Soloing over last progression

In this guitar lick we look at soloing over the last progression using the D Dorian mode which is comprised of notes  from the C Major scale. You could also think of it as the D Minor Pentatonic Scale with an added E note. The main shape for the solo is based around the first shape of the D Minor Pentatonic scale with the addition of the E note. Here is the video and tab to follow along. Guitars are in standard tuning. Drums courtesy of Sonoma Wireworks Riffworks Instant Drummer.

Triad Shapes for Guitar

Triads are made up of the root, third and fifth of a chord. In this guitar lick I've created a chord progression in the key of C that utilizes triad chord shapes on the top three strings of the guitar. The chords are Dm/Am/G/F Em. The best example of triad use in modern guitar playing that I can think of is by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. There are a lot of tracks from 'Californication' and 'By the Way' where John Frusciante employs the use of triads to add depth and interest to the chord progressions in many of their songs. Triads are also used frequently in Reggae guitar playing because the smaller chord shape is better suited to the muted and staccato style found in a lot of Reggae guitar music. In the next few examples we will look at how to solo and add more guitar parts over this progression to demonstrate how the basic triad part works within the context of the musical piece as a whole.

Jazz Guitar Lick over Rhythm Changes

I've decided to learn a respectable amount of jazz guitar in 2012. I've started by focusing on some Charlie Christian solos because they are a reasonable speed and melodically and rhythmically are less intimidating than more modern jazz. Charlie Christian solos also swing mightily and are beautiful pieces of music. The first song I tackled was "Rose Room" from "Genius of the Electric Guitar". The solo had a lyrical quality and I was quickly humming along to it. It that spirit I've tried to come up with a little jazz guitar lick over the first four chords in the standard Bb Rhythm Changes. BbMaj7/Gm7|Cm7/F7

I really haven't delved into much jazz scale theory so I tried to incorporate chord tones and used passing chromatic notes that I liked. I think it what came out was a pretty cool sounding guitar lick. Certainly doesn't swing as much as I'd like but I'm  just beginning to get a handle on this.

Learn Blues Guitar Solo in A with Tab & Video

This is a blues guitar solo in A. The backing track was provided by Jimihaynes  http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=532816  this track is used by permission of the author. Please note that this track is in STANDARD tuning. This track is based in A Minor Pentatonic is a 12 bar blues progression. It utilizes a sliding 6ths at the start. This was originally part of the old video guitar lessons site that is now being migrated into this blog.

Christmas Carols for Solo Guitar - Hark the Herald Angels Sing

In the final week before Christmas I thought it would be fun to look at one more Christmas Carol arranged for solo guitar. This is an arrangement of 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing' by guitarist Jim Nailon. Jim has kindly allowed some of his work to be used on this site. You can find more of Jim's work at the Liturgical Guitarist  This arrangement is copyrighted by Jim Nailon.

I've included a video of myself playing this on electric guitar with views of the right and left hand. I am not really an experienced fingerstyle guitarist but posted the video to give you some idea of what the piece looks and sounds like when played. My version is tuned down 1/2 step.The scorch audio is standard tuning. I would strongly recommend trying this piece on an acoustic and utilizing a more classical left hand neck placement. I am only a beginner at reading standard notation so I would recommend you listen to the audio in Scorch for a more strict rhythmic interpretation.

You'll note this video was recorded for my old website. I will be transferring most of the guitar tab and video over to this blog in the new year. You can send me a direct message on twitter @jimifan if you need guitar tab from the old site for one of my youtube videos.  Happy Holidays.

A not so Fingerstyle - Silent Night

Ok I seem to be on a Christmas Carol roll so here is a new video of Silent Night on guitar. This arrangement is by Jim Nailon at the liturgical guitarist. Used with permission. I couldn't get the open strings to ring out properly so I adapted the piece a little and tried to capture its essence while playing with a pick. You can check out Jim's page for the score in Sibelius Scorch format for a more correct rendition. I hope the video gives you a few ideas about the piece and I encourage you to try and learn it.

Fingerstyle Guitar - Time for some Carols - O Come All Ye Faithful

As I stated in my last post I am moving my guitar lessons and tab into this blog. Given the time of year I thought it would be appropriate to start with some Christmas Carols arranged for guitar.This is a look at an arrangement of 'O Come All Ye Faithful' by guitarist Jim Nailon. Jim has kindly given his permission to use some of his work on this site. You can also find more of Jim's work on his website Liturgical Guitarist. This arrangement is copyrighted by Jim Nailon.

I've included a video of myself playing this on electric guitar. I am not an experienced fingerstyle player but posted the video to give you some idea of what the piece looks and sounds like when played. My version is tuned down 1/2 step like  a lot of video on this blog.The scorch audio is standard tuning.I would strongly recommend trying this piece on an acoustic and utilizing a more classical left hand neck placement. I am only a beginner at reading standard notation so I would recommend you listen to the audio in Scorch for a more strict rhythmic interpretation. This is a beautiful song. Try to let the emotion of the song come alive in your playing. I hope you enjoy practicing this piece as much as I do.