Quick licks: easy #3

Easy lick one: emotive fingerstyle acoustic

The trick with this James Taylor style phrase is to get the picking hand percussive slap in bars 1 and 2 to bounce naturally. Use your thumb for the bass notes and your remaining three fingers for the upper part of each chord. Practise bar 3 until the chords become seamlessly smooth.

Easy lick two: Rasta Reggae grooves

Think Bob Marley for this example. Follow the picking hand strumming patterns making sure you observe the chord staggered 'raking' where indicated, and get used to playing on the off beats to nail the reggae feel. A straight valve amp clean tone will make this one sail right to Jamaica!