Using What You've Learnt?

Part of how we measure our success on the guitar is through an ever-growing bank of famous riffs, licks and lines. Such a repertoire is essential. But have you ever wished that you had been the player to pen those immortal notes? The chances are you've been sitting on a potential gold mine of new ideas all along.

It is not unusual for us guitarists to learn so many big money guitar parts and then keep them 'filed' away under the repertoire section of our brains. If we could only tap into that and absorb some of the magic into our own playing that would certainly be something, right?

Let's take a brief look at some tips for adopting and adapting what you learn into your own playing - essentially 'syphoning off' some of the musical essence from your favourite guitar lines and songs for your own wicked ends.

Lucky for us guitar players, a shift in key is often as easy as moving our chosen riff up or down a given number of frets. But perhaps you you take an open chord based progression and figure it out using closed position chords?

Try taking a solo, or single phrase from a solo, and shift it's key. This process is key (no pun intended!) to changing the way you think about the material you learn and its potential.

How about a different position? If you've learnt yourself a killer riff or lick, how about taking it to a new part of the neck? If you're not familiar with your fretboard, you may have to rely on your ears, but this, in itself, is a valuable way to get closer to the music.

Like the chord voicing in that song/riff? Take the same approach. Once you've reworked it into a new position its yours!

This is a simple way to create new riffs and licks from your existing repertoire. Try taking a well known riff and simply strip the rhythm and groove away from it. Once you're playing it in steady 1/4 notes; try adding your own rhythm to it. Better still - change the inflections and dynamics; add hammer ons, slides and bends where there were non. Change the tempo, or start the riff on a different beat.

Instrumental guitar king, Joe Satriani swears by this method and developed many of his melodies and top 40 hits by recycling his old repertoire of blues licks.

As a reverse approach to the above tip; if the lick/riff you've learnt has a rhythm or time feel to it that gives it that special edge - steal it! That's right, try taking that same rhythm and applying it to your improvisation/solos. Maybe you've been trying to come up with an original idea and something is missing? Try applying your 'stolen' rhythm to it.

Take the 'contour' of a melody or lick and apply it to your own ideas. This is easier than it sounds - look at where the lick ascends or descends and mirror its movement.

This is a fun one! The more you dip into other playing styles and genres, the more you realise how much they have in common. If you're a rock player then drift over to a country or jazz lesson, pick up a few licks and then give them some rock treatment - big vibrato, overdrive etc. You'd be amazed at the new life these lines take on with the right creative 'colouring'. Plus you'll undoubtably learn a new fingering or two in the process.

Got a metal riff or lick from a famous axeman? Try it with a clean tone, swing it, add chromatics and change the dynamics.

These simple ideas will help you rethink you current repertoire and squeeze all the potential out of everything you learn.

** Last edited 2/3/2021 **