How to Groove/riff

Hey Everyone

Full access member that just started. Took lessons for 6 years when I was younger and have played since. However, I am taking lessons again to challenge myself and would like guidance on the right path to learning how to "groove." If you watch very experienced players they can pickup a guitar basically pick a key and go to town with riffs/progressions that you can listen to without any other backing instruments. I know this is years of knowledge and many different genres but is there any guidance or what lessons to take to get me in that direction?

Thanks everyone

Originally Posted by: rcrousejr

Hey Everyone

Full access member that just started. Took lessons for 6 years when I was younger and have played since. However, I am taking lessons again to challenge myself and would like guidance on the right path to learning how to "groove." If you watch very experienced players they can pickup a guitar basically pick a key and go to town with riffs/progressions that you can listen to without any other backing instruments. I know this is years of knowledge and many different genres but is there any guidance or what lessons to take to get me in that direction?

Thanks everyone

Two things:

1) Learn theory. More to the point, learn how to spot and hear sounds that are relative to one another. Intervals and overlaps in notes within different scales/positions and modes.

2) Pull up the Guitar Tricks Jam Station and look for differnet base song/jams and just simply mess around. You already have some level of knowledge but you have to mess with all that stuff and make mistakes jamming. With something like the Jam Station, only you hear the mess ups. The helps you start to hear what you're playing agaist various rhythms.

In the end, you hve to just go out there and make mistakes to hear what not to do and get a sense of where the right 'hot spots' exist. Doing so also helps you with understanding pacing, patterns and yep, groove within a structured context.

JeffS65 has great suggestions. To add to those; you are asking almost 2 separate questions here 1) groove 2) riffs/progressions/keys. As jeff said, you'll need to get your theory going a bit in order to achieve #2. Following through the Core Learning System will set you up for all of that! (What scales to learn and how to apply them to jamming, riffs for different styles, so-on). [br][br]Groove does not require music theory. Groove is about rhythm and feel. You can groove on one chord, or one note even. To deepen your groove, learn to strum songs and don't worry about the riffs. Focus on locking in with the metronome/drummer and making it feel good/have fun! If you search 'Made Easy' on Guitar Tricks, you'll be shown a bunch of songs simplified so you can just go to town and have fun. These tutorials might be a great way to work on your groove.

Hey & welcome! Sorry I missed this thread earlier.

Originally Posted by: rcrousejr

However, I am taking lessons again to challenge myself and would like guidance on the right path to learning how to "groove."

In order to do this you have to have a repertoire (or a vocabulary) of musical things to play. When you see a musician do this sort of thing they are taking all the things (chord progressions & riffs from songs, licks from solos, etc.) they already learned so well it's second nature & reorganizing it in real time.

The trick is that all those physical motions have to be automated to the point at which you don't have to stop to think about every physical motion or detail. Years of repetitious practice turn the motions into "muscle memory" so the conscious mind is free to think in larger units, "I'll play that series of chords next. Now I'll throw in that bluesy pentatonic lick. The next time through I'll play that rock riff with the diads."

So, learn songs, chord progressions, riffs, licks, solos, etc. And practice them until you can do them in your sleep! And then you'll be able to improvise & groove in the manner you described.

If you need help finding specific lessons aimed at your desired playing style & skill level, then please ask! Best of success!

I came here to ask a similar question, but I guess I'll just comment on your question.[br][br]I've been playing guitar for way too many years and still feel like a beginner and I think a lot of that is because I can't just pick up a guitar and play random cool sounding stuff like all the people you see on YouTube etc.[br][br]I did the GT Rock Level 1 course a few years back and decided to redo it again this year to try and kick start my guitar again. I can learn Beginner/Easy songs and play them OK and I can memorize and play all the practice tunes in Rock Level 1. But I can't "create" which is why I still feel like an imposter.[br][br]But I guess, as others here have commented, it's just about learning all kinds of "bits" and then putting them together in your own way. [br][br]So over the last few weeks I've been trying to force myself to sit down with some simple chord progression backing tracks (GT Jam tracks and Anderton's TV Jam Tracks Vol 1), and just try and apply all the different strumming techniques, sub-divisions, anticipations, arpeggios, embellishments and simple solos from the Level 1 course. I literally look back at each lesson/practice tune from Level 1, and say, OK this time through the jam track I'm going to try and use that strumming technique, and throw in that embellishment, and that solo etc, with the hope that eventually they'll become second nature and my bag of tricks will no longer be empty. [br][br]For this I don't use the Jam tracks for the Level 1 lessons as then I just end up playing the lesson arrangements over again. But I'm finding anything that has a reasonably simple but interesting chord progression and isn't too fast works well.[br][br]I find it a lot harder to do this than to just do more lessons/songs, playing other peoples arrangements. I think ultimately I just lack creativity lol. But really hoping this is going to make a difference. I've seen other references on YouTube to the dangers of just noodling vs systematically practicing and learning new techniques. But I think that's been the main thing holding me back all these years. I've just never noodled![br][br]Good luck on your journey!

Riffs weren't born at the same time as rock 'n' roll. ... Many guitar riffs that feature on 'best of' lists contain a two to four bar repeating motif. They're catchy because they're easy to sing or hum along to and have a habit of not leaving our brains, even when we want them to becoming what's known as an earworm.

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