Hi everyone out there in Infinite Guitar land!
In this tutorial we're going to learn a piece I wrote called "Oblivion". One thing I'd like to emphasize in the beginning is that I don't ever want you to just "learn a piece" and then leave it at that. I want you to take ideas and techniques that you learn from this song and then incorporate them into your own playing/writing. Any time you learn a piece of music that someone else wrote, make sure it enhances your own style in some way.
In bars 1-9, we have a rhythm track and a lead track playing at the same time. The lead guitar is pretty easy as it's just playing straight eighth notes. For the rhythm, we're going to be utilizing F# and G power chords along with some open strings.
In bars 10-13, we have the main chorus riff which uses quite a lot of legato. This one is super fun to play. The main idea here is to keep in mind all the subtle rhythmic nuances in between the legato. Notice all the "X" markings in the tablature? When you see those you need to execute dead notes to where the string is muted but you still graze the pick across the string. It might feel a little awkward implementing all these dead notes in between the other notes, but believe me it adds a lot of color to your rhythmic playing, so go slowly and keep at it until it starts to feel natural. The pickstrokes are also noteworthy in this section as I try to play them in directions that feel the most effortless with all the rhythms and dead notes.
In bar 14, we have a quick burst of sixteenth note triplets. Keep that picking tight.
In bars 15-16, we have a repeating riff that uses plenty of legato along with a few "hammer-ons from nowhere". Practice this riff very slowly until your mind memorizes the movements.
In bars 17-20, we have the sweep picking arpeggio section. If you already have sweep picking under your belt, this section won't be anything too crazy for you. However if you're new to this sweep picking, be sure to check out a bunch of lessons on the topic here at IG. Keep the notes as separate as possible and keep the picking directions fluid.
To hear the guitars isolated and at a slowed-down tempo, check out the next video!