11 Improv Concepts That Transformed Jack Gardiner’s Playing
Plus, learn to downpick like James Hetfield
Hey friends, hope you’re having a great week and are playing a ton of guitar. This week’s issue will make you a better player, hands down. You’ll learn fretboard mapping techniques from Paul Davids, Andy Wood and Don Carr, master rhythm ideas with Cory Wong, and learn so much from Jack Gardiner. We also have an acoustic playing breakdown on Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle, downpicking techniques that’ll get you sounding like Hetfield, a video demystifying modes, and more. Let’s get right into this week’s links!
This week’s guitar links!
Stop Thinking in Scales: why your solos sound boring - Let's kick off this week's issue with a common problem among so many guitarists - your lead lines sound like you're playing up and down a scale, and not melodic whatsoever. Paul Davids' latest video is super helpful in getting away from scale patterns and moving more towards target notes, adding technique and tension before you go back to the root note, and taking these ideas to different places on the fretboard.
Guitar Tips: Fretboard Mapping with Andy Wood and Don Carr - To get into some of the great soloing stuff from Paul Davids' video above, it helps to have a good grasp on understanding the fretboard. Andy Wood sat down with Don Carr for Sweetwater to talk about this. I really liked this video, because not only does it talk about finding notes on the fretboard, it also talks about picking a place on the neck to play those notes. They recommend looking at some of your favorite players to find out where they're playing notes on the neck, and how it affects tone. Even without pedals, you can get a ton of different sounds out of any guitar with note placement, where your picking hand is, pickup selection, and more.
Cory Wong: Creating catchy, signature rhythm guitar parts - Cory Wong has a brand new column over at Guitar World. I thought I'd include the video that goes along with the lesson here, because it focuses on creating awesome rhythm parts. Cory breaks down his mindset when creating rhythm parts - momentum and how can his rhythm parts can support the song. If you enjoy this type of video, you should check out Cory's masterclass course. I've gotten a lot out of it over the years.
11 Improvisation Concepts that made me a BETTER player - Jack Gardiner has been one of my favorite players of the past couple of years. I love what he does when he links up with Owane - the songwriting and his playing is truly next level. This video shows off 11 things that made Gardiner a better player. Most of them not only have the reasoning behind Jack’s approach, but then a playing example so you can hear why each tip works. This one is definitely worth your time.
Billy Strings vs. Molly Tuttle - When I hear Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle play, I can’t help but think of their incredible acoustic guitar skills. If you’re into learning guitar, you should definitely check out Lessons With Marcel on YouTube. He’s one of the best teachers out there when it comes to this kind of music. In this video, he talks about both players’ unique styles, their early years, and how they have a lot in common. Both Billy and Molly can shred - and if you’re interested in learning how they get it done, Marcel talks about each player’s right hand technique.
Downpicking 101: Improve Your Speed and Precision | Master James Hetfield's Signature Technique - Guitar World takes a look at the insanely fun downpicking technique made famous by the mighty James Hetfield. The video kicks off with the mechanics of how you should approach downpicking, and then moves into a number of different types of rhythms that you can practice. The secret here is to not tense up - the more relaxed you are, the more likely you are to be able to nail this type of picking. And if you want some more rhythm based material, but focusing on riffs, check out Guthrie Trapp’s latest video - he goes over using a metronome/drum machine, keeping a focused rhythm, and just being creative.
Give Me 17 Minutes - I’ll Demystify The MODES Forever!!! - This video from Charlie Long is a great way to learn about the modes. It breaks them down into simple terms and shows how they’re related to scales and chords. If you already understand some of the early tips, jump to the chapters on the a-ha moments he had.
EASY EXERCISE to play over changes with CONFIDENCE! - I always get excited when a new Jack Ruch video comes out - I love his playing, his teaching, and his overall feel on the guitar. Similar to a couple of the videos above, this exercise to help play over changes focuses on nailing the 3rd on each chord change. If you want your leads to sound more intentional, the 3rd is the most important note you should try and hit.
Ted Greene's V System A Quick Look. - Tim Lerch is one of the best jazz guitar players I know, and his books he's done with Guitar Vivo have been super helpful in my practice. In this video he talks about a Ted Greene concept that he discusses in one of his books, that organizes chords in a cool way - called the V system. This video is a quick summary of what the system is, arranging the 1, 3, 5, and 7 into 14 different shapes. In a way, this is kind of like a different take on CAGED. If you check it out, or use something like this, let me know what you think!
“Could I even afford a real-life amp that sounds like that modeler? I don’t think so. Living in L.A. makes this tough”: Session guitarist to the stars Justus West explains why plugins are essential even in high-profile studios - I wanted to include this article because I think Justus West makes some good points regarding using plugins and dealing with producers, but the real reason is if you've never checked out West's Instagram, go give him a follow. His videos are super inspiring - this guy can play on another level. It's no wonder he plays on all these huge radio hits.