In this video
It's Guitar Time Machine and we're diving into 1996, one of the great years for British indie guitar music, with a tribute to Glen Hansard woven in after the sad news of his passing.
The session opens with a tour through the sounds of 1996, listening to and jamming along to highlights of the era. Songs explored include:
The Riverboat Song and The Day We Caught the Train by Ocean Colour Scene — the full chord breakdowns for both, capo second fret on acoustic, the A minor to D minor progression in The Riverboat Song with embellishments from Steve Craddock, the triplet-based strumming pattern rooted in Working Class Hero and House of the Rising Sun, and natural harmonics as a finishing touch on the E minor chord
Girl from Mars by Ash — a nod to the 30th anniversary of their debut album 1977
Slight Return by The Bluetones — the major chord, major seven to four to five chord progression and its deep 60s roots
Good Enough by Dodgy — a Britpop favourite revisited
A Design for Life by Manic Street Preachers — flagged as one to come back to for a full tutorial
The session closes with a Glen Hansard tribute covering Falling Slowly, with an in-depth look at how the melody is harmonised in thirds throughout the song and why playing and singing harmonies is a perishable skill worth practising daily. Say It to Me Now follows, with a look at its 2-5-1 chord movement and its connections to John Lennon's Real Love.