Octatonic Secrets: In this video I go through different interval sequences of the Octatonic scale to use with a minor chord.
Economy Picking: In this video I take a look at the economy picking technique and discuss the pros and cons of using it in your guitar solos.
The Whole Tone Scale: The whole tone scale can be a tricky one to use in a guitar solo: in this video, I go through some of the ways you can successfully use it.
4-Note Guitar Trick: This is a cool 4-note guitar trick which you can transpose around the neck of the guitar to create unusual and colourful lines. The 4-note collection can be played using both alternate and sweep picking techniques.
Wes Montgomery Lines: A breakdown of Wes Montgomery's solo from "Days of Wine and Roses" and how you can take phrases and make them your own.
The Octatonic Scale: In this video I take a look at the octatonic scale and its use in pieces by Larry Carlton, Jaco Pastorius and Chick Corea. I also discuss relatively early musical examples of the octatonic in classical music and how jazz musicians later integrated it into their music vocabulary.
Stella By Starlight: A look at some of the chordal and melodic possibilities for playing "Stella By Starlight".
Outside Licks: Top Ten pick of some of the greatest "outside" jazz licks from Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, John Scofield, Kenny Kirkland, Michael Brecker and George Duke.
Wayne Shorter's Pinocchio: A look at the complex chord changes that make up Wayne Shorter's "Pinocchio". I attempt to unpick the chords by transcribing Herbie Hancock's piano solo and Ron Carter's bass parts from the recordings on Miles Davis' Nefertiti and A Tribute To Miles.
Learning "The Attitude Song": In this video I go through some of the challenges and strategies playing Steve Vai's phenomenal guitar workout "The Attitude Song" from the Flex-Able album.
Bruce Conte: One of the all time great funk and blues guitarist of the 1970s, Tower of Power's Bruce Conte. In this video I look at Conte's intricate rhythm guitar playing across 5 Tower of Power songs from the 1975 albums, Urban Renewal and In The Slot.
The Who - Subtle Moments: A look at the breakdown sections from "Slip Kid", "Bargain" and "Who Are You".
Peg - 4-Part Vocal Harmonies: A breakdown of the four-part vocal harmony sections in Steely Dan's "Peg". This video focuses on the smooth backing vocals during the chorus sections and how the harmonies are constructed and relate to the accompanying chords.
Steely Dan's "Peg": An instrument by instrument breakdown of Steely Dan's classic "Peg".
The Coolest Jimi Hendrix Riffs: A look at some of Hendrix's more obscure riffs.
George Duke's Funkiest Solo?: A breakdown of one of George Duke's most soulful and funky solos, taken from "Hummin" performed at the Newport Jazz Festival, Rotterdam 1971.
Gambale And Holdsworth: A look at two of the great fusion guitar players and the pros and cons of trying to integrate elements of their styles into one's own playing.
Playing The Music Of Hermeto Pascoal: A quick breakdown of how I learned "Correu Tanto Que Sumiu" from the 1980 album Cérebro Magnético.
Wes Montgomery - The Ultimate Jazz Guitarist: What is it about Wes Montgomery's guitar playing that makes him endlessly fascinating to listen to? In this video I present a brief overview of his approach and why he is so celebrated, as well as a short analysis of his solo from John Coltrane's "Impressions".
Super-Fast Sweep Picking #2: Exercises for building better coordination between the left and right hand for sweep picking.
Super-Fast Sweep Picking #1: How to sweep fast across the fretboard using one-note and three-note per string combinations.
The Complex Chords Of XTC: A look at how XTC take simple chords and transform them into complex voicings as well as stylistically unusual chord progressions in "Rook" from the album Nonsuch and "Chalkhills and Children" from Oranges and Lemons.
Lydian And Mixolydian Modes In The Music Of XTC: A look at how XTC use the Lydian and Mixolydian modes in their music. A breakdown of "Love On A Farm Boy's Wages", "Jason And The Argonauts" and "Omnibus".
Jaco Pastorius - Port Of Entry Solo: A look at the almost superhuman bass solo from Weather Report's "Port of Entry" by Jaco Pastorius. An analysis of the technique used in order to play the solo and the melodic and chordal relationship.
Joe Satriani - 3 Licks: Three licks in the style of Joe Satriani played over an A Lydian tonality.
Sheik And The Dorian Mode: A look at how Billy Gibbons uses the Dorian Mode in "Sheik" from Tres Hombres, as well as the double stop slides and jazzy chords at the end of the piece.
Funk Guitar - An Alternative Approach: One of the most common forms of funk guitar playing is a continuous strumming effect, however, in this video I look at some innovative alternatives incorporating hybrid picking.
Chick Corea - Outside Licks: In this video I look at some of Chick Corea's outside playing over one-chord vamps.
Jaco Pastorius - Teen Town: A breakdown of Pastorius' bass parts for "Teen Town" and how the chords and melody correlate.
Chick Corea - Top 3 Solos On Guitar: An analysis of how Corea plays over blues changes. The three solos are "Bessie's Blues" from The Akoustic Band, "Why Wait?" A Special Concert DVD, and "All Blues" from Trilogy 2.
The Blues Scale - An Alternative Approach: Did you know that there are minor and major triads, a minor 7b5 chord, sus2, sus 4 chords and even a major 7th voicing in the blues scale? In this video we look at how to do something different with the scale and how to make it stand out!
How To Write A Funk Groove With Bernard Herrmann Harmonies: In this video I demonstrate what happens when you combine a funk groove with Bernard Herrmann's soundtrack music. Herrmann was known for his memorable film scores, several of which he composed for Alfred Hitchcock, including "Psycho" as well as the music to the original Twilight Zone series.