Guitar Lessons by Brian

1. Who is Adrian Belew?
2. What is your favorite song on the recording?
3. What is your opinion of the song I’m Looking for a UFO?

Little Wing is a great song to learn to get a feel for playing ballads with an R&B touch. Other Hendrix songs in this style are May This Be Love, The Wind Cries Mary, Angel, and Castles Made Of Sand.

I think Jimi Hendrix’s version of Bob Dylan’s song All Along The Watch Tower may well be the greatest rock song of all time. Other great rock songs by Jimi are Crosstown Traffic, Are You Experienced, and Love Or Confusion.

Red House is a master piece of electric blues. Learn Red House and you will have blues licks you can use the rest of your life. Voodoo Chile is a great electric blues song also.

The best albums, in my opinion, are Are You Experienced, Electric Lady Land, Axis: Bold As Love, and Jimi Hendrix: Smash Hits.

When Jimi Hendrix came on the music scene in the 60s it was as if the aliens came to earth and dropped off a guitar player. Even the great guitarists of the time such as Pete Townsend of the Who and Eric Clapton of Cream were intimidated by this gifted guitarist. No one wanted to follow his act at the festivals because his act couldn’t be topped. Hendrix is known by the average listener as the wild guitar player that played Purple Haze and set his guitar on fire at Woodstock. But, Jimi was much more than that. He could play the blues like nobody and his chord soloing on ballads were unparalleled. Much is to be learned studying his playing. If you want to play rock guitar, learn All Along the Watchtower note for note. If you want to play the blues learn Red House note for note. If you like a clean soulful sound on ballads and rhythm and blues learn Little Wing, The Wind Cries Mary, May This Be Love, Angel, or Spanish Castle Magic note for note.

1. What is your favorite song on this recording?
2. What is your least favorite?
3. What role did George Martin play in The Beatles recordings?
4. Who is referred to as the fifth Beatle?

Merle Travis is credited with creating Travis picking. Other players were finger picking before Merle but he is credited for his particular style.

And something modern…

Howard is a swing and jazz guitarist. I fell in love with his playing after seeing the Woody Allen movie Sweet and Lowdown. Howard and Bucky Pizzarelli did the guitar work on the sound track. The sound track to Sweet and Lowdown is available on CD.

1. Who wrote the song I’ll See You In My Dreams?
2. What other musicians have recorded this song?
3. Name a few songs from The Great American Songbook that Howard has recorded.
4. Who is the guy playing guitar with Howard in the video?

1. Who is Wes Montgomery?
2. What style of music did Wes play?
3. What is unusual about his right hand technique?
4. What kind of guitar did he use?
5. Name a couple contemporary guitarists influenced by Wes?