Unleash Your Guitar Potential: Embrace Change & Ignite Energy in Your Rock Licks – A Workshop Sneak Peek
There’s a lot we can learn from the way we play our notes, especially when we’re dealing with something as versatile as the guitar. In my teaching experience, exploring different note patterns is key to understanding not just the instrument, but also the vibe of the music piece.
You’d notice that there’s a difference when I play a group of four notes over and over again. It has an even, normal sound, but let’s admit it, it lacks excitement. Now, if we vary the number of notes being played, you’ll hear how the exciting, energetic sounds start to come in. I usually demonstrate this by playing groups of six notes.
The logistics of it is simple: I just double up on the first string, keeping things nice and easy. I often play at the 32nd note level. I understand that it might seem too fast but bear with me, it’s all a part of the learning process. The charm lies in the fact that it sounds way cooler. Playing at a faster speed drives the energy up, which you won’t get if we stick to a slower tempo.
Essentially, I’m working to evade the standard four over four structure. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with the conventional ways. But sometimes, it’s fun to go outside the box. When everything is square, everything just seems too even and there’s not much fascinating stuff happening. As musicians, we want to venture beyond that, play with the norms, and give way to the pulsating beats.
In my recent Rock Licks course, I’ve experimented with all sorts of note playing. Some pieces have faster notes, while some stick to the more moderate level. There are classic rock sounding pieces, and others take a more modern metal approach. What’s important is that I’m not only teaching you to learn these licks, but I’m also instilling how they can be knitted together.
The next bit of our guitar learning journey involves altering notes. It might sound a minor change, but even altering a single note can add a different color to the harmony. This significantly alters the mood and vibe of the piece, giving it a fresher take. Normally, I would just play straight A major pentatonic but by changing one of the notes, say from playing five two five two to four two five two, we introduce a lively aura to the music.
As you progress in your guitar playing journey, one technique you’ll also pick up is combining patterns. This means linking together different note groups and unleashing new sounds that are rich in energy. You’ll start recognizing how two small licks combined can forge a larger, more compelling one. Oftentimes, when we play multiple licks that connect together, we call it a pattern or a sequence. And that’s exactly what we’re doing – developing something new, one note at a time.
Remember, the biggest enemy of progress is the ego. We often tell ourselves that we have to play at a certain speed but that’s not the case. You have to find out where you belong, start where you’re comfortable, and use that as your jumping-off point. It’s all about getting on board, no matter how slow or fast you start. So drop the ego, take your time, and let the music lead your path. Dive in, experiment, and let your fingers find their rhythm on the strings, because that’s where the true beauty of music lies.
Learning to connect guitar licks is an essential part of becoming a proficient guitar player. Becoming a guitar player isn’t just about learning an isolated lick or two and playing them on repeat. It’s also about understanding how to connect these licks together to create an enjoyable, dynamic piece of music.
A lick is pretty much like a word. But a group of words forms a sentence that actually makes sense. The same goes for licks, they’re great alone, but the magic happens when they’re thoughtfully put together. Understanding this connectivity is a notable part of my Rock Licks course, where I explore various genres – classic rock to modern metal – linking different licks into a comprehensible and enjoyable composition.
Now, let me walk you through a practical demonstration. If you’ve followed me through my teaching, you might be familiar with me playing at the 32nd note level. I often play a group of four notes over and over again, then transition to a group of six to add some energy into the mix. It’s exactly like trying to break out of a square or a box. When everything is just evenly paced, you kind of lose the excitement and that’s not where we want to be.
Just like fostering any skill, we dive in and practice, practice, and practice. The tempo shouldn’t be a restraint. It’s completely fine to start at 60 beats per minute, or wherever you’re comfortable. As I always say, drop the ego. There’s no rush, always start where you belong and you’ll definitely notice steady progress.
As we start to master these licks and the rhythm at which they complete, we can then explore altering the pattern slightly to create a sense of excitement and energy when playing our piece. This can be done by changing one of the notes within the lick for a different colour of sound. For instance, if I normally played a straight A major pentatonic, I might opt to change it up a bit by altering one of the notes from a simple five two five two to a four two five two. It might seem like a slight flick, but it brings forth an entirely new shade to the music.
In my own practice, I often combine this new pattern with the original one. With varying patterns together, the piece becomes all more mesmerizing. More exciting and more me. It’s not unusual for me to go from two groups of six notes to one group of four, then back. By doing this, suddenly two small licks become one larger lick, adding depth and uniqueness to the music.
When we play multiple licks that connect together with a common theme, we often refer to this as a pattern or sequence. This is where we are reinventing, going beyond the traditional to explore the less trod paths. This is our primary mission – developing something else – proving that the beauty of music is not only in the notes we play, but how we adapt them to our personality.
There’s an interesting shift you can make when playing the guitar to give your piece a different color and life. It’s like painting, but instead of mixing different colors on a palette, we’re mixing notes on a scale: a shift from a five-two-five-two pattern to a four-two-five-two, for instance, can set your music totally apart.
Now, I know that some of you may still be more comfortable with the major pentatonic scale, and that’s perfectly fine. Learning is a journey taken step by step. But for those ready for a bit of an adventurous leap on their guitar journey, changing up notes in your petatonic scale can be an exciting endeavor. It gives the music a new feel and adds an exciting layer to your composition.
In technical terms, changing a note in this manner would be referred to as adding the major seventh. But don’t get too caught up in the technicalities for now. What is important is the appreciation of the new color introduced by changing one note.
To put this into practice, imagine you’re playing a straight A major pentatonic scale, but instead of sticking to just playing this scale, you decide to change up one of the notes. All you’re doing here is playing four-two-five-two instead of five-two-five-two, and you might be surprised just how much of an impact this simple change can make.
Nothing dramatic is happening, but in changing that one note, you are injecting a vibrant energy into your music. Your audience will notice the shift, despite it being just a minor adjustment. This slight modification gives your song a different character, a new life even.
Often, I would combine a new pattern with the original one. This generates an intriguing blend of the old and the new, a mixture of the familiar and the strange. Sometimes, I throw in a G sharp there, bringing in an extra touch of novelty. This marriage of varying patterns cultivates a composition that is enthralling, compelling, and highly engaging.
It’s important to remember not to get intimidated by tempo. Whether you start at 60 beats per minute or any other number doesn’t matter. It’s always about getting on board and letting your journey take off from there. Tempo, like progress, is a dynamic concept. It’s not a fixed point that limits your skills but a dimension that you can explore and play around with.
In changing a simple pattern and adding new combinations, I often find myself landing on unfamiliar territories that foster creativity. I concoct two groups of six notes followed by another group of four, then return to the beginning to mix things up. This approach births a myriad of little licks that together form a larger, more captivating one.
Playing multiple licks that connect in harmony, conveying a common theme, is what we often call a pattern or sequence in music. This happens when we let our creativity loose, when we expand our horizons, when we push the boundaries to see how far we can stretch our musical inclination.
As you take on the challenge of using different notes, remember that the charm of music lies in its versatility. The beauty of it all is that you are molding your art into a piece that truly resonates with your identity. After all, music is an extension of our souls, an echo of our vibrant spirits.
Pondering on how to elevate your guitar skills to the next level? Have a look here at the experiences of fellow guitar aspirants who have successfully boosted their understanding and proficiency with the instrument at Guitarzoom.com.
For more useful advice and tutorials on chords and progressions, check out my dedicated section on the topic here. If you’re particularly focused on improvization, I’ve got you covered with this link here. Enjoy your learning journey!
