Riff Guitar Lessons

One of the most breathtakingly impressive styles of guitar is the rock of the late sixties and early seventies. The era of the riff-heavy songs where the lyrics seemed to be just an excuse to make up another riff. So, as a result, lots of guys who hear music from this era want to take riff guitar lessons. That's it, nothing else, just the riffs. This is just one step above air guitar, but a step just the same.

A riff is a sequence of notes or chords that is repeated many times throughout a song. The guitar riff is a modern musical phenomenon although riffs have always been used in jazz and blues. In rock guitar a riff may contain very few notes but those notes usually make up a catchy combination of rhythm and tune that sticks in the memory of all who hear it. A riff can also contain a rhythm with no melody as in Ravel's Bolero or in any number of classical pieces that make use of the fandango rhythm.

But getting people's attention is what riff guitar is all about. As soon as you start playing, heads turn, the attention of the room is focused on where the music is coming from. It might be news to some of you guitar players who just want lessons on how to play riffs that the whole song is usually not a whole lot harder to play than just the riff. So when you pick up a guitar at a party, you could actually impress the people with your ability to play and sing a whole song.

Some early songs containing notable riffs are Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones, Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix, Smoke On The Water by Deep Purple Spoonful and Sunshine Of Your Love by Cream, and It's All Right Now by Free. An interesting example of the use of a riff is Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin. The riff is in the song's melody line which is sung by Robert Plant, and the guitar simply accompanies the riff.

If you start off your guitar playing with lessons on how to play riffs, that's fine. Your next step could be power chords, or you could tap into your creative side and begin composing riffs of your own. If you are having trouble remembering riffs that are not from the sixties, try Under The Bridge by The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dammit by Blink 182, Come As You Are by Nirvana, and Devil Inside by INXS.

So, there is no shame in wanting to take riff guitar lessons. It's a great way to grow a repertoire of popular songs. You don't even need an electric guitar to learn riffs. Just get some tabs for some of the songs I've mentioned and take a look at how simple it would be to learn the chords to the complete song.

Do you want to learn to play the guitar? Learn How To Play A Guitar For Free is a constantly updated blog which contains all the resources you need for:00000DC6 learning to play solo guitar, how to learn guitar chords, how to learn to read and play easy acoustic guitar tabs, finding a free online guitar tuner, looking for free guitar lessons online, and how to learn guitar scales.

How To Pick A Guitar

When you play a guitar, you will have to know how to pick a guitar and these are some of them.

There is the standard style of picking a guitar. The standard style is holding the pick between the flat of the thumb and the side of the index finger with your fingers either anchored on or draped across the pick guard.

This style does have some disadvantages. You will find that pressing the thumb against the side of the finger to be an uncomfortable position. You will also find that if you dont press hard enough, the pick will become unsteady when you pick the string. You will find that the pick will catch on the strings.

There is a variation of the standard style where the remaining fingers are in a loose or tight fist. There should be no contact between the hand and the guitar except through the pick.
The advantage of this standard style variation is that you should have less baggage to swing around. This is because the mass of the fingers are closer to the axis of the wrist.

The main disadvantage of this variation is that even in the greatest of players, they were inconsistent in the accuracy of their playing. They kept on losing on losing their point of reference of fingers that were touching the pick guard.

Another variation of the standard style is that the palm rests flat on the bridge, either behind or in front, depending whether the strings need muting or not. You can have other fingers open or closed.

This standard style variation is perfect for electric guitar players who usually deal with feedback that they dont want.

The problem with this variation is that you have to play with a side to side motion rather than at the wrist. This will eventually lead to having a locked wrist and you will not be able to play faster.

There is another variation of standard style. When you play using this variation, you have the thumb side of your palm raised with the opposite side of your palm resting on the bridge. The only difference between this variation and the regular standard style is the hand location.

Another variation of the standard style is called circle picking. You hold the pick the same way as the standard style. You move by flexing the first joint of the thumb, with the index finger extending at its second joint. You slide the pick along the string before crossing it, turning counterclockwise on down strokes and clockwise on upstrokes. This essentially means that you are making a circular motion to play the strings and the reason that it is called circle picking.

The main advantage is that you can play several strings with no arm or wrist motion at all. The tones sound nice when using this style. It is a fun way to play if you dont mind looking weird.

The main problem with this picking style is that your feel will suffer. You will constantly have to will yourself to control your timing. It is hard to do large strokes like strumming. You will find eventually that the extra motion of the thumb and index finger are inefficient and limit spe000036D0ed.

George Benson has a unique picking style. When you want to use the pick like George Benson, you put the pick between the tip of the thumb and the flat of the index finger. The middle finger should rest against the index finger. The first joint of the thumb should be locked in a fully open position. You should the first and second joints of the index finger arched and locked. You should find that the pick is 90 degrees counterclockwise from the standard style.

Gen Mason is a guitar player from Florida. Discover free how to improve your guitar skills at Jamorama

Guitar Chords For Country Songs

If you have just started playing guitar you probably want to
know what are the guitar chords for country songs, how many
chords should I learn, what happens if the chord shapes are
difficult to play.

Acoustic guitars are great to take with you anywhere and are
ideally suited to playing country songs. The guitar chords you
use for country songs will depend on whether it's a two chord or
three chord song.

The best guitar-friendly keys for your country songs are: G, D, A
and E.

Two chord songs.

Guitar chords for country songs in keys G, D, A, and E.

Key of G = G and D7

Key of D = D and A7

Key of A = A and E7

Key of E = E and B7

Here is a short list of some country tunes using two chords.

Jambalaya

Tulsa Time

Achey Breaky Heart

Deep In The Heart Of Texas

Country artists don't sing songs, they tell stories.

Country songs are about real life--memories and reactions to
real things that happen to everyone. It's about the story the
singer is telling it has nothing to do with how many chords a
song has, remember that many successful song have only three
chords.

Country music evolved out of the tradition of working cowboys
singing cowhand ballads such as 'Texas Cowboy' around the
campfire or on the range and was later popularized in Hollywood
by singers such as Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. However, the image
of the cowboy was enshrined in country music by Hank Williams.

Three chord songs.

Guitar chords for country songs in keys G, D, A, and E.

Key of G = G, C and D7

Key of D = D, G and A7

Key of A = A, D and E7

Key of E = E, A and B7

Here is a list of some country tunes using three chords.

Am I That Easy To Forget?

Blue Eyes Cryin' In The Rain

Bonapart's Retreat

Cold Cold Heart

Coward Of The County

Crazy Arms

Folsom Prison Blues

Green, Green Grass Of Home

I Fall To Pieces

I Walk The Line

Jealous Heart

King Of The Road

Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys

Okie From Muskogee

Please Release Me

Rollin' In My Sweet Baby's Arms

Six Days On The Road

The Gambler

Truck Drivin' Man

Wabash Cannonball

When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again

You Are My Sunshine

And hundreds more ...

Songs like Your Cheatin' Heart, people still like that, it
doesn't matter what year you sing it in or where you came from.

If you find that a song is in the wrong key or the chord shapes
are difficult to play use a capo to make things easy.

Here's what happens when you put a capo on the first fret.

G chord now becomes G#/Ab

C chord now becomes C#/Db

D7 chord now becomes D#7/Eb7

------------------------

D chord now becomes D#/Eb

G chord now becomes G#/Ab

A7 chord now becomes A#7/Bb7

------------------------

A chord now becomes A#/Bb

D chord now becomes D#/Eb

E7 chord now becomes E#7/F7

------------------------

E chord now becomes F

A chord now becomes A#/Bb

B7 chord now becomes C7

When you practice your guitar chords for country songs listen
carefully and you will notice how so many country songs are
strikingly similar.M00002CD2any great country songs just use G, C, D or
G, D, A or some combination thereof.

Mike Hayes is a teacher, author, speaker and consultant. Get his tips and tested strategies proven to boost your guitar playing his membership site at http://www.guitarcoaching.com today.