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We've been holed up this winter banging away on a few new tweaks to make your TrueFire experience a bit more mind-expanding. Here's the rundown on what's ready now ...
New Navigation: Check out the modified nav bar on TrueFire and try the new style links.
New StudioWire: Now everyone can view StudioWire video lessons and performances on TrueFire. We'll email everyone when a new edition is available. You'll still need to upgrade your subscription to BrowserMail though if you want to keep an archive of each edition.
New Radio Free: We've expanded the Radio Free schedule and now feature several instructional shows with free downloads of text, notation and Power Tab elements.
We also have several new courses in the works: Joe Deloro's Blues Rock Road Trip, Conti's Jazz Master 5 & 6, David Hamburger's Blues Alchemy, Stefani's Jazzed Blues 5 & 6 and an AGW Ragtime Showcase. As I said ...we've been busy. Practice smart and play hard!
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2.8 - Rhythmology 2
TFU students will be receiving TFU CD 2.8 within the week.
>>TFU 2.8 - Rhythmology 2
This TFU CD is the second in the Rhythmology series, which focuses exclusively on developing better soloing chops and is the companion series to Solology.
Whether you're a novice player or a seasoned pro, these lessons will give you some new "rut-busting" approaches to improve your rhythm chops. On this CD, we'll cover five styles, each with their own basic backing track and a PDF chart of the voicings, patterns, scales and modes referenced in the video lessons. A detailed harmonic overview is also provided.
Rock Patterns 1
Rock Patterns 2
Blues Patterns 1
Blues Patterns 2
Pop Patterns 1
Pop Patterns 2
Jazz Patterns 1
Jazz Patterns 2
Latin Patterns 1
Latin Patterns 2
>>GPs March '05 Lessons
Streaming Vertical Slices - Adrian Legg's fast, fluid fingerpicking
Lead Guitar 101 - hot triplets
EZ Street - minor bass runs
Jam Guru - Jimmy Herring shows us how to rethink the pentatonic scale
Blues Guru - Robben Ford makes a splash
How To Play Like...Keith Richards - who wouldn't want a few sounds or two?
Metal Guru - Cooley's tough teflon tapping
>>Chop Suey
Dimitri Diatchenko is rapidly emerging as one of the most exciting and unique concert guitarists of his generation. From the halls of Harvard University to the islands of Hawaii, he has brought audiences to their feet with his commanding stage personae, soulful virtuosity and diverse repertoire. His concerts frequently comprise styles from core classical repertoire to contemporary fingerstyle works. We're proud to call Dimitri a good friend of TrueFire's and we'll keep you posted on his career. Enjoy!
>> Not yet enrolled in TFU?!
Jump on the bus and have some fun in the woodshed!
>> learn more about TFU ...
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Big Funky Blues Rhythm Groove 2
 I have had several requests to supply the A and B sections of this lesson, so here it is. I have also done a cool lick that is easy to vary at the end of it. When you are "turning around" you can take advantage of the open strings and do pull offs from any position of your Em pentatonic scale. This will give you no end of options! This is back to funky rhythm, which is a vital part of playing no matter what your style. If you are a blues rock kinda guy and don’t have your rhythm chops together, you may find yourself on the bench when everyone else is onstage at jam night. So check this lesson out – it will complete the Jam we did before, and give you some cool ways to tag the end so you don’t have to sound like you just came from studying "Bob’s basic blues for beginners" on cassette!
>> Download your Groove ...
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Minor Walkin' - Jazz Bass On Guitar
 I don't know about you, but I love bass, regardless of genre, and have played the instrument for well over 30 years. I consider it to be the most important instrument in any ensemble, because the bass determines the personality of a tune, and sets the stage for the rest of the band. As far as jazz and walking bass is concerned, my late father was the man responsible for my early education. He would transcribe bass lines for me when I was a teenager, from such upright legends as Ray Brown, Scott LaFaro, Sam Jones, Ron Carter, Paul Chambers, and others. As my guitar arranging and chord-melody skill developed, I gradually become proficient at playing walking bass lines with chords simultaneously, a very popular accompaniment technique among jazz guitarists. "Minor Walkin'" is the subject for this month's lesson, this time a 16-bar walk based on the solo changes for Bobby Timmons' classic "Moanin'" composition.
>> Download Minor Walking ...
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Big Fat Bass For Fingerstyle Guitar
 Dampening or palm muting the bass strings is a good idea if you want to get a real authentic sound and flavor to your fingerstyle blues playing. When done correctly this technique produces a muted yet fat bass sound that provides a solid, driving rhythm and perfectly compliments syncopated melody and single note playing. If you let the bass strings ring out too much, there's a danger of the performance degenerating into a jangly mess. You can hear that fat bass going "Boom, Boom - 1 2 3 4" in all of the great exponents of this art, from Lightening Hopkins to more contemporary players like AGW's Rick Payne.
This lesson shows you just how to go about getting a nice fat dampened bass. Basically you rest the heel of your palm on the bass strings with enough pressure to mute the strings, but not choke them off completely. It's a knack that takes a little practise, but is well worth the effort if you want to play authentic sounding fingerstyle blues.
>> Download Fat Bass For Fingerstyle ...
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TrueFire's Radio Free: Expanded Schedule with Free Lessons!
Radio Free, TrueFire's free internet radio show, now features lessons in addition to tunage from some of the hottest up and coming players. Tune in for the scheduled shows or just pop in anytime to hear what's happening. We'll guarantee you an earful of top-notch guitar work along with several instructional shows to help beef up your own chops. You can download text, notation and PowerTab elements for free as well.
Use the link below to learn more about Radio Free, view the current schedule and download lesson elements for the instructional shows.
>> Check out Radio Free's new schedule ...
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Pretty Peggio’s by Jamsire Ernoir
In this exercise, we are utilizing a somewhat advanced string skipping technique. The illusion here is to again sound like a concert harp with a finger-picking technique. Did I mention that this is done with a pick? Oh yeah, this is done with a pick! Letting the piece sustain is the key to getting the continuous flow and sound. The picking-hand accents the melody on the twelfth fret as the rolling arpeggios accompany it.
Listen to the audio versions, then groove with me!
>> Download Pretty Peggio’s now ...
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Pick of the Month: A Holdsworth Guitar Astronaut
by Jesse Gress
Just the idea of tackling Holdsworth sends shivers down many a guitarist's spine, but take Jesse's advice: taking little bites at a time will taste a whole lot better. Holdsworth interstellar playing revolves around legato phrasing, large interval skips and motif development. Pure improvisation, not overused patterns rehashed. Come on and give it a go, we'll hold your hand.
>> Download the pick of the month ...
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Tip Jar! Gil Parris' Jam This
When it comes to improvising epic, crowd-pleasing solos in an eclectic range of styles, Parris is more than qualified to deliver the goods onstage, as the hotshot young guitarist proves conclusively with his wailing, soul-searching live version of the melancholy Bill Withers classic "Ain’t No Sunshine."
Jam This, with its challenging riffs, funky grooves, extended improvisations, and inspired arrangements (for example, Jeff Beck licks over James Brown’s "Sex Machine"), almost seems to say with a playful cockiness, "Hey buddy—yeah, you, over in that jam band. Think you can play? Well, here—jam this!" – Jude Gold (Guitar Player Magazine)
>> Visit Gil's site and pick up Jam This ...
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On the Road with Erik Halbig: Oilspotted!
Oilspotted...Definition: If you're on tour and late for the bus call, and all you see where the bus was supposed to be waiting for you, is an oilspot on the ground, then you've been "oilspotted". And guess what? You get to drive seven hundred miles from Nashville, Tennessee to Orlando, Florida to make the show by that night or lose the gig. Oilspotting is one of the musician's urban legends. And while I have not personally experienced this, I have heard that quite a few road managers are sticklers for punctuality to this extent ... (continued)
Erik Halbig, friend of TrueFire and superb guitar sideman currently touring with Sara Evans, will be bringing you some stories from the road designed to entertain and educate those ready and crazy enough to hit the road themselves. Erik would be happy to answer any specific questions you may have for him.
Check our man out at: www.ErikHalbig.com
>> Continue reading Erik's story from the road ...
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