TrueFire's Guitabulary

http://truefire.com•truefire.com

Jonesing for a bigger bag of chops? Don't touch that dial ... tune in here for an eclectic series of TrueFire audio guitar lessons, with tab and notation, ranging across all styles, techniques and levels. WARNING! TrueFire podcasts may lead to excessive practice and grossly enlarged chops.

Last refreshed: July 22nd, 2025 at 2:02 PM ⓘ

Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.

Follow on

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

RSS

Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app

Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Blues Sixths

Chances are good that when Jimi Hendrix was playing timeless blues intros like the one presented in Ex. 1-which is similar to the opening notes of Red House - he wasn't consciously thinking, I'm now fretting the interval of a major sixth for two beats and then moving it down a half-step. But like great blues players before and after him, Hendrix used intervals of major or minor sixths all the time because these grips- when played with passion and conviction-have a mesmerizing, open sound. While ...

Dec 10, 2005•2 min

Allman To ZZ - Part 2

Another one of Andy Ellis' six-string history lessons, this 24-parter looks at slide playing from myriad angles, from Blind Willie Johnson's pocket-knife lick from 1927 to Jeff Beck's violin-like line on Beck's Bolero to Bonnie Raitt's thick-toned finesse. This two-part lesson hits the big names - Duane Allman, Cooder, Clapton, Walsh, Page- along with forefathers like Son House, Elmore James, Tampa Red and Robert Nighthawk. This stuff'll keep you busy for months. And if you haven't started slidi...

Dec 09, 2005•6 min

Allman To ZZ - Part 1

Dec 08, 2005•6 min

Eric's Essential Licks

Although he has known fame as a rock star, Eric Clapton has always remained planted in the blues. Here, Andy Ellis examines nine prime Clapton-isms, from a typical Bluesbreakers turnaround to the slippery bite of his Cream stuff to the stinging roots feel of his work with Derek and the Dominoes. Besides picking the pocket of one of the all-time greats, this lesson will help you add melodic interest to the blues scale. Tab, notation and Power Tab files available at http://truefire.com/list.html?s...

Dec 07, 2005•7 min

Barres Of The Stars

Many guitarists know how to play barre chords, yet few tap into all of the magic a 1st-finger barre can offer. Great players often use the 1st finger like a mobile capo, holding down two or more strings while the other three fingers create riffs and chords. Shane Theriot teaches you Star Barre examples from Keith Richards, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson and Allan Holdsworth. Tab, notation and Power Tab files available at http://truefire.com/list.html?store=audio_lessons&item=4128 (log-in to access ...

Dec 06, 2005•10 min

The Memphis Sound

Keith Wyatt explores the Memphis sound from the axe of Steve Cropper, who was the guitarist for Booker T and the MGs. First, he fleshes out the rhythm part of the classic Green Onions' by adapting the keyboard counter melody to go along with the bass line. Then, on Fig. 2, it's time for nasty, grits-and-gravy funk, working a bass line with syncopated chord figures. Relax your right arm, Keith encourages, and go for the pure soul. Tab, notation and Power Tab files available at http://truefire.com...

Dec 05, 2005•5 min

Robben's Universal Groove

With his stinging, soulful solos and flawless pocket, Robben Ford has an uncanny knack for making complex music seem simple. Conversely, the guitarist can elevate a mundane one-chord vamp into something divine. Perhaps this is because Ford has successfully tackled so many genres. What has Ford learned from all of his musical adventures? We're all playing the same things, he explains to our instructor for the day, Jude Gold. To prove that common threads abound in music, Ford will take a I-VI-II-V...

Dec 04, 2005•5 min

The Way to Ladyland

Revered as one of the best firebrand lead guitarists to ever strap on a Strat, Hendrix was also an innovative rhythm guitarist. Joe examines Jimi's chordal sensibilities, the likes of which you hear on quieter tunes like Little Wing, Castles Made of Sand," Have You Ever Been To Electric Ladyland and others. Hendrix took the standardized rhythm guitar language of R&B and mutated it into weird, wondrous new shapes. This lush, beautiful stuff from Joe Gore will spice up your ballad playing and ...

Dec 03, 2005•7 min

Voodoo Blues Scale

There's one fistful of notes that never gets old, it's the blues scale. Once it finds its way into the hands of a young, inspired guitarist, it typically stays there for a lifetime. Though the blues scale is timeless, many players yearn for ways to import new melodic colors into their blues-based solos. The simplest way to do this is to change one note of the blues scale, resulting in a soulful sound you may have heard in the playing of Hollywood Fats, Duke Robillard, Charlie Christian, and Larr...

Dec 02, 2005•5 min

← Prev

For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android