Crossroads guitar lesson! Learn how to play Crossroads by Cream, featuring Eric Clapton’s iconic blues-rock riffs, bends, and licks. This lesson breaks down the intro, turnaround, chords, and phrasing that make this jam a classic.
Want to keep building your chops?
Grab my FREE Ultimate Guitar Guide with every chord, scale, triad, and arpeggio diagram you need to build a rock-solid foundation:
???? https://www.martymusic.com/the-ultimate-guitar-guide-ebook
This is also a great lesson to pair with my free pentatonic exercises course—link below!
→ https://www.martymusic.com/pentatonic-scale-exercises-signup
Marty here with one of my favorite blues rock songs to teach—packed with Clapton’s classic bends, phrasing tricks, and that mix of major and minor pentatonic that gives it such a killer feel. Whether you’re working on rhythm or lead, this one’s loaded with great takeaways.
What you'll learn in this video:
⦿ How to play the Crossroads intro riff and turnaround
⦿ The Chuck Berry-style blues lead licks Clapton used
⦿ When to mix A major and minor pentatonic scales
⦿ Boogie rhythm techniques and two rhythm position options
⦿ Clapton-style phrasing: bends, pull-offs, and slides that sing
More Guitar Resources:
???? More Guitar Lessons & FREE Courses: https://www.martymusic.com/free-courses
Follow me everywhere: https://linktr.ee/martyschwartz
Check out the Epiphone Marty Schwartz ES-335 Guitar - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/xkQ6Zy
Free Boss Katana Patches - https://bosstoneexchange.com/creator/125b3da8-184c-48b5-83d8-cbcbe9a15807/?utm_source=share
My Favorite Guitar + Filming Gear at Sweetwater https://imp.i114863.net/e4A326
My Favorite Guitar + Filming Gear at Amazon https://www.amazon.com/shop/martymusic
Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. The link above is an affiliate link, that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission on.
0:00 – Intro Jam + What You’ll Learn
0:46 – Crossroads Intro Riff (Open Position)
1:50 – Clapton’s Signature Micro-Bends + Feel
3:07 – Adding Harmony Notes to the Main Riff
4:10 – D7 Chord Groove + Bends for Grit
5:10 – E5 Power Chord + Blues Turnaround
6:00 – Chuck Berry-Style Lead Licks
7:00 – Pull-Off Licks + Sliding Into Arpeggios
8:33 – Playing the Full Intro with Feel
10:09 – Two Rhythm Guitar Options for Verses
12:00 – Alternate Position Boogie Patterns
13:44 – The Major + Minor Pentatonic Blend
15:30 – How Clapton Mixes Scales Over Different Chords
17:00 – Final Thoughts + Free Guitar Guide
Want to keep building your chops?
Grab my FREE Ultimate Guitar Guide with every chord, scale, triad, and arpeggio diagram you need to build a rock-solid foundation:
???? https://www.martymusic.com/the-ultimate-guitar-guide-ebook
This is also a great lesson to pair with my free pentatonic exercises course—link below!
→ https://www.martymusic.com/pentatonic-scale-exercises-signup
Marty here with one of my favorite blues rock songs to teach—packed with Clapton’s classic bends, phrasing tricks, and that mix of major and minor pentatonic that gives it such a killer feel. Whether you’re working on rhythm or lead, this one’s loaded with great takeaways.
What you'll learn in this video:
⦿ How to play the Crossroads intro riff and turnaround
⦿ The Chuck Berry-style blues lead licks Clapton used
⦿ When to mix A major and minor pentatonic scales
⦿ Boogie rhythm techniques and two rhythm position options
⦿ Clapton-style phrasing: bends, pull-offs, and slides that sing
More Guitar Resources:
???? More Guitar Lessons & FREE Courses: https://www.martymusic.com/free-courses
Follow me everywhere: https://linktr.ee/martyschwartz
Check out the Epiphone Marty Schwartz ES-335 Guitar - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/xkQ6Zy
Free Boss Katana Patches - https://bosstoneexchange.com/creator/125b3da8-184c-48b5-83d8-cbcbe9a15807/?utm_source=share
My Favorite Guitar + Filming Gear at Sweetwater https://imp.i114863.net/e4A326
My Favorite Guitar + Filming Gear at Amazon https://www.amazon.com/shop/martymusic
Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. The link above is an affiliate link, that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission on.
0:00 – Intro Jam + What You’ll Learn
0:46 – Crossroads Intro Riff (Open Position)
1:50 – Clapton’s Signature Micro-Bends + Feel
3:07 – Adding Harmony Notes to the Main Riff
4:10 – D7 Chord Groove + Bends for Grit
5:10 – E5 Power Chord + Blues Turnaround
6:00 – Chuck Berry-Style Lead Licks
7:00 – Pull-Off Licks + Sliding Into Arpeggios
8:33 – Playing the Full Intro with Feel
10:09 – Two Rhythm Guitar Options for Verses
12:00 – Alternate Position Boogie Patterns
13:44 – The Major + Minor Pentatonic Blend
15:30 – How Clapton Mixes Scales Over Different Chords
17:00 – Final Thoughts + Free Guitar Guide
- Category
- Guitar Lessons Music Lessons
- Tags
- Marty Schwartz, music, guitar
Comments