There needs to be a separation of what you can and can't teach in a book like this. The blues is based on a standard repeating chord progression and because of this, we can talk about the rhythms and chords of the blues. However, rock music has no standards. Each artist does something unique, so trying to quantify it is difficult. As a result, many players learn to play rock guitar by learning a multitude of songs and being creative. Still, there's one aspect that you can teach and discuss, and that's lead guitar.

Lead guitar is an important part of playing guitar, especially in rock and blues music, but it's a huge and mysterious topic to some. Many players have little or no problem playing chords and rhythm guitar, but when it comes to playing lead or playing solos, many are puzzled about what to do. Fortunately, the elements of lead guitar can be taught in an organized way. Unlike chords and songwriting, which can be put together in an infinite variety, the elements that make up leads and lead playing (scales, arpeggios, modes) are self contained and important to discuss. This book, while it will spend time on chords and chord progressions, will spend a great deal of time talking about the elements that make lead what it is. Guitar, in rock and blues, functions largely as a lead instrument, and for many, playing a better lead guitar remains a perplexing mystery. We will set out here, chapter by chapter, to show you how music is put together and how it can be applied to lead. So turn to the next page and we can start talking about the basics.