Teaching

These transcriptions are what I hear and are open to interpretation so please check the originals. Each has been broken down into the main chord changes with the structure verbally placed below. Why? Well because then you are forced to play along with the track thereby improving your ear, time, groove and musicianship skills. How? Jamming with other artists is the best way to grow. By playing along with the recordings you are playing the score alongside the composers. They will mercilessly inform you when you are out, if you have the ear to hear it; and if you don't well that's what playing with the track is here to do. So become your own teacher and scrutinize musical abilities. There really is no better way to learn music. .

Rock Star - Nickelback

Album: All The Right Reasons - 2005
Level: Beginners to Intermediate.

An old fashioned Rock song that has a good combination of open and barre chords. Timing is every thing so work on a right hand swing and groove.
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Teen Spirit - Nirvana

Album: Nevermind - 1991
Level: Beginners to Intermediate.

A song that requires a lot of power chord shifts. Learn the fret positions and then laser the changes with your eye, ahead of your hand. The shifting hand should slide into perspective.
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Layla - Derek & The Dominos

Album: Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs - 1970
Level: Beginners to Intermediate.

The main guitar interest about this piece, is its power chord intro. This was originally played by Duane Allman. The shifting of the chord requires one fixed left hand finger to slide up and down and with a little practise the quick release of finger one. Aim for slow coordinated practise as the right hand has some string skips to it. The extra piano coda has been left out here on purpose.
A song that requires a lot of power chord shifts. Learn the fret positions and then laser the changes with your eye, ahead of your hand. The shifting hand should slide into perspective.
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Bad Things - Jace Everett

Album: Old New Borrowed Blues - 2007
Level: Beginners

This is song craft at its best, simple chords and lyrics with wich to evoke strong emoptions. It also helps to have it as the lead song for a HBO series called True Blood. This is a great vehicle for practising open and barre chord changes, along with basic time keeping.
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Blaze Of Glory - Jon Bon Jovi

Album: Blood Money - 1990
Level: Beginners

This song is an introduction to what I call the cowboy chord switch. Basically a G to C chord however with the bottom fingers being held in place, thus creating a suspension over into C major. This trick is used in guitar a lot and so is worth learning, from Oasis to Pink Floyd, lots of songs use it. The main melody has been extracted for a painless way of exploring the fret board outside of first position.
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Day Tripper - The Beatles

Album: We Can Work It Out(Single) - 1966
Level: Beginners

This icon riff utilizes the tension between the flat and natural third of a chord. (G to G# of E) This great sound is worth learning and using for soloing and gives you an authentic blues edge in the style of Eric Clapton or B.B. King. The chord section is great start for palm muted power chords, A.K.A chugging. This technique is now a staple of Rock music and is worth learning. Karate chop the back of the guitar just after the bridge and strum down forcefully. The key is to get a half muted sound, so move the chop forward and back until you find the sweet spot that lets the strings still vibrate. Best guess the riff in the M8 was a spliced tape then sped up to achieve the V chord, this was a favourite engineering trick of George Martin's.
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Russian Roulette - Rihanna

Album: Rated R - 2009
Level: Beginners to Intermediate

This song has some great chord changes to it, along with a catchy groove. I use it to introduce two tricky chord shapes: half diminished(m7b5) & full diminished. As they are symmetrical chord shapes its possible to move them up every three frets to get another version of the same chord. So trying playing these piece in other positions. Along with the other barre chords this song is relatively challenging for the left hand.
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Learning to Fall - Chickenfoot

Album: Chickenfoot - 2009
Level: Intermediate.

This is classic Satch, chords twists, inversions and suspensions. What isn't is his choice of a detuned guitar(Eb). So I have transcribed this as if in normal tuning. We have an slash chords here an Am/c chord; just an A minor with a C in the bass. Coupled with a 9th suspension or a B added to the chord. This song is great practise for ballad style accompaniment.
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Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix

Album: Are You Experienced - 1967
Level: Intermediate.

Whilst not strictly speaking a chord sheet, everything you need to play along with this track has been reduced into 1 page. This is not a full transcription rather a crib sheet for getting up and playing fast. This piece has pentatonic licks and the now infamous E7#9 chord shape all of which are important to learn and get under the fingers.
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Blacknight - Joe Bonammassa

Album: Sloe Gin - 2007
Level: Intermediate.

This ballad blues is a great introduction to innovating the 12 bar progression. The use of chromatic climbing notes has become a hall mark of Joe's style. There are lots of changes and barre chords to get into in this piece.
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Snuff - Slipknot

Album: All Hope Is Gone - 2008
Level: Beginners to Intermediate.

A love song with a twist. This song has a simple chord structure that slowly builds across the track. The guitars are detuned probably into C#. So I have tabbed it out to be played in A major. Slash chords and slight off beat accents are required to get this piece off the ground.
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Nothing Else Matters - Metallica

Album: Black - 1991
Level: Beginners to Intermediate.

This is now an iconic Metallica number, inspiration for which was taken from Hetfield's girl friend at the time and his classical guitar lessons. This has been simplified here to just chords. These can be played as open position grips or to introduce the basic barre chord shapes of A and E. Once these are mastered it is worth trying to playing along to the changes in a broken arpeggio style. The plectrum will follow the time signature, 6/8, so 3 strokes down the 3 strokes up. A great way to introduce young learners and their reluctant Moms to the Metal genre.
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Jolene - Dolly Parton

Album: Jolene - 1973
Level: Intermediate.

Buried in the mix is a very cool "Boom Chic" bass guitar part that does all the grooving for this country track. Isolate the bass part, all thumb, and then add in the other fingers. If you can google the half speed version as this clarifies the guitar part wonderfully.
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Eastwood - Brad Paisley

Album: This Is Country Music - 2011
Level: Beginners to Intermediate.

This is a great pastiche of Western film music cliches. What isn't cliche is the playing on this track. Some great guitar licks to lift along with Brad's almost free intro. The gallop rhythm kicks in after the intro and runs away from there.
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