TrueFire's Guitabulary

You don't normally associate Ricky Nelson songs with hard-hitting guitar breaks, but not so when James Burton was wielding the axe. Joe looks at several Burton breaks from Nelson sessions - 'Believe What You Say,' 'It's Late' and others -vibing his double-stops, cross-rhythms, off-the-beat accents and overall rippin' rockabilly feel. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: TWANG U.

With rockabilly, guitarists often try to evoke a revved-up kinda big band sound. You can accomplish this with closed-voice chords. These require a lot of wide stretches, but your efforts will pay off with some truly smooth-sounding stuff that will also help you in chord-to-chord transitions. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: TWANG U.

That unmistakable sound of rockabilly guitar may be rootsy, but it ain't easy. In this lesson, Arlen breaks some of the techniques down. Key to the style is playing bass and lead simultaneously, creating a 'two-guitar' effect. He explains how to keep a steady bass with the pick while fingering the lead notes. You don't need no ducktail 'do to dig this rockabilly vibe. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: TWANG U.

Rockabilly, that mutant outgrowth of early rock 'n' roll and country, is still one of the most vibrant six-string sounds around. And learning these rockabilly licks will only enhance your more traditional playing. Arlen pitches Travis picking too, but gets an edgier attack by using a pick on the bass. You'll learn how to keep a clean separation between bass and lead notes. You'll pick up some timeless licks, and you'll infuse your twang with a little blues. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: HOW TO PLAY GUITAR: Anthology , TWANG U.

It's the daring rhythm guitarist who is willing to have a go at it without chords. You'll dial into some lean twang with Joe's lesson, which concentrates on single-note lines and double-stops, gussied up with heel muting, long sustained notes, volume swells, Western swing horn-style parts and lots more. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: Rhythm Guitar SWAT Camp, TWANG U, HOW TO PLAY GUITAR: Anthology .

This stellar lesson introduces you to the basic vocabulary of blues phrasing that came out of the pre-WWII Delta style via the legendary Muddy Waters. As Keith says, this stuff is easier to play than it is to read, so he walks you through it - the droning bass on the low E (with pick or thumb), the accompanying finger-picked high E, the gritty but simple lines taken from the basic blues scale. In short order, you can become your own down-home blues rhythm section, which will strengthen your work when you play with a group. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: BLUES U, Rhythm Guitar SWAT Camp, Blues Bash.

The queen of Delta blues guitar sits in and serves up a lesson on authentic country blues strumming. If you want to get next to the concepts laid down by Tommy Johnson, Charley Patton, Robert Johnson, Skip James, and Willie Brown, you'll find this lesson a watershed. Rory uses Tommy Johnson's classic "Big Road Blues" as a foundation for teaching a series of techniques: bass notes followed by one or two strums; strumming sixteenth notes; pounding (hitting your guitar top in conjunction with a strum) and snapping (pulling a string away from the fretboard for an enticing percussive effect). As a bonus, Rory ties it all together by playing her own version of "Big Road Blues." This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: HOW TO PLAY GUITAR: Anthology , BLUES U, ACOUSTIC U.

Guitarists spend so much time sharpening their lead playing that they often forget how exciting it is to be an accompanist. Ironically, if you do build comping skills, you’ll have a head start on one of the most challenging lead-guitar styles of all: chord melody. The trick is to keep evolving by learning new approaches to harmony. For instance, try your hand at the hypnotic device known as pedal point. Learn to handle these wide grips, and you’ll have a hip new way to play! This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U.

So you may not be interested in becoming a flamenco master. It'd be a longshot even if you are. You can still factor in this exciting Spanish sound into your work. Tim takes a barre chord and enriches it by adding a Flat-9 with the fourth finger. Then he factors in some open strings for gypsy-style exotica. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U.

Here are a couple "rules of thumb" from Jon Finn in how to most effectively use the blues scale - i.e. play the flatted 3rd before the major 3rd and the flatted 5th before the natural 5th. Don't make these absolutes, Jon insists, but rather use the rules as guidelines into the finer points of blues scale. Don't hesitate to let your ears come up with their own rules. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: 280 Killer GUITAR LICKS, BLUES U.

While other styles offer opportunities to surrender to the beat, in Memphis soul that's all that matters. In this two-part lesson, we'll dissect some classic soul grooves to see what makes them tick, and then try to grab some of that cosmic woo-woo for ourselves. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: BLUES U.

Martin Simpson shows a couple ways to go at a melody: First is linearly, playing several notes along a string; Or: crosspicking, granting each note it's own string whenever possible. The crosspicking lets you generate a wonderfully fluid, harp-like effect. He demonstrates with a line from the beautiful Irish tune "Garryowen." Neither is better than the other, but it's definitely good to have both in your arsenal. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U.

Back in Adrian's early Liverpool days, he figured that a technique he must learn to help his chances at getting laid was to fingerpick (the guitar, that is). These days, fingerpicking is not as apt to help in sexual exploits, but it's certainly a laudable endeavor. Adrian issues three fingerpicking exercises that he worked at two hours a day for two straight weeks. Seems like a lot at first, but is it, really? No word on how much more he got laid. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U.

Because lap slide players can angle their bars, they're able to play more intervals and harmony than bottleneck guitarists, who are forced to rely on parallel-to-the-fret slide techniques. But there is a way to expand your harmonic vocabulary when you play traditional bottleneck. Behind-the-slide fretting makes it possible to add rapid-fire interval shifts and altered chords to your bottleneck repertoire. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: TWANG U, LICK-A-DAY: 365 Daily Doses, BLUES U.

Get fat. Fat sounds, that is - New Orleans-style. Keith delves into the Crescent City ballad style with its 12/8 triplet feel. Fig. 1 demonstrates how to double the rolling bass part; Fig. 2 shows off the 'chicks' that add staccato accents, and Fig. 3 combines the two. Finally, on Fig. 4, he adapts the triplet-heavy piano part to guitar, and he is, as Fats might say, walkin' to New Orleans. This lesson includes Power Tab and is included in the following CD compilations: BLUES U, Blues Bash.

B.B., one of the few bluesmen to establish himself as a household name, uses the He replaced Clapton in Mayall's Bluesbreakers. He was the six-string linchpin of the bluesy Fleetwood Mac. He played with American bluesmen Otis Spann and Eddie Boyd. He is an unsung guitar hero, this Mr. Green. He favored detail over heavy-handedness, finesse over brawn (although he could get mean at times). Check out 14 Green-isms in this two-part lesson. Note how he likes to arrive at a chord tone a bit early, thus not having to blast full volume on the downbeat. And other subtle stuff. You'll like it. Promise. This lesson is included in the following CD compilations: BLUES U.

B.B., one of the few bluesmen to establish himself as a household name, uses the Mixolydian mode (think of it as a major scale with a flat 7th) as a primary ingredient in his influential solo work. Magic things happen when you blend the Mixolydian with the minor pentatonic allowing you to shift between sweet and dark sounds. Dave demonstrates this mind-expanding concept through a B.B. solo. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: BLUES U, LICK-A-DAY: 365 Daily Doses

His majesty's regal style is examined in 11 hefty examples covering his inimitable vibrato, favored variation on the blues scale, powerful bends and overall sense of swing. Plenty of great lines and licks. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: BLUES U, 269 BLUES Licks You MUST Know

In Part 1 of this super vocabulary builder, Brad not only shows a collection of stone-classic blues phrases, he also provides clear, thorough explanations of the subtle technical details behind the licks. Great blues phrasing is all in the subtleties, and Brad takes you deep under the surface. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: BLUES U, 269 BLUES Licks You MUST Know

Get straight to the heart of Duane, checking out highlights from the classic ABB albums At Fillmore East and Eat a Peach. Andy Aledort gets into Duane's slide and conventional playing and, along with licks, he breaks down a few extended solo sections, so you can better understand the late legend's overall concept. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: BLUES U, LICK-A-DAY: 365 Daily Doses.

With his stinging, soulful solos and flawless pocket, Robben Ford has an uncanny knack for making complex music seem simple. Conversely, the guitarist can elevate a mundane one-chord vamp into something divine. Perhaps this is because Ford has successfully tackled so many genres. What has Ford learned from all of his musical adventures? “We’re all playing the same things,” he says. To prove that common threads abound in music, Ford will take a I-VI-II-V progression and show that whether it’s played with a doo-wop group’s simplicity or a bebop pianist’s extended chords and slick substitutions, the underlying vibe is the same—just one more universal phrase in the language of music. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: JAZZ U, BLUES U, TWANG U.

Phillips, a classical virtuoso, endeavors into the daunting world of counterpoint: the simultaneous sounding of two or more contrasting melodic lines. This lesson is an exercise in helping you get started. Learn each line separately, then slowly learn to play the lines together. Six-string counterpoint is not easy stuff, but if you have classical ambitions - or if you merely want a challenge - look this way. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: LICK-A-DAY: 365 Daily Doses, ACOUSTIC U.

Classical virtuoso Eliot Fisk divides the major scale by note value, rhythmic accent and tone, conquers weaknesses in attack, and leaves your right hand looking like Popeye. Well maybe that's an exaggeration, but only slightly. Fisk offers a range of insights into dynamics and sound production, tidbits about Bach, and some stellar playing in this engaging, informative Classical lesson. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U.

Ben lays out a take-no-prisoners practice regimen that is virtually guaranteed to yield results. It's designed to help you master passages that are giving you trouble. It involves a lot of hard work, but hard work with a plan. Ben mixes up the regimen so that you steer clear of drudgery. He says that, even while practicing, keep in touch with the emotional content of the phrase. It will make practicing a more musical, and ultimately a more satisfying experience. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U.

The first time you play a C#dim7—such as the one in Ex. 1a—you may find yourself wondering why you’d ever need such a dissonant cluster of notes. Truth is, diminished 7s and other such strident grips are, ironically, incredibly useful for making progressions sound smoother. Plug that C#dim7 between C and Dm7 (Ex. 1b), and its jagged shape all but disappears—like the last piece of a jigsaw puzzle. Get hip to its pungent sound; you’ll start hearing it everywhere —not just in jazz, but also in rock, soul, blues, and other genres. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: JAZZ U, ACOUSTIC U.

Roger demonstrates a classic swing phrase using chromatics (half steps), first in single notes then harmonized in chords. You've heard it- now you'll know how to use it! This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: LICK-A-DAY: 365 Daily Doses, ACOUSTIC U.

In this "Lick of the Month" from Berklee instructor and noted author Charles Chapman, you'll learn an extremely useful technique: how to combine a walking bass line with chord punches to simulate a jazz rhythm section arrangement on the guitar. Bass players, drummers...who needs 'em anyway? This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U, JAZZ U.

Major and minor triads are the building blocks of harmony, with a simple, emotionally direct sound. Bob Stanton shows you how the argpeggios of these uncomplicated structures can be "summed" together with each other to create more complex melodic effects, including altered sounds. It's a great addition to your playing... This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U.

You know the cliche image of the idle-minded secretary who works on her nails to kill time. Well for classical guitarist, the idea of 'doing your nails' is a much more serious affair. You need to keep them smooth and in shape - and free of hooks or other imperfections - in order to make beautiful music with precision. Ben plays three lovely short pieces to demonstrate how they should sound if your nails are well kept. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U.

When Charles plays a chord-melody arrangement, people invariably ask, "How'd you do that?" Here, he shows you how. The staple is knowing how to rearrange standard chord voicings, moving notes up or down an octave to create different melodies and textures. Pretty soon you too could be hearing that satisfying refrain: "How'd you do that?" This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U, JAZZ U.

John Renbourn continues his exploration into 19th Century parlor guitar, which influenced blues and other rural styles. This time the song is Sebastopol,' later called 'Vastopol,' which was originally played in open-D tuning (D, A, D, F#, A, D). Renbourn's version is in open-E (E, B, E, G#, B, E) - no matter, the intervallic relationships are identical. As usual, the song has quaint charm and a bit of guts. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U.

1960, Henry Worrall wrote "Sebastopol," a parlor guitar tune that was enormously influential in folk playing, delta blues, country fingerpicking and other disciplines. The simple but fetching tune is in open D, which became a favorite among rural American players. The top-string slides foretell bottleneck playing. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U.

Preston Reed's Showcase Solo "Fat Boy" will literally have you playing "over-the-top". Using left-hand multi-string taps, slaps, pulls, and slides along with right-hand whacks and whunk-dumps, you'll be a complete one man band with a percussion section right on your guitar. There's even an easy-to-read percussion key signature along with the music so ya can fit in yer hi-hats and kick drums. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: HOW TO PLAY GUITAR: Anthology , ACOUSTIC U.

You don't need a rack full of gear to generate amazing guitar textures. Just listen to Chet Akins. With his bare hands, the country boy from Tennessee created more fretboard magic than entire genres of guitarists. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: TWANG U, ACOUSTIC U.

The ever-clever Adrian, an English fingerstyle wizard, takes us back to his early days in Brit C&W bands, where he got a lot of stuff wrong and stumbled into his own style. The examples cover what he calls "corny double-stops," a shuffle intro and a very hip ending tag. Let some of Adrian's originality rub off on you. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U.

Elfin Brit Adrian Legg is one of the most inventive pickers on the planet. He sat with Joe Gore and described his methods, which is a mish-mash of Celtic, classical, and twang, buoyed by his fluency with banjo-picking style: fluid, three-note rolls, percussive frailing, and other techniques. By learning some of Legg's stuff, you can tap into the intuitiveness of his playing - which will ultimately give you a leg up. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U.

Adrian Legg's column is a diatribe about the virtues of the acoustic guitar and the "macho materialism" of the electric. A basic eight-bar phrase accompanies the article. Play it on acoustic. If you don't have one, get one. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U.

There are two kinds of guitar players in the world: those who are fans of Adrian Legg and those who haven't heard him yet. This lesson offers a window into Adrian's inventive use of basslines, open strings and passing chords- you'll learn how to sound like a banjoist and bass player jamming with guitar accompaniment, all within your own six strings. Don't miss this one. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U.

Adrian Legg's beautiful, harp-like arpeggios are featured in this example. Using a capo at the fifth fret and combining open strings with fretted notes, you'll learn how Adrian creates his shimmering arpeggios. Beautiful! This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: Acoustic U

Richard Gartner unveils a very cool and very player-friendly open tuning called "Dadgad" (D,A,D,G,A,D). It allows you to improvise via the use of pattern picking and using shapes. Richard's "Dadgad Bluerag" is a fun, in-your-face 16-bar song that employs all the versatility found in the tuning. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: HOW TO PLAY GUITAR: Anthology , ACOUSTIC U. Get more videos, notation and tab for this guitar lesson on TrueFire TV (http://truefiretv.com)

Accompanying his wife on a recent song, Celtic bluesman Martin Simpson needed to find the appropriate tuning. He ended up with the exotic B-Flat-sus2 (B-Flat, F, B-Flat, F, B-Flat, C). He serves up a helping of his solo from the song "Raglan Road," which will give you some jumping-off points for further explorations of your own into open tuning. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U. Get more videos, notation and tab for this guitar lesson on TrueFire TV (http://truefiretv.com)

To play alternating bass lines, you need to commit certain fingers to sustaining bass notes, while leaving other fingers free to fret melody notes. This typically involves unorthodox fingerings. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U. Get more videos, notation and tab for this guitar lesson on TrueFire TV (http://truefiretv.com)

How'd you like to learn a song that paved the way for blues and country slide playing? In an earlier lesson, John looked at Josh White's version of "John Henry," which relied on finger slides. Puckett's rendition calls upon a slide and is more a guitar solo. Bottom line: This one's fun to play. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U. Get more videos, notation and tab for this guitar lesson on TrueFire TV (http://truefiretv.com)

The blues can be traced to many things - slave chants, chain gangs and such - but you don't hear much about the influence of late 19th Century parlor guitar. John establishes the connection with 'Country Fool,' a tune written by Bo Carter, who had a major impact on the Delta blues players. The country-blues piece is in altered tuning and is based on the chord progression from 'Spanish Fandango'. The rolling, finger-picked style has real charm. It's a great song to add to your solo steel-string repertoire. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U. Get more videos, notation and tab for this guitar lesson on TrueFire TV (http://truefiretv.com)

Bill has adapted a bottleneck muting technique to standard playing. It'll enhance your fingerpicking articulation and dynamics and help get rid of unwanted notes. Essentially, each of the top four strings is played and muted with its own finger. Start slow, build up to speed. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: 280 Killer GUITAR LICKS, ACOUSTIC U. Get more videos, notation and tab for this guitar lesson on TrueFire TV (http://truefiretv.com)

Bob Brozman is master of bottleneck slide guitar and various open tunings for the blues. Here's a primer for all of us that are ready to incorporate slide technique into our repertoire. Tunings, tone, technique and five exercises are included in this detailed lesson. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: HOW TO PLAY GUITAR: Anthology , BLUES U, ACOUSTIC U. Get more videos, notation and tab for this guitar lesson on TrueFire TV (http://truefiretv.com)

Like all great blues players, John Mooney derives mojo from his fingers, not his gear. Mooney can fill a hall with soulful slide sounds, whether he’s fronting a band with a Strat cranked through a Super Reverb, or doing a solo set on an unmiked National resonator. Here, Mooney shares some cool slide tips and hot riffs. But before you get started, Mooney has a simple way to avoid the common problem of slide slippage. “I superglue a piece of cork to the inside of my slide so it stops halfway up my pinky and stays there,” says Mooney. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: BLUES U, ACOUSTIC U, TWANG U. Get more videos, notation and tab for this guitar lesson on TrueFire TV (http://truefiretv.com)

Chris Whitley is a heck of a blues player, but he isn't what you would call a traditionalist. Jeff McErlain shows you one of Chris' more "twisted" blues pieces, played on open-tuned Dobro. Chris describes it as "Bukka White meets Thelonius Monk"...need we say more? This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U. Get more videos, notation and tab for this guitar lesson on TrueFire TV (http://truefiretv.com)

Customizing turnarounds is what makes them your own, and you can never have enough nifty ones. In this lesson, Mark issues a couple of "must know" variations on a classic blues move. Transpose 'em to other keys and stick with the fretted notes - skip the open strings - so you can move freely up and down the neck. Then tweak 'em to your heart's content. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U. Get more videos, notation and tab for this guitar lesson on TrueFire TV (http://truefiretv.com)

Enter the brave and bluesy world of laptop slide guitar. David sticks to high G tuning (GBDGBD, low to high), which allows him to play in the guitar-friendly keys of E, A, and D. Here he issues six licks, with feels that range from greasy blues to garage rock. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U. Get more videos, notation and tab for this guitar lesson on TrueFire TV (http://truefiretv.com)

In this two-part lesson, we'll explore open D and acquaint ourselves with it fascinating sounds. So grab a tuner and a guitar , put yourself in an open frame of mind , and get ready for some sonic stimulation. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: TWANG U, BLUES U, ACOUSTIC U. Get more videos, notation and tab for this guitar lesson on TrueFire TV (http://truefiretv.com)