Essential Riffs for Guitar

Here’s a lesson that’s packed with dozens of important licks, each one a time-tested musical phrase that will help you become a strong lead guitarist. Artie starts so simply that even beginners can learn to play these riffs over a variety of chord changes and blues progressions. As the phrases get more advanced, you’ll see how to use slides, bends and other techniques, and increase your speed and dexterity with the use of hammer-ons and pull-offs.

Every lick is played slowly, so you can see the exact fingering, and then at tempo so you can understand how to play it at speed. This video will be of value to beginners who want to get a jump on lead guitar, as well as intermediate players who want to increase their knowledge of the fingerboard. Jeff Pevar (previously playing guitar with David Crosby) joins Artie to demonstrate how two players jamming together can use these riffs in the context of blues progressions.

Once you’ve got the basics down, Artie shows how to put several riffs together to create a complete blues solo. A discussion and demonstration of minor key jazz-blues phrases will round out your repertoire of riffs and will allow you to create hot solos or jam with your friends using the terrific techniques Artie teaches.