Riff Ninja

Sultans of Swing Tab (Video Lesson)

Conor — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:03:07 +0000

If you have been working on Sultans of Swing tab lessons, you may find this video tutorial a lot easier to follow. Sultans of Swing is one of the most recognizable guitar songs out there, but it is definitely a challenge for more advanced players, as there are quite a few different techniques included, such as slurs, rolls and note muting.

Mark Knopfler’s classic guitar riff follows the D natural minor scale and is mainly based around a D minor triad (taken from the standard D minor barre chord on the fifth fret) on the g, b and e strings.

Sultans of Swing Tab (Video Lesson):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B02SPMtozS8

Watch on Youtube

Source: Sultans of Swing Tab (Video Lesson) Riff Ninja - Riff Ninja Guitar Lessons

A Cool Blues Riff Using Doublestops

Conor — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:48:39 +0000

This a really easy, but really cool blues riff using doublestops. Like most blues guitar riffs it is based on the pentatonic minor scale, however, we are going to include a ‘passing note’ – a raised sixth – to give it an extra bit of flavor.

A doublestop is when two notes from the scale are played together, and was a very popular trick among early rock n’roll players such as Chuck Berry. This technique will also require bending the notes, which can be a bit of a challenge when holding down two strings.

Cool Blues Riff Using Doublestops:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoSQ60GvSKs

Watch on Youtube

Source: A Cool Blues Riff Using Doublestops Riff Ninja - Riff Ninja Guitar Lessons

Simple Man Chords

Conor — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:02:38 +0000

Here is a look at a few versions of Simple Man. Chord shapes for this song can be found in the open positions of C, G and Am, so it won’t be too hard to follow.

The strumming pattern for these Simple Man chords can be adapted to suit whatever style you feel comfortable with – strumming the whole chords with a pick, playing the single notes or using a combination of the pick and your fingers (‘hybrid’ picking).

These open guitar chords will form the main part of the song, but it is also worth introducing power-chord versions for the guitar solo, as these voicings will sound more convincing.

This is a pretty easy, but really fun guitar song to play – you can keep varying the chords and picking style to add more interest to the chord progression.

Simple Man Chords:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdmXJz_r4_8

Watch on Youtube

Source: Simple Man Chords Riff Ninja - Riff Ninja Guitar Lessons

Drop C Tuning

Conor — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:44:37 +0000

Drop C Tuning is a great asset for country, blues and metal players. It is very effective for playing powerful, deep guitar riffs that can’t be played in standard E tuning. If you have already viewed the lesson on standard D tuning, you will have a good idea of how drop C will work.

In standard D, each string is tuned down the same distance from standard E. Now to get drop C tuning, we just tune the low D string (what was orginally the E string) down further to C, or down a whole step.

With drop C tuning, you will have to adapt some chord shapes that use the low string, but this isn’t too difficult to understand.

Drop C Tuning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5S9AkmetwY

Watch on Youtube

Source: Drop C Tuning Riff Ninja - Riff Ninja Guitar Lessons

Finger Exercises for Guitar Players

Conor — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:32:18 +0000

Finger exercises will be a vital part of your practice routine if you want to speed up your movement on the fretboard. Like any muscle on your body, your finger muscles will respond far better when they have been put through a training regime. Jazz and metal players will particularly benefit from this exercise, but it is recommended for guitarists of all styles.

This finger exercise is loosely based on the chromatic scale, moving up and down the strings. It will not only tone up the muscles in the fingers, but will also require you to position your hand and fingers correctly on the fretboard. What’s more is when you combine some alternate picking of the strings you will have one of the best finger exercises for building speed.

It is always recommended to run though some finger exercises before you begin playing. If you include this exercise in your a regular practice routine – warming up at the beginning and repeating at the end – you will quickly see the difference in your speed and dexterity on the fretboard.

Finger Exercises for Guitar Players:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-3utu2C584

Watch on Youtube

Source: Finger Exercises for Guitar Players Riff Ninja - Riff Ninja Guitar Lessons

Guitar Boogie Riff

Conor — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:31:15 +0000

The boogie riff – also known as the shuffle riff – is a very popular and versatile move to add to your repertoire. And what’s more is that its pretty easy to play, as it only requires moving fingers across two notes. The boogie riff is mainly associated with blues, but it can be incorporated and adapted to all sorts of styles.

A good place to start with the boogie riff is with the low E string, as it will be played open, but you can also pick it up from the open A and D strings with the same shape, as well as move it up and down the fretboard.

Guitar Boogie Riff:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N128P53pPFU

Watch on YouTube

You can also checkout our other lessons on guitar riffs.

Source: Guitar Boogie Riff Riff Ninja - Riff Ninja Guitar Lessons

Advanced Guitar Lesson – G Major Scale in 3rds

Conor — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:26:50 +0000

If you feel you want to play more than single-note guitar scales, now could be a good time to start looking at harmonizing the scale intervals – this is a really powerful way to add more melody and harmony to your playing and insert short riffs between chords. A great place to start is the G major scale in 3rds, as it’s a key that lends itself well to this concept.

Harmonizing in 3rds literally means that you will be playing each note of the scale with the note a third above. In the key of G major this will be G and B, A and C, B and D, so playing every second note of the scale. You can, of course, harmonize guitar scales with 5ths, 6ths, 7ths or any other note, but 3rds are a popular choice as they provide a major or minor quality.

You will need to know your G major scale really well before tackling this lesson. If you need a review, you can checkout the other guitar scales lessons first.

Advanced Guitar Lesson – G Major Scale in 3rds:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUprTw2Mzec

Watch on Youtube

Source: Advanced Guitar Lesson – G Major Scale in 3rds Riff Ninja - Riff Ninja Guitar Lessons

Drop D Tuning

Conor — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:58:46 +0000

Drop D Tuning is great for getting really deep, bassy riffs and chords on your guitar and it’s a tuning that you will find in a wide range of styles. Whether you fancy picking some old folk and country, or thrashing out some seriously heavy power chords, this lesson will be well worth a watch.

Switching your guitar to drop D tuning couldn’t be easier; all that is required is that you drop your low E down a whole step (the equivalent of two frets) to a D. Now you have a nice low 6^th string on your guitar, but this means the notes on this string have moved, and the note relationships to the other strings will have also changed.

The advantage here is that we can get some really interesting chord shapes, and with the way the notes are spaced out, drop D tuning can produce its own unique sound.

Drop D Tuning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp9Y0XiW7iE

Watch on YouTube

Source: Drop D Tuning Riff Ninja - Riff Ninja Guitar Lessons

Standard D Tuning

Conor — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:47:50 +0000

Going into standard or ‘drop’ D tuning is a great way to get some interesting sounds out of your guitar and it can be applied to both acoustic and electric styles.

You can put your guitar into this tuning by bringing down each string a whole tone, i.e. tuning down two frets. As each string has been tuned down by the same amount, the distances between the notes and chord shapes will remain just as they are in standard E tuning.

However, you must remember that each shape will now be playing a different chord, so an E major will now be a D major, an A minor will now be a G minor, and so on.

When you are playing in D tuning, you will be loosening the tension of the strings, which could cause problems if you have low action on your guitar, as the string could be right against the fret wire, making a nasty buzzing sound.

There are other popular tunings out there, such as drop C, but it’s best to get used to D tuning first before going any further.

Standard D Tuning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VPuMrAEdnE

Watch on Youtube

Source: Standard D Tuning Riff Ninja - Riff Ninja Guitar Lessons

The I IV V Box Bass Guitar Lesson

Conor — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:34:17 +0000

You could spend hours upon hours learning bass lines from different songs, but what if there was an easy way that could have you playing an almost endless number of great hooks with one handy shape? Well, with the ‘I IV V Box’, you can do just that. After this bass guitar lesson, you will be primed to play many of your favorite bass lines, no matter if they are in major or minor keys.

In earlier lessons we looked at adding the three main harmonies of a root note, but here we are going to add one more note – the octave – to form a handy box shape, which we can then slide up and down the fretboard. The “I IV V’ Box is also great for jamming and improvising, and this bass guitar lesson will be a must for anyone wanting to create their own catchy hooks.

The I IV V Box Bass Guitar Lesson:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02NQsdKcOCU

Watch on YouTube

Source: The I IV V Box Bass Guitar Lesson Riff Ninja - Riff Ninja Guitar Lessons