Joel Van Dijk's Guitar Lessons

Joel Van Dijk has the funk in his veins. His style tutorial on Funk will teach you the ins and outs on the genre, and he does a great lesson on Cisco Kid. He also makes an appearance in the Rock Level 2 course, presenting lessons on hammer-ons and pull-offs, and finger exercises for dexterity. Check it out!
Songs

In this series of lessons, Joel Van Dijk will teach "The Cisco Kid", as made famous by War. Joel will give a song overview and talk about the funk tone before he digs into the opening lick. Then it's on to the main wah-based part and the chorus; we'll follow up with some bonus lessons on the theme licks in the tune. We'll cap it all off with a play along performance, then a jam along.
Published: 09/11/2013 UpgradeTechniques and Exercises


If you're looking to be more expressive and dynamic in your lead playing, then learning about hammer-ons and pull-offs is a great technique to get under your fingers. The basic concept is fairly simple: a hammer-on is hammering your finger onto the fret without picking it, creating a tone. The pull-off is the equal and opposite. We'll work on building finger strength, using the pentatonic and dorian scale, playing legato, using open strings, and how to "pull-hammer-slide".
Published: 02/19/2009 UpgradeStyles

Joel Van Dijk demonstrates 10 examples of funky rhythm playing, in the style of P-Funk, Prince, and others.
Published: 12/22/2008 Upgrade