J__Chris1
Verified buyer
05/16/26
Amazing course
This course is just what I was looking for. It is very easy to understand and put together wel
Blues-Rock Reactor
Powerful Rhythm & Soloing Approaches For Blues Rock Guitar
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Gary Hoey
Educator
Genres
About this course
From its early beginnings in the 60s, blues-rock has influenced generations of guitarists, across a vast range of styles. Hard rock, Southern rock, metal, punk, indie, jam band, and even jazz fusion, all have proud roots tracing back to the extended jams and heavier, riff-oriented sounds of the early blues-rock pioneers.
Having command of a blues-rock vocabulary, along with the requisite skills and techniques, is mandatory for any guitarist playing contemporary music, be it covers or originals. No one is better qualified than Gary Hoey to impart that vocabulary and skill set, which is why Blues Rock Reactor is a must-have for your course library.
As writer, producer, and guitar player extraordinaire, Gary Hoey’s pedigree is miles long. In addition to touring as a headline act, Hoey has toured and played with Brian May of Queen, Ted Nugent, Foreigner, Joe Satriani, The Doobie Brothers, Kenny Wayne Shepard, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, Jeff Beck, Peter Frampton, Rick Derringer, Deep Purple, and Lita Ford. We’re excited and very proud to welcome Gary to the family with his first TrueFire course, Blues Rock Reactor.
All of the licks are first demonstrated over jam tracks and then Gary breaks them down emphasizing the key techniques you’ll need command of: Berry Riff, Fourth Riff, King Style Bends, Vibrato Shake, Screamin’ Bends, Sixth & Fourth, Fast Fourths, Rake To The Shake, Up & Back Again, and Steady Trips.
In the second section, Gary steps you through 11 key concepts and approaches that you can employ to power your rhythm, improvisations, and blues-rock tone: Vibrato & Bending, Pinch & Tap Harmonics, Trill Drill, May The 4th's Be With You, Picking Exercises, Other Right Hand Techniques, Timing & Phrasing, Hit The Sweet Notes, Finding & Targeting Notes, Chord & Scale Relationships, and Eb Tuning
In the third and final section, Gary presents 6 Performances Studies featuring both rhythm and lead approaches. Gary will overview each study, demonstrate the rhythm and lead parts over a jam track, and then break the performances down for you emphasizing the key techniques and concepts being applied from the first two sections.
All of the licks and performance studies are tabbed and notated for your practice, reference, and study purposes. You'll also get Guitar Pro files so that you can play, loop and/or slow down the tab and notation as you work through the video guitar lessons. Plus, Gary generously includes all of the rhythm tracks for you to work with on your own.
Grab your guitar and let's stoke up your reactor with Gary Hoey!
Having command of a blues-rock vocabulary, along with the requisite skills and techniques, is mandatory for any guitarist playing contemporary music, be it covers or originals. No one is better qualified than Gary Hoey to impart that vocabulary and skill set, which is why Blues Rock Reactor is a must-have for your course library.
As writer, producer, and guitar player extraordinaire, Gary Hoey’s pedigree is miles long. In addition to touring as a headline act, Hoey has toured and played with Brian May of Queen, Ted Nugent, Foreigner, Joe Satriani, The Doobie Brothers, Kenny Wayne Shepard, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, Jeff Beck, Peter Frampton, Rick Derringer, Deep Purple, and Lita Ford. We’re excited and very proud to welcome Gary to the family with his first TrueFire course, Blues Rock Reactor.
"Blues-rock is the foundation of my style and the toolbox that I draw on whether I’m playing the blues, contemporary rock, country, or even metal. Its influence has helped me find my own personal voice and individuality, which is really what Blues Rock Reactor is all about -- helping you find your own voice and individuality!"Gary organized the course into three sections. In the first section, he passes on 10 of his favorite blues-rock licks. You’ll start with the simplest, a Chuck-Berry-type riff, and then move on to more complex material that will help get your speed going and refine your technique.
All of the licks are first demonstrated over jam tracks and then Gary breaks them down emphasizing the key techniques you’ll need command of: Berry Riff, Fourth Riff, King Style Bends, Vibrato Shake, Screamin’ Bends, Sixth & Fourth, Fast Fourths, Rake To The Shake, Up & Back Again, and Steady Trips.
In the second section, Gary steps you through 11 key concepts and approaches that you can employ to power your rhythm, improvisations, and blues-rock tone: Vibrato & Bending, Pinch & Tap Harmonics, Trill Drill, May The 4th's Be With You, Picking Exercises, Other Right Hand Techniques, Timing & Phrasing, Hit The Sweet Notes, Finding & Targeting Notes, Chord & Scale Relationships, and Eb Tuning
In the third and final section, Gary presents 6 Performances Studies featuring both rhythm and lead approaches. Gary will overview each study, demonstrate the rhythm and lead parts over a jam track, and then break the performances down for you emphasizing the key techniques and concepts being applied from the first two sections.
All of the licks and performance studies are tabbed and notated for your practice, reference, and study purposes. You'll also get Guitar Pro files so that you can play, loop and/or slow down the tab and notation as you work through the video guitar lessons. Plus, Gary generously includes all of the rhythm tracks for you to work with on your own.
Grab your guitar and let's stoke up your reactor with Gary Hoey!
What you'll learn
- Apply suspended chord transitions
- Play a blues shuffle in E flat
- Create blues turnaround techniques
- Create syncopated rhythm feel
- Apply half-step tuning
Release date: 09/15/2016 • 3h 03m runtime
Sample lessons
Sixth & Fourth
Gary's Favorite Blues Riff 6
Rake To The Shake
Gary's Favorite Blues Riff 8
Pinch & Tap Harmonics
Concept 2
Picking Exercises
Concept 5
What's included
54 lessons • 31 charts • 10 Jam Tracks
Blues Rock Reactor
Hi, I'm Gary Hoey, and welcome to Blues Rock Reactor. Blues rock is the foundation of my style and the toolbox that I draw from whether I'm playing the blues, contemporary rock, country, or even metal. Its influences help me find my own personal voice and individuality, which is what Blues Rock Reactor is all about - helping you find your voice and your individuality.
In Section 1, we'll look at ten of my favorite blues riffs that will help get your speed going, your technique more refined, and set you up for the rest of the course. In Section 2, we'll really dig in deep, looking at vibrato, bending, pinch harmonics, trills, using 4th intervals, and some of my favorite picking exercises. Section 3 has some great performance studies - looking at some of my songs and applying the techniques from the first two sections.
Along with this course, you're going to get tabs, notation, and the actual tracks from my Deja Blues album to jam along to. You'll be able to take the techniques that I've shown you and apply it to some real rockin' music. Are you ready? Grab your guitar, and let's get going!
In Section 1, we'll look at ten of my favorite blues riffs that will help get your speed going, your technique more refined, and set you up for the rest of the course. In Section 2, we'll really dig in deep, looking at vibrato, bending, pinch harmonics, trills, using 4th intervals, and some of my favorite picking exercises. Section 3 has some great performance studies - looking at some of my songs and applying the techniques from the first two sections.
Along with this course, you're going to get tabs, notation, and the actual tracks from my Deja Blues album to jam along to. You'll be able to take the techniques that I've shown you and apply it to some real rockin' music. Are you ready? Grab your guitar, and let's get going!
SECTION 1: Favorite Blues Riffs
In Section 1, we're going to look at ten of my favorite blues riffs. We're going to start out with the simplest, a Chuck Berry type riff, moving on to some more complex material that will get your speed going and your technique a little more refined. These will set you up for the material we'll dig into in the rest of the course. Buckle up and get ready, let's dig in!
Berry Riff
This is going to incorporate some cool Chuck Berry style bending with some pull-offs and a little bit of a slide in the A minor pentatonic scale. This riff is probably one of the most popular ones that most blues rock players use.
We start with a bend on the 7th fret of the G string, pushing the string up and making sure that I'm keeping my thumb on the top of the neck. This gives me a little more strength when I'm grabbing to bend the note. I also put my second finger on the G string, behind the third finger to give it some support when I'm doing the bend. My first finger is actually laying on the top two strings (B and E) so they're right in position after the bend. I'm also picking in a down-down-up pattern with my right hand.
After that, I'm picking at the 8th fret on the B string, then pulling off back to the 5th fret. Pull-offs and hammer-ons are a huge part of playing pentatonic blues riffs and getting some speed going. Then, we go back to the bend, repeating the combination three times in a row. After the last pull-off, we slide up to the 10th fret on the B string and give it a shake for some vibrato. Take your time, and I'm sure you're going to do a great job!
We start with a bend on the 7th fret of the G string, pushing the string up and making sure that I'm keeping my thumb on the top of the neck. This gives me a little more strength when I'm grabbing to bend the note. I also put my second finger on the G string, behind the third finger to give it some support when I'm doing the bend. My first finger is actually laying on the top two strings (B and E) so they're right in position after the bend. I'm also picking in a down-down-up pattern with my right hand.
After that, I'm picking at the 8th fret on the B string, then pulling off back to the 5th fret. Pull-offs and hammer-ons are a huge part of playing pentatonic blues riffs and getting some speed going. Then, we go back to the bend, repeating the combination three times in a row. After the last pull-off, we slide up to the 10th fret on the B string and give it a shake for some vibrato. Take your time, and I'm sure you're going to do a great job!
Fourth Riff
This next riff incorporates some of the some of the things we did in the previous riff, but this will have more of a triplet feel and will sound great over a slower blues tempo. We're using some bends that you've already played and adding another bend and a 4th interval, which is extremely useful when you're playing in a pentatonic blues scale and you're trying to get more notes out of the position that you're in. I do a lot of rolling with my fingers to create a 4th interval sound, so we'll use that as well for Riff #2.
Right off the bat, you'll notice we're using some triplets, other bends, and also a 4th interval. You're going to start off similar to the Chuck Berry riff by doing the bend on the G string, then doing a pull-off on the B string from the 8th to the 5th fret. We'll add another pull-off here, going from the 8th to the 5th fret on the E string. Go back to the B string now, where we'll do another whole step bend, then grab the 5th fret with the first finger, playing both the first and second string. Again, this is a fourth interval, where we're keeping the finger planted and picking two notes without moving your finger. That's economy right there. After we do that, we play one more pull-off from the 8th fret, then another bend on the G string, and here's where another 4th comes in - you have to roll between the B string and G string on the 5th fret. Then, you end on the A. Best of luck!
Right off the bat, you'll notice we're using some triplets, other bends, and also a 4th interval. You're going to start off similar to the Chuck Berry riff by doing the bend on the G string, then doing a pull-off on the B string from the 8th to the 5th fret. We'll add another pull-off here, going from the 8th to the 5th fret on the E string. Go back to the B string now, where we'll do another whole step bend, then grab the 5th fret with the first finger, playing both the first and second string. Again, this is a fourth interval, where we're keeping the finger planted and picking two notes without moving your finger. That's economy right there. After we do that, we play one more pull-off from the 8th fret, then another bend on the G string, and here's where another 4th comes in - you have to roll between the B string and G string on the 5th fret. Then, you end on the A. Best of luck!
King Style Bends
This riff also uses a triplet feel, and works very well over the I or IV chord of a 12-bar blues in the key of A. It incorporates a nice bend and a stinging pull-off riff at the end that's reminiscent of Stevie Ray Vaughan or Albert King.
The riff is repetitive, which is a real strong part of the blues that I love - just taking a riff and grinding it out. On this one, we have a whole-step bend at the 8th fret of the B string, and our first finger will catch a fourth interval on the top two strings. I keep talking about the fourths because it's so important in the pentatonic blues patterns that you're going to play. Remember to use your thumb to give you some strength and use your second finger to support the bend. Sometimes my first finger will even lay across to keep some of the noise quiet. I'm picking down-up-down with my right hand here. Repeat that three times in a row, and after the third time, we'll go the 8th fret on the second string and bend a whole step, then play a pull-off from the 8th fret to the 5th fret. You can actually use the middle finger of your picking hand to pluck the string and really get the most out of that last pull-off. So try it out, I'm sure it will be a great addition to your blues arsenal!
The riff is repetitive, which is a real strong part of the blues that I love - just taking a riff and grinding it out. On this one, we have a whole-step bend at the 8th fret of the B string, and our first finger will catch a fourth interval on the top two strings. I keep talking about the fourths because it's so important in the pentatonic blues patterns that you're going to play. Remember to use your thumb to give you some strength and use your second finger to support the bend. Sometimes my first finger will even lay across to keep some of the noise quiet. I'm picking down-up-down with my right hand here. Repeat that three times in a row, and after the third time, we'll go the 8th fret on the second string and bend a whole step, then play a pull-off from the 8th fret to the 5th fret. You can actually use the middle finger of your picking hand to pluck the string and really get the most out of that last pull-off. So try it out, I'm sure it will be a great addition to your blues arsenal!
Vibrato Shake
Let's move on to a riff incorporating some of the things we've gone over previously, but taking it a bit further this time.
This one, again, incorporates the Chuck Berry riff, starting off with that bend, and keeping the first finger planted on the 5th fret in the A minor pentatonic scale. Then we're going to do a high bend on the 8th fret on the first string, and then after that, we're going to come down and do a couple fourth intervals before the last pull-off riff.
Let me break it down slowly for you: You're going to do your bend in the beginning, and again, keep your second finger supporting, then go right to the first string, bend a whole-step, come down, and before the pull-off, we'll do a quick little 4th interval move on the 5th fret from the first string to the second and back again. Again, it's a roll of the 4th interval. Then, go to the 8th fret on the first string and then back to the 5th. Go for it!
This one, again, incorporates the Chuck Berry riff, starting off with that bend, and keeping the first finger planted on the 5th fret in the A minor pentatonic scale. Then we're going to do a high bend on the 8th fret on the first string, and then after that, we're going to come down and do a couple fourth intervals before the last pull-off riff.
Let me break it down slowly for you: You're going to do your bend in the beginning, and again, keep your second finger supporting, then go right to the first string, bend a whole-step, come down, and before the pull-off, we'll do a quick little 4th interval move on the 5th fret from the first string to the second and back again. Again, it's a roll of the 4th interval. Then, go to the 8th fret on the first string and then back to the 5th. Go for it!
Screamin' Bends
This is a great one to have in your blues arsenal, as we're moving into a higher position of the A minor pentatonic scale to get a bit more of a screamin' sound out of it. We'll be holding our bends for three whole beats, also incorporating a stinging sixteenth note riff at the end.
The thing I like about this one is that we're actually starting the riff on the fourth beat before the progression starts, using a triplet that slides to the 10th fret of the B string. This is called the "second box" of the pentatonic scale, which is something that I use quite a bit. We then go the 8th fret of the first string and bend a whole-step for three beats. After that, we'll come down off the bend with another triplet to the 8th fret, then land on the 10th fret, into our second bend for another three beats. We finish up with another triplet leading into our last bend, then end with nice, strong vibrato, muting the strings with your thumb.
The thing I like about this one is that we're actually starting the riff on the fourth beat before the progression starts, using a triplet that slides to the 10th fret of the B string. This is called the "second box" of the pentatonic scale, which is something that I use quite a bit. We then go the 8th fret of the first string and bend a whole-step for three beats. After that, we'll come down off the bend with another triplet to the 8th fret, then land on the 10th fret, into our second bend for another three beats. We finish up with another triplet leading into our last bend, then end with nice, strong vibrato, muting the strings with your thumb.
+ 47 more lessons
Reviews
12 results
lombego
Verified buyer
11/16/24
blues rock
cooler sache. schon lange zeit fan.
Stratotao
Verified buyer
10/06/22
Blues-Rock Reactor
Great lesson!
Skipper1
Verified buyer
10/29/21
A true guitar reactor!
Gary’s licks are second to none. He breaks his lessons into small sections where he explains how to get it right. One of the best instructors out there!
Jorge
10/21/21
Powerful Rhythm & Soloing
It's really a very good lesson, the material and the concepts that it contains make the learning very varied, the energy that the guitar licks have plus its variants make you want to continue learning, besides Gary is a great educator and the explanations and tips can be very useful for you. The dynamic that the lesson has makes it understandable and you have fun when you play. Highly recommended if you want to learn to play the blues and improve your skills.
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