Guitar Tricks Channel

Turning One Lick Into A MIllion

Anders is here with a new channel episode!

The tip of the week is to start playing your guitar solo before the solo section actually arrives. If you play a little as a pick up measure, then it helps lead into the solo section, makes the connection to the rest of the song sound stronger and shows your confidence as a player!

This week's lesson is how to turn one lick into a million. Anders shows how to take one basic idea and turn it into many variations to make your playing more varied and musical.

If you like this lesson, then GT has a lot more that cover ideas on how to play lead guitar.

Blues Style Course Level 1

Rock Style Course Level 1

Sweep Picking

Dave's here with a channel episode! His tip of the week is to make sure your guitar is completely and solidly in tune. He shows what happens if your guitar is even slightly out of tune. For the main lesson content Dave shows you how to get started with sweep picking. This technique can be a great addition to your skill set for more ways to express yourself on lead guitar. If you want to learn more about sweep picking GT has tutorials covering that technique in greater detail & depth. tutorial=1071 tutorial=1072 tutorial=985 tutorial=1000

Suspended Chords

Mike's here with a channel episode! His tip of the week is to be aware of how much finger pressure you need to play guitar. Many times beginners press way too hard! This can cause your hand to fatigue too soon & even make the strings sound out of tune. Mike shows you how to gauge the right amount of pressure to use: just enough to make the notes ring clearly!

For the main lesson content Mike shows you how to use suspended chords to add a little spice to your strumming. This is a great way to add variety and motion to basic open chords as musical ornamentation.

If you want to learn more about playing suspended chords as ornamentation, then GT has tutorials covering that topic in greater detail & depth.

Chord Alchemy In Action!

Chord Extensions In Rock

Right Hand Tapping

Dave's here with a channel episode! His tip of the week is to keep track of your practice achievements in order to measure your learning and playing progress. Just writing down what you've done can help keep you focused, organized & on track. For the main lesson content Dave shows you how to get started with right hand tapping. This technique can be a great addition to your skill set for more ways to express yourself on lead guitar. If you want to learn more about tapping, then GT has tutorials covering that technique in greater detail & depth. tutorial=1474 tutorial=1477 tutorial=1493 tutorial=1609 tutorial=1277

Pulloffs and Hammerons

Dave's here with another channel episode! His tip of the week will help you with your chord changes. He shows use fingers that are common to two chords. Then he shows you that keeping those fingers on the string can make connecting those two chords much easier and smoother. This can help make you playing more musical.

For the main lesson content Dave shows you the basics of hammer-ons and pull-offs. These are foundation techniques in lead playing, they are the corner stones of many licks, fills and riffs.

If you want to learn more about hammer-ons and pull-offs, then GT has these tutorials covering those techniques in greater detail & depth.

Hammer-Ons & Pull-Offs in Rock

Hammer-Ons & Pull-Offs

Playing Staccato Chords

Mike's here with a channel episode! His tip of the week is to record yourself while playing or practicing. It's a great way to get a clear, unbiased perspective on your playing skills. You'll find out what skills you need to work on for improvement, as well get the thrill of capturing and hearing yourself play something when you get it right!

For the main lesson content Mike shows you how to play staccato chords. Staccato means to play notes or chords with shortened length. It's a technique that's widely used in many genres.

If you want to learn more about staccato chord playing, then GT has tutorials covering that topic in greater detail & depth.

Funk Guitar

Funk Lick Library A1

Soulful R&B Series 1

Playing a Shuffle Rhythm

Mike's here with a channel episode! His tip of the week is to try different strings gauges to experiment and see if a certain thickness of string works better for your playing style.

For the main lesson content Mike shows you how to play a bluesy shuffle rhythm. This rhythmic strumming style is the foundation of a lot of blues playing. It's also used in other styles.

If you want to learn more about playing shuffle rhythms, then GT has tutorials covering that topic in greater detail & depth.

Feels, Rhythms and Grooves

12 Bar Blues in E For Beginners

Essential Blues Rhythm: The Blues Shuffle

Pentatonic Relative Major and Minor

Mike's here with a channel episode! His tip of the week is to build your finger strength and dexterity by using trilling exercises.

This GT tutorial covers that topic in greater detail.

Trill Drills

For the main lesson content, Mike shows you how to use the pentatonic box for relative major and minor. This is a great way to quickly visualize the fretboard and find your place when soloing.

If you want to learn more about pentatonic box patterns, then GT has tutorials covering that topic in greater detail & depth.

Pentatonic Scales: Boxes & Frameworks

Pentatonic Major Scale Exercises

Pentatonic Minor Scale Exercises

Expanding Pentatonics Diagonally

In this channel episode Mike will show you how to expand the pentatonic scale box patterns diagonally.

The tip of the week is to learn any guitar solo note for note. This is a great way to improve your ear training, or aural skills, and learn new ideas to increase your own guitar playing vocabulary. It can also help boost your own creativity and improvisation skills.

This week's lesson is how to expand the pentatonic box patterns we all know and use as guitarists. This will help open up the fretboard. You won't just be stuck in one position using only one pentatonic box shape. Using this simple idea really helps you gain confidence in playing in new areas of the fretboard. >p> If you like this lesson, then GT has a lot more that cover ideas on how to expand the pentatonic scale across the guitar!

Pentatonic Scales: Boxes & Frameworks

Connecting Pentatonic Patterns 1

Connecting Pentatonic Patterns 2

Connecting Pentatonic Patterns 3

Double Stops

In this channel episode Mike will show you how to play double stops in a blues context.

The tip of the week is to focus on small sections of music when learning new material. If you're learning a new song, then just focus on 1 or 2 bars at a time. If you're learning a new riff or lick, break it down into small sections so you don't overwhelm yourself. It's easier to manage and make progress if you learn and practice new material in smaller chunks.

This week's lesson is how to play a double stop riff in a bluesy context. This is a neat idea that really makes a full sound. Essentially you are taking a simple blues melody and harmonizing it to make a richer sound. This is a widely used technique that applicable to many blues songs.

If you like this lesson, then GT has a lot more that cover ideas on how to play blues guitar. Check out the Blues Style Courses!

Blues Style Course Level 1

Blues Style Course Level 2

Blues Turnaround

Dave's here with another channel episode! His tip of the week will help you with your chord changes. He shows how to lift your fingers off the strings on the last beat & strum right before a chord change in order to get in position to the next chord on time.

For the main lesson content Dave shows you a classic blues turnaround. This is a corner stone of any blues style guitar playing. He shows you how to use it to start and end a blues riff in order to give it more structure and sound more musical.

If you want to learn more about blues turnarounds, and blues style playing in general, then GT has guided style course covering all those techniques in greater detail & depth.

Blues Style Course Level 1

Blues Style Course Level 2

Blues Orchestration 1

Blues Orchestration 2

Another Pentatonic Box

Mike's here with a channel episode! His tip of the week is to help you play your F barre chord with an easier exercise.

For the main lesson content Mike shows you the fifth pentatonic box shape. This is the box shape below the first one, the main one that guitarists often learn first.

If you want to learn more about pentatonic box patterns, then GT has tutorials covering that topic in greater detail & depth.

Pentatonic Scales: Boxes & Frameworks

Pentatonic Minor Scale Exercises

Connecting Pentatonic Patterns 1

Add Eighth Note Accents to Your Strumming

In this channel episode Mike will show you how to add eighth note accents to an acoustic strumming pattern.

The tip of the week is about using a capo to play in different keys, matching a vocalist's voice range and to get different timbres.

This week's lesson is how to spice up your acoustic guitar strumming patterns. He adds an eighth note accent to a simple pattern to make it more interesting and musical. >p> If you like this lesson, then GT has a lot more that cover ideas on how to spice up your acoustic guitar strumming.

Basic Country Strumming

Better Strumming

12 Bar Blues Soloing Using Chord Tones

Mike's here with a channel episode! His tip of the week is to make sure your bends are in tune. Make sure to know what your target note is. Hit that note and compare it to the bend you are making to see if you getting it right.

For the main lesson content Mike shows you how to use chord tones to solo over a 12 bar blues progression. This is a great way to start soloing because it is literally using the notes of the underlying chord progression as the material for the solo licks.

If you want to learn more about using chord tones to solo, then GT has tutorials covering that topic in greater detail & depth.

Targeting Chord Tones

Major Notes In Minor Pentatonic 1

Major Notes In Minor Pentatonic 2

Play Along with the Power Chord Groove

Let's bring in the drummer and start making some music with power chords!

Guitar Tricks 181 Mixing Major & Minor Blues

Neal shares his soloing tricks to mix major and minor notes within a blues lead. This tasty lick is in the key of E minor. You can get an extra bluesy flavor to your tone by setting your pickup selector to the neck position here. This lick grabs the listener's attention and is a lot of fun to play and it works well with rock or blues. Tip of the week: how to get more dexterity in your fingers

Guitar Tricks 180: Call and Answer Blues Lick

In the key of A minor, Neal shares a tasty blues like in the 8th position. This lick is a good example of the call and answer concept for blues lead. The first half of the lick is the "call" or "question" and the second half of the lick is the "answer" (sometimes called "call and response".) To get the idea, imagine two people standing across the street from each other. One shouts out a short sentence, then the other person answers. That's the idea behind call and answer, and it's a must-know concept for any serious blues player and is used by all the greats: Clapton, B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and the list goes on. Tip of the Week: how to test if your song is a good one.

Guitar Tricks 179: Two Note Chord Riff

This week's lesson is great for songwriting or just coming up with really melodic ideas for solo guitar. You've probably heard the sound in this lesson, Neal shows you how to duplicate it and use it creatively in different positions, in different keys, and on different strings. Tip of the week: A quick tool to help memorize the fretboard

Guitar Tricks 178: Blues Turnaround in F

Answering a request for more blues lessons, Neal teaches a tasty blues turnaround in the key of F. This one works best with slow blues but can be used at any tempo. Based around the "blues box pattern" you can move this lick anywhere on the neck for an authentic blues turnaround at your next jam session. Tip of the week: great blues tone secret

Guitar Tricks 177: Iron Maiden Style Riffs

Neal responds to a request for how to create Iron Maiden styles riffs in the vein of 'Hallowed by thy Name and "Aces High". Riffs may seem complicated but it's really the notes in between the chords that make a riff work, Neal shares his insight on how to create rocking riffs using this and other techniques. Tip of the Week: best pick for fast picking

Guitar Tricks 176: 80s Hair Metal Chords

If you want to sound like your favorite metal player or you're interested in an 80s retro metal sound, Neal got just the chords for ya. You'll hear these chords all over songs by artists like Van Halen, Ratt, Night Ranger and many others. These sus2 and sus4 chords have been the foundation of many, totally awesome, 80s hair metal monster hits. Bust out your bandana and crank up the gain! (hair spray optional)

Guitar Tricks 175: Texas Boogie Turnaround

Awesome blues turnaround this week from Neal, you'll have a lot of fun learning and playing this tasty turnaround in they key of E, Stevie Ray style. Check out the previous lesson, "174: Texas Boogie Pattern", for tips on how to nail the Texas rhythm that compliments this turnaround. Tip of the Week: How to project your sound within a band situation, it's easy!

Guitar Tricks 174: Texas Boogie Rhythm

Neal fills a request for a lesson on the boogie pattern. This week he share's his tips to getting the hard swing feel of Texas blues guitar, like Stevie Ray Vaughan. It easy but involves dampening with both the left and right hand. These little tips can really make your Texas-style boogie feel "Pop". Tip of the Week: The benefit of cheap guitars

Guitar Tricks 173: Breaking Pentatonic Ruts

Neal shares his favorite tips on creating melodic and memorable leads and riffs in the lesson and the best part is it's using chords you're already playing. This lesson will take your guitar playing far! Tip of the Week: How to get more mileage out of your licks

Guitar Tricks 172: Connecting Chords

The weeks lesson is a request on how to connect chords when songwriting. Using the techniques taught in this lesson you'll also learn how to create great guitar riffs and what makes them work. There's a lot of great stuff in here for you songwriters and guitar players and it applies to all styles. Tip of the Week: Memorization tip (from Anders)

Guitar Tricks 171: Open String Lead

Check out Neal's insight on how to make open strings work for you. In this lesson he shares 4 examples of using open strings within the E minor and E pentatonic scale to create dynamic licks, riffs and lead ideas that will grab the listeners ear. Tip of the Week: string muting tip

Guitar Tricks 170: Classic Rock Lead

For the beginner to intermediate player, this lick uses some the well-known pentatonic scale with a little string skipping, sliding and bending thrown in to spice it up. Moveable to any position. Tip of the Week: The best way to change strings, your guitar will thank you.

Guitar Tricks 169: Motown Classic Funk Riff

Neal shares one of his bluesy, funky rhythm riffs in this lesson. Using 16th notes and a constant right-hand rhythm with left hand dampening, this riff will sound great at your next jam session. Using the A7 chord and some double stops, you'll be getting funky in no time. Chords used are A7, D7 and E7. Tip of the Week: Dynamics are key!

Enclosure Lesson by Dweezil Zappa

In this lesson Dweezil's got you playing "outside of the box", literally. Using just a couple notes outside of a scale or chord pattern you can add a new dynamic to you're lead playing without learning new scales. What a difference a half-step can make! Tip of the week: Dweezil showcases the just-released Gibson Frank Zappa Model SG, from the Roxy era. This guitar was made to the specs of Frank's guitar, down to the last detail. Demo'd by Dweezil himself.

Guitar Tricks 168: Southern Rock Licks

If you're into blues rock or chicken fried rock, this is a must-have lick to add to your arsenal. It's very easy and comfortable, and you can move it anywhere on the neck. You'll hear artists like Slash, Rolling Stones and Lynyrd Skynyrd use this handy lick often. Dive on in! Tip of the Week: how to pick faster with an easy adjustment.

Guitar Tricks 167: Fast Open Chord Changes

"Right under your fingers." Caren is our guest host on the GT Channel and she shares her valuable insight on making efficient chord changes in the open position. If you're just getting the hang of smooth chord changes, Caren's lesson will put you on the fast track, with some bonus info too! Tip of the Week: Third finger first

Dweezil Zappa Interview

Live from Dweezil's studio, he gives us a sneak peek into his latest musical venture and the details of the upcoming Dweezilla guitar boot camp. It takes place in New York (near Woodstock) and features a 4-day teaching-intense/hangout-intense immersion into the world of guitar, Dweezil and his hand-picked band of guitar instructors. Tune in to hear more about it!

Guitar Tricks 166: Right Hand Position

Guest host Caren Armstrong shares her insights on consistent right hand use, whether strumming or fingerpicking. If you're struggling with good right hand technique, Caren will help you become a better player with this demonstration of good strumming and BAD strumming habits. This lesson will help you RELAX and in the process, improve accuracy, speed, and more importantly, TONE. Tip of the Week: take care of your most valuable guitar tools (we all have 'em!)

Guitar Tricks 165: David Gilmour Style Lead

This week's lesson is on a tasty lick in the style of David Gilmour, in the key of E. You'll also learn the secret behind his great sounding solos. Using the neck position pickup is best for this tone, Neal is using a Les Paul with the neck position pickup with just a little bit of gain. Fun fact: Gilmour played a 50s gold top Les Paul straight into the board (no amp) for his legendary solo in "The Wall." Tip of the Week: How to become more musical.

Guitar Tricks 164: Specialty Metal Chords

This week Neal one of his favorite metal specialty chords to spice up your metal rhythm. This one adds power and melody and works as great accent chord for metal songwriting, works great for the style of Killswitch Engage. Tip of the week: how to get that difficult rhythm down.

Guitar Tricks 163: Blues on the Low Notes

This lesson offers a very tasty blues lick that can also be applied to rock (in a Slash style) with a few minor adjustments. Neal shares his favorite keys for playing lead on the low notes and the tip of the week will help you expand your lick knowledge with this simple suggestion.

Guitar Tricks 162: Joe Perry Style Lead

This lick in the key of G uses a combination of the best notes in rock; the minor 3rd, major 3rd, flat 5th and 7th. It's really a challenge to make these notes work well together but this lick does a great job. You end up with a very tasty, melodic and bluesy sounding lead. Tip of the Week: how to expand your inspiration.

Guitar Tricks 161: Soulful Blues Lead

Neal shares his insight to getting more soulful sounding blues licks in this lesson. This "call and answer" lick is In the key of G minor and uses the box pattern commonly used by BB King and Eric Clapton. The simple tips in this lesson can help get you from "just playing notes" to playing more melodic and soulful blues lead. Tip of the Week: How to track your progress easily

Guitar Tricks 160: Allman Brothers Style Lead

Guitar Tricks 160: Allman Brothers Style Lead This is a great lesson for the beginner blues player. It's in the key of E major and includes some easy patterns using hammer-ons to get your feet off the ground with some smooth and tasty sounding leads. Tip of the Week: From your Idol's Idol comes great knowledge

Guitar Tricks 159: Drop D Rootsy Rock

Anders host this week's channel with an insightful lesson in his riff-creating techniques. This one is in drop D tuning, one part Steve Earle, one part aggressive and weird, with a little slinky and cool thrown on top for good measure. Tip of the Week: How to get that "nod of approval" from other players, it's easier than you think!

Guitar Tricks 158: Swampy Guitar Riffs

This week guest host Anders shows you his key ingredients to creating a great guitar riff using classic blues licks in a groovin, bluesy, swampy guitar style. Half part Creedence, half part Richards, there are a bunch a really cool blues licks to learn in this awesome lesson from Anders Mouridsen. Have fun! Tip of the Week: Backwards Whammy!

Guitar Tricks 157: Speed & Memory Exercise

This week special guest instructor Mike Olekshy shares his secrets for building speed, dexterity and fretboard knowledge. It's a timed exercise, feel free to use the Guitar Tricks Ultimate Metronome to challenge yourself. Hint: click the "Speed Drill" box.

Tip of the Week: Boom! Secret pick stash spot!

If you're still working on learning note names & locations, then you can start with this tutorial on learning the notes of the musical alphabet on the fretboard.

tutorial=1136

Guitar Tricks 156: Anders Blues Lick

This week we answer a request to teach the ending lick by Anders from GT Channel episode 41. This is a super tasty way to end a blues jam, or you can use it in a turnaround. Here's a direct link to GT Ch 41: http://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=14318

Guitar Tricks 155: Rhythm Blues Lick

For you beginner blues players, this lick will really spice up the basic blues pattern. This one is in the key of A and sounds great on acoustic or electric. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face and anyone in the room who's listening. Tip of the Week: Just relaaaxx!

Guitar Tricks 154: 4-Note Rock Lick

This rock lick boogies! And it's only four notes. Neal shares a favorite lick of his that's easy to play and focuses on the right hand rhythm which is often overlooked when learning leads, scales and solos. This lick is also a good exercise in alternate picking and is in the key of F#. Tip of the Week: How to improve your ear training

Guitar Tricks 153: Beginner Major Blues

Super-tasty is the name of this simple lick in A major. If you're beginning to solo, this lick will sound great at your next jam. Even for more advanced players, this lick will sound timeless and is moveable anywhere on the neck. Tip of the Week: How to expand you lick collection.

Guitar Tricks 152: SRV Style Blues Lick

For you a classic blues lick this week, and very tasty! This lick is in the style of Stevie Ray Vaughan or Jimi Hendrix and is a combo of two classic blues licks with a little melodic flavor added. Tune in as Neal shows how to play this dynamic lick, note-for-note.

Guitar Tricks 151: Chord Lead

We've had some requests of how to use chords in soloing. This week Neal shows you one of his favorite licks for applying chords to your leads. In the key of D major, it's actually a combination of 3 licks. And it's a moveable lick so once you learn it you can play it in any key. TIP: An easy trick to using chords in soloing

Guitar Tricks 150: Pentatonic Shred in A

Using the pentatonic scale in A, Neal shares this classic-styled rock lick that will have you sounding super-shreddy in no time! This one is easy to move about the neck to any key. Tip of the Week: An easy way to improve your practicing skills.

Guitar Tricks 149: Blues Rock Lick in A

If you're looking to solo high up on the fret board, this is a must-learn lick from Neal's lick collection. Utilizing the melodic 3rd and 7th note as target notes, this one will have you sounding bluesy and rock at the same time. Tip of the Week: how to improve your fret board knowledge

Guitar Tricks 148: Rock Solo Lick in B

Neal teaches a fast lick in the key of B that is a great practice in finger independence, hammer-on's and alternate picking. Play it up to speed and you've got a very cool, fast and melodic lick on your hands. Have fun! Tip of the Week: Overlooked Soloing Tip!

Guitar Tricks 147: Hendrix Style Lick

Here is a Hendrix-inspired lick that works over major chords. Once you learn the pattern for this lick you can play it anywhere on the neck, easily. And it works for country music as well, goes to show just how universal Jimi's music really is. Tip of the Week: The key to good lead playing

Guitar Tricks 146: Extreme Bends

Want your solo to sound over-the-top?! You may have heard and not known how to do it, but this week Neal shows you some tips on how to get this wild and energized sound out of your leads. Warm up your fingertips cuz this one might hurt. Tip of the Week: How to upgrade your tone without spending any money!

Guitar Tricks 145: Blues Lead & Turnaround

A classic blues lick to add to your arsenal, Neal shares his insight on 2 key notes that make the blues sound bluesy. Also, a key note to use when you switch to the IV chord that will make your blues leads sound more dynamic and exciting. The turnaround lick you'll want to use all the time, it's great! Tip of the Week: How to make difficult barre chords easier

Guitar Tricks 144: Halloween Special 2012

BOO! It's that time again, the award-winning Halloween Episode is here. Wondering what Tony Bones has been up too? You'll have to ask this wicked vixen what happened to him. Guest host Sharon Aguilar spooks up this year's scary Halloween theme song lesson. She's got some magic tricks to teach you too, so tune it and BEWARE!! Watch at your own risk! A special 13th Birthday Shout-out to Ross, an aspiring guitarist and GT subscriber!! Happy Birthday Ross from Neal and Guitar Tricks!

Guitar Tricks 143: GT Channel Theme

By popular request, Neal shows you how to play the new GT Channel theme song. Also included in this lesson is how to make basic chord progressions and turn them into awesome rock riffs. Little tricks like using pentatonic bass notes, double stops instead of power chords, and sliding into chords really make your progressions "pizzazy!" Tip of the Week: How to get better rhythm

Guitar Tricks 142: Best Blues Vibrato

Vibrato is key to the blues sound, Neal shows you his secret to getting that killer blues vibrato. Using the classic "call & response," this lick is very useful to beginner guitarists. You can use it over the I, IV or V chord of a 12-bar blues and it sounds great on every chord. Tip of the Week: How to save your 9v batteries

Guitar Tricks 141: Unison Bends

Unison bends are one of the most recognized techniques in rock guitar. Used by great guitarist like Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, Jimmy Page and Slash, they're a must-have tool to any rock guitarist. Neal teaches you the ins and outs of making good sounding unison bends sound great. If you're new at soloing, they are fairly easy and sound HUGE. Have fun! Tip of the Week: how to build a fan base at your gigs.

Best Custom Acoustic Guitar @ NAMM 2012

Neal's pick for best custom acoustic guitar at NAMM show is the black Titanic Southampton guitar. A limited run of high-quality acoustic guitars, made in Scotland, to commemorate the Titanic anniversary. Dave explains while Neal demos..and have a little fun in the process.

Best Custom Electric Guitar @ NAMM 2012

These are some amazing guitars! Neal shows you his favorite picks from the 2012 NAMM show. Guitars featuring custom inlays, diamonds and jewels and a leather clad exterior! Take a tour of the wild world of high end custom guitars from the Fender Custom Shop right here on the Guitar Tricks Channel.

Guitar Tricks 140: SRV Style Lick

Here is a classic lick that every blues player should know. You may have heard Stevie Ray Vaughan use this one but it's been around for years and used by many great blues players. Neal shows you the lick in open E position and in a moveable position so you can play it anywhere on the neck. Tip of the week: Drop that pick!

Guitar Tricks 139: Blues Song Riff

Neal combines these elements to make a riff that you can play through a whole blues progression: Hammer-on, double stops, finger roll, slide, chord tones. This is a great way to better understand mixing techniques to create a riff in the blues format. Key of A. Tip of the Week: How to reduce string noise

Guitar Tricks 138: Moveable D Chord

Using a first inversion D chord, Neal shows you an easy chord that you can play anywhere on the neck for a "new" twist on an old chord. The same chord can also be used to add some chords to your lead playing, click for an example from Neal. Tip of the Week: How to make your blues lead sound more melodic

Guitar Tricks 137: Hendrix Style Lead

This week Neal shares one of his Hendrix-style chord based licks in A major. This is a very handy, movable lick that sounds very melodic over major chords and is instantly reminiscent of Hendrix style leads. If you new at leads and have your hammer-ons down, this is the perfect lesson for you. Tip of the Week: is a surprise! Hint: some magic is involved.

Guitar Tricks 136: Guit Solo Technique 5

For the beginning to intermediate guitarist, Neal shares his insight solo over the whole fretboard, and how to use trills and slides to flavor your lead lines. If you only know the 1 main pentatonic scale, this lesson will help you expand your knowledge and cover more of the fretboard. Tip of the week: Use THESE notes to start a solo

Guitar Tricks 135: Soloing Secrets

If you're new at soloing, or just stuck with note selection, this lesson is for you. Neal shares his personal insight on what makes a dynamic lick. With the focus on the right hand rhythm, this lesson is bound to offer some helpful tips on your path to being a great guitarist. Tip of the week: don't get electrocuted! Here's how:

Guitar Tricks 134: Blues Lick in C

This tasteful, major-flavored lick combines string-skipping, using major and minor in a solo, chord tones, and the 2 note chords from GT #106. It's a lot easier than it may sound, so tune on in for your tasty blues lick of the week from Neal.

Guitar Tricks 133: Two-Hand Tapping Bends

Using tap-bend and bend-tap, Neal shares some very cool Eddie-inspired licks up and down the neck. These concepts are fairly simple and will get you playing fast hammer-on licks ala Eddie, lickity split! Tip of the Week: how to shift your pick from fingers to tapping position

Guitar Tricks 131: 5-String Sweeps

This week we follow up Ben Lindholm's series on sweep picking. This is an advanced lesson but if you'd like to work your way up, Ben provides 2, 3 and 4 string lessons on the Guitar Tricks Channel. The arpeggio examples you'll learn here will have you sounding like a metal master and full-sweep madness will be yours!

New Joe Bonamassa pedal from Dunlop

Take a detailed tour with Dunlop Senior Engineer Bob Cedro as he demos the latest hot pedals from Dunlop including the new Joe Bonamassa Wah, MXR Custom Badass Modified Overdrive and 6 years in the making, the new Eric Johnson Fuzz Face.

Guitar Tricks 130: Metal Songwriting Tips

Using simple chord progressions Neal shares his favorite secret to good metal riffage. This lesson is a follow-up to the rock songwriting lesson so be sure to view that one as well to see how these basic concept work across all genres. You'll be writing dynamic riffs in no time with these insightful lessons. Tip of the Week: using accidental harmonics to your advantage

Guitar Tricks 129: Rock Songwriting Tips

In this episode Neal share's his most important songwriting tips, the 3 elements needed to create a great rock riff. It's easy, and once you know these 3 elements you'll be able to create your own, original, great rock riffs, the foundation of just about every great rock song.

Guitar Tricks 128: Coolest Guitar Cases

Have you ever wanted your band logo on your whole guitar case, or just a bunch of flames!? Or just the toughest case out there to protect your precious vintage axe? Neal shares some of the coolest guitar cases found at the NAMM show, including odd sized cases for flying-V guitars, ukelele and banjos.

Guitar Tricks 127: Texas Style Blues

In this lesson we answer a request for the intro to episode 121. Easy because it's in one position but a little challenging because of the right hand rhythm. It's a tasty double-stop lick that combines rhythm and lead, and it will get you respect on stage in any Texas bar. Tip of the Week: How to get more out of you guitar licks! Tip of the Minute: Listen to this lesson with headphones for the full Texas effect!

Guitar Tricks 126: Southern Rock Lick

This week Neal combines major and minor for a southern fried rock lick in A. This lick sounds great in a country style with clean guitar or also with a dirty tone for rock and blues. Tip of the Week: How to use licks you already know to create a riff.

Guitar Tricks 125: Best Beginner Amp

There are a lot of beginner amps and guitars out there, and deciding which to get can be a daunting task, so we thought we'd give you our two cents. Take a romp through the NAMM show with Neal as demos his personal favorite beginner guitar amp, complete with jam tracks! The Roland Micro Cube RX.

Guitar Tricks 124: Slash Style Lick

Good and easy, this week's Slash style lick will have you playing a cool lead in no time. The great thing about this lick is that it can be played over just about any chord. It's an easy way to target "chord tones" and sound great, quickly. Tip of the week: Don't limit your bends to one direction.

Guitar Tricks 123: Maj & Minor in a Solo

Why do major and minor work together in some solos? Many people have asked, and Neal sheds some light on the subject with the reasons why and a sweet lick in the key of A to get you started. Tip of the Week: Be nice to your soundguy! Why? click to find out.

The First Guitarist To Record a Wah

We were fortunate enough to interview this man at Dunlop, Del Casher, the first man to record a wah wah pedal with guitar. Previously it had been designed for use with a trumpet. As the story goes, Del told Frank Zappa about this new gizmo, and Frank told a guy named Jimi Hendrix, who then went down to Manny's Music in NY in 1967 and picked one up, the rest is history. But it starts here with Del, we'll let him tell you the details of wah wah's humble beginnings. Who knew The Addams Family had something to do with it?!

Guitar Tricks 122: How-To Convey Emotion

Conveying emotion can be a challenging task for guitar players. Using bends you probably already know, Neal shows you how to take simple half-step bends and use them in a way that is mood-evoking. Tip of the Week: Pinch harmonic chord scrape

Guitar Tricks 121: Stevie Ray Vaughan Style Lesson

Neal teaches you one of his favorite Stevie Ray Vaughan style licks in this lesson. It's super cool and involves easy hybrid picking. So if you haven't tried hybrid picking yet, this lesson is a great place to start! Tip of the Week: How make your whammy bar easier to use

Guitar Tricks 120: Using The Whole Fretboard

Neal shares his tricks to expanding your knowledge of the fretboard so you can solo "outside" of the pentatonic box. These simple tips can easily take you from knowing one pentatonic scale position, to covering half of the fretboard. Tip of the Week: how to get better recording mixes

Guitar Tricks 119: Easy Blues Rock Licks

If you're just getting your feet wet with soloing, this lick is a great place to start: it's easy and it sounds good. It's used by beginners and total pros so you can't go wrong. The best part is that it introduces you to the concept of "chord tones", which is the key to great note choice. Tip of the week will keep you wound up!

Guitar Tricks 118: Best Beginner Electric Guitar 2012

Neal's pick for NAMM 2012's best entry-level electric is here: the Silo 3 from Sterling by Music Man. Whether you're just starting on guitar or you're an experienced player who doesn't want to bring your priceless vintage guitar to the local jam night, this guitar from the Sterling Sub Series is just right. With an incredibly low street price of $199, this axe has all the bells and whistles you might be looking for: single coil and humbucker pickups, tremolo bridge & short neck for fast action. Not bad looking either!

Guitar Tricks 117: Turn 1 Bend Into 10 Licks

There's more to one bend than meets the eye. This week Neal shows you how take a bend you may already know, and one of the most common, and turn it into 10 licks. These lead lines are great with blues mostly, but also rock and a little country. Tip of the week: This one tip can improve and color your rhythm playing

Guitar Tricks 116: Rockabilly In 3 Mins

Check out the channel this week as Neal shows you a key element to getting the Rockabilly sound, in only 3 minutes! A couple bonus licks and tips are thrown in get the most out of your rhythm playing. Tip of the week will help you better understand your playing.

Guitar Tricks 115: Coolest Tool at NAMM

Check out Neal's pick for the coolest undiscovered gadget at NAMM 2012, the Stageplayer II. This awesome little gadget doubles as a playing stool and guitar stand, a great tool for you singer songwriters out there. Also handy if you have a small practice room in your home and are looking to save space. Neal interviews the inventor Nick to get all the details.

Guitar Tricks 114: Blues Lead Chord Tones

Break out of the pentatonic box with these soloing secrets used by the best guitarists. This simple concept will elevate your soloing to a new level using chords you probably already know. Tip of the Week: Take no toll on your tubes with this tip!

Guitar Tricks 113: David Gilmour Style Lesson

A key foundation of David Gilmour's style is his use of 3-note chords or "triads." Neal will show you these important chords to the Pink Floyd style in an easy to understand way. When you're done, check out the full tutorial on the Gilmour style taught by Anders Mouridsen, including the Gear & Tone for that killer delay sound. Tip of the week: will extend the life of your amp's tubes.

Guitar Tricks 112: Alex Lifeson Style Lesson

This week tune in while Neal shares one of his favorite Alex Lifeson techniques. Using one-string hammer-ons and pull-offs, and a little practice, you can emulate this dynamic Lifeson technique...AND sound really cool! Gigging Tip of the week: Neal's favorite gear-bag and why

Guitar Tricks 111: Metal Pedal Point

What is pedal point? Even if you don't what it is, you've probably heard it before. This lesson shows you what it is and how to use it in the metal/rock genre. Neal shares his two favorite positions for using the pedal point technique in a solo or as a musical theme. First open string example uses dorian mode, the second uses harmonic minor. Tip of the week: tune..in to your band mates.

Guitar Tricks 110: Blues Rock Pedal Point

Get creative with "Blues Rock Pedal Point." This week Neal shares some of his most common techniques for creating memorable blues and rock licks. Tip of the week: Listen to the bass player for key soloing tones to improve your musicianship.

Guitar Tricks 109: Playing Melodic Phrases

The lesson of the week is about taking those old standard blues-rock licks to the next level by making them musical. Don't play licks, play music!

The tip of the week is to bend with a purpose. When you bend a note, have a target in mind that you are aiming for. Practice aiming & playing that target note. Bend to a note, don't just bend a note!

Guitar Tricks 108: Metal "Deck The Halls"

Watch metal guitar master Ben Lindholm rip it up in this very cool metal version of the Christmas classic "Deck The Halls". You'll learn how changing from a major key to a minor key can really morph a classic song into something new. This lesson shreds! Have fun and a great holiday from Guitar Tricks!

Anders Mouridsen "Live from the Mothership"

Guitar Tricks 107 - Live From the Mothership: Awesome tips from Anders that apply to all styles of guitar playing. Let Anders' experience in the world of guitar help you get to your next playing goal faster. Filmed live in L.A. at Steve Vai's Mothership with Neal as your host. Tip of the week: Throwing out the rules to capture that guitar magic. -Don't forget to put on your "guitar face!"

Guitar Tricks 106: 2 Note Blues Chords

This week Neal has some really tasty, easy blues chords you can use as a rhythm guitar player. These key notes will sounds great on either acoustic or electric, as a solo guitarist or with a group. Put 'em in your box o' tools and you can use them at your next jam session! Tip of the week: for beginners, how to get that string right in pitch.

Guitar Tricks 105: Easiest Blues Chord

...Ever! It doesn't get much easier than this. You can use this two-note chord pattern within 3 frets and cover a whole 12-bar blues progression. It's easy and it sounds great! The tip of the week: will keep you out of the dark.

Guitar Tricks 104: First Inversion Chords

The tip of the week is to warm up slowly.

The lesson of the week is about first inversion chords. Spice up your rhythm guitar playing with 1st inversions make a standard open or barre chord sound more musical, thick, bluesy, Stones-ish, Hendrix-y, Black Crowes-ish R&B licks.

Guitar Tricks 103: Sweep Picking Lesson

Tired of sounding like every other sweep-picking guitarist? This week Lee Wanner teaches his secrets to creative sweep-picking and many other playing secrets. Recorded live from Steve Vai's Mothership Studio!

Guitar Tricks 102: Chromatic Blues in G

This week's lesson teaches you what chromatics are and how to use them in rock and blues. They're easy and fun, and they sound cool too! Neal also gives you a tip on how to break out of a creative rut. Tip of the week: Chorus settings for a fuller sound

Guitar Tricks 101 - Halloween Special 2011

Well it's that time of the year again! Tony Bones has made his long journey from the depths of the underworld, dusted himself off and is ready to teach you some of his favorite creepy guitar riffs for this year's Guitar Tricks Channel Halloween Special.

Guitar Tricks 100: Diatonic Notes

We've reached our 100th GT Channel episode! To celebrate, we're giving Neal a break this week and Christopher Schlegel is taking over. Christopher has created over 1,000 lessons for Guitar Tricks and is a wealth of guitar knowledge. This is his first appearance on the channel, let's check out what he has in store for you this week!

Christopher's lesson is of the week is about adding diatonic notes to the pentatonic box. Use the pentatonic box to visualize your position & pattern, but use notes inside the box to add variety.

Tip of the week: play a low bass note in between licks. This makes your playing sound more musical by providing a harmonic foundation for licks.

Guitar Tricks 99: Intro to GT Ch 94

This week Neal answers a request from the Guitar Tricks Forum and shows you how to play the rock intro lick featured on a previous Guitar Tricks Channel episode. Click below to check it out! Tip of the Week: Neal tells you how to drill through that ever so frustrating songwriters block.

Guitar Tricks 98: Legato Lick in A Minor

Legato is the word for this week's channel episode and that's what Neal's teaching, a legato lick in A. Great for metal and rock, if you're still working on alternate picking, this lick will get you playing fast using a series of hammer-ons and pull-offs. It sounds smooth and fast! Tip: how to get un-stuck in your lead playing.

Guitar Tricks 97: Slash Lick in F#

Slash! lick for you in the key of F#. This lick from Slash cleverly combines pentatonic shapes, blues phrasing with some chromatics thrown in for fun and color. Hat and hair not included! Tip o' the Week: Strip it down to the basics! P.S. Todd our Social Media Guru makes a cameo in this video, can you find him?

Mike Clark/Suicidal Tendencies Interview

Tie on your blue bandana! Neal interviews Suicidal Tendencies' Mike Clark about dream jams and blowing up amps. Check it out!

Guitar Tricks 96: Shred Lick in E

Warm those fingers up, because this week's channel covers shredding in the key of E! Think you can handle the new lick that Neal has for you? Also, he'll show you the contrast between singing notes and shredding notes to create emotional phrasing. Tip of the Week: Neal discusses the importance of collaboration!

Guitar Tricks 95: Santana Lick in C Minor

This week's lesson is an excerpt from Hanspeter's Santana Artist Study at Guitar Tricks. Neal show's you a very cool Santana lick with a few extras thrown in. If you're just learning your scales, this lesson will show you how you can be musical with simple note patterns. Tip of the week will keep you sounding good at your gigs.

Guitar Tricks 94: Shred Lick in A

Blues rock shred lick in A: want an easy way to shred quickly? Neal shares one of his favorite, dynamic blues rock licks this week. For beginner to intermediate players, this is a power-packed lick to add to your collection, enjoy! Tip: write bad songs! why? watch to find out.

Guitar Tricks 93: Santana Lick Request

Santana lick request from Puertorico2494, let's make it three! This week Neal fills a request for leads in the style of Carlos Santana. You can use the opening and closing chord progression as a backing track to test drive 'em.

Guitar Tricks 92: Blues Lick in A

Learn a new lick! Neal's got one for you this week. If you like Slash-style soloing you'll appreciate this blues lick in the key of A, it's catchy! Tip of the week will help you improve your guitar tone for your next recording session or live gig. It's so simple, you might not have thought of it!

Guitar Tricks 91: Fast Blues Lick

This week on the Guitar Tricks Channel Neal Walter demonstrates a fast blues lick in G! This is a great lick for beginners because it follows the pentatonic scale pattern, and allows you to barre your first finger and play the pattern nice and fast. Use this lick for your lead playing, and just move the pattern around on the neck to change keys. Tip of the week: Get the right string gauge for the best bending potential.

Guitar Tricks 90: Blues Flat 5 Lick

This week on the channel, Neal takes a request from our Facebook friends for more blues licks. Neal has got a fresh new flat 5 pentatonic lick, plus a great tip of the week! This blues guitar lesson is all part of the Guitar Tricks Channel, from GuitarTricks.com

Guitar Tricks 89: Blues Box Soloing

This week on the Guitar Tricks Channel, Neal takes a request from fans on Facebook for some new blues guitar licks. Check out his Blues Box pattern lick, which is perfect for your next 12 bar blues jam. Guitar Tip Of The Week: If you mess up while performing live, just keep going! Everyone makes mistakes, even the pros. If you stop after you mess something up, everyone will know and it will throw the band off. If you keep going, most people will forget it even happened.

Guitar Tricks 88: How To Play Dual Solo

This week we've got a very special channel episode, featuring two Guitar Tricks instructors from Nashville: JD Jarrell and Andy Gurley! Andy and JD have a cool dual lead harmonic lick to teach, plus tips on how they warm up before playing gigs. Bonus: Don't miss the bloopers at the end of the video!

Guitar Tricks 87: Andy Gurley Country Lick

This week Nashville picker/GT instructor Andy Gurley takes over the Guitar Tricks channel as guest host! In this episode, Andy teaches the old-school secret to getting beautiful clean guitar tone that anyone can use! Andy also takes a request from someone in the Guitar Tricks forum and teaches the famous intro lick heard in Country Level 1.

Devin Townsend Interview

As Canadian musician & producer Devin Townsend (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, STEVE VAI, LAMB OF GOD) was just finishing up his thirteenth studio album entitled "Ghost", Guitar Tricks Channel got some of Devin's insights about guitar playing. Tune in to watch while Neal asks the probing questions.

Guitar Tricks 86: Blues Shuffle Lead

Guitar Tricks 86: Tasty blues lead is the theme of this weeks lesson. Neal shows you one of his favorite licks using the voicing of the 6th 7th and 3rd notes over a B Major chord. The tip of the week is from Ben and it will have you thinking of your music in a whole new way!

Guitar Tricks 85: Volume Swells

This week on the Channel Neal shows you how to do volume swells. Create a mesmerizing effect with only your guitar and volume knob. This technique works great with rhythm chords or with leads and it's an excellent way to convey emotion in your playing. He'll show you the technique as used in Van Halen's "Cathedral".

Steve Vai Interview

This week on the Guitar Tricks Channel, Neal Walter interviews guitar virtuoso Steve Vai at the NAMM show. In this interview, Steve Vai discusses his first guitar rig, the most important thing for guitar players, and who has been inspiring him.

Howard Leese Interview NAMM 2011

This week on the Guitar Tricks Channel: An Interview with Howard Leese at NAMM 2011. Howard was the guitarist in rock band Heart for 22 years from 1975 to 1997, and was behind countless guitar classics. He is an amazing guitar player and definitely an inspiring musician.

Guitar Tricks 84: Fast Pull-Off Rock Licks

This week Neal has got some pull-off rock licks to share that will make playing fast incredibly easy. By using the pull-off technique with a simple pattern, you will be surprised at how fast you can play these rock licks in the key of E, A, D and G Tip of the week: Record a new riff every day for a year.

Guitar Tricks 83: Major 3rd Lead

Spice up your lead playing with the oldest trick in the book, using the major 3rd. This is a classic blues rock sound and this week Neal shares three of his favorite licks using these tasty notes. You'll immediately recognize the sound. Take one for a test drive!

Guitar Tricks 82: Blues Rock Lick

This week Neal shares one of his favorite blues rock licks. You would expect players like Slash, Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton to use this style of lead playing often, now you can make it your own! Neal's got some great tips on being "conversational" in your lead playing style, even with just one note.

Bruce Kulick Interview

This week we catch up with Bruce Kulick from Kiss at the NAMM show in Anaheim. He talks about his latest album featuring Gene Simmons, Steve Lukather and Jon Corabi. And he talks about one of his favorite choices in practice amps.

Guitar Tricks 81: Octaves

This week Neal explores Octaves and how to incorporate them into your playing. If you've just learned your scales, they are a great way to branch out from the "practicing scales" sound to something more melodic. Octaves are also helpful to memorizing the fretboard. The tip of the work will get you heard when jamming with your friends.

Guitar Tricks 80: 4-String Sweeps

This week Ben Lindholm picks up his series on string sweeps. In this lesson he's got a twist on the usual sweep method as he creates some insane video game type effects using four-string sweeps.

Guitar Tricks 79: Jeff Beck Style

This week, Neal shares one of Jeff Beck's signature techniques. We've got a great Jeff Beck study here at Guitar Tricks and if you're a dedicated Beck follower, you'll definitely want to check it out. In the meantime, here's a little sneak peak from Neal.

Zach Myers Interview/Shinedown

From our NAMM show interviews, Zach Myers from Shinedown. Neal catches up with him in the Paul Reed Smith booth for a sneak peek at his new model guitar.

Guitar Tricks 78: Major Pentatonic

This week Neal takes a request on how to play the intro music to Guitar Tricks 64: B.B. King Lick. This is a good exercise in playing melodic leads using the C major pentatonic scale. An easy way to remember this scale is that it's relative to A minor pentatonic and follows the same note pattern. This lick works well with Hendrix or Stevie Ray Vaughan type lead patterns too.

Guitar Tricks 77: Laughing Wah Wah

This week Neal takes a request on how to create the laughing sound using a wah wah pedal. You may have heard Steve Vai use this one. This is a good way to improve your foot to hand co-ordination on the wah pedal and is bound to turn some heads!

George Lynch Interview

The Lynchback takes off where the legendary greenback left off. Adding more headroom and a tighter bass response, we look forward to hearing this new born rock monster in action. Tune in and catch the first moments of announcement live from NAMM 2011 with collaborator and tone afficianado, George Lynch.

Guitar Tricks 76: 3-String Sweeps

This week we follow up Ben Lindholm's series on sweep picking. We started with two string sweeps as the foundation to help beginning sweepers grasp the concept and technical ability. This week Ben moves you up to three string sweeps. The arpeggio examples you'll learn here will have you sounding like a metal master and you'll be on your way to full-sweep madness!

Brad Whitford/Derek St. Holmes Interview

Here is our first interview from the 2011 NAMM show, which saw over 90,000 attendees. The NAMM show is an event to showcase the latest and greatest guitars, amps and gear for the coming year. It attracts players from all over the world. Neal attended the Paul Reed Smith after-party and caught up with with Brad Whitford of Aerosmith and Derek St. Holmes from Ted Nugent's band. Click on the image to catch these two legendary artists in rare form as they describe their first introduction to PRS and life on the road.

Guitar Tricks 75: Diminished 2 Hand Tap

By popular demand: the intro lick to GT 74, as played by Ben Lindholm. Tune on in as we show you how to play a very cool diminished two hand tapping lick that will open the eyes and ears of your listeners. It's an easy pattern to remember and if you do tapping already, you'll be playing it in no time!

Guitar Tricks 74: 2-String Sweeps

It's the lesson that many of you metal heads have been asking for: Sweep Picking! Shall we start with two strings? Guest instructor Ben Lindholm will get you started with this entry level lesson on metal's holy grail of shred licks, the sweep pick. It's not easy but if you take your time and follow Ben's direction, you can be on your way to sweeping like the metal masters. Turn it up to 11, your lesson starts now.

Guitar Tricks 73: String Grouping

This week on the channel Neal shows you how to incorporate string grouping to your playing. The idea is to strike more than one string at a time while picking to create a percussive contrast between chords and notes. Here are some ideas that work well with open string picking. Tip of the week will keep your guitar sounding on pitch.

Christmas Acoustic Guitar Lesson

This week Guitar Tricks instructor Lisa McCormick takes over the channel with some Christmas cheer and a holiday classic for you: "Deck the Halls", except this one is in open D tuning. That makes it really easy to play and it sounds great on an acoustic or electric guitar. Try it out! Also "Joy to the World" is taught as this weeks tip. Happy Festivus! :)

Guitar Tricks Giveaway: The ZT Lunchbox

We got one of you something for Christmas! The ZT Amplifiers Lunchbox. This amp is one of the most exciting compact amps available. It weighs only nine pounds an It is the size of a 1970s metal school lunchbox but packs a whopping 200watts of sound. It's been dubbed: the "Loudest Little Amp in the World" This power-packed box can keep up with a full band situation, no problem. And you won't break your back getting it there! It only weights 9 lbs. :) To enter just reply to our thread at: http://www.guitartricks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33143 See thread for Contest Rules.

Guitar Tricks 72: Pentatonic Soloing Riff

This week Neal takes a request from nikolaishrederguy on how to play the opening riff to one of our channel episodes, Guitar Tricks 32: Pentatonic Soloing. This is an eye-opening lesson for adding groove to an otherwise simple riff to give it some drive and depth. Tip of the week: it's safe, it's powerful and it will keep your gear looking good! -for tolex only, not guitars.

Guitar Tricks 71: Alternate Power Chords

Neal fills a request from subscriber 3441Edward on alternate power chords. Bored with the same old power chords? This week Neal shows you some easy two finger chords that can enhance your songwriting options and make changing chords quickly a snap! The Tip of the Week just may keep your guitar looking good.

Guitar Tricks 70: Hendrix Guitar Lesson

This week Neal shows you one of his favorite Hendrix style guitar licks. The great thing about this one is that it's a moveable shape. You can take this shape and use it anywhere on the neck in major or minor form. If you're just getting started in the Hendrix style, this is a great place to start. The tip of the week will keep your strap on lock down!

Guitar Tricks 69: Sus Chords

Using fingerpicking demonstrated in this lesson, learn how to incorporate the very melodic suspended 2nd and suspended 4th chords to your playing. These are great chords for any acoustic player that will fill up your sound and grab your listener's attention. Tip of the week: Lisa's choice favorite electronic tuner for acoustic guitar.

Guitar Tricks 68: Halloween Guitar Lesson

This week on the Guitar Trick or Treat Channel: Tony Bones is your host for an Evil Tip of The Week and Freakish Free Lesson! Tony invaded the GT castle walls this week and created the most haunting channel episode we have ever seen. His guitar technique is down right spooky, and he has a Halloween song that is guaranteed to cast a spell on you.

Guitar Tricks 67: Using a Partial Capo

This week we have guest host Lisa McCormick on the channel filling a request from subscriber jmxabellanosa on how to use a capo. In this special episode Lisa explores the use of a partial capo which is a great way to get open tuning chord sounds without having to re-tune. The tip of the week will keep you from "poking an eye out with that thing!"

Tony Levin Interview

This week Neal interviews Tony Levin, best-known for his work with progressive rock giants King Crimson and Peter Gabriel. In 2010 Tony toured with BoLeMa, with Allan Holdsworth on guitar and Terry Bozzio on drums. A completely inprov band with no pre-written tunes. In our interview at the Radial booth, Tony gives insight on his favorite pedals and what new artists he finds inspiring.

Guitar Tricks Gold Top Giveaway

You have spoken, I asked "what should we do with the Les Paul" and you said: "give it away!" Sounds like fun and that's what I'm gonna do! Here's How To Enter: First go to our contest vide on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndzRNZR5JQM Then: 1. Get a video camera 2. Grab your guitar 3. Hit Record! 4. Introduce yourself 5. Say this "Here's what I learned at Guitar Tricks" 6.Play something you've learned by watching Guitar Tricks video guitar lessons 7. Upload the video as a "video response" to: "Les Paul Gold Top Giveaway!" on YouTube by 11/21/10. Keep an eye on the mailbox, you could be our lucky winner! Contest Rules: Void where prohibited or restricted by law. You must be at least 18 years of age to enter this contest. Prizes include shipping within the continental United States. Winners outside the United States will be required to pay international shipping charges. No purchase necessary. Guitar Tricks instructors, forum moderators, staff and members of their households are not eligible to win. No more than one prize per household per year. Winner will have 30 days to claim their prize. Prize winners are responsible for all federal, state and local taxes. By entering this contest, you agree to allow GuitarTricks.com the right to use your name, image, likeness and comments in connection with any marketing or advertising for Guitar Tricks in any medium whatsoever. By accepting a prize, all winners agree that Guitar Tricks, their affiliates, and all of the officers, directors, employees, representatives and agents of Guitar Tricks, will have no liability whatsoever for, and will be held harmless by winner for any liability for any injury, loss or damages of any kind, to winner or other persons, including (without limitation) injuries, loss or damages arising out of or relating to death, and, injuries, damages or losses to property, due in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from the acceptance, possession, use or misuse of the prize or participation in this giveaway. Guitar Tricks reserves the right to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the giveaway, reject any entry, or make any revisions to the official rules as we deem necessary. By entering into this Agreement and uploading, sending or otherwise making available your video to Guitar Tricks, you are granting Web Trick Inc. a royalty-free, non-exclusive right and license to, host, cache, route, transmit, store, copy, modify, distribute, perform, display, reformat, excerpt your video.

Guitar Tricks 66: How To Improvise

This week Neal answers requests about creating leads and how to improvise. Have you come to a point when you've learned your scales and are now asking yourself, "what do I do with them?" Neal breaks it down in an easy to understand way so you can get started creating your own leads and style.

Guitar Tricks 65: Rhythmic Lead

This week on the channel Neal shows you his tricks to adding a groove to your lead lines by accenting beats. Using some simple palm muting and vibrato you can take a regular pentatonic scale, or any scale, and make it come to life with this concept.

Guitar Tricks 64: B.B. King Lick

Here's a great lick to add some soulful, tasty flavor to your leads. This one hails from Doug Fearman's lesson on Guitar Tricks and has a nice B.B. King or Clapton flavor. This one goes out to Nob'l The Artist's facebook request for Soul/R&B.

Guitar Tricks 63: Fuller Power Chords

This week Neal takes a request from subscriber metalpunk654: "how do I get fuller sounding power chords?". Even though power chords are simple to play, there are suble techniques to make the most out of them because BIG is what they're all about. One additional tip is to add a little delay to your guitar setting, this will help fill out the sound. You don't need too much, just a little in the background. Also this week, a handy tip for you gear heads out there that like to repair your own rig.

Bryan Beller Interview

This week Neal interviews Bryan Beller from Dethklok, the real band behind the hit animated series Metalocalypse, and Steve Vai's band. Check out this interview from the NAMM show, Bryan's got some aspiring words for all musicians out there.

Guitar Tricks 62: Blues Lick in G

This week on the channel Neal shows you a catchy lick in G. Useful for country, blues or rock, it's based on the pentatonic scale and can be applied anywhere on the neck. This lick is a good exercise in bends, double-stops and finger independence. Good tip of the week: how to get a punchier sound out of your pickups without spending any dough!

Guitar Tricks 61: Percussive Rhythm

This week on the channel Neal shows you how to add that drum feel to your rhythm guitar playing. This is taken from Ben Graves' lesson on Guitar Tricks and is a great technique to add another dimension to your playing, whether solo or with accompaniment. Tip of the week is on good string maintenance

Guitar Tricks 60: Tap Harmonics

This week Neal shows you the fundamentals of good tap harmonics. This technique has been used extensively by Eddie Van Halen but can also be found in jazz and bass guitar techniques. Tap Harmonics create a very cool, almost synthesizer sound out of your guitar. Tip 'o the week is how to make dolphin and whale sounds with your axe.

Guitar Tricks 59:Turn a Riff Into a Song

This week Neal takes a request from one of our viewers on how to turn a riff into a song. Neal will show you the steps necessary to identify your riff and how it will fit into a song structure. Add a guitar only sound effect to your collection with the Tip of the Week.

Guitar Tricks 58: Major Blues

This week on the channel Neal shows you how to play a classic major blues riff in E. This riff adds melody and a major feel to the standard blues technique. This is a tasty and melodic way to jam the blues with another guitarist or solo. You will sound great soloing in major or minor blues scales with this one.

Guitar Tricks 57: Two-Hand Tapping

Play like Eddie! This week on the channel Neal gives you an easy starter kit for two-hand tapping. These skills are the foundation of Eddie Van Halen's famous technique and super fast playing style.

Guitar Tricks 56: Double Stops

This week on the channel Neal explores the most useful techniques in lead guitar. In this free lesson you'll learn a quick, easy way to spice up your lead playing with double stops. Shown in the most common box pattern, Neal will show you these flavorful lead patterns and what chords sound good underneath them.

Guitar Tricks 55: Faster Chord Changes

This lesson is designed for acoustic guitars but can be used on electric also. Taken from Lisa McCormick's tutorial of the same name at Guitartricks.com. This lesson will show you key tips for changing open chords quickly. A valuable lesson, especially for the beginning guitarist who knows the basic chords but is having a hard time changing them and keeping time.

Nick Catanese Interview

This week on the channel we've got Nick "Evil Twin" Catanese from Black Label Society at the Paul Reed Smith booth at NAMM 2010. Nick talks about his slick, new "Evil Twin" model guitar from PRS. Nick has been nicknamed "Evil Twin" because of his ability to match Zakk Wilde's licks. He also talks about life on the road and how his spends his down time after a blistering show.

Guitar Tricks 54: Vibrato Technique

This week on the channel Neal demonstrates the key elements of a good vibrato technique. Vibrato is another excellent way to convey emotion or intensity in your guitar playing. The tip of the week is another simple, yet sometimes overlooked playing method that will increase speed and dexterity while decreasing right hand fatigue.

Guitar Tricks 53: Whammy Technique on a Standard Guitar

This week on the channel Neal takes a request: how to make a standard guitar sound like it has a whammy bar. If you only use the whammy technique once in a while or you're stuck with a non-whammy fitted axe, this lesson will give you some good pointers. The tip of the week: how to make a standard tuned guitar sound like a drop tuned guitar.

Guitar Tricks 52 : Pick Scrape Lesson

This week on the channel Neal shows you the infamous pick scrape, one of the most recognized sounds in rock n roll guitar. Although a simple technique, Neal's got his own observations on how to make it really rock. Tip of the week is how to make background string noise add excitement to your playing.

Guitar Tricks 51: Raking Technique

This week Neal teaches how to apply the raking technique. Raking can be used while playing rhythm or lead guitar and is one of the key elements to sweep picking. If you want to learn how to sweep pick but are new at it, raking is a good way to warm up to the sweep picking technique.

Derek Roddy Interview

This week on the channel Neal catches up with super drummer Derek "One Take" Roddy. This double bass master explores a wide range of playing styles and shares his universal insight on what makes a great musician. He also tells what kind of guitar playing inspires him as a drummer. Check out Derek's chops in this video and get a peek at his huge snake collection!

Guitar Tricks 50: Guitar Solo Technique Three Best Chords

This week on the channel Neal shows you the three most important chord shapes for soloing and finding your way around the fretboard. This lesson is helpful in chord specific note choices. Really make your solos stand out by committing these three chord shapes to memory. The example is in major form, feel free to apply the minor, 7th, etc. versions of these chords to further expand your musical vocabulary. Tip of the week: how to make the train sound, blues style.

Steve Morse Interview

From the beaches of Southern California we caught up with Steve Morse just before his show. Steve has been called the "hardest working guitarist in the world". From Dixie Dregs, Kansas and Deep Purple and a long list of collaborations, Steve never fails to innovate, create and amaze. For such a talented guitarist, he's a very humble guy with some enlightening views of the world.

Guitar Tricks 49: Blues Rock Lead Guitar Lesson

This week on the channel Neal teaches a classic blues lick that is also used in rock guitar. In the key of E, this lick is very recognizable and is an essential addition to every blues or rock lick arsenal. Tip of the week if how to practice so that your band performance is better. This lesson applies to acoustic or electric guitar players at a beginner to intermediate level.

Guitar Tricks 48: Easy Guitar Chords

Great for beginners and rockers, this week Neal shows you how to play three easy and quick chords. Focusing on the D G and A chords, this lesson is very useful for playing in the style of AC/DC. Making chord changes this easy leaves plenty of room for windmills, stage dives and one legged chicken struts. Tip of the week: how to get a beefier sound out of your guitar without changing your amp setting.

Guitar Tricks 47: Guitar Solo Technique Two Best Notes

This week Neal shares his tricks for getting musical soloing out of your guitar playing with the two most important notes that can be found up and down the fretboard. The tip of the week shows you what key to use to get a mean sound out of your songs.

Guitar Tricks 46: Must-Know Rhythm Pattern

This week on the channel Neal covers an essential rhythm pattern from Lisa McCormick's tutorial of the same name. Once you hear this pattern you'll be sure to recognize it right away. It's used in tons of songs from acoustic, country, pop and rock. This makes it a must have strumming pattern to add to your collection of guitar tricks!

Paul Reed Smith Interview

We caught up with Paul Reed Smith, the man behind the guitars, at the NAMM show. We had just finished watching the always-irreverent Ted Nugent host a PRS jam session. Paul was in a rare, relaxed mode. This was a great opportunity for an interview. Join us as he talks about what inspired the bird inlays, new PRS guitars for 2010 and why he started making his own guitars.

Guitar Tricks 45: Great Rock Riffs

Viewer requested lesson from facebook friend, phillyric: How to play the opening riff in lesson 25. Also, how to use thirds in the lower neck position to create great rock and roll riffs. tip: Extreme string bend above the nut with no whammy bar.

Guitar Tricks 44: Stop String Noise

This week on the Channel Neal shows you how to make your playing sound more professional and clean by stopping string noise using his personal muting techniques. Tip of week is how to make an open D chord sound more beefy..."where's the beef?!"

Prashant Aswani Interview at NAMM 2010

This week Neal interviews Prashant Aswani on his new ESP guitars, new album and his favorite gear. Prashant is a smokin' player and a really cool guy with a genuine passion for his craft. He's got a new tutorial coming to Guitar Tricks too. So stay tuned for some playing secrets from him.

Guitar Tricks 43: Guitar Chord Songwriting

This week on the channel Neal shows you how you can use chords you already know in a fresh way. For some players accenting different parts of a chord is second nature. If this isn't you, we'll show you how to get started. In this episode Neal will show how this simple technique can change the sound of a chord progression and even a song. The tip of week is on fast power chord changes.

Guitar Tricks 42: Memorizing The Fretboard

This week on the Guitar Tricks Channel, Neal shows you his tricks to memorizing the fretboard. If you have been struggling with remembering the notes, this week's episode will give you some good visual landmarks for remembering the notes on your axe. The tip of the week will have you sliding into home plate.

Guitar Tricks 41: Anders and Neal blues jam

This week on the channel Neal gets together with instructor Anders Mouridsen for a smokin' blues jam. Anders usually can be found on Guitar Tricks teaching the blues . Watch him here in a less formal environment as he and Neal tear up a cool blues progression in the Guitar Tricks studio.

Orianthi Interview

This week Neal interviews Orianthi, best known as the guitarist on the Michael Jackson "This Is It" tour. She talks about her latest solo tour, earliest musical experiences and her influence on young guitarists. On location at NAMM 2010!

Guitar Tricks 40: Emotional guitar soloing

This week Neal gives you a few key tips on how to create emotion with your lead playing. The tip of the week is on how to make your guitar sound like a bumble bee.

Mikael Akerfeldt / Opeth Interview 2010

Neal interviews Mikael Akerfeldt from Opeth. Mikael talks about his new Paul Reed Smith Signature Model, the upcoming Opeth dates, and some info on Bloodbath, as well. On location at NAMM 2010!

100 Best Guitars At NAMM 2010!

Guitar Tricks goes to NAMM 2010. Fender. Gibson. PRS. ESP. Suhr. Jackson. Charvel. Dan Electro. Gretsch. Schecter. 20th Anniversary Steve Vai Passion & Warfare Ibanez Universe. Orange Amps. Hiwatt. Laney. Peavey. Seymour Duncan. Daisy Rock. Starring the feet of N-N-N-Neal Walter!

Guitar Tricks 39: Whammy Bar Lesson

This week Neal takes a lesson request from chaos2themaxx on how to use the whammy bar. He'll give you some awesome tips on how it works and how to use it. Tip of the week is on feedback control. We have sound limitations in the studio so the feedback tip is not at full volume level and you won't hear the effect but if you follow the tip you'll be in feedback heaven!

Guitar Tricks 38: Hammer-Ons and Pull-Offs

This week Neal fills a lessons request from samar077 on how to do hammer-ons and pull-offs. This is an extremely useful technique for many styles and it's a great way to add speed to your playing even if you're not a shred-meister. Adding to the theme of household appliances as guitar tools, Neal also shows you how to use a TV remote control to get some cool sounds out of your electric. Let the experimentation begin!

Guitar Tricks 37: Harmonics Guitar Lesson

Neal is back on the channel this week with a lesson on harmonics. He'll also show you how to tune your guitar with a telephone! Learn how to get good harmonics and how to use them in your lead and rhythm playing. This lesson is for electric or acoustic guitar.

Guitar Tricks 36: Christmas Songs for Guitar

This week on the channel, guest host Lisa McCormick shows you a timeless holiday classic, "Carol of the Bells" . This one is relatively easy to learn and is a great exercise in the fingerpicking style for acoustic guitar. Give it a go!

Guitar Tricks 35: Jazz Guitar Lesson

This week on the Guitar Tricks Channel, instructor Anders Mouridsen locks Neal up and takes over the studio to show you how to jazz up your lead playing. If you listen real close, you can hear Neal's cries for help.

Guitar Tricks 33: Wah Pedal Lesson

This week Neal shows you how to make your guitar cry (in a good way) with a wah pedal. The tip of the week also shows you the infamous neck bend.

Guitar Tricks 32: Pentatonic Soloing

This week Neal shows you how to get some wicked sounds out of your guitar. He's got a nice lesson on soloing using the pentatonic scale which sounds truly evil. The tip of the week also shows you an unconventional way of making your guitar scream.

Guitar Tricks 31: Boss AD-8 Giveaway

One of our giveaway's was a Boss AD-8 and Neal's got a little demo. The Boss AD-8 Acoustic Guitar Processor simulates the sound of 6 classic acoustics. Editors note: This giveaway has ended.

Guitar Tricks 30: Acoustic Guitar Fingerpicking Lesson

This week guest host Lisa McCormick busts out the acoustic and demonstrates a simple fingerpicking pattern. This is a fun pattern to play and Lisa gives you some ideas about how you can use it in different ways.

Guitar Tricks 29: Chord Riffs

This week Neal's got a nice lesson on creating great riffs based on notes of a chord. Neal takes a chord progression and shows you how to take notes from that progression to make a nice riff. He's also got a tip of the week that shows you how to make some spacey sounds with your delay pedal.

Guitar Tricks 28: Our 1st guest: GT instructor Lisa McCormick

We were lucky enough to have Guitar Tricks instructor Lisa McCormick stop by and do a guest spot on the Channel. She and Neal played one of her songs and talked a bit about the song and some of the inspiration behind it. FREE MP3 OF HER SONG: http://tiny.cc/LisaDownload

Guitar Tricks 27: Epiphone Les Paul Giveaway

Neal's got a little demo on the Epiphone Les Paul that we were giving away here. This is a great guitar with classic styling and great tone. Note: This giveaway has ended.

Guitar Tricks 26: Gretsch Corvette Giveaway

This week Neal demos a red Gretsch Electromatic Corvette guitar. Neal takes this beast for a test drive and shows you how it handles.

Guitar Tricks 25: Soloing Lesson

We really do listen to your suggestions! This week Neal has stepped up and created a lesson based on a user suggestion. SDPinWin posted a request on YouTube for a lesson on soloing on the lower part of the guitar neck. Neal also has a great tip on creating cool effects with your pick. All 3 licks are in the key of E.

Guitar Tricks 24: Drop D Tuning

This time Neal's got a lesson on Drop D tuning. This is a great way to liven up your playing. Neal's also got a tip of the week that shows you how to make your guitar scream like a banshee.

Guitar Tricks 23: Open String Technique

This week, Neal's got a great lesson that shows you how to use open strings to color your playing. He's also got a tip of the week that could help your axe avoid and inflight mishap.

Guitar Tricks 22: DigiTech RP500 Demo and Giveaway

Neal's got a demo of this month's giveaway, the DigiTech RP500 effects processor. He puts this little gem through it's paces and gives you an idea of what you can do with it as the lucky winner. Editor's note: this giveaway has ended.

Guitar Tricks 21: Guitar Songwriting Tips

This week we've got a great lesson on songwriting for guitarists. Neal shows you a chord progression that you can use in many different genres.

Guitar Tricks 20: Boom Chick Strumming

This week Neal shows you how to master the country technique known as "boom chick" strumming.

Guitar Tricks 19: Wechter Acoustic Demo and Giveaway

One of our giveaways: a Wechter Grand Auditorium Elite acoustic. Every month we give away a piece of gear to a lucky guitar player. Maybe this time it's you? Editor's note: this giveaway has ended.

Guitar Tricks 18: Travis Fingerpicking Lesson

Neal's got a free lesson on the Travis Fingerpicking style. This is a great technique for county or acoustic players.

Guitar Tricks 17: Free Songwriting Lesson

We've got a free songwriting lesson that teaches you some basic rock chord progressions. You can build on these progressions to write your own songs and see how these basic forms show up in so many popular songs.

Guitar Tricks 16: Free Funk Guitar Lesson

On the Guitar Tricks Channel we've got a free Funk guitar lesson. Neal shows you how to get down and get funky and also shares a tip of the week that can help keep your practicing fun.

Guitar Tricks 15: Reggae and Ska Punk Rock Rhythm Guitar

On the Guitar Tricks Channel we've got a lesson on Reggae and Ska/Punk style rhythm guitar. Neal's also got an exercise that can help you build finger dexterity.

Guitar Tricks 14: Vox ToneLab Demo and Giveaway

Tune in as we demo and give away a Vox Valvetronics ToneLab to one lucky guitarist. Editor's note: this contest has ended, thanks for watching!

Guitar Tricks 13: Easy 12 Bar Blues Progression

This week we've got a lesson on 12-Bar Blues. Neal takes you through the basic progression and gives you a strong foundation on which to build.

Guitar Tricks 12: Palm Muting Lesson

This week we've got a tip of the week that looks at Pinch Harmonics Rhythm techniques as well as a guitar lesson on Palm Muting that will appeal to guitarists of many genres, especially metal guitar.

Guitar Tricks 11: Guitar Solo Technique Lesson

This week we've got a guitar lesson on soloing techniques plus a tip to help you avoid an embarrassing stage mishap.

Guitar Tricks 10: DigiTech Harmony Man Demo and Giveaway

Tune in as we demo and give away a DigiTech HarmonyMan to one lucky guitarist. Editor's note: this contest has ended, thanks for tuning in!

Guitar Tricks 9: Touch Technique Free Guitar Lesson

For beginner to intermediate players, this guitar lesson demonstrates basic touch technique concepts and shows you how to play a simple melody by tapping the notes out on the fretboard.

Guitar Tricks 8: Slide Guitar Lesson

For beginner to intermediate players, this guitar lesson shows how to hold the slide, dampen strings, and volume knob fade-ins. Great for aspiring blues players.

Guitar Tricks 7: SPIDER LEGS Finger Exercise

For beginner to intermediate players, this guitar lesson shows how to help increase the flexibility, speed and dexterity of your left hand. Great lead excercise!! Start slow and work your way up.

Guitar Tricks 6: Pinch Harmonics Lesson

For beginner to intermediate players, this guitar lesson will teach you how to use pinch harmonics in rock and metal lead guitar.

Guitar Tricks 5: Ebow Guitar Demo and Giveaway

Tune in as we demo and give away an Ebow electronic guitar bow to one lucky guitarist. Editor's note: this giveaway has ended but Ebow's are still pretty cool!

Guitar Tricks 4: Rhythm Guitar Lesson

For beginner players, this guitar lesson will teach you easy tuning tips without using the tuning pegs. You'll also learn right hand rhythm techniques.

Guitar Tricks 3: Minor Arpeggio Lesson

For beginner to intermediate players, this guitar lesson will teach you a trick using hair ties. You'll also learn how to use string skipping arpeggios in the D Minor key.

Guitar Tricks 2: Free Guitar Lesson 1 4 5 Progression

For beginner to intermediate players, this guitar lesson will show you how to play 1 4 5 chords in any position, in any key. Useful to all players and popular in Blues, Country and Rock.

Guitar Tricks 1: Pod X3 Live Giveaway

This is the first episode from the Guitar Tricks Channel. Tune in as we give the Pod X3 Live away. Editor's note: this contest has ended.