Country, Rockabilly & Honky Tonk Guitar: Learning The Basics!
Greetings!
Hungry For Change
If you have been tuned in lately, you might already know that I had migrated from playing blues guitar [video Link] for many years to actively exploring a bunch of new musical possibilities, including different instruments - I was definitely hungry for change.
Hot Rod Guitar
All that I had explored, which included jazz, led me to land on a something exciting that I like to call 'Hot Rod Guitar'! In my mind, hot rod guitar is a bluesy and edgy sound that can be detected in certain bluegrass, country, honky tonk, blues, swing, and early rock and roll / rockabilly songs. It's raw, energizing, exciting and I love it!
Where & How Does One Get Started?
Most of the players under this general umbrella, that I refer to as 'hot rod guitar', are excellent musicians - and, their musical devices are typically 'hot-rodded' with additional color tones such as b7s, #9s, and #11s. So, if it's not as simple as sticking to one scale, where and how does one get started?
The simple answer* [see more complex answer below] is that I have figured out what it [hot rod guitar] is made of at its core. And, with this knowledge now in place, I have begun to compose practice solos using just the basics of the style and at tempos that are easy to get started with and practice. This is how I am currently building the foundation I need in order to play and improvise within this style.
If you would like to learn how to play in this style, we can meet for a lesson or two and I can walk you through how to play the following compositions [guitar tab provided with lesson].
1) Just Getting Started With Some Basic Sounds That I Had Picked Up Along The Way
2) Some Lines That Demonstrate Common Ways That Common Color Tones Can Be Added
3) Writing Over The Chords For 'Drift Away' - Sixteenth Notes Over A Slow Rock Groove
4) Writing Over The Chords For 'Don't Rock The Jukebox' - Eighth Notes On A Slow Shuffle
5) My Next Composition Is Going To Build Upon The Foundation That Has Been Established Through The Activity Of Composing And Practicing 1-4 Above!
Notice that I did not attempt to just jump right into the fastest and most complex form of playing. Instead, I am laying the foundation - and, when the time is right I will add just a bit more in the way of speed and complexity.
Join Me!
So, if you would like to join me on this musical adventure and build a strong foundation, with a lesson or two, right along with me, feel free to reach out!
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*The more complex answer is that the approach I am taking includes figuring out what combinations of notes and rhythms are responsible for the hot rod guitar sounds I am liking and wanting to reproduce. In other words, I need to know what a musical style is made of, at its core, in order to understand it well enough to play it and compose within it [the style].
With that said, I have a simple system for seeing and understanding what each musical idea is made of. This makes it easy to understand, reuse and/or transpose, modify, document, and compare all kinds of musical ideas. Having a system like this in place is a real game changer. Let me know if you need help developing one for yourself.
Videos Referenced Above
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