Good Guit Guitarist’s arist’s guide guid e to: Riffs & Lead Le ad Guitar Guitar During the planning stages of this book it was quite difcult deciding not only what information informatio n should be included in this book, but what should shoul d be excluded. excluded. It has always been our goal g oal to give the most concise, informative lessons without overwhelming our students and I feel that this book accomplishes that. Every topic covered in this book is absolutely essential for any guitarist who wants to take their playing to the next level. But having access to the informati information on is just the star startt - it’ it’ss another thing to actually ac tually work it all out and apply a pply it to your playing. playing . This book is presented in a way that gives you opportunities to work on each subject as you’re learning. We’ve taken the time to simplify the pro cess so you can focus on getting better instead of wondering, “what should I do next?” Enjoy!
Copyright c 2016 by Good Guitarist Guitarist (
[email protected]). (
[email protected]). All rights reserved. Made in Canada. All materials used in this book are the original work of the authors. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without w ithout the prior written permission of the authors, except in the case of certain noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. law. ii
Table of content contentss The Po Powe werr Chord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. Kno Kn ow Your Ro Roo ots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. Open-Position Power Chords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Reaading TAB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7. Re Using A Pick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Thee Mi Th Min nor Pe Pent ntat ato oni nicc Sc Scal alee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Using A Metronome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Hammer-on’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Pulll-off’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Pu Slides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 . Bends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Legato . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
iiii ii
The Power Chord The power chord is a MOVABLE shape. This means you can move it around the fret board to make different chords, even though your hands keep playing the same shape!
OR You can play it with your 1st, 3rd and 4th ngers
You can barre the top 2 notes and use just your 1st and 3rd ngers
You don’t even need to play all 3 notes. You can ignore the top note (played by the 4th nger) entirely. Players usually do this for 2 reasons: 1) It’s a bit easier and quicker to move a round 2) It sounds a bit clearer when using a lot of gain/distortion
Uhhh! Teacher! Excuse me! Question: There’s only 2 notes!? I thought chords use most, or all of the strings! Ever played a G chord before? Geez!
Answer: The power chord contains the “root” and “5th” of a chord. These 2 notes provide the foundation or “skeleton” of any given chord. Power chords do not contain a “3rd” which means they are not major or minor. They simply provide a neutral, rich and rhythmic foundation.
Perfect Power CHord Placement Simply place your ngers as close to the frets as possible. That’s it! 1
Now you try it... from your point of view
3
1
2 f r e t s h i g h e r
2 3
Start by placing your 1st (index) nger on the 3rd fret of the low E (thickest) string
Next, go 2 frets higher, and over to the next string (A string) and place your 3rd nger down
Finally you can either atten your 3rd nger to barre the next string, or use your 4th nger
Lightly touch the top strings with the underside of your 1st nger to mute them when strumming
Before moving on • Pluck each string of the power chord to make sure every note sounds
clean (not buzzing!) • Move the power chord up by 1 fret and strum it again - once again, make sure everything is ringing clearly • Repeat the above step until you run out of frets • Try this ALL again, starting on the next string (A string)
2
Know your roots The root is the most important note in a chord and is always the rst part of the chord name. The root of a Dsus4 chord, for example, is D. The power chord is differ ent because it is a movable shape and not a specic chord (there’s a difference be tween a chord and a shape). This means the root changes when you move the chord. The ROOT The FIFTH
7th fret = B
The OCTAVE
The note played by your 1st n ger (index nger) is the root of the power chord.
The note your 1st nger plays will be the name of your chord. Here we’re making a B power chord.
*Note: Rather than say “B power chord ” we can call it “B5 ”, since the power chord is simply a root (B, in this case) and its 5th.*
Does this mean I need to memorize the fretboard? It is not necessary to learn the entire fretboard, but every guitarist should know at least the notes on the bottom 2 strings. This is denitely one of the most daunting tasks for a beginner-intermediate guitarist, but is well worth the effort. It will allow you to play any power chord anywhere on the fretboard (and barre chords, too!).
E
F 1
G 2
3
A 4
5
6
OPEN
B
C
7
8
D 9
The notes on the low E string, from your perspective 3
10
E 11
12
The notes on the A string, from your perspective
B
A 1
2
C 3
D 4
5
E 6
7
OPEN
F 8
G
9
10
A
11
12
A good way to learn the notes is by “counting” up the string from the open position, using the following guideli nes: •
usually go up 2 frets to reach th e next note (in other words, there is usually an empty fret between notes)
•
go up 1 fret from B to C (there is NO empty fret between B and C)
•
go up 1 fret from E to F (there is NO empty fret between E and F) Now what’s in those spaces between notes?
That’s where all the sharp (#) and at (b) notes live. Musicians call these notes “accidentals” and the notes without # or b are called “naturals.” •
The sharp note is 1 higher, and the at is 1 lower than the natural note
•
To make D# (D sharp), for example, all you need to do is nd D and go up 1 fret
•
Likewise, to make B b (B at), just nd B and go down 1 fret The notes on the A string, including “accidentals”
A
#
A Bb
1
B 2
C 3
#
C Db
4
D 5
#
E
D Eb
6
7
F
#
F Gb
G
8
9
10
B
C
C Db
#
D
7
8
9
10
OPEN
#
G Ab
11
A
12
The notes on the low E string, including “accidentals”
E
F 1
#
F Gb
2
G 3
#
G Ab
4
A 5
#
A Bb
6
OPEN 4
#
D Eb
11
E 12
now you try it... Let’s practice moving the power chord shape along the low E string! • Start by placing your 1st nger on the 5th fret of the low E string • Then complete the shape by adding the 3rd and 4th ngers
5th fret - low E string
2
3
4
“A” power chord (“A5”)
3 5
4
5
Since your rst nger is on the 5th fret, and the 5th fret of the low E string is A, you’re making an A power chord (which can be shortened to “A5”) • Next, slide the shape up the fretboard by 2 frets, to the 7th fret • Use the diagram on the bottom of the previous page to determine
which note your 1st nger is playing • Which power chord are you playing now? Take a moment If you said “B5” or “B power chord” you are correct!
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Play the power chord whose root is on the 3rd fret. Name this chord: ____ Play the power chord whose root is on the 8th fret. Name this chord: ____ Play the power chord whose root is on the 6th fret. Name this chord: ____ Play a F5 power chord. Which fret # does your 1st nger line up with? ____ Play a D5 power chord. Which fret # does your 1st nger line up with? ____ Play a Ab5 power chord. Which fret does your 1st nger line up with? ____
Answers:
t e r f h t 4 ) 6
t e r f h t 0 1 ) 5
5
t e r f t s 1 ) 4 # A r o b B ) 3
5 C ) 2
5 G ) 1
Open-Position Power Chords If you learned some of the basic open chords from our rst eBook, “Strumming & Rhythm Guitar,” you’re probably familiar with the A, D and E chords. Well, when you switch on the distortion, these chords can sound a little muddy, so rockers have learned to slim the shapes down, reducing them to power chords. The concept is incredibly simple but still worth mentioning as you’ll nd these exact chord voicings in thousands of songs, from blues to classic rock to punk to metal and everything in between. It’s easy: for A, D and E, just ignore the higher strings, and only play the lowest 3 notes of the chord. As we mentioned earlier, this eliminates the 3rd which, when played with distortion or overdrive, can sound a bit muddy.
Open Chords
Open Power Chords
E
E5 VS.
A
A5 VS.
D
D5 VS.
6
READING TAB TAB (short for tablature) is a guitar-specic way of writing down music. It is ac tually just a simple sketch of the fretboard with numbers that indicate which frets to play. Even though many consider TAB easier to read than standard notation, it is incredibly useful and helps especially with learning songs and even writing down riffs you’ve made yourself so you can remember them later! Look down at your guitar’s fretboard e B G D A E
T A B
Every string is represented by a line of TAB, with the thickest string (low E) at the bottom
Reading and writing TAB is very simple. Every string is represented by a line of TAB, with the thickest string (low E) at the bottom. All you need to do is write the fret number you want to play overtop the string you want to play it on.
e B G D A E
3rd fret
3
E string
Here we can see “3” written on the bottom line. That means we would play the 3rd fret of the low E string.
Exercise: Say the names of the strings out loud, “E A D G B e” as you play them from “low E” (thickest) to “high e” (thinnest). It may be a bit silly, but saying a phrase like “Eddie Ate Dynamite Good Bye Eddie” might help you remember the string names even faster. 7
5th fret
A string
5
A “5” on the 2nd lowest line means you should play the 5th fret of the A string.
0
D string
A “0” means we play the string without pressing any frets.
7 7 7
Here we see “7” written on the bottom line 3 times. All we have to do then, is play that note (7th fret of the low E string) 3 times in a row.
Here we see “3” on the bottom line, and “3” on the next line. This means we would play the 3rd fret of the low E string followed by the 3rd fret of the A string.
3 3
3
3
Here we see the same 2 notes as above ex cept they’re stacked on top of each other. That means you need to play both of those notes at the same time (like a chord).
8
now you try it... The best way to improve your ability to read TAB is to practice reading sim ple riffs and melodies. The trick is to move on and nd new material that you’ve never read (or heard) before - if you keep reading the same pieces, you’ll just end up memorizing them and playing them by ear, rather than actually reading them.
1 2 3 4 5
2 0
3
0 2 2 2
0 0 2 0 5 4
0
5
0 0 2 0 7 5
3 0 3 0 3
5 4 5
9 9 9
7
2
7
6 8 8 6 8 9 7
2 0 0
0 0 0
0 0 12 9 5 4 2 3 0 3 0 3
0 7
5 4
7 7
8
9
7
4 5
7 9 8 6
Inlays These dots on the neck (called “inlays”) aren’t just for looking pretty. They are very useful when quickly glancing down at your guitar, trying to gure out where you are. You’ll usually nd them at the 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th frets (odd numbers). The 12th fret is special because that’s where the notes on each string begin to repeat - that’s why it’s usually indicated by a double-dot inlay. 9
9
Using a pick Guitarists like Jeff Beck, Mark Knoper, Derek Trucks and countless others have shown us that it’s possible to play lead without a pick (a.k.a. plectrum) but for most of us it’s an essential skill that must be developed. In this section, we’ll go over the basics of using a pick, how to hold it and using it as a tool to maintain a steady rhythm through alternate picking.
Holding a pick
Start with an open hand. Curl your index (1st) nger.
Press the pad of your thumb against your nger’s 1st joint.
Place pick between the thumb and nger, pointy side out.
About 20-30% of the pick should be “sticking out” from your thumb and nger. On the left you can see it’s not sticking out enough, and on the right, a little too much. Find what’s comfortable for you - it should feel secure, but still be able to jiggle a little bit. Holding the pick too tight can cause tension in your wrist, limiting your exibility which may affect your dynamics and picking speed. Holding it too loose may cause you to drop your pick (which is no fun when you’re performing).
Uhhh! Teacher! Excuse me! Question: Can’t I just pick whatever way feels the most natural? My friend holds the pick totally differently than this and he can SHRED.
Answer: Most guitarists hold their pick between their thumb and rst nger. While there are examples of AMAZING players who hold a pick with 3 ngers, or between their thumb and middle nger (Eddie Van Halen and Pat Metheny come to mind) 99% of guitarists use this standard approach quite effectively. 10
Up’s and down’s Just like strumming, when picking notes on a guitar, you can play either downstrokes or upstrokes. Generally, the downstrokes fall on the beat and the upstrokes are played exactly halfway between each beat - this should provide a steady rhythm and will help you play along to a metronome or, better yet, other musicians.
Downstrokes
This symbol is used to represent a downstroke in both TAB and Standard Notation. If you see this over a note, it’s recommended you play that note with a downstroke.
Downstrokes are the primary stroke used when playing lead guitar. They tend to be a bit louder than upstrokes and some types of music (heavier music like rock, punk, metal) use them as much as possible. When playing a chord with a downstroke, the lower strings are struck rst and tend to ring out a bit more than the higher strings. Practice your downstrokes! Try this simple exercise over and over. Make sure all the notes are the same volume and try your best to maintain a steady rhythm.
5678
5678
5678
5678
This symbol is used to represent an upstroke in both TAB and Standard Notation. If you see it over a note, you should play that note with an upstroke.
Upstrokes have a slightly different sound than down strokes and are generally played on off-beats. They tend to be a bit quieter than downstrokes since going “up” (against gravity) takes a little more effort, even for such a tiny move ment. Chords played with an upstroke tend to sound a bit punchier and cut through the air more easily.
8765
8765
5678
5678
S E K O R T S P U
Don't forget the upstrokes!
8765
8765
8765 11
8765
Start by placing your ngers down on the frets. This way, as you pick each note, you only need to move one nger to play the next note.
Combining Downstrokes and Upstrokes There are 2 main reasons for combining downstrokes and upstrokes: 1. The phrase is too fast to play with only downstrokes. Combining the two movements will allow you to play about 80% faster than you could with just downstrokes or upstrokes alone. 2. You want to take advantage of the fact that upstrokes and downstrokes sound slightly different from one another. Once you start branching off into different styles of music you’ll realize how useful this can be funk, country, blues, jazz, soul and pretty much everything benet from thoughtful phrasing.
There are 2 ways to organize your picking:
Alternate Picking is simple. Move your pick down and up, along to the beat. All the downstrokes fall ON the beat and the upstrokes fall BETWEEN the main beats. You still move your pick down and up even if you don’t have any notes to play, turning your arm into a metronome of sorts. This method helps with timing and ensures that all the main beats are slightly accented. You should be able to use alternate picking condently (really!) before moving on to economy picking.
Economy Picking only comes into play when picking on multiple strings. Let’s say you just played a downstroke on the low E string and want to pluck the A string next. Alternate picking demands you pluck the A string with an upstroke, but with economy picking you can play another downstroke since the A string is down from E anyway. It’s tricky because it breaks the rules of alternate picking, allowing you to play upstrokes on the main beats and downstrokes on off-beats, which can negatively affect your ability to groove if you don’t practice this technique diligently. For this reason we will focus mainly on Alternate Picking.
The difference is subtle, but here you can see how us ing economy picking allows us to play 3 downstrokes in a row, which makes for a much smoother, efcient movement from string to string.
Alternate: Economy:
0 12
2
4
2
0
2
4
now you try it...
1
This exercise is much simpler if you line up your hand so your rst nger plays the 5th fret, second nger plays the 6th fret, and so on, assigning each nger to a fret. continue alternate picking...
5678 8765
5678 8765
5678
8765
5678
8765
5678
8765
5678
8765
Practice Tip:
As you ascend (go up), once you place a nger down make sure you leave it down until changing to the next string. As you descend (go down), place all your ngers down on their assigned frets ahead of time - this way, simply removing a nger uncovers the next note.
2
This is a variation on the above exercise. We start as low as possible (1st position) and then every time we reach the top or bottom of the pattern we shift our entire hand up 1 fret. continue alternate picking...
1234 5432
1234 5432
1234
5432
Practice Tip:
1234
5432
1234
5432
1234
5432
Try to go as high up the fretboard as possible (where the frets are nice and tiny!). This will help build nger accuracy and ensure better guitar tone.
13
The following melody will challenge your alternate picking skills. Be sure to observe the picking closely and make sure you’re not acci dentally reversing the strokes!
3
Keep your pick moving to improve your timing!
0 3 2 3
3
2 0 2
0 3 2 3
3
2 0 2
(
)
(
)
0 3 2 3 0
3
2 0 2
3
Practice Tips: • • • •
Practice the trouble spot outlined above rst, before trying the whole thing. (Yeah, just those 2 notes back and forth.. “down - up - down - up” over and over... yup...) Keep your pick moving even when there aren’t any notes to play. This ensures a steady beat. Use your rst nger to play all the notes on the 2nd fret, and your second nger for all the notes on the 3rd fret. Practice this exercise every day for at least 5 minutes for a whole week. The goal is to be able to play it perfectly and effortlessly.
Before moving on After a certain point you may nd yourself overwhelmed with so many different things you can practice. We’ve done our best to make our exercises as effective as possible so you can get the most out of your time, but you should also take a moment and make sure you’re spending your practice time effectively. Some people have a tendency to move on to the next thing too quickly. They simply play through an exercise, tell themselves “I get it!” and keep going, but that doesn’t work so well in the long run. It’s one thing to understand a concept, and another thing to actually have the muscle memory and nger strength/agility to play that concept beautifully. I recommend to my students that they practice 4-6 times a week for at least 15 minutes per session (up to 60 minutes). It’s not unheard of for some people to practice 10 hours a day, but if you’re at that point, you probably know what you’re doing and don’t need my help .
14
The Minor pentatonic Scale The minor pentatonic scale is the most essential pattern for any guitarist to learn. It provides a framework for understanding the fretboard and later, by adding 2 notes to the shape, you can unlock a ton of different modes and scales.
Each nger is “assigned” to a fret.
1 2 R
3
Notice the “root” on the 3rd fret of the low E string.
The “G Minor Pentatonic” Scale The shape is simple enough, there are only 2 notes on each string. But don’t underestimate it - even though the shape is easy to remember, it’s been used to make some incredible licks and riffs.
How to play it Try this simple exercise, playing the scale up and down, paying careful attention to which ngers you are using.
36
35
35
35
36
36 63
Practice Tip:
63
53
53
53
63
This is the same scale you see in the picture above, written in TAB. If you have trouble reading this, compare it to the diagram of the scale above and see if that helps. 15
Where to play it It’s similar to the power chord - just move the shape around and whatever note falls under your rst nger on the low E string becomes the “root” of the entire scale. Unlike power chords, we can usually stay in one spot for an entire song. This is because within a single key, there are many chords but usually just 1 scale .
5th fret - low E string
2
3
4
“A minor pentatonic” scale ...is the root of the...
5
4
R
5
Wait! What's a KEY?!
(Are you trying to make me learn theory?) Finding the key of a song is an entire topic of its own, but usually the key can be found by playing each chord in a song until you nd the one that feels the most “at home” or feels like the song could end with that chord.
If the song is in a major key (let’s use “A major” for example) move the shape so your 4th fnger plays the note A (5th fret, low E string).
If the song is in a minor key (such as “A minor”) then you’ll need to align your 1st fnger with the note A (5th fret, low E string).
16
This is really important As you play the scale, when placing your 3rd or 4th nger on the fretboard, leave your 1st n ger down (even though it’s not doing anything).
Think of it like a stack of blocks, if you pull out one of the bottom ones (your 1st nger), the top blocks (3rd and 4th ngers) will lose their support. Later, when you’re playing ham mer-on’s and pull-off’s, it’ll make your life a lot easier, so just trust me on this one .
Memorizing it Just playing a scale back-and-forth can get pretty boring and isn’t very practical. I haven’t heard too many solos where the guitarist just plays their scales up and down... usually they mix it up a bit. Here are some different ways we can use this scale that will help you memorize it better. • Rather than play the entire scale, play it 2 strings at a time : top 2 strings (E/B),
middle 2 strings (G/D), bottom 2 strings (A/E) • On each pair of strings you should be able to access 4 notes - now is your chance to play those notes in ANY order. Also, don’t be afraid to play the same note many times. • Try to play simple melodies over and over, playing them as best you can • Once you’ve done this with each pairing, divide the strings differently, playing the scale 3 strings at a time (E/B/G + D/A/E) 17
Now you try it... Here are some exercises that will help you take this scale shape (and your picking) to the next level! This stuff looks kinda crazy, but once you gure out the rst few notes, you’ll start to hear the patterns. “Doubles” on Gm Pentatonic
1 3 3 6 6 6 6 3 3
3 3 5 5
6 6 3 3
3 3 5 5
5 5 3 3
3 3 5 5
5 5 3 3
3 3 6 6
5 5 3 3
3 3 6 6
6 6 3 3
Am Penatonic in groups of 3
2 5 8
7
5
8
5 7 5 7
5 8 5 8
7 5
7
5
5
8
5
7
5 7 5 7
5 8 8 5
7 5 7 5
7
5
18
8
5
5
7
5 7 5 7
8 5 8 5
7 5 7 5
8
5
7
7 8
5
5
7 5
“4ths” interval pattern on Dm Pentatonic
3 10
12
10
10
13
13 10
10 12
12 10 10
12
13
10
10
12
12 10
13
13
10 12
12
10
10
13
12
10
10 12
12 10
10 13
13
10
10
12
10
“String Skipping” exercise on F #m Pentatonic
4
2 4 2 5 5 2 4 2
2 4 2 4
5 2 4 2
2 5 2 4
4 2 4 2
2 5 2 4
4 2 5 2
Practice Tips: • •
All of these exercises utilize alternate picking - keep making that “down - up” motion, like a motor, for the entire exercise Each exercise is in a different position on the fretboard. Make sure you’re lining up your ngers correctly before you start each exercise. Sometimes it’s worth it to play the scale up and down rst, before jumping into the patterns. 19
Using a metronome Whether it’s by yourself or with others, making music usually involves playing along to a beat. A metronome is a device that plays the beat with 100% perfect timing. In a way, playing with a metronome is a special experience - it’s like getting to play along with a master of rhythm who always plays perfectly on the beat. Learning to use a metronome can be a challenge at rst, but once you get the hang of it, it’s actually quite relaxing and almost meditative.
Getting acquainted with the metronome Every note played has a precise relationship with the underlying pulse. We need to be able to feel this pulse in order to express ourselves properly and “groove”. It’s not just about your instrument either, we need to develop the feeling of rhythm deep down so we can let it come out naturally. Mental timekeeping such as counting out loud is a good start, but isn’t reliable.
Think about how time feels slower when waiting in a line. It’s a good habit to count aloud to work out the motions but, in the end, if you want to develop a good sense of rhythm you need to have a physical way to keep time, like tapping your foot.
Set your metronome to 80bpm and try the following exercise. If you don’t have a metronome, there are plenty available for free online. 1. Listen to the beat (also referred to as a click) - pay attention to how predictable it is, happening over and over at a steady pace 2. Clap your hands along to the beat - the whole point is that you make a noise at the EXACT same time as the metronome 3. Stop clapping and just listen to the beat again. Can you feel the pulse even though you’re no longer clapping? 4. Start clapping again - this time focus on your hands as they come apart, during the time between claps. Focus on keeping a constant speed of motion as you draw lines in the air, outwards and back inwards 5. Count each of your claps: “1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4” over and over 6. When your hands are furthest out say “and” - your counting should go “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and” as your hands clap and separate, steadily, to the beat 7. Try tapping your foot at the same time as each clap (on “1, 2, 3, 4”) 20
Playing guitar with a metronome Now that we’ve begun to build our internal rhythm, it’s time to put it to use. The same idea of clapping your hands, steadily, along to the beat applies completely to the strumming/picking arm but instead of clapping, we’re hitting the strings. If you want to practice the exercise (below) for a longer period of time it may be troublesome to hold the same chord shape. Instead, you can simply touch your left hand to all of the strings, which mutes them and allows you to focus on the rhythm aspect of this exercise.
Set your metronome to 80bpm and try the following exercise 1. Choose a simple chord or a single note and play down strokes (strumming or picking, your choice) over and over, along to the beat - the whole point, once again, is making a sound at the EXACT same time as the metro nome. 2. Count along “1, 2, 3, 4” 3. Now, instead of counting, tap your foot with the beat 4. Now add an upstroke between each downstroke - the downstrokes should happen at the same time as the beat, and the upstrokes should happen exactly half way between each beat. 5. Count along “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and” 6. The real challenge is in tapping your foot only to the “1 2 3 4” and still maintaining a steady downup-down-up “1 and 2 and” motion with your pick
While it’s possible to learn how to use a metronome from a book, this is just a brief guide to get you started. If you nd it’s not working, don’t worry! Most people, myself included, learn this stuff by actually listening and playing along - you need to experience it. Visit our website, and check back often, for rhythm-based lessons you can actually hear: http://goodguitarist.com/learn-lead-guitar 21
Hammer-On’s A hammer-on is a technique in which the guitarist brings down his or her nger with enough force and precision to cause a note to ring out even though the string hasn’t been plucked. Hammer-on’s are usually integrated seamlessly into musical phrases to give it a smoother feel, since it sounds a bit softer than a plucked note.
It usually works like this...
First, pluck the string and play a note, as usual.
Then, “hammer” another nger onto a higher fret, on the same string.
And if it doesn't sound good, try this... A common pitfall, when rst learning the hammer-on technique, is to push it too hard - being precise is much more important that getting a lot of force into it . Make sure you are using the tip of your nger, not the soft, at part. Start slow, focus on being accurate and your hammer-on volume will become consistent over time.
22
In TAB, a hammer-on is notated by a curved line connecting 2 notes. In this example, we’d pluck the 5th fret and hammer on to the 7th.
5
7
now you try it... Being able to play hammer-on’s over the minor pentatonic scale is essential for any lead guitarist. It will not only build nger-strength but also allow you to play the scale faster and with more dynamic variety. Hammer-on exercise over Em Pentatonic scale
12 15
12 14
12 14
12 14
12 15
12 15
Practice Tip:
Keep the rhythm steady, as if you were alternate picking. Some students have a tendency to pluck the rst note and hammer-on too quickly. Fix this by practicing with a metronome: pluck a note on the rst beat, hammer-on during the next beat, repeat.
This classic lick has made its way into every kind of music, from country to funk. It is probably the most recognizable lick that involves hammer-on’s and comes from the minor pentatonic scale. “5 - 6 - 1” hammer-on lick in the key of C
5
7
5
5
7
Practice Tip:
5
5
7
5
Practice this with a metronome - a lot. Even if you don’t plan on playing this lick, your hands will be making this type of motion quite a bit so please take this opportunity to build up your muscle memory.
23
Pull-off’s A pull-off is a technique in which the guitarist “icks” the string as they remove a nger, causing it to ring out without having to pick the string. It’s the equal, op posite motion to the hammer-on and, when combined, they can help guitarists to play much faster than strict alternate picking.
Just lifting your nger off the string isn’t going to do much. For potent pull-off’s, you need to pull down slightly and then lift your nger off the string. It’ll kind of look like you’re drawing a “check mark” in the air with your nger. A good pull-off, like a good hammer-on, should have as much volume as a plucked note.
Trills You may have gured out already that it’s possible to play a hammer-on and then a pull-off and then another hammer-on, etc. without having to pluck the string. This is called a trill and, if played evenly and quickly enough, it creates a "uttery" sound. The real trick is in practicing your hammer-on’s and pull-off’s separately, maintaining a steady rhythm and volume. Once you’re comfortable with that, try the exercise below. First we play a hammer-on combined with a pull-off. Then we practice a pull-off combined with a hammer-on. Afterwards, you’ll want to combine the two parts, seamlessly. You’ll be trillin’ it in no time!
5
7
5
7 24
5
7
In TAB, the pull-off uses the same symbol as the hammer-on. It’s easy to tell them apart though: the note goes higher for a hammer-on and lower for a pull-off.
7
5
now you try it... Being able to play pull-off’s over the minor pentatonic scale is just as essential as the hammer-on. Once you can easily play this exercise, try combining it with the hammer-on one from the previous page. Pull-off exercise over Em Pentatonic scale
15 12
14 12
14 12
14 12
15 12
15 12
Practice Tip:
Keep the rhythm steady, as if you were alternate picking. Even though you may want to pluck the rst note and pull-off right away. Fix this by practicing with a metronome: pluck a note on the rst beat, pull-off during the next beat, repeat.
This lick can be played very fast, but you should practice it slowly until it’s perfect, before speeding it up. Watch a video of Carlos Santana playing live and odds are he’ll bust it out once or twice! Linear pull-off lick in the key of A minor
8
6
5
8
6
5
Practice Tip:
8
6
5
8
When practicing this lick with a metronome, try to play the notes as triplets (in groups of 3). This means you’d play 3 notes for every click (which is convenient since the lick is 3 notes, over and over).
25
Slides Slides are really simple. You play a note, and then slide that nger up or down the fretboard without releasing the pressure from that nger. Usually they’re used in a subtle way, quickly and over a short distance, but you can also slide all the way up or down the fretboard for a much more obvious effect.
5
Sliding up...
7
... and down
12
7
now you try it... Slide exercise - try it on every string
2
5
5
2
2
7
7
2
2
12 12
2
Practice Tip:
Experiment with how quickly you slide up to a note. You can pluck the rst note, wait a bit and then slide, or pluck the note and slide right away. This is a chance to have a bit of fun with it and see what kind of sounds you can make!
This lick sounds great if you play it with a triplet feel (“One-and-uhTwo-and-uh”) and can be repeated, over and over, to give your solos some energy! Classic blues lick, using slides on G minor pentatonic
5
7
6
7
Practice Tip:
5
3
You NEED to start with your 3rd nger or it’ll be really tough to get this sounding smooth. Also, if you do the 2nd slide with your index nger, it’ll be possible to loop this lick easily.
26
BENDS Bends are one of the most recognizable guitar techniques but also one of the trickiest. The guitarist usually plays a note, and then bends the string until it reach es the next pitch. The string can also be bent rst and then plucked for a “pre-bend”.
It usually works like this...
First, pluck the string and play a note, as usual.
Then, push the string up until it sounds like the note that’s 2 frets higher.
At rst, you should only practice bending with your 3rd and 4th ngers. This way, you can help that nger out by placing your other fngers on the same string and using all of them to bend the string.
If it doesn't sound good, try this... 1. 2. 3. 4.
Get a guitar tuner Pick a note on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd string Play this note and make sure it’s perfectly in tune Bend this note, using your 3rd nger and stop as you reach the note that’s 1 fret higher - use the tuner to make sure this bent note is perfectly in tune 5. Play the rst note again, make sure it’s still in tune 6. Bend this note up and stop as you reach the note that’s 2 frets higher If you are having trouble determining which note you should bend to, review the section “Know Your Roots” and apply the same information to reading your tuner. 27
