You have probably heard me talk about phrasing on more than one occasion…

And I’ve certainly expounded upon the need to “leave some space,” in your solos…

But this lesson isn’t about that at all 🙂

In fact, the idea here is to keep playing steady 1/8th notes, don’t stop, and still hit the target.

What’s the target, you ask?

The root notes, or any chord tone will do… but in this video we’ll stick to the roots. And until you’re good at it, I suggest you do the same.

Hope you dig the video!


    12 replies to "Playing Steady Eighth Notes To Improve Your Aim"

    • MichaelD

      Love this lesson. Actually I love all your lessons. I am so new to guitar learning that I actually have a hard time hearing the chord changes as they come by. I was wondering if I were to put the baking track on and just wait to hit the chord root notes as they came up, would that help me to begin to hear the chords as they change? Or maybe you have a better way for me to achieve that hearing of the chord change.

    • juan

      great great lesson..you explainedit so well,thank you so much for your lessons,

    • NY Rob

      Lately you have been delivering lessons that have hit my level of playing exactly. It’s exciting and, as you mention, it improve my soloing. The exercise is helpful but also makes me learn where notes are on the fret board. Thanks.

    • Gordon Greaves

      This is really helpful again! I have been playing the Let It Be solo and I realize just how important, and how difficult, it is to hit these notes on the chord changes – and particularly as the chord changes within each barre.
      This is the kind of practice technique that really improves my playing!
      Thank you!

      • PAUL

        Learning to play COMFORTABLY KNUMB BY PINK FLOYD. The solo, just gose with the root notes also. took me awhile to get it, but this was easy. Thanks Bro.

    • Bob Kizik

      Thanks Griff, this is awesome. I’m steadily working through the Easy Blues Solos but lately I’ve been asking myself where I need to be on the fretboard when the chords change.

      In the past, I self taught myself 12 bar blues/intros/turnarounds/outros/etc and joked that I would be rhythm only, never lead. Really glad I found BluesGuitarUnleashed!!!!

    • TC Morris

      Your 5 easy blues solos is great now wow your 5 more easy blues solos are really toasting keep up your teaching thanks T C

    • Jennifer

      Thats cool👍. In 50 some years of ‘just’ noodling out the blues, I never really thought consciously about landing on the note at chord change. It sort of happens a lot organically, but actually thinking about the pattern to get there is pretty cool.

    • Ronald Larson

      I’ve been playing guitar for a long long time. This is a very useful exercise (and musical!). Thanks Griff.

      Interstate Slim: Nice way to augment this exercise working up and down the neck, very useful, thanks for commenting!

      My practice never stops now that I’m retired! In my next lifetime I hope to be a descent guitar player. Lol!

    • Bill

      I really appreciate this particular lesson. My musical life started as a sax player (and still think like one). This lesson struck a “chord” with me. I started to play guitar after I was already pretty much a very accomplished wind player. This has shown me a way to _not_ think chromatically and hits the mark, with me anyway, on something I had been not getting a grip on with soloing. I’ll probably spend a lot of time on this one. Pretty sure it will take out some awkwardness soloing over chord changes. I’ve found myself sort of hanging myself up when I’ve been more or less stealing a lick that doesn’t always work over the progression that’s being played. Maybe I didn’t articulate my comment very well, but this has opened my ears to what I’ve been missing. Thanks!

    • tony

      Had 4 guitars a bass a drummer all playing last night and tried hard to do exactly what your lesson is about. It ain`t easy for sure . In that setting of course . Now and then it just works out nice.

    • Interstate slim

      Thanks for the lesson, I have a fast paced backing track I do this with in the key of E. I try to hit the target notes all up and down the neck in an effort to learn where all the roots are. Has helped as a change of pace to my regular practice when I’m not feeling so creative. Enjoy your day.

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