You don't normally associate Ricky Nelson songs with hard-hitting guitar breaks, but not so when James Burton was wielding the axe. Joe looks at several Burton breaks from Nelson sessions - 'Believe What You Say,' 'It's Late' and others -vibing his double-stops, cross-rhythms, off-the-beat accents and overall rippin' rockabilly feel. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: TWANG U.

TrueFire's Guitabulary

James Burton's Brawny Twang

With rockabilly, guitarists often try to evoke a revved-up kinda big band sound. You can accomplish this with closed-voice chords. These require a lot of wide stretches, but your efforts will pay off with some truly smooth-sounding stuff that will also help you in chord-to-chord transitions. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: TWANG U.

Rockabilly Stretches Of Doom

That unmistakable sound of rockabilly guitar may be rootsy, but it ain't easy. In this lesson, Arlen breaks some of the techniques down. Key to the style is playing bass and lead simultaneously, creating a 'two-guitar' effect. He explains how to keep a steady bass with the pick while fingering the lead notes. You don't need no ducktail 'do to dig this rockabilly vibe. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: TWANG U.

Hot Guitar: Some Rockabilly Flash

Rockabilly, that mutant outgrowth of early rock 'n' roll and country, is still one of the most vibrant six-string sounds around. And learning these rockabilly licks will only enhance your more traditional playing. Arlen pitches Travis picking too, but gets an edgier attack by using a pick on the bass. You'll learn how to keep a clean separation between bass and lead notes. You'll pick up some timeless licks, and you'll infuse your twang with a little blues. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: HOW TO PLAY GUITAR: Anthology , TWANG U.

All Thumbs: Rockabilly Fingerstyle

It's the daring rhythm guitarist who is willing to have a go at it without chords. You'll dial into some lean twang with Joe's lesson, which concentrates on single-note lines and double-stops, gussied up with heel muting, long sustained notes, volume swells, Western swing horn-style parts and lots more. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: Rhythm Guitar SWAT Camp, TWANG U, HOW TO PLAY GUITAR: Anthology .

Country Rhythm: Going Chordless

This stellar lesson introduces you to the basic vocabulary of blues phrasing that came out of the pre-WWII Delta style via the legendary Muddy Waters. As Keith says, this stuff is easier to play than it is to read, so he walks you through it - the droning bass on the low E (with pick or thumb), the accompanying finger-picked high E, the gritty but simple lines taken from the basic blues scale. In short order, you can become your own down-home blues rhythm section, which will strengthen your work when you play with a group. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: BLUES U, Rhythm Guitar SWAT Camp, Blues Bash.

Swamp Music: Solo Guitar, Muddy Waters Style

The queen of Delta blues guitar sits in and serves up a lesson on authentic country blues strumming. If you want to get next to the concepts laid down by Tommy Johnson, Charley Patton, Robert Johnson, Skip James, and Willie Brown, you'll find this lesson a watershed. Rory uses Tommy Johnson's classic "Big Road Blues" as a foundation for teaching a series of techniques: bass notes followed by one or two strums; strumming sixteenth notes; pounding (hitting your guitar top in conjunction with a strum) and snapping (pulling a string away from the fretboard for an enticing percussive effect). As a bonus, Rory ties it all together by playing her own version of "Big Road Blues." This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: HOW TO PLAY GUITAR: Anthology , BLUES U, ACOUSTIC U.

Delta-Style Strumming

Guitarists spend so much time sharpening their lead playing that they often forget how exciting it is to be an accompanist. Ironically, if you do build comping skills, you’ll have a head start on one of the most challenging lead-guitar styles of all: chord melody. The trick is to keep evolving by learning new approaches to harmony. For instance, try your hand at the hypnotic device known as pedal point. Learn to handle these wide grips, and you’ll have a hip new way to play! This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U.

Pedal-Point Comping

So you may not be interested in becoming a flamenco master. It'd be a longshot even if you are. You can still factor in this exciting Spanish sound into your work. Tim takes a barre chord and enriches it by adding a Flat-9 with the fourth finger. Then he factors in some open strings for gypsy-style exotica. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U.

Flaming Flamenco Chords

Here are a couple "rules of thumb" from Jon Finn in how to most effectively use the blues scale - i.e. play the flatted 3rd before the major 3rd and the flatted 5th before the natural 5th. Don't make these absolutes, Jon insists, but rather use the rules as guidelines into the finer points of blues scale. Don't hesitate to let your ears come up with their own rules. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: 280 Killer GUITAR LICKS, BLUES U.

Blue Pathways

While other styles offer opportunities to surrender to the beat, in Memphis soul that's all that matters. In this two-part lesson, we'll dissect some classic soul grooves to see what makes them tick, and then try to grab some of that cosmic woo-woo for ourselves. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: BLUES U.

Knock On Wood: A Lesson In Classic Memphis Soul

Martin Simpson shows a couple ways to go at a melody: First is linearly, playing several notes along a string; Or: crosspicking, granting each note it's own string whenever possible. The crosspicking lets you generate a wonderfully fluid, harp-like effect. He demonstrates with a line from the beautiful Irish tune "Garryowen." Neither is better than the other, but it's definitely good to have both in your arsenal. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U.

Linear Vs. Crosspicked Melodies

Back in Adrian's early Liverpool days, he figured that a technique he must learn to help his chances at getting laid was to fingerpick (the guitar, that is). These days, fingerpicking is not as apt to help in sexual exploits, but it's certainly a laudable endeavor. Adrian issues three fingerpicking exercises that he worked at two hours a day for two straight weeks. Seems like a lot at first, but is it, really? No word on how much more he got laid. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: ACOUSTIC U.

Beat It In

Because lap slide players can angle their bars, they're able to play more intervals and harmony than bottleneck guitarists, who are forced to rely on parallel-to-the-fret slide techniques. But there is a way to expand your harmonic vocabulary when you play traditional bottleneck. Behind-the-slide fretting makes it possible to add rapid-fire interval shifts and altered chords to your bottleneck repertoire. This lesson includes Power Tab and is featured on the following CD compilations: TWANG U, LICK-A-DAY: 365 Daily Doses, BLUES U.

Back Sliding

Get fat. Fat sounds, that is - New Orleans-style. Keith delves into the Crescent City ballad style with its 12/8 triplet feel. Fig. 1 demonstrates how to double the rolling bass part; Fig. 2 shows off the 'chicks' that add staccato accents, and Fig. 3 combines the two. Finally, on Fig. 4, he adapts the triplet-heavy piano part to guitar, and he is, as Fats might say, walkin' to New Orleans. This lesson includes Power Tab and is included in the following CD compilations: BLUES U, Blues Bash.

Fat Sounds: New Orleans Style

Jonesing for a bigger bag of chops? Don't touch that dial ... tune in here for an eclectic series of TrueFire audio guitar lessons, with tab and notation, ranging across all styles, techniques and levels. WARNING! TrueFire podcasts may lead to excessive practice and grossly enlarged chops.

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TrueFire's Guitabulary

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