Good Guitarist's Guide To:

Riffs &
Lead Guitar
 Good Guitarist’s guide to:
Riffs & Lead Guitar
During the planning stages of this book it was quite difficult de-
ciding not only what information should be included in this book, but
what should be excluded. It has always been our goal to give the most
concise, informative lessons without overwhelming our students and
I feel that this book accomplishes that. Every topic covered in this
book is absolutely essential for any guitarist who wants to take their
playing to the next level.

But having access to the information is just the start - it’s another
thing to actually work it all out and apply it to your playing. This book
is presented in a way that gives you opportunities to work on each
subject as you’re learning. We’ve taken the time to simplify the pro-
cess so you can focus on getting better instead of wondering, “what
should I do next?”

Enjoy!

Copyright c 2016 by Good Guitarist (info@goodguitarist.com).

All rights reserved. Made in Canada.
All materials used in this book are the original work of the authors.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or
transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written
permission of the authors, except in the case of certain
noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

ii
 Table of contents
The Power Chord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Know Your Roots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Open-Position Power Chords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Reading TAB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Using A Pick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

The Minor Pentatonic Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Using A Metronome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Hammer-on’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Pull-off’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Slides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Bends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Legato . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

iii
 The Power Chord
The power chord is a MOVABLE shape. This means you can move it around the fret-
board to make different chords, even though your hands keep playing the same shape!

OR

You can play it with your 1st, 3rd You can barre the top 2 notes and
and 4th fingers use just your 1st and 3rd fingers

You don’t even need to play all 3 notes. You can ignore the top note
(played by the 4th finger) entirely. Players usually do this for 2 reasons:
1) It’s a bit easier and quicker to move around
2) It sounds a bit clearer when using a lot of gain/distortion

Uhhh! Teacher! Excuse me!

Question: There’s only 2 notes!? I thought chords use most, or all of the
strings! Ever played a G chord before? Geez!
Answer: The power chord contains the “root” and “5th” of a chord. These 2
notes provide the foundation or “skeleton” of any given chord. Power chords
do not contain a “3rd” which means they are not major or minor. They simply
provide a neutral, rich and rhythmic foundation.

Perfect Power
CHord Placement
Simply place your fingers as close
to the frets as possible. That’s it!
1
 Now you try it...
from your point of1view

3
1
2f
2 ret
sh
igh
3 er

Start by placing your 1st (index) Next, go 2 frets higher, and over
finger on the 3rd fret of the low to the next string (A string) and
E (thickest) string place your 3rd finger down

Finally you can either flatten Lightly touch the top strings with
your 3rd finger to barre the next the underside of your 1st finger
string, or use your 4th finger to mute them when strumming

Before moving on
• Pluck each string of the power chord to make sure every note sounds
clean (not buzzing!)
• Move the power chord up by 1 fret and strum it again - once again,
make sure everything is ringing clearly
• Repeat the above step until you run out of frets
• Try this ALL again, starting on the next string (A string)

2
 Know your roots
The root is the most important note in a chord and is always the first part of the
chord name. The root of a Dsus4 chord, for example, is D. The power chord is differ-
ent because it is a movable shape and not a specific chord (there’s a difference be-
tween a chord and a shape). This means the root changes when you move the chord.

The ROOT
The FIFTH

7th fret = B

The OCTAVE

The note played by your 1st fin- The note your 1st finger plays will
ger (index finger) is the root of the be the name of your chord. Here
power chord. we’re making a B power chord.

*Note: Rather than say “B power chord” we can call it “B5”, since the power chord is
simply a root (B, in this case) and its 5th.*

Does this mean I need to memorize the fretboard?

It is not necessary to learn the entire fretboard, but every guitarist should know at
least the notes on the bottom 2 strings. This is definitely one of the most daunting
tasks for a beginner-intermediate guitarist, but is well worth the effort. It will allow
you to play any power chord anywhere on the fretboard (and barre chords, too!).

E F G A B
1
C D E
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
OPEN 11 12
The notes on the low E string, from your perspective
3
 The notes on the A string, from your perspective

A B C D E F G A
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
OPEN 11 12

A good way to learn the notes is by “counting” up the string from the open position,
using the following guidelines:

• usually go up 2 frets to reach the next note (in other words, there is usually an empty fret
between notes)
• go up 1 fret from B to C (there is NO empty fret between B and C)
• go up 1 fret from E to F (there is NO empty fret between E and F)

Now what’s in those spaces between notes?

That’s where all the sharp (#) and flat (b) notes live. Musicians call these notes “accidentals”
and the notes without # or b are called “naturals.”
• The sharp note is 1 higher, and the flat is 1 lower than the natural note
• To make D# (D sharp), for example, all you need to do is find D and go up 1 fret
• Likewise, to make Bb (B flat), just find B and go down 1 fret

The notes on the A string, including “accidentals”

A A# Bb B C C# Db D D# E b E F F# Gb G G# A b A
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
OPEN 11 12
The notes on the low E string, including “accidentals”

E F F# Gb G G# A b A A# B b B
1
C C# Db D D# E b E
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
OPEN 11 12
4
now you try it...
Let’s practice moving the power chord shape along the low E string!
• Start by placing your 1st finger on the 5th fret of the low E string
• Then complete the shape by adding the 3rd and 4th fingers

5th fret - low E string “A” power chord (“A5”)

2 3
3 4
4 5
5

Since your first finger is on the 5th fret, and the 5th fret of the low E string
is A, you’re making an A power chord (which can be shortened to “A5”)

• Next, slide the shape up the fretboard by 2 frets, to the 7th fret
• Use the diagram on the bottom of the previous page to determine
which note your 1st finger is playing
• Which power chord are you playing now? Take a moment

If you said “B5” or “B power chord” you are correct!

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

1. Play the power chord whose root is on the 3rd fret. Name this chord: ____
2. Play the power chord whose root is on the 8th fret. Name this chord: ____
3. Play the power chord whose root is on the 6th fret. Name this chord: ____
4. Play a F5 power chord. Which fret # does your 1st finger line up with? ____
5. Play a D5 power chord. Which fret # does your 1st finger line up with? ____
6. Play a Ab5 power chord. Which fret does your 1st finger line up with? ____

Answers: 6) 4th fret 5) 10th fret 4) 1st fret 3) Bb or A# 2) C5 1) G5

5
Open-Position Power Chords
If you learned some of the basic open chords from our first eBook, “Strumming &
Rhythm Guitar,” you’re probably familiar with the A, D and E chords. Well, when you
switch on the distortion, these chords can sound a little muddy, so rockers have
learned to slim the shapes down, reducing them to power chords.

The concept is incredibly simple but still worth mentioning as you’ll find these
exact chord voicings in thousands of songs, from blues to classic rock to punk to
metal and everything in between.

It’s easy: for A, D and E, just ignore the higher strings, and only play the lowest
3 notes of the chord. As we mentioned earlier, this eliminates the 3rd which, when
played with distortion or overdrive, can sound a bit muddy.

Open Chords Open Power Chords

E E5
VS.

A A5
VS.

D D5
VS.

6
 READING TAB
TAB (short for tablature) is a guitar-specific way of writing down music. It is ac-
tually just a simple sketch of the fretboard with numbers that indicate which frets
to play. Even though many consider TAB easier to read than standard notation, it is
incredibly useful and helps especially with learning songs and even writing down
riffs you’ve made yourself so you can remember them later!

Look down at your guitar’s fretboard

e T
B
G
D A
A
E B

Every string is represented by a line of TAB, with the thickest string (low E) at the bottom

Reading and writing TAB is very simple. Every string is represented by a line
of TAB, with the thickest string (low E) at the bottom. All you need to do is write
the fret number you want to play overtop the string you want to play it on.

e 3rd fret
TB
G
AD
A E string
BE 3
Here we can see “3” written on the bottom line. That
means we would play the 3rd fret of the low E string.

Exercise: Say the names of the strings out loud, “E A D G B e” as you play them from
“low E” (thickest) to “high e” (thinnest). It may be a bit silly, but saying a phrase like
“Eddie Ate Dynamite Good Bye Eddie” might help you remember the string names
even faster.

7
 T 5th fret

A
A string
B 5
A “5” on the 2nd lowest line means you should play the 5th fret of the A string.

T
A
0 D string
B
A “0” means we play the string without pressing any frets.

T
Here we see “7” written on the bottom line 3
A times. All we have to do then, is play that note
(7th fret of the low E string) 3 times in a row.
B
7 7 7
Here we see “3” on the bottom line, and “3” on T
the next line. This means we would play the A
3rd fret of the low E string followed by the 3rd
fret of the A string. B 3
3
T Here we see the same 2 notes as above ex-
A cept they’re stacked on top of each other. That
means you need to play both of those notes at
B 3 the same time (like a chord).
3
8
 now you try it...
The best way to improve your ability to read TAB is to practice reading sim-
ple riffs and melodies. The trick is to move on and find new material that you’ve
never read (or heard) before - if you keep reading the same pieces, you’ll just end
up memorizing them and playing them by ear, rather than actually reading them.

1 A
2 0 0 2 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 0
B 3

2 A 0 0 2 0 5 4 0 0 2 0 7 5 0 0 12 9 5 4 2
B

T 3 0 3 0 3 3 0 3 0 3
3 A 0 2 0
B

5 4 5 7 7 5 4 4 5
T
5 7 7
4 A
B

7 7
6 8 8 6 8 9 7 7 9 8 6
T

5 8
A
9 9 9 9 9
B

Inlays
These dots
on the neck (called “inlays”) aren’t just for
looking pretty. They are very useful when quickly glancing down at your
guitar, trying to figure out where you are. You’ll usually find them at the 3rd, 5th,
7th and 9th frets (odd numbers). The 12th fret is special because that’s where the notes
on each string begin to repeat - that’s why it’s usually indicated by a double-dot inlay.

9
 Using a pick
Guitarists like Jeff Beck, Mark Knopfler, Derek Trucks and countless others have shown us that
it’s possible to play lead without a pick (a.k.a. plectrum) but for most of us it’s an essential skill
that must be developed. In this section, we’ll go over the basics of using a pick, how to hold it
and using it as a tool to maintain a steady rhythm through alternate picking.

Holding a pick

Start with an open hand. Curl Press the pad of your thumb Place pick between the thumb
your index (1st) finger. against your finger’s 1st joint. and finger, pointy side out.

About 20-30% of the pick should be “stick-

ing out” from your thumb and finger. On the
left you can see it’s not sticking out enough,
and on the right, a little too much. Find what’s
comfortable for you - it should feel secure, but
still be able to jiggle a little bit.

Holding the pick too tight can cause tension in your wrist, limiting your flexibility which may
affect your dynamics and picking speed. Holding it too loose may cause you to drop your pick
(which is no fun when you’re performing).

Uhhh! Teacher! Excuse me!

Question: Can’t I just pick whatever way feels the most natural? My friend holds
the pick totally differently than this and he can SHRED.
Answer: Most guitarists hold their pick between their thumb and first finger. While
there are examples of AMAZING players who hold a pick with 3 fingers, or between
their thumb and middle finger (Eddie Van Halen and Pat Metheny come to mind)
99% of guitarists use this standard approach quite effectively.

10
 Up’s and down’s
Just like strumming, when picking notes on a guitar, you can play either downstrokes or
upstrokes. Generally, the downstrokes fall on the beat and the upstrokes are played exactly
halfway between each beat - this should provide a steady rhythm and will help you play along
to a metronome or, better yet, other musicians.
This symbol is used to represent a downstroke in both TAB

Downstrokes and Standard Notation. If you see this over a note, it’s recom-
mended you play that note with a downstroke.

Downstrokes are the primary stroke used when

playing lead guitar. They tend to be a bit louder than
upstrokes and some types of music (heavier music
like rock, punk, metal) use them as much as possible.
When playing a chord with a downstroke, the lower
strings are struck first and tend to ring out a bit more
than the higher strings.

Practice your downstrokes! 5678

T 5678
Try this simple exercise over and
over. Make sure all the notes are A 5678
5678
the same volume and try your
B 5678
best to maintain a steady rhythm. 5678

This symbol is used to represent an upstroke in both TAB and

S
Standard Notation. If you see it over a note, you should play that ROKE
note with an upstroke.

Upstrokes have a slightly different sound than down-

strokes and are generally played on off-beats. They tend to
UPST

be a bit quieter than downstrokes since going “up” (against

gravity) takes a little more effort, even for such a tiny move-
ment. Chords played with an upstroke tend to sound a bit
punchier and cut through the air more easily.

T8 765 Don't forget the upstrokes!

8765 Start by placing your fingers down
A 8765 on the frets. This way, as you pick
8765
B 8765 each note, you only need to move
8765 one finger to play the next note.

11
Combining Downstrokes and Upstrokes
There are 2 main reasons for combining downstrokes and upstrokes:

1. The phrase is too fast to play with only downstrokes. Combining the
two movements will allow you to play about 80% faster than you could
with just downstrokes or upstrokes alone.
2. You want to take advantage of the fact that upstrokes and downstrokes
sound slightly different from one another. Once you start branching
off into different styles of music you’ll realize how useful this can be -
funk, country, blues, jazz, soul and pretty much everything benefit from
thoughtful phrasing.

There are 2 ways to organize your picking:

Alternate Picking is simple. Move your pick down and up, along to the beat. All the
downstrokes fall ON the beat and the upstrokes fall BETWEEN the main beats. You still move
your pick down and up even if you don’t have any notes to play, turning your arm into a metro-
nome of sorts.
This method helps with timing and ensures that all the main beats are slightly accented. You
should be able to use alternate picking confidently (really!) before moving on to economy picking.

Economy Picking only comes into play when picking on multiple strings. Let’s say
you just played a downstroke on the low E string and want to pluck the A string next. Alternate
picking demands you pluck the A string with an upstroke, but with economy picking you can play
another downstroke since the A string is down from E anyway.
It’s tricky because it breaks the rules of alternate picking, allowing you to play upstrokes on the
main beats and downstrokes on off-beats, which can negatively affect your ability to groove if you
don’t practice this technique diligently. For this reason we will focus mainly on Alternate Picking.

The difference is subtle, but Alternate:

here you can see how us- Economy:
ing economy picking allows
T
us to play 3 downstrokes in a
row, which makes for a much A 0 2 4
smoother, efficient movement
B
2
from string to string. 0 2 4

12
now you try it...
This exercise is much simpler if you line up your hand so your first
1 finger plays the 5th fret, second finger plays the 6th fret, and so on,
assigning each finger to a fret.
continue alternate picking...
T 5678
5678
A 5678
5678
B 5678
5678

T 8765
8765
A 8765
8765
B 8765
8765
Practice Tip: As you ascend (go up), once you place a finger down make sure you leave it
down until changing to the next string. As you descend (go down), place all your fingers down on
their assigned frets ahead of time - this way, simply removing a finger uncovers the next note.

This is a variation on the above exercise. We start as low as possible

2 (1st position) and then every time we reach the top or bottom of the
pattern we shift our entire hand up 1 fret.

continue alternate picking...

T 1234
1234
A 1234
1234
B 1234
1234

T 5432
5432
A 5432
5432
B 5432
5432
Practice Tip: Try to go as high up the fretboard as possible (where the frets are nice and
tiny!). This will help build finger accuracy and ensure better guitar tone.

13
 The following melody will challenge your alternate picking skills. Be
3 sure to observe the picking closely and make sure you’re not acci-
dentally reversing the strokes!
Keep your pick moving to improve your timing!

( )
T
A
0 3 2 3 0
B 0 3 2 3 0 3 2 3

( )
T
A
2 0 2
B 2 0 2 2 0 2 3 3
3 3
Practice Tips:

• Practice the trouble spot outlined above first, before trying the whole thing. (Yeah, just
those 2 notes back and forth.. “down - up - down - up” over and over... yup...)
• Keep your pick moving even when there aren’t any notes to play. This ensures a steady beat.
• Use your first finger to play all the notes on the 2nd fret, and your second finger for all the
notes on the 3rd fret.
• Practice this exercise every day for at least 5 minutes for a whole week. The goal is to be
able to play it perfectly and effortlessly.

Before moving on
After a certain point you may find yourself overwhelmed with so many different things you
can practice. We’ve done our best to make our exercises as effective as possible so you can get
the most out of your time, but you should also take a moment and make sure you’re spending
your practice time effectively.
Some people have a tendency to move on to the next thing too quickly. They simply play
through an exercise, tell themselves “I get it!” and keep going, but that doesn’t work so well
in the long run. It’s one thing to understand a concept, and another thing to actually have the
muscle memory and finger strength/agility to play that concept beautifully.
I recommend to my students that they practice 4-6 times a week for at least 15 minutes
per session (up to 60 minutes). It’s not unheard of for some people to practice 10 hours a day,
but if you’re at that point, you probably know what you’re doing and don’t need my help .

14
The Minor pentatonic Scale
The minor pentatonic scale is the most essential pattern for any guitarist to
learn. It provides a framework for understanding the fretboard and later, by adding
2 notes to the shape, you can unlock a ton of different modes and scales.

Each finger is “assigned” to a fret.

2
R
3

Notice the “root” on the 3rd fret of the low E string.

The “G Minor Pentatonic” Scale

The shape is simple enough, there are only 2 notes on each string.
But don’t underestimate it - even though the shape is easy to re-
member, it’s been used to make some incredible licks and riffs.

How to play it
Try this simple exercise, playing the scale up and down, paying careful attention to
which fingers you are using.

36 63
T
36 63
A 35 53
35 53
B 35 53
36 63
Practice Tip: This is the same scale you see in the picture above, written in TAB. If you have trouble
reading this, compare it to the diagram of the scale above and see if that helps.

15
 Where to play it
It’s similar to the power chord - just move the shape around and whatever note
falls under your first finger on the low E string becomes the “root” of the entire
scale. Unlike power chords, we can usually stay in one spot for an entire song. This
is because within a single key, there are many chords but usually just 1 scale.

5th fret - low E string “A minor pentatonic”

scale
...is the root 3
2 4
3
4
of the... 5
R

Wait! What's a KEY?!

(Are you trying to make me learn theory?)
Finding the key of a song is an entire topic of its own, but usually the key
can be found by playing each chord in a song until you find the one that feels
the most “at home” or feels like the song could end with that chord.

If the song is in a major key (let’s

use “A major” for example) move
the shape so your 4th finger plays
A
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
the
8
note
9
A (5th fret, low E string).

If the song is in a minor key (such

as “A minor”) then you’ll need to
align your 1st finger with the note
A
A (5th fret, low E string).
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

16
 This is really important
As you play the scale, when placing your 3rd or
4th finger on the fretboard, leave your 1st fin-
ger down (even though it’s not doing anything).

Think of it like a stack of blocks, if you pull

out one of the bottom ones (your 1st finger),
the top blocks (3rd and 4th fingers) will lose
their support. Later, when you’re playing ham-
mer-on’s and pull-off’s, it’ll make your life a
lot easier, so just trust me on this one .

Memorizing it
Just playing a scale back-and-forth can get pretty boring and isn’t very practical.
I haven’t heard too many solos where the guitarist just plays their scales up and
down... usually they mix it up a bit. Here are some different ways we can use this
scale that will help you memorize it better.

• Rather than play the entire scale, play it 2 strings at a time: top 2 strings (E/B),
middle 2 strings (G/D), bottom 2 strings (A/E)
• On each pair of strings you should be able to access 4 notes - now is your chance
to play those notes in ANY order. Also, don’t be afraid to play the same note
many times.
• Try to play simple melodies over and over, playing them as best you can
• Once you’ve done this with each pairing, divide the strings differently, playing
the scale 3 strings at a time (E/B/G + D/A/E)

17
Now you try it...
Here are some exercises that will help you take this scale shape (and
your picking) to the next level! This stuff looks kinda crazy, but once you
figure out the first few notes, you’ll start to hear the patterns.

“Doubles” on Gm Pentatonic

T 3 3 6 6
3 3 6 6
1 A 3 3 5 5
3 3 5 5
B 3 3 5 5
3 3 6 6

T 6 6 3 3
6 6 3 3
A 5 5 3 3
5 5 3 3
B 5 5 3 3
6 6 3 3

Am Penatonic in groups of 3

T
5
2 A 5 5 7 5 7
5 5 7 5 7 7
B 5 5 7 5 7 7
5 8 8

T 5 5 8 8 5 5
5 8 5 8 8 8 8 5 8 5 5
A 7 7 7 5
B

T
A 7 5 5
7 7 5 7 5 5
B 7 7 5 7 5 5
8 7 8

18
 “4ths” interval pattern on Dm Pentatonic

T
10
3 A 10 12 10
10 12 10 12
B 10 12 10 12
10 13

T 10 13 13 10
13 10 13 13 10 13
A 12 12
B

T
10
A 10 12 10
12 10 12 10
B 12 10 12 10
13 10

“String Skipping” exercise on F#m Pentatonic

T 2 5
2 5
4 A 2 4 2 4
2 4 2 4
B 2 4
2 5

T 5 2
5 2
A 4 2 4 2
4 2 4 2
B 4 2
5 2

Practice Tips:

• All of these exercises utilize alternate picking - keep making that “down - up” motion, like
a motor, for the entire exercise
• Each exercise is in a different position on the fretboard. Make sure you’re lining up your
fingers correctly before you start each exercise. Sometimes it’s worth it to play the scale up
and down first, before jumping into the patterns.

19
Using a metronome
Whether it’s by yourself or with others, making music usually involves playing
along to a beat. A metronome is a device that plays the beat with 100% perfect
timing. In a way, playing with a metronome is a special experience - it’s like getting
to play along with a master of rhythm who always plays perfectly on the beat.
Learning to use a metronome can be a challenge at first, but once you get the
hang of it, it’s actually quite relaxing and almost meditative.

Getting acquainted with the metronome

Every note played has a precise relationship with the underlying pulse. We need
to be able to feel this pulse in order to express ourselves properly and “groove”. It’s
not just about your instrument either, we need to develop the feeling of rhythm
deep down so we can let it come out naturally.

Mental timekeeping such as counting out loud is a good start, but isn’t reliable.
Think about how time feels slower when waiting in a line. It’s a good habit to count
aloud to work out the motions but, in the end, if you want to develop a good sense
of rhythm you need to have a physical way to keep time, like tapping your foot.

Set your metronome to 80bpm and try the following exercise.

If you don’t have a metronome, there are plenty available for free online.

1. Listen to the beat (also referred to as a click) - pay attention to how predict-
able it is, happening over and over at a steady pace
2. Clap your hands along to the beat - the whole point is that you make a noise
at the EXACT same time as the metronome
3. Stop clapping and just listen to the beat again. Can you feel the pulse even
though you’re no longer clapping?
4. Start clapping again - this time focus on your hands as they come apart,
during the time between claps. Focus on keeping a constant speed of motion
as you draw lines in the air, outwards and back inwards
5. Count each of your claps: “1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4” over and over
6. When your hands are furthest out say “and” - your counting should go “1 and
2 and 3 and 4 and” as your hands clap and separate, steadily, to the beat
7. Try tapping your foot at the same time as each clap (on “1, 2, 3, 4”)

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 Playing guitar with a metronome
Now that we’ve begun to build our internal rhythm, it’s time to put it to use. The
same idea of clapping your hands, steadily, along to the beat applies completely
to the strumming/picking arm but instead of clapping, we’re hitting the strings.
If you want to practice the exercise (below) for a longer period of time it may be
troublesome to hold the same chord shape. Instead, you can simply touch your left
hand to all of the strings, which mutes them and allows you to focus on the rhythm
aspect of this exercise.

Set your metronome to 80bpm and try the following exercise

1. Choose a simple chord or a single note and play down-

strokes (strumming or picking, your choice) over and
over, along to the beat - the whole point, once again, is
making a sound at the EXACT same time as the metro-
nome.
2. Count along “1, 2, 3, 4”
3. Now, instead of counting, tap your foot with the beat
4. Now add an upstroke between each downstroke - the
downstrokes should happen at the same time as the
beat, and the upstrokes should happen exactly half-
way between each beat.
5. Count along “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and”
6. The real challenge is in tapping your foot only to
the “1 2 3 4” and still maintaining a steady down-
up-down-up “1 and 2 and” motion with your pick

While it’s possible to learn how to use a metronome from a book, this is just a
brief guide to get you started. If you find it’s not working, don’t worry! Most people,
myself included, learn this stuff by actually listening and playing along - you need
to experience it. Visit our website, and check back often, for rhythm-based lessons
you can actually hear: http://goodguitarist.com/learn-lead-guitar

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 Hammer-On’s
A hammer-on is a technique in which the guitarist brings down his or her finger
with enough force and precision to cause a note to ring out even though the string
hasn’t been plucked. Hammer-on’s are usually integrated seamlessly into musical
phrases to give it a smoother feel, since it sounds a bit softer than a plucked note.

It usually works like this...

First, pluck the string and Then, “hammer” another finger onto a
play a note, as usual. higher fret, on the same string.

And if it doesn't sound good, try this...

A common pitfall, when first learning the hammer-on technique, is to push it
too hard - being precise is much more important that getting a lot of force into it. Make
sure you are using the tip of your finger, not the soft, flat part. Start slow, focus on
being accurate and your hammer-on volume will become consistent over time.

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In TAB, a hammer-on is notated by a T
curved line connecting 2 notes. In this A 5 7
example, we’d pluck the 5th fret and
B
hammer on to the 7th.

now you try it...

Being able to play hammer-on’s over the minor pentatonic scale is
essential for any lead guitarist. It will not only build finger-strength but
also allow you to play the scale faster and with more dynamic variety.

Hammer-on exercise over Em Pentatonic scale

T 12 15
12 15
A 12 14
12 14
B 12 14
12 15
Practice Tip: Keep the rhythm steady, as if you were alternate picking. Some students
have a tendency to pluck the first note and hammer-on too quickly. Fix this by practicing
with a metronome: pluck a note on the first beat, hammer-on during the next beat, repeat.

This classic lick has made its way into every kind of music, from
country to funk. It is probably the most recognizable lick that involves
hammer-on’s and comes from the minor pentatonic scale.

“5 - 6 - 1” hammer-on lick in the key of C

T
A 5 5 5
5 7 5 7 5 7
B

Practice Tip: Practice this with a metronome - a lot. Even if you don’t plan on playing
this lick, your hands will be making this type of motion quite a bit so please take this op-
portunity to build up your muscle memory.

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 Pull-off’s
A pull-off is a technique in which the guitarist “flicks” the string as they remove
a finger, causing it to ring out without having to pick the string. It’s the equal, op-
posite motion to the hammer-on and, when combined, they can help guitarists to
play much faster than strict alternate picking.

Just lifting your finger off the string isn’t going to do much. For potent pull-off’s,
you need to pull down slightly and then lift your finger off the string. It’ll kind of
look like you’re drawing a “check mark” in the air with your finger. A good pull-off,
like a good hammer-on, should have as much volume as a plucked note.

Trills
You may have figured out already that it’s possible to play a hammer-on and
then a pull-off and then another hammer-on, etc. without having to pluck the
string. This is called a trill and, if played evenly and quickly enough, it creates
a "fluttery" sound.

The real trick is in practicing your hammer-on’s and pull-off’s separately,

maintaining a steady rhythm and volume. Once you’re comfortable with that,
try the exercise below. First we play a hammer-on combined with a pull-off.
Then we practice a pull-off combined with a hammer-on. Afterwards, you’ll
want to combine the two parts, seamlessly. You’ll be trillin’ it in no time!

T
A
5 7 5 7 5 7
B

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In TAB, the pull-off uses the same symbol T
as the hammer-on. It’s easy to tell them 7 5
A
apart though: the note goes higher for a
B
hammer-on and lower for a pull-off.

now you try it...

Being able to play pull-off’s over the minor pentatonic scale is just
as essential as the hammer-on. Once you can easily play this exercise,
try combining it with the hammer-on one from the previous page.

Pull-off exercise over Em Pentatonic scale

T 15 12
15 12
A 14 12
14 12
B 14 12
15 12
Practice Tip: Keep the rhythm steady, as if you were alternate picking. Even though
you may want to pluck the first note and pull-off right away. Fix this by practicing with a
metronome: pluck a note on the first beat, pull-off during the next beat, repeat.

This lick can be played very fast, but you should practice it slowly
until it’s perfect, before speeding it up. Watch a video of Carlos Santana
playing live and odds are he’ll bust it out once or twice!

Linear pull-off lick in the key of A minor

T
8 6 5 8 6 5 8 6 5 8
A
B

Practice Tip: When practicing this lick with a metronome, try to play the notes as
triplets (in groups of 3). This means you’d play 3 notes for every click (which is convenient
since the lick is 3 notes, over and over).

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 Slides
Slides are really simple. You play a note, and then slide that finger up or down
the fretboard without releasing the pressure from that finger. Usually they’re used
in a subtle way, quickly and over a short distance, but you can also slide all the way
up or down the fretboard for a much more obvious effect.
T T
Sliding up... A 5 7 ... and down A 12 7
B B

now you try it...

Slide exercise - try it on every string

T
A 2 5 5 2 2 7 7 2 2 12 12 2
B

Practice Tip: Experiment with how quickly you slide up to a note. You can pluck the
first note, wait a bit and then slide, or pluck the note and slide right away. This is a chance
to have a bit of fun with it and see what kind of sounds you can make!

This lick sounds great if you play it with a triplet feel (“One-and-uh-
Two-and-uh”) and can be repeated, over and over, to give your solos
some energy!
Classic blues lick, using slides on G minor pentatonic

T
6
A 5 7 7 5 3
B

Practice Tip: You NEED to start with your 3rd finger or it’ll be really tough to get this
sounding smooth. Also, if you do the 2nd slide with your index finger, it’ll be possible to
loop this lick easily.

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 BENDS
Bends are one of the most recognizable guitar techniques but also one of the
trickiest. The guitarist usually plays a note, and then bends the string until it reach-
es the next pitch. The string can also be bent first and then plucked for a “pre-bend”.

It usually works like this...

First, pluck the string and Then, push the string up until it sounds
play a note, as usual. like the note that’s 2 frets higher.

At first, you should only practice bending with your 3rd and 4th fingers. This way,
you can help that finger out by placing your other fingers on the same string and
using all of them to bend the string.

If it doesn't sound good, try this...

1. Get a guitar tuner
2. Pick a note on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd string
3. Play this note and make sure it’s perfectly in tune
4. Bend this note, using your 3rd finger and stop as you reach the note that’s 1 fret
higher - use the tuner to make sure this bent note is perfectly in tune
5. Play the first note again, make sure it’s still in tune
6. Bend this note up and stop as you reach the note that’s 2 frets higher

If you are having trouble determining which note you should bend to, review the
section “Know Your Roots” and apply the same information to reading your tuner.

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 Legato
Legato isn’t a specific technique. It’s a style that involves hammer-on’s, pull-off’s
and slides, used together to play phrases as smoothly as possible.

Let’s jump right in...

You’ve already practiced each of the techniques so all we have to
do is get used to putting some of them together within a single phrase.
Legato riff using the A blues scale

T
A
5 7 5
B 5 6 7 7 5 3

Notice that we only plucked a note at the very beginning and when changing strings -
that’s 3 strokes total for a riff containing 9 notes.

Now if it’s too difficult to play the whole thing right away, we can
break it down into smaller pieces:

T
2 hammer-on’s... A
B 5 6 7

T
A ... a hammer-on and a pull-off...
5 7 5
B

T
...a pull-off and a slide A
B 7 5 3

And once you’ve practiced each piece to the point of perfection, join
them all together and practice the whole thing with a metronome.

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