Jamming with my friends and fabulous, eclectic musicians in The Waybacks has presented me with some unique challenges, including how to make the acoustic guitar work as a solo instrument in a loud rockin' band. I've learned a lot performing and recording with The Waybacks, and I decided to make a DVD with the kind folks at Homespun to share some things that might inspire your own playing, whether you're a dyed-in-the-wool rocker or a bluegrass/old-time picker looking for a little extra juice.

In the video, I try to cover things that could be useful to a wide range of players, starting out with easier topics like strategies for playing painful bar chords, moving to flatpick technique and speed-building with alternate picking, then on to the more creative stuff like string bending, right and left hand muting, and advanced concepts like improvising over non-diatonic chord progressions.

I've never been a big believer in trying to copy other peoples' licks, and an important part of what I do as a musician is to close my eyes, forget about things like chords and scales, and try to play freely. After all, "rocking out" isn't about thinking, it's about letting loose and feeling it!

So my goal with this video was to break down some of the more challenging things -- like soloing over chord changes and using the full range of the fingerboard -- into small, concrete exercises that encourage a musical, intuitive approach to playing the guitar. It's my hope that some of these ideas may help and inspire you in your own search for what we're all ultimately seeking: a unique musical voice.