Hi fam,

I’m happy to let you know that the first instalment of the most requested song from the 2023 Guitar Fam survey is all done. This video covers the first solo of the Dire Straits song “Sultans of Swing”. The video, TAB and jam track are available for you here on this webpage.

I had to break this song up into multiple lessons. Otherwise, the video would have been around 2 hours long. Keep an eye out for the second solo and a lesson for the rhythm guitar too.

Mark Knopfler is a master at using small triads/arpeggios to create interesting lines and target specific notes. That means that this song is excellent for learning how to use arpeggios and CAGED chord shapes to play solos over chord progressions. If you want to move beyond pentatonic scales, I highly recommend adding this song to your practice routine.

The video goes through each lick and lets you know which chord or scale shape is used over each chord change. This can be tough to follow if you are new to the idea, but this is the kind of stuff you need to dig into to understand the guitar on a new level. Let us know if you have any questions as you progress.

Thanks for watching,
Nate