In this lesson Willie teaches some hard rock rhythms and riffs inspired by the hard rockers in a very mid to late 1980s style. Willie goes over the chords and he will use power chords for the progression of F#5, G5, A5, A#5, E5. Be sure and use palm muting and pedal techniques off the low E string for effect. Willie demonstrates the rhythms and uses a lot of upstrokes for the punches – this may take a little while to get comfortable with if you dont play a lot of upstrokes. Be patient and practice the riffs slow at first and work up the speed over time. Then let it fly! Have fun!

In this lesson Willie teaches some easy and fun rock rhythms and devices in the style of the Cult. These rhythmic ideas feature power chords and a few notes mixed in for that added smack. Willie then teaches the licks based off the A minor pentatonic scale. Learn the licks as Willie teach them and then vary them a little and try different combinations of the notes. Then build your own licks from this scale and mix them into the rhythm. Have fun and get creative with the lesson – and keep on rocking!

In this lesson Finbar teaches some easy and fun chords and rhythm to give an epic classic round sound inspired by many great bands in the 60s and 70s. Here you will learn all about some new strum patterns and how to play rhythmically with these patterns using different chord voicings, chucking techniques, and other devices. Finbar first goes over the chords and the thumb over the top of the neck voicings that make these chords sound cool. Fin then gets into the rhythmic patterns and strums that he will be using. He does the patterns at both slow and regular speed so they are easily digestible. Have fun with these patterns and try them with other chords and progressions – enjoy!

In this lesson Ben Zinn teaches some looping principles and techniques to recreate a vibe inspired by a 60s anthem rock band and many others. Ben get into layering multiple guitar parts on top of one another. If you dont have a looper pedal you can still learn about choosing guitar parts and registers from this lesson. There are many great options for looping pedals on the market today. Boss and Digitech are probably the biggest two makers of looper pedals. Looper pedals are fantastic tools for the guitar playing for building parts and also for making jam and backing tracks. This lesson is in the key of D and Ben outlines the chord with a melody line over big sounding power chords. Use this lesson as inspiration to come up with your own multi guitar part ideas – enjoy!

In this lesson Ben Zinn teaches some fun pop/rock chucking chordal techniques inspired by Jack Johnson and many other players in this style. This lesson is taught on electric but works for both acoustic and electric. The lesson focus on the pick hand pattern and getting the groove with that strum hand. Learn this 16th note pattern and Ben will go over several chord progressions to practice these techniques. This “chucking” technique adds so much interest to your playing you for sure want to get this technique added to your arsenal. Ben breaks the rhythms into smaller sections to make it easier for you to get the patterns down. Practice them slow and once you get them solid you can vary them and mix them up and come up with endless possibilities to spice up your rhythms – fun, Fun…FUN!! Enjoy!

In this lesson Willie teaches some easy and fun rock rhythms and licks in a very classic hard rock style inspired by Thin Lizzy and many other bands from the 1970s. This lesson features a few power or 5th chords and some syncopated licks. Willie also teaches the proper muting needed to get these tones. So you will muting the entire chord phrases for a cool effect. Then add a few licks into the idea and you got a cool rhythmic phrase. Willie breaks the whole thing down and teaches it slow and then plays it up to speed. Try varying the lick or coming up with your own licks to insert between the chords – get creative and try these techniques of muted basic power chords and rhythmic licks for fun song ideas – enjoy!

In this lesson Ben Zinn teaches some fun rhythm and chordal techniques using a capo to emulate a piano sound but transposed for guitar. Ben will teach some cool chord voicings that work great in this style. Learn a fun strumming style that will get you sounding like a piano, which at first will be combined with some easy open position chords. Ben then builds on what he is teaching and teaches cool chordal inversions higher up on the neck that really take this lesson to the next level. Remember a chord inversion is when you play the notes in a chord a different way where the root note is no longer the lowest note in the chord. These inversions get you a really cool sound that you don’t get in the open position so you will want to use some of these chords in other songs and progressions and put them to good use. Get creative with them and have fun!

In this lesson Jeff Ross teaches early 1970s pop-rock type of riff going from major to minor based in the style of the DOOBIE BROTHERS. Learn some new chord voicings as well as how to hammer on chords for a unique sound very popular in this style. Jeff shows you all the chords and goes over the groove as well as the techniques common to this genre. Jeff teaches how to build a cool sounding riff and then adds more chords to make a cool progression. Learn to play it different ways and add embellishments. Use this lesson as a jump off point and get creative with these techniques – keep experimenting and have fun. 

In this lesson Willie teaches some rocked out funky riffs in the style of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. These licks feature the concept of syncopation and bouncing of the backbeat. The licks are based in the key of E minor and Willie teaches the notes as well as the groove. Be sure to listen to the groove and accents so u play this with that proper funky feel. Take the lick slow and first and bring up the speed over time. Add some notes or take some away or build similar licks, or vary this lick, and get creative with it. Remember to play this with that funky groove and experiment with these type licks and riffs – have fun.