December Guitar Routine
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Rock And Roll Unplugged
Light My Fuse -
Layin' It Down
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That Funky Sound
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Hoochie Koo
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Spread The News
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5 Day 12 Bar Blues ChallengeDay 1 – Boogie
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Day 2 – Bassman Bobby
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Day 3 – High and Lonesome
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Day 4 – Hammer the Hurt
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Day 5 – Jimi’s Chord
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Santa's SerenadeNice List, Naughty List
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Sleigh Bells
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Milk And Cookies
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Santa's Brother, Seventh Claus
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Blitzen Blues
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Young Man, Old ManI'm A Lot Like You
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So Much More
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Rolling Home To You
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Take A Look At My Life
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Run Around The Same Old Town
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Clear VisionSeeing Clearly
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The Rain Is Gone
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Obstacles In My Way
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Nothing But Blue Skies
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Bright Sun Shiny Day
Try this guitar challenge
STEP 1: Watch the video to learn the bite-sized piece of music
STEP 2: Click the "PLAY" tab below the video to play along with Tony until you can do it on your own.
Like this lesson? Join Tony's Acoustic Challenge to keep going!
Responses
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Day 5 – Jimi’s Chord
Responses
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This was enjoyable to play with one cord shape along the fretboard length. My percussive aspects need more work.
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The percussion is tricky… need to come back to this one and spin thru it again. I like the playback at speed, helps to tie it together
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Tried this again today, getting the hang of the percussive rhythm. Nice to play with the same chord shape. Enjoyed this today.
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Liked the sounds of the cord but not getting the thumping. Oh well
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I don’t know why but pluck , thumb , slap was easier to do. That slap first felt really awkward. What ever works
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really enjoyed this – a great challenge.
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Tough week; will come back to these sessions over time
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It’s a little tricky, but sure sounds cool. It’s getting faster, too.
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Fretting fingers are super tender after playing Christmas carols for 4 hours for Salvation Army. The turn around is the only thing that is sounding solid right now. First line not terrible, but needs a lot of work.
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I had trouble with both Thursday and Friday, I need to practice more.
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not very coordinated re pluck/muted strings sequence . But small win is I’m still here and looking forward to tomorrow. Have a great rest of your Sunday peops
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That was fun and not quite as difficult as I anticipated. I kind of got the chord and the rhythm but couldn’t mute the strings convincingly and obviously went very very slowly.
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Beautiful chord, I’m just not getting the same sound with my Slap, Pluck, Thumb.
Just practice I guess-
I did better today than I did yesterday. Yesterday, I wasnt sure I could ever do it! So I know how you feel!
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Once I got the hang of it, it’s not so bad. Again for me slow and easy.
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Ohhhhh. I like this one! Love the sound of those chords!
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Worked the timing to day, it feels much better
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Love this one Tony. “Purple Haze”. Also you can sing “Green Acres” to Purple Haze also. A cool 12 bar Blues I will use. Keep on playing y’all!☮️❤️
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Got better as the reps went along. How do you get the string stretching down as you move up and down the fretboard? like cat scratches on a chalkboard
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High and Lonesome, Hammer the Hurt and Jimi’s Chord are worthy of repeated playing long after this week is over. I will add these to my daily routine until they are under my fingers and smoothe as silk. I am learning that effort in playing can be counter-productive just as it is in golf. Correct technique, using just enough force to make the strings ring and hold the string down is better than using more muscle that necessary. As a beginner, I could not help but use too much force because there were so many things I was thinking about at the same time. I was tense and forcing things that should have been subtle. As my muscle memory started to take over, I was able to relax more and clear the unnecessary thinking that was going on in the background. I hope this helps others who get as frustrated as I was in the first couple of years. Now I am more concerned with muting the unwanted string noises I was ignoring before.
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This post was very helpful. I’m less than a year into this journey so it’s good to know someone else still gets frustrated after a couple of years.
I went back and did Days 2, 3, and 4 of this week’s challenges. Went slow. I can hit the notes but doesn’t sound much like music — will keep at it.
6+ hours this week and nearing my 300th session so it’s got to start to take at some point. Right?
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Had to slow it up a little but could maintain some semblance of the rhythm.
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I liked this challenge!
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Making progress,but still a ways to go! Love these 12 bar blues!
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Tough getting the slap to sound like Tony’s. Getting better on the count and moving the chord from the nut to the 12/13 frett in time.
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He makes it look so easy.
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Enjoyed this lesson. Would like to see how to incorporate Hendrix chord with the riff you shared briefly, which sounded like it was from Purple Haze.
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Nice!
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Ok on the position changes and the plucks very shakey on the dead notes, I forget to ease fingers too often
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E7 sharp 9! Love it.
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Swing-and-a miss here. My pinky is in revolt and my brain is having trouble pulling the rhythm pieces together. I have a long way to go on this one.
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Need to more time on this, percussive beat is throwing me off as well as the big distance from top of neck to the headstock
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This one was easy compared to Thursday, and it was enjoyable. The Jimi chord is great and the percussion was easy to do. Great week and I hope to learn more about blues!
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I’m going to run through this again this afternoon. I’m saving my fretting fingers for my 4 hour playing session for the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign, singing Christmas carols as I play. It’s a blast! There were a couple of sets of kids that sang with me yesterday, as well as several adults. That makes the season merry and bright, for sure!
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What a cool way to stay sane and enjoy the holidays and give back love to your community. Thank you for your service.
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Difficult to switch back and forth muting and not muting….but I did finally get the rhythm working
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I got the chord down, slowly learning to move up and down the fret board. The rhythm is so cool, fun to play.
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This went a bit better than I expected, considering that Thursday was a complete washout for me. It’s a cool chord, once you get it. Getting the percussion clean and the timing right was tricky for me, and I certainly did not master it. But getting there.
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What a jazz chord
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Nice! Just signed up and first challenge is done! Good stuff.
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On the plus side, I get it. I don’t like the sounds of it, but I get it. Seems my reaction to most of the Blues stuff that comes by. I just don’t like the sound of it. Not sure why.
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Didn’t have much time to invest today- quite fatigued. I don’t really remember this challenge; worked through it slowly. I’ll hopefully have more energy this weekend to give it another try.
-
This was one of the first skills challenge course’s I toke When I joined up Back in April. I had trouble with the slap mute and now it is a breeze. Even old dog’s can learn new tricks.
-
After 45 minutes of working on the chord positions and fingerstyle, had to stop because my fretting fingers were getting deep creases from all the sliding up and down the neck. Starting to get the hang of the chord progression and timing. The percussive slap>pluck>thumb action needs more work, having difficulty keeping the strings mutted. This whole week was quite challenging learning new techniques and will take more time to build proficiency.
-
Spent time on the strumming. Chord shape is compact – I can get it.
Such a fun cool sound! Looking forward to meeting it second time round. -
WELL, I HAVE FOUND THAT YOU PICKED OUT THE RIGHT WORDS FOR YOUR TITLE TO THIS PROGRAM-TONY’S ACOUSTIC CHALLENGE. I’M HANGING IN THERE. IT TAKES MORE THAN 10 MIN TO PUT IT ALL TOGETHER, WHICH MAKES IT HARD TO GO BY THE TIME LIMIT. EVEN THEN, I’M NOT PLAYING IT AS WELL I WANT TO.
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Wow! This song is so fun!
It’s like a tangled finger puzzle but I got it! -
I did not “Master” that lesson but it was fun trying.
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Struggling with the percussion part of this. Will have to spend more time this weekend on it.
-
Rough one for me on the timing….will need the weekend to work on it.
-
I thought I wouldn’t be able to do this challenge, but it go better with repetition. Need a littlemore tempo and faster chord changes, was happy with the final result. My fingers are sore from staying in one chord position. Incorporating the percussion really made it sound cool.
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I loved this lesson. I can’t play it all, but I loved trying. And I’ll get better at it later. This is one I will keep coming back to.
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very challenging; i tried
Congratulations, !
Challenge complete
Come back tomorrow for your next challenge

This was enjoyable to play with one cord shape along the fretboard length. My percussive aspects need more work.
The percussion is tricky… need to come back to this one and spin thru it again. I like the playback at speed, helps to tie it together
Tried this again today, getting the hang of the percussive rhythm. Nice to play with the same chord shape. Enjoyed this today.
Liked the sounds of the cord but not getting the thumping. Oh well
I don’t know why but pluck , thumb , slap was easier to do. That slap first felt really awkward. What ever works
really enjoyed this – a great challenge.
Tough week; will come back to these sessions over time
It’s a little tricky, but sure sounds cool. It’s getting faster, too.
Fretting fingers are super tender after playing Christmas carols for 4 hours for Salvation Army. The turn around is the only thing that is sounding solid right now. First line not terrible, but needs a lot of work.
I had trouble with both Thursday and Friday, I need to practice more.
not very coordinated re pluck/muted strings sequence . But small win is I’m still here and looking forward to tomorrow. Have a great rest of your Sunday peops
That was fun and not quite as difficult as I anticipated. I kind of got the chord and the rhythm but couldn’t mute the strings convincingly and obviously went very very slowly.
Beautiful chord, I’m just not getting the same sound with my Slap, Pluck, Thumb.
Just practice I guess
I did better today than I did yesterday. Yesterday, I wasnt sure I could ever do it! So I know how you feel!
Once I got the hang of it, it’s not so bad. Again for me slow and easy.
Ohhhhh. I like this one! Love the sound of those chords!
Worked the timing to day, it feels much better
Love this one Tony. “Purple Haze”. Also you can sing “Green Acres” to Purple Haze also. A cool 12 bar Blues I will use. Keep on playing y’all!☮️❤️
Got better as the reps went along. How do you get the string stretching down as you move up and down the fretboard? like cat scratches on a chalkboard
High and Lonesome, Hammer the Hurt and Jimi’s Chord are worthy of repeated playing long after this week is over. I will add these to my daily routine until they are under my fingers and smoothe as silk. I am learning that effort in playing can be counter-productive just as it is in golf. Correct technique, using just enough force to make the strings ring and hold the string down is better than using more muscle that necessary. As a beginner, I could not help but use too much force because there were so many things I was thinking about at the same time. I was tense and forcing things that should have been subtle. As my muscle memory started to take over, I was able to relax more and clear the unnecessary thinking that was going on in the background. I hope this helps others who get as frustrated as I was in the first couple of years. Now I am more concerned with muting the unwanted string noises I was ignoring before.
This post was very helpful. I’m less than a year into this journey so it’s good to know someone else still gets frustrated after a couple of years.
I went back and did Days 2, 3, and 4 of this week’s challenges. Went slow. I can hit the notes but doesn’t sound much like music — will keep at it.
6+ hours this week and nearing my 300th session so it’s got to start to take at some point. Right?
Had to slow it up a little but could maintain some semblance of the rhythm.
I liked this challenge!
Making progress,but still a ways to go! Love these 12 bar blues!
Tough getting the slap to sound like Tony’s. Getting better on the count and moving the chord from the nut to the 12/13 frett in time.
He makes it look so easy.
Enjoyed this lesson. Would like to see how to incorporate Hendrix chord with the riff you shared briefly, which sounded like it was from Purple Haze.
Nice!
Ok on the position changes and the plucks very shakey on the dead notes, I forget to ease fingers too often
E7 sharp 9! Love it.
Swing-and-a miss here. My pinky is in revolt and my brain is having trouble pulling the rhythm pieces together. I have a long way to go on this one.
Need to more time on this, percussive beat is throwing me off as well as the big distance from top of neck to the headstock
This one was easy compared to Thursday, and it was enjoyable. The Jimi chord is great and the percussion was easy to do. Great week and I hope to learn more about blues!
I’m going to run through this again this afternoon. I’m saving my fretting fingers for my 4 hour playing session for the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign, singing Christmas carols as I play. It’s a blast! There were a couple of sets of kids that sang with me yesterday, as well as several adults. That makes the season merry and bright, for sure!
What a cool way to stay sane and enjoy the holidays and give back love to your community. Thank you for your service.
Difficult to switch back and forth muting and not muting….but I did finally get the rhythm working
I got the chord down, slowly learning to move up and down the fret board. The rhythm is so cool, fun to play.
This went a bit better than I expected, considering that Thursday was a complete washout for me. It’s a cool chord, once you get it. Getting the percussion clean and the timing right was tricky for me, and I certainly did not master it. But getting there.
What a jazz chord
Nice! Just signed up and first challenge is done! Good stuff.
On the plus side, I get it. I don’t like the sounds of it, but I get it. Seems my reaction to most of the Blues stuff that comes by. I just don’t like the sound of it. Not sure why.
Didn’t have much time to invest today- quite fatigued. I don’t really remember this challenge; worked through it slowly. I’ll hopefully have more energy this weekend to give it another try.
This was one of the first skills challenge course’s I toke When I joined up Back in April. I had trouble with the slap mute and now it is a breeze. Even old dog’s can learn new tricks.
After 45 minutes of working on the chord positions and fingerstyle, had to stop because my fretting fingers were getting deep creases from all the sliding up and down the neck. Starting to get the hang of the chord progression and timing. The percussive slap>pluck>thumb action needs more work, having difficulty keeping the strings mutted. This whole week was quite challenging learning new techniques and will take more time to build proficiency.
Spent time on the strumming. Chord shape is compact – I can get it.
Such a fun cool sound! Looking forward to meeting it second time round.
WELL, I HAVE FOUND THAT YOU PICKED OUT THE RIGHT WORDS FOR YOUR TITLE TO THIS PROGRAM-TONY’S ACOUSTIC CHALLENGE. I’M HANGING IN THERE. IT TAKES MORE THAN 10 MIN TO PUT IT ALL TOGETHER, WHICH MAKES IT HARD TO GO BY THE TIME LIMIT. EVEN THEN, I’M NOT PLAYING IT AS WELL I WANT TO.
Wow! This song is so fun!
It’s like a tangled finger puzzle but I got it!
I did not “Master” that lesson but it was fun trying.
Struggling with the percussion part of this. Will have to spend more time this weekend on it.
Rough one for me on the timing….will need the weekend to work on it.
I thought I wouldn’t be able to do this challenge, but it go better with repetition. Need a littlemore tempo and faster chord changes, was happy with the final result. My fingers are sore from staying in one chord position. Incorporating the percussion really made it sound cool.
I loved this lesson. I can’t play it all, but I loved trying. And I’ll get better at it later. This is one I will keep coming back to.
very challenging; i tried