Guitar Lessons with Tune in, Tone up!

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Rhythm Guitar Lesson 1b: Ideas to develop your groove, pulse and funk Feb 04, 2023

Timings for the SoundCloud audio version of Rhythm Guitar Lesson 1b: 00:00:22 Using Eartrainer to practise the rhythm of a piece separated from the melody 00:01:08 A simple idea for practising rhythm 00:01:22 Starting with a bar of 4/4 and then throwing in some 8th notes 00:02:28 Using the offbeat and how to play challenging rhythms 00:02:58 Riff from Human by the Killers and timing it right 00:03:40 The 8th note at the beginning of the riff that isn't heard 00:05:10 Sing the rhythms - do it in your head 00:05:20 Sixteenth notes starting on the offbeat can be tricky 00:05:43 Start of our Funk mini study 00:06:39 Yngwie's quote: "groove or die" 00:07:21 Right hand playing, percussive hits in funk music 00:07:51 Sixteenth notes with accents on the beat 00:08:26 Make the right hand consistent, lock in with drums / metronome 00:11:12 Demo of the same funk groove with and without the percussive notes 00:13:00 All this kind of practise helps to instil a sense of pulse 00:13:57 What does a drummer do when he is performing fills? 00:14:09 Demo of acting like a drummer 00:15:18 Playing funk solos in this way is a great way to practise 00:17:00 Dan's advice to listen to Cory Wong - will share in our show-notes 00:19:31 There is life beyond power chords Here is the second half of the lesson: Dan gives us some reminders for your practice and how to play 16th funk strumming patterns with confidence and so that they sound groovy. Dan demonstrates what we’re aiming for when developing an inner pulse through a funk improvisation in which he mirrors what a drummer is thinking when they support a funky track with fills and mini solos. I have been adding to my own new practice regime lots of metronome work based on what we will discuss next time.

Rhythm Guitar Lesson 1a: Note divisions, terminology and practice ideas Jan 29, 2023

This is the first lesson in our new mini-series on the topic of rhythm. R.I.P. Jeff Beck :( Dan and I, in our first lesson look over the basics of rhythm: Firstly, covering what the difference between a quarter note, eighth note and sixteenth note along with the synonyms of crotchet, quaver and semi-quaver. Next Dan talks about staccato, dotted notes, tied notes, off-beats and counting; along with guitar strumming techniques which work for him. Finally, we look at some reggae and funk examples – although the funk examples will be reserved for next installment of the podcast when we will release the second half of the first lesson. Stay tuned for some brilliant reminders for your practice and how to play 16th funk strumming patterns with confidence and so that they sound groovy – all coming up in Rhythm Guitar Lesson 1b. I have been adding to my own new practice regime lots of metronome work based on what we will discuss next time. Timings for the SoundCloud audio version 00:01:25 A few words on Jeff Beck 00:04:45 Intro to rhythm and a reminder about how important it is to work on 00:05:32 Quick bit on EarMaster and how Gary has been using it in his practice 00:07:22 Look at the real basics of note values and rhythmic divisions in a bar 00:08:27 Dan's breakdown of rhythmic values and basics of music reading 00:14:22 Stacatto notes 00:14:52 Extending notes with dots or ties 00:15:34 Using the spider gym for warming up, rhythm and playing without tension 00:16:01 Variations of Spider Gym finger patterns - see notes 00:16:51 Funky and reggae rhythms and use of syncopation and off-beats 00:18:40 Keeping track by using down and upstrokes to help your rhythmic work 00:20:21 Reggae: focussing on the offbeat on the high strings I have always struggled with rhythm playing: it doesn’t come very naturally to me. Recently, I have been coming to the realisation that this aspect of my playing, while I have already worked hard to really improve it, needs a lot more work and practice. I remember having a discussion with a musician friend of mine and we were discussing ‘groove’ and ‘being in the pocket’ and he mentioned a person who he played with sounding so professional and being of the mind that it is because her rhythm playing is so strong and well-rehearsed. This rings true for me and I can hear that same level of precision and expertise in Dan’s playing. Spider Gym finger patterns: 1234 2134 3124 4123 1243 2143 3142 4132 1324 2314 3214 4213 1342 2341 3241 4231 1423 2413 3412 4312 1432 2431 3421 4321

Jeff Beck songs and albums to listen to and a quick update Jan 12, 2023

Rick Beato and Tim Pierce: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2IWnGNF80I Andy wood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGcCswgaleE Rick Beato on Jeff Beck having just seen him 3 months ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nV9bnaqqfq8&t=161s Live at Ronnie Scotts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFx__GfJHWw I just wanted to share my own listening and way of absorbing the tragic news of Jeff Beck's passing. I really thought I was going to see him again. The man was such a legend and what he played on the guitar is from another world, sublime and glorious. He is not just one of best guitarists, but one of the best musicians and of all time! RIP

Guitar lesson on using bends, specifically overbends, when improvising Dec 20, 2022

Sponsor Tune in Tone up and become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/tuneintoneup (e.g. £1 / month as a tip for what we do) Sign up as an All Access student to TrueFire here: https://prf.hn/l/3Y32QvV Sign up to TrueFire today: https://prf.hn/l/MDmJ5bB Save 30% on anything at TrueFire with promo code: "TONEUP30" This is our follow up episode following on from last week’s foray into the jamming tracks created by Andy Timmons on TrueFire’s “In the Jam” tracks. This week, we start the episode with a quick shout out to our Patreon page which we hope that you will seriously consider giving to. You will get a shout out in future episodes, if you wish, and there are tiered benefits available. If we had a pound for everyone who has ever listened to Tune in Tone up, then we would be very happy guitar podcasters indeed. After this initial launch, Dan and I have an improvisation over the Andy Timmons track from last week. We then have a listen to a snippet of Andy Timmon’s own improvisation and if you would like to hear more and have these tracks for yourself, then click this link: https://prf.hn/l/MDmJ5bB and find his set of jamming tracks and buy it using TONEUP30 at the check out. We then move on to talking about bending and Dan distinguishes between under and over bending as a mistake that lots of guitarists, especially as they are starting out, make frequently. Then we move on to the topic of overbending as a technique in itself and put this to some use over another one of Andy Timmons jam tracks – A Funky Motif, key of Cm. Finally, we take a cursory look at Matt Schofield’s amazing course – Blues Speak. We listen to him talking about Albert Collins using the minor pentatonic with an added 6th, then an excerpt of an improvisation by Matt Schofield to demonstrate this idea. We then take a very quick look at where the idea of overbending came from: Matt Schofield’s, Blues Speak on Albert King where we hear him ‘wrestle’ the notes from the bend. Timings for the SoundCloud audio version 00:00:33 Final Christmas call to use our links to start your TrueFire journey 00:00:45 Our 30% off promo code: "TONEUP30" 00:01:19 Patreon donations: https://www.patreon.com/tuneintoneup 00:01:28 Improvisation over Andy Timmons backing track 00:05:58 The advantages of TrueFire's In the Jams 00:07:43 Andy Timmons improvising over his track on TrueFire's In the Jam 00:08:23 Principles of bending and an intro to the idea of overbending 00:08:29 Often people accidentally over or under bend when learning to bend 00:09:05 A brief word on muting with the left and right hand 00:09:20 Easier to remedy an overbend than an underbend 00:09:49 Overbending as a technique in itself 00:10:24 Overbending over Andy Timmons - funky motif, key of Cm 00:15:07 Matt Schofield on Albert Collins - minor pentatonic with the 6th 00:15:29 Gary briefly talks through the TrueFire course platform 00:16:16 Matt Schofield's 'BLUES SPEAK' course on Albert King and overbending 00:17:06 TrueFire Advert - last chance to use "TONEUP30" to save 30% on TrueFire Hey everyone! We are really pleased to have this mini-series sponsored by TrueFire until Christmas: it is the most excellent, expansive and extensive online lessons platform. Keep watching, listening and getting in touch. We really want to hear from you! Gary and Dan

Guitar lesson on dynamics, motifs and subtlety using Andy Timmon's TrueFire Jam Track Dec 13, 2022

Sign up as an All Access student to TrueFire here: https://prf.hn/l/3Y32QvV Sign up to TrueFire today: https://prf.hn/l/MDmJ5bB Save 30% on anything at TrueFire with promo code "TONEUP30" Timings for the SoundCloud audio version 00:00:34 TrueFire - offers and advert 00:02:17 Jam over Andy Timmons TrueFire track 00:05:36 Talking about Andy Timmons 00:06:56 Introduction to TrueFire's 'In the Jam' controls 00:08:46 Let's listen to Andy Timmons playing over the same track 00:09:56 Moved along towards the end of Andy Timmon's solo 00:10:41 Again with the lead analysis on and changing track volumes 00:11:45 Learning point: it's okay to make mistakes 00:12:02 Playing at home or in rehearsal is the time for mistakes 00:12:43 Know exactly what you are doing for performances 00:13:36 Targets should be challenging 00:14:00 Discussion around dynamics and having a motif 00:16:23 Try having a repeated motif for cohesion 00:17:13 Guthrie Govan: each note has a special quality 00:18:16 Listen to how the track builds up 00:18:35 2nd set of improvisations over the track This is our follow up episode on playing using dynamics, subtlety and motifs to build interest into your improvisations and melodies. It follows on from our earlier lessons on how to use sequences to open the fretboard and also the previous episode on TrueFire courses and their jam tracks. Last lesson we looked at building pace and speed and this time we look more at the finer points of improvising. During this lesson Dan and I start and end this episode with a jam over one of Andy Timmon’s jam tracks produced for TrueFire. This track forms part of their series called ‘In the Jam’ and as the title implies, these are multi-track top quality produced tracks where you have the control over the different tracks. It is possible to easily mute the lead guitar and use it as a backing track. Another great feature is the function to play a lead guitar commentary video and audio. For the track we are looking at, Andy Timmons talks over his solo and improvisation choices to explain what he did and why he did it, along with sharing his wisdom. It is a fantastic feature, which is not shared by all the series of ‘In the Jams’ but something which we loved about the Andy Timmons series.

Guitar lesson on playing with pace: plectrums, picking, practise, sequences and strings Dec 06, 2022

Sign up as an All Access student to TrueFire here: https://prf.hn/l/3Y32QvV Sign up to TrueFire today: https://prf.hn/l/MDmJ5bB Save 30% on anything at TrueFire with promo code "TONEUP30" This is our follow up episode on playing at speed and pace. It follows on from our earlier lesson on how to use sequences to open the fretboard and also the previous episode on TrueFire courses and their jam tracks. During this lesson Dan discusses plectrums and we look at 5 specific types and discuss some of their pros and cons. Next, we look at and review some sequences which will speed up your playing and give you some automated patterns to throw into your solos. Next, we discuss the picking hand and give some brief insights into some picking techniques. Finally, we discuss some areas to focus on in your practice and the difference that strings make to your speed and tone. Thank you TrueFire for sponsoring our podcast and with Christmas coming, what better gift could there be for a guitar fanatic? We are grateful for your vote of confidence and are fully enthusiastic about your product in return. How could we not be? The TrueFire guitar learning platform is massive and meticulous in its layout and content. Timings for the SoundCloud audio version 00:02:16 Start of remit on playing at pace 00:03:39 What plectrum to choose? 00:04:42 Pick number: A jazz 3, Jim Dunlop - Eric Johnson shape 00:06:45 Pick number 2: Big Jazzer Red Bear pick 00:07:29 What is a bevel? 00:08:52 Pick 3: Red Bear Jazz3 00:09:46 Pick 4: John Petrucci Dunlop 00:14:03 Some sequences to have in the trick bag 00:14:04 Top tips for pentatonic blastage 00:14:43 First - the 4s pattern 00:15:05 Pattern 1 (ex1): 8 5(e), 8 5 (B) 00:15:11 Pattern 2 (ex2): 5 (e), 8 5 (B), 7 (G) 00:15:31 4s, down the pentatonic, ex1 and ex2 00:15:53 Reverse 4s sequence 00:17:44 Moving up the frets through different positions 00:19:00 Moving up using 2 string and 3 string sequence of 4s 00:21:12 Eric Johnson uses straight pentatonic 00:22:53 Classic Johnson 6s 00:23:38 Roll notes using economy picking 00:24:35 Using sequences of 3s 00:24:35 Group into sequences of 3 00:26:20 Joe Bonamassa / Eric Johnson - top notes of Pentatonic and work up 00:27:18 Adding the 9th 00:28:20 Four notes: the root and adding a 3rd note on the string 00:30:40 Practice regime - straight up and down the pentatonic scale 00:31:40 Playing without tension 00:32:36 Playing very gently and still lightly holding onto notes 00:34:37 Strings, tone and frequencies 00:37:23 Doubling up on your highest and lowest notes 00:37:47 Why does it feel easier on 3 notes per string? 00:39:05 Focus your practise on your picking hand Hey everyone! We are really pleased to have this mini-series sponsored by TrueFire until Christmas: it is the most excellent, expansive and extensive online lessons platform. Their product is so well thought out and educational that Dan and I are confident that you will find it an inspirational and valuable addition to your guitar learning arsenal. Sign up and receive 14 days to decide before you wish to pay for your subscription, without even needing to enter your card details. You really have nothing to lose and a world of knowledge and skills to gain.

Guitar lesson exploring voice leading, alternate picking and a TrueFire jam track Nov 29, 2022

Sign up as an All Access student to TrueFire here: https://prf.hn/l/3Y32QvV Sign up to TrueFire today: https://prf.hn/l/MDmJ5bB Save 30% on anything at TrueFire with promo code "TONEUP30" This is the first part of an episode on playing at speed and pace. It follows on from our earlier lesson on how to use sequences to open the fretboard. Next lesson we will look at some ways that you might use sequences to build speed and gain interest. Dan will also identify the two-string rule and explain how you can use pairs of strings to repeat licks in different octaves. In this first part, however, our guitar chat is based on TrueFire, our current sponsors. Thank you TrueFire for sponsoring our podcast and with Christmas coming, what better gift could there be for a guitar fanatic? We are grateful for your vote of confidence and are fully enthusiastic about your product in return. How could we not be? The TrueFire guitar learning platform is massive and meticulous in its layout and content. In this episode, Dan and I look at two courses from TrueFire and an ‘in the Jam’ track by Joe Bonamassa: 1. Jazz Comping Handbook by Ted Ludwig - voice leading 2. Andy Wood Modern Telecaster Shred 3. In the Jam – Joe Bonamassa Timings for the SoundCloud audio version 00:00:34 TrueFire introduction and details for purchasing 00:05:17 Jazz Comping Handbook by Ted Ludwig - voice leading 00:06:37 Progression - Em7, A7, Dm7, G7, Cmaj7 00:08:08 What are the two most significant notes in a chord? 00:09:51 A connected feel 00:10:07 Demo from Ted Ludvig’s TrueFire Course 00:12:48 Separating the top notes of the chord from the bass note 00:14:41 Andy Wood Modern Telecaster Shred 00:17:28 Andy Wood's lick at full speed 00:18:27 Slowed down Andy Wood’s lick at 50% 00:21:23 In the Jam - Bonamassa and Dust Bowl Hey everyone! We are really pleased to be able to share the great news that TrueFire – the most excellent, expansive and extensive online lessons platform – have decided to sponsor our podcast until Christmas. Their product is so well thought out and educational that Dan and I are confident that you will find it an inspirational and valuable addition to your guitar learning arsenal. Sign up and receive 14 days to decide before you wish to pay for your subscription, without even needing to enter your card details. You really have nothing to lose and a world of knowledge and skills to gain.

Guitar lesson on using sequences for the ‘wow’ factor and beyond the Pentatonic box Nov 22, 2022

Sign up as an All Access student to TrueFire here: https://prf.hn/l/3Y32QvV Sign up to TrueFire today: https://prf.hn/l/MDmJ5bB Save 30% on anything at TrueFire with promo code "TONEUP30" Hey everyone! We are really pleased to be able to share the great news that TrueFire – the most excellent, expansive and extensive online lessons platform – have decided to sponsor our podcast until Christmas. Their product is so well thought out and educational that Dan and I are confident that you will find it an inspirational and valuable addition to your guitar learning arsenal. Sign up and receive 14 days to decide before you wish to pay for your subscription, without even needing to enter your card details. You really have nothing to lose and a world of knowledge and skills to gain. Our lesson today is about gaining some go to and rehearsed sequences and ways of travelling around the fretboard between the different pentatonic patterns. There are some great ideas within on breaking out of the pentatonic box and developing some methods of linking the scale patterns as you are improvising. The benefit of rehearsing these sequences is that you can practise them and woodshed them to be able to deliver them at speeds which will really add some rhythmic fairy dust and exude the ‘wow’ factor. Timings for the SoundCloud audio version 00:00:34 TrueFire introduction 00:02:16 First improvisation 00:06:29 Review of last episode 00:07:24 Introduction to today's podcast 00:08:20 Getting away from box shapes and scale patterns 00:08:47 The 12th fret Em Pentatonic and spicing it up 00:11:24 Look at strings in 3 pairs - E and A, D and G, B and E 00:12:28 Mention of Tom Quayle 00:13:41 Limit your lick to two strings then repeat in three octaves 00:14:04 Example of this idea 00:15:43 Full Em scale with 3 notes on E string, then 4 notes on A x3 00:16:26 The Em scale over two strings, repeated 00:17:24 Em pentatonic same idea: [E, G, A / B, >D] 00:18:00 Repeat x4 on these strings: EA, AD, DG, BE 00:19:34 2nd Jam over the track 00:24:01 End of improv 00:24:32 The useful logic of the layout of notes on a piano (vs the guitar) 00:25:09 Use fret markers as guides 00:27:21 Minor pentatonic with an A root note 00:30:02 Reminders of scales 00:31:01 How to travel from position 4 to position 1? 00:31:20 Going through position 5 00:31:41 Linking patterns together 00:31:58 Hammer on two strings, return to the second note in 5s 00:32:46 Carry the sequences up on the two middle strings 00:34:01 Use the 3 notes sequence to transfer positions 00:35:39 Slow breakdown 00:36:41 Connect using the four note pattern sequence 00:37:52 Going down in fours on the top E and B string 00:38:53 You can do this same sequence but in reverse 00:39:42 The 'trick bag' 00:40:55 Different keys 00:41:19 Phrygian solo ideas 00:42:02 Dan identifying the plateau which may come from getting stuck in the Blues pattern 00:42:20 Extend the time spent going from A to B by sequencing 00:42:43 Sequence across patterns to extend the duration 00:43:22 Be melodic but be able to extend your phrases by using sequences 00:44:30 To develop your own sound develop flairs, styles and ways of negotiating the fretboard 00:45:49 The wow factor: Joe Bonamassa and developing playing full of sequences and symmetry 00:46:19 How to make things symmetrical 00:48:17 Guthrie Govan: Creative Guitar 00:49:04 Summary: 1) duplicate patterns on pairs of strings 2) learn sequences to connect patterns 00:50:35 Isolate the sequence

Guitar lesson on improvising with emotion, creativity, rhythm to tell a story Oct 20, 2022

Dan always has such brilliant nuggets of information to share with us and this episode holds some immensely valuable and powerful thoughts and ideas. After a brief recap we have a round of improvisation which leads our discussion to pickup choice and tonal differentiation. Dan shares some ideas about how you can gain different sounds with your technique and touch. Then we discuss rhythmic motifs and grouping notes to gain interest and be more sensitive to what the track is doing. This leads us to discuss how you must listen actively and deeply to a track to really consider what the tone of the piece is and how the instrumentation of it allows space for improvising. First Dan talks about trying to label the emotion of a track and then he really highlights to me that the main driver of a musician is that they have something to say and want to express themselves through their music. Dan talks about how you can use rhythm, volume, dynamics and tone as the vehicle to deliver your story. Phrasing is key but nuance and subtlety can be very effective for really giving the listener something to grasp onto. Timings for the SoundCloud audio version 00:01:22 Brief recap 00:04:09 Last couple of episodes we were adding the 2nd / 9th, Blues note and 6th 00:06:33 How can we add a little style and technique 00:07:26 First round of soloing over the backing track 00:11:12 Be your best judge - look at your playing and be honest 00:12:59 Pickup choice for tonal differentiation 00:13:53 Playing 12 frets higher over the fingerboard to get a clarinet like sound 00:14:47 Jingle jangle - play near the bridge 00:15:18 changing your pick up is a good way to change your tone 00:18:09 Rhythm of playing a melody - grouping notes, Dan demoing a noodling shambles 00:19:12 You have got to listen to the track - what's the track saying? 00:19:24 Gary mentioning Dan tells a good story when he improvises 00:20:07 Labelling the emotion of a song 00:21:48 Funkadelic - Maggotbrain 00:22:25 Bowie's guitarist 00:23:13 Tell a story through the guitar melody and improvisation 00:23:33 e.g. Imagine you're in a disaster scenario 00:23:56 Think about what you're playing over and be sympathetic to what you're playing over 00:24:28 Second round of improv 00:31:36 Talk techniques next time 00:32:41 The main driver of music is we have something to say and want to express ourselves through our music 00:34:01 Think of a song like a book - a beginning, a middle and an end 00:34:58 Dan's advice for Gary is to remember that the biggest difference you can make in improvising is through rhythm, volume, dynamics and tone 00:36:37 Dan demoing how the dynamics can be controlled by a mix of volume and playing lightly or digging in 00:37:36 Use nuance, subtlety and change your tone through your technique - playing softly and disguising the gain 00:38:51 Leave yourself headroom and limit your finger noise using the volume knob and nuance in your playing 00:39:55 Homework: play over a backing track focussing on volume, subtlety and different sounds 00:41:14 Try to tell a story in your playing and practise trying to play with emotion

Guitar lesson on adding the 6th and the 9th to the pentatonic scale Oct 02, 2022

It’s really brilliant to be back and we are loving recording and releasing new content for you, our wonderful listeners. This lesson is an extension of the previous one and we aim to continue this into another lesson next time with a focus on the style and techniques that you might use to deliver your lines and package your improvisation. This lesson tackles adding the 6th and 9th intervals without huge amounts of theory but, hopefully, immediately usable ideas and a rationale that will help to spice up your solos and motivate and inspire you to perform. We use a backing track for our own noodling and improvisations. As always, I apologise for mine and listening back hope to continue working on tightening up the rhythmic motifs and delivery but we hope that you will take something from listening to both of us, warts and all. After all, learning can really take place when mistakes can shine a light on areas for improvement. This is one thing that I always really take from producing these podcasts – the opportunity to record myself in the moment and without preparation time then to listen back and spot the issues and set myself some targets. Dan’s playing, as always, continues to give me a whole plethora of ideas and inspiration. I hope it does for you too. You’ll hear our chosen backing track with our improvisations at just after 5 and 25 minutes in today’s lesson. Next lesson, we will focus on some techniques and style. The backing track is called: Dirty Blues Rock Guitar Backing Track Jam in Am https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p66uR4HAU4 Timings for the SoundCloud audio version 00:01:42 Brief recap of last episode 00:02:42 The first pentatonic shape 00:02:52 The penatonic shape an octave higher 00:03:05 Pentatonic with extension up the neck 00:04:53 A little bit of fire and a little bit of polish 00:05:11 Dirty Blues Rock Guitar Backing Track Jam in Am 00:05:43 Start of first backing track 00:11:45 Adding the 9th B note in A 00:12:08 Adding in the 6th note or F# in A 00:14:23 Essentially we now have all the notes of the Dorian mode 00:15:15 So we can get some nice uses - solo opener is to bend from the 6th up to the 7th 00:16:30 Carl Verheyen - What is it that makes one player sound so different? It's the line. The way players construct their line 00:18:26 Key of A in one position - you run out of notes 00:18:37 Start below the position and work above it my working diagonally 00:19:42 Little insight on Van Halen - using patterns which might move out of key 00:20:11 Yngwie Malmstein - Always in key 00:20:17 Allan Holdsworth and Ollie Halsall (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcCoPmVLwjE) 00:21:04 Flesh out the Dorian mode in Am 00:25:30 second jam 00:32:27 Considering the style, techniques and delivery of the lines: we'll make this the focus for next time 00:32:49 Homework - look at TrueFire, play over backing tracks and consider your note choice and the techniques you are using 00:33:49 Make your mistakes in the Woodshed 00:34:55 Then take your ideas into rehearsal 00:36:19 Use a metronome while figuring stuff out 00:36:33 Home is where you get your stuff together, rehearsal and home are where you make mistakes and live is where you make as few mistakes as possible

Guitar lesson on opening up the pentatonic scale Sep 18, 2022

We’re back!! Thank you for sticking with us and waiting patiently, or indeed finding us for the first time. Please look back at our back catalogue and subscribe to our podcast on whatever platform you listen to podcasts on. Tell all your guitar playing friends and perhaps even get directly in touch with us or leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Reviews help us more than anything else. In this lesson, Dan and I return to look at the Pentatonic scale and how it can be used over a Blues major shuffle or over a minor Blues progression. We look at a couple of notes which can be added for a different ‘flavour’ and be used to change the feel of your improvising. Here we add in first the tritone or flattened fifth note to play the Blues scale. Second we add in the major second or ninth note to play a hexatonic scale or the pedestrian minor scale. There are a couple of backing tracks we use around 19 minutes and 29 minutes in. The first is a Chicago Blues Shuffle Backing Track (E) and the latter is called Soulful Chill in Eminor, by Elevated Jam Tracks. Concluding with some cud chewing about rhythm playing, we hope that this lesson has something of value in it, whatever your skill level. Timings for the SoundCloud audio version 00:01:40 Dan's album during lockdown - album on Spotify called Flight 00:02:26 Introduction to the TrueFire Platform 00:02:54 We will be hopefully making shorter and concise lessons 00:03:14 What is the plan for our lesson today? 00:04:32 How to get slightly away from the position 1 pentatonic box and give yourself a few more options to play 00:06:00 Start with the pentatonic Em pentatonic in position 1 00:06:35 Mirror on the octave position 00:07:03 Change to the Blues scale by adding a Bb (b5) 00:08:08 Why do people get locked into these patterns? 00:09:59 Blues playing - minor over major chords 00:10:07 Greg Koch - TrueFire video on Jeff Beck 00:11:18 Let's look at neutral notes 00:13:27 What else is there that we can add to both a major or minor blues scenario? 00:14:21 The b5 note is already playing outside the key as a deliberate tension or flavour 00:15:39 Played on it's own it sounds like Nine Inch Nails - Hurt 00:15:45 Adding the second, F#, works in both a major and a minor scenario 00:17:09 The octave up position with the F# added in 00:18:08 This is called the hexitonal scale or the pedestrian minor 00:19:09 Setting up the first backing track: Chicago Blues Shuffle Backing Track (E) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_BPMCYcl8Y) 00:19:37 Soloing over the backing track with pentatonic position 5 only 00:20:40 Now we use the Blues Scale (adding in the Bb note) 00:21:46 Now the hexitonal - adding the F# or the major second 00:22:51 Put it all together - Blues and major second 00:24:11 The added F# changes the vibe quite drastically 00:24:49 Play through the Blues note quite quickly as an inflection 00:25:26 Nine Inch Nails use of the b5 and the Ace of Spades 00:26:35 A standard track in Em rather than the major Blues Shuffle 00:27:57 Interlocking pentatonic shape like a jigsaw on the fretboard 00:29:12 Elevated Jam Tracks - Soulful Chill in Eminor (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBZepOP0mvI) 00:32:16 Follow down through the positions and keep your rhythmic intent 00:33:26 Following rhythmic play through the scales 00:35:31 A simple way to increase interest in a pentatonic scale by adding the F# note

Guitar lesson on harmonies and how best to use them Apr 25, 2020

In this lesson, Dan and I return with an audio only lesson but a really useful lesson on harmonizing guitar parts. In this lesson: Dan defines what it means to harmonize guitar parts, we examine how this is different to pitch shifting when working in a key, we play the C major scale with harmony parts in 2nds, 3rds, 4ths and so on, we harmonize the theme tune for Eastenders (PAAAAT!!) and we try to harmonize a lick with bends in it (I struggle with bending over another part). The lesson ends with some discussion about the issues you may face when harmonizing, Dan gives some practical uses including the riff for Led Zeppelin’s Rock n’ Roll and finally there is a summary of the learning points of the lesson and notable tips. 00:00:59 Setting up this lesson on guitar harmonies and harmony vocals 00:05:01 Defining a harmony part 00:06:53 If you just keep the same distance between the two notes, some notes will fall out of key 00:08:35 Conclusion: harmonizing is not the same as pitch shifting 00:10:06 How a harmonizer pedal works 00:11:16 Harmonizing the C major scale 00:12:13 Adding a number to each note in the scale 00:17:46 Dan and I playing the C major in unison 00:17:58 Discussion around 2nds and our next activity 00:18:52 Dan and I playing the c major scale a 2nd apart 00:20:16 Discussion around 3rds 00:21:03 Dan and I playing the C major scale a 3rd apart 00:21:45 Discussion around 4ths 00:22:53 Dan and I playing the c major scale a 4th apart 00:23:39 2-part harmony vs multiple parts 00:24:16 Dan and I playing the c major scale a 5th apart 00:26:07 Dan and I playing the c major scale a 6th apart 00:27:10 Discussion around 7ths 00:27:30 Dan and I playing the c major scale a 7th apart 00:28:17 Dan and I playing the c major scale an octave apart 00:31:42 9ths 00:32:31 Practical applications of harmonies 00:32:37 Practical application 1: harmonising a simple melody (Eastenders) 00:39:18 Playing harmony 3rds from the B string to the top E string 00:41:19 Back to the Eastenders theme tune and our harmonisation demonstration 00:44:26 What are the practical uses for the Eastenders harmonization idea 00:45:16 Using an idea which the guitar is specifically good at - bending in harmony 00:50:36 Harmonizing the D major pentatonic scale 00:53:31 Back to our bending lick and harmonizing using the A dorian scale 00:55:34 Rock and Roll (Led Zep) - harmonizing rhythm parts 00:58:05 Summary of lesson and some final points

Video Guitar Lesson 18b: Which pedals are most useful and what do they all do? Feb 16, 2020

THE TWO VIDEOS FOR THIS ONE WOULD BE HELPFUL: https://youtu.be/K7N1TxJm17k https://youtu.be/BSAEidhkFcU In this lesson, Dan talks pedals and pedalboards. We take a tour round his board and a small tour round mine too. Then we examine the question (from the perspective of a beginner) of what pedal someone could start out with. Dan also gives his wisdom on some ways which you can keep in mind the big picture (perhaps of a pedalboard) and get the pedals which are the most useful. There’s a really big section in which Dan walks me through what the different uses of the Strymon Timeline are and also regularly demonstrates a wide range of pedals with examples. 00:00:33 Start of main lesson 00:02:11 Using the Timeline - set to Pink Floyd Run Like Hell 00:03:19 Timeline setting - Reverse Delay 00:04:30 Timeline setting for Purple Rain 00:05:12 With a lighter chorus sound 00:05:29 Ducking delay 00:05:50 Clean boost 00:06:27 Different boosts 00:06:52 Wah wah pedal on 00:07:19 Sweep Filter 00:07:43 With compression 00:08:00 Octave pedal effect 00:08:28 Delay for Pink Floyd's - Another Brick in the Wall 00:13:15 Dan playing through my pedalboard 00:13:30 Corona TC Electronic Chorus 00:14:11 Increasing the depth 00:14:26 Delay Boss DSD3 00:15:21 Sampler? 00:15:34 Boss compressor CS3 00:16:34 Using a compressor pedal as a clean boost 00:17:05 Boss Overdrive OD3 00:17:32 A little trick is to leave the drive down and use the level as a boost 00:18:11 Reverb HOF mini 00:18:47 Boss GE7 Equaliser 00:20:06 Stripping it back to beginner level 00:20:29 Running with the question - what pedal ought I buy? 00:20:40 The 'ice' delay setting - pitch shifted delay 00:24:09 Srtymon - Timeline 00:25:22 Timeline: The Wall 00:25:54 Timeline: Always 00:26:43 Timeline: Ice 00:26:49 Timeline: Duck 00:27:14 Timeline: Purple Rain 00:28:09 Timeline: Streets have no name 00:28:52 Timeline: Reverse delay 00:29:34 Timeline: Tape delay (slapback rock and roll) 00:30:10 Timeline: multi-tap (run like hell) 00:30:55 Dan's tips on what pedals to buy 00:31:18 Tremolo - slapback delay (50s) 00:31:30 Less delay, wah wah and fuzz (60s) 00:31:56 Analog delays and chorus (70s) 00:32:52 Chorus and big delay (80s) 00:34:50 Into the Great Wide Open through the looper as a basis for a jam track 00:37:54 First pedal for Dan would be an overdrive 00:41:01 Explanation of overdrive 00:44:27 A good idea for a second pedal - a clean boost 00:44:49 On a clean channel - take into a solo 00:47:37 On a drive setting - a similar application shows the difference in lift 00:50:15 Buffered vs true bypass 00:55:37 Another great pedal is a wah wah 01:01:18 Next suggestion is a compressor 01:03:07 Good for Country music 01:03:46 Using a slight driven sound the compressor sustains the notes 01:06:11 Next type of pedal we discuss is a phaser 01:07:18 Using a phaser on Money (Pink Floyd) 01:08:05 You do something to me - Paul Weller 01:10:12 Another pedal to consider is a flanger 01:11:44 Next pedal is a chorus 01:13:02 Demo - chorus 01:14:18 Tremolo effect 01:17:27 Dan explains how he practically uses his board live 01:20:01 What is delay? Quick rundown 01:26:30 Tying your cables together and prepping your board for a quick setup

Video Guitar Lesson 18a - Rundown And Overview Of Our Pedalboards Feb 16, 2020

THE TWO VIDEOS FOR THIS ONE WOULD BE HELPFUL: https://youtu.be/K7N1TxJm17k https://youtu.be/BSAEidhkFcU This is the preamble for lesson 18, in which Dan and I take the viewer through our pedalboards, briefly describing what the pedal does and how we put together our pedalboard. See lesson 18b for the full lesson

Video Guitar Lesson 17, part 2: Solo Acoustic Ideas - Using A Looper Pedal Sep 03, 2019

In this lesson, Dan helps me out with my acoustic sound for a performance I have been asked to do for my sister-in-law’s wedding. I am performing several songs at the front of their service some of which they have chosen and some of which they have asked me to come up with. As there is a delay on publishing our episodes, this comes after I have actually done the performance and it went very well, particularly because of Dan’s excellent advice and suggestion to use a looper pedal which I followed. In the second part of this lesson, we take a look at how to arrange multiple parts for the looper pedal performance, particularly covering “Something” by the Beatles. In the end, the performance was of the following songs: 1) ‘Something’ by the Beatles: Played while the wedding party awaited the arrival of the bride 2) ‘Textbook’ by We Are Scientists: Played as my sister-in-law walked up the aisle 3) ‘Pretty Ugly Before’ by Elliott Smith: Played while the register was being signed 4) ‘I Don’t Want to Know’ by Fleetwood Mac: Played as everyone left Most songs were played using my Boss RC30 to create a long loop, then some layers added to this on the fly along with some melodic playing and improvisation. On ‘Textbook’ the Looper was not utilised but I used reverb, chorus and a bit of delay to build the atmosphere. The acoustic amp I use is the Marshall AS100D which is great and has an effects loop with the downside of being very heavy. Timings 00:01:05 Equipment which I have bought to the lesson: Gibson J45, Looper RC30, Marshall AS100D 00:01:51 Outlining the four songs I'm doing as part of this performance 00:03:11 Advantages and disadvantages to playing acoustic rather than electric 00:05:55 An experiment to discover what will happen when I push the AS100D a little harder 00:06:41 The low "A" note bass response feedback and how to solve using a soundhole cover 00:11:42 Alternative idea - you could use a volume pedal 00:12:47 Experimenting with the controls on the AS100D 00:17:49 Dan demonstrating 'digging in' on an acoustic 00:19:30 Another thing about the settings on your amp: you want the amp set so you can use "touch" to control the volume and response 00:21:11 Getting onto the songs with the looper 00:24:31 Dan's first go with the looper playing “Something” by the Beatles 00:25:56 Dan's second loop with correct start and end 00:29:23 Identifying the double stops which Dan was using 00:32:09 Dan's suggestion to layer the Am section 00:33:39 Overdubbing the Am section 00:37:47 Dan harmonising the melody of the singer using guitar loops overdubbed 00:44:02 Breakdown of the Am part 00:46:16 Quick discussion about the key change and whether to include it 00:48:04 Considering other equipment like amps, pedals and different types of guitar instruments to get used to in their own right 00:51:27 “Textbook” by We are Scientists 00:52:06 “Pretty Ugly Before” by Elliott Smith 00:56:11 Dan recording a generic chord progression and the value of double stops on acoustic 00:56:27 a) using single notes 00:56:52 b) up an octave 00:57:33 c) using sixths (interval) 00:58:00 d) using arpeggios 00:58:29 e) some more double stops 00:58:57 f) using arpeggiated triads 00:59:11 g) playing quicker - e.g. sweep picking 01:00:01 h) superimposing different chords 01:00:21 i) octaves played concurrently 01:05:51 I Don't Wanna Know Fleetwood Mac

Video Guitar Lesson 16, part 1: Ideas for an effective solo acoustic performance Aug 20, 2019

In this lesson, Dan helps me out with some planning for a performance I have been asked to do for my sister-in-law’s wedding. I am performing several songs at the front of their service some of which they have chosen and some of which they have asked me to come up with. As there is a delay on publishing our episodes, this comes after I have actually done the performance and it went very well, particularly because of Dan’s excellent advice and suggestion to use a looper pedal which I followed. In the end, the performance was of the following songs: 1) ‘Something’ by the Beatles: Played while the wedding party awaited the arrival of the bride 2) ‘Textbook’ by We Are Scientists: Played as my sister-in-law walked up the aisle 3) ‘Pretty Ugly Before’ by Elliott Smith: Played while the register was being signed 4) ‘I Don’t Want to Know’ by Fleetwood Mac: Played as everyone left Most songs were played using my Boss RC30 to create a long loop, then some layers added to this on the fly along with some melodic playing and improvisation. On ‘Textbook’ the Looper was not utilised but I used reverb, chorus and a bit of delay to build the atmosphere. The acoustic amp I use is the Marshall AS100D which is great and has an effects loop with the downside of being very heavy. I the lesson Dan demonstrates some mixed lead and chord playing, which works very well (when he does it). He gave me lots of useful advice and we’ll return to this in part 2 when I take along my RC30 to gain some input on how best to use this in the performance. Dan, as always, is very generous and helpful in his advice. Timings 00:03:24 A quick look at the two acoustics we are using today 00:11:32 Start of getting stuck into the topic of the wedding numbers I've been asked to play 00:13:50 Elliott Smith - Pretty Ugly Before 00:15:58 Dan suggests using a hammer on and pull off instead of the slide 00:16:49 Dan suggests a focus on the importance of the melody 00:18:50 Doing fills over certain chords 00:19:09 A good suggestion to build the looper pedal into my plan for the performance 00:20:03 Play through the song again with Dan adding some improvisation and fills over the top 00:25:33 Quick rundown of Dan's Taylor 314 00:26:49 Dan demoing playing chords as a backdrop and playing a melody concurrently 00:27:54 Second demo of this dual part idea 00:33:25 Advice to pre-prepare and think a lot about the chord changes - play to the chord played over 00:35:18 A quick discussion about the tonality centres found within Elliott Smith's Pretty Ugly Before 00:37:18 Some useful discussion about what to consider with regard to song choice for different scenarios

Video Guitar Lesson 15: Tips For Transcribing, Arranging & Figuring Out Solos By Actively Listening Aug 08, 2019

In this lesson, Dan and I take a look at the outro solo for "Feel Like Makin' Love" by Bad Company - a song which I am covering with my band. During the lesson we go through 9 tips on transcribing from Dan and we look at 9 licks from the solo. Dan shares his ideas with me on tone and effects for songs and also the different ways to approach different sorts of solos. Timings for Video Guitar Lesson 15 - on transcribing: 00:03:18 Boss RC30 Loopstation - I talk about various features on it 00:04:32 I overdub with the part Dan came up with before 00:05:41 Dan's first improvisation over the riff 00:08:42 A word on active listening and the value of ear training 00:13:24 Comedy - the dots (correction: not Smith and Jones but French and Saunders) 00:14:40 Tip 1: You need to play the song alongside the tab 00:18:29 Tip 2: When you try to transcribe something do it in small chunks 00:23:56 Tip 3: Check out live versions and alternate versions of the song 00:24:17 Sometimes YouTube guitar lessons can be illuminative 00:24:48 Tip 4: Pick something simple and work at your level 00:25:12 Tip 5: Listen for the chords - can you work them out? 00:25:37 Summary of Tip 2 00:26:08 Tip 6: Stitch the parts together and learn the piece 00:27:05 (tip 1 summary) check tabs against the songs 00:27:17 Tip 7: Try to actively listen to different parts / instruments 00:28:33 Tip 8: write out the structure of songs and parts 00:29:26 Tip 9: Music theory helps your transcribing 00:31:36 We're going to listen to the track and lift some of the lciks from it 00:33:16 Lick 1 00:34:42 Lick 2 00:35:14 Tip 10: It's good to write down what you hear 00:36:59 Lick 3 00:39:54 Lick 3 broken down 00:50:42 Lick 4 00:54:22 Lick 5 00:54:58 Lick 6 00:55:04 Lick 7 00:55:12 Lick 8 00:55:33 Lick 9 00:56:03 Lick 10 00:56:46 Three different types of solos 00:57:32 Solo 1: Part of the song 00:58:44 Solo 2: Has become an absolute classic and so should be learnt and retained 00:59:58 Solo 3: Free to mess with but there are licks and phrases that ought to be in there 01:03:11 Solo 4: Improvised and very free to mess with 01:03:43 Example of going nuts and over the top with Bad Company riff 01:05:53 Crazy Little Thing Called Love 01:06:53 Purple Rain solo

Video Guitar Lesson 14: Dual Guitar Parts And Ideas For Soloing In A Covers Band Jul 17, 2019

In this lesson, Dan and I take a look at some of the songs which I am performing with my band and so we focus on the dual guitar parts. I bring several songs which I am learning with other musicians in our covers band ready for a gig we will be performing in Brighton. We first look at American Girl by Tom Petty, with some talk about inversions and effects. Secondly, Dan gives me some feedback on some dual parts I came up with for Neil Young’s Cinnamon Girl. Next we pay the Smith’s What Difference Does it Make? a quick bit of consideration. We finish this lesson off by some discussion with usable ideas for the solo in Substitute by the Who and the outro solo for Feel Like Makin Love by Bad Company. As always, there are plenty of other examples thrown in to assist Dan’s explanation of his ideas and ways of approaching dual guitar situations and a good improvisation session towards the end of the lesson. Our next lesson 15 will return to the solo at the end of Feel Like Makin' Love as we look at some tips on transcribing. Timings for the SoundCloud audio version: 00:02:39 Learning aims and some shout outs from social media 00:08:09 Introduction to the topic of the parts for songs I'm playing 00:09:05 Gary introduces his part for American Girl 00:15:46 In the spirit of the 80s you could put a nice big wobbly chorus on it 00:16:13 Two part phrase using different inversions 00:17:42 Second set of chords 00:19:56 Considering effects as of a time 00:22:32 How to approach a bit of a song which is quite sparse 00:24:45 Don't forget that "less is more" 00:25:32 Always ask whether you're adding something to the mix 00:26:56 Sparse rhythm for Comfortably Numb 00:27:58 Start of quick look at Cinnamon Girl - Neil Young 00:31:31 Making up second parts on the spot 00:35:01 Using two very different guitars for greater separation 00:35:17 What Difference Does it Make - Smiths 00:37:17 Harmonizing Johnny Marr's guitar part 00:43:52 Solo for Substitute by the Who 00:48:20 Two ways to play Creep - Radiohead 00:52:21 In the style of Green Day - rougher playing 00:53:50 Basket Case - Billie Joe 00:55:29 Embrace all types of style but seek the good 00:56:37 The solo for the One I Love by REM 00:59:21 Solo at the end of Feel Like Makin Love - Bad Company 01:04:59 Overbends as well could be really cool for improvising over this ending 01:06:08 Accent the rhythmic riff of the song

Video Guitar Lesson 13: Tips On Improvising Solos Using Themes, Ideas And Digging Deep Jun 04, 2019

In this lesson, Dan and I return to take a look at how to improve your creative improvisations and what that journey looks like on the guitar. The focus of this lesson, using a backing track we recently did another lesson with, is how having some predetermined themes to use in your solo and a plan can help you to come up with ideas and interest as you improvise. As we play around with improvisation Dan gives me some tips and a strategy following a structured approach to coming up with ideas. We use octaves, blues licks and then Dan delves into a couple of ideas: First he highlights the importance of being relaxed and not tense; second we take a look at three note per string pentatonic licks and referencing lots of different players Dan demonstrates how you can delve deeply into one idea to explore the theme fully. 00:00:56 Reference to That Pedal Show and our last episode 00:01:36 Introduction - how do we mix our licks up to make them not feel too samey? 00:02:11 Fancy Fusion Backing Track in B minor | #SZBT 205: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZUCq_UlqzI 00:02:34 The focus for today's lesson is making your licks stand out - one idea leading to the next and the next... 00:03:16 Breaking solos into rigid structures 00:03:39 EG - Ritchie Samboura's solo from Dead or Alive 00:04:19 Analysing the ideas behind the parts of this solo, e.g. octaves, little blues lick, pinched harmonics, country blues rock lick, chugging chords 00:08:43 First soloing over the backing track 00:12:00 Guthrie Govan interview 00:13:34 How important it is to have goals and visualise where you want to be 00:17:55 Learn something different - have a bit of surprise left in your life 00:19:18 Dan's example of how beginners approach improvisation 00:20:01 1) isolating the ocatave theme and idea 00:21:09 2) by landing here on the fretboard you're ready for the blues lick 00:21:32 Be bold and not scared of the improvisation 00:23:53 Two tips to help when you're not sure: leave a note to hang or leave space 00:29:33 Second improvisation, focussing on relaxing and themed ideas 00:35:00 Running with weights: e.g. go up the whole scale using octaves 00:36:23 using octaves 00:36:51 Foo Fighters idea - fattening up a melody 00:37:01 Steve Vai - slipping up to the octaves, slide then octave 00:38:59 The pentatonic thing: with 3 note per string patterns 00:40:26 Second three note per string pentatonics 00:42:37 three notes on one string, then one note 00:43:10 Joel Hoekstra thing - 00:47:12 Podcast episode idea and call to action - get in touch if you want this 00:48:02 Shawn Lane lick 00:52:28 Some advice about digging deep into ideas 00:53:17 Country bends 00:54:19 Guthrie Govan idea from waves - arpeggiating with string skipping 00:55:37 Arpeggiating a Bm chord 00:58:05 Dan using the Guthrie Govan idea to solo over the backing track 00:59:05 Mixing in the Vito Bratta idea of adding tapped notes 01:01:12 Interesting video by Rick Graham - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsEHi1wykkc&feature=youtu.be 01:04:57 Final jam over the backing track

Video Guitar Lesson 12: Arranging parts for bands and situations with two or more guitarists May 22, 2019

Video Guitar Lesson 12: Arranging parts for bands and situations with two or more guitarists In this lesson, Dan and I continue to explore rhythmic patterns, looking in particular at the benefits and problems which arise when playing in situations with multiple guitarists. The focus for the lesson are two songs which I am arranging to play with a band that has in it a drummer, bassist, keyboardist/singer and me and another student of Dan’s on guitar. The two songs are ‘The One I Love’ by REM and ‘Feel Like Making Love’ by Bad Company, but throughout this lesson we look at things which arise in other songs to so that we can apply this to this situation. We look at octaves, open strings, pick up choice, EQ, guitar choice, briefly effects and playing using different inversions and much more. Timings for the SoundCloud audio version 00:02:31 The setup of my band 00:03:24 Introduction to the two songs which we are going to be looking at the parts for 00:05:09 First look at the One I love by REM 00:05:59 What Dan plays for the One I love 00:08:22 Playing a second part over the opening riff using octaves 00:09:15 Second go at the opening riff together 00:11:10 A more meaty second part - playing 5th chords piano style 00:12:30 Option of not playing at all and allowing the other guitarist space 00:13:05 Dynamics in Steve Vai's - the Love of God - using increasing vibrato 00:13:39 Back off at the beginning and as the song starts to take off you increase what you are doing 00:13:46 You want to hit a chorus and have somewhere to go, some punch, some headroom 00:14:00 Using the volume on your guitar 00:14:22 Second demonstration of the piano style part 00:15:12 Money for Nothing is a good example 00:15:22 staccato style like ACDC a Long Way to the Top 00:15:35 Discussion about frequency and where you sit in the mix 00:18:05 Best thing you can do is be mindful of separating your sound from the other guitar 00:20:19 Second part for the Kings of Leon Sex on Fire riff 00:21:13 Recap of advice on frequencies and staying out of eachother's way 00:22:29 Comfortably Numb - so many things to fill the air - use delay 00:24:09 Some effects are very indicative of the time 00:26:11 Second guitar part for after the introduction and during the verse 00:27:40 First way is to play chord shapes up at the 12th fret 00:29:13 Second option with a nice delay and more sparse playing 00:30:00 Third option - start with the Em even higher up the neck 00:31:34 Fourth option - really subtle notes with volume swells and delays 00:32:52 Chorus part 00:33:52 If someone is playing something rhythmic then a good second part could be blocky 00:34:48 Whole Lotta Rosie - ACDC 00:44:33 Humbuckers (e.g. Les Paul) Sad face EQ vs Strat smiley face EQ 00:45:40 Playing using gain - roll the tone back a bit 00:47:20 The middle position on the Les Paul mixing the pups 00:48:23 What's a treble bleed? 00:49:23 Feel Like Making Love - Bad Company 00:51:30 Run Like Hell - Pink Floyd 00:53:20 Rejigging the inversions of the triads 00:56:06 Rejigging the inversions for Feel Like Making Love 00:58:30 Arpeggiated chord part for the verse 00:58:56 Sweet Home Alabama 01:03:39 Similar chord set in Feel Like Making Love so you can do a similar thing 01:05:34 Raising the dynamics for the chorus 01:09:38 Sometimes when you consider parts for songs you can bring some modernity to your parts 01:10:35 Add a dash of your own thing

Video Guitar Lesson 11: Rhythmic advice and some ideas for phrasing your improvisations Apr 28, 2019

Video lesson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlMOoyccwU0&feature=youtu.be In this lesson, Dan and I explore rhythmic patterns, how to practise rhythm and work towards playing ‘in the pocket’ and then, using a backing track, we look at how to phrase improvisation. We start this lesson by examining some of the regular rhythmic structures which you can form from quarter, eighth and sixteenth notes and triplets. I show Dan the cards which I created by methodically identifying the possible structures. Dan unpicks most guitarists’ rhythmic journey and how we usually develop over time and as a result of need and gives some of his advice, tips and techniques for helping me. In the second part of the lesson (starting at 26:37 or 27:10 on SoundCloud) we take a look at how to phrase and articulate your melodies over a backing track when improvising to give them form, meaning, interest and clout. After our first improvisation, Dan gives some central focus for us to consider in my phrasing ideas. Finally, we then have another go at improvising and after this Dan gives me some of his thinking as he formed his melodic phrases, some of his licks and things to try. Timings for the SoundCloud audio version 00:05:08 Gary shows the rhythmic structures for quarter beats on A4 card and talks about his aim to improve his rhythm playing 00:06:42 Great app for strumming patterns - 8 strummer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccNIElEfxL0 00:07:34 Dan's ideas on rhythmic playing and why most tuition is not too methodical 00:11:18 One thing about rhythm playing is that you tend to learn rhythm parts for band songs as you go 00:13:09 Gary on how he's been using a metronome 00:14:10 Sometimes it's really good to count the in-between beats which you don't play – perhaps by saying “miss”, or as part of your usual count 00:15:21 Think like a drummer - playing the different beats using low or high strings with different accents or mutes 00:16:16 Dan: “Maybe it is the offbeats when you lose your count” 00:16:59 Dan: “Using a faux strum is good” 00:18:18 One thing that really caused problems recently for Dan was the riff from Human by the Killers and how it starts after the beat 00:20:18 Dan: “Using downstrokes & upstrokes can also accent notes in different ways” 00:21:42 A difficulty in rhythm playing is trying to make it sound natural rather than robotic 00:22:48 Irish triplet jig rhythms, Dan’s take 00:23:33 Slowing things down can be really useful to hone over time 00:25:34 Using an acoustic guitar is good for strumming practice 00:26:25 A rhythmic part which really challenged Dan was when he was required to play ‘Wheatus – Respect’ 00:27:10 Phrasing and rhythmic structures in improvisation 00:28:24 Soloing over a backing track from YouTube - Fancy Fusion Backing Track in Bm 00:37:49 Quick bit of reflection on our first bit of improvising 00:38:36 1) How you group your notes in 3s, 4s etc. 00:39:09 Groups of 3. Also advice on tailing the lick off a bit 00:40:08 Groups of 4s 00:40:54 Groups of 4s in pentatonic licks 00:41:59 Grouping rhythmic notes but not scalar intervals 00:43:13 2) varying the length of your phrases 00:43:53 Start with something small and push it out from there 00:46:26 Quick recap - length of phrases, groupings and follow the rhythmic idea rather than scalar notes 00:47:32 Second improvisation over the backing track 00:53:24 Dan shares some of his thinking on this improvisation 00:53:34 1) swing and groove 00:54:15 2) think like a horn player 00:56:21 3) target certain notes (e.g. 9ths) 00:57:01 d) The 5th is a nice note 00:57:22 e) Resolve to the minor 3rd 00:58:36 f) Thinking chord tones 00:58:52 4) bending licks 00:59:52 5) going down an additional note 01:00:26 c) Going back on the note a little bit 01:00:52 d) Even using a muted note for rhythm 01:01:47 6) scoopy trem lick 01:03:57 7) pentatonic lick with tapping 01:05:04 Giving your licks form

Video Guitar Lesson 10: Tremolo bar acrobatics. Uses, tricks, tips, rules and advice Apr 05, 2019

In this lesson, Dan and I revisit the tremolo or whammy bar to go over some of the subtleties of using it to best effect. Dan starts this lesson by giving an overview of the different types of tremolo systems and then we get stuck into some different ideas and uses of the whammy bar to gain different effects. First we look at the subtle warble idea to add some shine and sparkle to your playing (we also return to this as a means of gaining vibrato high up on the fretboard at the end of the lesson). Then we take a look at some ideas widely incorporated into Jeff Beck’s style. Next we look at scooping between notes. Finally we look at the more extreme techniques of dive-bombing to catch harmonics, pinch harmonics and the ‘gurgling’ sound. Timings for the SoundCloud audio version 00:05:47 I show Dan where my trem bar skills are (or are not) 00:06:19 An exploration of the different types of trem systems 00:08:46 Uses 1) A gentle 'warble' 00:16:35 Point two: you donon't need to move the bar as much as you think 00:17:03 2) Some Jeff Beckisms 00:18:24 2a) Dipping down the pentatonic 00:23:35 2b) similar idea - modulating the pitch up 00:25:17 2c) putting the two together 00:27:38 Moving down the bar for better control 00:30:03 3) Scooping into notes 00:32:53 3b) A variation is to scoop up between notes 00:34:36 3b) Scooping up to the semitone gaps in the Phrygian Dominant 00:38:20 4) Divebomb on the G String catching the harmonic on the way back up 00:43:56 Getting a pinch harmonic and using the trem 00:46:14 Gurgling action of the trem bar by twanging the springs suddenly 00:50:06 Remember the golden rules / summary 00:50:52 Final idea - using the trem as a vibrato when playing high up the fretboard 00:51:58 Most strat trem systems and tuning stability For more on tremolo bar systems see this useful blog: https://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/the-tone-garage/top-10-tremolo-systems

Video Guitar Lesson 9: Usable Ideas For The Melodic And Harmonic Minor Scales And Selected Modes Mar 23, 2019

Video Guitar Lesson 9: Usable ideas for the melodic and harmonic minor scales and selected modes YouTube version = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LnRYVsaA3g&feature=youtu.be Guitar Gear Mentions: Wrist Grips Website: http://www.wrist-grips.com Sure Grip Guitar Picks Website: http://suregripguitarpicks.com Curt Mangan Strings Website: https://www.curtmangan.com/ In this lesson Dan helps me to develop what we began to look at last lesson by taking the theory and looking at how we can actually use and implement it. As always, there is plenty of demonstration and guitar playing throughout including over some ideas like the progression in Stairway to Heaven and California Dreaming. Covering quite a few genres and concepts, we hope you get a lot out of this lesson, whether you want to shred or are aiming for some new strategies to add interest to the melody of your improvisation. All the best, Gary and Dan https://tunein-toneup.com/ https://soundcloud.com/tunein-toneup/ Timings for the SoundCloud audio version 00:06:23 The first scale we look at is the melodic minor 00:11:48 The first use is a descending bass line progression like: Stairway to Heaven 00:16:20 Dan's example over Stairway to Heaven progression 00:17:27 Funkier ‘Stairway’ backing demo 00:19:41 Using melodic minor in a horror movie soundtrack for tension 00:21:41 Using in tune where you use an [i IV ii V] progression like Am D Bm E 00:23:42 Considering the mode: Locrian #4 00:24:32 Locrian #4 over the E of Blues in A 00:26:19 Droning an E7#5 for a melodic minor feel 00:28:31 Using over a rock song that sits in a static place 00:35:17 The second scale we look at is the harmonic minor 00:36:56 California Dreaming - using the major chord instead of the v (minor 5th) chord of the minor scale 00:37:29 Demo of this use of the harmonic minor 00:39:45 Metal backing track and the phrygian dominant mode 00:42:58 Using diminished arpeggios

Video Guitar Lesson 8: Unusual scale choices (e.g. harmonic minor modes) and grace notes Mar 01, 2019

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0XOIw8mCaI WEBPAGE: https://tunein-toneup.com/2019/03/01/unusual-scale-harmonic-minor-modes-grace/ In this lesson Dan really helps me to further my exploration of the harmonic minor by examining some usable situations in which to employ it. We also talk about grace notes and the value of 'feel'. There is plenty of other material and hints in this lesson too from using the tremolo bar to a major 7th variation of the pentatonic scale. As always, there is plenty of demonstration and guitar playing throughout. We hope you get a lot out of this lesson, whether you want to shred or are aiming for some new strategies to add interest to the melody of your improvisation. 00:00:00 Discussion about my gig with the new band and some insights about gigging 00:02:12 Introduction to the topic of the lesson 00:02:37 What are grace notes? 00:04:21 Blues in A - Gary improvising over the top 00:06:11 Dan demonstrating slides as slides or as grace notes 00:08:17 Discussion about 'feel' 00:10:21 Slides as a useful jazz tool, as indicative of the genre 00:11:04 Whereas Blues is categorised by more bending 00:12:12 Me improvising again trying to use grace notes over a Blues 00:20:37 Appoggiatura 00:22:39 Transition of topic from grace notes to scale choices 00:23:30 Playing the aeolian mode or natural minor 00:24:52 The harmonic minor scale 00:25:31 Harmonic minor demo 00:26:18 demo using the major seventh as a quick flavour 00:28:00 Using harmonic minor modes 00:28:11 E as tonal centre: Phrygian Major 00:31:57 Phrygian Major (Dominant) over a more metal groove 00:33:41 Taking each diatonic chord and changing to add the major seventh from the harmonic 00:37:50 Dorian #4 - Harmonic minor off the fourth (D for A harmonic) 00:39:53 Playing the Dorian #4 over a dorian vamp 00:47:50 Comparing to a diminished arpeggio 00:50:24 Marty Friedman type ideas for getting an unusual sound 00:51:32 Introducing the tremolo bar to increase the pitch capacity of bends 00:52:39 Using the trem to shape the transitions of the notes 00:54:39 Tremolo bar demo 00:58:25 New strange scale - move each root note in pentatonic a semitone lower 00:59:49 Funky vamp demo 01:02:56 Final suggestions 01:07:35 Diminished string skipping ideas

Video Guitar Lesson 7: Performance tips for acoustic guitar Feb 14, 2019

Video Guitar Lesson 7: Performance tips for acoustic guitar by Dan and Gary

Video Guitar Lesson 6: Getting different sounds with pedals and guitars Jan 23, 2019

Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zHvJTDgPM8 In this lesson, I bring to Dan my Epiphone ES-335 Pro with its upgraded pedals (courtesy of Pedro Martins - Brighton Guitar Repairs, https://guitarrepairsbrighton.com/), my PRS and my pedalboard. I spent quite a lot of this lesson without the camera rolling looking at these pedals and checking out my Gibson J45 which Pedro has also done an excellent job of setting up. We then set the camera rolling, which is a new video camera that I hope will improve the quality of the picture, and I ask Dan to go through some of the sounds which I should be aiming for in an upcoming gig my band and I are doing for my friend's 50th birthday. As always, much of what Dan tells me is stuffed with loads of gems and nuggets and a lot of the general rationale behind music over time and a consideration of what was available then. At just before 36 mins in, we swap my PRS for my Epiphone ES-335 with the Iron Gear Blues Engines (http://www.irongear.co.uk/irongear_pickups_006.htm). Dan gives it a go, but unhelpfully it's in Open G for my Stones parts. I show Dan what I do for Tumbling Dice and Jumpin Jack Flash and we look at the sound which the new pickups give it - pretty much straight away gaining a good tone for those songs. While Dan explains about effects and technologies over time I re-tune the guitar to standard tuning and finally Dan gives it a proper play to hear the different sounds available to it. It seems like a very impressive improvement to this guitar and I couldn't recommend Pedro Martins' work strongly enough. All the best, Dan and Gary https://tunein-toneup.com/ https://soundcloud.com/tunein-toneup

Video Guitar Lesson 5: Tapping Techniques, Usable Ideas And Exercises For Improvisation Jan 16, 2019

Video Guitar Lesson 5: Tapping techniques; usable ideas and exercises for improvisation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6TpqchLVg4 In Tune in Tone up's second full lesson we explore the theme of tapping: using the strumming / picking hand to hammer on to notes which would normally be out of reach for your fretting hand. Dan gives me some hints and useful tips to get me started and help me to develop in this area and we also spend some time trying to put some of these ideas into some improvisation over backing tracks. As always this lesson has been uploaded warts and all in order to deliver our content to you, the listener, as frequently and in as full a format as we can. We hope that this is useful to you and that there are no glaring mistakes or editing issues. We really hope that you're enjoying this new format of our lessons (with our audio also released on SoundCloud - https://soundcloud.com/tunein-toneup - as per our older format) and look forward to many more lessons with Dan and I as we tweak our setup and smooth out our production. Do get in touch with us for anything at all, including feedback in the comments below, through our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/tuneintoneup/) or via our website (https://tunein-toneup.com/) and we'll do our best to respond to your suggestions, ideas and comments.

Video Guitar Lesson 4: Scales, note choices and playing over the changes Jan 12, 2019

Tune in, Tone up! Guitar Lessons Published on 12 Jan 2019 In this full length video lesson with Dan Davies, I hear with you (the viewer) Dan's advice and hints on picking good notes when improvising and study with you the variety of different sounds which you can use to give some different flavour to your solos. We really hope that you're enjoying this new format of our lessons (with our audio also released on SoundCloud - https://soundcloud.com/tunein-toneup - as per our older format) and look forward to many more lessons with Dan and I as we tweak our setup and smooth out our production. Do get in touch with us for anything at all, including feedback in the comments below, through our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/tuneintoneup/) or via our website (https://tunein-toneup.com/) and we'll do our best to respond to your suggestions, ideas and comments. All the best, Gary and Dan. https://tunein-toneup.com/

Video Guitar Lesson 3: Eric Johnson, speed and legato.mp3 Jan 01, 2019

This lesson, released on our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC80JJZ1RRZ5bxEiphLVi_Jw?view_as=subscriber, is the finale of the first three mini video lessons with which we are kickstarting our conversion to YouTube from an audio only format. The audio for these formats is much more organic that the edited audio only lessons, so we apologise for the farts and whistles which you may or may not hear. We have decided that in the interest of publishing more regular material we will maintain our recorded lesson in it's entirety. This lesson is all about Eric Johnson's playing and what we can take from it with regard to speed, fluidity and legato - our current topic.

Video Guitar Lesson 2: Using and understanding legato Jan 01, 2019

In this second brief lesson on Youtube, Dan explains the rationale and usage of legato and how he uses it to great effect in his playing.

Video Guitar Lesson 1: Practical ways to improve the speed of your guitar playing Dec 09, 2018

YouTube tuition video 1 (see link for video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXXxFpuQJ2E&t=1316s Tune in Tone up have been releasing many audio podcast lessons over the past couple of years and are beginning to move into the video lesson arena with this, our first lesson about developing speed in playing. Our videos will take the form of a free organic guitar lesson in which Dan will teach me some thematic ideas on the guitar in order to develop my musicality. Join me on my journey to become a better musician and a more competent guitar player.

Guitar Lesson 40: Practical applications for adding tapping and sweep picking into your playing Nov 22, 2018

Guitar Lesson 40: Practical applications for adding tapping and sweep picking into your playing (https://tunein-toneup.com/2018/11/22/guitar-lesson-40-tapping-sweep-picking/) In guitar lesson 40, we look at some techniques and practical applications of those techniques. I ask Dan for some help in using tapping and sweeping in my actual improvisations and we begin to examine how you can practise applying these techniques over a backing track. With hints and some licks throughout, this promises to support adding some advanced techniques into my improvisations. Main timings: 00:01:27 Dan's improvising over the back track from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LehMzv6V3b0 (Funky Blues Rock | Guitar Backing Track Jam in A) 00:06:42 Some thoughts about over intellectualising our playing and what level you should be to be in a band 00:09:14 Debunking waffle you might hear on forums and the myths surrounding the myths around the techniques 00:09:45 What is the complexity and difficulties you might find when tapping 00:10:40 Ultimately what does tapping mean - what function does it play? 00:11:44 Don't just play the same licks all the time - use techniques to incorporate into your sound 00:13:40 Debunking tapping 1: muting 00:16:15 Debunking tapping 2: get used to using lots of fingers to tap 00:17:00 Adding tapping into something else 00:18:54 Coming up with a lick that we can add a tap to... 00:21:09 Learning point: phrasing idea - borrowing from the rhythm of a lick to extend into further improv 00:23:39 Debunking tapping 3: if there's a note you can't reach then tap it. 00:24:52 Use the idea of tapping to reach notes out of reach of your right hand 00:25:31 Start of backing track with tapping hand sticking in the occasional note 00:31:39 Debunking tapping 4: Getting the rhythm right for tapping licks (often a tap is adding two notes) 00:33:29 Using open strings when tapping 00:35:35 hearing that lick over the backing track 00:36:33 Keeping it based around the pentatonic scales 00:36:41 Tapping in more places up the neck 00:37:06 Playing the pentatonic with the left hand over the tapped dorian scale 00:40:04 Steve Lukather style bending licks echoed in your tapping hand 00:41:09 Debunking tapping 5: Practise getting the same finesse of feel with your tapping hand as with your fretting hand 00:44:01 Backing track to conclude the part of this lesson on tapping 00:46:32 Debunking tapping 6: allow the vibrato and bends to come through from the left hand into the tapped note 00:47:13 Start a flurry with a tap off the right hand 00:47:50 Tapping an arpeggiated idea 00:48:51 Sweep-picking 00:49:23 Starting with three-string sweeps 00:50:14 Useful phrase where the top note keeps dropping chromatically 00:51:42 Slipping the three note per string sweeps into some improv 00:53:07 Go up the Am three string arp and come back down the C arp 00:54:18 Using the Am C lick 00:56:33 Now look at extending across more strings 00:57:41 The reason for adding the additional note - so the lick rhythmically fits 00:58:18 How to make the tone on your guitar sound better for sweep picking 01:01:28 Going up a swept arpeggio in chunks and smaller rhythmic phrasing 01:02:13 Take the sweeps and investigate through the scale. See whether you can find other uses 01:05:01 Summarise the part of the lesson on sweep picking 01:05:40 Sweep picking all the chords for Hotel California

Guitar Lesson 39: Exploring chords and substituting extensions for colourful rhythmic playing Oct 12, 2018

Guitar lesson 39 is a study of chord types by working through many of the major and dominant possibilities. By adding each note of a scale to a triad, Dan shows me how to explore chord sounds rather than shapes. We also look at upper extensions and finally look at one way to use chords which are out of key. Dan also raises substitution as a way really build interest rhythmic parts. Thank you for tuning in and for all your comments and support. Main timings: 00:01:26 Introductory questions and how to think about chords 00:05:43 How are chords formed and how do we name them? 00:15:53 Introducing the idea of adding each note in turn from the scale 00:16:38 Adding the 6 (A) = C6 00:20:47 Ear training, singing, melodies and active listening 00:35:09 The next note is the 7 (B) forming a CMaj7 00:39:43 Example of using as substitutions 00:39:56 Introducing the Blues as using dominant 7th instead of major 7th 00:44:55 Second octave 00:45:44 Forming a C9 by stacking the b7 and the 9 00:46:20 Stacking the major7 with a 9 = Cmaj9 00:47:25 Stacking a C9 (1,3,5,7,9) with an 11 = C11 00:48:56 Minor version with the minor 3rd instead of the major 3rd 00:50:49 Adding the 13 (A) = C13 00:55:39 Demonstrating substituting 00:59:23 Covering chords which fall out of the key Detailed timings: 00:01:26 I introduce the lesson by asking for some input about how to think about and use chords 00:03:08 What chords (and scales) go together well and why? 00:05:43 How are chords formed and how do we name them to identify their structure? 00:10:39 Chords are not 'shapes', they are notes played together in quick succession 00:14:02 Using sus chords as passing chords 00:15:53 When considering all the different types of chords possible, then it is a case of adding each note from the scale 00:16:38 Adding the 6 (A) = C6 00:18:03 Attach a memory, meaning, name, sound to each chord to be able to audiate the kind of sound it will make 00:20:47 Identifying intervals by ear, attaching songs to different intervals and the value of singing 00:21:56 Playing and singing harmonies 00:24:26 Sing your licks with an example from Dan, developing your unique sound and playing melodically 00:32:36 You only get that personal stamp on your sound when someone chases the sound in their head 00:33:13 Make sure you practice engaging your ears and listening to the rest of the band when you play and be responsive 00:35:09 The next note is the 7 (B) forming a CMaj7 00:35:44 How the chords are structured with the order of the notes within the chords 00:36:48 Another exercise is to keep the different chords close together on the fretboard 00:37:59 Recap of all the chord types we have got so far and using them as substitutions when playing rhythm 00:39:43 Example of using substitutions 00:39:56 Introducing the Blues as using dominant 7th instead of major 7th - or chords forming from the Mixolydian mode instead of the major scale 00:43:58 Mustang Sally as 7th chord song 00:44:55 So now we move to the second octave 00:45:44 Forming a C9 by stacking the b7 and the 9 00:46:20 Stacking the major7 with a 9 = Cmaj9 00:47:25 Stacking a C9 (1,3,5,7,9) with an 11 = C11 00:48:56 Minor version with the minor 3rd instead of the major 3rd 00:50:15 The need on the guitar to drop some notes - first the 3rd, or 5th 00:50:49 Adding the 13 (A) = C13 00:53:47 The other thing to do when exploring chords is to find inversions 00:55:39 Demonstrating substituting dominant chords - C7, C9, C13, etc.. 00:56:23 Demonstrating substituting major 7th chords with maj9 maj13, etc. 00:56:30 Homework: take other scales and run through the same exercise (perhaps also the modes) 00:59:23 Covering chords which fall out of the key and a quick discussion of George Harrison as a guitarist 01:00:52 Lick from I Feel Fine 01:01:06 Mention of Chet Atkins influence on George Harrison 01:02:19 Return to the topic of quick discussion of chords which fall slightly out of key

Guitar Lesson 38: What can we learn from the style and approach of Slash Aug 23, 2018

Guitar Lesson 38: What we can learn from the style of Slash with a focus on Paradise City, Sweet Child of Mine and November Rain: https://tunein-toneup.com/2018/08/23/guitar-lesson-38-style-of-slash-podcast/ Guitar lesson 38 is a study of Slash, with a focus on what we can learn from Saul Hudson’s style and approach to writing licks, riffs and solos. We start by using a Paradise City inspired rolling lick and then move onto the legato solo from the frantic end of that song. Next we examine the riff from the beginning of Sweet Child of Mine and what makes it tick. Finally we consider what learning points we can take from the repeated phrase from the end of November Rain. I’m sorry it’s taken so long to get this episode out but I promise there will be more soon. Also, keep looking out on our YouTube channel for some new videos, including one from this lesson. Thank you for listening and for all your comments and support. Main timings: 00:01:35 Start 00:02:38 My thoughts on what I like about Slash's playing 00:03:08 Dan's explanation of Slash as a guitar player and where he stands in Dan's pantheon of guitarists 00:06:47 Quick mention of the E harmonic minor run in Sweet Child of Mine solo 00:07:40 An explanation supporting our method of taking a "style of" approach to identify learning points rather than a note-for-note copy 00:09:11 Dan's riff in the style of Slash using a continually rolling theme like in Paradise City 00:12:18 First learning point: using chromaticisms 00:12:45 Second learning point: put the root above the 5th - root on the D string with 5th on the A string 00:13:51 Using the two together for dynamics between verse and chorus 00:14:13 Third learning point: Double string bends 00:14:52 What is the use of studying someone else's playing? 00:17:50 What can we play over the top of the Slash-style rolling riff? 00:18:51 Dan playing an improvisation in the style of Slash over the top of the rolling riff 00:21:13 Putting a little bit of Dorian in 00:22:33 Playing in a laid back fashion 00:24:08 Classic double bends 00:26:45 The Slash inspired solo so far 00:27:08 Gary's turn 00:27:41 utilising the overbend as a tool 00:30:17 How to play in a frantic furious way like Slash in Paradise City 00:32:02 Our frantic riff 00:32:23 Slash inspired figure taken from the end of Paradise City 00:35:02 What you can learn from this chromatic, legato 3NPS lick? 00:36:57 Demonstration of the legato lick 00:38:07 The riff from the beginning of Sweet Child of Mine and what makes it tick - G F C G 00:40:26 How did Slash's riff form and take shape 00:41:46 Learning point: have a note that you keep going back to and a familiar figure which outlines the chord tones 00:45:37 Andy Summers from the Police taking chords and writing the Every Breath you Take with add9s 00:47:11 Let's look at one more final aspect of Slash's playing taken from November Rain 00:47:39 Slash's repetitive motif for the epic guitar journey at the end of November Rain 00:48:46 Learning point: Having a figure or theme which you keep returning to in a solo really grounds your playing and gives the listener something to latch onto 00:49:05 How this also comes up in the structuring and phrasing of Gary Moore solos 00:50:48 How Prince used this at the end of the Purple Rain solo 00:52:38 Another example of repetition of a phrase to ground your solo is Running Down a Dream - Tom Petty 00:54:20 Quick thoughts on the quality between vinyl and other formats

Guitar Lesson 37: Taking your playing from the woodshed to the stage; from podcast to performance Jul 18, 2018

Guitar Lesson 37: Taking your playing from the woodshed to the stage; from podcast to performance Our article: https://www.musical-u.com/learn/podcast-performance-tune-tone/ Thanks Musical-U: https://www.musical-u.com/ Guitar lesson 37 is a slightly different format to usual. We have written a guest post for Musical-U, a company who are committed to music education and developing musicality in people through a dedicated team who maintain a subscription-based website, a wide-ranging set of articles and a fantastic podcast. We are honoured to be part of Musical-U’s growing set of resources. Our article, called “From Podcast to Performance” offers advice for how to use podcasts and other media to develop your playing, includes a description of our “Tune in Tone up” and ends with a section on how you to take your playing from practicing on your own to performing with others. This podcast episode is a companion to this and features some of Dan’s advice on how to achieve this. Main timings: 00:01:40 Introduce the partner article which we wrote on using podcasts in musical education for Musical-U 00:06:52 1) One option to begin playing with others is to look in the small ads, Gumtree, internet, Facebook and so on 00:08:30 2) Playing music with friends and family is a great way to develop your confidence to perform 00:10:29 Something which contributes to our reluctance to perform are our own misconceptions and our self-doubt 00:11:58 3) Open mic nights and low pressure performances are a great option when you are looking to get your playing out there 00:15:08 Advice: When working or playing with others, you need to ensure that what you are all playing fits together nicely and you're listening to eachother well 00:16:28 How do you organise yourself as a novice to start playing an Open Mic night? 00:18:43 Advice: Don't compare yourself to professional musicians - it's not fair on yourself 00:20:09 Scenario 1: I had a possible slot on an Open Mic at a wedding. Here's Dan's advice for this 00:30:25 Advice: Build confidence through good preparation, a sense of perspective and some bravado

Guitar Lesson 36: Right hand techniques; rhythm, arpeggiating, hybrid, economy and sweep picking Jul 07, 2018

Guitar Lesson 36: Right hand techniques – rhythm, arpeggiating, hybrid, economy and sweep picking In guitar lesson 36, we focus fully on the right hand rhythmic and lead picking techniques. We start by looking at how you can arpeggiate chords interestingly using the pick, briefly in the style of Green Day and Guns ‘n’ Roses. We also look at a mix of pick and fingers. In the second half of the lesson we get technical and revisit economy and sweep-picking. A bit of an advanced lesson – if you’d like any tabs, then get in touch. I start the podcast today with my recommendation for Musical-U and the Musicality Podcast Main timings: 00:03:48 Review of the pick 'n' fingers (Guthrie Govan) exercise from an earlier episode 00:04:43 Review Dan's crosspicking exercise idea from episode 35: D D U D D U D U 00:05:14 Discussion of the merits of ability to play with a pick or fingerstyle 00:06:44 The question of whether to experiment using a thumbpick 00:07:28 Green Day type demonstration of Dan's preferred style of picking chords 00:10:52 Chet Atkins style jam 00:11:34 Dan's rule or hack for arpeggiating anything 00:12:51 Use a pick to string skip pick arpeggios in chords D(a) D(d) U(g) D(d) U(b) U(g) D(d) U(e) 00:14:32 Picking the same strings as the previous exercise but using pick 'n' fingers 00:15:15 Picking and fingers instruction P P 2 P 3 2 P 3 00:16:22 Paradise City picking discussion 00:18:27 Economy picking recap and revision 00:25:06 Sweep-picking revisited with some suggestions, advice and observations

Guitar Lesson 35: Speed, fluidity, phrasing, form and building confidence in your improvisations Jun 18, 2018

In guitar lesson 35, we address a question and topic given to us on Facebook about how you can increase the speed and fluidity of your playing. Dan first draws out some ideas which can increase the interest in your rhythm playing (including fills and flourishes). We then do some improvising over a jazz fusion track and look at how you can improve the fluidity and form of your licks and phrases and polish what you are already good at. Main timings: 00:02:28 Introduction to the topic of speed and fluidity 00:10:41 Scenario 1: Coming up with a rhythm on the spot 00:22:57 Scenario 2: Comfortable with song and now adding licks, fills and flourishes 00:26:34 Using the minor and major pentatonic ideas to build confidence in fills 00:31:08 Organising your playing by keeping 'voicings close' together 00:37:40 Mini summary on this chordal section of fluidity 00:42:42 First jam over a Jazz Fusion track 00:51:17 Top tip! Polish your licks and what you are good at 00:59:02 Giving form to your licks and chops 01:05:18 Summary... 1) rhythm and playing chords 2) use major and minor pentatonic for fills 3) play chords on three strings 4) go in gently 5) give your licks some form 6) work on what you're good at 01:07:46 We finish with a quick jam over the same backing track Detailed timings: 00:02:28 Introduction to the topic of speed and fluidity as requested on our FB account 00:10:41 Scenario 1: Coming up with a rhythm on the spot and analysis of it 00:22:57 Scenario 2: Comfortable with song and now adding licks, fills and flourishes 00:26:34 Using the minor and major pentatonic ideas to build confidence in fills 00:31:08 Picking pattern style keeping 'voicings close' together 00:32:54 Using 'organisation' into 3 NPS groupings to build speed 00:33:06 Using 'symmetrical patterns' to reduce stumbling with the right hand 00:33:57 Keeping your chord voicings on three strings to increase picking speed 00:34:11 Me learning three string 'crosspicking' D D U D D U D U 00:36:31 Making things easier to learn by retaining one right hand picking or strumming pattern 00:36:50 EXCERPT We are Scientists acoustic version of Textbook 00:37:40 Mini summary on this chordal section of fluidity 00:42:42 First jam over a Jazz Fusion track 00:51:17 Top tip! Polish your licks and what you are good at 00:56:31 Reference to Chris Green on sweep-picking Lesson here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-g37WOXC17U 00:59:02 Giving form to your licks and chops 01:05:18 Summary...1) rhythm and playing chords, 2) use major and minor pentatonic for fills, 3) play chords on three strings, 4) go in gently, 5) give your licks some form, 6) work on what you're good at 01:07:46 We finish with a quick jam over the same backing track

Guitar Lesson 34: A brief foray into the monstrous rhythmic playing of Eddie Van Halen May 23, 2018

Webpage: https://tunein-toneup.com/2018/05/22/guitar-lesson-rhythmic-eddie-van-halen/ In guitar lesson 34, Dan and I continue our study of rhythmic playing with a focus on the style of Eddie Van Halen. A true monster of the guitar, Van Halen is someone who Dan has studied closely over the years and he is eager to share his knowledge. Dan introduces a rock lick and looking particularly at the technique of muting slowly builds complexity into it. With some final thoughts on the trem bar and piano technique, there is so much in this lesson. Main timings 0:02:24 Who are our top 3 rhythm guitarists? 0:13:05 Several different types and uses of muting 0:15:06 Starting to study a bit of Van Halen and how we will tackle this 0:16:02 Building up our rock riff and adding complexities 0:17:32 The basic riff without embellishments and rhythmic ideas 0:19:21 Again, a fairly simple rock rhythm 0:23:57 Dynamics - using muting and arranging to bring the sound down 0:39:33 Adding fills to rock riffs 0:54:10 Tremolo bar 1:02:54 Summary 1:07:04 A final thought on piano style Detailed timings 0:02:24 Who are our top 3 rhythm guitarists? 0:04:49 EXCERPT - Tommy Emmanuel: Amazing Grace 0:09:33 Dan's top 3 players 0:11:24 Hendrix style fills and rhythm 0:13:05 Muting 1: the Metallica metal thing 0:13:21 Muting 2: Open out a sound using muting and release 0:13:43 Muting 3: Hendrixy funky style licks 0:14:13 Muting 4: double stops 0:14:23 Muting 5: double stops on top strings 0:15:06 Starting to study a bit of Van Halen 0:15:49 Dan introducing what we're going to do this lesson 0:16:02 Our rock riff 1 - Playing off our A string 0:16:13 Our rock riff 2 - An A power chord 0:16:30 Our rock riff 3 - 5th fret of D and G (C5) 0:16:40 Our rock riff 4 - 7th fret D and G string (D5) 0:16:56 Our rock riff 5 -7th fret (D5 / Asus4) 0:17:04 Our rock riff 6 - An A shape 0:17:11 Our rock riff 7 - 7, 6 and 5 on the D, G and B 0:17:17 Our rock riff 8 - resolving to a A5 power chord on the 7th of the D and 9th of the G 0:17:32 The basic riff without embellishments and rhythmic ideas 0:19:21 Again, a fairly simple rock rhythm 0:19:56 Me giving the simple riff a go 0:20:45 Our rock riff 9 - with an upstroke added 0:21:36 Our rock riff 10 - Last powerchord is on the up stroke 0:22:24 MUTING. What might be the reasons for using it? 0:23:57 Dynamics - using muting and arranging to bring the sound down 0:25:07 Playing individual strings with muting 0:25:27 Playing the strings lightly 0:26:33 Dynamics 2 - using muting and individual string 0:33:59 Rolling back the volume 0:34:06 The degrees of muting 0:35:24 Changing the release off the mute and picking pressure 0:39:33 Adding fills to rock riffs 0:40:12 The Dream is Over 0:41:16 Rhythm figure with some fills 0:42:50 Pull offs in the key of A 0:44:11 That lick from Randy Rhoads Crazy Train 0:44:15 Crazy Train 0:47:44 Hot for teacher 0:53:25 So if you're trying to get all that into the original lick... 0:54:10 Trem bar 0:55:33 Musical U - the musicality podcast https://www.musical-u.com/ 0:59:41 catch harmonics on the way back up on the trem 1:01:08 Using trem VH style so no upward movement 1:02:06 yanking trem back 1:02:19 Bringing to the 0 point 1:02:54 Summary 1:07:04 A final thought on piano style

Guitar Lesson 33: Rhythm playing mechanics with a focus on the song Valerie for an Open Mic Night Apr 29, 2018

https://tunein-toneup.com/ https://tunein-toneup.com/2018/04/29/guitar-lesson-33-rhythm-playing-mechanics-valerie-open-mic-night/ Guitar Lesson 33: Rhythm playing mechanics with a focus on the song Valerie for an Open Mic Night In guitar lesson 33, Dan and I examine some of the obstacles you might come up against, particularly in your rhythm playing, when playing an open mic night. In this lesson, which is in response to some questions by one of our listeners, we look at the rhythm part to Valerie with some hints to help your performance, including pick mechanics, dynamics, muting, percussive hits and compressors. Main timings 0:01:32 Introduction and discussion about issues playing an Open Mic 0:09:31 put a mute on the 1st beat for some drumming-like dynamics 0:12:49 How to add anticipation on the A chord to lead back to the verse 0:18:15 Rhythm Mechanics 1: choosing all downstrokes and muting 0:20:25 Rhythm Mechanics 2: using the low strings for the percussive hit 0:21:13 Rhythm Mechanics 3: using a rhythmic fill to increase interest 0:31:16 Rhythm Mechanics 4: Keeping your strumming hand loose 0:37:19 Practice playing quietly and loudly by your pick attack 0:46:17 Compressors - main discussion about them 0:59:33 Using a drive pedal 1:00:36 Summary of this lesson Detailed timings 0:01:32 Introduction and discussion about issues playing an Open Mic 0:05:13 EXCERPT - Valerie originally done by Zutons 0:05:37 EXCERPT - Amy Winehouse in key of Ab 0:07:32 Dan's approach to rhythm in a song like Valerie in Key of D - Dmaj7 Emin7 / G F#min / A 0:08:30 Dan advocates playing on the offbeat all downstrokes 0:09:07 A quick runthrough on the verse 0:09:31 put a mute on the 1st beat for some drumming-like dynamics 0:10:29 Second runthrough picking up on that percussive element as a guitar player 0:11:21 Now if we go to the chorus and look at G F#min and A 0:12:49 How to add anticipation on the A chord to lead back to the verse 0:13:42 Dan playing through a whole cycle 0:18:15 Rhythm Mechanics 1: choosing all downstrokes and muting 0:18:31 Our chords are barre chords 0:20:25 Rhythm Mechanics 2: using the low strings for the percussive hit 0:21:13 Rhythm Mechanics 3: using a rhythmic fill to increase interest 0:22:05 Some detailed discussion and stories about rhythmic playing 0:28:52 EXCERPT: Ultra Nate - Free 0:30:14 EXCERPT: DNCE - Cake by the ocean 0:30:24 EXCERPT - Pirates of the Caribbean 0:31:16 Rhythm Mechanics 4: Keeping your strumming hand loose 0:31:45 My run through with Dan's embellishments 0:32:29 So when Dan played in the band - adding two note chords and double stops 0:32:56 Recommendation to listen to lesson 31 0:33:27 3 string chord solos 0:34:42 Back to Rhythm Mechanics 4: Relaxation and effect on the pick 0:36:41 Using a compressor part 1 0:37:19 Practice playing quietly and loudly just by changing the grip on your pick 0:40:25 Guitar is like quantum physics 0:42:48 Adrian Legg on perfection 0:44:34 Cornford Amps 0:45:23 Guthrie, Satch and Kotzen signature Cornfords 0:46:17 Compressors part 2 - main discussion about them 0:59:33 Using a drive pedal 1:00:36 Summary of this lesson

Guitar Lesson 32: What can we learn and use from the style of David Gilmour? Apr 14, 2018

https://tunein-toneup.com/ In guitar lesson 32, Dan and I take a look at some general ideas which you can take from David Gilmour’s playing. He plays with such meaning and purpose and the most incredible tone and yet what he plays is not usually technically too difficult. Using a style backing track, Dan and I look at how Gilmour uses dynamics, phrasing, bending, vibrato and intelligent note choices deeply connected to the chords which he plays over. We hope that this type of exploration, rather than note for note copying, will help you to actually be able to incorporate some of this in your own playing. Main timings 02:29 Initial thoughts about Gilmour’s playing style 10:16 Backing track jam 1 with lick trading and improvising from both Dan and I – This is the shortened version (go to our website to hear the whole thing 11:56 What can we notice from trying to play with Gilmour in mind? 17:09 Think in terms of notes rather than scales 27:25 Incorporating bass notes 28:48 2nd Backing track improvisation 33:00 Gilmour: Flangers, choruses, MXR Dynocomp, delays and reverbs for atmosphere, MGP SPC, powered pickups 43:53 Bending exercises 49:13 Theory on vibrato Detailed timings: 00:33 INTRO 01:26 START 02:29 First thoughts from both of us considering what it is about Gilmour's style that is so enthralling and popular 02:51 EXCERPT Shine on you Crazy Diamond 09:33 so what we're gonna do is take a style backing track and improvise over it to see what Gilmourisms come out 10:16 Backing track jam 1 with lick trading and improvising from both Dan and I 11:56 What can we notice from trying to play with Gilmour in mind? Dynamics, space, bends, pentatonic patterns, swapping notes, positional playing, economical playing 13:56 EXCERPT Comfortably Numb 17:09 Players looking for things in the wrong places - think in terms of notes rather than scales 19:26 For example, play minor pentatonic over Blues but just include the major 6th 22:19 Connecting to chords by thinking about the notes, targetting and listening carefully to the chords you play over 22:28 EXCERPT Echoes 27:25 The rich, gutteral, growly, gritty bass notes and using them when others don't so much 28:48 backing track again just after sorrow 30:52 Using the volume and tone pots to peel it back or let rip 31:19 RECAP: bass notes, volume and tone, listening, effects 33:00 Gilmour: Flangers, choruses, MXR Dynocomp, delays and reverbs for atmosphere, MGP SPC, powered pickups 34:11 EXCERPT Sorrow 37:23 He manipulates his sound with effects to take his bluesy style and make it more psychadelic, atmospheric and spacey 39:09 EXCERPT - Time 40:34 Any questions: I ask Dan about big slides and interpositional pentatonic playing, bending and vibrato 43:53 Bending exercise 1: Go up the major scale in bends using each string 45:56 Bending exercise 2: bend a whole tone then a semi-tone and back down the notes 47:03 Bending exercise 3: Pentatonic blues lick 49:13 Theory on vibrato a) after a bend vs b) from a static note - the string must return to the 'zero' point 51:37 Same problem as vibrato with tremolo bar systems - i.e. don't hold onto the bar

Guitar Lesson 31: Double stops, intervallic playing, chord embellishments and making it pretty Apr 04, 2018

https://tunein-toneup.com/ In guitar lesson 31, Dan reminds me about some of the approaches you can use when embellishing chords, including the use of double stops and different intervallic sounds. You will hear Hendrixisms, discussion on how to connect major scales, chords and intervals in your thinking and some interesting approaches to help make your rhythm playing more interesting. Finally we look at the different flavours created by a variety of intervals. We hope you enjoy this lesson and use it as a springboard to improve your own rhythm playing. 1:25 Our introduction and initial questions 1:58 Story about music course at Canterbury University with Big Jim Sullivan 3:04 Dan raises the issue of how there is a slight disconnect between lead and rhythm playing 4:40 Can you see how the two -chords and melody - link together? 5:34 Double stops are somewhere in between chords and melody 7:41 Look at chords in a key and write out the chords and notes 9:10 The chords and notes in any key go in a cycle 9:34 Relative minor and see the chords as part of a minor key 11:21 I pick a chord progression - Am Dm F and C 14:30 Build notes into chords as embellishments 15:11 Am chord embellishments 17:03 Dm chord embellishments at 10th fret 19:00 Dm chord embellishments at 5th fret 20:30 F major chord embellishments at 8th fret 22:06 C major chord embellishments 24:40 Analysing the added notes used in embellishments 28:11 Hendrix type playing - who's used this embellishment style 30:17 Discussion of old amps including the MAJOR 200W 32:35 Little Wing as a prime example of this emellishment style 34:04 Hendrix - Little Wing 35:07 E shape Hendrix type embellishments 36:00 Hendrix - Hey Joe 36:24 Double stop ideas in open chords which becomes Chris Rea's Road to Hell 37:54 Chris Rea - Road to Hell 40:00 rolling the fingers of the picking hand 42:06 Guthrie Trapp - Commodity 43:00 Demonstration of open chords with chord extensions 45:00 Using the notes of the chord to end your melodic runs 46:33 Me using this idea and creating a melody over some of Dan's rhythm playing 47:41 Double stops being used in thirds like in Brown Eyed Girl 48:40 Van Morrison - Brown Eyed Girl 50:00 Learn the scales not just as single notes but as intervals and double stops 51:25 Harmonising using 6ths 52:09 Integrating what we have learnt so far and using more than one tactic 52:52 Harmonising parts of a melodic solo as 5ths and utilising octaves to recreate phrases 56:23 Different styles and using this type of technique 56:39 Using 5ths to create a heavy rock or metal sound 58:23 flicking off to open strings for a split second to create a jagged rock sound 60:00 7ths for a jazzy or dominant 7ths for a bluesy feel

Guitar Lesson 30: Inspiration, motivation and enthusiasm to avoid guitar learning ruts Mar 19, 2018

In guitar lesson 30, I go to Dan with three questions looking for his guidance. Dan picks up on some very important points about the big picture, maintaining enthusiasm, the importance of live work and how to push yourself towards being an advanced player. You will hear some jamming over a Danny Gatton style backing track, a blues shred idea and plenty of snippets from players as Dan shares the wisdom of his experience. Hopefully, you will be as inspired and motivated by this episode as I am. 02:22 - Introduction - I ask whether we can look at some questions around bringing your skills along 02:36 - Question 1: Advice on having the time to practice 02:55 - Question 2: What skills do you think you need to be moving along from intermediate to advanced guitar 03:14 - Question 3: What do you do to get you out of being in a rut? 05:34 - What causes the ruts? Sometimes caused by doing the same thing and sometimes caused by being on a plateau 07:34 - QUESTION 1: So how do you get out of a rut? 09:52 - Advice on how to gain motivation - get yourself a good teacher 11:12 - The Great Phil Hillborn 12:25 - Advice to find something which excites you - licks, riffs and styles 13:46 - Never forget that you're a student of guitar 13:50 - Never forget you can learn off anybody 14:32 - I mention my motivation being the challenge to see how far I can take it 15:54 - I talk about my 10 years of not playing guitar 16:27 - Advice on motivation - Guitar is therapeutic & a stabilising force 17:22 - The importance of live work and fun interactions with the crowd 18:34 - Losing your mojo and holding onto your childlike enthusiasm is not always easy 19:54 - 1) When you've not got a band to gig with, seek open mics 21:06 - 2) Sometimes buying a piece of kit can be invigorating 22:22 - 3) Trying another instrument 22:24 - 4) Get yourself a teacher 23:27 - 5) Changing things up - change where you are on the fretboard 23:44 - 6) Try a different style 24:09 - 7) Buy some techniques books 25:24 - 8) Go to a gig 27:57 - QUESTION 2 – what do you do if your practice time is limited? 28:55 - Big Jim Sullivan on styles and session work 31:50 - You have to immerse yourself in the style. 34:48 - Andy Wood flatpicking 43:44 - Quick jam over a Country backing track in the style of Danny Gatton 48:41 - Playing the country rhythm 52:06 - QUESTION 3: How do make the leap to advanced and how do you recognise that someone is an advanced player 52:24 - Is Dave Gilmour an advanced player? 54:43 - Dave Gilmour: on the turning away 56:29 - Gary Moore: The messiah will come again 59:21 - Dave Gilmour: Sorrow 60:21 - An advanced player is someone whose personality comes through and they're instantly recognisable 61:48 - Dream theatre John Petrucci 62:10 - Jeff Beck 64:56 - Learn how to accept your playing is your unique sound 67:56 - Dan's take on the blues and Marty Friedman mucking up normal playing for interest 69:55 - Explaining the lick: Blues mixed with sixes rhythms 70:49 - Change the sound on your guitar to get a new idea 71:48 – Final advice summary: Only work on one thing at a time and immerse yourself

Guitar Lesson 29: Playing rhythmically, being groovy & practising note durations Feb 28, 2018

Webpage: https://tunein-toneup.com/2018/02/28/guitar-lesson-29-funk-groovy-note-durations/ First backing track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwnEIWJG_g4 Second backing track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V5lB0n5Cbo In Guitar Lesson 29, we decide to return to rhythm playing: this time looking at staying in time, feeling the pulse and playing rhythmically, with interest and in the groove. The lesson is divided up into three parts: Firstly, we look at playing funky grooves and using a metronome; secondly, we have a look at how to play Back in Black in time; finally we look at practising different note groupings and note durations over a couple of backing tracks. 1:25 Introduction - What is it about rhythm that gets missed? 5:12 Hot for teacher clip – Van Halen – to hear the rhythm playing in this song 6:00 Dan’s question: So what aspects of rhythm are tricky? My answer: Making it interesting and groovy. 7:45 We start with a classic funky groove demonstrated by Dan and destroyed by me ;) 9:00 What does it mean to make something groovy? Your audience should feel the need to move from your groove. 9:45 Where is the beat? The importance of tapping your foot 10:50 Get it nice and funky - sitting nicely in that groove 12:00 Keep it really simple on the left hand so you can concentrate on the beat and strumming 14:00 Using a metronome to assist your inner pulse and feel the beat. 18:00 Thoughts on locking in, feeling the pulse and playing naturally 24:50 Duran Duran – Notorious 28:20 What other rhythms can we take a look at today? I suggest ACDC, Back in Black 29:15 Guitar swap 29:53 ACDC – Back in Black 30:20 Step one: Get the chords in the right place 30:45 An initial look at the guitar lick fills 32:05 The importance of slowing stuff down to learn it. Compare to singers' soul vocal fills, learning bends 39:15 Dan’s question: Any other rhythms causing pain. My answer was note groupings in soloing 40:25 Trying different groupings and note durations over a backing track 44:05 Some shapes lend themselves well to different note types 45:00 Second backing track in B Minor 49:30 Still over the backing track in B Minor but fitting the phrasing into the groove and thinking like a horn player 52:00 Still over the backing track in B Minor but fitting the phrasing into the groove and thinking like a horn player 54:00 use phrases that are a rhythmic thing in themselves

Interview with a musician episode 2: Chris Green Feb 18, 2018

Chris Green's website - http://www.chrisgreenmusic.com/ Chris Green on 'emusicworkshop' with Rick Beato - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-g37WOXC17U&list=PLb4x6Fj6B5zzs1Bm5EA8HJadYxnZqhblA The Guitar Guru Network - https://www.facebook.com/groups/513586505353886/ Tune in Tone up - https://tunein-toneup.com/ In our second interview with a musician we are really pleased to be able to introduce Chris Green of Tyketto from Atlanta, USA. If you’ve not already heard his stylish playing and excellent musicianship, then you should definitely check it out along with his lessons on YouTube. In the interview, among other things, we talk about some of his projects, what wisdom he has gained over the years and what it was like to go to the NAMM show earlier this year in LA. 01:26 Introduction to the interview with Chris Green from Tyketto, Rubicon Cross, Furyon and Pride 02:11 What are you working on and how can our listeners hear more? 04:14 Discussion about Furyon 06:49 Furyon - Disappear Again 07:28 Rick Beato and Chris Green’s lessons on Rick’s YouTube channel and emusicworkshop.com 09:02 What first got you into playing, what was your first guitar and what was it like started out? 12:00 The Shadows – Apache 15:30 Aztec Camera – Somewhere in my Heart 17:02 What guitars and amplifiers do you choose for certain gigs? Which are the go-tos? 19:40 Chris Green – Unveil (the title track from his solo album) 20:40 What do you wish you’d done more of when starting out? Could you have done things which would have fast-tracked your skills? 25:00 Skid Row – Youth Gone Wild 26:28 Where do you draw your motivation and inspiration from in your in your guitar playing? 30:04 Which players do you find inspirational?.... 31:40 Eric Johnson – Cliffs of Dover 35:05 Pink Floyd – Echoes 36:15 What is your desert island guitar? For example, your house is burning down – which ONE do you take with you? 37:40 Do you have any other advice for aspiring guitar players? 41:10 What do you think guitarists do well that other musicians aren’t as good at and what weaknesses do they often have? 48:16 What are your thoughts about songwriting? What works for you and how do you go about finishing and arranging your songs? 54:03 You’ve just come back from NAMM 2018 in LA haven’t you? What was the most exciting thing you saw or heard there? Who did you see playing or get chatting with? What’s it like to be at the hub of all things guitar? 61:53 What future projects, concerts and gigs should we be looking out for from you?

Interview with a musician episode 1: Dan Davies Jan 28, 2018

Tune in Tone up! Interview 1 with Dan Davies In this first interview with a guitar player, Gary asks Dan Davies for his thoughts on some questions about what the guitar means to him. We are aiming to include lots of other players in the future and ask t hem similar questions too. With questions about how he first came to play guitar, what his motivation and inspiration is and how he gets past stagefright and nerves, these interviews will enlighten, educate and entertain. 3:30 What first got you into playing the guitar? 8:30 What do you wish you'd done more of when starting out? 12:33 Where do you draw your motivation and inspiration from? 18:47 What advice do you have for others interested in pursuing a career in music? 21:57 What do you think guitarists do well that other musicians aren't as good at? 25:23 What weaknesses are there particularly for guitar players over other musicians? 29:55 What are your thoughts about songwriting? 35:09 What genres, styles and techniques do you want to improve in your playing? 39:03 What's your advice for gigging and your nerves when performing?

Guitar Lesson 28: Songwriting and arranging part two Jan 24, 2018

In guitar lesson 28, Dan and I look at how to arrange and develop the song we began to look at last lesson. We thought it would be useful to develop the guitar parts of this song and look further at how to arrange it. With lots of suggestions to support songwriters, we particularly focus on lead-ins, harmonising vocals and guitar parts, palm muting and using intervals to create dynamics. 3:30 Guitar parts and arranging 7:05 The opening riff and building in dynamics by doubling parts 9:45 Remember to strip back for the verse to make the chorus big 10:25 Lead-in, harmonised vocals & palm muting – The Foo Fighters, Pretender 13:50 Breaking up the verse to allow the song to breathe 14:30 Some ideas for skinnying the riff out 15:30 Thicker notes on thicker strings or more strings 16:00 Using intervals to harmonise two guitar parts 20:00 Quick recap 25:10 Developing a spacious and pretty guitar part for the verse 30:20 Tremolo pedal effect to create shimmery tone 32:10 Developing the chorus part 33:30 Explanation on the tweaking of the rhythmic part 37:00 Coming up with some lyrics for the chorus 38:40 The result of Dan’s lyric and chorus 40:15 Alice in Chains type harmonies 41:30 Final thoughts on songwriting in general 47:45 Prince as a songwriter 50:30 Discussion about Tune in Tone up and a reminder to get in touch

Guitar Lesson 27: Songwriting tips - writing and arranging a song from scratch Dec 31, 2017

Website: https://tunein-toneup.com/ Post: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/12/31/guitar-lesson-songwriting-tips/ In guitar lesson 27, Dan and I look at the thorny topic of songwriting and arranging original songs. Starting with a riff I wrote a long time ago and with lots of background discussion about how to write songs in general, Dan develops my idea and gives me some options for second guitar parts and song structure. By the end of our lesson we really have something which I can take away and work on. We hope you like this lesson and will look forward to some further developing of our song next lesson. 5:14 Gary’s riff and the basis for our song lesson 8:30 Discussion of famous songs and an examination of what makes a good song 12:30 Tweaking the main riff 14:30 Starting to consider a melody which will work over the riff 18:05 Exploring the chorus and finding a way back into the key of the main riff 20:31 A potential melody as a hook 26:46 A review of what we’ve done so far 29:33 Further work on the melody for the verse and chorus 31:49 Using palm muting for dynamics 35:51 A bit of harmonic analysis on the chords we are using 37:15 Harmonic analysis of Bruce Springsteen’s chromatic run in ‘Born to Run’ How to play 'Born to Run': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfZAColCjbs 41:10 Using shared chords to move between keys 44:14 Adding interest to arrangements / second guitar parts 50:19 Explaining ideas for using octaves and repeating licks

Guitar Lesson 26: Country rock rhythm & licks inspired by Tom Petty & Mike Campbell Dec 10, 2017

Website: https://tunein-toneup.com/ Post: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/12/10/guitar-lesson-country-rock-rhythm-licks-petty-campbell/ You can see my fan post on Tom Petty here: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/12/10/tom-petty-music-heartbreaker-mike-campbell/ In guitar lesson 26, I ask Dan for his advice about playing in the Country / Rock / Pop genre with the aim of supporting both rhythm playing in the style of Tom Petty and lead playing in the style of his guitarist – Mike Campbell. In this lesson Dan begins by choosing a chord progression with a Tom Petty-like rhythm, then looking at incorporating bass runs, arranging songs for dynamic interest, adding some country bends and soloing using double stops. The lesson ends with us looking at a series of licks and how to incorporate these into our chord progression; a quick study of mixing the major and minor pentatonics and a final challenge to play changes up the fretboard as a useful practice idea. 3:35 Chord progression, with a little chat about tone – Bm A / A G D (Dsus4) 7:53 Incorporating bass lines / connecting runs using bass notes 9:40 Dynamics: e.g. start mellow and build up, changing your chord voicings 13:53 Country bends, including chordal bends and double string bends 18:05 Dan demonstration of ideas so far, with Gary playing rhythm 19:18 The importance of not conceptually separating lead and rhythm playing 25:19 Major and minor 6ths double stops 26:35 Demonstration of double stop soloing over our chord progression, Dan first and then my attempt 34:35 Some soloing ideas for country rock with demonstration of licks 36:59 Lick 1 37:10 Lick 2 37:28 Lick 3 (outlining the D chord) 37:48 Lick 4 37:59 Lick 5 39:20 Mixolydian lick / mixing the major and minor pentatonics 41:34 Demonstration of soloing ideas over our chord progression 42:28 Further ideas on mixing the major and minor pentatonics 44:13 A final challenge to find backing tracks which change from two scales; e.g. minor to major / dorian to aeolian and play up the fretboard with the changes

Guitar Lesson 25: Supercharging your Blues licks and adding some fire and fury to your playing Nov 28, 2017

In guitar lesson 25, Dan and I improvise over a Blues backing track in G (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5r_KSLxYkg) and then we examine some of the licks and approaches which add some oomph into someone’s style and playing. Dan patiently breaks down a few of his licks for me and hopefully, after some practise, I will be able to inject them into my own playing to give it some clout. All our improvisations over the backing track have been left in warts and all so you can learn from my mistakes as well as Dan’s playing and hints. I've been going back over the riffs Dan shows me In this episode and thought it might be helpful if I shared the timings on this episode in case you, like me, want to go back over some of these riffs to try to commit them to memory and file them away in the old trick bag! In minutes and seconds: 4:30 jam 1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5r_KSLxYkg) 13:35 double stops 14:20 riff on top strings 15:10 same including blues note symmetrical 16:30 same staggered pattern across 5 strings from A string 12th fret to E string 15th fret 19:35 descending riff and played chicken pickin' at 22:30 23:40 trill Gary Mooreism B string 3 and 6th frets slide to 2nd and 5th frets 24:10 trill idea plotting path up fretboard 25:10 trill and yank string behind trill to modulate 26:45 country style rolling trill lick with moved pattern at 27:55 and slightly alternative lick based on same idea at 29:00 31:00 Eric Johnson inspired descending lick straight from the pentatonic scale 34:40 jam 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5r_KSLxYkg 44:20 jam 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5r_KSLxYkg

Guitar Lesson 24: The Blues revisited to identify areas to work on for your chops Nov 19, 2017

Website: https://tunein-toneup.com/ As always, we welcome your engagement and would love to hear from you through our website (https://tunein-toneup.com/contact/) or Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/tuneintoneup/) if there are any lessons you would like to hear us cover, or want to start a dialogue about anything guitar-related. The number of listens we receive inspire us to keep doing what we are doing, so we hugely appreciate all your shares, likes and support. Post: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/11/19/guitar-lesson-24-blues-identify-chops/ In Guitar Lesson 24, Dan suggests that we go back to look again at my Blues playing in order to identify areas which I ought to work on and potential weaknesses in my improvisation skills and techniques. Bearing this in mind we take a Blues backing track in E and play over it in turns, then look at some things which I should work on and also some tips and guitar hacks to assist. During the episode there are some suggestions about playing rhythmically, note choice using the blues note and borrowing from a couple of the modes and practicing some riffs and phrases to be better prepared. Be kind to me on this one :) Listening back to this I really was not happy with my playing on this lesson and will definitely be prioritising playing over a 12 bar blues over the next few weeks and months. Dan's excellent suggestions have inspired me to really work on licks I can use for each of the changes and get my chops honed and in time. I plan to use a metronome and have just purchased a Digitech Trio (a pedal which acts as an automatic drum machine and bassist)to further help with this. A Looper might also be useful looking forward to Christmas. I really want to get my improvisations sounding confident, rhythmically and in their phrasing and note choice. I hope Dan's suggestions were as useful to you as they were to me and that you forgive my playing and learn from the mistakes which I find myself making.

Guitar Lesson 23: Arranging songs - Purple Rain, Times Like These and Message in a Bottle Nov 11, 2017

Website: https://tunein-toneup.com/ Post: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/11/11/guitar-lesson-23-arranging-songs-prince-foo-police/ In guitar lesson 23, I ask Dan to give me some pointers on how to arrange songs for a three piece band, with a particular focus on some tunes I want to play with some friends. First, Dan shows me some ideas for Times Like These by the Foo Fighters to increase the interest in the rhythm playing so that it works well with the melody. He also gives me some thoughts about dynamics and harmonising the chorus. Next we look at Message in Bottle and how to augment the famous riff with a second guitar part. Finally, Dan takes me through his arrangement of Purple Rain which has some chimey chords and licks. We finish with the solo.

Guitar Lesson 22: A rationale for how to warm-up and organise your guitar practice schedule Nov 04, 2017

Website: https://tunein-toneup.com/ Post: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/11/04/guitar-lesson-22-warm-ups-practice-schedule/ In guitar lesson 22, which is being released as a whole episode, Dan and Gary examine the rationale behind warming-up before playing the guitar, looking at reasons which different people might have. Following this Dan takes us through a range of warm-ups and exercises which you can use. In the second part of this lesson we look at some ways you might put together a practice schedule in order to gain the most benefit from your time.

Guitar Lesson 21: The style and technique of Steve Lukather Oct 27, 2017

Website: https://tunein-toneup.com/ Dedicated post: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/10/27/guitar-lesson-21-style-technique-steve-lukather/ Backing track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1xhSg-_oa8 This episode of our podcast, guitar lesson 21, is an introduction to the style of Steve Lukather - session guitarist extraordinaire and virtuoso. In it we examine his note choice, techniques and approach to the guitar. This lesson is being released as one whole lesson as we felt that it fitted together better this way. It begins with Dan's improvisation over the YouTube backing track, which we found to use as the basis for this lesson (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1xhSg-_oa8). The lesson then starts proper with a background discussion of Lukather's playing and session work. Next Dan breaks down some of the techniques and ideas which he employed in his imrovisation. Finally, it ends with a jam in which we both take it in turns to improvise over the backing track.

Guitar Lesson 20: Advice on setting up a small pedal board Sep 30, 2017

Website: https://tunein-toneup.com/ Post: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/09/30/guitar-lesson-20-setting-up-small-pedalboard-tips-and-advice/ In guitar lesson 20, I take a set of pedals (which a friend has kindly lent me) around to Dan's house to ask for his advice on how to use them. Dan chooses to part with his Pedal Train Nano + and CIOKS 'Adam' power supply and then helps me to set up this small pedal board. As we put together my mini-board, Dan shares lots of tips and things to consider when doing this which we now share with you. In summary, Dan's tips are: Put together the board which suits you - don't go all out on a huge pedal board if you need to carry your pedal board by public transport to each gig. Start small and build it up from there. Pre-plan everything. Consider a switching system. Careful how you wire in your pedals and make sure that the pedals will be compatible and not draw too much power. Lots of options to look at for cabling. Consider this carefully. Plan your board so everything fits and you have got room for all the wiring. Think about which pedals you need greatest access to and what the order of the pedals is. Don't buy a poor power supply and be prepared to pay a little more for one which will run your pedals well and avoid unwanted noise. iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/guitar-lessons-tune-in-tone-up-podcast/id1187509288?mt=2 Further research and help: https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/The_Premier_Guitar_Pedalboard_Survival_Guide http://www.guitarworld.com/video-guitar-worlds-guide-building-pedal-board

Guitar Lesson 19b: Legato exercises inspired by the style of Joe Satriani, with some advanced ideas Sep 25, 2017

Website: https://tunein-toneup.com/ Backing track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p5-Zm1zEMk In guitar lesson 19b, we begin again with the improvisation from episode 19a and then Dan explains some of the techniques and themes which he used in his playing. He outlines a series of legato exercises, some of which are pretty advanced, which can be practised to improve this area of your playing. This episode culminates with some great improvisation from Dan and some rather more amateur improvisation from myself. iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/guitar-lessons-tune-in-tone-up-podcast/id1187509288?mt=2

Guitar Lesson 19a: A study of a Satriani-type backing track and an introduction to legato Sep 22, 2017

Website: https://tunein-toneup.com/ Post: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/09/22/guitar-lesson-19a-satriani-rhythm-and-legato/ Track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p5-Zm1zEMk YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxcNU7lrHXU In guitar lesson 19a, Dan and I look at a backing track from YouTube in Em at 137BPM. First, Dan explains how to play the rhythm sections and the make-up of the chords. Secondly, Dan introduces the concept of legato which is widely used by Joe Satriani and this episode then ends with a demonstration of an improvisation over this backing track.

Guitar Lesson 18b - Jazz up your phrasing ideas and improvisation Sep 17, 2017

Website - https://tunein-toneup.com/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC80JJZ1RRZ5bxEiphLVi_Jw In guitar lesson 18b we look at further jazzy ideas to add interest to solos and improvisations in any genre. During this episode we record Dan demonstrating this over a YouTube backing track. The video of this demo you can find on our own YouTube channel.

Guitar Lesson 18a - Jazzy improvisation ideas to inform Blues & Rock players Aug 12, 2017

Website: https://tunein-toneup.com/ Dedicated post: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/08/14/guitar-lesson-18a-jazz-improvisation-for-blues-and-rock/ The backing track featured: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy9j101wuu4 Dan's Youtube improv: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp-f7Qd72Ic In this lesson, 18a of our podcast, Dan showed me some useful Jazz ideas to better inform my improvisation skills, including playing outside the box (using notes essentially out of key), rhythmic swing phrasing and how to think of chord changes in terms of one or two notes.

Guitar lesson 17b - soloing techniques and tips on dynamics for acoustic guitar Aug 01, 2017

In the second part of our lesson about playing acoustic guitar, Dan answers my question about how best to develop dynamics in an acoustic band. Clearly much of this is down to good communication and familiarity with the people who you are playing with, but Dan comes up with some really interesting techniques and advice for being heard when soloing and having interesting dynamics for your audience.

Guitar Lesson 17a - Playing effective rhythm on acoustic guitar Jul 24, 2017

YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC80JJZ1RRZ5bxEiphLVi_Jw Website: https://tunein-toneup.com Dedicated post: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/07/24/guitar-lesson-17a-playing-acoustic-guitar-with-rhythmic-tricks/ In this lesson Dan and I look at the topic of playing acoustic guitar. In particular, Dan comes at this topic from the perspective of viewing the acoustic guitar as an entirely different instrument to an electric and then from this how to play rhythm to the strength of the acoustic instrument. Our next podcast – 17b – will tackle the question I ask of Dan which is how to add dynamics and include a punchy solo when playing in a group setting. The last thing you want is to get to the solo and require a massive volume decrease from everyone in order to be heard. 5 mins 40 – Dan has just explained how he views the acoustic as a different instrument to the electric guitar and at this point introduces his aim for the next section where he hopes to have a look at some of the main things which people do, how these can be improved and some techniques which may be employed. 8 mins 15 – start to consider what differences there may be between an acoustic player and an electric guitar player over a simple chord progression: [Em – C – G – D]. An electric guitarist will most likely sit back on his sustain and his gain and if he’s just rocking out to it he may simplify the chords to power chords (otherwise known as 5 chords – e.g. the root and the 5th only, missing out the 3rd which denotes whether the chord is a major or a minor). 10 mins 25 – Dan shows how this kind of electric guitar line, translated directly over to the acoustic guitar might sound and then asks what we can do to improve this playing. 10 mins 45 – First suggestion from Dan is to play the full chords (12 mins 40 secs). 13 mins 15 – Second suggestion is to arpeggiate the chord and break it into notes. 14 mins – after struggling to get in speed on the picking pattern with my right hand for this arpeggiated version, I change to using fingerstyle. Dan picks up on this and how it changes the sound and tone and so can become another variation to bear in mind when choosing how to play a progression. 14 mins 40 – getting dynamics between a driving chorus and an arpeggiated verse. 15 mins 50 – open strings and how on an acoustic it is good to aim to allow the open strings to ring. Also a demonstration on how this softens the tone at 16 mins 40 secs. 16 mins – a reminder to use a Capo in different keys. This can work really well with more than one guitar playing chords and one guitar can have the progression transposed for a set of open chords in one position while another guitar can use the Capo on a different fret and, as such, have some different inversions playing over each other. This can be very effective. 17 mins 5 secs – a swing feel to the same four chords. Piano-style, using the thumb on the bass notes and the other fingers to pluck the higher strings together. Slapping the strings percussively also works. 19 mins – some advice on how to insert some recordings of acoustic into an electric track. 19 mins 20 secs – extend the bassline to connect chords together. 22 mins 50 secs – extending chords in the right key; e.g. Em can become Em7, C can become a Cadd9, G can become a Gadd9 and D can be a D7sus4 25 mins – using a Capo to gain a 12 string effect. More on playing different inversions for two different guitar parts 27 mins 40 secs – using hammer ons and pull offs to different chord shapes to create some further rhythmic dynamics; alongside chords rephrased in different positions using the Capo. 28 mins 40 secs – revoicing the chords using the Capo at the 7th fret. The remainder of this podcast involved some hints and tips for playing dynamically with others and getting the most out of your alternate tunings. Keep listening for next week’s advice on soloing in an acoustic band.

Guitar Lesson 16d: Dan's modified PRS and talk about pedals Jul 14, 2017

TITU supporting article: https://adamharkus.com/search-perfect-guitar-tone/ YouTube video of Dan with this guitar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp-f7Qd72Ic&t=101s Website: https://tunein-toneup.com Dedicated post: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/07/14/guitar-lesson-16d-prs-with-thornbuckers-tone-pedals/ In this lesson Dan demonstrates the range of tone available just using the tone and volume controls on his PRS. This guitar is the latest to Dan's collection and I'm sure that you agree, it sounds phenomenal. Part of the reason for this, other than the superb workmanship that goes into Paul Reed Smith Custom 24 guitars, is the fact that Dan changed his 85/15 humbuckers for Suhr Thornbuckers - so named because they were inspired by Pete Thorn, a truly incredible player, a lovely guy and a real guitar geek. I have to agree, listening to this podcast that these pickups create a different flavour of tone on Dan's PRS. I'm tempted, but can't really justify the expense, so I am sticking with the 85/15s which are lovely pickups, but possibly a little too boomy in the lower tone settings. You can hear and see Dan using this guitar on our YouTube Channel where we have uploaded our first video - this complements a lesson on Jazzy and Funky improvisation which should come out at the start of August. Don't forget to subscribe to this channel as we are anticipating much more content to come out like this in the future. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp-f7Qd72Ic&t=101s This is the room where all of our podcast episodes are recorded: Notice the cot on which a PRS case is resting, the other cases to the right and the size of the room. This is Dan's daughters' bedroom, which we acquire the use of for our lessons; you may have heard some of the background noise of children playing and making sounds? We hope that this, rather than detract from our podcast, adds to the authenticity and rawness of our content. We often laugh at the setup which we use and wonder who would guess it was like this. Once Dan has demonstrated the range of tones he can dial in, again only using the controls and pickup switching on the guitar, we finish this episode with some discussion about clean boosts, volume pedals and EQ pedals (the Boss GE7 is the only pedal we use here for some more oomph) In these lessons, Dan demonstrates to Gary how you can use these controls on different guitars with the setting on the amplifier left untouched. It really is incredible how with a little understanding you can dial in such a range of tone from the controls which are always under your fingers. For example, knowing that the ‘treble bleed circuit’ will decrease the bass from your signal as you lower the volume means that you will realise that with a low volume you will get a thinner twangier sound and diminish the boom of the bass. Likewise, adding volume will increase the thickness, distortion and crunch which you have already dialled into your amplifier. Covered in this mini-series: 16a) Dan demonstrates the versatility of Gary's PRS without touching the controls on the amp 16b) Dan shows us that it is possible to get a thick, humbucker-type tone on a single-coil stratocaster 16c) Dan gets a twangy tone with his Les Paul 16d) Dan puts his own PRS through its paces See this extra detail from other players via our question on Quora: https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-use-your-volume-and-tone-controls-on-your-guitar

Guitar Lesson 16c: Using the Les Paul's controls to produce a twangy, bright and chimey sound Jul 07, 2017

TITU supporting article: https://adamharkus.com/search-perfect-guitar-tone/ Website: https://tunein-toneup.com Dedicated post: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/07/07/guitar-lesson-16c-controls-les-paul-twangy-bright/ In this lesson Dan demonstrates the range of tone available just using the tone and volume controls on your Les Paul. He concentrates on the middle position, where you can make the most of your chimey bridge pickup by mixing it with your more boomy neck pickup and by adapting the amount of volume and tone for each open up the tonal variety of your Les Paul.

Guitar Lesson 16b: Getting a double-coil sound with a stratocaster and exploring their tonal variety Jun 30, 2017

TITU supporting article: http://adamharkus.com/search-perfect-guitar-tone/ Website: https://tunein-toneup.com Dedicated post: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/06/30/guitar-lesson-16b-get-rock-tone-stratocaster/ This is the second part of a four-part mini series covering the topic of tone. The aim of this lesson was to see how better to use only the volume and tone controls on the guitar in order to dial in a wealth of different tones and to dispel some myths about stratocasters. In this second part we gain a distorted sound on the amp and then from there Dan demonstrates the different sounds you can get on his stratocaster without touching the amp at all or using footpedals. Everyone can learn something from this lesson and I, for one, wish I had known this sooner. Learning to control your tone from your guitar is hugely beneficial and you will become a much more versatile and confident guitarist by understanding this better. As a basic rule, the more distorted/compressed your tone the less you'll be able to dial it back using the guitar’s volume control. Mid gain tones allow for a huge amount of dynamic variation from solely the volume control. In these lessons, Dan demonstrates to Gary how you can use these controls on different guitars with the setting on the amplifier left untouched. It really is incredible how with a little understanding you can dial in such a range of tone from the controls which are always under your fingers. For example, knowing that the ‘treble bleed circuit’ will decrease the bass from your signal as you lower the volume means that you will realise that with a low volume you will get a thinner twangier sound and diminish the boom of the bass. Likewise, adding volume will increase the thickness, distortion and crunch which you have already dialled into your amplifier. In the other episodes: 16a) Dan demonstrates the versatility of Gary's PRS without touching the controls on the amp 16b) Dan shows us that it is possible to get a thick, humbucker-type tone on a single-coil stratocaster 16c) Dan gets a twangy tone with his Les Paul 16d) Dan puts his own PRS through its paces

Guitar Lesson 16a: Getting better tone with only the controls on the guitar Jun 17, 2017

TITU supporting article: http://adamharkus.com/search-perfect-guitar-tone/ Website: https://tunein-toneup.com Dedicated post: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/06/23/guitar-lesson-16a-getting-better-tone-using-only-the-volume-and-tone-controls-on-the-guitar/ This is the first part of a four-part mini series covering the topic of tone. The aim of this lesson was to see how better to use only the volume and tone controls on the guitar in order to dial in a wealth of different tones and also to dispel some myths about certain traditional types of guitar. In this first part we gain a distorted sound on the amp and then from there Dan demonstrates the different sounds you can get on a PRS pickup setup (i.e. with a selection of both humbucker and single coil settings) without touching the amp at all or using footpedals. Everyone can learn something from this lesson and I, for one, wish I had known this sooner. Learning to control your tone from your guitar is hugely beneficial and you will become a much more versatile and confident guitarist by understanding this better. As a basic rule, the more distorted/compressed your tone the less you'll be able to dial it back using the guitar’s volume control. Mid gain tones allow for a huge amount of dynamic variation from solely the volume control. In these lessons, Dan demonstrates to Gary how you can use these controls on different guitars with the setting on the amplifier left untouched. It really is incredible how with a little understanding you can dial in such a range of tone from the controls which are always under your fingers. For example, knowing that the ‘treble bleed circuit’ will decrease the bass from your signal as you lower the volume means that you will realise that with a low volume you will get a thinner twangier sound and diminish the boom of the bass. Likewise, adding volume will increase the thickness, distortion and crunch which you have already dialled into your amplifier. In the other episodes: 16a) Dan demonstrates the versatility of Gary's PRS without touching the controls on the amp 16b) Dan shows us that it is possible to get a thick, humbucker-type tone on a single-coil stratocaster 16c) Dan gets a twangy tone with his Les Paul 16d) Dan puts his own PRS through its paces

Guitar Lesson 15c: Using the Lydian mode to create a floaty fantastical feel Jun 16, 2017

Website: https://tunein-toneup.com/ Contact: https://tunein-toneup.com/blog/tune-in-tone-up-guitar-lesson-podcast/ Dedicated post: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/06/16/guitar-lesson-15a-advice-on-learning-scales-on-one-string-and-further-modes-with-a-metal-focus-on-the-phrygian-2/ In episode 15c, there follows an in-depth study of the Lydian mode. We use a modal drone and play over this one note. This is one of the main points which Dan makes about using the Lydian mode: It requires a section of a song where the backing does not change around too much or to be written into an intro or part of a song, particularly if the Lydian chord is momentary. A droned note is one of the best ways of stabilising the background chords and they are available all over YouTube in every key to get used to creating a Lydian sound. Lydian Mode: Major Scale: W W H W W W H Lydian Mode: W W W H W W H

Guitar Lesson 15b: Mixolydian madness with a country twang Jun 09, 2017

Website: https://tunein-toneup.com/ Dedicated post: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/06/09/guitar-lesson-15b-advice-on-buying-a-mid-range-guitar-and-some-more-on-the-mixolydian-mode/ In episode 15b, We look again at buying guitars, with a focus on the PRS SE range – also reviewed by Adam Harkus – http://adamharkus.com/prs-se-245-spalted-maple-review/ – because one of our listeners is considering this make. After this, we return to look again at the mixolydian mode and how to play through the changes. To experiment with these ideas we improvise over a country backing track.

Guitar Lesson 15b: Advice on buying a mid-range guitar Jun 09, 2017

Guitar Lesson 15a: Learning scales on one string & further modes with a Metal focus on the Phrygian Jun 03, 2017

Website: https://tunein-toneup.com Support page: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/06/03/guitar-lesson-15a-advice-on-learning-scales-on-one-string-and-further-modes-with-a-metal-focus-on-the-phrygian/ In episode 15a, We look at theory again, specifically with a focus on the benefit of learning scales on one string and the advantages of spending time gaining a good musical knowledge. After this, we examine the Phrygian mode and the Phygian Dominant, which uses the major third instead of the minor third. To experiment with these ideas we improvise over a metal backing track from YouTube. Lesson 15a brief breakdown: 1 minute 30 seconds – start, covering the validity of learning scales on one string. 5 minutes 30 seconds – quick thank you to a couple of our SoundCloud listeners who got in touch with us with some very nice feedback. 11 minutes 10 seconds – Gary’s exercise playing each of the seven modes starting on the 3rd fret of the A string (C), then doing the same for ‘G’ on the E string, then doing the same for ‘D’ on the A string, then the same on ‘A’ of the E string and so on through the circle of fifths to E, B, F#, C#, Ab, Eb 13 minutes 27 seconds – Recommendation of NGIS – No Guitar is Safe. Thanks to Jude Gold of Guitarplayer magazine for such an inspirational podcast. The Episode which is mentioned here is Jude’s interview with Rusty Cooley – https://soundcloud.com/guitar-player-magazine/episode-48-rusty-cooley. There are some superb episodes of this podcast. 15 minutes 30 seconds – start of study of Phrygian and Phrygian Dominant modes. 16 minutes 30 seconds – metal backing track linked below – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8TcuOvmK6Q 20 minutes – quick discussion about the difference between Phrygian and Phrygian Dominant modes. 21 minutes 45 seconds – backing track again demonstrating the difference between Phrygian and Phrygian Dominant modes.

Guitar Lesson 14b: Using the dorian mode and some 'shredtastic' improvisations May 26, 2017

Website: https://tunein-toneup.com Support page: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/05/19/guitar-lesson-14-understanding-and-using-modes-a-dorian-and-b-mixolydian/ After looking at the scales and the notes of the scales in detail, I wanted to return to look at how modes are constructed and the feel that they give when used well. PART 1 – The first of a four-part lesson of modes. Lesson 14a includes an introduction and rationale, followed by a focus on the mixolydian mode, including some hints and applications and some playing by Dan and myself over backing tracks. PART 2 – In Lesson 14b we look at another very commonly used mode – the dorian mode. As the rationale and use of this mode is slightly more accessible than the mixolydian we tend to get stuck straight into improvising over relevant backing tracks this time round. Keep listening for Guitar Lesson 15 – where Dan and I will return to look at the other modes which we have not covered in Guitar Lesson 14.

Guitar Lesson 14a: Understanding modes and using the mixolydian in Blues and Country May 19, 2017

Guitar Lesson 13b: Practising away from the guitar and useful tips on music theory May 12, 2017

Our related post on the Blogging Musician's site: http://adamharkus.com/unlocking-fretboard-understanding-key-signatures-guitar/ Our website: https://tunein-toneup.com/ Our dedicated post for lesson 13: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/05/05/guitar-lesson-13-how-to-practice-without-a-guitar-and-further-rhythm-ideas-and-alternate-tuning/ Guitar Lesson 13b: PART 2 - Here, Dan really helped me out by giving me some superb ideas for what to do while unable to practise and how to develop my musical understanding of keys and the fretboard without needing to use the guitar. Very helpful as I currently have some tendonitis making it difficult to play. Check out this post on this topic by TITU: http://adamharkus.com/unlocking-fretboard-understanding-key-signatures-guitar/

Guitar Lesson 13a: More rhythmic songwriting ideas, chord melodies and alternate tunings May 05, 2017

Our related post on the Blogging Musician's site: http://adamharkus.com/unlocking-fretboard-understanding-key-signatures-guitar/ Our website: https://tunein-toneup.com/ Our dedicated post for lesson 13: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/05/05/guitar-lesson-13-how-to-practice-without-a-guitar-and-further-rhythm-ideas-and-alternate-tuning/ Guitar Lesson 13a: This lesson is mainly as a result of some of the feedback which we have had from listeners, namely that they found lesson 5 on rhythm playing really useful and wanted more of this. As a result I showed up to Dan with the two questions: PART 1 - This was to revisit chord melodies and song writing ideas. What we covered in this section of the lesson organically grew and we added in some ideas about alternate tunings, including DADGAD. PART 2 (12.5.17)- Here, Dan really helped me out by giving me some superb ideas for what to do while unable to practise and how to develop my musical understanding of keys and the fretboard without needing to use the guitar. Very helpful as I currently have some tendonitis making it difficult to play :(

Guitar Lesson 12b: Tips on jamming etiquette and playing with others Apr 28, 2017

Our website - https://tunein-toneup.com Dedicated post: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/04/21/guitar-lesson-12-hendrix-inspired-rhythm-playing-with-some-useful-fills-and-jamming-etiquette/ PART 2: Dan gives me some great advice about jamming after asking me some questions about problems I have come across in my experience. Finally, we have a go at improvising over some backing tracks. Including some guitar swapping and totally shredtastic - when Dan's up anyway :)

Guitar Lesson 12a - How to sound like Jimi Hendrix by mixing rhythm and lead fills Apr 21, 2017

Our website - https://tunein-toneup.com Dedicated post: PART 1: 1. First, we discuss the time in which Jimi Hendrix was playing and what was in his situation which pushed him towards playing rhythm and lead together. 2. Now Dan shows me some fills of a Bm barre chord. 3. Next we look at a progression Bm, A, G, D 4. Then Dan looks at Jimi's popular chord grip, using an F shape chord moved up the neck with the bass note played with the thumb. 5. Finally we finish with discussion about different approaches you can take to your guitar learning and how what we have done fits into this as something accessible for most types of player. Lastly, some discussion about our podcast.

Guitar Lesson 11: How To Get The Most Out Of Your Delay Pedal Apr 07, 2017

Our website - https://tunein-toneup.com Dedicated post: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/04/07/guitar-lesson-11-what-is-delay-and-how-do-you-use-it-effectively/ Guitar lesson 11 is a follow-on from last week when you consider the use of delay pedals is important for the style of David Gilmour amongst other players. Insofar as delay pedals go I am a beginner and learnt so much from Dan’s generous time. We look at violining, Purple Rain, metal tones, Sweet Disposition and much much more. We had discussed this before the lesson and so I took along my PodXT Line6 multi-effects pedal for us to gain some delay sounds.

Guitar Lesson 10: Tips for improvising better guitar solos (with 'Comfortably Numb') Mar 25, 2017

Our website - https://tunein-toneup.com Dedicated post: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/03/23/guitar-lesson-10-tips-for-improvising-better-guitar-solos-with-comfortably-numb/ In guitar lesson 10, Dan puts on a Comfortably Numb backing track and I have a go at improvising over the top. Dan then identifies strengths and some suggestions about my playing, leading to some outstanding advice on how to improve, including using themes in order to create interest and help to be creative in the moment. As ever, I further explore the themes which Dan introduces me to with my own research on our website - https://tunein-toneup.com. These website posts include a write up of each lesson with brief excerpts and relevant YouTube video tutorials, guitar covers, solos and alternative versions. This lesson is here: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/03/23/guitar-lesson-10-tips-for-improvising-better-guitar-solos-with-comfortably-numb/

Guitar Lesson 9: Getting rocktastic with pinch harmonics and the tremolo bar Mar 11, 2017

Our website - https://tunein-toneup.com Dedicated post: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/03/10/guitar-lesson-9-pinch-harmonics-and-the-tremolo-bar/ In this guitar lesson, episode 9 of our podcast, Dan gives me some tricks and tips about some more advanced techniques, from the metal and rock genres. Used widely by legends such as Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, make your guitar sing like a whale and scream like a horse using pinch harmonics and the tremolo bar. As ever, I further explore the themes which Dan introduces me to with my own research on our website - https://tunein-toneup.com. These website posts include a write up of each lesson with brief excerpts and relevant YouTube video tutorials, guitar covers, solos and alternative versions. This lesson is here: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/03/10/guitar-lesson-9-pinch-harmonics-and-the-tremolo-bar/

Guitar Lesson 8: Unpacking the riffs, licks and styles of Jimmy Page and Gary Moore Feb 25, 2017

Our website - https://tunein-toneup.com This lesson: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/02/19/guitar-lesson-8-the-riffs-style-and-licks-of-jimmy-page-and-gary-moore/ In guitar lesson 8, we study 5 Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin riffs and examine how Jimmy Page puts together his solos, before moving onto an in-depth study of some of Gary Moore’s popular melodic solos and analysing his virtuoso technique. See https://tunein-toneup.com/ for extra support. Dedicated post for this episode: https://tunein-toneup.com/2017/02/19/guitar-lesson-8-the-riffs-style-and-licks-of-jimmy-page-and-gary-moore/

Guitar Lesson 7: A crash course in Blues improvisation & soulful jamming Feb 11, 2017

In this lesson, we look at how to use the pentatonic scale in an interesting and useful way to create cool solos and learn how to jam with a soulful sound. Dan gives Gary hints on note choice, extending pentatonic licks from position to position and blues techniques. Punctuated with demonstrations and improvisations - we hope you get loads of ideas for licks and blues jamming. Please see our website at https://tunein-toneup.com for show notes and get in touch with any thoughts and suggestions.

Guitar Lesson 6b - Rhythmic ideas - Pinball Wizard, Black Betty and Get Lucky Jan 29, 2017

In the second part of episode 6 of Tune in, Tone up! Dan and Gary look at the rhythm ideas found in Pinball Wizard by the Who, Black Betty by Ram Jam and Get Lucky by Daft Punk featuring Nile Rodgers. We look at strumming ideas, energy in rhythm playing and further funk rhythms.

Guitar Lesson 6a: Advice on buying a new guitar Jan 29, 2017

This is the first part of episode 6 of Tune in, Tone up! Edited to just contain the advice Dan gives to Gary on buying a new guitar and covering Gibsons, Les Pauls, PRS, Suhr and Charvel among many others.

Guitar Lesson 6: Buying a guitar and more rhythmic tunes Jan 28, 2017

In this lesson, Dan and I discuss at length how to go about buying a guitar and what to look for in a new axe. We then turn our attention to some more tunes with interesting rhythm playing: Starting with the energy of Pete Townsend's playing on Pinball Wizard, the funky rhythm of Black Betty and Nile Rodger's excellent playing on Daft Punk's Get Lucky. Enjoy and if you like what you hear (or you have suggestions) don't forget to get in touch.

Guitar Lesson 5: Chord melodies and interesting fills Jan 14, 2017

In this lesson Dan begins by looking at how to add notes to chords to make them more tonally interesting. This is followed by looking at ways to spice up the rhythm playing for two Bob Dylan tunes: “All Along the Watchtower” and “Like a Rolling Stone” to add some Hendrix fills and discuss harmonic ideas and philosophies. Please see our website at https://tunein-toneup.com for show notes and get in touch with any thoughts and suggestions.

Guitar Lesson 4: Funk Patterns and Rhythmic Grooves Dec 31, 2016

In this lesson, Dan begins by looking at the rhythm and harmony in the song "Can't Take My Eyes off of You" followed by "Le Freak" to look at how to play funk, sixteenth note rhythms and the technique of left-hand muting. Following is some chicken picking rhythms from an Eagles and a Bad Company tune. We finally analyze "Money for Nothing" and the Foo Fighters for some other rhythmic tricks and ideas (see https://tunein-toneup.com for show notes).

Guitar Lesson 3: A Country Vibe Dec 17, 2016

In lesson 3, Dan discusses the genre of Country music, including compressors and tone and covering the techniques of chicken picking, double stops and bends; each with useful riffs (see https://tunein-toneup.com for tabs).

Guitar Lesson 2: A Neoclassical Approach Dec 03, 2016

In this lesson, Dan gives Gary some fantastic tips on playing at speed, how to use pedal tones, string-skipping and sweep-picking; each with useful riffs (see https://tunein-toneup.com for tabs). So give your fingers a stretch and enjoy learning about a neoclassical approach with us.

Guitar Lesson 1: Blues improvisation Nov 19, 2016

In this guitar lesson, Dan Davies gives Gary some advice about soloing over Blues changes and improvisation. Covering modes, scales, the blues note and chord tones; each with useful riffs (see https://tunein-toneup.com for tabs). Also, some superb discussion about tone and how to achieve this on different guitars. Finishing with some improvising over a YouTube track by Quist.

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