You’d only need fingers and toes to count up the number of guitarists whose sound is so singular that you’d recognize them immediately by ear alone. David Grissom would definitely make that list long before you even got to your toes. In fact, David’s tone, style and musicality is so distinct that it likely wouldn’t take more than a measure or two to crack a smile of recognition.
“David Grissom is a guitar geek's dream, an inventive player who combines power, finesse, theory and good taste into a disturbingly virile mix that straddles the line between beautiful abstraction and full-tilt boogie. Grissom is both virtuoso and journeyman, sideman and leader, merciless road dog and insouciant studio gun-for-hire.” - William Michael Smith, Houston Press
We are majorly stoked to welcome David to the TrueFire family. He’s been on our personal wish list for a very long time and he’s also one of the most requested artists on student surveys. All good things come to those who wait and indeed, Open Road Guitar is chock-full of very, very good things.
David has toured and recorded with Storyville, John Mellencamp, Joe Ely, Allman Brothers, Dixie Chicks, James McMurtry, Webb Wilder, Chris Isaak, Robben Ford, Ringo Starr, Buddy Guy, John Mayall and many other brand name bands and artists. He’s also got four critically acclaimed albums of his own under his belt.
Fortunately for we students of the fretboard, David is also a passionate and generous educator who is willing to pass on what he’s learned from his own mentors as well as lift the hood on the key concepts and techniques that he’s developed on his own.
“When I first started playing guitar there were very few places to go to get information. I'm still unlearning many of the things that I was taught very early on! I’m known for mixing styles, genres, cross-pollinating things into all sorts of situations that are not usually deemed conventional. Hopefully some of the things that I've learned along the way I can pass along to you in this course to help you along your own journey.”
David organized Open Road Guitar into two sections. In the first section, he presents the 25 key concepts and techniques that comprise his signature style: Hand Position, Picking Technique, Hybrid Picking, Hybrid Hammers & Pulls, Double Stops, Soloing with Triads, Vibrato, String Bending, Pedal Steel Style Bends, Pedal Steel Licks in Other Styles, Using the Thumb, Texas Shuffle Feel, Pedal Tones, Using Sus Chords, Rakes, Chord Voicings For Rhythm, Soloing Within Chords, Major Scale Fingerings, Mixolydian Mode, Dorian Mode, Pentatonic Scale Fingerings, Adding Chromatics, Incorporating Open Strings, What Makes A Great Solo and Gear Talk.
In the second section, David guides you through 10 soloing studies where he demonstrates and breaks down solos, which apply all of the key concepts and techniques from the first section: A Funky Vamp, Rolling E Train, Minor Pedal, Texas Shuffle, Taking the A7 Train, The Milk Truck, Slow B Groove, Slow E Groove, Wide Open E and Major All Over. As a special bonus for Grissom fans, David also shows you the “correct” way to play What Passes For Love (worth the price of admission alone!).
David demonstrates all of the key concepts and techniques over rhythm tracks, and then breaks it all down in a clear and very accessible manner. All of the performance examples are likewise performed over killer rhythm tracks and then broken down technique-by-technique. The performances are tabbed and notated, plus all of the rhythm tracks are included for you to work with on your own.
SIDE NOTE: This course took twice as long as usual to get out of the studio because the boys in post-production were frequently observed with guitars in their hands copping David’s moves instead of editing and color correcting the footage.
We can’t blame them and neither will you. Click on!
What you'll learn
Play a complete solo over a B groove using Mixolydian and blues scale
Apply hybrid picking to pedal tone licks
Play a complete blues solo over a train beat in E using Mixolydian mode
Switch between major (Mixolydian) and minor (blues scale) tonalities fluidly
Understand the relationship between B Mixolydian and E major scale
Hi, I'm David Grissom and welcome to Open Road Guitar. I'm excited to have this opportunity to share many of the techniques and concepts that I've learned over the years as a side man, session player, and solo recording artist. When I first started playing guitar there were very few places to go to get information and in fact I'm still unlearning some of the things I was taught very early on! I am known for mixing styles, genres, cross-pollinating things into all sorts of situations that are not usually deemed too conventional. Hopefully some of the things I've learned along the way I can pass along to you in this course to help you along your journey. I've organized the course into two sections, in the first section I will take you to 25 concepts that illustrate my style. I will show you everything from my hybrid picking techniques, chord voicings, my approach to improvising, scales, soloing, and so much more. In the second section we will go through ten performance studies where we will apply all the concepts we learned in section one in a real musical setting. Alright, enough talk! Grab your guitar and let's get to work!
2Essential Concepts
In this first section we are going to go over 25 concepts about my style and how I approach the guitar. I will show you scales I like to use, soloing with triads, open string licks, adding chromatic notes into your playing, and a whole lot more.
3Hand Position
It is important for me to be in control of the guitar as opposed to the guitar being in control of me. This starts with hand position. I start with my thumb over the top of the neck, this puts me in a position of strength over my bends, controls my vibrato, and gives me an extra finger to fret with. Some people don't take advantage of this and to me that's like leaving money on the table! I am constantly fretting bass notes with my thumb, it allows me to play pedal tones below notes, play chords I could not play otherwise, and more. You think about scales, chords, or anything else, you really need to consider how you hold the guitar.
4Picking Technique
Along with string pressure and how I hold the guitar, the type of pick that I use really affects the tone. It's a matter of personal preference as the size of the pick, material, and thickness are all considerations. Back in the day there were only Fender heavies, now I use Planet Waves 1 mm picks. I find this gives me the balance of flexibility and rigidity to cover all my styles of playing on electric guitar. On a session I'll bring a bag of picks with me to experiment with for different sounds and tones especially on acoustic guitar. The two main picking concepts I use are legato and staccato. In legato playing I will use a lot of hammer ons and pull offs. When I play staccato I mute and pick more notes. How, where, and what kind of picks you use has more affect on tone than any piece of gear. So experiment!
5Hybrid Picking
Most of the time when playing, I use a technique called hybrid to picking. That is where we use both the pick and fingers on the right hand. I use the pick and the second and third fingers. I can play chords in much the same way as a piano does, but hitting all the notes at the same time. Another technique is where I will use my middle finger and literally pull the string up and let it pop against the frets. We hear Albert King and Albert Collins do this quite a bit. You cannot get that sound with a pick! Hybrid picking also allows me to play bass notes on lower strings and fret chords and single notes above as you can see in the examples in the video. Hybrid picking is an integral part of my style, and you will see throughout the rest of the course how to use it in many different ways.
6Hybrid Hammers & Pulls
An important element in my playing is the mixture of hammer ons and pull offs along with hybrid picking. I like the way it allows me to accent notes in a different way than straight hammer ons, pull offs and picking notes. What I will do quite often is play a legato phrase using hammer ons and pull offs and on the final note I will pop the string with my middle finger like we discussed in the previous section. Since I use a lot of open strings in my playing this mixture of legato notes and the hybrid picking is really useful to me. The popped note at the end of the phrase will always be the loudest note. Take some time and experiment with this, I really think you will see the tonal possibilities.
7Double Stops
Double stops are when we play two strings at the same time. They are an integral part of everybody's playing, and another great tool to have in your arsenal. They can be used in both rhythm guitar and soloing. The most famous example of this is the intro to Chuck Berry's Johnny B Goode. In some of my examples you will see me playing three strings in unison, which is a triple stop, but as guitarists we often still use the term double stop. As you become more familiar with the fingerboard you'll see there are many ways to incorporate double stops. Next I like to add in a separate lower note to the double stop. I will very often pick the lower note and use my second finger and third finger to sound the double stop above. Using double stops is also a great device to play partials of chords that is especially effective when using power cords. There are many playing examples in this section so take your time and look them over, they are an essential technique of my playing.
This is one of my first courses on TrueFire. What you have here is a timeless treasure trove of valuable insights, concepts and tools. I find myself revisiting the lessons every now and then to improve on a particular technique. If nothing else, watching David glide across the fretboard is a sight to behold. I highly recommend this course, and David's music too if you're into the blues / blues rock!
S
S.E. N.
07/23/22
Masterclass with The Master
David Grissom lays it all out here in this course: techniques, approaches, concepts, all adding up to content you can watch over and over as you grow musically. The first time through, sit back and watch it like a film. Then go back and hit whatever lines up with your learning goals.
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tomac
Verified buyer
07/14/22
Great example with nice style
E
edwarc
Verified buyer
01/13/22
DG's course is awesome!
David is great. Informative, clear, and detailed.
H
hamhands
Verified buyer
11/28/21
I have only begun to benefit from going to school on David Grissom, but already I see that there's plenty here to keep me productively occupied on my guitar for a good long time.
