Rock Triad Rhythm Guitar Lesson
A new subscriber to my ‘Ask the Teacher’ service asked for a rhythm guitar lesson. This is what I came up with. It works out three-string ‘triad’ shapes to breath new life in to a well-worn A-G-D-A rock progression. Check it out.
I hope this is along the lines of what you had in mind, Noah. Have fun, guys!
Storm
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Metal Guitar Jam Track #2
I am really digging Wordpress. It is the ‘blogging’ software that I switched to a couple of months ago to run this website but, really, it does so much more. It is an excellent content management system, it has a built in comment function and it tracks popular posts and pages. And the price is right: FREE!
Anyway, I have consistently found my Metal Guitar Jam Track near the top of my most popular pages. Being as this site is for you, today I give you another metal jam track! Again in the key of A minor.
The following scales all work well:
The Phrygian mode adds an exotic character that is cool though it includes a B-flat note that is kind of a clunker against the F chord in the progression.
Any other jam track styles you want to hear more of? Maybe I am missing out on a new popular style? Polka/Reggae/Speed Metal hybrids? Let me know by commenting!
Play ‘Purple Haze’ Guitar Lesson
Jimi Hendrix influenced how we think of and play the guitar more than anyone in history. In homage to him check out the intro and verse guitar parts to the Hendrix classic “Purple Haze”, from his first album “Are You Experienced”.
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If you like this lesson and want to dig in on this song or Jimi in general, consider taking private lessons with me. You might also like to check out the following resources:
And, as always, please subscribe to my RSS feed!
Video for Google It!
Yes, a song as good as “Google It!” deserves a video. And it definitely deserves a video better than the one I made for it! Be that as it may, the video is now available for viewing and commenting on YouTube. Have a look.
Importantly this video fit the operating budget for the ‘alloneword’ project. FREE!
Rock Shuffle Jam Track
Here is a fun backing track for your endless-jamming pleasure. It is a rock shuffle jam in the key of A.
The chord progression is: |A - - - | G/A - - - |D/A - - - |A - - -| . The way to read ‘G/A’ is ‘G over A’ and means a G chord is played with an A bass note. Essentially the bass rides or ‘pedals’ an A note the entire progression as the chords change over it.
Some suggested scales for improvising:
In an upcoming lesson I will revisit this progression and show how to use different triad shapes in your rhythm guitar work. Have fun!
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Naming Guitar Strings
Naming the guitar strings is a fundamental that no beginner should overlook. There are two ways that we can name the string being played.
The first way simply numbers the strings from skinniest to heaviest, 1 through 6. The second names the string by the pitch it is tuned to. Standard guitar tuning is from heaviest to skinniest, E-A-D-G-B-E. A good memory device is the phrase, Every Guitarist Digs Guitar Back East.
Notice that there are two E strings. The heaviest string is referred to as ‘Low E’ and the skinniest ‘High E’. This references their pitch not their position in relation to the floor.
Rhythm Guitar Options
Creating guitar parts that compliment those of other musicians you are playing with will make you a very popular guitarist! Following are some of the options I think of when creating rhythm guitar parts onstage or in the studio.
Rhythm Guitar Options
- High to Low
- Fast to Slow
- Active to Sparse
- Groove vs. Fills
- Clean to Dirty
- Chords to Notes
- Sustain to Staccato
- Simple Harmony to Complex
- Play ‘with’ vs playing ‘against
Creating parts that are in contrast to what others are playing lends a sense of space that is musically pleasing. Additionally, the use of contrasting elements make unison parts sound that much more powerful when they do come in!
Keep these rhythm options in mind next time you are writing rhythm guitar parts and see if they don’t move you in new directions.
The lyrics to Google It!
Do you like music? Have you heard of a little company named Google? Ever wish there was a way to musically embrace every one’s favorite search engine? Well, have I got a song for you! Enter “Google It!”, a song written by Kyle Rothchild and featuring yours truly on guitar.
Kyle was the bassist in my working band of the last year and a half. He wrote a handful of catchy, tech-oriented pop tunes and asked me to contribute guitar parts for his recording project, alloneword.
There is a comedic streak to the tunes similar to Weird Al Yankovic or Tenacious D. The session was a blast and we came out with a nice two-song EP that Kyle and Ryan Collier produced. Not much in the way of guitar antics needed for the guitar parts. I did what served this tune, being in kind of a punk-pop style, by keeping the solo at the end of the song real loose and of the cuff.
Listen to the full track!
This song is available for download from iTunes.
Kyle is now playing with Tony Clifton and I think is currently in Chicago. Nice!
There is a line in ‘Google It!’ where the lyrics say you can Google to “find all the words to this dumb song.” Kyle confided in me that he never put the lyrics online. So, as a service to him and you, following are the lyrics in all their glory! Cheers, Kyle, and keep doing what you’re doing.
Storm
Google It! Lyrics
If you need a map to get you where you’re going
If you have to know but there’s just no way of knowing
Want to order some food or get a price for shampoo
You can see Earth from space or look in on the human race.
If you love to gamble but you hate casinos
Can’t remember the ingredients to a Mocha Frappuchino?
If you’re just plain dumb and you can’t spell umbrella
If you’re looking for a girl or a rich, handsome fella
CHORUS
You can Google It! Oh yeah
You can Google It! Oh yeah
You can Google It! Oh yeah
You can Google It!
You can talk to perfect strangers, you can make them you’re best friend
If you don’t know now then you can Google in the end
If you didn’t go to school and turned out to be a fool
See celebrities swimming naked in a public pool
Doing research for a paper or, hey, maybe you’re just stoned
You can find most everything with all your friends or all alone
If you really want to know all the words to this dumb song
You can dig up all the dirt on someone who did you wrong
CHORUS
‘Cause You can Google It! Oh yeah (You can Google)
You can Google It! Oh yeah (You can Google)
You can Google It! Oh yeah (You can Google)
You can Google It!
Well, if you’re running late you’ve got to find the quickest way
Or if you’re feeling horny Google three times every day
You can get a degree, pay you’re bills or go shopping
Find company, play war games no one’s stopping you
You’ve been looking for a job or a new place to live
Get a credit check done and pirate all you’re favorite songs
Just point a click you’re mouse, you don’t have to leave you’re house
You can trade you’re stocks and bonds or read who Bush is going to bomb
CHORUS
‘Cause You can Google It! Oh yeah (You can Google)
You can Google It! Oh yeah (You can Google)
You can Google It! Oh yeah (You can Google)
You can Google It!
And you don’t really need to remember anything
‘Cause in 30 damn seconds it will be there on your screen
Give some meaning to your life, type in what you want to know
Give that search engine a pure and ready, set, here we go!
Find out how to build a house or send a message to your Mom
Google know just what you mean even if you spelled it wrong
It has worked a billion times and you know it will work for you
Google can’t sue me for slander because what I said is true!
CHORUS
You can Google It! Oh yeah (You can Google)
You can Google It! Oh yeah (You can Google)
You can Google It! Oh yeah (You can Google)
You can Google It! You can Google It!
You can Google It! Oh yeah (You can Google)
You can Google It! Oh yeah (You can Google)
You can Google It! Oh yeah (You can Google)
You can Google It!
You can Google It!
You can Google It!
You can Google It!
Beginning ‘Arpeggio’ Picking Lesson
I believe arpeggios to be some of the most beautiful sounds we can produce on the guitar. The word ‘arpeggio’ simply means broken chord. On the guitar, the notes of a chord can be played in a melodic fashion (think of the beginning melody to ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’) or in a chordal fashion where the notes overlap and ring together. The latter is common in guitar accompaniment and is used in this lesson over the chord progression to ‘House Of The Rising Sun’, made famous by the Animals. Take a look.
The part is played with a pick. Accompaniment arpeggios can also be played finger-style, which we explore in an upcoming lesson.
If you like this lesson please consider subscribing to my RSS feed.
Website Happenings…
I have a few pieces of information about GuitarTeacher.com to share this week…
First, as you may or may not know, I do most of my website work and video shoots at my teaching studio at Sparks Music Center. We have had internet problems that made updating GuitarTeacher very ackward. Thankfully, these are resolved as of today and I should be back on-track to posting new lessons this week.
Second, the forum of GuitarTeacher has to be reset due to a software error. Categories and threads will be setup later today. Sorry if I missed any of your questions. 
Finally, I have a new video plug-in I will try out in my upcoming lessons. It is called Smart YouTube and is used for embedding videos uploaded to YouTube within my website posts. I still have the capability of hosting videos within GuitarTeacher myself as flash files but I find the newer high-definition format on YouTube that I find to come out clearer. This is especially evident when viewing the in-video tablature in my lessons. I also plan to link to guitar-related YouTube content that inspires me.
Your feedback is always appreciated. This site is to help you Play Guitar Better.
Storm Stenvold
GuitarTeacher.com
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Professional guitar support available 24/7! Stop web searching and start playing!About
My name is Storm Stenvold. Welcome to my online lesson studio, Guitar Teacher.com!
I teach individual and group guitar lessons online (since 2001) and have taught guitar for 17 years. I was a founding faculty member of ...read more