van Halen showed me, and it might be a surprise for some of you.”

That most basic thing was, perhaps unsurprisingly, concerned with how to tune a guitar. Specifically, Van Halen taught Dweezil how to tune using harmonics. While Dweezil was at the time using the classic approach of fretting the notes at the fifth frets (fourth on the G string) and tuning the open string beneath it, Van Halen encouraged him to use a different approach.

That approach involved using harmonics on the fifth and seventh frets to tune strings relative to one another. Granted, it’s actually a hugely common practice these days, but as a 12-year-old, Dweezil had never come across it before – and it’s something the guitarist still uses to this day.

Those early lessons weren’t just about tuning, though, and Van Halen even went as far as to share three further technique tips and tricks with young Dweezil once Frankie was fully in tune.

Two of those tips were beginner guitar hooks: an easy, entry level open string lick that sounds harder than it looks, and a typically EVH-styled technique that “blew” Dweezil’s mind when he first witnessed it.

“It's kind of like a flanger sound without a flanger, but I do it with my pick, and I make harmonics, so it's a harmonic flanger,” Dweezil goes on. “He showed me how, when he would hit the string with his pick, the thumb would follow and go right across the back of the string after the pick, and it would create a harmonic.

“As he moved the pick across the neck, the harmonics would change, and it sounds like a flanger.” It makes for a must-learn extended technique for aspiring guitarists who are particularly inspired by Van Halen’s playing.

The third and final tip involved creating a slide sound without having a physical slide, which Van Halen demonstrated while the pair were refining the riff to My Mother Is a Space Cadet.

Head over to Dweezil Zappa's YouTube account – or cast your gaze above – to watch the video in full.

Rock music is usually the main reason people get into guitar lessons in the first place. Shredding a mega solo under big stage lights is any guitarist’s dream!

Don’t worry if you’re still new to guitar, though. In this lesson, we’ll go over three easy rock guitar licks for your solos. You can also head to Guitar Tricks where you’ll find more in-depth and step-by-step rock guitar lessons.

The licks we are sharing here will utilise the D minor pentatonic scale, which we’ve shown across the page, along with a couple of other related shapes.

This first lick is a shred-style line, so, although it’s best to practise slowly, be prepared to speed up and get shreddy! The pull-offs help with that classic shred sound.

The second lick introduces more notes on the high E string, and almost sounds like Van Halen-style tapping. It can get a bit tricky since you’ll be jumping from the E to B strings so take it easy. Finally, we add more notes in our third lick, including the “blues” note.

There’s plenty to learn here in just three licks. We recommend practising slowly, and, if you’re struggling, try to home in on short, bite-sized phrases. Just three or four notes can be all you need to make progress.

Scales

These are the three shapes we’ll be using in this lesson. First, the good old minor pentatonic scale. It’s probably the most commonly used scale in lead guitar, so make sure you know it. The other two are variations on the pentatonic theme – so take note of where there are new or different notes in the tab examples.

Example 1. Shred style

Start at the 10th fret position, then pull off from the 13th fret to the 10th. See that the lick is a mixture of these pull-offs on the first and second strings. Your goal is to identify the pattern that the pull-offs repeat in.

Example 2. Tapping style

We’re in the 10th position again here, but keep an eye out for the extra notes on the high E string. You’ll need a good stretch to reach the 15th fret. Notice that adding more pull-offs at a faster speed gives the sound like you’re tapping.

Example 3. Triplet lick

Utilising some tremolo picking and pull-off sequences, this next-level lick will make you sound like the pros. Take care with the rhythm though. Break the lick down and you’ll see how it’s phrased around three-note ‘triplets’.

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Things are about to get funky! We’ve got a brand new bag of riffs for you to learn, courtesy of Pickup Music. These 10 rhythm riffs showcase funk guitar styles from across the ages. Whether you’re into the classics like James Brown and Michael Jackson or the more contemporary funksters like Vulfpeck, you’ll find plenty of inspiration here.

If you’re new to funk guitar playing, here’s a handful of helpful ideas to get you into the groove. First up, aim to stay in the pocket – nothing is more important than keeping your timing tight. Second, serve the music – funk isn’t about showcasing your shred skills. Next, find your space in the groove – try to find what’s missing and fill that gap. Finally, you want solid staccato – get good muting with both hands for complete string control.

If you really want to be a great funk guitarist, practice 16th notes to a metronome… practice them a lot!

Chords

These are the most important shapes we’ll be looking at, but with one key difference. These are the full shapes.

It’s rare in funk to play all the strings, but it is still helpful to know which shape the ‘partial chords’ are taken from. Play these shapes first, then see if you can spot them in the tab examples that follow.

Example 1. Inspired by James Brown

This riff is the first of a few in the key of E. Play the top four strings of the E9 voicing. For added funk, slide up from a semitone below. Then, take your pinky and hit the 9th fret – this briefly turns it into an E13 chord. Keep the strings muted where you see X’s in the tab, then press the chord down when you want to activate it.

Example 2. Inspired by Prince

This is a great funk loop. Feel free to experiment with different rhythm patterns to make it your own. Start with an Am7 chord shape at the 12th fret. Use your fourth finger to hit the b7 G note on the 15th fret.

Play that shape twice, followed by two muted chops. Next, play an Am6 by simply moving the fourth finger down one fret, then repeat the same strumming pattern. Lift your fourth finger again for the very last strum to finish on the Am7.

Example 3. Funky single-notes

Time to go low! Start with your first finger on the 3rd fret of the A string. Pick those 16th notes really close to the bridge to get a spanky sound.

The lick is based around the D minor pentatonic scale with that funky trill moving between the major and minor 3rd. The only time you stop the stream of tight 16th notes is during those hammer-ons and pull-offs.

Example 4. “Bubble” line

This is a common sound in many Michael Jackson songs. The guitarist’s job here is to add another percussive layer while creating a short, hooky melody. The ‘bubble’ term comes from that bright popping sound. You can generate this by switching to a middle-position pickup, using the edge of your pick, and plucking sharp staccato notes.

Example 5. Inspired by Earth, Wind and Fire

Grab that E7#9 chord – for the non-jazz players, it’s better known as the “Hendrix chord”. Similar to the first riff, we’ll slide up from a half-step below to give that laid-back feel. It’s very rare to strum all six strings in funk guitar – and this riff is no different.

Use some overhang from your second finger to mute the low E and the same with your fourth to mute the high string.

Example 6. Dominant 7th riff

This riff is based around a D7 chord up at the 12th fret. Again, start with the half-step slide into the D7. For the next chord shape, barre your third finger along the D, G, and B strings on the 12th fret – this is like a mini G chord.

Now move that shape down two frets and play it with your first finger. The final flourish is almost like a little blues run.

Example 7. Unison bend

We’re starting on on an Em11 chord on the 14th fret here. Can you guess what your strumming hand has to do? That’s right! 16th notes – just like most of these riffs. The pattern is four strums of the chord, then two muted.

Play that two times round, but on the second time, follow the two muted strums with a unison bend. For the unison bend, put your first finger on the 12th fret of the E string, then bend the 15th fret of the B string up until the two pitches match.

Example 8. Combining single-notes and chords

Time to mix things up. Quite often, funk players move between chords and single-note lines in the same riff. This riff is based around an E7 shape and the pentatonic box that surrounds it.

After the initial lick, you land on the 5th fret of the A string and hit a few muted strums. The final finesse is that big E9 chord chank at the end. It’s a great way to lead back to beat 1.

Example 9. Doublestop Riff

Don’t have another guitarist to harmonise with? No worries! This riff incorporates doublestops to double the fun. You can think of these like chord fragments. For example, play the G and B strings on the 5th fret, and it’s almost like a tiny C chord.

Move down to the 4th fret on the G string and the 3rd fret on the B string for a ‘rootless’ G chord. Often the bass player will cover the root note, so you don’t always need it in your chords.

Example 10. Moving shapes

Speaking of mini chords, you can play an Em7 using the open D chord shape – just move it to the 7th fret and play the top three strings. The next part of the riff is just moving the shape up two frets, but… there’s a funky bit in between – the “CHIKAPITA!” triplet.

Loosen up your wrist and try to emulate the sound of that word with your picking hand. The “CHI-KA-PI” is played on the first shape and the “TA!” lands on the chord two frets up.

There are a number of different minor scales available, suiting different situations and chord progressions. Two of the most common used by guitarists are the minor pentatonic (1-b3-4-5-b7) and natural minor scale (1-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7), also known as Aeolian mode. There are other scales, such as the Dorian mode (1-2-b3-4-5-6-b7), but the minor pentatonic and natural minor are the ones we usually learn first.

By contrast, the harmonic minor has a unique sound to it, which makes it rather appealing to the ears. The reason for this is that it features a major 7th interval (1-2-b3-4-5-b6-7), making it one note different from the natural minor scale.

While the natural minor and other major scale modes are built on tone and semitone intervals, the distance between the b6 and 7th degrees of the harmonic minor is a minor 3rd, which provides its unique sound.

When playing over a static minor triad, any of the minor scales listed above will work fine, each one bringing its own unique colour. However, the harmonic minor is better for playing over a perfect cadence, where chord V7 resolves to a minor chord, as with E7-Am.

The reason for this is because the E7 features a G# note, the Major 7th in the key of A minor. Our A minor pentatonic and A natural minor scales by contrast feature a b7th interval, or G natural. So the Harmonic Minor’s G# sits perfectly over the E7 chord, outlining its major 3rd.

What’s more, this G# also works as a leading note, since it resolves perfectly up a semitone to the root of the A minor chord.

These minor perfect cadences exist in lots of contemporary songs, such as Santana’s Smooth, The Eagles’ Hotel California, and November Rain by Guns N’ Roses. The harmonic minor scale is also commonplace in classical, Latin and jazz compositions due to this ability to work over the minor perfect cadence. So, as you can see it’s a great scale with which to outline chords and provide the correct melodic and harmonic content.

The following examples and study piece show how the harmonic minor scale can be employed over a bluesy Am-E7 -Am progression. The study piece itself features an additional Bm7b5 chord for some slight variance, which creates the minor II-V-I chord progression, which is so prevalent in the musical genres mentioned above.

I would urge you to explore the harmonic minor scale across the entire guitar neck using the CAGED system. The good news is that, if you are confident with using the natural minor scale, a great way of looking at the harmonic minor is to simply raise the natural minor’s b7th to the harmonic minor’s natural 7th. Good luck!

Examples 1-5

Example 1

This first example outlines a classic shape of the A harmonic minor scale in the fifth position. Notice how the G# note lands on the first beat of the second bar to outline the major 3rd of the E7 chord, as both Joe Walsh and Don Felder do in Hotel California’s solo.

Example 2

This single-string lick employs an E major triad in the second bar before ending on a C note in the final bar, which is the minor 3rd of the A minor chord.

Example 3

The legato lines and triplet phrase in the second bar give a Spanish guitar style feel to the lick. The harmonic minor scale is perfect for this style of playing.

Example 4

A Santana-inspired phrase forms the basis of this example. The major 3rd (G#) outlines the E7 chord, while a semitone bend at the end resolves the phrase.

Example 5

Our final example shows the harmonic minor at work in an Yngwie Malmsteen-style neoclassical rock lick. I opted for alternate picking to play this example, although you may prefer to use economy picking.

Study Piece

[Bars 1-8] We begin by focusing our attention on the fifth position of the harmonic minor scale. The G# note is utilised to highlight each of the E7 chords’ major 3rds, which is where this scale really shows its purpose. An F note (the b5) is the target choice for the Bm7b5. All these note choices outline each of the chords.

[Bars 9-16] This is the same chord progression but this time moving up and down the neck. As with the previous eight bars, notice how chord tones are specifically used to outline the progression, this time mixing legato and picked notes.

The piece ends with a final run up the dusty end of the fretboard, before resolving to a final A note. In order to make it sound less exercise-like, our study piece features a series of scale and arpeggio runs mixed in with some sparse phrasing.

It may be worth isolating the more challenging runs, slowing them down until you are comfortable at playing the piece in its entirety.

Often in funk, the guitarist’s role is strictly rhythmic. It’s less about shredding or melodies and more about adding a syncopated rhythm or some texture, and that means most of the work lies with the picking hand.

Here, in this lesson from Pickup Music, you’ll learn funk fundamentals like chanking and shell chords.

If you want to tighten up your funk rhythm chops, you’ll need to get down with the ‘chanking’ strumming technique, as used famously by James Brown guitarist Jimmy Nolen, who employed it as part of his ‘chicken scratch’ approach.

Essentially, it’s a mix of sharp strumming and tight on/off muting to cut chords short and give a percussive feel.

A big part of funk guitar is reducing chords down to their core, playing only the most important notes. It’s rare to strum a full barre chord in funk and more common to use only the top three or four strings.

Often, this means removing the 5th interval and sometimes the root note, and even other notes may be ditched for the sake of practicality. These are known as shell chords.

In Pickup Music’s study track, Love Machina, you can try out both techniques.

Chords

Here’s an example of Eb9 and Eb13 chords getting trimmed down to size – making them shell chords.

By removing the lower notes, the guitar takes up less sonic space and makes room for vocals and other mid-frequency instruments.

Don’t worry about losing the root note. In a band arrangement, the lower register will be covered by the bass.

Study Track – Love Machina

Bar 2 is the track’s main groove. Start with the Eb9 shape and play two downstrokes, followed by a downstroke Eb13, and finally back to the Eb9 on an upstroke.

The bass and drums create the foundation, so your job is to sit lightly on top and stay ‘in the pocket’. Bar 6 is a new groove based around an Ab dominant chord played down-up, down-up, up-up-up.

Take note where the shape moves to Gb9 and be ready to walk it back up to the Ab9. Bar 7 is a repeat of the intro which acts as a turnaround to take you back into the Eb groove.

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It’s with immense pleasure that we welcome back Canadian blues-rock maestro Philip Sayce for another fast-paced video masterclass.

Philip has recorded 10 albums as bandleader and forged a reputation as a superb player within the modern blues vernacular. His playing is fast and fiery, but always imbued with taste and a reverence to those that came before.

The first thing of note is that Philip is in Eb tuning for this video, so his strings are de-tuned by a semitone (Eb-Ab-Db-Gb-Bb-Eb). However, to keep things simple we have notated the fingerings as they appear on screen, so the notation here is in standard E tuning. But if you tune your guitar down and play along with the tab and notation everything will marry up like magic.

For his performance, Philip demonstrates the licks in free time, so there’s no backing track or click used. To keep things simple, 4/4 time is shown with all the rhythms being as simple as possible to navigate. So what’s notated here is a very close and logical approximation of what he has played.

Philip treats us to six licks constructed from quite long phrases. All six examples are based around various tonalities including guitar-friendly keys like E, C and A. There is one example in Bb, which is often favoured in jazz, but everyone should make themselves familiar with it too.

While the key changes keep us on our toes, the go-to scale choices and vocabulary remain similar for each lick. Philip skilfully combines the major and minor pentatonic scales with some tasty colour tones brought in here and there.

As the licks are performed without a backing track there’s no specific harmonic context, so we have written in the chord type that’s implied. It’s worth noting that it’s common practice in the world of blues-rock to mix major and minor pentatonic scales over the dominant 7 chord.

Everyone from B.B. King (probably the master at doing this), to Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy and many of the other blues greats have made it part of their approach. Unsurprisingly, Philip is also more than adept at using all the best-known blues-rock guitar techniques such as string bending (sometimes big ones), finger slides, and powerful finger vibrato.

The main influences at play here are Jeff Healey, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert Collins, and Philip references these players as we go. In true SRV and Hendrix style Philip also uses the thumb of his fretting hand to fret the notes on the sixth string.

This frees up the fingers to play notes and chords that would usually be somewhat awkward. For instance, it would have been all but impossible for Hendrix to execute the beautiful chord embellishments in Little Wing any other way. Hence it’s a technique we should all aim to get to grips with.

Philip plays all of his licks with a guitar pick, but the picking-hand fingers assist here and there with string-crossing ideas, or when clusters of notes across various strings are required. This hybrid picking approach is well worth trying, as the flesh of the fingers also provides a fat and pleasing tone.

The phrases in Philip’s six licks are tasteful and well-chosen, and come from a classic and well-tested framework of scales and fingerings. The notation contains all of the articulations and phrasing from the video performance, so take a close look at the way Philip frets and picks his phrases.

While I’m repeating this, Philip is tuned down a semitone so if you are playing along in concert pitch this will be confusing. But the Eb tuning has its advantages – string tension is lower so string bends become a little easier. What’s more, the slacker tuning also helps to provide a fatter tone, as many players who use it fit heavier strings, too.

Hopefully there will be a new technique, lick or phrase in here for you to perfect. If you find one you like, then you can memorise it and use it in your own blues-rock solos.

Get the tone

Amp Settings: Gain 5, Bass 8, Middle 7, Treble 8, Reverb 4

Philip used his beaten-up vintage Stratocaster on the neck pickup, with tone and volume controls set to taste. To add a slice of extra edge, Philip switches to the bridge pickup and is not afraid to do this mid lick.

His guitar is tuned down a semitone to Eb so do the same in order to play along. Any guitar or amp will work well here. Just dial up a creamy, dynamic overdrive and add a splash of reverb or delay. Some chorus can also work well for that Texas tone.

Example 1. The octave up note

This lick combines some classic major-key phrasing with a high-position octave note. This one will work nicely over the C#m7 chord, but to gain more mileage you can also try it over an E7 (C#’s relative major).

Philip starts each example with a dramatic sounding muted slide up and down the sixth string. The finger slides help to link the phrases and add that extra bit of feel. This is a tactic also employed by SRV and Hendrix, and it really adds to the aggressive vibe.

Example 2. Albert Collins-style lick

The Eb tuning slightly lowers the string tension and this helps when going for those larger string bends. The fingers and thumb can be used to snap the strings and this provides a bighter tone and aggressive attack.

It’s worth noting that Philip uses his thumb to fret the bass notes on the sixth string, again like Hendrix. This may take a bit of getting used to if you are new to it, but the extra facility makes it really worth the effort.

Example 3. Vicious SRV-style lead

In this lick, Philip plays a fast finger sliding idea on the third string using a fretted note on the second string as a unison pedal tone. This idea is demonstrated at breakneck speed so slow it down to start off.

The idea can be shifted up in an ascending fashion and this builds to an exciting climax. Once you have the main concept under your fingers it’s relatively easy to shift the idea around and improvise with it. It’s a great climax-builder, too.

Example 4. Jeff Healey-style approach

The late, great Canadian guitarist Jeff Healey is a big influence to Philip, and this Jeff-style lick starts out with the same idea being repeated across three octaves.

It’s a powerfully effective way to get more mileage out of your licks. If there’s a lick you like see if you can transfer it through three octaves both ascending and descending.

Example 5. Blues turnaround 1

Here Philip addresses each chord of the turnaround individually. For the G7 the G9 sound is outlined. For the F7, the A diminished 7 arpeggio is used and this provides an F7b9 type sound. The tension is then released with some classic C blues scale soloing over the implied C7 chord.

Example 6. Blues turnaround 2

For the final lick of Philip’s half-dozen corkers we are in the guitar-friendly key of A. As usual the thumb of the fretting hand is used to fret the notes of the sixth string. This helps to free up the fingers to play the main riff.

The descending chromatic riff is tricky to finger, so take time getting your digits programmed in before increasing the tempo.