DIY Guitar Tech

Lindsay Ell's rare combination of skills as a master guitarist, profound singer-songwriter, dynamic performer, and passionate educator power this fast-track, hands-on How to Solo Handbook. Leveraging years of experience and a deep passion for music education, Lindsay distills her unique teaching methods and TrueFire’s learning technologies to provide guitar students with an accelerated, immersive learning experience.“Okay, so you play guitar already and are now anxious to learn how to solo—awesome! I love soloing so much that it’s something I work on every day of my life. I’m excited to share with you the magical building blocks I use in my solos. The great news is that it’s so easy to get started.I’ve organized this handbook into three sections. We’ll start by understanding chord progression structures using “chord boxes” to lay out a road map of notes on the neck in any key.Then, we’ll practice the five pentatonic scale patterns and look at how they fit together over the chord boxes – giving us notes that are easy to find and sound great anywhere you play them in a progression.And as the cherry on top, we'll introduce major scale notes to add color to your solos. I'll reveal my hacks for identifying the key of any song, and we'll explore ways to infuse your soloing with that soulful, expressive touch.The best part? You and I are in this together. We'll jam through it all, practicing what we learn over song progressions I've crafted for this course, spanning various styles and keys. I’ve also included a practice journal with diagrams and tools to help guide your soloing learning journey.”The How to Solo Handbook will accelerate your journey in guitar soloing, using techniques developed by Lindsay herself. Here, every lesson embodies her commitment to nurturing and expanding your musical abilities. Join Lindsay Ell and tap into a wealth of knowledge, skill, and passion as you embark on a transformative guitar-playing adventure.You’ll have TrueFire’s interactive learning tools at your fingertips to customize your workspace and learn at your own pace.The demonstrations and performances are tabbed, notated, and synced to the video lessons with controls for looping, slow motion, fretboard animation, and other tools designed to accelerate your progress.You’ll also get the tab and standard notation files to print out, downloadable Guitar Pro files, and backing tracks to practice and record with.Grab your guitar, and let’s dig in with Lindsay Ell!

Q&A featuring Maton Guitars! This session includes TrueFire's own Joe Robinson talking about his signature Maton model; Maton's Head of Product Development and R&D, Patrick Evans; and Maton's General Manager, David Steedman. To learn more and watch the video from this live session, please visit truefire.com/live.Joe Robinson:Joe Robinson, at 29 years of age, has earned a reputation as one of the worlds great guitar players and a brilliant singer/songwriter.Born and raised in the Australian bush, Joe has lived in Nashville, Tennessee for the last decade and has performed or recorded with a long list of celebrated music icons including Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill, Kenny Rogers, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, Robben Ford, Keb Mo, Les Paul, The Wailers, Styx, John Jorgenson, Lee Roy Parnell, and friend and mentor, Tommy Emmanuel, CGP.Joe won the second season of Australias Got Talent, aged 16, and has since developed a worldwide touring career, performing over 2,000 concerts across the U.S., Canada, Europe, Japan, China and his native Australia.Considered one of the preeminent fingerstyle guitarists in the world today, performing complex arrangements that feature the bass line, chords, and melody all played simultaneously. Joe carries forward the legacy of legendary guitarists Chet Atkins, Merle Travis, Lenny Breau, and Tommy Emmanuel.Joe has released four solo albums to great acclaim and his latest release Undertones (2019) is a celebrated 12-song collection. Premier Guitar magazine observes Undertones proves he is far more than a flashy prodigy - Robinson has developed into an artist with a fully formed vision of who he is and where he wants to go. In an album review, Acoustic Guitar magazine noted the virtuosos latest is dense with brilliant moments, Robinson's guitar playing is what really does the talking.Joe was voted Best New Talent in the Guitar Player Readers Poll and his talents were further recognized by Guitar Player magazine as part of a cover story entitled Youth-quake 2017: Ten Mind-Blowing Young Guitarists. In the article, Guitar Player observes Robinson is equally mind-blowing as an acoustic fingerpicker and electric soloist - his YouTube videos display an astounding combination of taste, speed, cagey phrasing, and a clear, articulate, and sparking tone.In addition to Joes TrueFire courses, and Guitar Synergy channel - his educational platform, Joes12.com is a 12-week course that covers topics including practicing, songwriting, arranging, performing, touring, your why mission and features guest mentors including Tommy Emmanuel, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, Robben Ford, John Jorgenson, Rodney Crowell, Fred Gretsch and author/neuroscientist Daniel Levitin.

Matt Schofield, Josh Smith, and Jeff McErlain talk about their Two-Rock Amplifiers, give tone tips, and perform. For more TrueFire Live sessions, check out https://truefire.com/liveAbout Matt:Though he holds a British passport and is an inductee of the British Blues Hall of Fame, Matt Schofield has been making his mark globally as one of the top players in the new class of six string wunderkinds.The Los Angeles Daily News wrote, In Schofield, the UK has produced the best Blues guitarist from any country in decades head and shoulders above the herd, while Guitar & Bass Magazine rated him in the top ten British blues guitarists of all time ranking him with icons Eric Clapton and Peter Green.Born in the industrial city of Manchester and raised amongst the rolling hills and locked in time Cotswolds, Schofield began playing guitar at the age of 12.My dad relocated to America, but before he left he gave me a BB King video. I watched it before school every day; it was three or four tracks from a concert. Later, when I was in California with my father, he showed me BB King with Albert Collins and Stevie Ray Vaughan on video.It was like; Ive got to do this. Theres something about the way the three of them were jamming. B.B. really was majestic. As an 11-or 12-year-old watching him, I was mesmerized but didnt think there was any way I could ever do that. It was too special. But when I saw Stevie Ray Vaughan playing with him, I thought maybe I could. Stevie made it seem accessible to people. I taught myself, working my way through my Dads great blues record collection. I did my first gig age 13, and Ive been doing it ever since.At age 18 he left the countryside and moved to London. There, as a sideman, he was able to hone his skills as backing a great variety of experienced and well known artists of the British Blues scene, visiting American artists, as well start touring internationally. The introspective, well read (lover of science, history and philosophy) and passionate Schofield said, this enabled me to stay close to my roots while learning my trade and exploring a variety of musical frontiers.By age 25 I was starting to explore my own band projects. Although my formative guitar influences are the largely the old school blues players, I never wanted my own music to be constrained by a rigid formula, or even genre. I just want to play Matt Schofield music. Classic Jazz, funk, soul and rock and all the music I love have all found their way into it. The process of writing and singing has become increasingly important to me, and I feel its those other aspects of creativity that helped define my own voice on the guitar. Its always been important to find a context for the guitar to be part of, so that its not just guitar solos for their own sake.I remain a music lover first and foremost. The recognition Ive received from both fans and peers is humbling and inspiring, and those pinch me moments where I found myself trading licks with heroes like Robben Ford and Buddy Guy are still the biggest thrill.Now after five studio albums and a solid 10 years of touring with my own band, I have definite broader concepts I want to explore. Remaining open to where the music might take me while maintaining the excitement that improvising and collaborating with talented musicians allow, is key to me. My inspiration and goals came from many places: My influences old and new, including musicians I have wanted to collaborate with for years. Things I still feel I hadn't fully realized on previous studio records, and a need to keep pushing myself. It all meets at the place where Im heading now. Im always aiming to go as far as possible to capturing the same connection with the listener that I aim to make at a live show or on record. Thats the goal. Capturing that special moment."About Josh:Josh Smith was born October 7, 1979 in Middletown, Connecticut. Before he was 1, his family relocated to Florida, eventually settling in Pembroke Pines, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale. At age 3, he received his first guitar and at 6, he started taking guitar lessons.Josh was exposed to the blues at an early age. He listened to a variety of artists, such as Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Albert King and T-Bone Walker. He also started going to concerts, including the Allman Brothers, Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen.By 12, Josh was playing at established professional blues jams in South Florida, such as Musicians Exchange Café in Fort Lauderdale and Club M in Hollywood, FL.When Josh was 13, the Rhino Cats, house band at Club M, asked him to be the lead guitarist. Musicians Exchange owner Don Cohen was so taken aback by the talent of this young musician that he offered to help manage and develop Josh’s career.The Café was renowned for bringing in the best national touring blues bands, and Josh was quick to learn how to approach these blues greats, many of whom would invite Josh to sit in with them, thinking it may be a “novelty” to have a 14-year-old kid playing the blues. The novelty quickly wore off and was replaced by musicians stopping, watching and listening as this “kid” wailed out blues licks better than many of the touring guitarists on the circuit. Josh began sitting in with such greats as Jimmy Thackery, Tinsley Ellis, Kenny Neal, Lucky Peterson, Matt “Guitar” Murphy, Johnny “Clyde” Copeland, Double Trouble, Joanna Connor and Kim Simmonds, among others. Jimmy Thackery said of the 14-year-old, “Josh is three heartbreaks away from being a true blues guitar genius.” At 14, Josh released his first CD, Born Under a Blue Sign , and at 15, he released his second CD, Woodsheddin.While performing all over South Florida, Josh Smith and the Rhino Cats quickly became one of the most in-demand blues bands in the area. In 1994, while Josh was only 15, they received the Florida Jammy Award for best blues band and were selected as XS Readers Choice Winners in 1995 for best blues band. In 1996, then a senior in high school, Josh was put on the cover of the national magazine High School Senior , which hailed him as an “Up and Coming Guitar Legend.” That same year, Washburn Guitars Int’l recognized Josh’s talent and offered him an endorsement. They flew Josh to Chicago and guitar luthier Grover Jackson built him a custom guitar.Although Josh was an honor student, after graduation from high school in June 1997, Josh followed his heart and began pursuing what he was best at. His first national tour ensued with his newly formed power trio, Josh Smith and the Frost. Josh was now the band leader and vocalist, so he not only had to continue developing his guitar chops, but had to concentrate on his vocal prowess. In September 1997, Josh enlisted world-renowned producer Jim Gaines, whose credits include Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Luther Allison, Steve Miller and Jimmy Thackery, to produce his third CD, Too Damn Cold.By 1998, Josh had completed four national tours with his band. In January 1998, Billboard Magazine took note of the rising young talent in a Continental Drift article. In February 1998, Josh was asked to support B.B. King on a number of theatre dates. In March 1998, the TV show Chicago Hope purchased the rights to the tune “32 degrees” from Too Damn Cold . An international CD release, The Mentos Freshmaker Tour , included the title cut, “Too Damn Cold,” in the spring of 1998.Josh toured nationally all of 1999 and in October of that year, he entered the recording studio again with Jim Gaines and produced Woman , his fourth CD. This CD was released and well received in the spring of 2000. Josh continued to tour the East Coast from New York to Florida through 2001 with his band. In June 2002, he married and he and his wife decided to move to Los Angeles. Josh was ready for something new and wanted to be around a variety of musicians. He also began being a sideman.Within a year of moving to L.A., he was retained by Virgin recording artist Ricky Fante. He played nationally and internationally with Ricky for the next two years.In May 2006, Josh recorded his fifth CD, Deep Roots . A more traditional blues CD, his music was once again well received by Blueswax and Blues Revue magazine. Josh continued to play with a variety of artists, such as actress Taryn Manning, Universal hip-hop artist Benny Cassette and Tara Ellis, to name a few. In January 2007, Josh was hired by 2006 American Idol winner Taylor Hicks to be his lead guitarist. They completed two national tours from February-September 2007 with monthly dates and charity events until June 2008 when Taylor started Grease! on Broadway. In July 2008, Josh was hired by Raphael Saadiq. Since that time, Josh has played such high profile gigs with Raphael as backing Mick Jagger at the Grammy Awards in 2011 and the Kennedy Center Honors in December 2011. Josh continues to tour nationally and internationally with Raphael.Josh released his 6th studio CD, “Inception,” in 2009. This is an all-instrumental CD with a variety of genres that was once again well received by the public and critics alike.In 2010, Josh was signed to Crosscut Records, a label based out of Germany. Crosscut re-released Josh’s CD, “Deep Roots,” as “I’m Gonna Be Ready.” In October 2012, Josh’s CD, “Don’t Give Up On Me,” was released in Germany.Josh continues to live in the Los Angeles area with his wife and two children.About Jeff:Jeff McErlain is one of the rare musicians who can teach as well as he plays. This is borne out by Jeff being one of the most in demand guitar instructors as well as performing and recording with Robben Ford.Jeffs unique curriculum and method of teac

TrueFire presents an online music festival featuring 14 of its top educators: Shane Theriot, Johnny Hiland, Vinny Raniolo, Matt Schofield, Brooks Robertson, Kid Andersen, Robben Ford, Tommy Emmanuel, David Henriksson, Stephen Mougin, Steve Jenkins, Joe Robinson, Andy McKee, and Andy Timmons. Check out https://truefire.com/live for more TrueFire Live sessions!

Dave and Joel Hosler from Seven C Music talk about the role that guitar techs play, and how what technical skills you can learn to maintain your guitars! To learn more and watch the video from this live session, please visit truefire.com/live.For more about Seven C Music, please visit https://www.sevencmusic.com/

Corey Congilio talks with Universal Audio's own James Santiago and Tore Mogensen about Universal Audio's recording interfaces and software. To learn more and watch the video from this live session, please visit truefire.com/live.About Corey Congilio:Since picking up the guitar at age thirteen, Corey Congilio has been steadily forming a solid musical foundation built upon honesty, integrity and respect for his art form. Born and raised in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, Corey was exposed to music from his father, mother and guitar playing uncles. This exposure to music of all types at an early age, helped to lay a foundation of passion, versatility and appreciation of what music is, where it comes from, and what it should be.Realizing at an early age that music and the guitar would be his life’s focus, Corey moved to Pittsburgh, PA to attend the Art Institute Of Pittsburgh. There, Corey studied audio engineering but, didn’t get into music production officially until a few years after graduation. In the late 1990’s Pittsburgh had a vibrant music scene rich with blues, R&B, and original Rock. Corey shot up through the ranks by hanging out with the city’s best players who helped in honing his skills and overall musical maturity.In 2005, Corey produced his first EP for a local country artist and his love of the studio began to blossom. Corey became an in demand session player in Pittsburgh and began to produce projects for singer-songwriters. His projects ran the gamut of styles that showed off his ability on instruments other than the guitar.Over a 10-year period as an instructor, Corey has taught hundreds of students ranging in age, from six to eighty years old. A decade’s worth of guitar instruction helped to connect Corey to the world’s leader in online guitar instruction, TrueFire. Corey released his first official TrueFire course entitled, 50 Texas Blues Licks You Must Know, in 2011 and his fate as a worldwide guitar instructor was sealed. Since the launch of 50 Texas Blues, Corey continues to release top selling courses of all ability ranges through TrueFire.His passion for teaching and presenting lends itself to the world of musical instrument demonstration as well. Since 2014, Corey has been an artist clinician for the most iconic acoustic guitar maker in the world, C.F.Martin Guitar & Co.Corey moved to Nashville in 2013 and has quickly become a part of the town’s rich music community. Since moving to Nashville, he continues to broaden his musical horizons by performing with artists of all genres and participating in multiple recording sessions for songwriters and television.Corey’s latest EP “Well Suited” was released in 2016 and he is currently writing and recording more music for a future project.

PRS Guitarist Bryan Ewald discusses all things PRS, including the SE T60E Acoustic Guitar. Check out https://truefire.com/live for more TrueFire Live sessions.

Ariane Cap & Andrew Ford talk about their guitar lessons available on TrueFire, perform, and answer questions. To learn more and watch the video from this live session, please visit truefire.com/live.About Ariane:Born and raised in Innsbruck, Austria, Ariane has been musically active since the age of five, playing classical piano and the recorder. She entered the Conservatory of the Land Tirol at age 6, where she studied the piano and the flute until the age of 18. She started playing in local rock, pop and dance bands and picked up the electric bass and soon added the upright. She entered the Academy of Music Vienna in 1996 studying jazz bass and bass education. In 1998, she received a scholarship from the Academy of Music of Vienna in Austria to the University of Miami, where she spent a year in the graduate program on Austrian and US scholarships. She then received a teaching assistantship at the University of South Florida in Tampa, where she received her Graduate Certificate of Music.Ariane has studied with greats such as Victor Wooten, Steve Bailey, Chuck Rainey, Gerald Veasley, Kai Eckhardt, Kenny Werner, and others.Ariane has played in countless bands and projects in Europe and the US, enjoying eclectic styles. She particularly loved playing with bands such as the Mozartband (a fusion of funk, rock and Mozart featuring members of the Viennese Philharmonic), and the Celtic rock band Tempest, who she toured with for three years. Ariane recorded and toured with "kindie-rock" sensation The Sippy Cups, a psychedelic rock circus appealing to kids and their parents alike with jugglers, aerialists, and a rocking show, as well as The Palmwine Boys, who fuse acoustic African Palmwine Music with Americana. Ariane was part of the creation of Cirque du Soleil's adaptation of The Tempest, Amaluna, in Montreal.She is an experienced sideman as well, most recently supporting guitar virtuoso Muriel Anderson and the German flamenco stars Tierra Negra on fretted and fretless basses, or Cabo Jazz pianist Diego Rodriguez and vocalist extraordinaire Daline Jones. She recently recorded with multi Grammy award winning producer Keith Olsen. Current bands include Lara Price's Girls Got the Blues, an all-star female cast of Bay Area musicians including Janice Maxie-Reid, Pam Hawkins and Annie Sampson, as well as the platinum winning band Generation Esmeralda with Jimmy Goings. She plays 80's Rock and adaptations of game music with the band Raj and the Zenmasters.Ariane also performs a solo set featuring a genre bending selection (from Bach via Jazz to African World Music) of originals and covers performed on her effects and looping setup. Her latest project is a duo with Bassoonist Paul Hanson, the OoN Band (Out of Nowhere).The founder of "Step Up Music Vallejo," she is also an educator. She co-conducts bass seminars and rock camps all over the US, teaching along side Steve Bailey, Leo Nocentelli, DJ Logic, Dave LaRue, Carl Verheyen, Walfredo Reyes, and others. She regularly teaches at the Berkeley Jazz School and Workshop, in high demand for her "Pattern system" approach and her creative way of integrating music theory and ear training naturally. In 2014, she was selected by the prestigious Ucross Foundation to participate in an artist in residence program in Ucross, Wyoming. She used this time to write, compose and practice 11 hours a day and more.As a freelancing composer and sound designer, Ariane has turned out music and sound for hand held and online games for Wolf Track Audio, Karney Music, and Sound and Somatone. About Andrew:Andrew Ford is a bass player, composer, arranger, producer and educator. He has performed with legendary artists in almost every major genre of music, while also having a Masters degree in Education. He has recorded, toured, or performed with Al Jarreau, Whitney Houston, David Crosby, Robben Ford, Chaka Khan, George Duke, Gladys Knight, James Ingram, Israel Houghton, Dianne Reeves, Peabo Bryson, Patti Austin, Lynne Fiddmont, Christopher Cross, Jerry Butler, Michael McDonald, David Pack, The Emotions, Melissa Manchester, Brenda Russell, Phil Perry, The Stylistics, Larry Carlton, Oleta Adams, Jeffrey Osborne, Jeff Lorber, Deniece Williams, Randy Crawford, Norman Brown, Graham Nash, Boney James, Paul Brown, Kirk Whalum, Michael Paulo and many others.Andrew has taught bass at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood(BIT), Citrus Community College, the Los Angeles Music Academy, and the University of La Verne. He has also taught Music Business at the college level. He has written or co-written many songs, including "Flame" which is on the 2013 Grammy Nominated Al Jarreau project. Andrew has also had success writing for tv, with a number of songs in regular rotation.

Rob Garland & Andy Aledort talk about their guitar lessons available on TrueFire, perform, and answer questions. To learn more and watch the video from this live session, please visit truefire.com/live.About Rob:Growing up in England I worked in a diverse array of bands and performed on the London college circuit. Later I played hundreds of gigs at numerous festivals (The Big Muddy Blues Festival, Blues In The District, Washington Blues, etc). and at clubs around the U.S. with my group, Rob Garland & The Blue Monks, opening for artists such as B.B. King, Chuck Berry and Booker T. The band attained airplay on international radio and T.V. stations.I graduated from Christ Church College in the U.K. with a Bachelors degree in Music/Radio Film & Television. After moving to the U.S. I studied with jazz great Jimmy Bruno.Since being featured in guitar magazines, (Guitarist, Guitar One, Premier Guitar, etc), my first instructional book was published by Cherry Lane in 2007 which led to a wonderful relationship with TrueFire where currently I run an artist channel (Babylon), write articles for RIFF Journal, host live YouTube sessions and create instructional courses, such as the best selling Chord Navigator: CAGED series. You can check out my courses and watch video introductions on the Guitar Lessons & TrueFire Courses page of my website.I've been a guitar teacher for over 25 years and am very proud to be part of the faculty at Musicians Institute, in Hollywood, CA. I also teach private lessons from my home in L.A. via Zoom/Skype.Currently I play gigs with jazz/funk band Catatonic and my fusion power trio Rob Garland's Eclectic Trio at venues such as The Baked Potato, Vitello's, Alva's Showroom and The Mint. I've performed sessions at Los Angeles studios such as Revolver and The Village Recorder and co-written music for Bad Robot.I love writing, recording and releasing my original music ranging in genre from jazz/rock instrumental to acoustic vocal folk, which can be streamed on Spotify or downloaded on iTunes as well as numerous other digital platforms. Check out the Music page on my website for more information and links.In September 2018 I was honoured to perform and jam with legendary guitarist Steve Vai at the 'Big Mama-Jama Jamathon' in Hollywood, CA.Some of the amazing musicians I've worked with include Jimmy Haslip (The Yellowjackets), Andy Sanesi (Scott Henderson), Tony Newton (Gary Moore), Mick Stevens (Brand X) and Gus Thornton (Albert King).Endorsements include the wonderful folks at Bogner amplification, Xotic guitars, Curt Mangan strings, Chicken Picks and Moody Leather Straps.I love all different genres of music and am influenced by everyone from Joni Mitchell to Frank Zappa, via Prince and Black Sabbath!About Andy:Only a handful of people on the planet can deliver the instructional goods on guitar as well as Andy Aledort. Andy has served as senior editor for several top guitar magazines, has authored over 200 guitar instruction books, and has studied the styles and techniques of virtually every major electric blues and rock guitar artist in history. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone better qualified to present a more thorough guitar lesson curriculum than Andy Aledort.Over the last 10 years, Andy Aledort has sold over one million instructional DVDs, and continues to produce new DVD products for Guitar World and TrueFire. There are many additional Aledort products on the market available from other companies such as Hal Leonard and Alfred Music PubAledort has also been featured nationally on Comcast Music On Demand every day, seven days a week. All of the many different products he’s created for GW are featured, including excerpts from his Axis: Bold as Love and Electric Ladyland instructional DVDs.Aledort has been touring for the last eight years with Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers and plays slide guitar in the band. Additionally, he appears on the new “Dickey Betts & Great Southern: 30 Years Of Southern Rock” 2 Disc DVD and the double live CD, “The Official Bootleg”.Aledort regularly participates in the Jimi Hendrix Tribute Tours of the last nine years and is featured on the live Experience Hendrix DVD available from jimihendrix.com appearing with Paul Rodgers, Buddy Guy, Hubert Sumlin, Mick Taylor, Mitch Mitchell, Billy Cox, Robert Randolph and others. He’s also performed and recorded many times with Double Trouble, Stevie Ray Vaughan’s rhythm section of Tommy Shannon and Chris Layton. They appear with Aledort on a cut from his upcoming studio album.Andy Aledort performs regularly in the tri-state area with his band, the Groove Kings, and are looking to expand their touring parameters. They released an acclaimed studio album, Put A Sock In It, a few years ago, and released a equally highly-regarded live album, Live at North Star, in 2009.

PRS Guitarist Bryan Ewald discusses all things PRS, including the S2 Singlecut 594 Electric Guitar. Check out https://truefire.com/live for more TrueFire Live sessions.