
Lisa will guide you through the basics of electric guitar with a rock and blues flair in this series.
Lesson 1
JamPlay is proud to welcome Lisa Pursell to the teaching roster! Lisa introduces herself and her rock / blues background in this lesson. She also explains how she will bring a new perspective to our Beginner...
Length: 12:37 Difficulty: 0.5 Members OnlyLesson 2
Lisa breaks into the very basics of the electric guitar. She starts by explaining the parts of the guitar. Then, she dives into string directions, tuning, holding the guitar, and right hand position....
Length: 19:39 Difficulty: 0.5 FREELesson 3
Lisa jumps right into your first "open" chords. She demonstrates how to play these chords in detail, so you can begin playing some simple progressions on your own.
Length: 15:48 Difficulty: 0.5 Members OnlyLesson 4
Lisa continues her lesson series with more basic chord shapes. In addition, she introduces bass runs that help tie these chords together and add a level of sophistication to your playing. Combining these...
Length: 11:45 Difficulty: 1.0 Members OnlyLesson 5
Lisa picks up right where she left off in her last lesson. Here she demonstrates some additional bass walk downs that can be used to intensify your guitar playing.
Length: 5:37 Difficulty: 1.0 Members OnlyLesson 6
Lisa shifts her focus to the right hand in this lesson. Here she introduces a picking style known as hybrid picking. This technique requires you to use the pick and pluck the strings with your fingers...
Length: 7:08 Difficulty: 0.5 Members OnlyLesson 7
Lisa explains triads in this lesson. Simplistic and unique, yet powerful and bold, these little guys will allow you to explore some fresh new sounds on your guitar.
Length: 6:26 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 8
Developed by Merle Travis, Lisa explains this hybrid style picking technique in detail. Travis picking, which involves playing an alternating bass line, is a common form of picking within country and fingerstyle...
Length: 8:47 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 9
Lisa introduces some new picking techniques that can be applied to the triads you have learned. She demonstrates how these triads can be embellished with melodic ideas to create an overall more creative...
Length: 18:54 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 10
Lisa introduces the blues shuffle. You will learn several chordal variations on this classic rhythmic pattern.
Length: 14:16 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 11
Lisa introduces the I, IV, and V chords. She explains how these chords can be found in any key by counting up the musical alphabet.
Length: 8:35 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 12
Lisa compiles the information from the last couple of lessons into a nice rock groove. This is a great way to take what she has previously taught and turn it into a nice melody for you to jam around with....
Length: 6:47 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 13
Lisa Pursell is back in lesson 13 with barre chords. She explains how to play various forms of the major, minor, and dominant seventh barre shapes. A discussion of economy of movement and why it is important...
Length: 12:25 Difficulty: 0.5 Members OnlyLesson 14
Lisa breaks explains how the left can be used to mute the strings within a funky, syncopated groove. She provides a few practical exercises that will help you become acquainted with this technique.
Length: 5:05 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 15
Lisa demonstrates a short and juicy lesson on reggae strumming patterns. Most reggae patterns are played in 4/4 time with a strong emphasis on each of the upbeats.
Length: 3:15 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 16
In Lisa's 16th lesson of her Beginner Electric Series, she reopens the topic of syncopated rhythms.
Length: 5:29 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 17
Lisa covers some warm-up exercises that are beneficial for both the left and right hands.
Length: 6:30 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 18
Lisa presents a small lesson on the slide technique. This technique can be used with scale patterns to help create a more expressive and personal sound.
Length: 8:55 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 19
Lisa teaches a classic rock lick that combines the pull-off technique with a pedal tone.
Length: 4:12 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 20
Lisa covers the hammer-on technique. This technique is essential for all guitarists to master.
Length: 2:13 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 21
Lisa simplifies and breaks down some chords commonly used in the blues and jazz genres.
Length: 8:10 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 22
An interval is the musical distance between two different pitches. Here Lisa covers the 6th interval and some practical ways that it can be used.
Length: 8:16 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 23
Lisa continues to explore important intervals used in music. Here she explains diatonic third intervals and where they are located on the guitar. She also provides a musical excerpt that will allow you...
Length: 7:58 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 24
Lisa introduces some techniques that will help you improvise effectively within the major pentatonic scale. Techniques include triplet sequences, hammer-ons, pull-offs, double stops, position shifts, and...
Length: 23:05 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 25
Lisa introduces the minor blues scale. This scale, which adds the b5 degree to the minor pentatonic scale, is one of the most commonly used scales in almost all styles of music.
Length: 13:40 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 26
Taking things back to the SRV sound, Lisa demonstrates this Texas style rhythmic shuffle. She breaks this pattern down by demonstrating its bass line and the muting techniques required to play it.
Length: 10:00 Difficulty: 3.5 Members OnlyLesson 27
Lisa takes a quick moment to cover this unique chord. Some dub E7(#9) as the "Classic Hendrix Chord." However you see it, this colorful sound is an essential addition to your guitar toolbox.
Length: 2:29 Difficulty: 1.0 Members OnlyLesson 28
Lisa demonstrates the 5 scale positions of the major and minor pentatonic scales. Each position can be used alone or in combination with the other patterns to create many different scale runs. Make sure...
Length: 20:19 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 29
Lisa will cover a metronome technique that will help develop faster chord changes.
Length: 3:24 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 30
Lisa provides some great tips on how to set up and organize a practice session that will maximize progress.
Length: 6:28 Difficulty: 1.0 Members OnlyLesson 31
Lisa dives into some beginner music theory and discusses how to use a mnemonic system to remember note locations.
Length: 5:48 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 32
Lisa takes a look at how to build minor chords. She explains the crucial difference between major and minor chords.
Length: 3:21 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 33
Lisa uses some barre chords to help explain how to apply the minor theory taught in lesson 32.
Length: 8:08 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 34
Lisa breaks explains how to find the appropriate barre chords within a I-IV-V blues progression.
Length: 5:03 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 35
Lisa takes a quick look at how octave shapes are created and where they can be found.
Length: 3:08 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 36
Lisa demonstrates some ideas on how to improvise using intervals. She begins with the perfect fourth interval for this lesson.
Length: 3:59 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 37
Lisa continues her last lesson by explaining how 5th and 6th intervals are frequently used in melodic lines.
Length: 10:08 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 38
Lisa dives into the major scale and demonstrates a commonly used pattern.
Length: 8:01 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 39
Lisa explains how to play the C major scale using the 'G' shape from the CAGED system.
Length: 6:39 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 40
In this lesson, Lisa demonstrates how syncopated rhythms work and the different ways they can be applied within a 16th note or triplet-based rhythm.
Length: 11:56 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 41
Lisa explains how chord shapes and scale patterns relate to one another.
Length: 8:15 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 42
Moving all the way up the neck of the guitar, Lisa demonstrates major triads and explains the fundamentals of how they are built.
Length: 4:11 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 43
Lisa now goes on an in depth adventure into minor triads.
Length: 12:42 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 44
In this quick lesson, Lisa touches on some minor arpeggio ideas.
Length: 3:15 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 45
Lisa demonstrates how to use different scales to create new ways of building both solos and rhythmic styling. She utilizes a backing track to help make her point.
Length: 4:30 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 46
Welcome to the 46th lesson in Lisa Pursell's Beginner Electric series! This lesson covers many creative ideas as well as the techniques behind single and double string slides. Enjoy!
Length: 9:14 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 47
Lisa demonstrates a few practical examples of the pull-off technique.
Length: 10:49 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 48
Lisa takes a dive into the minor blues scale as a whole. She demonstrates where you can find what are called "blue notes" within pentatonic scale patterns.
Length: 14:05 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 49
Vibrato is a fantastic and simple technique to understand. This lesson offers different ideas on how you can apply some vibrato to your playing.
Length: 5:34 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 50
This lesson provides an in depth look at both downward and upward sweep picking techniques.
Length: 8:26 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 51
Want to play a lighter voicing of a full chord? This technique is called "shells" and Lisa demonstrates several common shell voicings in this lesson.
Length: 17:27 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 52
Need some ideas to bring resolution to a unique blues progression? Let Lisa inspire you with some blues turnaround ideas. She demonstrates different keys and applies some hammer-on and pull-off techniques...
Length: 16:09 Difficulty: 3.5 Members OnlyLesson 53
Lisa explains how to harmonize the major scale with diatonic triads.
Length: 19:40 Difficulty: 3.5 Members OnlyLesson 54
Lisa lays down an improvised 8 bar blues solo with the help of a backing track. Then, she discusses how she created her lead lines.
Length: 7:18 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 55
Lisa continues to demonstrate ways to harmonize notes utilizing diatonic triads. She provides some tips on how to improvise with these triads as well.
Length: 22:48 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 56
Lisa demonstrates ways to connect patterns using melodic sequences. She moves up and down the neck and provides some ideas that will help you make your own sequencing connections.
Length: 19:53 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 57
Lisa takes a quick look at how to add the "blue note" into the A minor pentatonic scale.
Length: 6:48 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 58
This in depth lesson explains how to harmonize the major scale while utilizing the entire neck of the guitar.
Length: 51:58 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 59
Lisa demonstrates the F#m7(b5) chord and the different places it can be played on the neck.
Length: 3:40 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 60
Lisa will use the C Major Add 9 chord shape to help demonstrate how extensions can be used to spice up an arpeggio.
Length: 3:54 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 61
Utilizing some of the scale work from previous lessons, Lisa touches on the topic of passing tones and demonstrates some examples accompanied by a backing track.
Length: 8:23 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 62
Developing a simple and tasteful solo can be difficult. However, when you understand how chords and scales relate to one another, developing a solo becomes a simpler process. Lisa provides examples and...
Length: 28:03 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 63
This very quick lesson explains the theory behind the chord progression used in the last lesson.
Length: 2:57 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 64
Want to learn some fresh sequencing ideas in A major? Lisa provides two ideas that can be applied to a new solo or melody.
Length: 13:40 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 65
Lisa provides some insight on how to successfully utilize a metronome during a practice session.
Length: 3:51 Difficulty: 1.0 Members OnlyLesson 66
Lisa discusses some creative ideas on how to apply 9th chords to your rhythm playing.
Length: 6:30 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 67
Welcome to Lisa's 67th lesson! Here she provides some creative double stop ideas that can be applied to many different keys.
Length: 12:19 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 68
Lisa demonstrates a swing blues intro lick in the key of C.
Length: 3:32 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
About Lisa Pursell
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Born and raised in Atlanta, GA, Lisa started playing local venues as a teenager in and around Atlanta as a guitarist for hire. At the same time, she began teaching guitar privately and playing locally on recording sessions. In this still-early stage of her career, she was soon teaching at local music stores. After attending a local college and studying classical guitar, she began teaching at the Atlanta Institute of Music.
In 1992 she moved to Hollywood, CA. to attend the Guitar Institute of Technology (a.k.a. Musician's Institute). Graduating in 1993 as "Outstanding Student of the Year," she was invited to become part of the faculty at GIT, which she excelled at for the next three and a half years.
In 1996 she moved to Nashville, TN. There, she was hired as the lead guitarist for Nashville based band Mustang Sally, which at one point included future Grammy winner Gretchen Wilson as the lead singer. She played an exhaustive tour schedule of 150-300 dates a year, while perfecting her technique. Soon the band was opening for artists such as George Jones, Patty Loveless, Montgomery Gentry, Chuck Mangione, LeAnn Womack and many others.
In 2003, she recorded an instrumental CD which included one original track co-written with bass player Jerry Peek (Steve Morse Band), along with two covers of two of her many favorite guitarists. To further hone her musical skills, she then concentrated on songwriting, the results of which will be included as both vocal and instrumental pieces on her next project.
Today Lisa resides in Nashville, TN. Currently an educator, author, singer/songwriter/guitarist, she plans to release her original CD soon. Her music theory workbook, entitled "THINKING IN THE LANGUAGE OF MUSIC" written for vocalists and musicians who are interested in learning music theory without the requirement of reading music, is currently available.
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Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.If G is the root on the 1st string I figure the 6th to be E, 2nd string 5th fret. How did it become "B" 3rd string 4th fret?
Super , super well taught and explained lesson
Super , super well taught and explained lesson
Thanks...very clean lesson...to the point.
awesome lesson! i learned a lot
Good stuff Lisa. Thanks!