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A Brief History of Delay, and a Unique Way to Use It
Delay is one of the coolest and most heavily used effects in rock. In this column, learn a bit about the history of the effect, and a neat way to utilize it.
Basic Bossa Rhythm for Guitar
Besides the swing rhythm, one of the most common rhythms I get asked about from readers and students studying jazz guitar is the Bossa Nova rhythm.
Ninth Chords Made Easy
As many of you readers begin to dig deeper into learning jazz guitar harmony and voicings, you'll undoubtedly come across various ninth chords—Maj9, m9, 9, etc.—in your jazz-guitar explorations.
Tritone Sub-Patterns, Part 1: Arpeggios
One of the most commonly used chord subs in jazz guitar, the tritone sub, is a concept that comes up time and again when studying soloing and comping, but sometimes its meaning and usage isn’t clear.
Joe Bonamassa’s Mesmerizing Fingerstyle Riffs
Joe Bonamassa picked up a guitar at age four, could cop SRV and Hendrix licks note-for-note by age seven, and was discovered by B.B. King while still in his pre-teens.
Alex Lifeson's Acoustic Prog-Rock Riffs
Progressive-rock was primarily a “British thing,” exemplified by acts like King Crimson, Genesis, Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer.
Soloing with the Mixed Blues Scale
You don’t need to go very far to find a cool-sounding scale that can jazz up your blues solos in no time. We’ll be looking into the mixed blues scale, which combines the notes from the minor and...
Tritone Side-Stepping for Guitar
One of the most common questions I get from jazz guitarists is, “How do I bring a more modern sound into my solos?” While there is no single answer, there are a few things we can do in order to...
In a Rut? Try Picking Up Another Instrument
I’m sick of practicing. I’m in a rut. Nothing I do is original. I’ve played this a million times already. I don’t seem to be getting better. Where do “THEY” get all those good ideas, anyway?
Playing 7th Chord Arpeggios Over Three Octaves
In this lesson, we are going to expand on my previous lesson—"How to Seamlessly Play Arpeggios Over Three Octaves"—and add the chord’s 7th degree to the arpeggios. Not only will this lesson help...
Five Ways to Conquer Sweep Picking
Sweep picking is a technique you probably hear about all the time. It’s certainly a widely used concept that many players have adapted to fit into their own playing styles, whether it’s the...
The Fastest Way to Build Picking Speed
Being able to play fast runs on the guitar has its advantages, and not simply for shredding or showing how many notes you can play per second.
Introduction to Jazz Blues Guitar
When learning how to play jazz guitar, one of the most common progressions guitarists check out is the jazz blues progression.