Al Di Meola: Passion, Grace, and Fire
Al Di Meola is a Jazz Fusion guitarist well known for his advanced technical approach and Latin style. He attended Boston’s Berklee College of Music in 1971 before joining the jazz fusion group Return to Forever with Chick Corea. Extreme dedication to precise picking technique, rhythm, and melody, are key elements to Al’s [...]
David Gilmour: Comfortably Numb
David Gilmour is widely known as the lead guitarist and singer of the rock band Pink Floyd. His song writing and guitar playing contributions were a key element in their success. To this day “Dark Side of the Moon” remains one of the top selling albums ever. His Grammy awarded group was [...]
Robben Ford: Burnable
Robben Ford is without a doubt one the most tasteful fusion guitarists. One of Robben’s strongest abilities is to creatively blend his blues foundation with jazz influence in a modern context. He has worked with a diverse range of major artists such as Joni Mitchell, George Harrison, and Miles Davis.
Beginning at a young [...]
Mark Knopfler: Brothers in Arms
British guitarist Mark Knopfler is best known for his work with the rock band Dire Straits. Also a vocalist, songwriter, film scorer, and producer, Mark has sustained career longevity through his work in many aspects of the music industry. Between Dire Straits and his solo career he has been behind the sale of [...]
Committed to Success
When approaching a music project, no matter whether it’s a rehearsal, a recording or a performance, an important fundamental aspect to success is commitment. Being truly committed to a project means setting a goal and following through with attaining it. Commitment lies deeper than musical skill, gratification, and ego. It’s about showing up prepared [...]
Billy Gibbons: La Grange
Billy Gibbons is best known as the lead guitar player and vocalist in the Texas based blues-rock band ZZ Top. Formed in 1967 the band has played together for 40 years while still maintaining the original lineup. Known for their long beards and southern style, the band is heavily steeped in the blues [...]
Michael Hedges: Aerial Boundaries
Michael Hedges was a truly gifted acoustic guitar player and composer. His technically demanding approach contained elements of advanced finger-style and two-handed tapping techniques. The combination of his elaborate compositions and technique would produce the sound of several guitars playing together.
While Michael had a love of rock and pop styles he earned a [...]
Eric Johnson: Trademark
Many great guitarists such as Albert Collins, Freddie King, Billy Gibbons, and Stevie Ray Vaughan have come from Texas. Another great is Eric Johnson. By far one of the most well respected guitarists around, Eric is also a singer, songwriter, and pianist.
Playing the Austin club scene in the 1970’s, he drew from an [...]
Lesson 2: 12 Bar Variations – The Texas Shuffle
There are many variations of the 12 Bar Blues. These variations are found in the chords and rhythm. The previous lesson showed a standard 12 Bar Blues with a shuffle feel. A variation on that is the “Texas Shuffle”. This uses the same chord progression with a shuffle feel but a few more notes added.
The [...]
Lesson 1: The Blues In A
The guitar is a highly expressive and powerful instrument. It’s capability of endless tones is astounding. No matter what style of music you choose to play it’s all found within the 12 notes on the guitar. The fundamental elements such as scales, chords and especially rhythms are really what define a style. However, through my [...]
