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.
🎸Practice Resources For This Lesson 🎸
Jam Track — Play Along Now
Solo Tab:
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.
