JFR Lesson of the week

The technique lessons featured on this page are designed to be for Electric guitar. Most of the lessons covered here however will transfer to acoustic without any issue. This lesson page will be updated as often as possible. The other pages on JFRocks and JFRocks UNplugged keep me rather busy and I try to keep all technique lessons to CD ROM. What this page will do a lot of the time is expand upon lessons covered on various CD ROMs. If this is the case the Category below will state which CD ROM the lesson is expanding on. I hope you enjoy these mini lessons as I call them and remember all lessons from the past are located on the Lesson Archives page.

*Remember Effect suggestions are my suggestions for the home player. Usually suggestions are geared for a low budget.

Lesson Features

The song track

The Jam along track

The Video Guitar Lesson

N/A

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This Lesson's difficulty level 1-10 scale

This lesson will take a look at some of the basics that are often overlooked by both beginner and advanced players. Sometimes we focus too much on the technical and not enough on a good foundation. For some players this works out just fine. But, for others they find as they get more advanced they're limited because they formed too many bad habits early on. I'm no exception, I have my own share of bad habits but as with any teaching thing my lessons are more of a do as I say and not as I do sort of thing. lol

This lesson will also look at the good old Blues box pentatonic scale. I received a few lesson requests from people who ask why I never do any lessons on the Pentatonic scale. So what the heck we'll look at one and use it for our examples here.

It should be noted that these topics are expanded on in graphic detail on the Beginners 101 CD ROM which is not just for beginners. I think we lose some sales on that CD because people don't want to admit to themselves that they're a beginner. Don't be fooled by the name of that CD. Believe me there's stuff on that CD that pretty much all intermediate players and some advanced players learn from.

Always remember I never gear my CDs or my lessons for idiots (as a lot of the stuff on the market I've watched seems to be geared for) I gear my stuff for people who want to play guitar and I take great pride in that fact. So if you don't have beginners 101 it's a good buy, (even if you don't want to admit you might be a beginner).

The White Meat of this lesson is on the video but I will tab out what ever is necessary as I know it's good to have tabs along with what ever it is I'm doing or talking about on video.

E_________________________________________________________________________________
B_________________________________________________________________________________
G__7^1>release_7-5_____<<and repeat____5_7^1_7^1____5_7^1>release_7__7^1.5>release_7_7^1.5>release_7^2~_
D______________7____________7___________7_________________________________________
A_________________________________________________________________________________
E_________________________________________________________________________________

E______________________________________________
B______________________________________________
G__7D__7^1/2_ D#___7^1_E__7^1.5_F__7^2_F#____________
D______________________________________________
A______________________________________________
E______________________________________________

_______________________________________________
B______________________________________________
G__7^1~~_______________________________________
D______________________________________________
A______________________________________________
E______________________________________________

This is tab for the little mock embellished transposed version of the guitar break to Zep's Whole Lotta Love that I did on the video in the key of A.

Use this as a practice exercise to practice both string control and muting. Use the tips I give on the video and above all take it slow. If you're new to string control be sure to focus on the technique and not worry about the solo itself until you have the techniques down.

E_____________________5_8_________________
B_________________5_8_____________________
G_____________5_7_________________________
D_________5_7_____________________________
A_____5_7_________________________________
E_5_8_____________________________________

Actual full scale with all the notes in use is an altered pentatonic really. The Pentatonic minor contains the Root, minor 3rd, 4th, 5th, minor 7th. The scale that a lot of players including myself love to use to solo with contains a few other notes and it's the same scale I used to improvise in A on the video.

We added in a C# D# and an F#. We use these two notes both early on in the soloing and later when we go up to the 10th position area of the fret board.

NOTE: The C#'s in the leads I did are all bent up to. However I have added them to the scale in the tab below for reference.

E__________________________________5_8_9_________________
B____________________________5_7_8______________________
G____________________5_6_7_8____________________________
D______________4_5_7____________________________________
A________5_6_7__________________________________________
E__5_8_9_________________________________________________

See video for added tips and a basic understanding of changing positions with these scale. Remember it's the pitches that matter. The pitches occur all over the fret board, do don't lock yourself into one position.

**REMEMBER** If you're not using the string it needs to be muted to prevent noise and ring out. See video for detailed help with this.

E__________________________________
B__________________________________
G__2____2__________________________
D__2____2__________________________
A__0_x__0__x_______________________
E____x_____x_______________________

E________5______________________________________
B______5____8-5___5______________________________
G__7^1__________7___8-7-5__7~~~__________________
D_______________________________________________
A_______________________________________________
E_______________________________________________

E______________________________________________
B______________________________________________
G__2__5-2-0_5-2-0_5-2-0_5-2-0__5~~~________________
D______________________________________________
A______________________________________________
E______________________________________________

E_______5______8__________________________________
B_____5____8^1____8^1~~____________________________
G_7^1______________________________________________
D__________________________________________________
A__________________________________________________
E__________________________________________________

I didn't bend enough on the take that's on the video but you should be sure to bend the 13th fret up 2 steps, way up the pitch of E and release.

E_________________________________________________
B_10_13^2>release_13__10____13-10~____________________
G____________________11___________________________
D_________________________________________________
A_________________________________________________
E_________________________________________________

E_____12^1_12_11_10_______8______________________
B__10_______________10_8____10~_________________
G_______________________________________________
D_______________________________________________
A_______________________________________________
E_______________________________________________

E____________________________________________________________________________
B____________________________________________________________________________
G_7^1>release_7-5____7^1>release_7-5____7^1>release_7-5___7^1>release_7-5_____7^1>release_7-5____
D_____________7______________7______________7______________7______________7__
A____________________________________________________________________________
E____________________________________________________________________________

E_______________________________________________________
B_______________________________________________________
G_7^1>release_7-5____7^1>release_7__7^1.5>release_7_7^1.5>release slowly_7__
D_____________7_________________________________________
A_______________________________________________________
E_______________________________________________________

E_________________________________________________________________________
B_13^1>release_13-10__________________10_13-10____10_13-10____10_13-10____10___
G________________11~--sl dwn-then up--_11__________11_________11__________11_____
D________________________________________________________________________
A________________________________________________________________________
E________________________________________________________________________

E_______________________________________________
B_13^1>release_13__13^1.5>release_13_13^1.5>release slowly_13___
G_______________________________________________
D_______________________________________________
A_______________________________________________
E_______________________________________________

E_____12^1_12_11_10_______8_____________________
B__10_______________10_8____10~______5^1/2~______
G____________________________________5^1/2~______
D_______________________________________________
A_______________________________________________
E_______________________________________________

E___________________________________________
B__2________________________________________
G__0________________________________________
D__2__<random strum of A7 chord_______________
A__0________________________________________
E___________________________________________

E__________________________________________________________________
B__5^1/2~___________________________________________________________
G__5^1/2~___5-7-5___5________________________________________________
D_______________7___7_5-7-5___5_____________________________________
A__________________________7___7_5-7-5___5__________________________
E_____________________________________8___8_5_3^1~~>release_3-slide----0___

E_0_________________________________________________________
B_2_________________________________________________________
G_0_______________________________2__x__2___x___2___x___2___
D_2__< strum A7 chord randomly______ 2__x__2___x___2___x___2___
A_0_______________________________0_____0___x___0_______0___
E___________________________________________________________