Tired of the same old D-G-A songs? Here’s an easy method for creating a brand new chord and using it in a chord progression. Basically, you take a traditional chord, move one finger by one fret. Go back and forth between the regular chord and its one-note-altered variation. Then slide the variation to somewhere else…
I was aware of Oddfellow Caveman pedals when it burst onto the scene a couple of years ago at TheGearPage.net. I saw some early videos and heard very smooth, sustain-y overdrive coaxed from a Strat. I knew I had to try this pedal. But months flew by and there was a controversy or two about the…
You’d think that the only thing that matters with guitar pedals is how they sound. And that definitely is one of the most critical elements — but other factors matter, too. User experience (that relates to how the knobs and jacks are laid out and labeled) and expectation-setting (marketing, naming, pricing) play big roles in…
This blues tune is so simple that I’m wondering if I’m just creating a variation of a melody/motif I heard somewhere else. Nevertheless, it’s catchy and actually not as easy as it looks (as evidenced by my struggling). If you’re not used to the classic call & response structure, this is an excellent piece…
When it comes to guitar riffs, more often than not, the power lies in simplicity. When you have less notes, you end up creating interests out of rhythm. And rhythm is the most primal element of music, music with interesting rhythm is always interesting. This finger-picked riff is so simple yet addictingly groovy, as…
Can you recognize that this is a very simple progression that involves D-Bm-A? Give them new chord voicings and tried-and-true chords can still sound fresh enough to inspire a song — listen to the contrast when I switch to the “regular” way these chords are played. There’s so much smooth yet poignant vibe here that…
Having just explored the Dumble territory with the rare Dumbbell pedal, I was intrigued to find that Mad Professor Simble came up in my PedalGenie queue. This is one of the newest and a well-respected entry in the playing field. How does it stack up? Features This is a four-knob overdrive but instead of my…
This simple single-note funk pattern has a lot of potential for variations — I’m demonstrating some of them here, by harmonizing some of the notes, and change how I would harmonize. When practicing a riff like this, it’s very important that it doesn’t sound rushed, so pay attention to the space between the notes. Now this…
This is the first of the pedals I’ll be reviewing that I’m renting from PedalGenie.com. I’ll write a review about their service after I have a few rounds. I put this pedal in the wishlist mostly because I recently realized how awesome Tech21’s Liverpool pedal is, and wanted to compare with another pedal that was…
This riff starts out fairly straight forward, but as it transitions to the chorus it adds more and more twists, concluding with a really surprising chord. That adding of interest keeps you engaged enough that when you go through it once you’re ready to hear it all over again. The verse is essentially a predictable…
The notes and chords here are pretty traditional here, but the eighth notes on E and the slide from G to A (sometimes harmonized) gives this riff a propelling momentum. I tried going from C to D some of the time but I think this riff is better sticking to the C-B move, which…
This one will serve as a nice intro and melodic hook to a steady rock song in E minor. Watch the two G notes in the middle, one on D string and one on the open G string. After this intro you can just play a partial figure of that melodic line — repeating…
The 9th note in a minor chord always brings out tension, so even though the very first chord here is GMaj7 — a smooth chord — the bass note quickly going down to E to make the whole 1st section stay in Em tonality. Then it goes to A but again the F# persists to…
Rarity is one of the factors that turn me on, but I don’t lust over any pedal just because it’s rare — I’ve never dished out $$$ on Klon or original Tube Screamer. It’s the sound that intrigues me first and foremost. The Dumble thing, though, is on my radar as a terrain to explore,…
