Do you know all the notes on the fretboard?
Plus, Jon Finn teaches us 7 different styles
I’m so excited about this week’s issue of Six String Sunday. The last couple of weeks have been pretty quiet, but this week I have so many links that’ll make you a better guitar player. Ross Campbell shares some lightbulb moments he’s had over the years, John Cordy talks about finding notes all over the fretboard, plus we have a crazy Allan Holdsworth chord competition. I hope you enjoy this week’s issue - if I missed anything cool, send it my way! Let’s get into this week’s links.
This week’s guitar links!
The "Lightbulb Moments” That Will TRANSFORM Your Guitar Playing - I loved this video from Ross Campbell - he's always made instructional videos that really click with how I learn, and they always seem to be actually worth my time. In this video, he talks about three different lightbulb moments that'll save you time if you recognize them. Things like using the pareto principle when you're learning - why learn things that you'll never use when you're actually playing? Check out the other two tips in the vid!
🎸 7 Different Guitar Styles By Genre With Jon Finn | Guitar Bootcamp | TrueFire - Some of my favorite players blend multiple styles to make something entirely new. Country licks in blues, jazz lines in rock, and more are always ways to differentiate yourself in a genre. This video from TrueFire, is a great introduction to 7 different styles - like jazzier blues, funk, latin and more. This vid is from TrueFire's Guitar Bootcamp series, which is currently free on their site - go check it out if you want to transform your playing.
Give Me 10 Minutes and I'll Change The Way You See The Fretboard - I'll always be a fan of guitar teachers showing off different ways to visualize the fretboard. Unlike piano players, we don't have a super easy way to see where regular and sharp/flat notes are on the fretboard. Daniel Seriff gives us a great way to look at the neck - you start off with single notes, then three note groups, and then finally try jumping 3rds up the neck. The real secret behind understanding the fretboard is doing a bunch of these types of exercises every day. Over time, you'll know where all the notes are on the fretboard.
Can you do the Allan Holdsworth chord competition? - Allan Holdsworth's chord selections were always some of the most hand twisting shapes you could find. The channel Make Weird Music has been trying to play the most difficult guitar songs for years - Holdsworth, Tommy Emmanuel, Chet Atkins, etc. This video shows off 21 of the most insane Holdsworth chords of all time - give these a try, but don't hurt yourself!
Learn 4 Brilliant John Scofield Lines! - John Scofield is one of my favorite jazz guitarists - his playing is out of this world, and he never seems to have to reach for an idea. I saw his trio live at the end of last year, and it was one of my favorite concerts I've seen. Jack Ruch recently took some live footage to pull out a few Sco’ licks and also shows us how to repurpose them into our own music. And if you’re looking to get into jazz a bit further, you have to learn how to play over ii-V-I progressions. This lesson from Chase Maddox explained how to get started in a great, shape based way. You can check that video out here.
Cory Wong Says You're NOT An Advanced Guitarist If You Can't Do This - Know Your Fretboard? - Cory Wong makes the case that you can’t be considered an advanced guitarist, if you can’t instantly pull up any note on any string. Whether or not that’s true is up for debate, but I did really like this video from John Cordy where he shows us his mindset when trying to find notes all over the fretboard, including taking it further and using the app Solo - which is what I’ve gone back to after a couple months of not using it. If you want even more “fretboard geometry” type stuff, you should check out Tom Quayle and David Beebee’s course.
Mark Agnesi shows some of the rarest Gibson guitars at Gibson Vault - I won’t ruin the surprise, but man, I wish I could have a room like this!
Acoustic master Marcin explains his technique at Guitar World HQ - I don't play acoustic guitar like this, but if I wanted to, Marcin would be one of the first guys I would check out to learn this style. Being able to play "drums" and guitar at the same time always sounds so cool. My favorite guitarist who does this style is Mike Dawes. If you haven't checked out his music, you should do that as soon as you can!
How to Sound Like Santana with Modes - This livestream is not only a great showcase of Marty Schwartz demonstrating how Santana employs the modes, but it also delves into viewers’ questions, with a ton of great tips for any guitarist. Santana’s lead lines, along with his signature tone on a PRS, always made me want to listen to his music.
“This is a technique that has been used to great effect by some of my biggest blues heroes”: By thumb-picking bass notes while playing a melody, you can be your own rhythm section – Jared James Nichols shows you how - Want another cool rhythm/melody technique, but this time it'll work on acoustic or electric? Check out this lesson from Jared James Nichols. He shows us an easy way to pick your rhythm notes with your thumb, while maintaing a melody with the rest of your fingers. This is tough at first, but once you start getting the hang of it, you feel like a magician...a musician...a magic musician.
Crafting Your Guitar Tone with Steve Vai - I remember a video where Steve Vai tapped on the side of one of his guitars and said he'd know that it'd sound good by the sound it made. He doesn't quite go that far in this video for GC, but he does make some great tips on how to improve your tone.
How to Play BB King's 'The Thrill Is Gone' with Seth Rosenbloom | TrueFire Song Lesson - I know I linked to TrueFire above, but I thought this video deserved its own link. TrueFire usually has a lot of these song lessons as part of its paid subscription, but they recently posted a free, full hour long lesson on YouTube. The video has Seth Rosenbloom playing a beautiful PRS McCarty, and teaching us B.B. King's classic “The Thrill Is Gone".
The gallop is the most important metal rhythm of them all – learn the breakneck guitar technique behind classic Metallica, Slayer and Iron Maiden riffs - Are you a fan of classic metal bands like Metallica and Iron Maiden? Many of their riffs, as well as those of numerous other metal bands, use the gallop technique when playing the rhythm guitar. Guitar World's Jamie Humphries shows us how to make our metal riffs have a steady rhythm.