C minor backing track (130 BPM), inspired by Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler, Fleetwood Mac, Chris Rea & other classic blues-rock tracks from the 70s and 80s. It fits the blues guitar solo I posted earlier. Enjoy! Maarten
I offer a high-quality (WAV + MP3) download of this classic blues rock jam track that you can use on your own social media channels. Get it here:
Original, classic blues rock instrumental and solo heavily inspired by Dire Straits (Mark Knopfler), Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton, and others. Enjoy!
This track in the key of C minor brings us the blues-inspired classic rock era of the 70s and 80s. The groove is reminiscent of Dire Straits, but more laid back. I’m a huge fan of Mark Knopfler’s playing, and – in that style – I tried to emphasize hybrid picking (playing with the pick AND fingers) and delicate details in the guitar playing while staying melodic and following the classic blues rock groove. The chorus has more of a Fleetwood-Mac vibe, with a recognizable motif of unison bends. The middle section is – again – very much inspired by Dire Straits. See if you can spot a reference to Dire Straits in the background 😉
A few times in this classic blues rock track, I play the above Cm pentatonic lick in the 8th position. This is a typical ‘reply’ or ‘relief’-lick in Mark Knopfler‘s playing. It serves to end a phrase or sequence in a solo. Above the tab, you can see which notes are played with the pick (bracket = downstroke), and which ones I prefer hybrid picking (H.P). Alternatively, you can play the 8th fret on the G-string with an upstroke. Play a little vibrato on the 10th fret of the D-string and pull-off lightly to end the lick.
I hope you enjoy this TAB and solo. Jam track is scheduled for release later this week,
Maarten
Add this fast minor pentatonic pattern lick to your solos! Includes TAB, and a lot of detailed information on the picking. Download the lesson PDF here:
In this video, you’ll learn a fast minor pentatonic lick in the key of B minor. This lick is built from a repeating sequence or pattern of notes from the B minor pentatonic. We’ll focus on the pattern in the lick, the picking pattern and I’ll give you some practice tips so you can start adding this in your own guitar solos.
Practice this lick slowly and pay attention to play it clean & steady. People like patterns in music, even non-musicians like hearing patterns, but to avoid sounding too formulaic, make sure you glue the patterns nicely together & look for a creative ending, that is perhaps a bit more melodic. Also, experiment with shifting the rhythm back & forth in the bar AND with filter-type effects like a WAH pedal. All these points are illustrated in the lesson video.
If you’re interested, I offer a high-quality version (CD-remaster) of this guitar jam track that you can use in your Youtube/Soundcloud/Instagram/Social media videos:
