String Theory Chords Media Library

Jimi Hendrix "Hey Joe" Guitar Solo Slowed Down

Listen to the classic solo for "Hey Joe" by Jimi Hendrix. It sounds like it's all over the place, right? Now watch the video demonstration below and pay close attention to where his hand moves around on the fretboard...it's actually staying in almost the same place between the 13th and 15th frets the entire time!

The solo for "Hey Joe" is no doubt musically brilliant, but it's also actually quite simple. This video slows it way down for you and shows you the exact fingering positions for the entire solo including hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, etc. This is a great way to learn the correct notes before you begin to speed it up. Take the time to hit all of the notes and then continue to add in more of the vibrato and slides.

I'm sharing this video not only because it can teach you how to play "Hey Joe" with complete accuracy but also because it can teach you the fundamentals of soloing on the electric guitar. Although you can make it sound like there's a lot going on, you don't always have to be all over the neck. Keep it simple at first, learn to really work a solo between just a few frets and soon enough you'll be shredding like one of the greats!



Keep practicing and don't forget to leave a comment by clicking on the comment link or entering them in the form below!

How to Read Piano Sheet Music

This video provides a visually detailed introduction into reading sheet music on the piano. This lesson is intended for beginners on the piano and those who are new to reading sheet music.

Pay close attention to where the notes are located on the music staff. As you can see, note names move up the scale alphabetically as you move up the staff. After watching this video lesson, you should be more familiar with music notes and their positions on the piano keyboard and music staff.



Keep practicing and don't forget to leave a comment by clicking on the comment link or entering them in the form below!

How to Play Lead Electric Blues Guitar

How to the lead blues guitarists do it, they make it look so easy!? -- Here's how.

This is an excellent video tutorial on soloing the blues in the style of BB King on the electric guitar. Blues soloing is comprised of various blues chords (which he demonstrates) and rhythms along with fills and solo licks made over those chords.

What I mean by "solo licks made over those chords" is positioning your hand as if you were to play a chord and then hitting notes which are a part of the pentatonic scale which makes up the chord. Put more simply, you just hit notes which sound appropriate to the chord (typically one or two frets up from the fret you are basing the bar of the chord on). This will take some practice to learn which notes sound right for the chord and which do not if you are unfamiliar with music theory.

Practice the different chord shapes and blues licks that he employs and then begin adding in some vibrato, hammer-ons, pull-offs and exaggerated bending. After you begin to feel more comfortable, start creating your own licks over chord patterns and see what you can come up with. This will help you to develop a more "improvisational" ear which is key to blues soloing.


Keep practicing and don't forget to leave a comment by clicking on the comment link or entering them in the form below!

How to Play Romantic Piano

Here is a nice introduction to improvising romantic-sounding music and songs on the piano. The first half of the video is more pertinent to beginning pianists. Practice moving through the C, Fm and G chords while improvising notes with the right hand. This chord progression is at the "heart" of many romantic ballads and songs.



Here are representations of the C, Fm and G chords that he uses in the video.

C


Fm



G


Keep practicing and don't forget to leave a comment by clicking on the comment link or entering them in the form below!

How to Replace Strings on the Acoustic Guitar

Here is a good video tutorial detailing proper string replacement on the acoustic guitar. All guitarists should know how to properly string their instrument as it can be very important to the longevity of their strings. This video aims to provide you with the tools and techniques that you need to lessen the stress of string replacement!

Remember to wind strings inside the tuning pegs (spin left pegs to the left and right pegs to the right when tightening).



Don't forget to leave a comment by clicking on the comment link or entering them in the form below!

Learn Blues Improvisation on the Piano

This short video tutorial gets into a bit of blues improvisation on the piano. By playing off a typical blues scale (such as C blues scale in this example), you can easily add in fills and improvise to create a nice blues solo improvisation.

This close-up look into blues soloing will teach you how to effectively take the concepts of blues improvisation to any type of blues music, just pick out the scale being used and have fun with it!



Keep practicing and enjoy and don't forget to leave a comment by clicking on the comment link or entering them in the form below!

Guitar Fingerpicking for Beginners

This video tutorial jumps right into fingerpicking for the beginning guitarist. It teaches you the terminology, notation and proper technique which first and foremost must be understood before you begin learning how to fingerpick.

Remember to start out keeping your hand steadily hovered over the strings and then naturally pluck each string with the finger directly above it without moving your right hand. After it begins to feel more natural, try speeding it up a bit while concentrating on keeping your right hand steady and making your fingers do the work.


Keep practicing and enjoy and don't forget to leave a comment by clicking on the comment link or entering them in the form below!