There's a learning system that musicians can use to help them develop far more advanced music skills - in fact if they use it they'll actually develop super music skills...

This past week, I had two interesting conversations with two different guitar players. One of them is going through the sign-up process right now to start taking private classes with me (here in the studio) next month. And, another was an email conversation with one of my Premium website members (who is studying the courses online).

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THREE LEVELS OF LEARNING:
Both players brought up some interesting points that relate to how they've been learning and both of these points had to do with what I'm going to refer to as the three levels of learning music, "Unfamiliar," "Familiarization," of music and the "Memorization," of material that you're studying. If musicians pay attention to this 3-tier process they can develop far more advanced music skills.

LEVEL 1: UNFAMILIAR:
This level occurs when a music student studies information that involves learning from scratch. This would be information that is unknown, such as from music reading books. This can also occur when a musician is placed in direct "person to person" contact to learn "unknown" or "unfamiliar" material.

LEVEL 2: FAMILIAR:
When a player begins developing an awareness for a song. The piece begins becomming understand as far as form and layout. The melody starts taking shape and the chord changes begin making sense. This period has to do with the familiarity stage.

LEVEL 3: MEMORIZATION:
This stage occurs once the piece has been fully developed. The song parts are able to easily be recalled and the songs performance tempo is easy to match. Playing along with a recording of the piece at this point is certainly the best way to judge if you've reached the peak level of playing.



THE BENEFIT:
So, what is the difference between "Familiar" material and musical ideas that are "Memorized?" And, are there some grey areas in between. Also, what benefits tend to come out of moving through these three stages of learning that push us from a place of being "unfamiliar," to becoming, "Familiar" to eventually plateauing out at having material "Memorized?"

The whole process of moving across these levels of skill building is actually the big factor right there. Because when we pay attention to these stages of learning, we not only know when we're done working on a topic (or a musical piece we're studying) but more importantly, we realize when we're ready to move onward.

Also, there's an even a bigger factor here. And, it's that, the MORE we can move from "Unfamiliar," to "Familiar" to "Memorized," the better musicians that we'll become.

I'm not saying that this system is better than some other way that a student might connect to learning material, but it is different. And, what I want to stress here is how beneficial that it is - to be engaging in this difference when you're studying how to learn music.



CONCLUSION:
I've had the chance in my career as a guitarist, and as a teacher, to work with, and study from, a lot of phenomenal guitar players. And, if there's one common thread that weaves through all of these extraordinary individuals that I've had the chance to meet, to work with, and study from, is the trait they adhere to constantly of moving across these areas of skill development.

They love finding new unfamiliar material that they can learn from scratch. Especially songs that they can study from a traditional sight-reading perspective, (No TAB, No jam-Tracks), sight-reading - traditional style.

Great musicians love to move those songs up toward familiarization, (which is usually when the song is first listened to off of its original audio recording). And then, finally, bring the song up to the level of memorization, where they can rip it up at the proper tempo - played flawlessly, no mistakes. Moving music across this 3-step process seems to be one of the keys to music super learning!

July 21, 2017:
Lesson 004 - If You Can't Phrase - You Can't Solo

This lesson explores all of the standard areas of phrasing lead guitar melody. The examples work to help the guitar player develop better control over building melodic passages. Each of the exercises will take a small section of the basic scale pattern and break it down showing how to add more vitality to the part...

PART ONE:  In example one, the approach works toward spicing up the phrasing of simple scale lines. A simple scale passage from the key of "F# Minor," is established in example 1a. Then, some basic phrasing is applied to the part in example 1b. The phrasing devices used include; 16th-note and triplet based rhythm, along with slides, hammer-ons and pull-offs.

Example two focuses on expanding the principles covered in example one, with further focus placed upon rhythms. The key of "C# Minor" scale passage shown in example 2a, is a basic layout of tones performed in strict 8th-note feel. In example 2b, the phrase takes on new life with greater rhythmic phrasing, (including a grace-note idea alongside slight syncopation with the loss of beats one and three in measure two). Phrasing devices include; slides, hammer-ons and pull-offs.


PART TWO: In example three, our purpose is to dress up the phrasing of a melody using harmony as well as, simple syncopation. A melodic statement in example 3a, demonstrates a common sounding descending linear idea in the key of "G Major." 

In example 3b, the melody is expanded to include a series of 3-note triads that appear upon the attack of each chord. An expanded rhythmic feel is generated through the use of 16th-note feel and 16th-note triplets. Pull-offs and hammer-ons are also added to enhance articulation of the rhythmic changes..

Example four works to exaggerate the phrasing of a speedy 16th-note based line shown in example 4a. This key of "E Minor," scale run is composed entirely of 16th-notes and quickly runs across the notes of the "E Minor" scale (Pattern #2 and Pattern #1).

The busy passage is modified in example 4b, by adding some 3-note triads, slides, hammer-ons and most importantly a few changes to the rhythmic structure. The steady stream of 16th-notes from 4a, gets broken up in example 4b using 16th-rests along with slight syncopation. The beats of two and four are both lost in each measure. This is an excellent example of how a straight forward 16th-note passage can take on new life through modifications to the rhythmic phrasing.

Paid members can download the handout along with the MP3 jamtrack in the members area at: CreativeGuitarStudio.com

Great chops, ferocious intensity, and melodic mastery may be the hallmarks of the guitar Gods, but what about all of the other subtle stuff?

What about things like articulating heavily with a whammy bar, or a perfect attention-grabbing pre-bend and release articulated with a volume-pedal swell? These subtle highlights can add a lot of dimension to a song. Look no further than U2's "The Edge" or Alex Lifeson from RUSH and you'll hear the powerful effects that subtle playing can have on creating amazing guitar parts.



SUBTLE HIGHLIGHT #1). Volume Swells
Adding volume swells will help in focusing the listeners attention toward a particular segment of a piece. Whether it's the entrance of a Verse, the mid-point of a Chorus, or the way the song begins or ends, the volume swell is fantastic for getting the listener to perk-up and take notice. For a phenomenal use of volume swells check out the 3rd song from the Diver Down album by Van Halen called "Cathedral." It's a great example of how powerful the volume swell can be.

SUBTLE HIGHLIGHT #2). Whammy Bar Vibrato
The typical vibrato done by the fretting hand has a particular sound that is definitely amazing to add onto notes. However, the whammy bar's vibrato can offer a whole other dimension to the sound of a note, plus it can offer the vibrato effect smoothly on chords of any type, even open chords, or combination chords that use open strings and fretted tones. Have a listen to the Red Hot Chili Peppers song, "Pretty Little Ditty." It's an excellent example of how beautiful a subtle vibrato sound can be when added on select notes as well as, chords.



SUBTLE HIGHLIGHT #3). Simple /Fluid Lead Breaks
Lead guitar melody is often thought of as a part (or a break) of a piece, where the guitarist will perform a specific section of a stand alone guitar melody. This can be where lead guitar is seen as being far to centralized within a song. Lead breaks, sometimes also called fills in a piece can be a fantastic way to apply guitar melody, without resorting to a full-blown guitar solo. A great example of this is in the RUSH song, "Emotion Detector."Alex Lifeson plays interesting highlights around the synth parts as a way to enhance the overall musical direction of the piece. You'll also hear Alex do this in many other RUSH tunes like; "Tom Sawyer," "The Analog Kid," and in, "Limelight."

SUBTLE HIGHLIGHT #4). Pre-Bends and Releases
The sound of bends are one of the core effects of the guitarist. And, when this technique is applied in a way we would refer to as a highlight, the results are amazing. A song instantly gets a new lease on life when the sound of unique bending techniques like the "Pre-Bend," and the "Bend-Release" are added across the melody lines and vocal parts. An excellent example of this in action is from the Pink Floyd song, "What Do You Want From Me?" 

David Gilmour does some wonderful bend highlights throughout the entire piece.



SUBTLE HIGHLIGHT #5). Expressive Vibrato
The use of traditional vibrato is one of the oldest forms of musical expression on the planet. And, the application of vibrato technique to fretted guitar tones as single notes, two-note chords and larger fretted chord voicings is well worth the time and effort to master on the guitar. Slow smooth vibrato is a hallmark of guitarists like "Jeff Beck," "Eric Clapton," and "Jimmy Page," (just to name but a few). All you have to do is listen to songs like Clapton's "Bell Bottom Blues," or the gorgeous melody of, “The Messiah Will Come Again,” by Roy Buchanan. The effect that is possible with the use and application of expressive vibrato is simply incredible to listen to.

SUBTLE HIGHLIGHT #6). The "Dive Bomb"
There's nothing that literally screams guitar like a tremolo arm, "Dive Bomb." This sound effect is one of the most "in your face" guitar sounds that can be done on guitar. 

Whether it's Slayer in their song, "Raining Blood," or Motley Crue's classic, "Dr. FeelGood." Or, in Motley Crue's intro to "Kick Start My Heart (Live)," where Mick Mars goes absolutely nuts with an onslaught of manic dive bombs... The effect of this sound is something so unique that every guitarist should experience it and try applying it at least once in their lifetime!

If you had to boil down the essence of Texas Blues to a single guitar riff, something groovin' would definitely be required to fit the bill.

The riff would also need a recurring triplet-based (shuffle) motif as shown in part one below. The feel would need to function equally well over the I and IV chords. And, there would need to be a functional turnaround. Plus, the groove would need to operate within any 12-bar blues format.

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The riff in this session is in the popular key of "G." (G7, C7, and D7). This format can be traced back to T-Bone Walker, Gatemouth Brown, Freddie King and Albert Collins.



NOTE: Try adapting the riff to other keys once you develop it in the key shown.

PART ONE: The Primary Riff



The part one riff operates as a two-bar phrase over the "I-chord." Develop the note locations, and build the speed once your skill improves.



PART TWO: The primary riff transposed to the "IV-Chord"


In the part two riff, the primary idea used to cover the "I-chord" is transposed over to the structure (chord tones) of the "IV-chord" of "C7."




PART THREE: The chord progression of the 12-Bar Blues operates with a turnaround phrase that operates over the 9th - 12 measures. Here the "V-chord" is introduced, (D7).


In part three of the riff we've taken the first measure of the primary riff and used it as a riff template to cover the chords of the turnaround.

CONCLUSION:
Build up your overall technique and skills with this rapid Texas Blues Jammer! Once you have this riff up past 144 bpm on the metronome, work it out in a few other keys. And, take it into the open position as well, (Blues riffs seem to always function slightly different in the open position).

Also, keep in mind that this riff was adopted from the upcoming, "QwikRiffs Episode 005" that is due out for release in the CreativeGuitarStudio.com Members area on July 26th, 2017. Join the site for the next episode and take advantage of all of the great sessions available to both FREE and to paid members.

Thanks for checking out this post!

- Andrew Wasson

Chord changes on guitar are more often than not strummed or plucked. While this can work well in most situations, there are other options for when it may not be an ideal approach. 

When a guitarist is performing chord changes in a song, the sound of cycling through chords using arpeggiated picking can be a fantastic way to take your chord playing up to a whole new level... 

Cycling Through Chords - A Musical Lifeline:
Developing cycling patterns across chord changes will greatly enhance the way chord changes are interpreted. And, since this skill is relatively easy to do through continuous down and up stroke picking /alternate picking - there's no reason why you can't add this technique into your skill set as soon as right now.

Having the flexibility for doing this in your guitar playing will offer a unique lifeline to the overall sound of all of the music that you perform. You'll have more control plus you'll be able to cover more musical styles.



CONVERT STRUMMING TO CYCLING:
The easiest form of cycling through chord changes is to perform direct down and up pick motions across chord voicings. This technique is often called arpeggiated picking. Make a study of the example one progression below.

Example 1). Arpeggiated technique performed directly down and up across chord voicings.


Once you have developed good control over performing across a number of chords in a simple progression, the next step is to work out a cycling pattern across a group of chords.

The pattern that you begin with can be of any sort you wish. However, in the beginning strive for taking one type of pattern and use it consistently. This will avoid the risk of poor technique occurring from being too random. Study the progression shown below in example two.



Example 2). Performing an established picking cycle across a group of chord changes.



COMBINING STRUMS WITH CYCLING:
Once you've developed a number of cycling patterns and you've learned how to control the way that the chords are being arpeggiated, the next step is to begin combining some strumming technique along side the cycled picking ideas.

In example three, the pattern is broken between strum attacks and picking patterns. Take your time organizing how they operate, then try playing through the exercise.



Example 3). Learn the combination strumming and cycled arpeggio pattern approach shown in the example below.


TAKE IT FURTHER:
There are endless ways that picking through a chord using a cycled pattern can be done. You'll need to start this technique using very basic systems. After a number of these systems are developed (in different fingerboard locations), try taking the approach into new directions.

Use different chord qualities like seventh's, extended and altered chords. Try adding suspended tones and invent ways that scales can be included as well. Over time you'll have an arsenal of variations to use when creating cycles through progressions.

When I'm helping a student create a practice schedule I've found that it's best to build in another element that has to do with guarding yourself against the wasting of time. This is so important because your time is incredibly valuable and must never be wasted away frivolously... 

The reason we absolutely must protect our time is because we fill our time with our focus. 

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The most valuable thing that we have in the world is our focus. Just think, it's what we get paid for no matter what job we do in life. Our focus is everything, and once it gets wasted, we never get it back. In this session, I'm going to run though the 7 things that waste our musical practice time.




1). The first is choosing to do useless things instead of choosing to go and practice. Now, I can't tell you what your own personal useless things are. But, I'm going to bet that if you think for a few minutes or simply ask yourself if the thing that you're going to bypass practice for is "useful" or if it's instead "useless" I'm sure you'll have an answer to that. Remember, your focus is your most important commodity, never waste it doing useless things.

2). Next, is Drinking and doing Drugs. If you're skipping practice for that next gig, if you're skipping the study of songs you need to learn for a band rehearsal - or a recording session, just to get drunk or to get high. You might want to re-think that as a waste of your focus.

3). The next one is just pure laziness. You need to keep motivated. If you instead choose to do nothing, or to give up your focus, or switching off your focus, you've just lost a chunk of time that unfortunately you'll never get back.



4). Another one is getting wrapped up in worrying about others and how they perceive you. I've got some news for you, not everyone is going to like you, not everyone is going to respect you and ya know what... it doesn't matter. So, long as you create your accomplishments and you do a good job in the areas that you know are important, then you will have constant success. And, it doesn't matter what others are doing or what anyone else thinks of you.

5). The biggest factor for how we waste our time is by giving it away to people who are thankless. This is the person who expects your time, who doesn't respect your focus, and who never considers that you gave up something so that they could benefit. And, most importantly, they're they type who will never give time back. Because, unfortunately it's all about them. Which is probably why they're thankless people in the first place.

6). The next big time waster is involving yourself in someone else's projects - more specifically a project that takes up a lot of your time, but has little to nothing to do with your own personal focus and any personal direction regarding your own music, career and especially with enhancing your skill set. If a project only benefits somebody else, if a project pays nothing (or perhaps very little money), and most importantly if a project does not benefit you in any direct way - it's better to walk off from it.



7). The last time wasting area involves not having a personal direction with what you're doing. If you're wondering why you're not accomplishing all too much when you sit down to study music, you need to be honest with yourself about whether or not you have a personal plan. Because if you don't, you'll just flip flop from one thing to the next and shift your focus from topic to topic without accomplishing anything. And, that's why Practice Plans are so critical. That's why working with time frames and using a study log can be one of the best things for your time that you'll ever do!

So, start asking yourself what your goal is. If you look back at your music studies, ask yourself;

- Why am I not getting better?
- How have I been wasting time?
- Where have I been putting my energy?

I'll bet that you come up with a few good reasons to make a few critical changes.

There's no doubt that today's pop music is a stripped-down sound. Most melodies are written on one note, (the root of the key), and there are little to no sparks between the lines. 

Instead, the songs opt for one unifying theory. There's a main message with one general theme and not much else left to really "figure out." It begs the question, "whatever happened to the riffs?"

There used to be a real lean toward implied tension in pop songs. It was done to manage the retention of some of the more progressively daring and exploratory tendencies from pop music's past. 

But, these days, when it comes to today's pop song, there's a real lack in the department of dishing out some serious kick-ass riffage. This begs the question... Is there still room for the sound of a heavyweight riff?

In this post we'll look at two classic riffs from pop music's past and we'll learn what made them such huge success stories. These pop-riffs will give you a good selection of ideas that you can then take and use for your own compositions.



Example #1).
KUNG KU FIGHTING, CARL DOUGLAS (1974)
This song was a huge hit in 1974, the single sold more than eleven million copies worldwide and it won a GRAMMY in 1974.  In fact - this song is still classified as a best selling single of all time. Plus it’s disco-pop. That part is a little important too, because disco shaped a lot of what we now find in today's hip-hop music.




 
Ex 1a). THE CHORD RIFF: The underlying chord riff is a funky key of "D major" 16th-note rhythm over the tonic chord and the keys II-chord (Dmaj7 to the Em7). Learn it below.



Ex 1b). THE ASIAN RIFF: The key factor of this piece is the cool "Asian style" riff. Learn it below.



The Asian-style riff in the song may make it interesting. But, there's a lot more to it than that. Pop songs of the past, generally had multiple implied messages that went beyond the strong riffs that made the piece stick in the listeners mind.

THE SONG'S EXCITEMENT:
[KUNG FU]... This song is obviously about kung fu fighting. But, since there's so much excitement for kung fu fighting in the song, it causes the listener to feel like, "acting that out," while singing along. 

And, that extra physical /mental layer, (along with the funky guitar jam and cool Asian-style riff), is what makes this song so much fun to listen to. And, it's also is what - very likely - made it such a huge hit.




Example #2).
WALK THIS WAY, AEROSMITH (1975)
In December 1974, Aerosmith opened for The Guess Who in Honolulu. During the sound check, guitarist Joe Perry was "fooling around with riffs and thinking about The Meters," (a group that guitarist Jeff Beck had turned him on to).

Loving their "riffy New Orleans funk" he asked the drummer "to lay down something flat with a groove." The guitar riff to what would become "Walk This Way" just "came off [his] hands."

Needing a bridge, he invented another riff. But he didn't want the song to have a typical, boring 1, 4, 5 chord progression. After playing the first riff in the key of C, he shifted to E before returning to C for the verse and chorus. 

By the end of that sound check, Joe Perry had the basics of a hit song.




 
This song was so successful that it not only went on to become a top 10 hit in 1975, it also saw a resurgence in 1986 and 1987 when rappers "Run-DMC," made a cover of the song. 

The cover was a touchstone for the new musical sub-genre of "rap rock," (the melding of rock and hip hop). It became an international Top-5 Billboard hit and won both groups at the Soul Train Music Awards for the Best Rap Single in 1987.

What occurs in this song, once again ties into our theme of songs using "multiple implied messages" rather than a single, "unified theory." 

The piece begins with a really catchy guitar riff right up-front. Give it a try in example 2a, below...

Ex 2a). THE MAIN RIFF: This is the corner-stone of the song. A super catchy riff that engages the listener into the piece right from the start.


After the four bar principle riff that instantly grabs the listeners attention, we move onto a really groovy (almost Motown - James Brown style), background riff for the verse. 

This secondary follow-up riff is another really cool guitar idea that takes the listener into a secondary feel as the piece shifts gears. Learn this single measure idea outlined in Ex. 2b shown below...

Ex 2b). THE SECONDARY RIFF: This passage introduces a locked down groovy feel that acts as a strong secondary riff in the piece.





THE SONG'S EXCITEMENT:
[SEX]... The song's third "spark between the lines" is it's blatant lean toward sex and promiscuity. A popular cheerleader, (who throws it around town like the paper boy), leads a high school loser through his first sexual encounter for her own pleasure. He then uses his "new knowledge" to "teach" the neighbor girl, (although her daddy isn't too thrilled about it).

CONCLUSION:
When riffs are catchy and they stick in the mind, you're already onto something. But, then when you combine two cool riffs, you've got that "double-trouble effect" that can be the foundation of a great start to a song. 

And then, when you add in that extra top-up - that third ingredient - those, "Sparks Between the Lines," will really have your song headed toward something bigger and more engaging. That's the power of the blend of the multiple message, (Riff #1 + Riff #2 + Exciting Theme = a HIT).

So, when you're working on coming up with new riffs and new song ideas, keep these song riff elements in mind. They're powerful and they're timeless when it comes to composing great riffs in songs.