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Blues Rock Licks; Unison Bends for Killer Licks
Whether it’s Slash, Schenker, Hammett, Rhoads, Hendrix, Page, Satch or any other great rock player…you can bet they’re using the sound of unison bends in their licks and solos!
But what are unison bends, how can you nail them and how can you use them to play killer solos and licks of your own?
In this lesson you’ll learn the secrets of playing monster unison bends as well as how to use them for powerful and high impact solos.
Discover
- The 2 most important unison bends all the great players use!
- The common mistakes guitar players make (leading to unison bending disasters!)
- How a simple tweak can double the number of unison bending licks you know!
- Plus more…
Once you’ve studied this lesson you’ll be on the road to bending like a boss!
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Blues Rock Licks – Unison Bends for Killer Licks!
Lesson breakdown:
0:09 Blues Rock Licks demo with unison bends. Check out this intro jam to hear the kind of blues rock licks you can play with the unison bends you’re going to learn in this guitar lesson.
0:31 Unison bends…what are they?
If you don’t know what unison bends are, well you’ve definitely heard them before! It’s when we play the same note twice in a row, but using a bend to sound one of them. Even though the note is the same…the sound of the bend creates a cool effect. Here you’ll learn one of the most common unison bends there is. It’s show in the key of C# minor.
1:40 Unison Bending Lick 2
Here we see another of the common bends you hear in all the blues rock licks of your favorite players. You’ll also learn an essential guitar technique for controlling your string bends.
2:39 Technique Tips for Awesome Unison Bends
How good your blues rock licks sound is in large part down to how good your string bending technique is. Here you’ll learn some guitar technique tips for great unison bends.
3:40 Using Unison Bending to Create Blues Rock Licks and Solos.
Here we’ll combine some of the unison bending moves to create some blues rock licks you can use in your solos. It’s not hard to come up with dozens of licks just by using a little imagination!
4:48 Unison Bends and Double Stop Bends
Play both notes at the same time and you get a double stop unison bending. This is a favorite move of players like Slash, Hendrix, Wylde…pretty much everyone!
Check out the essential technique tips for powerful double stop bends.
5:34 Blues rock licks can easily be created simply by combining some of these bends. Follow the picking tips and guidelines shown here to make them easier to play.
6:27 Now you can experiment with using these bends to create a load of blues rock licks of your own. Try anything you can think of and keep a note of what works best. Have fun!
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Master the Essentials of Tapping
Want to learn to tap but not sure how to do it?
Well stay tuned because in this Members Only session you’ll learn some of the essential tips and techniques you need for great sounding tapping.
You’ll learn:
- Which finger is probably the best one to use for tapping…and why!
- Noisy tapping? How to get your tapping sounding noise free with correct muting techniques
- How to use a metronome to get your tapping fast, in time and sounding awesome!
- A complete tapping lick/exercise to build tapping skills and use in your solos
After this lesson you’ll have a grasp of the basics of tapping and be ready to look at other ways to use it in your playing.
Have fun and any questions ask me through the Members Area!
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IMPROVISING IN MAJOR KEYS WITH THE MAJOR PENTATONIC SCALE
We’ve devoted quite a lot of time in Improvisation Bootcamp to using minor scales like the minor pentatonic scale.
But what do you do if you need to improvise in a major key? Play all your minor scale licks in this situaton… and it could sound horrible!.
Don’t worry…because in this lesson you’ll learn how to play and use the major pentatonic scale. It’s just like the minor pentatonic…but it works over major chords and keys.
You’ll learn:
- Two ‘must know’ major pentatonic scale patterns (you probably already play…without knowing it!)
- How to know when it’s the best scale to use (so your licks fit the chord sequence perfectly!)
- Essential major pentatonic ‘lick fragments’ you can easily use to create hundreds of amazing sounding major pentatonic licks
- 3 complete licks to learn and use for smoking major key solos (demonstrated and taught step-by-step for fast learning)
Any questions just put them in the ‘question form’ in the Members Only Area.
Have fun!
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The Major Pentatonic Scale
and Soloing In Major Keys
The major scale? Blues scales? Minor pentatonic scales? All of ’em?
There are several answers to this question…which can make it kind of confusing if you’re just starting out!
But there is one simple scale that worksgreat most of the time…the major pentatonic scale.
So if you need to kick start your major key soloing skills, aren’t sure what the major pentatonic scale is or how to play it, or if you just want to brush up your major key solos…then this episode of the ASK JAMES GUITAR SHOW is for you!
In this short lesson I’ll show you:
- How to play the major pentatonic scale (hint: if you know your minor pentatonic scale it’s easy!
- How to avoid the mistake many guitar players make in major keys (it don’t sound good!)
- How to spot a major key chord sequence so you know when to use the major pentatonic scale (this confused me for years…)
Have fun…and remember you can ASK A QUESTION on the Ask James Guitar Show page…
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The major pentatonic scale is the most commonly used guitar scale when playing a guitar solo in a major key. In this short lesson you’ll learn everything you need to know to get started playing and using the major pentatonic scale in your guitar solos.
Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll learn in this guitar lesson:
- 0:20 I’ve had lots of guitar players ask about how to play a guitar solo in a major key. In this lesson I’ll show you a simple hack for using your minor pentatonics in a major key as well!
- 0:55 Major keys and minor keys – what’s the difference? In a minor key it’s common to use the minor pentatonic scale to solo. But this won’t work in a major key. For that we need the major pentatonic scale.
- 1:25 If you take a minor pentatonic shape and move it down 3 frets it becomes a major pentatonic scale. This is a super handy because you can now use all your minor pentatonic scale patterns to solo in major keys. You can also recycle lots of your favourite pentatonic licks and bends into major pentatonic licks. They won’t always work but often they will.
- 3:25 I’m going to solo over a chord sequence in the key of D major. For this I can move my D minor pentatonic shape at the 10th fret down 3 frets to the 7th fret and play D major pentatonic scale.
- 4:51 You can hear how the major pentatonic scale fits great with the chord…sounding melodic and strong. Learn how to decide whether to play in major or minor when you play a solo.
- 5:23 Can you mix up major pentatonic and minor pentatonic scales on guitar. Yes you can, but it’s good to get the hang of using them seperately first before you try mixing them together.
Questions? Leave them in the form on the ASK JAMES GUITAR SHOW page
Hope this lesson helped you out and see you next time!
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The ‘Must Know’ Blues Guitar Scale!
How to Play and Use It Over a 12 Bar Blues
There are lots of answers to this question…which can make it kind of confusing if you’re just starting out!
But there is one simple blues guitar scale that all the blues legends use most of the time.
If you’re just starting to get into playing blues guitar then this episode of the ASK JAMES GUITAR SHOW is for you!
In this short lesson I’ll show you:
- How to play the exact scale shape used by all your favourite blues legends…most of the time!
- How to use it over the 12 bar blues (it’s easier than you might think!)
- The common mistake many guitarists make with the scale (which makes it much harder to use than it really is)
- The next step you need to take to start sounding like a blues guitar player
Have fun…and remember you can ASK A QUESTION on the Ask James Guitar Show page…
SUPERCHARGE your Blues Trick Bag with my awesome ‘Blues Guitar Bundle’!
Here’s a breakdown of what’s covered in this lesson:
- 0:17 What blues guitar scale should you use to play over a blues? The major scale? The minor scale? Pentatonic scales? This is a question I hear a lot!
- 0:40 There are lots of scales you can use over a blues but the most common is the minor pentatonic scale. This is the best starting point and definitely where you should begin.
- 0:50 Here’s exactly how to play a minor pentatonic scale in the key of G.
- 1:35 Lots of guitar player think you need to move the scale around when the chords change in the 12 bar blues- but you don’t!! You can play the minor pentatonic scale over the entire blues chord sequence…there is no need to move it anywhere. It’s possible to only know this one blues guitar scale and still sound amazing!
- 2:27 Hear the sound of the scale over a 12 bar blues – it works great!
It’s simple and easy to do meaning you can focus on the important things…like playing stuff that sounds good and makes you sound like a blues guitarist! - 3:00 You need to play the scale in the right key though! See button below to watch a helpful video on changing keys
- 3:30 Knowing the scale is a great start but you also need to build up a library of great sounding blues licks you can use to make your playing sound musical. See links below for helpful videos showing you great licks to get started on
ERIC CLAPTON STYLE BLUES LICKS LESSON
EASY JIMI HENDRIX STYLE BLUES LICKS
ESSENTIAL BLUES LICKS AND TECHNIQUES
BLUES STARTING LICKS…HOW TO START YOUR SOLO!
Questions? Leave them in the form on the ASK JAMES GUITAR SHOW page
Hope this lesson helped you out and see you next time!
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Blues Turnaround Lesson
How To Add the Classic Blues Turnaround Into Your Solos
In this episode of the ASK JAMES GUITAR SHOW I’m going to show you exactly how to do it.
Watch this short lesson to find out:
- What is a ‘turnaround lick’ and how you can use it to give your playing that ‘polished’ sound
- How to play the classic turnaround lick all the blues legends use (step-by-step breakdown included!)
- How you can learn to ‘drop into’ the lick anytime at the end of your solo for that classic ending
- How to practice this skill…for speedy results!
Have fun…and remember you can ASK A QUESTION on the Ask James Guitar Show page…
SUPERCHARGE your Blues Trick Bag with my awesome ‘Blues Guitar Bundle’!
Here’s a breakdown of what’s covered in this lesson:
- 0:25 What is a ‘turnaround lick’? Here I answer this question and demonstrate the turnaround lick we’re going to be using.
It’s in the key of G and I’m going to demonstrate it over a 12 bar blues in the key of G. - 1:12 Here’s how to play the G blues turnaround lick we’re using in this lesson.
- 2:18 The lick begins on beat 2 of the 11th bar of the 12 bar blues. So you need to improvise up to that point before dropping seamlessly into the turnaround lick. I’m going to demonstrate how to do this over a 12 bar blues backing track.
- 3:21 Here I explain what I did in my improvisation. Also how to learn to ‘feel’ when it’s time to begin the turnaround lick.
- 3:44 If we isolate the final 4 bars of the 12 bar blues and practice playing round and round over that section it focuses our attention on combining the lick in with our solo. Do this unaccompanied at first. Then take a 12 bar blues backing track and loop the final 4 bars around so you can play over it.
- 5:07 Another tip for tagging your turnaround lick onto the end of your blues solo.
- 5:46 The ‘turnaround’ isn’t just a lick! It’s actually the final 2 bars of the 12 bar blues chord sequence. You don’t have to play a ‘turnaround lick’ there at all if you don’t want. It’s fine just to carry on your solo. Hear me demo this approach.
Questions? Leave them in the form on the ASK JAMES GUITAR SHOW page
Hope this lesson helped you out and see you next time!
SUPERCHARGE your Blues Trick Bag with my awesome ‘Blues Guitar Bundleand your Members Only ‘Video Powerpack!”
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Build a Huge and Flexable Soloing Vocabulary
(And Super Charge Your Improvisations!)
This can be super frustrating!
One answer is to build a bigger vocabulary to use in your improvised solos. This helps us find ideas to use in our playing and helps keep flow and continuity in our solos.
So is it just a case of learning hundreds of new licks?
This can help, but it’s time consuming and can get a bit dull!
It’s more effective to examine what you can do with what you know already. In other words, how can you recycle what you already play to create hundreds of new ideas – instead of just memorising more and more guitar licks.
In this video I’ll show you a simple method that has helped me and many of my guitar students to build a bigger soloing vocabulary.
You’ll learn:
- How to think about a lick (instead of just memorising it!)
- How to break a lick up into its essential components
- How to use these components to experiment and discover potentially hundreds of ideas (of your very own)
Check it out…it could transform the way you think about your soloing.
Have fun!
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In the last Improvisation Bootcamp lesson we looked at how to play the minor pentatonic scale using the ‘shape 4’ pattern.
You saw how to play it, how to move it to other keys, as well as a powerful way to really nail the scale shape.
If you missed Part 1 of this lesson then you might want to check it out first:
In this lesson I’ll show you 5 essential moves you need to know to use this scale shape effectively.
You’ll learn:
- Essential bends for cool position 4 licks
- A wicked sounding little double stop move…sounds awesome in blues,rock,metal and even country!
- How to use a ‘hidden’ minor triad shape to give your licks a strong melodic framework..
- And a whole lot more…
Any questions just put them in the ‘question form’ in the Members Only Area.
Have fun!
Would You Like the Expanded Improvisation Bootcamp(with special features!) PLUS Loads of Awesome NEW Training? Then Check Out My TOTAL GUITAR LAB Academy!
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Welcome to another Improvisation Bootcamp Lesson…
In this lesson we’re going to look at how to bust out of that first minor pentatonic scale shape we all use so much…by learning how to use ‘shape 4’ minor pentatonic.
This is an easy way to start covering a new area of the guitar neck when you play.
This video will show you:
- How to play the ‘shape 4’ minor pentatonic pattern
- What you need to know to be able to move this scale around into all keys (easier than you might think!)
- The best way to learn a scale pattern quickly (it really works!)
- Confused about when you can use this pattern in your solos? Let me sort out the confusion for you (so it doesn’t hold you up!)
Look for the follow up lesson next week for all sorts of great ideas for how to use it ( bends, double stops, triads and more) …to help you sound like a minor pentatonic master when you use this pattern!
Would You Like the Expanded Improvisation Bootcamp(with special features!) PLUS Loads of Awesome NEW Training? Then Check Out My TOTAL GUITAR LAB Academy!
Here’s what’s in this lesson:
- 0:46 Here’s how you play the shape 4 minor pentatonic pattern in the key of E.
The root note is on the A string in this pattern…very important to know this!
- 0:46 Here’s how you play the shape 4 minor pentatonic pattern in the key of E.
- 2:36 Learn how to move this scale around the fretboard and use it to improvise in any key. For this you need to know the notes on the A string. Don’t worry if you don’t know them yet…we’re going to go through them here.
- 5:03 Here’s a great tip for learning the scale pattern…fast!
- 6:54 So which pattern should you use – shape 1 or shape 4?
Here I answer this really common question I hear a lot about using different scale patterns…if you’re confused by this, let’s end it now.
- 6:54 So which pattern should you use – shape 1 or shape 4?
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How To ‘Groove’ Like a Pro!
(master this and 10x your soloing power!)
Welcome to another Improvisation Bootcamp lesson!
In this video we’re going to look at possibly the most important and overlooked area of playing guitar – rhythm.
Simply put, how good your rhythmic feel is determines how awesome your playing sounds – so it’s a good idea to focus on nailing the groove when you play.
But think about it, when was the last time you saw a guitar magazine or YouTube video all about improving your rhythmic feel?
Probably never!
Flashy, popular topics like sweeping, tapping and ‘celebrity’ licks get all the attention…but without a great rhythmic feel none of that stuff even sounds any good.
In this lesson I’ll show you how to get ahead of the game by nailing the rhythmic groove in your playing.
You’ll learn:
- How to practice with drum loops to help you really ‘zoom in’ on your rhythmic feel
- The three most important rhythmic groupings you need to focus on to supercharge your rhythm
- How to make the leap from rhythmic exercises to soloing with great rhythmic feel every time
So dive in now and hear the difference in your playing…straight away!
Would You Like the Expanded Improvisation Bootcamp(with special features!) PLUS Loads of Awesome NEW Training? Then Check Out My TOTAL GUITAR LAB Academy!
Play along to the DRUMLOOPS I use in the lesson! Listen here:
Here’s a breakdown of what we look at in this video:
- 0:45 What is meant by ‘groove’?
- 1:17 Here’s a great way to develop your groove and rhythmic feel when you solo. See me demo the general idea before we look at how you can use this in your playing.
- 2:45 Quarter notes. Playing common rhythmic ‘groupings’ can super charge your groove. Here I demo this by improvising just with quarter notes.
- 3:46 Here I demo the same approach using eighth notes.
- 5:30 Now we’re going to look at playing tripet rhythms and groupings.
- 6:49 Now it’s your turn! Here’s a short workout you can do over the drum loops I give you with this lesson.
- 8:32 Now we’re going to break out of this ‘mechanical’ approach and see how we can start to mix things up a bit. This is more like how you’d actually play on a gig or at a jam session.
- 9:15 Here are some general practice tips and ideas about how you can use this in your practice routine.
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