Smoke on the Water

It's been done a million times before... 

... But it has to be done.  There's loads of useful licks in this solo. It's really great for your blues chops and technique.  But it's not a run of the mill  blues solo either - Ritchie Blackmore has a few different interesting ideas here.  I'm playing it at about 90% (not there yet Mr. Blackmore) and I'm using gauge 10 strings, which are probably a bit too heavy for this (my poor fingers! :D )    

For a great example of how to play it, check out Mike Brookfield's example - slow and fast. 

Check out Deep Purple's Performance of this song.

Week two - a break with some Thin Lizzy

During the week, I mostly practice jazz concepts such as different chord and scale patterns, solos and lines and tunes like Stella by Starlight (which I'm practicing at the moment).  But this stuff is not easy, and sometimes, it's just great to be able to play a tune without having to think too much about it - especially during the weekend when there is some spare time :).    It's good to take a break from one kind of music and let loose and rock every now and then!  Thin Lizzy have always been one of my favourite bands and were a huge influence on me when I decided to pick up a guitar in the first place.  Dancing in the Moonlight is a great excuse to turn the amp up and make the guitar scream a bit!