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Take this job and NAMM it!
It's January and you know what that means for those of us in the biz ... the big NAMM show out in California. For the next week we'll be surrounded by guitars, amps, pedals and accessories of all varieties. Players from around the world will be doing their thing for the makers they endorse while the suits take orders to stock your local stores with all that is new and cool.
The highlight for us will be, as always, Muriel Anderson's All Star Guitar Night where Muriel, Kaki King, Johnny A, Artie Traum, James Burton, Nokie Edwards, Laurence Juber, Monte Montgomery and other premier pickers will take the stage this year.
As most of you know, we're big supporters of the event which benefits the Music For Life Alliance and we always take home a bit of video to share with all of you.
So stay tuned and happy New Year!
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TFU 2.7 - Solology
TFU students will be receiving TFU CD 2.7 within the week.
>>TFU 2.7 - Solology
This TFU CD is the first in a new series that we're calling Solology, which will focus exclusively on developing better soloing chops and is the companion series to Rhythmology. In this series we'll be working with the Rhythmology tracks and building solos over them using the same harmonic structure to draw ideas from and then expressing those ideas with melodic patterns, question and answer phrasing and other key soloing concepts.
On this CD, we'll cover five styles, each with their own 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.
Funk Solos 1
Funk Solos 2
Rock Solos 1
Rock Solos 2
Blues Solos 1
Blues Solos 2
Pop Solos 1
Pop Solos 2
Jazz Solos 1
Jazz Solos 2
>>GPs February '05 Lessons
Bustin’ Out - Jean-Marc Belkadi plays outside licks
Lead Guitar 101 - flashy fills from the five-note scale
EZ Street - flatpicking bass runs
Metal Guru - Cooley displays more terrifying triads
Rock Guru - Greg Koch gets a little devilish with his blues riffs
How To Play Like...The Edge - U2 can play his chimey sounds
Jazz Guru - John McLaughlin's spontaneous improvisation
Prog Guru - Steve Morse's magical octave harmonics
>>Chop Suey
We're stealing this month's Chop Suey to solicit some feedback from students about the Rhythmology and Solology series, specifically what styles, techniques or theory would be desired in upcoming editions. Please take a moment or two to respond with the feedback form provided in the Chop Suey section. Thanks!
>> Not yet enrolled in TFU?!
Jump on the bus and have some fun in the woodshed!
>> learn more about TFU ...
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Intervallic Slip Sliding Away
 I think that one of the things that sets hip and cool guitarists apart is their ability to take a simple scale and turn it into a musically pleasing riff. One of the ways that is done, is by using intervals across the scale instead of just playing the scale. Instead of the "stair step" approach of scale riffs – think more in terms of taking two or three stairs at a time.
This lick is a great ending that can add some sweetness to your standard way of ending a song or phrase. It’s slippery and smooth, and a great way to break out of the predictable sounding riffs that we all get stuck with from time to time.
>> Download Slip Sliding Away...
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Blues for Hank! Passing the Jazz Torch
 Not long ago, the guitar world lost one of its legends, Hank "Sugarfoot" Garland. His epic "Jazz Winds from A New Direction" recording, released decades ago and featuring the then-16-year-old jazz vibe phenom, Gary Burton, had a profound effect on countless aspiring guitarists. Included in that group is George Benson, who became great friends with Hank over the years, and who cites Garland as a major influence.
"Riot-Chous" was one of my favorite tracks on Hank's famous recording, a Bb swing blues based on a simple repetitive, pentatonic lick. Years ago I had the great privilege to connect with Hank through my educational site, and one of the first things I did was to compose an original blues tribute to him.
"Blues for Hank" is the subject of this month's lesson. It's based directly on a great double-stop lick that Hank used in his guitar solo. He thoroughly enjoyed this tune, and it was my way of saying thanks for what he has given to me and other players. The "legend" lives on!
>> Download Blues for Hank...
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Rev Gary Davis' Cincinnati Flow Rag
 "Cincinnati Flow Rag" is a classic Rev Gary Davis tune -- one of the truly great pieces from the canon of ragtime guitar. It's serious fun and a real challenge for intermediate to advanced acoustic guitarists to play. It's worth downloading this one for the mp3 alone! Rick Payne is in fine form and really nails the arrangement with startling technique and clever improvisations.
The piece is in the standard ragtime key of C and revolves round the chords of C and G, with a turnaround in between. Not a lot there you might think, but it's a testament to the genius of Gary Davis that such an apparently modest chord structure should yield an almost endless amount of variations, using the entire fretboard of the guitar.
Unless you're a ragtime guitar expert, you'll probably learn a bunch of new chord voicings and ragtime scale and lick ideas. Please note that in addition to the standard pdf notation, there is also a link to a Powertab version in the pdf.
>> Download Cincinnati Flow Rag...
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Openess by Jamsire Ernoir
This exercise is a classical technique, modified to sound like a concert harp. Letting the piece sustain is the key to getting the continuous flow and sound. It utilizes a descending open string pattern. The picking-hand thumb accents the downward pattern while the alternating index and middle fingers play the open notes.
The C#min7 chord form is the foundation for the arpeggio structure in the second measure. The thumb again provides the downward pattern in the bass line with the "B" and "A" on the fifth string. Also in the measure, the use of the third finger on the picking hand (notated as "a"), comes in to accent the open "E" string.
It is important to note that the only notes that are played consecutively are the 1st and 2nd notes on the first string in the first measure. Clarity between strings is also achieved by remembering to keep proper hand positioning and fingertip placement on the frets.
>> Download Openess now ...
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Pick of the Month: Bone Chillin' Blues: A Lesson With Albert Collins
by Andy Ellis
The Iceman cometh at you via Andy's great lesson. Albert Collins plays some of the coolest, stingingest licks of any bluesman alive or dead. Tap into his open F-minor tuning, his capo usage and chicken-pickin' right-hand attack. Ex. 3 is a spicy, soulful line employing funky minor/major hammers. Don't live without it. Also vibe Collins' Hammond organ feel (Ex. 4) and emulation of a big-band horn sound (Ex. 5).
>> Download Bone Chillin' now ...
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NEW! Dave Rubin's Big Book of Blues: 4 CD-Rom Course
You won't find anyone who knows more about the blues than Dave Rubin. Dave's written hundreds of columns for all of the major guitar mags, authored countless blues books and has played with Son Seals, Chuck Berry, Johnny Copeland, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, James Brown, Marvelettes, the Coasters and the Drifters, to name but a few. Rubin is also one of the very few to be awarded The Blues Foundation's Keeping The Blues Alive Award.
TrueFire and Rubin have cooked up dozens of blues lessons over the years, but the Big Book of Blues is clearly our most ambitious production to date with 124 interactive pages of blues insight and instruction across 4 CD-Roms featuring 137 video elements and 166 lesson examples.
>> Check out the Big Book of Blues ...
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