Dominant 9th Arpeggio Sequence

Hey Folks,
This is a tricky one so be prepared for some quality time in the woodshed. This lick is based around A Mixolydian.


A Dom 9th arpeggio sequence
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Minor Pentatonic Arpeggio

Hey folks,
I've always thought there had to be a cool way to arpeggiate the pentatonic scale.
I've been playing a lot of 2-1-2 patterns lately and so I thought "…hmmm….."
Anyway, this is what I came up with.
I hope you like it!
Jeff



Minor Pentatonic Arpeggio
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Cool Pedal Tone licks

Hey folks,
In this weeks lesson we discuss some triplet pedal tone ideas I came up with. I've written them into 2 licks so you can see how to use them in your music. The first is over an E7 then A7 motif with some chromatic pedal points. The second is over an E Major and stays diatonic to the scale. I encourage you to explore your own ideas and come up with some dazzling licks of your own.
Jeff


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Steve Vai Licks

Hey Folks,
I’m a huge fan of Steve and had the good fortune to hang out jam with him for a week. I figured it was about time I posted a few licks in Steve’s style so here are 4 from Erotic Nightmares and 2 “in the style of” type licks that he plays all the time.
I hope you enjoy this lesson!
Jeff


Steve Vai Licks
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Open string Pentatonic Run

Hey Folks,
Here’s a cool pentatonic run that uses open strings for wide intervals.
Hope you like it!
Jeff

Emin Pentatonic open string lick



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4 Note Per String Run

Hey Folks,
This is an absolutely terrifying run if executed cleanly. Just remember that the pattern is 12 notes, then repeats on a different string. There are a lot of notes to learn, so take your time. The speed will follow naturally as you develop muscle memory.
Jeff



4 note per string run
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Randy Rhoads legato run

Hey Folks,
Here’s a lesson for the legato run at the end of the solo in Ozzy Ozbourne’s Believer.
Check out my cover of this song in the previous post.
Jeff



Randy Rhoads legato run
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Scary Diminished Lick

Hey folks, This weeks guitar lesson is a 2/1/2 diminished pattern. It's a fun lick to play as you can get up to speed in no time and impress all your friends!
MAKE SURE TO TUNE IN ON FRIDAY MARCH 1, 2013 FOR A GUITAR CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT!!!
I have some cool software to give away!
Enjoy,
Jeff



Scary Diminished Lick
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Descending Lydian Lick

Hey Folks,
This weeks lesson is based on one I did early on using an Yngwie flavoured A Harmonic Minor lick. In this lesson I'm applying it to an A major scale but played over a D making it a Lydian lick. Long story short.....it's COOL!! Check it out.



Decending Lydian Lick
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Stacked 9th Arpeggios Lick

Hey Folks, This weeks lesson is an excersice in effective finger placement. The secret to playing anything fast is landing notes so that you can easily move into the next position. These are stacked 9ths ascending in 4ths. It's melodic and terrifying at the same time! Enjoy,
Jeff

Stacked 9th Arpeggios Lick
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Slippery Arpeggio Lick

Here's another slippery lick lesson. This week I wrote a little melody so you could practice blending 3 string sweeps with some slides. Something I didn't mention in the lesson is that all the slides are done with your pinky finger. I hope you enjoy it.


Slippery Arpeggio Lick
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Scary Arpeggio Lick

This lesson is an arpeggio exercise I wrote that uses a few different arpeggio and picking styles. Start by learning the first section and practice looping it. Then try the other 2 variations (or come up with your own) I hope you enjoy this lesson. Jeff


Scary Arpeggio Lick
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Slippery Open String Lick

Hey Folks,
This lesson incorporates pulling off notes to an open string and some sliding.
I've loosely broken the lesson into 3 sections with each one explaining a part then the next one expanding on the idea until I've built the full lick. I use open string stuff a lot in my playing. (This particular lick is from one of my songs.) Hopefully this little lick will inspire you to start using the technique more. Build on the idea and come up with some cool stuff in your own style.
Jeff



Slippery Open String Lick
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Ascending Alternate Picking Exercise

Hey folks,
This lesson is guaranteed to improve your alternate picking speed and accuracy.
I hope you enjoy the lesson!
Jeff



Ascending Aternate Picking Exercise
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E minor Pentatonic Lick

Hey folks, Here's a cool minor pentatonic run. It's played in groups of 8.
It's a bit of a finger twister so start slow and learn the lick, then practice moving it through the scale.
Enjoy! Jeff



Emin Pentatonic Lick
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Crazy 8's - 8 note pattern string skipping

Hey Folks, This weeks lesson is an 8 note pattern that I've applied to a little jingle I wrote. It incorporates string skipping and some big shifts. It's tricky, but it's the kind of thing that sounds cool slow and fast. Once you get the pattern down you can apply it all over the place and since it's 8 notes it fits into 4/4 time really nicely! I hope you like it.
Jeff


Crazy 8s
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Descending 3rds Lick

This quick lesson is a cool descending run. It's an 8 note pattern so it's a very effective alternate picking exercise as well. The first note in each 8 note section is a 3rd back from the starting note of the previous pattern. (specifically Maj-Min-Maj-Min-Maj) Anyway, dig in and enjoy!
Jeff



Decending 3rds Lick
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Alternate Picking Exercise

Hey Folks,
This weeks lesson is an alternate picking exercise to help with speed and accuracy.
As with all of the advanced lessons, start slow and build up speed. Focus on accuracy and keeping the alternate picking consistent.
I hope you like it.
Jeff

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Alternate Picking Exercise
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E Blues Pentatonic Lick

I've been developing new ways to play old sequences but a bit hotter with a modern spin. This is the E min Pentatonic blues version and the first of many scales that will use this 2-1-3-2-4-3-5-4- type back step pattern. I've used a 3 note per string fingering that allows the pentatonic scale to be played wider across the neck and break out of the boxy versions we've all gotten used to. I hope you like this. The tabs will be available here very soon. Enjoy!



E Blues Pentatonic lick
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2 String Arpeggio Picking Exercise

This technique is used a fair bit. It can be tricky to master, so start off slow and work on building a steady rhythm. You’ll develop speed soon enough.
I hope you enjoy the lesson!
Jeff



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E7 Arpeggio Lick

Here's a nice little E7 arpeggio lick I came up with for todays lesson.
As always practice slow and build up speed. Something I didn't mention in the video is that the notes on the high E string are combinations of sliding, hammer-ons & pull-offs.

Enjoy!

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Harmonic Minor Ascending Run

Here's a little run I came up with for this weeks lesson. It's played in A Harmonic minor but can be played in any mode. I'll have tabs and other examples available in the near future.

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A min / G# dim7 sweep picking lick

This is a little 3 string sweep picking exercise I wrote using A min and G#dim7 arpeggios. Kind of gives a harmonic minor vibe in the style of Yngwie Malmsteen. Practice slow and build up speed and accuracy.

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The Audience is Listening Intro

This intro has always fascinated me. I struggled a bit when learning it, so I thought I’d see if I can impart a bit of wisdom here and spare someone some aggravation.
It’s got a funky groove to it and I’ve seen a lot of people trying to play it but the rhythm always falls apart.
I’m a huge Steve Vai fan. There may be more of his stuff to come.
Play hard!
Jeff

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Descending Harmonic Minor Lick

Here it is folks, my first official lesson. It’s a bit advanced but pretty easy to follow along with. Just practice slow and work on accuracy. You’ll build up your speed as your fingers get used to the pattern.
It’s what I call a 4 over 3 scale pattern. 4 notes on 1 string and 3 on the other to make 7 notes in the scale. It’s a very efficient way of moving scales up and down.
Here I’m applying it in a very “Yngwie” (ish) style in A harmonic minor. It can be used in any mode and with any pattern. I’ll have a lot of examples of this in the members only section, along with different pattern types.

There will be a pile of lessons for you beginners soon enough. Some of it might seem ridiculously simple to the more advanced players, but it’s geared specifically for people just starting and with little or no experience.
Play hard!
Jeff


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