Chord Play

The goal of this lesson is to find new chord sounds. The example above shows a common bass line used with G major and then shows part of the G major chord played with a completely different bass line. This can open up some interesting new sounds whether you play with separated bass notes or add them with the chord together. I like to start with part of a chord and then try different bass notes, but it can also work well if you just change your highest note. Overall the goal is to show that you can use part of what you already know to find new things on the guitar. Try playing some of your favorite chords but changing just a note or two!

Blues/Jazz + Chromatic

This lick could easily fit into a jazz or blues style, especially depending on where you add emphasis. It's a pretty basic one, but starts off with a nice chromatic run. Throwing in chromaticism can make your blues sound a bit more complex, as it gives it a little more of a jazz feel. Hope this sparks some creativity!

Open Strings + Higher Frets

The two phrases shown above incorporate open strings along with notes played on higher positions on the fretboard. This can create a really neat sound, and often works well with the notes in the 5th fret position (as the open strings are near them in pitch). Try playing around with this licks and creating your own new phrases.

Ending Lick

It can be fun to figure out little runs like above (play it and you should recognize it) as a way to work on your ear. Familiar phrases like this one help to expand your guitar vocabulary, and often will be usable when you least expect them (even if just for comedic effect).

G Dominant Lick

This dominant lick is centered around playing over a G7 chord. Many players will incorporate the major third via slides, hammer-ons or bends from the minor third, however, it can sound neat to remove the minor third entirely and just stick with the major. In this case our G minor pentatonic scale changes by just one note (replacing Bb with B), but opens up a neat new sound to play around with.

Common Jazz Lick

This is a fairly typical sounding descending jazz lick, which incorporates some passing tones and a slide as it goes down. Licks like these are a good start as you get into jazz because they can be a great way to get ideas for lines of your own.

Chromatic Idea

This is an idea that uses a chromatic run in a musical sounding way. Hope it inspires some added chromaticism to your playing!