I call it the “Jingle Bell Rock” chord and I can’t be sure but it sounds like it could have originally been played by Hank Garland- but I don’t know for sure. You have your root on top, a Major 3rd, your 2nd, which gives it that great ‘50s voicing, and then a natural 7th. And it sounds great. And it makes it a great chord to slide up an down so you have to get used to the position because as you slide up and down you have to adjust that spread of your fingers as the freeboard gets narrow and wider.]]> Tue, 24 Jul 2012 00:01:00 GMT This is a wonderful “hybrid-picking” style that is based on the piano style of the great Fats Domino.]]> Tue, 17 Jul 2012 16:16:31 GMT Today I’m going to talk about combining harmonics with certain chord positions. Harmonics can be found all over the guitar, and it’s something u should experiment with when you have time.]]> Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:01:00 GMT These are fairly unusual and you don’t see them taught very often. I’m doing two types of bends today, three if you count all the positions. ]]> Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:01:00 GMT This piece by the great Robert Johnson is one of the most identifiable slide songs and licks ever, and is an important part of slide guitar development for you. In this example, we are using open E tuning to play its classic main lick, as well as the famous slide fills it incorporates.]]> Thu, 20 Oct 2011 00:01:00 GMT Today we are talking about the “Mary Had a Little Lamb” lick that was first created by Buddy Guy back in 1967. He had an album called, Man and the Blues, which I love, and it’s an album that influenced me and a lot of other people including Stevie Ray Vaughan.]]> Thu, 29 Sep 2011 00:01:00 GMT Here’s another crucial lesson for all beginners when it comes to rock and blues guitar. In this piece, we learn about creating “power chords” from all three positions, namely the E, A and D forms, as well as utilizing and working on the “closed” forms of these power chords in addition to their “open” counterparts. There’s also a discussion about the symmetry of these chord shapes, and about the importance of developing good finger “stretching” habits within your playing. Hope you enjoy!]]> Thu, 04 Aug 2011 16:27:38 GMT Here’s an essential lesson designed to really get you going in terms of some real playing and handling of the guitar. I’m covering some very important basics for you, such as holding the pick properly, how to define chords, the basic E and A chord positions, the proper playing of barres and barre chords, E and A form barres all the way up and down the neck, andsome “power chord” shortcuts!]]> Thu, 12 May 2011 16:14:15 GMT Here’s a great way to get started the proper way in using “harmonics” on the guitar! This useful, and beautiful-sounding tool is a great way to bring new sounds and voicings out of your guitar, and in this lesson I will really show you the best way to play them. In this installment, we’ll be focusing on the three strongest locations for harmonics, the 5th, 7th and 12th frets.]]> Thu, 28 Apr 2011 16:04:02 GMT This is the first lesson in a series of lessons that will really help you get started the right way in electric guitar playing! I have these all clearly laid out for you, and I try to make sure that I leave no stone unturned in terms of what you will need to know. ]]> Thu, 14 Apr 2011 15:54:36 GMT This is one of those “must have” lessons! Yes, the idea of the “turnaround licks” per se, are rather mundane and predictable to me, but they are certainly important to know, and can be used in countless musical situations and riffs hat don’t necessarily have to occur as the last 2 measures of a Blues!]]> Fri, 11 Mar 2011 22:02:31 GMT It involves the "tri-tone" theory, wherein the seventh and third, become the third and seventh from the I to the IV chord, but more importantly, it's a very deft and acrobatic way of playing a three-note pedal steel riff on the guitar that has movable parts! ]]> Thu, 24 Feb 2011 22:58:17 GMT Here's one of my favorite positions when it comes to making the guitar sound like a pedal steel. ]]> Mon, 21 Feb 2011 21:49:17 GMT What we are playing here is a rockabilly rhythm with a chromatic type run as part of a pattern. You can flatpick here, which has its own flavor, and what you get is a quick upstroke with that old timey feel.]]> Thu, 16 Dec 2010 21:34:41 GMT In this lesson I’m going to look at open string harmonies and pull offs that can be combined with descending double stop runs.]]> Thu, 09 Dec 2010 22:49:21 GMT