Latin Groove

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Instructor: Sean Conklin Level: Intermediate Topic: Cool Riffs Style: Latin

Excerpt: Welcome! In this tutorial, we're going to delve into some Latin styles. If you enjoy guitarists like Al Di Meola and Steve Oliver, this will be right up your alley. And if you haven't heard of those guitarists, go check them out! :) Once you've watched the video above, head on over to the next page for the first exercise.

Media Length: 1:33

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Instructor: Sean Conklin Level: Intermediate Topic: Cool Riffs Style: Latin

Excerpt: Here we have the main theme of the song. It has a bit of a sexy, smooth jazz feel to it. First thing to observe, is the first two notes played at the very start. This is called a "pick up", where a single note or group of notes are played before the downbeat of the first full measure. In the second bar, we'll see our first occurence of thirty-second notes ...

Media Length: 1:01

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Instructor: Sean Conklin Level: Intermediate Topic: Cool Riffs Style: Latin

Excerpt: This section mainly contains 16th notes and 32nd notes. We'll also be inserting multiple 16th note rests throughout. Be careful with your picking as well. I primarily used alternate picking for this part, but there are a few instances (especially when a rest takes place) where the alternate picking slightly variates. Ultimately, use whatever is most comfort...

Media Length: 0:49

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Instructor: Sean Conklin Level: Intermediate Topic: Cool Riffs Style: Latin

Excerpt: This is the part where we'll be playing along to a second guitar's harmonies. It mainly builds with ascending patterns on the G string, then moves to the B string at the end of the build. In bars 15 and 17 you'll encounter 32nd notes among the 16th notes. Make sure when you play the 32nd notes it doesn't falter your timing.

Media Length: 0:41

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Instructor: Sean Conklin Level: Intermediate Topic: Cool Riffs Style: Latin

Excerpt: In this riff, we'll be incorporating Major and minor 3rd harmonies on the B and High E strings. Also, if you watch my picking hand in the video, you'll notice that I'm fingerpicking this section, rather than using an actual pick. I'd recommend using the middle and ring fingers on your picking hand to play the notes. Use your middle finger to play the B stri...

Media Length: 0:46

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Instructor: Sean Conklin Level: Intermediate Topic: Rhythm Style: Latin

Excerpt: We're also going to take a little time to explore the backing for this piece. When you hear the song, you'll notice a rhythm guitar in the background strumming some chords. Let's go ahead and learn that strum... As far as the actual chords, we'll be using the following chord progression: Am, Em, G, Am As I say in the video, you'll want to think of this st...

Media Length: 1:26

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Instructor: Sean Conklin Level: Intermediate Topic: Rhythm Style: Latin

Excerpt: To continue with the backing, we'll also look at the guitar percussion I used. When you listen to the song, you'll hear a bit of a drum beat going on, and that's me playing percussion on the body of the guitar. Guitar percussion can be very handy in Latin styles and beyond. It's becoming more and more popular these days as acoustic players incorporate it int...

Media Length: 1:26

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Instructor: Sean Conklin Level: Intermediate Topic: Cool Riffs Style: Latin

Excerpt: Have all the parts down? Then get your groove on with the backing track! As always, if you ever record yourself playing along, be sure to post it in the forums. We'd love to hear you play!

Media Length: 1:37