Category Archives for "PR: Bag of Tricks 2"

Ever notice how your solos can sound thin, even when you’re hitting the right notes? That’s because single-note lines lack harmonic depth.

Here’s the trick your heroes used: play your melody on the B-string while letting the high E drone ring out underneath. Suddenly, your guitar doesn’t sound like one lonely line anymore — it sounds full, rich, alive… like two guitars at once.

What You’ll Learn in This Lesson

• A classic 6-5-4 progression (Am → G → F) — same backbone as Stairway to Heaven and Watchtower
• How to combine diatonic + pentatonic scales vertically on one string
• A hammer-on + drone technique that makes your solos instantly sound bigger
• Ways to connect scale positions smoothly without sounding “boxy”

Go Deeper: Unlock the Drone Riffs System

What you just learned is one piece of a much bigger puzzle. Hendrix and Van Halen didn’t just play single notes — they used drone techniques to make one guitar sound impossibly full.

That’s what the Drone Riffs Course (The Guitar Player’s Bag of Riff Tricks) is all about. The vertical trick you just learned is just the beginning — in the full course, you’ll discover how pros like Hendrix, Van Halen, and Petty expanded this into their signature sounds.

Inside, you’ll discover:

• The Van Halen “Double Guitar” Effect — how he layered sound on Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love
• Hendrix’s Voodoo Child Secrets — the drone patterns that made his solos legendary
• The “Raised 6th” Transformation — Tom Petty’s mysterious minor-scale twist
• Cross-Key Soloing — a pro move that adds instant color (most players never learn it)

This isn’t theory for theory’s sake. It’s 2+ hours of practical methods with jam tracks and tab that make your solos sound professional right away.

Ever get stuck in box patterns when you solo? In this lesson, we’ll build on the vertical riff idea (B-string + E drone) and add a new tool: switchbacks. These descending three-note groups help you break out of rigid scale shapes and connect positions smoothly. Plus, we’ll put it all together in a 6-bar solo over the jam track.

What You’ll Learn in This Lesson

• The difference between melodic vs harmonic drone approaches
• How to use switchbacks (groups of 3 notes) to descend and restart through the scale
• A riff that carries you from the 15th fret all the way to open strings
• How to join two different scale positions seamlessly
• A 6-bar solo riff you can play over the jam track

Go Deeper: Unlock the Drone Riffs System

The switchback idea you just learned is one small part of a much bigger system. Hendrix, Van Halen, and even Tom Petty used drone-note tricks like these to make a single guitar sound impossibly full.

Inside the Drone Riffs Course (The Guitar Player’s Bag of Riff Tricks), you’ll discover:

• The Van Halen “Double Guitar” Effect from Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love
• Hendrix’s Voodoo Child Secrets — drone patterns that built legendary solos
• The Raised 6th Transformation — Tom Petty’s minor-scale twist
• Cross-Key Soloing — a pro approach that adds instant color (most players never learn it)

Welcome back! In this lesson, Colin Daniel from RiffNinja.com shows you how to combine the E major scale on the B string with the open E drone, creating a powerful riff trick inspired by John Fogerty’s “Hey Tonight.”

You’ll learn how to switch between melodic runs and harmonic phrasing, and how the C# minor scale (relative minor of E major) fits perfectly with this approach.

👉 By the end, you’ll have a foundation for a 4-bar solo that blends both styles — and you’ll be ready for Lesson 4 where we put it all together.

Key Takeaways

• The E major scale on the B string gives you a strong melodic foundation.
• You can play it melodically (picked notes) or harmonically (double-stops).
• The C# minor scale connects seamlessly since it’s the relative minor.
• This approach creates a “Fogerty-style” riff sound — perfect for classic rock textures.

Go Deeper: Unlock the Drone Riffs System

What you just learned is one piece of a much bigger puzzle. Hendrix and Van Halen didn’t just play single notes — they used drone techniques to make one guitar sound impossibly full.

That’s what the Drone Riffs Course (The Guitar Player’s Bag of Riff Tricks) is all about. The vertical trick you just learned is just the beginning — in the full course, you’ll discover how pros like Hendrix, Van Halen, and Petty expanded this into their signature sounds.

Inside, you’ll discover:

• The Van Halen “Double Guitar” Effect — how he layered sound on Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love
• Hendrix’s Voodoo Child Secrets — the drone patterns that made his solos legendary
• The “Raised 6th” Transformation — Tom Petty’s mysterious minor-scale twist
• Cross-Key Soloing — a pro move that adds instant color (most players never learn it)

This isn’t theory for theory’s sake. It’s 2+ hours of practical methods with jam tracks and tab that make your solos sound professional right away.

Ready to add some serious flavor to your riffs? In this lesson, Colin shows you a slick vertical riff trick in E major — then takes it a step further by shifting the melody across strings, mixing in harmonic intervals, and capping it all off with a short but powerful solo. This one’s all about getting that full, rich sound that makes your playing stand out.

Key Takeaways:

In this lesson, Colin takes you deeper into vertical riff tricks:

• Shifting melody lines across the B and G strings for richer phrasing
• Mixing melodic and harmonic intervals to create full, ringing riffs
• Building and playing a 4–bar solo in E major using these techniques
• How to practice seamlessly with the included jam track

This isn’t just a “play it once and forget it” lick — it’s a technique you can integrate into your solos and riffs right away.

Go Deeper: Unlock the Drone Riffs System

What you just learned is one piece of a much bigger puzzle. Hendrix and Van Halen didn’t just play single notes — they used drone techniques to make one guitar sound impossibly full.

That’s what the Drone Riffs Course (The Guitar Player’s Bag of Riff Tricks) is all about. The vertical trick you just learned is just the beginning — in the full course, you’ll discover how pros like Hendrix, Van Halen, and Petty expanded this into their signature sounds.

Inside, you’ll discover:

• The Van Halen “Double Guitar” Effect — how he layered sound on Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love
• Hendrix’s Voodoo Child Secrets — the drone patterns that made his solos legendary
• The “Raised 6th” Transformation — Tom Petty’s mysterious minor-scale twist
• Cross-Key Soloing — a pro move that adds instant color (most players never learn it)

This isn’t theory for theory’s sake. It’s 2+ hours of practical methods with jam tracks and tab that make your solos sound professional right away.