lordphobos

Roll With It (Prechorus)

So, almost all of this song has been covered now. One part that's missing is this dual guitar part pre-chorus, so today I'm going to fix that! 

I've covered both the high and low harmonies in this TAB and video.

When playing this song live, I stick to playing the high part as it's the more prominent melody, while the low part plays more of a supportive role. 

The trick with this one as well as any melodic part you learn is to pay close attention to the expression. ...

Terraform (Eagle Section)

Behold, a Twin Phobos guitar part!

This is a fun twin guitar lead in the middle of Terraform (starting at 3:12), when it starts to go full rock n roll. I call it the eagle section because there's an eagle right after it when the solo guitar kicks.

These kinds of parts are best appreciated when you hear the two harmony lines together, or else it sounds incomplete. To hear both, you can record yourself playing one line and then overdubbing the second. Or even better, jam with a frie...

Digitally Yours (Chorus)

Going to do a double post today to make up for the longer delay between posts. It's been crazy with the tour going on. Anyways, here's a fun quick one!

This chorus part serves as a call and response with the vocal melody. This means that the vocals and guitars take turns playing parts, as if they're having a conversation.

Pay close attention to the expressive techniques when doing this part, when to slide into notes, when to apply vibrato, etc.

TAB is attached. As always, dr...

Bright Blue Sky (Outro)

Hello Phobos Nation!

Today we'll be looking at the final outro chorus to Bright Blue Sky.

Throughout most of the song, the guitar doubles the vocal melody during the choruses. However, the last chorus repeats 2 times so it felt wise to switch it up so the double chorus builds in excitement and has some variety.

The chords here are Fmaj - Gmaj - A7#9, Fmaj - Gmaj - Amin7. I strum them with steady downstrokes on every 8th note.

The A7#9 chord sounds really gross on its o...

Bright Blue Sky - Prechorus/Chorus (Acoustic)

Sup Phobos Nation!

Here's something different to try, so bust out your acoustics and get your strumming hand ready.

It's quite simple really, there's just 3 chord shapes going on (low to high):

Fmaj7 - xx3210
Emin7 - xx2030
A7 - x02020

At the very end, there's a few syncopated shots of:

G11 - xx3213

The right hand is just strumming repetitive 8th notes. Every 3rd strum is accented giving it a more syncopated rhythm (this is shown in the first measure ...

Whisper on the Breeze (Bridge - First Part)

It's time to get jazzy! There are lots of smooth sounding chords in here, including 7ths and altered dominants. This creates the level sophistication and maturity that sounding jazzy requires.

This song is Whisper on the Breeze, so if you read this lesson out loud, please don't read it louder than a h'whisper.

Anyways, if I haven't turned you off with the J word, read on...

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Roll With It (Verse)

This week we have a double friendship. I say that because there's 2 parts I play through this verse, one through the first half, and the other through the second.

Part I consists of a few palm muted power chords that follow the chord progression: C#min - Bmaj - F#/A# - A - B. The neat thing is that the third chord has this "stretched power chord" thing going on. A power chord is usually 2 frets wide, but this one is 3. You can get some really great ideas and riffs going when you expand...

Polygon - Intro

Here's the kind of part you'll want to get the effects out for. Chorus, delay, and reverb are not necessary, but strongly encouraged if you have the means!

In context, the guitar in this part is all about providing the sophisticated harmonies that double the digital keys. There's a bunch of chords here, and the guitar plays partial 3 or 4 note voices. The chords are:

Cmaj7 - Ebmaj9- Gm7 - Abmaj7
Gm7/Bb - Cmaj7 - Ebmaj9 - Eb/F - F/G

The actual shapes themselves are very ...

Planet Bass (Fanfare Section)

Hey funk heads! Sorry this one is a bit late, I've been deep in tour mode but am still committed to getting these lessons posted.

I'm not really sure what this section is called so I have officially named it the fanfare section!

This part could have worked with basic major and minor barre chords, but I decided to write something with less conventional chords. The first one for example is an Abmaj, but I played an Ab6/9 chord. The chord in measure 3 in an F major, but fancied it...

ICQ - Outro Riff

Hey! Here's a really fun riff that builds up the epic outro of ICQ.

This could be a great way to practice alternate picking. Could be a great way to learn some A minor scale in the open position. Could be a great way to rock out and feel the power. Just kinda comes down to you and what you want to get out of this.

Pay attention to the rhythm here. This part is basically the same 7 note motif over and over again, each time with different ending notes. 

TAB is attached! ...

ICQ (Chorus Lead)

Surprise! There are two parts in this section of ICQ. Last week's rhythm lesson and this weeks lead are meant to be played together at the same time.

Of course's not practical for me to play both parts at the same time. At live shows I'll usually play the funky clean part, but I wish I could hire Phobos I to hop on stage and help out with this one. However, the guy hasn't played music in years. There's a lot of pretty crazy rumours going around, but I hear he's been living a simple lif...

ICQ - Chorus

It is absolutely bonkers that we haven't gone over ICQ yet, so I'm today going to fix this!

This is a funky rhythm section. It's all about getting the strumming and the muting right. Broadly speaking, I'm just playing common triad shapes on the top 3 strings while letting the right hand go ham.

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When learning these shapes it's important to  let your right hand strum more freely and not just be limited to the top 3 strings. In order to do this, take any unused fing...

Whisper on the Breeze (Chorus)

Do you like longer sustained spacey guitar parts? Well, here you go.

Do you have effects like delay, chorus, or reverb? Use 'em for this one. A lil' goes a long way.

The parts consists of a few simple 3 note chords that are sustained. These small voicings are part of much larger chords which are all outlined in the TAB.

The single note fills in the beginning and middle might remind you of a certain well known 80s song, drop your guesses down below. (HINT: it's easy)

R...

Strike a Pose (Verse)

Today we'll be looking at the guitar fills from this funky and spacious verse. There's a few gaps in between these fills, so don't doze off during the gaps. Remember, NEVER fall asleep while playing guitar.

If you go back quite a ways, you'll find lessons for the intro and chorus of this song.

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So basically, the guitar plays 4 little funky things during the pauses in the vocal melody:

Fill #1: you'll play these nice 4 string voicings on the high ...

Head Up High (Second Section)

Yo!

Do you like smooth chords with a contemporary sound? Warning: these chords are best performed and enjoyed by adults with mature sensibility and taste.

Like many of the parts I teach on this page, this one uses some extensive muting technique so that we get a good variety between the chords and a percussive, shaker like style.

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Chord-wise, there's a lot to unpack here. The first 2 triads I play in each phrase are Gmaj to Amin. However, both chords happen over...

Digitally Yours (First Verse)

Hello! Today we get smooth and jazzy with a few of the verse fills from Digitally Yours. A fun fact is that the working title for this song was Zip Zorp. In my head it's still Zip Zorp, so I almost named this post Zip Zorp.

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This section works by filling in the gaps between the vocal phrases with short fills. The majority of these are harmonized in 3rds. This creates one of my favourite sounds on the guitar (and one that's often underused!). One way to practice this style is to...

Atomic Karate (Post Chorus)

Here's one of my favourite brief sections in any TWRP song. It comes after the chorus to connect the music into the following section.

Warning, it's v fun to play!

Basically, there's these 3 note shots that alternate with someone playing a cool fill. This section happens twice in the song. The first time around, the guitar plays 2 fills. The second time around there's 4 fills, one taken by each band member. We'll be looking at the first instance today.

The actual 3 note shot...

Found Your Love (Chorus)

Chord time! Lots of chords too. I know you're going to love all of these chords. Check the TAB for the full list.

There are bigger and more complete versions of many of these chords, but in the context of the mix and the song it would have made the guitar sound too dense. So, what I did in this tune and in many others is to strip the chord down to only 3 or 4 strings, making it lighter and more manageable in the mix. Sometimes they may seem kind of random and out context without the bas...

Found Your Love (Intro)

New song off the new album time! Good news is that my regular camera is back working again, so the next few vids will look extra crispy :)

This is the main intro riff that happens twice, when the band first kicks in, and again during the bridge. 

I think this is a good example of (mostly) single note rhythm playing. It's there to provide funky percussive rhythm, since the keys/synths are sticking to holding longer sustained chords. Because of this, the rhythm of th...

Take Care Of U (Chorus)

Sup goofballs,

Went through the verse and intro of this track a while ago, and realized we haven't covered the chorus yet. So, here it is!

This part uses some very funky basic triads. For instance, the first chord Cmin7, I play the b3, 5, and b7 from strings 2-4.

Some of the chords at the ends of phrases (like in bar 4) are very Prince inspired.

The end (bars 15-18) is a straight up yacht rock feel. In the recording I tracked this separately on a distorted sound, but i...

Life Party (Bridge)

Here's the bridge to Life Party. This one is basically two separate sections, starting with a palm muting part and then higher up chord shots.

The verse and chorus of this song were covered quite a ways back, if you haven't learned any of this song yet I'd suggest starting there and then rounding it out with this bridge section after!

Honestly, not a whole ton to say on this one in terms of techniques. The latter chords are 3 note shapes taken out of a few different CAGED position...

Superior Moves (Verse / Chorus)

Here's an extra funky and tight sounding riff that the guitar and bass play together. Couple of tips to consider:

- There is a very very slight palm mute going on. It isn't to mute the notes as much as it is to make the notes sound quicker and more percussive.

- Not sure which notes to use downstrokes vs upstrokes for? Look at the rhythms on the TAB! The riff is in 16th notes and can be counted like (1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a). Note that happens on a downbeat or an & ca...

The Perfect Product (Verse)

This week we shall continue our discussion of excellent products and services. This is a very fun riff and I know you're going to have fun with it!

If there is one main concert behind this riff for you to discover and cherish, it's the use of open strings. In the song's key of E mixolydian, your open E, A, and D notes are all in the scale. So you can use them to your advantage! If you look at the last measure for instance, there's a while where the left hand is only playing half the not...

The Perfect Product (Chorus)

Happy New Year everyone!

This week I have a lesson you can trust. A lesson you can rely on. A lesson you can learn from. 

Just enjoy your time with it. 

A lesson you can love, a lesson you will like. I know you're going to learn from this lesson.

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This one is fairly straight ahead. Basically there's 3 chords here. E major, D major, G major. Think CAGED. The E and D chords are just 3 notes from the A position moved up the neck 5 and 7 frets:

0<...

Superior Moves (Guitar Lead)

Here's a Casiopea-inspired jazzy lead from Superior Moves. It's not as hard as it sounds, but the theory is pretty weird.

As far as the techniques go, pay close attention on which notes to slide into. Other than that, apply some nice vibrato to the longer held notes. Two little vibrato tips: don't start doing it until about halfway through the note's duration. Also, most people tend to do vibrato too fast so definitely err on the side of keeping the rate a bit slower. 

Vibrat...

Bright Blue Sky (Chorus)

Let's continue with Bright Blue Sky this week. I do hope the sky is bright and blue in your local forecast today!

You'll be doing a lot of bending in this. The guitar doubles the main melody, so it's important to listen closely to the pitch of the bends and make sure they're in tune with the vocals. If the bends aren't right and the guitar/vocals are off from each other, the whole thing can sound a little sour.

Most of this takes place in your classic A minor pentatonic shape: 2021-12-17 17:59:10 +0000 UTC View Post

Polygon (Chorus)

Here's the chorus part from our collab with Starcadian. The guitar is all about holding down the bottom of these thick, powerful chords.

Not a whole lot to say on this one, if you've played power chords before then you have the basic technique and knowledge to play this part. There are a few particular things I'll make notes on though:

- There's a high up 3 chord shot in the middle, across strings 2-4. It's nice to put some muted strokes in between these to make it sound looser in...

Disco Volante (Outro)

Hey folks! Sorry for the delay here, things got a little crazy with the tour.  I'll be posting this lesson today to make up for last week, and will post another at the end of this week as well.

This has always been an under-appreciated part in my mind because of its simplicity, and also because of it being in a section that only happens once and fades out. But I think the understated nature of it is super cool, because it leaves you wanting more. Not to mention it has kind of this ...

Bright Blue Sky (Verse)

Here's a new one for you all. Hope you're excited for the new record. I know I am!!

This riff can be broken up into a few ideas or motifs. A good riff can be thought of this way, where you have a few short ideas (3-6 notes) and the order of them is shuffled around. You can learn this riff by breaking up this way as well. Below are a few of these motifs:

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------3-----3---
-3-5---3-5-----

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Pets (Verse)

Here is a fill based part from the verse of Pets. Basically the concept was for the guitar to play when the vocals aren't singing, filling in the gaps. In the video I'll outline a few of the zones where the fills originate from in terms of pentatonic/CAGED positions. These are very fun licks you can bust out in front of friends, family, or at your local guitar center.

TAB is attached. Drop your Q's down below, my sweet butter phiblets.

PS - Also if you haven't already, check out t...