Keep up with the latest posts and lessons
Today we’re learning a strum pattern that incorporates some root note picking, some upstrokes, and a nice thunk on the guitar body. The first time I tried to intentionally whack my guitar during a strum pattern, it felt horribly awkward. It took me a while of slow, intentional practice to get a bit of a flow
Triads are three-note chords. What you may not have realized before is that even chords like the common six-string G chord (320003) is just a three note chord. Those notes are G, B and D, except that we have some duplicates showing up in different octaves, thanks to playing three notes across six strings. Well, if
Drone notes produce a very unique sound, and it varies from key to key what that sounds like, but today we’re looking at drone tricks you can use in the key of E major. The two notes that will drone across everything are B and E, on the 2nd and 1st strings, respectively. Those two
This is a really fun way to use a double capo setup to play in the key of E that is very different than normal!
In today’s guitar lesson, we’re going to look at how you can recycle some chord knowledge you’ve already got, and get some extra mileage out of it. We’re going to look at four different chord shapes, then pull just two strings from each one. This will give us two different ways to play major chords,
This past weekend I had a really cool opportunity to help out on the sound crew for a pretty good sized outdoor concert. To give you an idea, it took ten of us about three hours to setup the system, and the main speaker array was pushing about 80,000 watts. ? My job was to run the
Today we’re going to dive deep into the world of chord modifications! I’ve got not just a few, but a whopping thirteen ways to spruce up that humble ‘G’ chord we all know and love. It’s time to unleash your creativity and add some magic to your chord progressions! In this lesson, we’ll explore a variety
Here’s another very useful blues lick for you – this one has a couple of parts, each of which could be used on their own in many other ways, or combined again with other ideas. The more of these tiny mini-licks you have up your sleeve, the more creative you can get with your solos. We’ll
Today we’re going to dive right into the world of slash chords and learn a simple picking pattern. It’s going to be a lot of fun, so let’s get started!First, we’ll begin with a D chord. Play the normal D shape and then pull off your third or second finger on the second fret. Pick
Today, I’m going to show you two sweet versions of the E minor chord on your guitar that you’ve likely never seen. Forget the traditional open E minor that you learned on Day 1 of your guitar journey… we’re going to make things way more interesting! Our first version starts at the seventh fret, using
Guitar scales are one of the foundational elements of music theory and essential for any guitar player. Scales provide a framework for creating melodies and improvisation. As a guitarist, you may have wondered how many guitar scales are there? The answer to this question is not as simple as it seems. In this article, we
Years ago I spent a while in Liberia, West Africa and had all kinds of crazy adventures. For a brief time, I even had a monkey as a pet. Crazy little dude liked to ride on the motorcycle with you… If he were still around today, maybe I’d teach him to play a little guitar!
The acoustic guitar has a rich and fascinating history that spans centuries and continues to evolve, remaining relevant in the music industry through its versatility, emotional power, and continued experimentation.
Lately I’ve been playing more acoustic guitar, and as a result, I’ve started experimenting with some new rhythm techniques. In today’s lesson we’re talking about adding a “thump” in between the strumming. To be honest, I don’t really know what to call this technique, drumming on your guitar? Percussive rhythm? Who knows, and who cares,
Today’s guitar lick is inspired by one that Mark Knopfler played in Sultans of Swing. Specifically, the lick in the second verse after the “jazz goes down” line. That lick is played over an A major chord, and if you dissect it, you discover that all of the notes in that lick are simply straight
I’ve gotta confess, it’s HARD to name guitar licks! I could just go with the lick of the week number, but that seems bland and boring. Or, I could describe what’s under the hood so to speak – today we’re using a the blues scale, a flatted fifth, a one tone bend, etc. But again,
Sometimes it just feels SO great to dig into a short phrase in the middle of a solo, and just repeat it over and over and over and over and over again! Loads of great players have used this trick, from Eric Clapton to BB King to John Mayer and everyone in between. There are
This is a cool-sounding lick that you can modify in a lot of different ways. In fact, it’s kind of like three licks in one. You can have a lot of fun with just the first bar, especially if you take that idea and move it elsewhere in the scale. Then, in the second bar,
Have you ever wanted to capture a real bluesy sound in your licks? Today’s Lick of the Week comes straight out of the pentatonic major scale, with one small twist… We’re using a flatted third as a passing note, going up to the third of the chord, and that little movement adds tons of blues
This is a great lick to help you move from one position to another, and of course, you can take this basic idea and apply it to more positions as well! Let me know in the comments below what kind of licks you’d like to see here in the future. You can find all the