theory
Guitar Solo Tip: What Nobody Ever Tells You
(and makes or breaks your solos!)
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Here’s What Nobody Ever Tells You About Playing a Great Solo!
Until now…ready?
0:24 Rhythm is the most important thing to nail when we play a solo.
How do we know? Because every great sounding player has a strong rhythmic groove! The fact is the right notes with a boring rhythmic feel will always sound boring…but ‘weird’ notes with amazing rhythm- can sound amazing (John Coltrane, Scott Henderson, Allan Holdsworth anyone?)
0:40 So in this guitar lesson I want to show you a simple way you can practice developing your rhythm. It’s easy to do and is even fun to do…
0:55 Try thinking like a drummer. You don’t need to go out and buy a chest wig and a tank top (only joking..)
Instead put most of your focus on nailing the groove…instead of thinking so hard about the notes you’re playing! Hammer out the rhythm of your solo phrases and licks with gusto and passion. This will give your phrases rhythmic life and expression.
1:50 I’m going to demo this for you now over a backing track. I’m really trying to ‘lock in’ with the drums and bass, and the groove of the music as a whole – instead of just ‘playing in time’.
2:06 Imagine someone walked into your practice session as you were soloing without backing. Would they hear where the beat was just by listening to you solo? They should be able to!
2:25 So what kinds of results can you expect from doing this? Well, you could see instant change…I’ve seen it in my students many times.
It’s a fast way to improve the sound of your soloing…and you don’t really need to learn anything new – you just play what you already play with more groove!
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Blues Guitar Lesson: Killer Blues Licks with These 3 Tricks!
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In this lesson you’ll learn 3 simple tricks you can use for killer blues licks and better blues guitar solos. Let’s dive in!
0:40 Everything in this blues guitar lesson is shown in the key of G and uses these blues scale patterns shown. All the blues licks and ideas will work great over a 12 bar blues in the key of G but make sure you move it to other keys as well.
1:17 Killer Blues Trick 1
If there’s one must know string bend in blues guitar…it’s this! It’s up at the 8th fret in the key of G and comes from the top part of the sliding blues scale. You’ll recognise it from the kind of licks I play here.
It’s versatile and works at lots of different points in the 12 bar blues.
3:08 Practice using this bend and it will start to come out naturally in your blues licks and solos.
3:18 Killer Blues Trick 2
This awesome little blues slide will give your solos some ‘grease’! It comes from the 1st pattern of the G blues scale. I use my 3rd finger to play it. Find ways to ‘get in’ to the lick and ways to ‘get out’ of it and practice mixing it in amongst all the blues licks and tricks you do already.
4:54 Killer Blues Trick 3
Essential bending technique for awesome blues bends! This will make a huge difference to your blues licks and solos because we use bends all the time when we play blues solos. Use your picking hand to ‘cut off’ the bend before you release it rather than getting a ‘let down’ sound all the time (even when you don’t want it).
Also experiment with letting the bend so you do hear it. A mixture of these different bending techniques will make your blues solos and blues licks more interesting.
Have fun!
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Get That Sweet Blues & Country Rock Sound
…with this major pentatonic scale pattern!
The major pentatonic scale a really useful scale to learn on guitar. It is used extensively in blues, rock and especially country and country rock guitar playing – It’s a great way for beginners to start learning how to play lead guitar solos in major keys. Many guitar players struggle when they have to play a guitar solo in a major key, simply because they don’t have this scale under their fingertips. But not you! The scale shapes I’ll show you are quick and easy to learn and you will use them all through your career as a guitar player.
Here’s a breakdown of what you learn in this video:
0:21 Why you need to learn the major pentatonic scale and how it is a commonly used scale in rock, pop and country music.
0:42 How to play the A major pentatonic scale shape. Complete with description and fingering guidelines.
1:54 How and why this major pentatonic scale pattern is similar to minor pentatonic scale pattern you’ve seen. This will be covered in more detail in an upcoming guitar lesson.
2:49 How to play the major pentatonic using an alternative scale shape. I call this one the ‘sliding’ shape because it features a slide in the middle. Complete with description and fingering guidelines. This fingering is great for covering more of the guitar neck.
4:08 Notice these two scales contain the same notes and can be used together at the same time. They are totally interchangeable.
4:30 Check out my other videos to learn how to put the scale into other keys and how to use it to improvise and create licks (coming soon if not up yet)..
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Bust Out Of Blues Scale ‘Shape 1’
…with this Sliding Blues Scale pattern
Do you feel like trapped within the same notes from the pentatonic scale while playing your solos? Well, in this lesson I’m gonna show you a really awesome little trick to really extend and expand your playing. Improve and expand your solos with this sliding blues scale.
Lots of classic blues and rock licks can be found in this scale shape. Licks used by Slash, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan and many others.
The blues scale is one of the most important scales to learn on guitar. It is used extensively in blues, rock, metal, country and jazz guitar playing – in fact it’s hard to play almost anything without it.
In this lesson you’ll learn how to extend the basic blues scale shape to the Sliding Blues Scale and cover more of the guitar fingerboard. This will help you to learn to solo using more of the guitar neck. This one simple trick can transform you blues and rock guitar soloing! Why? Because there are so many awesome guitar licks nesting in the top part of this scale. You’ll be amazed at what you’ll find.
Here’s a breakdown of what you learn in this video:
0:35 Why you should know the extended minor pentatonic scale before learning the extended blues scale pattern. Why the blues scale is an essential part of learning how to play guitar solos and licks and how to improvise.
1:04 Recap on how to play the basic blues scale shape. Demonstrated in the key of A. Complete with description and fingering guidelines. I also demo the blues scale with the added extension.
2:22 How to add the extension onto the basic blues scale shape to work your way along the guitar neck. Fingering guidelines and scale description included.
4:30 Lots of classic blues and rock licks can be found in this minor pentatonic extension. Licks used by Slash, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan and many others. Experimentation is the key to learning to use any scale. Here I suggest some ways you can start to experiment with this blues scale pattern in your playing.
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Solo Over More Of The Guitar Neck
…with this ‘sliding’ minor pentatonic scale pattern
The minor pentatonic scale is one of the most important scales to learn on guitar. It is used extensively in blues, rock, metal, country and jazz guitar playing – in fact it’s hard to play almost anything without it.
In this lesson you’ll learn how to extend the basic minor pentatonic scale shape and cover more of the guitar fingerboard. This will help you to learn to solo using more of the guitar neck. This one simple trick can transform you blues and rock guitar soloing! Why? Because there are so many awesome guitar licks nesting in the top part of this scale. You’ll be amazed at what you’ll find.
Here’s a breakdown of what you learn in this video:
0:30 Why extending the minor pentatonic scale is an essential part t to learning how to play guitar solos and licks and how to improvise.
0:49 Recap on how to play the basic A minor pentatonic scale shape. Complete with description and fingering guidelines.
1:14 How to add the extension onto the basic scale shape to work your way along the guitar neck. Fingering guidelines and scale description included.
2:40 Lots of classic blues and rock licks can be found in this minor pentatonic extension. Licks used by Slash, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan and many others. Here I demo a few of these licks for you to hear.
3:25 Tips for fingering the sliding minor pentatonic pattern. By using this fingering your fingers will be in a good position to use the scale creatively when you improvise. Otherwise licks and scale runs could be more awkward to play.
4:30 Recap on the scale pattern for the sliding or extended minor pentatonic scale shape.
4:50 Tips about using this scale at the same time as the basic pattern. Because they contain the same notes they can be used at the same time. They are the same thing and are totally interchangeable.
5:50 How to learn to use the scale shape through experimentation and jamming!
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Quickly Learn This ‘Must Know’ Guitar Scale
The main tools you need to play guitar (and any instrument) solos are the scales, and today I’m gonna show you one of the more important scales: The Blues Scale. This scale shape is used extensively in blues, rock, metal, country and jazz guitar playing. I’t very easy and most of rock, blues and metal licks come from it.
Learning this scale shape is a great way for beginners to start learning how to play lead guitar solos. So, today we are going to recap how to play the A minor pentatonic scale, learn the Blues scale shape and why it’s so important.
The blues scale is one of the most important scales to learn on guitar. It is used extensively in blues, rock, metal, country and jazz guitar playing.
Learning the blues scale is a great way for beginners to start learning how to play lead guitar solos. The scale shape is quick and easy to learn especially if you already know the minor pentatonic scale on your guitar. Like the minor pentatonic, the blues scale is a scale you will use all through your career as a guitar player.
Here’s a breakdown of what you learn in this video:
0:21 Why the blues scale is so important if you want to learn how to play guitar solos, licks and how to improvise.
1:10 Recap on how to play the A minor pentatonic scale shape. Complete with description and fingering guidelines.
1:41 How you can easily turn the minor pentatonic scale into the blues scale simply by adding one more note to it to create a six not scale. Complete with description and fingering guidelines.
3:24 Important tips for fingering the scale when soloing and improvising.
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Learn To Play the Most Important Guitar Scale Ever!
The minor pentatonic scale is one of the most important scales to learn on guitar. It is used extensively in blues, rock, metal, country and jazz guitar playing – in fact it’s hard to play almost anything without it. It’s a great way for beginners to start learning how to play lead guitar solos. The scale shape is quick and easy to learn and it is a scale you will use all through your career as a guitar player. Millions of great guitar licks and solos have been played using this simple 5 note scale we call the minor pentatonic.
Here’s a breakdown of what you learn in this video:
0:21 Why the minor pentatonic scale is a great place to start when you want to learn how to play guitar solos and licks and how to improvise.
0:42 How to play the A minor pentatonic scale shape. Complete with description and fingering guidelines.
2:12 Check out myother videos to learn how to put the scale into other keys and how to convert it into another essential scale: the blues scale.
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Here’s How Easy It Is
…to move your scales into all keys
How To Change Key of a Scale Shape on Guitar
If you want to improvise or play and make up your own guitar solos or licks then it is crucial that you can move your scale shapes around into different keys. When you can do this your guitar playing will take a massive step forward and you’ll be able to play and express your ideas more fluently than ever before on your guitar.
In all the guitar lessons I’ve done (over 17,000!) I’ve seen this basic skill hold up more players than almost anything else – the lessons I teach you in this video are essential!
Here’s a breakdown of what you learn in this video:
0:21 Why you need to be able to move your scales around into other keys to play any music – blues, country, rock, metal – anything!
0:47 Step 1 is to learn some of the notes along the low E string on your guitar. This basic step is super important and not knowing them can have a disasterous effect on your guitar playing and soloing! So here I show you the notes, complete with description and fingering guidelines.
2:20 How to use the root note in the scale pattern to figure out where to play the scale on the neck to be in the right key. Here I demonstrate it with C minor pentatonic and G minor pentatonic. Note that the scale pattern stays exactly the same – we’re just playing it at a different fret.
4:20 How to use the root note to move the A blues scale into the key of D to turn it into D blues scale.. Complete with description and fingering guidelines. This fingering is great for covering more of the guitar neck.
5:00 Watch these videos if you haven’t seen these two guitar scale shapes before.
5:10 Summary of what we’ve learned so far and how it can help your guitar playing.
5:50 How to move the major pentatonic scale around to other keys. Hee the root note is played by the little finger. I demonstrate this here by moving A major pentatonic up to the 12th fret to become E major pentatonic.
7:20 Here I show you how to move your scale shapes up above the 12th fret to get the scale up an octave.
8:05 Summary of what we’ve studied in this video lesson.
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Mixolydian Licks
Start Getting That Tasty Mixolydian Sound In Your Solos
But how can you start it rip out cool, tasty mixolydian ideas in your solos (instead of just playing the scale pattern)?
These licks will help! Discover essential bends and note groupings which will quickly transform your mixolydian soloing and set you on the road to ‘mixolydian soloing mastery’!
The mixolydian scale or mixolydian mode is used extensively in blues, rock, jazz, funk and pop music. Knowing the mixolydian scale pattern is a good start – but you also need to build a vocabulary or library of cool sounding mixolydian licks and ideas to help you learn how to use it in your guitar solos and improvisations.
That’s what this guitar lesson is all about! You’ll learn 3 great mixolydian licks to kick start your mixolydian soloing TODAY!
Here’s a breakdown of what you learn in this video:
0:15 Hear me demonstrate guitar soloing using the mixolydian mode. Notice how the mixolydian scale has a bright but bluesy sound. Here I am soloing with E mixolydian over an E7 chord.
0:35 Lots of guitar players get very confused by the word ‘mode’. But simply think of it as another name for a scale. So the mixolydian mode is simply a name for a particular type of scale. Watch my lesson covering the theory behind the scale and when we use it by clicking here: https://youtu.be/RCG5iUMd6VU
1:00 How to play the E mixolydian mode or scale on guitar. Here you’ll learn a mixolydian scale pattern and an E7 arpeggio shape you can use. Fingerings and description included. These are the same patterns I covered in the Mixolydian Mode Lesson but moved to the key of E. If you’re not sure how to change the key of a scale watch here: https://youtu.be/Ft_uuN3n0M0
3:16 Mixolydian Lick 1 – A cool bluesy lick using a few cool bends. Remember to use your picking hand to control the bends by cutting them off before you let them down. Also try to learn which notes in the scale shape are good notes to bend – this will help you learn to effectively use the scale pattern in a musical way.
7:20 Mixolydian Lick 2 – Another cool phrase using a few tasty bending moves. Experiment with these string bending ideas in your own soloing.
11:33 Mixolydian Lick 3 – This lick makes extensive use of the notes from the arpeggio shape. This is the backbone of the scale so pay special attention to these notes in the scale pattern – very important!
14:45 What to do with these licks. Learn the licks, find a cool E7 backing track and practice using them over it. The next step is to take your favourite parts of these licks and use them as a starting point for your own ideas. Experimentation is the key to becoming a great improviser so make sure you do a lot of it!
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Start Using the Mixolydian Mode…
Today!
The mixolydian mode is used extensively in blues, rock, jazz, funk and pop music. But what is it? And what is a mode? This lesson will answer most of your questions about how to play and use the mixolydian mode on guitar in a clear and easy to understand fashion.
Here’s a breakdown of what you learn in this video:
0:15 Hear me demonstrate guitar soloing using the mixolydian mode. Notice it has a bright but bluesy sound. Here I am soloing with E mixolydian over an E7 chord.We’ll be looking at why this works so well in just a moment.
0:54 Lots of guitar players get very confused by the word ‘mode’. But simply think of it as another name for a scale. So the ‘mixolydian mode’ is simply a name for a particular type of scale which will work in a particular musical situation.
1:08 Here you’ll learn a mixolydian scale pattern you can use. Fingerings and description included. Get this down and you can start experimenting with using it in your playing straight away.
2:18 What do we use the scale for? If we examine the notes in the C mixolydian mode we see it contains the 4 notes which make up a c dominant7 (C7) chord. These notes are the ‘skeleton’ of the mode, giving it it’s basic sound. So it is used for soloing and improvising over dominant 7 chords. C mixolydian will work great over a C7 chord groove because the scale ‘outlines’ the sound of this chord.
3:55 It also works over other more colourful dominant type chords such as 9th, 11th and 13th chords. This is because these are basically just decorated versions of the basic C7 chord anyway. Find or record yourself playing a groove on a C7 or C9 chord and then start experimenting with using the notes in the scale over it.
4:35 It’s a great idea to learn the dominant 7 arpeggio which is hiding inside the scale pattern. This will really help you to make your mixolydian improvising and soloing sound more melodic. Here you’ll learn a fingering for a C7 arpeggio which goes with the C mixolydian scale pattern we just saw.
6:43 The scale and arpeggio shapes are totally moveable and have their root note on the low E string. Use this to move them to other keys.
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