I recently ran a poll asking you guys what you wanted to learn most on the guitar, and guitar picking came in a dead tie with strumming (both at 26%) and seeing as I’ve already done some lessons on strumming, I figured it was time to even the score and get one in on picking […]
Christmas is just around the corner, and that means I’ve been fielding the annual question of “Hey Jonathan, what do you want for Christmas?” Strangely enough, I always have a hard time coming up with answers for that question, but it got me to thinking – what would be some cool ideas for stocking stuffers […]
Here’s a guitar lesson for beginners on guitar strumming. One of the most common things that I’ve heard from students is you’re having difficulties getting strumming down properly. In this lesson on guitar strumming, we’ll cover a very simple rhythm that you can use to practice your strumming, however I also talk about things like […]
A good lead guitar player must, and I’ll repeat that – MUST – pay attention to the rhythm. That means knowing the rhythm part intimately yourself, even if you’re not the one playing it. Know the guitar chords and the various changes, because ideally, you should be working off of those changes in your solo. […]
Many days when I pick up my guitar I end up just noodling away… improvising is probably my favorite part of playing the guitar. Improvising over open chords is probably the easiest way to get started, and the key of G is the best key for that. If you want a few ready-made ideas to […]
Once you’ve got your basic open chords down — G, C, D, E minor, A minor — the next thing that makes your playing jump a level is connecting them with short riffs. Instead of just strumming one chord, stopping, then strumming the next, you add a few notes between the changes that create a […]
Three free videos. The fretboard isn't twenty separate positions, it's one system that keeps repeating. Once you see that, the chord shapes you already know stop being mystery moves and start being the where of something bigger. I'll show you in about fifteen minutes total.