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Surf Guitar INCLUDES Video files Backing tracks Tabs and Notation Slow and normal tempos

Exercises and songs designed to help you improve your surf guitar playing

by Tom Conlon

Learn surf guitar! 9 chapters, over 30 exercises and 9 songs designed to help you build your surf guitar technique Rhythm and Lead playing Chords and Arpeggios strumming patterns Tremolo picking double stop and single note licks videos for every exercise and song Backing tracks for each song slow and normal tempos for every exercise and song

About the Author

Tom Conlon is a singer, guitarist, and music teacher. Click here to visit his Youtube page, loaded with videos on rockabilly, surf, and early rock and roll guitar. Click here to see all of tom's backing tracks, tabs, and instructional materials for sale.



Table of Contents PART 1: RHYTHM GUITAR.............................................................................................................................. 3 CHAPTER 1: Chords and Strumming Patterns..................................................................................................... 4 STRUMMING PATTERNS ............................................................................................................................................................. 4 MUTING THE STRINGS................................................................................................................................................................. 5 SURF AND SOUL .............................................................................................................................................................................. 6 CHAPTER 2: The Blues................................................................................................................................................. 7 12 BAR BLUES .................................................................................................................................................................................. 8 DARK ‘N’ SURFY.............................................................................................................................................................................10 CHAPTER 3: Power Chords ......................................................................................................................................11 SURF POWER ..................................................................................................................................................................................12 PART 2: LEAD GUITAR ...................................................................................................................................14 CHAPTER 4: Arpeggios ..............................................................................................................................................15 ARPEGGIOS WITH PARTIAL CHORD SHAPES ..................................................................................................................16 MORE PARTIAL CHORD SHAPES ...........................................................................................................................................17 ASTRO SURF....................................................................................................................................................................................18 CHAPTER 5: Chord Stabs ..........................................................................................................................................22 DIPPIN’ SURFBOARDS ................................................................................................................................................................23 CHAPTER 6: Double Stops ........................................................................................................................................25 DOUBLE STOP LICKS...................................................................................................................................................................27 DOUBLE DOG SURFIN’................................................................................................................................................................28 CHAPTER 7: The Minor Pentatonic Scale ............................................................................................................30 COMMON LICKS USING THE MINOR PENTATONIC SCALE........................................................................................31 PALM MUTING ...............................................................................................................................................................................33 PLAY DEAD ......................................................................................................................................................................................34 CHAPTER 8: Tremolo Picking .................................................................................................................................39 OLD TRICKS.....................................................................................................................................................................................41 PART 3: TONE SETTINGS...............................................................................................................................48 CHAPTER 9: Amp and Pedal Settings in Logic Pro X........................................................................................49 SURF AND SOUL AMP SETTINGS ...........................................................................................................................................49 DARK ‘N’ SURFY AMP SETTINGS ...........................................................................................................................................49 SURF POWER AMP SETTINGS.................................................................................................................................................50 ASTRO SURF AMP SETTINGS...................................................................................................................................................50 SURF TRAVELER AMP SETTINGS ..........................................................................................................................................51 DIPPIN’ SURFBOARDS AMP AND PEDAL SETTINGS.....................................................................................................51 DOUBLE DOG SURFIN’ AMP SETTINGS...............................................................................................................................52 PLAY DEAD AMP SETTINGS.....................................................................................................................................................52 OLD TRICKS AMP SETTINGS....................................................................................................................................................53

© 2020 by Tom Conlon. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the author.





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PART 1: RHYTHM GUITAR The rhythm guitar is an essential part of surf music. As part of the rhythm section (along with the bass guitar and drums), the rhythm guitar provides the familiar drive the songs are known for as well as provide the harmonic structure, or chords, of the song.





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CHAPTER 1: Chords and Strumming Patterns The types of chords used in surf are major, minor, dominant seventh, and sometimes ninth chords. Here are the chord forms most commonly used in surf rock.



STRUMMING PATTERNS A strumming pattern is a combination of up and down strokes on the guitar in a certain rhythm, using your fingers or a pick. Practice strumming patterns slowly, making sure to take time when switching chords. Once you gain confidence, gradually increase the tempo.

Exercise 1.1





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MUTING THE STRINGS An important part of playing rhythm guitar in surf music is muting the strings with the left hand while strumming with your right. To do this, rest your left hand over the strings so that the strings are dampened and strum with your right. This technique creates a percussive sound that punctuates the rhythm of your strumming pattern. Exercise 1.2 Here is the same strumming pattern as Exercise 1, with one down stroke replaced with muting the strings.

Exercise 1.3 Here is the same strumming pattern as Exercise 2, with some new chords added.

Exercise 1.4 Here’s a different strumming pattern.





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Exercise 1.5 Let’s add some chords and combine the two strumming patterns we’ve learned so far. Go slowly, build confidence, and gradually increase the tempo.

SURF AND SOUL This short song combines strumming patterns we’ve looked at so far. Practice slowly and then increase your tempo as you gain confidence.





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CHAPTER 2: The Blues The blues was a major influence on rock and roll and surf rock music. Many surf songs use the standard blues chord progression. A chord progression is a group of particular chords played in a certain order. Many blues songs use the one-four-five (I-IV-V) chord progression, meaning the chords used are the first, fourth, and fifth chords of the key of the song. Many surf songs borrow this same progression from the blues. Here is a chord chart in the key of A. In the key of A, a standard blues progression would include the chord A (called “one” or “I”), D (called “four” or “IV”), and E (called “five” or “V”).



Chord Scale name degree

A B C# D E F# G#

I (“one chord”) II III IV (“four chord”) V (“five chord”) VI VII

The concept is the same in any key. In the key of E, a standard blues progression would include E (I), A (IV), and B (V).



Chord Scale name degree



E F# G# A B C# D#



I (“one chord”) II III IV (“four chord”) V (“five chord”) VI VII

Can you name the I, IV, and V chords in the key of C? Name the I, IV, and V chords in F, G, and D.



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12 BAR BLUES Many blues songs use the 12-bar form, meaning that the chord progression lasts for 12 bars (or 12 measures) and then repeats the same 12 bars over again several times. Exercise 2.1 Play this 12-bar blues progression in the key of E. Once you are confident playing the chords and patterns in this exercise, try playing this progression with different chord forms and strumming patterns.







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Exercise 2.2 Play this blues 12-bar progression in the key of A. Once you are confident playing the chords and patterns in this exercise, try playing this progression with different chord forms and strumming patterns.









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This song features a blues progression in the key of E minor. Minor keys can give a song a dark, ominous, or melancholy quality. Note the use of the tremolo arm (whammy bar).

DARK ‘N’ SURFY





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CHAPTER 3: Power Chords A power chord is a chord made up of only two notes—the root and fifth of the chord. Surf guitar players use power chords often. To play a power chord, simply play the lowest two notes (the first or “root” and fifth notes of the chord) of these chord forms that you have already learned.

Exercise 3.1 Play the following power chord exercise with all down strokes. Slide into each accented note from one fret lower (>) and play the accented note (>) louder than the rest. Remember, only play the bottom two strings of the chord. Surf rock rhythm guitar players use this strumming pattern often in their playing.

The next song features a blues progression in A and it combines many of the techniques covered so far. Play slowly and then with the faster tempo as you gain confidence. Play all power chords in this song using down strokes.





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SURF POWER





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PART 2: LEAD GUITAR In this section of the book, we will explore techniques of lead guitar in surf rock including single note soloing, double stops, chord stabs, arpeggios, tremolo arm technique (whammy bar), and tremolo picking.





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CHAPTER 4: Arpeggios An arpeggio is defined as the notes of a chord played separately, either in ascending or descending order. To play an arpeggio on the guitar, simply play each string of a chord separately rather that strumming them at the same time. An ascending arpeggio is played from the lowest note of the chord to the highest and a descending arpeggio is played from the highest note to the lowest. You can play arpeggios using the chord forms you already know.

Exercise 4.1 Play the following exercise switching from an A minor arpeggio to an F major arpeggio. Pay close attention to down strokes and upstrokes as indicated. Play slowly at first, and then increase the tempo as you gain confidence.







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ARPEGGIOS WITH PARTIAL CHORD SHAPES Depending on the song, you may only need to use part of a chord shape. Playing partial chord shapes can reduce the strain on your hand that playing full chord shapes can sometimes cause. Playing arpeggios with partial chord shapes is a very common practice in surf guitar music.

Exercise 4.2 Play the following exercise using partial chord shapes of the same chords in Exercise 4.1. Let each note ring out for each chord. Exercise 4.3 This exercise puts the same notes from Exercise 4.2 in a different order with a different rhythm. Let each note ring out for each chord.



MORE PARTIAL CHORD SHAPES



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MORE PARTIAL CHORD SHAPES You can take any full chord and reduce it to play a partial chord shape. Let’s look at some more partial chord shapes that are common in surf. Notice that all of these shapes are moveable, meaning you can take the same shape and play it anywhere on the neck to change the chord.



Exercise 4.4 Here is a different arpeggio pattern using some of the shapes above. Notice how you can keep the same shape and move it up and down the neck to change the chord (in this case the C and D chords).

Exercise 4.5 Here is an arpeggio pattern using partial dominant seventh chords. Again, notice how you can keep the same shape and move it up and down the neck to change the chord.





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The next two songs are made up of many arpeggios. Pay close attention to picking.

ASTRO SURF





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SURF TRAVELER





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CHAPTER 5: Chord Stabs Another way to use partial chord shapes is to play chord stabs. A chord stab is a staccato (short) chord, used by guitarists to punctuate the rhythm of the song. The term most likely originated from the term “horn stabs,” because the horn section in big bands and swing bands would play in a similar manner. Exercise 5.1 Here is a blues progression in the key of C. Play the chord stabs using partial chords of C, F, and G. Notice that you can move the same shape up and down the neck to change the chord from C to F to G.

The next song is a blues progression in the key of A that uses both chord stabs and longer chords played with partial chord shapes. The “V” symbol under the longer chords means to “dip” the tremolo arm.



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DIPPIN’ SURFBOARDS





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CHAPTER 6: Double Stops When you play two notes at the same time, it is called a double stop. The great guitar pioneers of 1950’s rock and roll used double stops in their solos extensively. The use of double stops can likely be traced back to blues piano players, who would often play two notes at once in their solos. Using double stops in a guitar solo gives a distinct power and boldness to your playing. In previous chapters, we explored partial chord shapes using three strings. An easy way to think of double stops is that they often come from the same partial chord shapes we have already learned but use two strings instead of three. This means that you can play double stops in the same positions where the same chords are found. Here are some examples. (Note that these fingerings may change depending on the context of the solo you are playing.)







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Exercise 6.1 Practice playing these double stops in the key of C. Note how the double stops are played in the same position as the chord that is being played. These double stops are moveable, just like the chord shapes we have covered.





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DOUBLE STOP LICKS A lick is a musical phrase or pattern made up of a short series of notes. Guitar players often solo by drawing from a vocabulary of many licks that have particular characteristics of the style they are playing. For example, an accomplished country guitar player should have more than dozens of “country licks” memorized for playing solos. Jazz guitarists know many jazz licks, and so on. Surf rock players often solo with licks that consist solely of double stops. Here are some common examples. The same lick is written in C and then repeated in a different key. Exercise 6.2 Lick 1 in C Exercise 6.3 Lick 1 in E

Exercise 6.4 Lick 2 in C Exercise 6.5 Lick 2 in A





Exercise 6.6 Lick 3 in C

Exercise 6.7 Lick 3 in D





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Here’s a solo that’s mostly made up of double stops. This is a blues progression in the key of E.

DOUBLE DOG SURFIN’





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CHAPTER 7: The Minor Pentatonic Scale The most common scale used in surf rock soloing is the minor pentatonic scale. A pentatonic scale is made up of five notes and can be played in five different positions on the fret board. Let’s take a look at the five places you can play an A minor pentatonic scale. Exercise 7.1 Here is the A minor pentatonic scale beginning on the third fret.

Exercise 7.2 Here is the A minor pentatonic beginning on the fifth fret (root position, sixth string). This is the most common position used for soloing.

Exercise 7.3 Here is the A minor pentatonic scale beginning on the eighth fret.

Exercise 7.4 Here is the A minor pentatonic scale beginning on the tenth fret.

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Exercise 7.5 Here is the A minor pentatonic scale beginning on the twelfth fret.



COMMON LICKS USING THE MINOR PENTATONIC SCALE The most common position for pentatonic soloing in surf music is the one shown in Exercise 7.2. In this position, if you play the scale ascending, the root is the first note of the scale and it is played on the sixth string. Review Exercise 7.2 if necessary. Let’s take a look at some common licks you might hear in this position.

Exercise 7.6 This lick in the key of A features a very common bend used by players in surf, rock, and the blues.





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Exercise 7.7 This lick is similar to the lick in Example 7.6, but features a slide up to the note instead of a bend. This lick is also in the key of A.

Exercise 7.8 This lick in A begins with a double stop and combines the common bend in Exercise 7.6 with a double stop.

Exercise 7.9 This lick in A features another popular bend in this position.

Exercise 7.10 This lick in A is based in the position from Ex. 7.1.





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Exercise 7.11 This lick in A is based in the position from Ex. 7.3.





PALM MUTING Palm muting is a technique of muting the strings by gently placing the side of the picking hand across the strings close to the bridge. This technique is very common in surf guitar. Try these palm muting exercises.

Exercise 7.12 Play this lick in A using all down strokes. It is based in this position.

Exercise 7.13 Here is the same lick in Ex. 7.12, played an octave higher in this position.

The following song uses the A minor pentatonic scale in several positions and features many techniques we’ve covered so far. 33

PLAY DEAD





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CHAPTER 8: Tremolo Picking Tremolo picking is a very common alternate picking technique used in surf rock. Tremolo picking involves picking up and down (alternate picking) at a very rapid speed. To accomplish this, keep your wrist loose and keep your wrist and elbow movement minimal. With tremolo picking, it is important to keep a steady beat, so play to a metronome or click track is necessary. Exercise 8.1 Practice alternate picking on the low E string. Once you have confidence on the low E string, try this exercise on the A, D, G, B, and high E strings.

Exercise 8.2 Here is a tremolo picking exercise that involves changing notes on the low E string. Repeat this exercise on all strings once you have the necessary confidence to do so.





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Exercise 8.3 This exercise is similar to Exercise 8.2, except that you switch notes on each beat instead of switching notes on each measure. Start slowly with a steady beat. Increase the tempo with confidence.

Exercise 8.4 In this exercise, start tremolo picking on the low E string from high up on the fret board all the way down the fret board to the open low E string. You can start anywhere from the 12th fret or higher for this exercise.



The final song in this e-book, Old Tricks (next page), uses tremolo picking and arpeggios extensively. Practice slowly with the backing track at half tempo and then at normal tempo once you gain confidence. Have fun!



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OLD TRICKS





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PART 3: TONE SETTINGS





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CHAPTER 9: Amp and Pedal Settings in Logic Pro X All songs in this book were recorded using Logic Pro X and EZ Drummer 2. The guitar sounds were achieved using Logic’s amp modeling software, called Amp Designer. I also used Logic’s software plug-in for effects pedals, called Pedalboard. I used a clean silverface tube amp with reverb for all of the songs in this book. The only pedal I used was a delay pedal simulator for the song Dippin’ Surfboards. Below are screenshots of my amp settings for each song going back to chapter 1. You should be able to achieve similar tonal results with a clean, silverface tube amp with reverb.

SURF AND SOUL AMP SETTINGS

DARK ‘N’ SURFY AMP SETTINGS





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SURF POWER AMP SETTINGS



ASTRO SURF AMP SETTINGS





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SURF TRAVELER AMP SETTINGS

DIPPIN’ SURFBOARDS AMP AND PEDAL SETTINGS





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DOUBLE DOG SURFIN’ AMP SETTINGS



PLAY DEAD AMP SETTINGS







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OLD TRICKS AMP SETTINGS







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