All Posts by Jonathan Boettcher

This is a great hybrid picking pattern to get started with, if you've never tried hybrid picking before. One of the biggest benefits of hybrid picking, in my mind at least, is that you gain the ability to pick multiple places at once - something you simply cannot do with just a pick. 

Your pick is always limited to being in one place at one time, and if you want more than one string at once, you need to strum them. Sometimes, you simply can't strum the strings, like with these widespread double stops that we're playing today. 

Our pattern starts out by playing the root note at the exact same time as the second string. I love the effect this produces - it gives a lot of depth and space to the sound which is really nice. 

In the second bar we're going to change the pattern just a bit - starting off with a double stop on the root plus the first string instead. The reason for this is I wanted that note to hit right away, so your ear registers the change from the sus4 to the major. You can try playing it both ways, and let me know which one you prefer!

I've called this the Ping Pong picking pattern, because it has a lot of bouncing back and forth, and because it sounds cool! Whenever you're picking, it's really important to know where the root notes are for the chords you're playing. Root notes set the character and direction for the rest of the chord, and it really helps to start your picking pattern on the root note. Here's our pattern: 

Try applying this ping pong pattern to different chord progressions - you will find it's very versatile and sounds great all over the place! 

From Clunky to Musical in One Jam Track

You just experienced how working a lick over a jam track transforms it from finger movements into music.

That's the shift that changes everything.

When you stop thinking about patterns and start connecting with the music - that's when your solos start to sound like you, not like scale practice.

If you want that feeling consistently, I've built an entire approach around making it happen.

Not ready yet? No problem.

Practice the two licks in the video with the jam track. Work them over and over until they stop feeling clunky and start feeling natural.

When you're ready to build a complete vocabulary of lick families (15 core riffs that become 200+ musical ideas), Box 1 Blues Soloing is here.

Here's the Jam Track:

In this lesson we're going to learn two simple little guitar licks. These licks are great if you're just getting started soloing, and even if you've got a bit of experience, perhaps they'll give you some fresh inspiration.

Don't get hung up too much on the mechanics of these riffs. The most important thing is to make sure you have the correct notes, but beyond that, let the music guide you in how to play those notes!  

You Just Turned One Lick Into Dozens of Musical Ideas

By breaking it into chunks. Reversing it. Changing the rhythm. Working it over a jam track.

That's when the lightbulb goes on - when you realize one lick isn't just one lick.

It's a family of musical ideas you can pull from whenever you need them.

Now imagine having a whole vocabulary of these lick families - so when you pick up your guitar, music just flows naturally.

That's what happens in Box 1 Blues Soloing.

Not ready yet? No problem.

Practice the lick below with the jam track. See how many different ways you can break it up, twist it around, and make it your own.

When you're ready to learn 15 lick families (and turn them into 200+ musical ideas), Box 1 Blues Soloing is here.

Here's the Tab For Today's Lick:

When you learn a new lick, if you don't use it, you'll lose it. 

That's why when I learn new licks that I want to retain, I make sure to work with them for a while over top of a jam track. I do my best to "break" the lick, dissecting it into smaller pieces, and working with all the chunks. I try playing the lick in a bunch of different tracks, over different rhythms and styles of music. By the time you go through this process, you won't even have to work on remembering the lick - your fingers will do that work for you! 

Here's the basic tab for the lick we're working with in today's lesson, however notice that in the video I rarely ever played it this way. That's the whole point - take the basic lick idea, then find new ways to play with it. This really works the creative side of your brain, and it is terrific practice for soloing!

That Felt Different, Didn't It?

You just created something musical with only four notes.

Not by learning more patterns. Not by memorizing solos.

By going deeper instead of wider.

That's the moment when soloing stops feeling like scale practice and starts feeling like making music.

Now imagine if you could do that consistently - with any riff, over any chord progression, in any key.

That's exactly what Box 1 Blues Soloing teaches you to do.

Not ready yet? No problem.

Practice what you just learned with the jam track below. See how many different ways you can make those four notes sound.

When you're ready to multiply this approach across 15 "stock phrase" riffs (and turn them into 200+ musical ideas), Box 1 Blues Soloing is here.

Grab Your Guitar and Try For Yourself:

Here's the jam track we used in the video:

If having lots of options leads to indecision or confusion in the middle of a solo, then why not strip away every other option and simply focus on a handful of notes, and making them sound good?

That's what we're doing today - give it a shot and let me know how it went in the comments below!

Want to Make Music Flow Out of This Scale?

You just learned the blues scale - the most versatile pattern for soloing.

But here's the thing: knowing where the notes are is just the beginning.

The real question is: can you make music flow out of this scale effortlessly? Or does it still sound like you're playing a scale?

If you want to go from "I know the pattern" to "music flows naturally when I solo," I've created a complete approach that does exactly that.

It's called Box 1 Blues Soloing, and it takes the same philosophy you just experienced - going deeper instead of wider - and applies it to turn this one scale pattern into effortless, musical solos.

Not ready yet? No problem.

Practice what you just learned with the jam track below. See if you can make those notes sound musical instead of like scale practice.

When you're ready to go deeper with this approach, Box 1 Blues Soloing is here.

Grab Your Guitar and Try For Yourself:  

Here's the jam track we used in the video:

Adding the flatted fifth to the pentatonic minor scale produces the famous blues scale. This is a really awesome scale for learning to solo - so awesome that we really don't need to go anywhere else to create some great music! 

Here's a diagram of what it looks like on the fretboard:

The numbers on the dots indicate the musical distance from the root note, R. 

Is this scale familiar to you? On a scale of 1 to 5 how would you rate your confidence in using it to create guitar solos? Let me know in the comments below!