The Building Blocks of Rock

Are you feeling stuck, not getting better at guitar? Now you can find new ideas quickly, in a visual guide to hundreds of the most-used riff and lick shapes in rock guitar.

RIFFS AND LICKS

Riffs and licks are key to building "vocabulary" on guitar -- things you can do besides just strumming chords or picking out scales. The most common riffs and licks are found in more than one song, just like chords and scales. But unlike chords and scales, they don't have names -- so a lot of guitarists never learn very many of them.

The Building Blocks of Rock for guitar shows you hundreds of the most common riff, lick, chord and scale shapes. Over half are all new *riff* (rhythm guitar) and *lick* (lead guitar) shapes -- like chord and scale shapes, but with a few added symbols for things like barres and bent strings.

Each shape has:

* a visual diagram

* a detailed description

* a pro-quality sound example

* a list of famous song examples

* the music theory underneath it

HOW IT WORKS

Looking at a shape, you pick up your guitar and place your fingers to match it; using the root (red circle) as a reference point. For moveable shapes, the handy fretboard map under the shape shows you where the root lives, for any given note name, or song example.

Listening to the sound file, you try to copy what you hear there, or in the song references. Even if you don't get it right away, moving your hands in different ways, to different places on the neck, sparks new connections and muscle memory.

Scrolling through hundreds of shapes, you start to see patterns emerge -- ideal for visual learners and visualization. String together some of these "building block" shapes to create your own riffs or solos.

Tap any shape to toggle advanced mode (pitch display) in color, where you can see how far to bend strings, how chords are built, and why shapes sound the way they do. This is relative pitch; the secret to playing by ear, the way most guitarists do.

FEATURES

* over 500 shapes; a visual library of guitar patterns and diagrams

* view by shape "type" (riffs, licks, chords, scales)

* view by shape "family" (CAGED)

* view open vs. moveable shapes

* music theory under each shape

* hundreds of famous song examples

* some shapes have video links

* left-handed mode

* works offline (after initial download)

THINGS TO KNOW

* scale shapes don't include song examples or descriptions

* currently just one sound example per shape

* app is vertical; cannot be rotated, or zoomed in

* video links are to YouTube, where you may see ads

There's no tab included. The shapes won't tell you how many times to play each note, or the order to play them in. They're designed to be open-ended: what you do with them is up to you!

WHO IS IT FOR?

* you're learned some chords, maybe a few scales; and you're wondering, "now what?"

* you've hit that "intermediate plateau"; trying to improve, but not getting better

* you're stuck, not making progress; like something's missing

If you're just starting off, you should learn the basics first. But once you're ready to start moving up the neck (or even stay down by the nut, but learn some new tricks), this app is for you. And players of all levels will enjoy just scrolling the shapes and skimming the descriptions and "fun facts" (including some song secrets that most tabs and videos get wrong).

NO ADS OR SUBSCRIPTIONS

Buy it once and you're done. There's no ads to slow you down, or subscriptions to burn a hole in your wallet. You'll be set for the future too, as new shapes, sounds, and song examples are added on an ongoing basis, without you needing to update the app. This is an app that will grow along with you, on your guitar journey.

ABOUT GUITARVIZ LLC

Kevin McFarland (founder) has over 50 year's experience. He built a free web app that shows some of these "building block" shapes (without sound). You can see it at www.guitarviz.com.

Learn more about these shapes by searching the web for "the building blocks of rock for guitar".