Special Swamp Sauce
So many times I have heard a blues song and it just has that thing… that indescribable thing that makes your whole body react… that for clarificat…
Archives: Lessons
Jokers Are Wild
I love double stops… just plain love them and today I wish to share that joy of double stops with you. You will have a look at an A major double sto…
Candy Hearts
It's spooky, it's lonely, it packs a punch... it's A minor. Two different looks at an A minor scale are on tap for today. The first is a mid-neck, "ve…
Dungeon of Despair
The beauty of the backward roll continues today, as well as the exploitation of the dropped Low E string. Using a D minor scale on the D string, you w…
Raking the Leaves
The scale for today will allow you to work on the raking technique in conjunction with an E minor pentatonic scale. Now granted in a song where you ar…
Two of a Kind
The boom chick-a rhythm is one that warms the hearts of guitarists across the world. Today's chord progression uses the boom chick-a rhythm, but adds …
We’re Having Triplets
Triplets are not just for single note passages... you can use them when you strum over chords as well. Today's challenge will have you keeping a nice …
Torture Chamber
This chord progression does two things… first, it sounds quite sad (D minor is indeed the saddest of all keys), and two, it shows that the backward …
Clunky Transmission
Today the guitar wizards come down and do a necessary blues rhythm spell for all of us. This rhythm that you are going to work on today has been used …
KC2 in D (Major)
Today's lesson is focused on helping you roadmap keys with common chords that you will likely run into. This category is designed for a couple reasons…
KC2 in D (Minor)
Today's lesson is focused on helping you roadmap keys with common chords that you will likely run into. This category is designed for a couple reasons…
Cupid’s Chord Change
A grand combination of skills will happen today... a unification of technique, rhythm, and even your guitar lick from earlier in the week. You'll be u…
KC2 in D (Mixed)
Today's lesson is focused on helping you roadmap keys with common chords that you will likely run into. This category is designed for a couple reasons…
Monday – Technique – “Start The Oven”
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Tuesday – Guitar Lick – Collect Ingredients
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Wednesday – Improvisation – Slice and Dice
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Thursday – Rhythm Guitar – Rolling Boil
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Friday – Chord Transitions – Dinner Is Served
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Introduction To Your Guitar Routine
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Forward Roll
The forward roll is an essential move in the dance that is finger style. It is borrowed from the banjo world, but makes itself right at home on the gu…
Forward Roll Speed Challenge
You will get another crack at the warmup from week 1 of this month today, but this time the tempo will be increased :-) The warmups are designed to bu…
Down, Down, Up Crosspicking
The warmup today will help you harness the power of the down, down, up crosspicking pattern. This exercise will help you navigate your way through all…
Pot of Gold
Lucky you!!! Today's technique challenge is one where you will not only get to work on your palm muting, not only will you get to stretch out your fre…
Boogie Woogerton
The lick today is one that will have all of the blues hounds howling. This lick is prime for placing into a boogie rhythm in the key of A. It retains …
Multi-Tool
The lick on tap for today is one that upon first glance looks like one lick, but upon further review you can pull it apart and generate at least two l…
Four Leaf Clover
Palm muting combined with a stellar blues lick... this is surely a recipe for a good luck charm. In fact, this lick will add some serious blues option…
Call And Response
The lick on the menu today will exploit the D chord in a way that shows how incredibly useful that little buddy can be. You will use the D chord as yo…
Total Neck Domination
The scale that is queued up for today is one that will do just as it's name explains… After you learn this you will be able to dominate the entire n…
3 Fretted Safety Cushion
This scale is one that may raise an eyebrow or two… You are likely going to think, “ I thought this was a warmup, but now you are telling me it is…
Movement and Location
Using the D chord shape again today, you will complete a D harmonized scale and this time you will use the interval of a 5th. This scale sequence has …
Leapin’ Leprachaun
Not one, not two, but three scales for the price of one, and to add to the majestical magic of this E blues scale you'll be connecting the shapes toge…
Boogie Barn
This is a rhythm that will make you smile, laugh and ultimately boogie. This is a rhythm that is commonly picked, but I think it works so well in the …
Leap and the Net Will Appear
This saying is one that could quite possibly be on refrigerator magnets across the world, but it applies to this chord progression so well I couldn’…
Stack’em High and Watch’em Fly
Again with the D chord shape today!!! Today you will combine what you did earlier in the week and create a chord progression with a unique rhythm. Thi…
Kiss Me, I Palm Mute
Prepare to be smooched because you'll be palm muting like crazy for this one. Most often palm muting is associated with the bass strings of your guita…
KC3 in E (Major)
Today's lesson is focused on helping you roadmap keys with common chords that you will likely run into. This category is designed for a couple reasons…
KC3 in E (Minor)
Today's lesson is focused on helping you roadmap keys with common chords that you will likely run into. This category is designed for a couple reasons…
KC3 in E (Mixed)
Today's lesson is focused on helping you roadmap keys with common chords that you will likely run into. This category is designed for a couple reasons…
Lucky Charms
Dynamics... Palm muting brings this wonderful control to the volume spectrum of your acoustic guitar playing. Today's chord transitions place that qui…
Day 1 – Dusting Off the Digit
Today's challenge is focused on getting your pinky in gear and shaking any dust or rust that may have accumulated from it not being an active member o…
Day 2 – Getting Along with Others
The pinky can be a meek, quiet little digit, often getting lost amongst the much louder and more boisterous ring finger... not today though. Today the…
Day 3 – Strength in Numbers
The pinky stands alone, or wait was it the cheese?!?!? Today your pinky will be teaming up with its other finger friends to unleash its full potential…
Day 4 – Slide Away
Sustained pinky pressure is the name of the game today. This challenge will essentially add a fret to the amount of ground you can cover in first posi…
Day 5 – The Gauntlet
Holy smokes does a challenge await you today. This challenge has it all: Slides with the pinky, check. Using the pinky to roll from string to string, …
Finger Pairs
This warmup is one that will most certainly limber up your fretting hand. For this warmup you will be pairing your index and ring finger as well as yo…
Blues Barnacle
This lick will put you in the mood for the blues no doubt about it. It combines the open high E string with a triplet, and then a descending run into …
Blue Locomotive
The scale today is one that I have used for survival in the past, and it is one that I continue to use even when I am not in jam survival mode. This s…
Big Fluffy Pillow
Big fluffy pillows and blues aren’t often used in the same situation, but today we will collectively rewrite the history books. The chord progressio…
Major Chords in the Key of F
Today's lesson is focused on helping you roadmap keys with common chords that you will likely run into. This category is designed for a couple reasons…
Backward Roll
The backward roll is just as useful as the forward roll when it comes to fingerpicking, and this warmup will help you refine and absolutely dominate t…
Hello Beautiful
Ok so I think this lick is just plain cool, it starts off with a simple slide into an A7 chord and then with flashes of sorcery and magic you find you…
Four Eyes
Today’s scale shape is actually three shapes connected, and the cool thing about this shape is that it is isolated to the high four strings on the g…
Sliding Into Home
The ever popular slide is back in full force today and this chord progression is fueled on the beautiful sound a slide creates. You are going to make …
Mixed Chords in the Key of F
Today's lesson is focused on helping you roadmap keys with common chords that you will likely run into. This category is designed for a couple reasons…
Finger Pairs Speed Challenge
You will get another crack at the warmup from week 1 of this month today, but this time the tempo will be increased :-) The warmups are designed to bu…
The Suzanne Somers
This lick is ripe with hammer ons and pulls offs, and really ends up being a study as to how hammer ons and pull offs work together so that licks lay …
Nancy Kerrigan
The scale today will be a challenge no doubt about it. You will have your fill of hammer ons, pull offs and as a result triplets. This is an E major s…
Tonya Harding
This chord progression is one that isn’t strange by any means, however it has an interesting rhythmic treatment. The initial bass note of both the E…
Minor Chords in the Key of F
Today's lesson is focused on helping you roadmap keys with common chords that you will likely run into. This category is designed for a couple reasons…
Tax Refund, New Guitar Day
The name of the game today is to use your thumb and index finger on your picking hand to pick the same string. This technique, aptly named, single str…
Tax Deduction Scavenger Hunt
Today's lick is one that may have you scratching your head a bit, but not because it's crazy difficult... more because of the rhythm involved. This li…
Keep Those Receipts
Single string picking and accent slides will be brought into the improvisation realm today. You will be learning two different shapes of the same 'A' …
Offshore Bank Account
Single string picking and rhythm guitar don't seem like they would mix at all... you know the whole oil and water thing. The cool thing is, that's jus…
Death and Taxes
One of the things that single string picking helps you with is wonderful walking single note chord transitions and that is what you will be playing th…
Finger Duos
Your fingers will work in dynamic duos for today's warmup. This warmup is one that will not only build strength for your fretting digits, but it will …
Staggered Pinch
This warmup will no doubt get your picking and fretting fingers ready to rock. The focus of this warmup is what I like to call the staggered pinch. Th…
Bouquet of Flowers
Today's lick will involve string skipping from yesterday and some scale positions that you will be learning tomorrow. This harmonized lick is one that…
Staggered Pinch Speed Challenge
You will get another crack at the warmup from week 2 of this month today, but this time the tempo will be increased :-) The warmups are designed to bu…
High School Prom
A lick that provides the soundtrack to my dreadful high school prom. A minor tinged lick that has you exploiting the open A minor scale and then zoomi…
Wallflower
A minor is the name of the game and you get two scale shapes in that key to play with today. Yep, a true two for one special!!! You will harness the p…
Around The Clock
A chord progression in A minor is on tap for today and this one has some added flare to really drive the minor tonality home. The chords for this prog…
Major Chords in the Key of G
Today's lesson is focused on helping you roadmap keys with common chords that you will likely run into. This category is designed for a couple reasons…
Cement Mixer
The power of one hand position will be revealed today. Just by holding a basic C major open chord and combining that with some pull offs, hammer ons a…
Construction Zone
The C major harmonized scale is up on tap today and this one really focuses on the lower strings and it integrates sixteenth notes as well. This scale…
Orange Safety Cones
The rhythm technique used in this chord progression is one that really provides a huge punch on the one beat of the first measure of each rhythmic seq…
Minor Chords in the Key of G
Today's lesson is focused on helping you roadmap keys with common chords that you will likely run into. This category is designed for a couple reasons…
School Picture Fashion
Today's challenge will help you cultivate flatpicking accuracy by having to play a down stroke on one string, skipping the next string, and then playi…
Patience Tester
On the menu today is a harmonized C major scale. For the most part scale shapes and positions involve moving one note to the next and that is true for…
Button Pusher
Active rhythm guitar is an approach to handle with caution. The goal is to fill out a measure while maintaining respectful dynamics and volume. Enter …
Sneaking Out
Going from chord to chord smoothly is a necessity for any song, going from chord to chord with ear catching and helpful transitions is the next level.…
Bugs Bunny
A bluesy infused lick is on tap today and it is one that utilizes the open position A pentatonic scale in glorious fashion. Starting with a slide into…
Elmer Fudd
The A minor pentatonic scale can be interpreted in so many different ways, and today you will learn another interpretation of it. Today’s scale is i…
Roadrunner
This chord progression is one that I know you will find incredibly useful. This is a blues chord progression that involves the A7 chord. The A7 is not…
Mixed Chords in the Key of G
Today's lesson is focused on helping you roadmap keys with common chords that you will likely run into. This category is designed for a couple reasons…
Strong Pairs
The warmup today is centered around pairs of fingers that are commonly used when executing scale patterns. You will focus on your index finger and rin…
Ring Finger Roll
This warmup is one of mythical proportions. This will engage your picking hand as well as your fretting hand in a test of strength, balance, and grace…
Strong Pairs Speed Challenge
You will get another crack at the warmup from week 1 of this month today, but this time the tempo will be increased :-) The warmups are designed to bu…
Smack You Upside the Head
Drop D tuning paired with a fingerstyle forward roll is a match made in heaven. Today you will be focusing the mobility of a forward roll on adjacent …
Slapshot
This lick is a bit of an anomaly. It is located in the middle of the neck, but it elegantly ties in open strings. These open strings not only add to t…
Hulkamania
It’s all about utilizing double stops today with this lick. Focusing on the high two strings, this lick offers some punch and has a unique timing tw…
Zombie Walk
This lick is one that once you get it down you will 100% absolutely love it. This lick has it all, moving up and down the neck, three different chord …
Drivers Ed
It's bluesy, it's moody, it emphasizes how you can play a lick from a chord position... it's today's guitar lick challenge. You'll be exploiting the b…
Icing
A scale that covers some serious ground is on the menu today, and not only does it cover a lot of ground, it also incorporates open strings. This part…
Hacksaw Jim Duggan
The scale for today is all about double stops on the high two strings. This scale is in the key of C and it features some punchy little two note pinch…
Skull and Crossbones
A roller coaster of a ride is in store for you today as you navigate through this combination of two different A minor scale shapes. These two scale s…
Strong and Silent
This scale will give you options upon options. Yes, it's just a minor pentatonic scale, but when you pair these notes with a forward roll either horiz…
Hansen Brothers
The chord progression today is one that seems simple, is very common, and isn't to terribly difficult… so what is the catch??? There is none. This c…
The Ultimate Warrior
This chord progression is a very useful one in the key of C. You will become familiar with the chords in the key of C all the while using a three fing…