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The #1 problem with Teaching Guitar- whether it be face-to-face or online- is that people will always have desires to play in different genres, and not every Guitar Teacher will teach you techniques that are specific to your genre of music.

When she was a teenager Joan Jett famously walked out of a Guitar lesson because her Guitar Teacher tried to teach her Folk Music. Little did he know that the soon-to-be “Godmother of Punk” had no use for Folk Guitar Techniques. She eventually self-taught herself rock-style guitar.

So to sum up, this article is all about genres, and being genre-specific with what you need to learn. Although all genres clash these days, and many phrases (such as: “rock and roll”) have become nothing more than umbrella terms, I have summed this up into 4 basic genres:-

1. Traditional Rock/ Metal 2. Modern Rock/ Metalcore 3. Jazz 4. Folk/ Indie/ Country

1. TRADITIONAL ROCK/ METAL

Traditional Rock and Metal guitar knowledge still applies to guitar playing today. They centre around the use of  electric guitars; making them sound big and powerful. Guitar solos are common in these genres, as well as intricate riffs and licks. Some of these bands made use of multiple guitar players (Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, David Bowie etc) whereas others stuck to just 1 guitarist and 1 bassist (Rolling Stones, Motorhead etc). In some cases the Lead Singer might play rhythm or bass guitar simultaneously whilst singing (Motorhead, The Beatles) or if they’re a show-off then they might even play the lead guitar too!

Here are the main things that you need to learn for this genre:

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• Standard Powerchords
• Single note techniques: Hammer-ons, Pull-offs and Bends
• Pentatonic Scales
• Combining Rhythm and Lead Guitars[/custom_list]

Power Chords

“Powerchords” sounds really cool, doesn’t it? This is because Powerchords do generally sound really cool when played. They get their name because they are usually played with distortion- so they sound very powerful. Standard powerchords are made up of 3 notes- the root note, the 5th note, and the root note again but an Octave Higher. So for example a Standard E powerchord would be made up of an E (root note) a B (fifth interval note) and a higher E (root note again). Powerchords are usually noted by the Note with a “5” after it (to denote that it is a fifth/ power-chord). So a E powerchord would be E5 and a C# powerchord would be written as C#5.

Powerchords only have 3 notes because of their tendency to be distorted. If they contained 4, 5 or 6 notes (like open chords)  then they would sound too thick and grungey. Some later bands did take advantage of the Grungey sound though- such as The Smashing Pumpkins, who often played open chords with distortion for a heavier effect.

Anyway- most chord progressions in traditional rock and metal will be made up of powerchords. I suggest you go and learn them! They are a moveable chord shape so once you’ve got them down then you’re sorted!

Pinch Harmonics are sometimes colloquially referred to as: “squealies”. This is because they make a squealy sound. Makes sense really!

They differ to natural harmonics- which are achieved by hovering your fingers over certain frets- because you fret normally and use your picking hand to cause the sound.

It can be difficult the master, but basically when you pick a note you just lightly brush your thumb against the string. You may want to adjust your plectrum-holding position for this as it could be difficult to strike the string with your thumb if you hold the pick near the top! Pinch harmonics are difficult so don’t worry if you don’t get them straight away!

Palm Muting

Palm Muting is widely used in lots of types of rock- for a variety of purposes- but it is very common in Hard Rock, Pop-Punk and Metal genres of the modern day. Palm-Muting literally involves muting the strings with the palm of your fretting hand. The result is a more “subdued” kind-of sound, which often sound ironically heavier- despite actually being less aggressive!

By: “palm” we don’t actually mean the palm of your hand- as in the middle of your palm. We mean more like the fleshy part of your picking hand that tends to rest around the bridge of the guitar if you allow it to. The main thing with palm muting is just muting the right amount. A lot of people over-do it when they first try, and literally mute the strings to the point of silence!

3. JAZZ GUITAR

I’m not gonna lie to you. Jazz Guitar is like seriously complicated. I have a high respect for Jazz Guitarists because they really have to know their game inside and out.

The amount of Chords and scales that these people know is ridiculous; and their chords are often very awkward and difficult to fret. Jazz timings by nature are also very complex and off-beat, meaning that Jazz Musicians often have very good senses of timing- a trait that is useful across all genres. Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlain was a trained Jazz Drummer for example; and his work with the Pumpkins was widely acclaimed for this reason.

Anyway I have tried to give you some very brief foundations on the complex topic that is Jazz Guitar:

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• Open 7th Chords
• Jazzy Ornaments[/custom_list]

Open 7th Chords

Finger-Picking

Finger-picking actually tends to involve your fingers AND your thumb, but unfortunately: “Finger and Thumb Picking” isn’t very catchy. It involves picking different strings with your thumb/ fingers. A lot of player use their thumb to pluck the bassier strings and fingers to pluck the higher ones. You can do various patterns, and pluck anywhere between 2 to 4 or 5 (at a push) strings in a pattern. Maybe even 6 if you were that gosh-darn amazing.

Finger-picking is very often done to the separate notes/strings of a chord. This means that the chord is this essentially played, but it is split-up into it’s separate notes and made to sound more interesting. A good example of this would be: “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)” by Green Day; which famously finger-picks standard G, C7, D and Em chords into a memorable rhythm.

So there we have! A very basic guide to the foundations of some different guitar genres! I hope this article has given you some guidance on what you need to begin learning for your chosen genre!