Sean & Stefan’s Neighborhood

The topic today is guitar – specifically the kind that plug in. Why? Because it's my birthday and that's what I want to blab about.

So anyway, here’s an easy lick that enables even intermediate level guitar players to readily throw some ripping scale runs into their improv playing. It goes through 24 notes just to ascend a single octave, so it’s a great way to add a bar of shred while relocating to a new position on the fretboard for the next part of your solo.

It also sounds pretty damn slick.

But what’s really nice about this riff is that it only uses the first and second strings and the exact same frets are used on both strings. That makes it easy to remember and easy to execute.

We’re in everyone’s favorite shredding key, E minor, which is spelled E, F#, G, A, B, C, D. Begin on the E note located at the fifth fret of the B string and then ascend the scale in six-note stairs.

EminLick001

I’ve tabbed it out in the example above as a legato riff, which really makes this lick haul ass. To play it this way, pick only the first note in each triplet, then hammer-on the next two notes. The result is a fast, fluid run of notes that also looks cool as you play it.

This pattern also makes a terrific alternate picking lick. Start with a down stroke and use an “outside” picking style by alternating up-down-up-down all the way through.

Once you’re comfortable with all four positions, start adding some spice by mixing them up all over the place. The results can be pretty cool. I uploaded a full sheet of tablature examples with this post to help get you started. Yay! FREE TABS!

Simple-Em-Shred

Mom made us all Pancake David Ire for breakfast....yummy!

Mom's a great cook!

My dad just made everyone snow ice cream. Um...we all loved it! 

Dad's home made snow ice cream

We wanted to get something for my mom that she hasn't had in a while.
We ate getting Italian from the Olive Garden....

Olive Garden

Say No to the RED BUCKET..

"But I do not. I do not ring the bell for the Salvation Army. I do not donate to the Salvation Army, because the Salvation Army discriminates against gays and lesbians in employment, works to defeat civil rights measures that protect gays and lesbians and promotes position that gay relationships "do not conform to God's will for society."

Our plane was supposed to leave for Dallas, Texas at 05:15pm. We didn't get to take off until after 10:00p.m.

delay after delay :(

After arriving in Dallas we actually sat on the tarmac for over 2 hours because it was too icy for the plane to pull up to the gate! UGGGGHHHH....so aggravating!

wait after wait

Our plane in Dallas to Lubbock got cancelled. Thus, we had to get a motel and once we arrived for our flight we were told the plane was overbooked! We had to rent a car at the Dallas airport and drive to Lubbock ourselves. It cost over $800 but I was determined to get home to see my family! The drive to Lubbock was sooooo horrible. We drove about 10 miles per hour for nearly 3 hours because the roads were so bad. 

Yikes...we have a long way to go to Lubbock!

James and I are at my parents house enjoying coffee and good conversations.

I am still at work on Christmas cards.  (On Facebook, one friend wrote me she had just given up!)  And I notice that I am sending out quite a few more than I receive.  In this regard, I think my wife does better--getting more than sending, and it seems to me, is better able to keep up to at least this degree friendship or relationship from many decades past.