Guitar Lesson of the week

Lesson Features
The song track	The Jam along track	The Video Guitar Lesson
Lesson MP3 song track	N/A

Tabs & Lesson

 Original score by:  Jeff Fiorentino

  Transcription by:  Jeff Fiorentino

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Lesson notes

Got a ton of request for some more slide Blues lessons.  The Open D tuning lesson is a very popular one with our visitors.  I thought this time around since I'm in the middle of production on the "Steel Dirigible" Zep 101 CD / DVD I would do another slide lesson but this time with a Standard Guitar tuning.  No open tuning needed for this, it's loosely based on the "Zep" version of an old "Willie Dixon" classic called, "You shook me"

Zep's "You shook me" off their first LP was a real inspiration for me in getting into some slide playing.  Another inspiration for me was Duane Allman.  For more on these styles and some great examples I strongly recommend checking out my, "Blues Explained CD ROM" which will be out on DVD very soon.  That's a great product.

For this lesson we're going to do much the same as we did with the open D tuning lesson and look at some patterns that you can memorize for playing slide with a standard tuning.  We don't always have a guitar tuned to an open tuning, so it's good to know how to do slide in both open and regular tunings. 

We will of course apply this all to an example Jam (which will sound very zep and very much like "You shook me") lol...  and hopefully we'll have some great fun in the process.  This kind of playing is botched by some and often over looked by others, but playing some mean slide Guitar is a key element to any Guitar player being well rounded.  Plus it's just a ton fun.

Main Lesson

Scales and good usable patterns

E Major scale:  E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, D#.

E______________________________7_9_10_12_14_16_17_19_21_22^1___
B______________________7_9_10__________________________________
G_______________6_7_9__________________________________________
D________6_7_9_________________________________________________
A__7__9________________________________________________________
E______________________________________________________________

Same scale as above, but this time it's broken into a couple good 3 or 4 note patterns.

E_____________________________________________________
B___________|______9__|_________________|_____9_10_|__
G________9__|____9____|___________9_____|__9_______|__
D_____9_____|__9______|______6_7_____9__|__________|__
A__7________|_________|___7_____________|__________|__
E_____________________________________________________

As you can see it's about breaking the scale up into little patterns that you can then form phrasing sections out of.  That's really all the lesson example is, as well as most of the stuff we listen to. 

There are separate categories for doing this though.  The first is the Chord shape category.  See video and tabs below for more.

Example 1

E____________________________________________________
B__2______________________3___ 5____9________________
G__2______________________3___ 5____9________________
D__2___>>slid up becomes_ __3___ 5____9___etc. etc.______
A__0______________________1___ 3___  7________________
E____________________________________________________

Example 2

E____________________________________________________
B____________________________________________________
G__1______________________2___ 4____6________________
D__2___>>slid up becomes ___3___ 5____7___etc. etc.______
A__2______________________3___ 5___  7________________
E__0_________________________________________________

It's about breaking the chords above up into single note phrasing sections.  See video and tabs below.

E________________________________________________________________
B__9_________________________________________9_____9----sl dwn--______
G__9____________________________________9_______9________________
D__9__< E chord_>>> slide pattern>>__________9______________________
A__7_______________________________--7____________________________
E________________________________________________________________

** The other common category is using patterns from scales.  These are the same patterns you might use to solo with, without a slide.  The difference is you won't be bending any notes, you'll be sliding into them and away from them.  Other than that, DON'T approach slide playing any differently than you would approach non-slide playing.  Don't get psyched out by it, and over think yourself into jam session paralysis. 

Below are a couple common patterns from the pentatonic scale.

"A" Pentatonic minor =  A, C, D, E, G.

E______________________5__|______________________________8_______
B_________|_______5_8_____|______13_15_17__|__10__8__10_____10___
G_____5_7_|____7__________|___14___________|_____________________
D__7______|_______________|________________|_____________________
A_________|_______________|________________|_____________________
E_________________________|________________|_____________________

I could type for hours.  The note combination are endless.  The tabs above are just there to give you ideas to work with.  Basically you want to break either chords or scales up into workable patterns.  Player's often define their styles by the patterns they choose to use in their leads.  For example, Mr. Van Halen uses about 6 common patterns about 75% of the time.  He has little 3 note section or common bend and release riffs that he uses all the time.  There's no mystery here, it's not as complex as many would make it all out to be. 

You can take one of the 3 or 5 note patterns I gave you above, and mix the notes up in various orders all day long.  Simply know your chord pattern and know what notes make up the chords you're soloing over, so that you know what notes are good ones to start on and end phrasing sections on.

The other thing you can do is incorporate some modes that are broken up into pentatonic looking patterns.  See video for more on this and the example used in this lesson's example track is below.

A Mixolydian = A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G.  Major scale with a minor 7th, the minor 7th in this case being the "G" instead of the "G#" which would normally be the 7th note in the "A" Major scale.

Below is an "A" Mixolydian scale starting with A on the 19th fret 4th string and moving to the C# on the 21st fret 1st string as I used it in the Lesson example track.

** The highlighted notes represent the notes that you can pick out of this scale to turn into an easier to use Box pattern.  Basically you can turn it into an "A" Mixolydian pentatonic scale to keep it simple.  The trick is to include the mode properties and usually the 3rd and the 5th too.  Check out "Soloing 101" for more tips on this type of idea.

E_____________________17_19_21__________________
B____________17_19_20___________________________
G______18_19____________________________________
D__19___________________________________________
A_______________________________________________
E_______________________________________________

The pentatonic scale we formed above with the highlighted notes is made up of the pitches:

A, C#, D, E, G  -- Root, 3rd, 4th, 5th, minor 7th

E_______________________17A_21C#_________________
B_______________17E_20G__________________________
G______18C#_19D__________________________________
D__19A__________________________________________
A_______________________________________________
E_______________________________________________

You can do this with any mode you want.  The example above is Mixolydian because we're using the C# which is the 3rd of the "A" Major, and we've replaced the Major 7th "G#" with the minor 7th "G" thus making it a Mixolydian scale or a Major scale with a minor 7th. 

** As a side note,, If we were to make the "C#" in our little scale above a "C", we would simply have the regular "A" pentatonic minor scale"  A, C, D, E, G.  By changing the C to a C# we make the whole thing Mixolydian and give it the feel and sound that goes along with that.  Changing just one note can make a world of difference in how something is perceived by your listening audience.

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Lesson Example track Tab

Lesson Example Track "Shaken"
Written by:	Jeff Fiorentino
Performed by:	Jeff Fiorentino
Engineered by:	Mick the Mixer
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Copyright © 2006 JFRocks All rights reserved
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Setup & Settings used for this Lesson

Primary Guitar	Primary Amp		Effect #1		Accessory		Effect #2
Fender Stratocaster	Crate GFX 212		Boss OC -3		Slide		Boss DD - 3
Click here for Strat Details
	Settings		Settings		Settings		Settings
	Channel:   Shape:   Low EQ:    High EQ:    Reverb:	Gain #1 = 3  N/A   7   5.5   5.5	Level: OCT 1: OCT 2: Mode:	100%   10%   0%   Drive	N/A		Level: F. Back: Delay: Mode:	10%   10%   350ms   800ms
	Effect order from Guitar to Amp

*Remember Effect suggestions are my suggestions for the home player.  Usually suggestions are geared for a low budget.  I purposely use effects and equipment that I know everyone can afford, and get their hands on in an effort to prove that you can get a great sound without mortgaging your house.

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See video for lesson on techniques, including some vibrato tips.  The track you're listening to was a sound check for the Steel Dirigible CD, I didn't put a lot of vibrato on it, simply because I didn't care when I was recording it.  I was more interested in the reverb settings.  The video lesson for this piece contains some valuable slide and slide vibrato tips.  Enjoy.

NOTE TO ZEP HEADS:  Save your emails, I'm aware this isn't how the opening riff to "You shook me" goes, nor is it supposed to be.  If it was how it went I couldn't put it up on my site legally.  This is about slide and standard tuning not ZEP, I'll save the Zep for the "Steel Dirigible" CD ..   Thanks...

Use Front pickup a.k.a. Neck pickup..            

n.c.

E_______________________________________________________________
B__15---17_17~__15_15--17~_--sl dwn--___13--15__13____________________
G____________________________________________16_14_____________
D__________________________________________________14~_--sl dwn--_
A______________________________________________________________
E______________________________________________________________

                        E 7                                            A7                          E7                                                                                           B7

E___________________________________________________________________
B___________9_9--8__8--10~__10--9~____________________________________
G_________9_______________________9--sl dwn--______ 9--sl dwn--__2 --_4~~____
D_2------9____________________________________2--- 9--sl dwn--__2--_ 4~~____
A___________________________________________________________________
E___________________________________________________________________

Use Back pickup a.k.a. Bridge pickup..

                      E 7                                          

E_________________________________________________________________________
B________9__10--9__9--12~___12---17_15~_______9__10--9__9--12~__12---20_17--sl dwn-
G__2----9_______________________________4---9________________________________
D_________________________________________________________________________
A_________________________________________________________________________
E_________________________________________________________________________

Remove slide

"A" Mixolydian in use.  The leads are over an "A" until kick in.

           A7

E__19^1___19_18_17____________________________________________19__
B___________________20_19_17___17-19-17_____17-19-17______19^1.5____
G______________________________________19___________18____________
D_________________________________________________________________
A_________________________________________________________________
E_________________________________________________________________

E_______19________19________________________________________________
B_19^1______19^1________19^1__19^1__19^1__19^1.5__19^1__19^1>release_19__
G___________________________________________________________________
D___________________________________________________________________
A___________________________________________________________________
E___________________________________________________________________

                                                                                                                                                                                                        E7

E_______________________________________19_______________________
B__17-19-17______17-19-17______17__19^1______19^1.5>slow release_19_17~__
G___________19____________19_____________________________________
D________________________________________________________________
A________________________________________________________________
E________________________________________________________________

E_________________________________________________________________
B__19-17x__19-17x__19-17x__19-17x__19-17x_____17__19-17x__19-17~~__
G________________________________________19_______________________
D_________________________________________________________________
A_________________________________________________________________
E_________________________________________________________________

E_______________________________________________
B__19-17x__19-17x__19-17~~_--sl dwn--_______________
G_______________________________________________
D_______________________________________________
A_______________________________________________
E_______________________________________________

                      B7

E____________12__15^1_15^1_15^1>>release_15__12-15-12____12______________
B__8---12_14______________________________________14_____14_12_______
G_____________________________________________________________14~~_
D___________________________________________________________________
A___________________________________________________________________
E___________________________________________________________________

                   A7                                                                                                                                                           E7

E__________________________________________________________
B_____________12^1~~______10^1__10^1__10^1>release_10_8_______
G_________9___________________________________________9~___
D_9----11____________________________________________________
A___________________________________________________________
E___________________________________________________________

                                                                                                                                                                                                               B7

E__________________________________________________________________
B__________________________________________________________________
G__9______9__________9__________9______9~--sl dwn--_______________4~__
D_____12_____12__11_____11__10_____10__9~--sl dwn--_______________4~__
A__________________________________________________________________
E_________________________________________________3----12-----3________