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…
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…
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 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…
I’m sure you can relate. You are noodling on your guitar and come up with a cool new riff. You scramble around for something to record, for if you don’t capture it now you’ll soon forget. Inspirations are fleeting. I first used Quicktime and built-in mic on my Mac, but these days I mostly use…
I didn’t mean to turn this blog into just a bunch of pedal reviews, though that’s most of what I’ve been doing lately. So here’s a thought piece from a songwriting/arranging point of view — 4 roles guitars play in a band context. The 4 roles are: Rhythmic Melodic Harmonic Textural/Timbre Rhythmic Assuming the guitar…
Power chords are the foundation of rock guitar. But — after serving well for millions (I imagine) of songs, I can’t help but feel like “been there, done that.” There is nothing wrong with it, but as a guitar-based songwriter I am always looking for fresher sounds — and these 3 simple variations help me…