TrueFire's Guitabulary

Chances are good that when Jimi Hendrix was playing timeless blues intros like the one presented in Ex. 1-which is similar to the opening notes of Red House - he wasn't consciously thinking, I'm now fretting the interval of a major sixth for two beats and then moving it down a half-step. But like great blues players before and after him, Hendrix used intervals of major or minor sixths all the time because these grips- when played with passion and conviction-have a mesmerizing, open sound. While Ex. 1 may be one of the most popular sounds in the history of the blues, an equally tasty but less common example of a blues-inflected sixth is shown in Ex. 2. Hendrix sometimes played this lick when approaching the IV chord of a slow 12-bar blues in G. This lick gets its savory flavor from the minor sixth that occurs between E and C, just before C slides down to Bb. To ensure this meaty maneuver has a huge emotional impact, play it not just with your fingers, but also with your heart-as well as a warm, biting tone and a lyrical vibrato. major and minor sixths was because he absolutely killed the notes with his pick. Learn these and three other blues sixths licks in this ear-opening lesson from Jude Gold.

Tab, notation and Power Tab files available at http://truefire.com/list.html?store=audio_lessons&item=4792 (log-in to access streaming audio and files).

Another one of Andy Ellis' six-string history lessons, this 24-parter looks at slide playing from myriad angles, from Blind Willie Johnson's pocket-knife lick from 1927 to Jeff Beck's violin-like line on Beck's Bolero to Bonnie Raitt's thick-toned finesse. This two-part lesson hits the big names - Duane Allman, Cooder, Clapton, Walsh, Page- along with forefathers like Son House, Elmore James, Tampa Red and Robert Nighthawk. This stuff'll keep you busy for months. And if you haven't started sliding yet, this lesson is a perfect entry point.

Tab, notation and Power Tab files available at http://truefire.com/list.html?store=audio_lessons&item=1164 (log-in to access streaming audio and files).

Another one of Andy Ellis' six-string history lessons, this 24-parter looks at slide playing from myriad angles, from Blind Willie Johnson's pocket-knife lick from 1927 to Jeff Beck's violin-like line on Beck's Bolero to Bonnie Raitt's thick-toned finesse. This two-part lesson hits the big names - Duane Allman, Cooder, Clapton, Walsh, Page- along with forefathers like Son House, Elmore James, Tampa Red and Robert Nighthawk. This stuff'll keep you busy for months. And if you haven't started sliding yet, this lesson is a perfect entry point.

Tab, notation and Power Tab files available at http://truefire.com/list.html?store=audio_lessons&item=1163 (log-in to access streaming audio and files).

Although he has known fame as a rock star, Eric Clapton has always remained planted in the blues. Here, Andy Ellis examines nine prime Clapton-isms, from a typical Bluesbreakers turnaround to the slippery bite of his Cream stuff to the stinging roots feel of his work with Derek and the Dominoes. Besides picking the pocket of one of the all-time greats, this lesson will help you add melodic interest to the blues scale.

Tab, notation and Power Tab files available at http://truefire.com/list.html?store=audio_lessons&item=1655 (log-in to access streaming audio and files).

Many guitarists know how to play barre chords, yet few tap into all of the magic a 1st-finger barre can offer. Great players often use the 1st finger like a mobile capo, holding down two or more strings while the other three fingers create riffs and chords. Shane Theriot teaches you Star Barre examples from Keith Richards, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson and Allan Holdsworth.

Tab, notation and Power Tab files available at http://truefire.com/list.html?store=audio_lessons&item=4128 (log-in to access streaming audio and files).

Keith Wyatt explores the Memphis sound from the axe of Steve Cropper, who was the guitarist for Booker T and the MGs. First, he fleshes out the rhythm part of the classic Green Onions' by adapting the keyboard counter melody to go along with the bass line. Then, on Fig. 2, it's time for nasty, grits-and-gravy funk, working a bass line with syncopated chord figures. Relax your right arm, Keith encourages, and go for the pure soul.

Tab, notation and Power Tab files available at http://truefire.com/list.html?store=audio_lessons&item=1847 (log-in to access streaming audio and files).

With his stinging, soulful solos and flawless pocket, Robben Ford has an uncanny knack for making complex music seem simple. Conversely, the guitarist can elevate a mundane one-chord vamp into something divine. Perhaps this is because Ford has successfully tackled so many genres. What has Ford learned from all of his musical adventures? We're all playing the same things, he explains to our instructor for the day, Jude Gold. To prove that common threads abound in music, Ford will take a I-VI-II-V progression and show that whether it's played with a doo-wop group's simplicity or a bebop pianist's extended chords and slick substitutions, the underlying vibe is the same-just one more universal phrase in the language of music.

Tab, notation and Power Tab files available at http://truefire.com/list.html?store=audio_lessons&item=4002 (log-in to access streaming audio and files).

Revered as one of the best firebrand lead guitarists to ever strap on a Strat, Hendrix was also an innovative rhythm guitarist. Joe examines Jimi's chordal sensibilities, the likes of which you hear on quieter tunes like Little Wing, Castles Made of Sand, Have You Ever Been To Electric Ladyland and others. Hendrix took the standardized rhythm guitar language of R&B and mutated it into weird, wondrous new shapes. This lush, beautiful stuff from Joe Gore will spice up your ballad playing and color up your rhythm chops!

Tab, notation and Power Tab files available at http://truefire.com/list.html?store=audio_lessons&item=1696 (log-in to access streaming audio and files).

There's one fistful of notes that never gets old, it's the blues scale. Once it finds its way into the hands of a young, inspired guitarist, it typically stays there for a lifetime. Though the blues scale is timeless, many players yearn for ways to import new melodic colors into their blues-based solos. The simplest way to do this is to change one note of the blues scale, resulting in a soulful sound you may have heard in the playing of Hollywood Fats, Duke Robillard, Charlie Christian, and Larry Carlton-a sound often referred to as the voodoo blues scale. Steve Trovato serves up a little voodoo here!

Tab, notation and Power Tab files available at http://truefire.com/list.html?store=audio_lessons&item=4862 (log-in to access streaming audio and files).