Soundtrack of Summer Guitar Solo Contest

Thought I'd share my entry for the Guitar Solo Contest at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4UuPSNMHIU

Cheers.

80's ish Metal Guitar Riff

I'm a big fan of 80's metal. So when a youtube user requested a metal guitar riff that is naturally where my thoughts went. This guitar lick/riff also hints at some neo-classical elements but only slightly. If this is a bit too 80's - I'll ask the user to let me know and I'll do some more modern metal guitar licks. The video diverges from the tab at the end of the passage just to add some closure to the riff. As usual I'm tuned down a half step if you want to play along. Keep the requests coming!

Pattern Based Rock Guitar Lick

A pattern based rock guitar lick that uses a descending A minor pentatonic scale pattern and palm muting to add some muscle to the riff. This is a basic shape that would suit beginners and intermediate players. For more advanced use of similar patterns check out some of Paul Gilbert's excellent and terrifying guitar licks.

Blues Guitar Lick - Pick and Fingers

This is a blues guitar lick that uses both pick and fingers to easily incorporate open strings into the lick. The lick draws on notes from both the E major and
minor pentatonic scale and has a country blues kinda sound to my ears. Hope you like it.

British Blues Guitar Lick

A minor pentatonic guitar lick in the key of E. This guitar lick , to my ears, is
reminiscent of the British Blues of the late 60's.

Guitar Intro "Finnegan's March"

The guitar intro to a Celtic inspired song I'm writing called "Finnegan's March". I was shooting for a traditional sounding guitar part with some Celtic overtones. Tuned down a half step if you want to play along. I'm using my new Agile 3000 guitar which I love. If you follow along with the tab you'll note the second repetition is slightly different than what is played in the video. Cheers.

Rock Guitar Lick in D with Uni-Vibe Effect

Today we have a 70's style rock guitar lick in the key of D with a uni-vibe effect. The uni-vibe is a great guitar effect that is meant to replicate the sound of a rotating Leslie speaker. Jimi Hendrix used it live and in the studio. Many great guitarists including Robin Trower, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Zakk Wylde have also explored various sonic territories with this effect. Original Uni-Vibes and even the modern update pedals can be quite expensive. I've used a digital modeling version on the Line6 Floor Pod Plus that I like.

Country Guitar Lick in G

A country (ish) guitar lick in G that uses double-stop bends and pre-bend and release techniques. The tab is a bit hard to follow but hold the bent A (to B) note from the 10th to the 12fret on the B String in the second part while fretting first the D note 10th fret on the high E string and then the C note on the 8th fret of the high E.

Guitar Lick with "otto phase" vocal effect

A simple melodic phrase for guitar based around the B Minor Pentatonic Scale. Tuned down a half step if you want to play along. The "otto phase" effect from line6 lends a real vocal quality to the lick. On the second take you can also hear a wah pedal accent the vocal nasal tinge the effect creates.

Rock and Roll Guitar Lick in C

A classic rock and roll guitar lick that draws a lot on early Rockabilly playing. The guitar lick is based around the C Minor Pentatonic scale but draws on passing tones and notes from the Major Pentatonic Scale as well. As you can see and hear from the tab and video the triplets are played using a pull off technique that allows for a faster smoothing sound than picking the notes would easily allow. Note: as usual my guitar is tuned down a half step if you want to play along.

Rock and Roll Guitar Lick

A classic rock and roll guitar lick in the key of A. When you analyze the tab and music in the video you'll note that this lick is based around the A Minor Pentatonic Scale. However, it draws upon notes from the A Major Pentatonic Scale and also chromatic passing tones to add some interest and depth.

Funk Guitar Lick

A funk guitar lick using 16th note rhythm and muted notes. This guitar lick is based on a descending chord pattern where one note drops by a semitone for each bar. You can see this from the tab provided. Practice keeping your right hand relaxed and in a solid 16th note groove. Once your comfortable with the lick try altering the sound with a wah pedal to accent different notes.

Guitar Lick - Alternate Picking Sextuplets

A sextuplet based alternate picking chromatic guitar lick with tab and video.

Guitar Lick - D Mixolydian Mode

A melodic rock guitar lick based around the D Mixolydian Mode. This lick is fairly basic so you should be able to follow the video and tab to get a handle on it. I'm tuned down a half step if you want to play along.

Rock Guitar Riff

A rock guitar riff based around the G Minor Pentatonic scale with video and tab example. Nothing fancy here just a cool little riff to try on guitar. Once you get the riff under your fingers try incorporating some improvisation using the G Minor Pentatonic scale between repetitions of the main riff. You can also try shifting this guitar riff to start on the open A string and moving the chords up just like you would a blues progression. So instead of A and C being the main chords you would use D and F as the chord you land on and move the lick at the 12th fret D to the 12th fret G note.

A Momentary Lapse of Reason

Just a quick shout out to let everyone know new guitar licks, tab and video will be back on track starting Monday. This week was a bit sporadic as I've been under the weather. I blame training for a marathon. For anyone who as enjoyed the guitar lick of the day site I'd encourage you to request styles, difficulty levels and genres. Coming up with new ideas is always better with some feedback from viewers. Until Monday have a great weekend and feel free to check out the preceding guitar licks in the blog archive.

E Minor Pentatonic Lick w/ uni vibe effect

A guitar lick based around the E Minor Pentatonic Scale. Used a Uni Vibe effect to recreate that swirling sound. This is pretty basic so you can probably follow along with the video and the tab but if there are any questions let me know. To play along I am tuned down a half step.

Guitar Lick - E Minor Pentatonic

A guitar lick based around the E Minor Pentatonic Lick. Used a Uni Vibe effect to recreate that swirling sound Hendrix made famous in the monumental song "Machine Gun".After the video demonstrates the lick as tabbed
there is a little improvisation using the same concept. Managed to break a
B string on the last bend which is a bit unusual as I was bending the E String at the time!

Neo Classical Rock Guitar Chord Progression

This is a rock guitar chord progression based around the key of F#Minor. It has kind
of a neoclassical feel. The legato section is inspired by the legato section starting off the solo in Relvelation (Mother Earth) where the late Randy Rhoads (RIP) does a schorching solo. If you don't own it get a copy of the live "Tribute" album. It is filled with a lifetimes worth of great passionate music to enjoy and study.