Tore Up A Sidestep

Intermediate Grade 4 Blues Guitar Studies
1

Explore making your own riffs and sidestepping into chords - all in a 16 Bar Blues progression.


View the full lesson at Tore Up A Sidestep | JustinGuitar

2

I wish he would do a count in for all his short study pieces, makes it easier to practice along with him. Great lesson though! Thanks Justin.

3

Hi,
Am I correct in assuming that this riff is played over (in my case) a 12 bar blues chord progression just like the solo is in the Beginner Blues Solo lesson ?
I guess, what I’m trying to understand is where and how this riff would/could be used.
Could it form the backing track/chord progression over which the solo is played or is it meant to be played over a chord progression ? Indeed, would/could it be played over a chord progression with the solo in turn played over the top of both of them ?
Hopefully this makes sense to someone who can then shed some light on it for me.
Thanks
Jon

4

This riff follows the chords of a 16 bar blues form, it’s up to you how you want to use it.

  • It can serve as a standalone rhythm piece to solo over.
  • It can be played in conjunction with another rhythm part, e.g. a second guitar playing the underlying chords on beat 1.
  • If you wanted to you could even pick out parts of the riff and insert them in a standard blues progression with power chords. I’m not sure if it would sound good, but there are no rules. Be creative.
5

Hi Jeff,
Thanks for explaining this.
Regards
Jon

6

Justin, I’m really glad you explained your picking technique on this track, it was really helpful!! I was doing exactly what you pointed out about “down and up”, which was causing my pick to get stuck just as you pointed out. The “in/out” really made a difference! Cheers!