Major Arpeggios E String

Here is a classic major arpeggio on the E string. An Arpeggio is a chord broken down into notes in one area of the neck. They are used for solos, melodies and I use them as finger exercises for pointing and flattening my fingers; if there are notes that are played on the same fret, but a different string, you should be pointing for the lower note and flattening your finger for the higher note. You do the reverse when you go back down.

If you need more information about what an arpeggio is, you should check out our lesson on Chords .

Major Arpeggio E String

This is a less well know arpeggio, but just as useful.

Major Arpeggio E String #2

We hope you enjoyed this lesson. If you have any questions or comments you can contact us at patrice@paliatsky.com

Cats in the Cradle - Harry Chapin

This is a great fingerpicking song. It’s quite challenging. Harry Chapin uses his first finger to sweep over a few strings at a time. I wrote the sheet in a way that replicates this but it’s not exact, as when he sweeps with his finger he doesn’t always hit the same strings. After the bridge, he plays with more intensity, so you could strum instead of doing the fingerpicking, but either way works. Harry himself played it differently live. Watch out for the odd time signatures and the repeat signs.

Harry Chapin - Cats in the Cradle P1

Harry Chapin - Cats in the Cradle P2

We hope you enjoyed this lesson. If you have any questions or comments you can contact us at patrice@paliatsky.com

Cold Sweat (1972) - James Brown

This song has a great groove, not too complicated, but really interesting. The bass line for this song changed depending on which bass player played with James Brown, so this version is from 1972.

James Brown - Cold Sweat 1972 Bass P1

James Brown - Cold Sweat 1972 Bass P2

We hope you enjoyed this song, if you have any questions or comments you can contact us at patrice@paliatsky.com

I Feel Good - James Brown Bass

Classic song and bass line. I always loved this song and I like it even more when I play this bass line in a good band. The song is pretty straight forward. It’s a funky style bass, so your notes should be short and punchy.

James Brown - I Feel Good Bass P1

James Brown - I Feel Good Bass P2

We hope you enjoyed this lesson. If you have any questions or comments you can contact us at patrice@paliatsky.com

Why Are Sundays So Depressing - The Strokes

Pay attention to the variations on the chords played, as they require to plan your fingering in advance. Most of the chords are triads. The Sheet below is for one of the guitars only.

The Strokes - Why Are Sundays So Depressing P1

The Strokes - Why Are Sundays So Depressing P2

The Strokes - Why Are Sundays So Depressing P3

We hope you enjoyed this lesson. If you have any questions or comments you can contact us at patrice@paliatsky.com

Sweet Creature - Harry Styles

This is a good fingerpicking song, pretty straight forward. There are a few variations in the second chorus that are not indicated in this music sheet.

Harry Styles - Sweet Creature P1

Harry Styles - Sweet Creature P2

Harry Styles - Sweet Creature P3

Harry Styles - Sweet Creature P4

We hope you enjoyed this lesson. If you have any questions or comments you can contact us at patrice@paliatsky.com

Here in Your Bedroom - Goldfinger Bass

This song is quite fast and challenging. It’s played with a pick which makes it easier than with fingers, because of the speed of the song, but there are a lot of changes and it is not build like a traditional verse-chorus song.

Goldfinger - Here in Your Bedroom Bass P1

Goldfinger - Here in Your Bedroom Bass P2

We hope you enjoyed this lesson. If you have any questions or comments you can contact us at patrice@paliatsky.com

Thank You - Sly & The Family Stone

This song was the first time that the world heard slap bass on a recording. The bass guitar was played by Larry Graham.

Once you get the hang of the slap bass, this song is pretty simple to play. What makes it hard is that Larry played and sang at the same time.

Sly & The Family Stone - Thank You Bass P1

Sly & The Family Stone - Thank You Bass P2

We hope you enjoyed this lesson. If you have any questions or comments you can contact us at patrice@paliatsky.com

Blues Scale Positions Guitar

The notes of the Blues scale can be found everywhere on the neck of the guitar. Therefor, there are positions to help you remember where the notes are. 

Below is a graphic showing what the Blues scale positions looks like on the guitar. The green colour is the root note. So, you simply need to find the root note for the key signature you are playing in and start the scale from there. The Orange note is the blue note.

Position 2 starts on the second note of position 1; position 3 starts on the second note of position 2, etc. Each position is connected with the following one, position 5 being connected with position 1. 

Blues Scale Positions Guitar

We hope you enjoyed this lesson. If you have any questions or comments you can contact us at patrice@paliatsky.com

Blues Scale Guitar

The Blues scale is a variation to the Minor Pentatonic scale. It has all the same notes :1, b3, 4, 5, b7; but it also has a #4 or b5 which gives it a very powerful sound. The blue note is a great passing tone note, meaning that it’s not a note to focus on too much during a solo, but it is great to add a little spice to your improvisations.

Blues Scale Guitar

We hope you enjoyed this lesson. If you have any questions or comments you can contact us at patrice@paliatsky.com

Blues Scale Positions Bass

The notes of the Blues scale can be found everywhere on the neck of the bass guitar. Therefor, there are positions to help you remember where the notes are. 

Below is a graphic showing what the Blues scale positions looks like on the bass guitar. The green colour is the root note. So, you simply need to find the root note for the key signature you are playing in and start the scale from there. The Orange note is the blue note.

Position 2 starts on the second note of position 1; position 3 starts on the second note of position 2, etc. Each position is connected with the following one, position 5 being connected with position 1. 

Blues Scale Positions Bass

We hope you enjoyed this lesson. If you have any questions or comments you can contact us at patrice@paliatsky.com

Blues Scale Bass

The Blues scale is a variation to the Minor Pentatonic scale. It has all the same notes :1, b3, 4, 5, b7; but it also has a #4 or b5 which gives it a very powerful sound. The blue note is a great passing tone note, meaning that it’s not a note to focus on too much during a solo, but it is great to add a little spice to your improvisations.

Blues Scale Bass

We hope you enjoyed this lesson. If you have any questions or comments you can contact us at patrice@paliatsky.com

Back in Black - AC/DC Drums

This song is really fun to play. The usual beat is pretty simple, but the fills are quite challenging. There is a lot of crash play and syncopation.

AC/DC - Back in Black Drums P1

AC/DC - Back in Black Drums P2

We hope you enjoyed this lesson. If you have any questions or comments you can contact us at patrice@paliatsky.com

Redemption Song - Bob Marley Ukulele

This song is usually played on the guitar, but here is an adaptation for the ukulele. Pay attention to the number of repeats and the DS Al Coda.

Bob Marley - Redemption Song Intro Riff Ukulele

Bob Marley - Redemption Song Ukulele Lead Sheet

We hope you enjoyed this lesson. If you have any questions or comments you can contact us at patrice@paliatsky.com

Move On Up - Curtis Mayfield

This song is really fun to play with a band. It is pretty much the same thing throughout the song, except for the chorus. In the outro, the bass player changes his bass line slightly sometimes, he just adds a few notes, but I didn’t write it down here, because you can make your own changes. After playing the bass line for 9 minutes, you’ll want to change it up a little bit.

Curtis Mayfield - Move On Up Bass P1

Curtis Mayfield - Move On Up Bass P2

We hope you enjoyed this lesson. If you have any questions or comments you can contact us at patrice@paliatsky.com

Use Me Live (1972) - Bill Withers

This song has a very groovy feel to it. There are a few variations to the main bass line during the verses that are not shown in this sheet, but all the punch lines are.

Bill Withers - Use Me Live 1972 Bass P1

Bill Withers - Use Me Live 1972 Bass P2

We hope you enjoyed this lesson. If you have any questions or comments you can contact us at patrice@paliatsky.com

Just Kissed my Baby - The Meters

This Song is super groovy, not too complicated, but the bridge might make you sweat a bit.

The Meters - Just Kissed my Baby Bass P1

The Meters - Just Kissed my Baby Bass P2

We hope you enjoyed this lesson, if you have any questions or comments you can contact us at patrice@paliatsky.com

Stuck in the Middle with You - Stealers Wheel

This song has a great walking bass line. It seems like it repeats the same way throughout the song, but when you listen carefully you can hear some awesome variations of the same riffs.

Stealers Wheel - Stuck in the Middle with You Bass P1

Stealers Wheel - Stuck in the Middle with You Bass P2

Stealers Wheel - Stuck in the Middle with You P3

We hope you enjoyed this lesson, if you have any questions or comments you can contact us at patrice@paliatsky.com

Money - Pink Floyd

This song is a test of endurance. It’s a long song and the bass plays non stop. Pay attention to the time signature changes from 7/4 to 4/4.

Pink Floyd - Money Bass P1

Pink Floyd - Money Bass P2

We hope you enjoyed this lesson. If you have any questions or comments you can contact us at patrice@paliatsky.com

Bulldog - The Beatles

This song has a great solo and a catchy riff that is harder to play than it seems. During the chorus, you’ll need to stretch your fingers quite a bit.

The Beatles - Bulldog P1

The Beatles - Bulldog P2

We hope you enjoyed this lesson. If you have any questions or comments you can contact us at patrice@paliatsky.com