You may very well share the same dream of many aspiring guitar players – to be able to sit down with a guitar and play something, by yourself, that sounds like music.
And you may have noticed that strumming some chords doesn’t really make a song (though it’s an extremely important skill)…
Likewise you may have noticed that hitting a couple of cool licks doesn’t make a song (though, again, it’s a great skill to have.)
But imagine if you could just sit down and play something when someone says, “Oh, you play guitar? Play me something.”
Strumming the chords to “Brown Eyed Girl” isn’t going to sound like much… much like playing the solo to “Texas Flood” isn’t going to sound like much.
Don’t get me wrong, those things are awesome and take time and practice and are not things to be abandoned.
But when you’re playing and you just want to “play something” it’s going to need to have all the elements of a song:
1. Rhythm – everything has to have rhythm because that’s where you hang the notes and without it everything will sound random to your listener (because it is random 🙂
2. Harmony – chords need to change (most of the time) or it gets stale pretty fast.
3. Melody – when was the last time you hummed a chord progression? It won’t happen so you’ve got to give folks something they can latch on to and that’s where melody comes in.
So strumming the chords to “Brown Eyed Girl” has harmony (chords change,) and if you do it right it’ll have some rhythm because of your strumming… but no melody.
Playing a bunch of sweet licks will have some melody (single notes) but no harmony and not a lot of rhythm unless you’re really on it.
I made this video with a little more in depth look at the 3 elements and a couple of quick ideas on how you can start to actually put them together.
If you have Acoustic Blues Guitar Unleashed, pretty much all of those elements are covered in great detail and even put together for you. If you’re an electric guy, in Blues Guitar Unleashed check out the Playing On The Porch lessons (they are near the end, but you can do them fairly easily if you’ve done some of the others.)
Regardless, here’s where to start by looking at the 3 elements and hearing what they might sound like on a guitar.
48 replies to "What Makes It Sound Like Music?"
would still like to see the tab written out for Albatross by Fleetwood mack,great tutor Griff keep up the E mails much appreciated. regards Terry.
Griff…I am a subscriber of many of your courses…how come you say the back porch course is just 9 bucks but when you go to order it it is 19 bucks??? What’s the skinny? JayDee
I just tried it and it showed up as $9 for me. It is normally $19, but that video is kind of a back door to the $9 price. If you can’t get that to work for you, either call it in or do it for $19 and then email the helpdesk to refund the $10.
Griff!! Something’s wrong, I cant buy the Playing on the porch. You goota make a fixee! I am sure your probably aware by now.
Thanks Teach! I’m starting to use the patterns in BGU Unleashed to build songs (very simple ones). Thanks for the info on the 3 elements and how to
build with them !!
There ain’t no money in it’ll lead you to an early grave. Mozart died a poor man. At the age of 35. Just play for fun and keep your job. Playing someone else’s music in some bar will get you nowhere. You’ll always be broke.
Funny Griff, I never looked ahead in my BGU book till I read this. Wow, Great stuff! I’m at lesson #22, and wished I had peeked ahead a little earlier. Going to sit down and read the whole book now.
IT’S GREAT GRIFF THAT YOU BRING THIS YP FOR STUDENTS THAT WANT TO WRITE, OR JUST LEARN A SONG. I HAVE DOZENS OF SOMGS THAT I HAVE WRITTEN IN THE PAST 40 YEARS OF PLAYING GUITAR. WHEN I WAS 16 I WAS UNDER A RECORDING CONTRACT WITH A&M RECORDS. WE HAD A SINGLE I CO WROTE WITH MY BUDDY HIT THE TOP 40 ON KRLA BACK IN THE 60’S WHAT A GREAT FEELING TO HEAR YOUR SONG ON THE RADIO. WE HUNG OUT WITH THE MONKEYS AND THE LAUREL CANYON CROWD. ONE SONG I WROTE , CALLED THE “GIRL I LOVE” DAVY JONES WANTED TO RECORD IT AND PROMOTE ME BUT THE INDUSTRY BACK THEN WAS CUT THROAT. I HAVE SOME OF MY OWN DEMOS I WROTE AND PRODUCED AND DID ALL THE RECORDING AND ARRAGMENTS. USED A KEY BOARD FOR THE INSTRUMENTS, STRINGS ECT. IF I HAD YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS I WOULD SEND YOU AN MP3 OF A COUPLE OF SONGS. THERE NOT BLUES SONGS. ONE COULD BE REARRANGED TO SOUND BLUESY. THANKS GRIFF. YOUR THE MAN!
I just requested the “Playing on the porch” package. I have your “Strum & Rhythm Mastery” but something has happened to the CD/DVD package. I have the note book but would like the CD/DVD’s tat go with it. I thought that you might send them with the Play on the Porch. Thanks for what ever you can do.
thank”s griff…still working on the B.B.G..but never thought about the big 3 until now..wow i love it..always looking forward to your blog”s and videos thank”s again
hi Griff I would like to order playing on the porch for $9 but I can’t find out how to do it on mine eitherand thank you for all the teachings
Yeah this is very good get the course 2006 blues guitar unleashed 2006 hey its 2015 . Wow thats 19 years seriously folks dont let that scare ya away . If you want to write music this is a good place to start . theroy technic and composition doesnt change much just new songs . I have not been here for 19yrs but about several er so UM BRA LATE
Hey Tony, Have you been lost? 2015 vs 2006 Is only 9yrs in my math class!
Hi Gale, glad you Spotted that maths mistake, I thought my mind had gone.
You should put the guitar down for a while and work on your math buddy. LoL!!
Maybe English lessons instead of guitar…
Hi Griff,
Sorry I called you Greg! It’s early and I went to bed real late!
Hi Greg,
Thanks for the tips. The link for Playing On The Porch does not work. Peace+Joy+Love
Hello Griff. Love your daily messages! As a newbie I just gotta let you know how impressed I am with your skill and dedication as a musician and teacher. I feel so grateful that out of a bottomless pool of online teachers I managed to find you- at age 62!
Hi Griff,’
I would like to order “Playing on the Porch” for $9.00 but can’t see where to do that. Thanks very much. I have enjoyed your videos very much.
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thanks. very fine article…keep taking place the good work
Hi Griff, I purchased this course, got it down and learnt it and it is amazing how many songs are based on this format, just love it, with as little imagination the possibilities for expanding the basic format are endless unless you want to get into the technical side of music.
Hey griff great stuff. I tried to purchase the on the porch lesson for 9.00 but it keep coming up as 19.00 am I doing something wrong
Harold
Hey Griff,
The idea is to keep it a secret that you can play the guitar for as long as it takes for you to get better and better. I tell all my friends that I am learning the guitar. I know quite a lot to start to show off but I really Like the Porch idea which I will take up once I get through all the other lessons.
Keep up these great tips and lessons I am always in front of my laptop at night with my Telecaster practicing with your videos like this one.
Michael. Sydney Australia
Tried to purchase “Playing on the porch” couldn’t get confirmation with either Paypal or MasterCard…….disappointed
Regards
Ross
Could you comment on the correct approach to jamming with other guitarist or musicians. I know it’s very much like a having good conversation with friends but what are the rules. Is it counter productive to jam with musicians at different levels of ability? I have found that my own ability has increased as a result of a jam session like this. It is also a horrible experience when each of the musicians are into different types music.
Music is in the mind of the beholder. I was “noodling” on my guitar and a friend asked my to play an entire song. I proceeded to play Freddie King’s Hide Away top to botton which he didn’t get. He then asked me to play a real song—real song??? I played a few more blues songs but he was still unimpressed. So I then played the intro to Stairway to Heaven and he got a big grin on his face. Go figure.
I too have Blues Guitar Unleashed on disk but would rather have it all set up on a memory card or USB so it would be much easier to use in a jiffy as I am accumulating more disk than I can keep track of and it is a real pain in the butt to load and unload when you could get it in an instant with a one source memory card. Is it possible to copy all my disk on a memory card where I could in effect library them for instant recall?
Hi Griff
hey if I buy the electric blues unleashed I get a dvd sent to my house correct ?
with a book etc. ?
regards Steve Watson
Gladstone qld Australia 4680 how much is it etc. ?
Thanks for the blog. I am currently working on both your electric guitar and your acoustic courses. Love it all
I’ve seen most of what you break out from all the “Greats” and am amazed by how you can break it down and put it into a form we can understand. I appreciate all that work, but I have yet to see you break down your solos that you did during competition, which by the way you should of won. I don’t get it, I don’t know what criteria is used, but obviously it is not based on skills, not context, or shredding like a champion. I believe there is more to it than that which a lot of men would shy away from. Anyway, your licks and sounds equaled and in most cases surpassed anything I have yet to hear. Of course I haven’t heard it all, I’m only 70 years old, but you simply blow me away and your clear and concise lessons do the same. I have learned a lot from your Guitar Theory Made Useful, Soloing Without Scales, and am now delving into Blues Guitar Unleashed. I wished I had have had this available 50 years ago and now you might be hi-lighting me in one of your eMails or Blogs. Anybody that wants to play guitar owes it to themselves to skip all of the wasted time and space that can be found on line, whether or not it is simply for “Playing on the Porch” or to be the next Eric Clapton, or better yet, Griff Hamlin. I’ve seen them all, but this is the only guy that can bring that which is truly necessary in a format that you can understand and use. Do yourselves a favor before you reach my age and wish you had been smart and done it sooner. Good Luck and Happy and contented years of doing what you want most: Playing the Guitar!
Looks like the purchase here disappeared! Can we still get this?
Click on the blue underlined words above that read “here’s where to stat”!
Griff,
Can’t see how to purchase “Playing on the Porch”!
Peter
Click on the blue underlined words above that read “here’s where to stat”!
Griff
I am primarily into rock and roll oldies from 60’s to 80’s will this lesson help me improvise.
Ken
Thanks Griff ! I’ll check it out in my blues g-leashed lessons.
I bought Guitar Unleashed, and would prefer to access it online, rather than dig out the dvd. How can I do that?! Thanks. (I really enjoy your style!)
I agree Shelle it would be nice to view the lessons online…I have an hour for lunch it would be nice to see the lessons without carting the DVDs to work.
Awesome bro..been playing and recording mostly gospel and contemp. Christian for yearws but we al nweed to get back to basics and purity to make good music..send me all you can please and thanks
In between learning to play songs I really like I do a lot of creating of my own. Sometimes I will play a chord and I am able to build around that, or maybe I will be fooling around with a bass line and I build around that. A lot of times after getting through the core of the song I am creating, and these are instrumentals, I will get stuck at the bridge, meaning creating a bridge that sounds good and matches the song. I use jazz chords a lot and I normally have the pick and three fingers that I use in some of these songs. Some times I will be walking around outside and I will get the idea for the bridge, and if I am lucky and don’t forget what the idea was, I get to create the bridge and make a complete song. I have songs that have sat for months where I have the core of the song done but haven’t come up with the bridge yet which is very frustrating, fortunately I am improving, slowly…..
this is basic and done well . every person learning, this so important to learn . i have been playing now for 40 years didnt know this till 15 years ago . didnt learn it here joined a band and the lead guitarist showed me how using this very form . just learning to put the minor and major scales together . Griff you are the teacher i wish i had you for a teacher at 15 . God would i be something now .
Hi Griff. I have both Acoustic Blues Guitar Unleashed and BGU. Will this course add anything to those? Regards
As always great info im really struggling with my guitar playing but i know if i push through everything will be fine thx griff have a great wknd
Not much other than a couple of licks perhaps. Most of this stuff is covered in what you already have and you have much more besides. This is meant to be an introduction and a starting point.
Griff, thanks for your candor !
GRIFF LET US THINK ABOUT THE OTHER SID OF MUSIC [HEALTH].TO PLAY HELPS YOU IF YOU HAVE DEPRESSION .YES BLUES YOU LET THE FEELINGS OUT .ITS LIKE GETTING A NEW LIFE EACH TIME YOU PLAY YOU RELASE STRESS. COULD YOU WRITE SOMETHING ABOUT THIS.AND HOW TO KEEP YOUR HANDS IN GOOD SHAPE. WHEN YOU HAVE HAND CRAMPS HOW TO HELP FIFGT THE CRAMPS.SORE FINGER TIPS HOW ABOUT FINGE EASE?I AM A VIET NAM VET AND HAVE PTSD.THE ONLY RELEAFE I CAN GET IS TO PLAY AND NOW AGENT ORANGE AND OTHE HAND PAIN HAVE STOPED MY PLAYING ALL TOGETHER. SO NOW AFTEWR 55 YEARS OF PLAYING GUITAR WAS MY GREATIST GIFT.