Brain Stew
This chord progression reveals an extremely important pattern on the fretboard and a beautiful connection that barre chords have to offer. All of the …
Archives: Lessons
Major Chords in the Key of A
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…
Minor Chords in the Key of A
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…
Mixed Chords in the Key of A
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…
Father and Son Reunion
Taking what you learned in yesterday's challenge you will be adding a subtlety that will help with moving from chord to chord. You'll be taking a forw…
Backyard Catch
Space... one of the most powerful variables you have on the guitar. Instead of filling the entire measure, today's challenge will have you holding ont…
Day 1 – Two Note Window
This week's 5 day challenge is all about moving from one chord to the next in style. You will be learning various ways to use bass notes to aid in you…
Day 2 – Four Note Window
This week's 5 day challenge is all about moving from one chord to the next in style. You will be learning various ways to use bass notes to aid in you…
Day 3 – Stepping Down
This week's 5 day challenge is all about moving from one chord to the next in style. You will be learning various ways to use bass notes to aid in you…
Day 4 – The Secret Sauce
This week's 5 day challenge is all about moving from one chord to the next in style. You will be learning various ways to use bass notes to aid in you…
Day 5 – Walk This Way
This week's 5 day challenge is all about moving from one chord to the next in style. You will be learning various ways to use bass notes to aid in you…
Inside out
This flatpicking warmup is one that you will no doubt benefit from… think of it as a sort of fretting finger gymnastics. The warmup, if you so choos…
Traveling Pairs
A dual purpose warmup awaits you today. This fingerpicking warmup involves and works not only the fretting hand but the picking hand as well. The fret…
Traveling Pairs 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…
Charcoal Briquettes
All the hammer ons are in store for you today... seriously, all of them. Open string hammer ons, fretted hammer ons; they're all present and accounted…
Bingo Bango
Today's lick is focused mostly on the high two strings. This G major lick is one that shows the power of phrasing and combinations. Through different …
Oingo Boingo
This scale is one that is more of a mutation than a true scale shape. The scale you will learn today is in the key of G and is oriented in a "horizont…
Flippety Doo
A chord progression in the key of G that targets the high 3 strings is in store today. At first listen you might think, "just three strings, how can t…
Major Chords in the Key of B
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…
Minor Chords in the Key of B
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…
Mixed Chords in the Key of B
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…
Thumpty Dumpty
This lick originates from a blues bass line and is morphed into a utility lick that you can use in a blues progression in the key of A. This is a move…
Octomorphasis
Taking a pretty typical pentatonic scale shape and adding octave patterns is exactly what is in store for today. This iteration of the A minor pentato…
Thumptoctotron
This chord progression is really more of a series of riffs threaded together to make an awesome iteration of a 12 bar blues. Really what you will do h…
Fire Up The Chimney
The power of the D chord will be unlocked today with, you guessed it, hammer ons. Holding down a D chord as a base you will be reaching and exploring …
Flip The Burgers
Hammer ons on the off beat into the down beat... what on earth does that even mean? Today's challenge will show you. This challenge will have you hamm…
Hot Cooking Coals
Your improvisation challenge today utilizes a standard open position D major scale with the inclusion of open strings and copious amounts of hammer on…
Perpendicular Grill Marks
Today hammer ons enter the realm of rhythm guitar. The challenge on tap proves that hammer ons have a place in rhythm guitar as well, in fact, they ac…
Mashed Potatoes
Blues is on the menu today and it comes in the form of this awesome ending lick in the key of E. This E blues lick starts out with a familiar sounding…
Gravy Boat
Today’s scale is a two for one special. Here you will connect two E minor pentatonic scales to create a serious understanding of the higher part of …
Buckets of Butter
Adding a percussive beat is the name of the game today. This chord progression is one that isn’t necessarily that difficult, in fact there are only …
Connecting Pairs
This warmup is truly a double whammy… almost a triple whammy even. This warmup will give you confidence in your alternating picking pattern, and als…
Connecting Pairs 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…
Trampoline Accident
Open strings are the name of the game today. In fact not only are there open strings, there are pull offs a plenty. This lick is in the key of D and i…
Flying V
What a lick for this fine Tuesday!!! This lick is in the key of D, it incorporates the technique of the backward roll and it includes the flat seventh…
Bearded Lady
The magical lick today is one that utilizes the low three strings in combination with hammer ons as well as pull offs. Take special note while perform…
Fill Up The Tank
Thumb, Thumb, Thumb, Thumb, Thumb... Yep if you guessed today is about using your thumb you nailed it. You will be challenging your thumb to do someth…
Bathroom Break
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee... a phrase most associated with boxing, but fits perfectly with today's lick challenge. Your thumb is the st…
Alphabet Game
The title of today's challenge is a perfect match for what you are about to play. Today you will be playing the low string arpeggios to all of the nat…
Are We There Yet?
Double thumb to pinch... that is your mantra today. The ragtime technique that you will learn today puts your thumb in the driver seat. You will be pl…
Mix Tape
A culmination of techniques happens today... a "mix" of techniques if you will. You will stay on the double thumbing train, but this time you will use…
No Whammy No Whammy
Combinations, combinations, combinations. Today is all about combinations (if you couldn't tell). Today I present to you three different D major scale…
Goldberg
The scale on the menu for today utilizes not one but two drone notes. Yes, two drone notes will be employed today and you will use them with a single …
Strong Man
The scale on tap for today is one that will cover three octaves. This scale starts in what I will refer to as the "center" position. I refer to this p…
Bankrupt
This chord progression is one that utilizes only two strings but has big time sound. But how can that be ?!?!? Enter the magic of palm muting. By usin…
Knuckle Puck
Today’s chord progression combines strumming and fingerpicking… yes it can be done and it will be done. This key of D progression will reinforce t…
Shrunken Head
This chord progression is one that shows the beauty of using different chord shapes for the same exact chord. This progression is fairly common as it …
Major Chords in the Key of Am
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…
Minor Chords in the Key of Am
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…
Mixed Chords in the Key of Am
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…
Day 1 – Crosspicking Calamity
This warmup is one that will show you both sides of the crosspicking coin and get you comfortable with switching between the two most common styles of…
Day 2 – Topsy Turvy
Today's lick is one that may have you feeling topsy turvy because the picking can certainly be confusing. What's great about this lick is that it comb…
Day 3 – Drone Zone
Using a drone while flatpicking is seriously fun, especially when you can compose an entire solo infused with droney goodness. It just so happens that…
Day 4 – Tricky Texture
Crosspicking on the lower strings of your guitar is territory that absolutely must be explored and experimented with. The lush body that lower chord v…
Day 5 – Seventh Heaven
Emphasizing dissonance is something that is wildly effective and it's exactly what you will be doing today. You will be using an "odd" crosspicking ap…
Fingerpicking Orientation
This warmup will give you a tour de force of basic finger usage while fingerpicking. After doing this warmup you will have a basic physical awareness …
Day 1 – Musical Alphabet
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Day 2 – Major Scale Formula
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Day 3 – Find The Key By Ear
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Day 4 – Minor Scale Formula
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Day 5 – Key Concepts & Quiz
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Day 1 – Learn The Chord Matrix
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Day 2 – Anatomy Of Chords
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Day 3 – Find The Chords By Ear
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Day 4 – Nashville Number System
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Day 5 – Key Concepts & Quiz
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Day 1 – What Is CAGED?
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Day 2 – C Shape & Scale Pattern
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Day 3 – A Shape & Scale Pattern
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Day 4 – G Shape & Scale Pattern
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Day 5 – E Shape & Scale Pattern
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Day 6 – D Shape & Scale Pattern
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Day 7 – Connect The Shapes & Scales
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Day 1 – Foundation Of Soloing
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Day 2 – Find Chord Tones
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Day 3 – Find The Melody
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Day 4 – Find The Harmony
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Day 5 – Review & Completion Certificate
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Even Crosspicking
This warmup helps you get comfortable with crosspicking, as well as exposes you to the idea of “even” crosspicking, which is essentially picking a…
Even Crosspicking 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…
Ring Finger Staircase
The exercise on tap for today is one that will increase the strength of communication between your fingerpicking hand and your fretting hand. This war…
Foggy Mountain Guitjo
Today’s lick will sound familiar if you have ever heard any bluegrass banjo. Seriously, if you have ever heard a banjo kick off a song today’s lic…
Deliverance
This scale is actually two scales in one… they are both G scales; the descending version is a bluesy, pentatonic scale and the ascending scale is a …
Squeal Like A Pig
You will channel your inner banjo today… but the good news is you won’t have to run out and buy a banjo. Through the magic of crosspicking you wil…
Major Chords in the Key of Bm
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…
Minor Chords in the Key of Bm
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…
Mixed Chords in the Key of Bm
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…
Jack Skellington
The lick today is in the key of Gm and it happens to be in a closed position. This lick features so many cool things such as; one: it’s moveable, tw…
Edward Scissorhands
Closed position scales… the all-powerful, moveable closed position scales. Closed position means that all of the notes in this scale are fretted. Yo…
Veruca Salt
The chord progression for today is creepy. Plain and simple, this is a creepy, Tim Burton-esque sounding chord progression. You will be playing a Gm, …
Double Vision
Today’s lick is one of those that will have you thinking “didn’t I just do that?” The answer to that question is actually yes, but the way you…
Deja Vu
Two scales, same shape… different results. Today you will get a look at two types of pentatonic scales. The first one will be a major pentatonic and…
Ketchup and Mustard
The classic combination of ketchup and mustard happens to make a perfect name for a classic rhythm and chord progression to play as well. This chord p…
Mississippi Timing
There's a special magic when it comes to Mississippi John Hurt's finger picking style and it has to do with his timing. The feel he brings to his play…
Drive the Spike
Tough to describe this in any other way other than this is THE lick from Spike Driver's Blues, a song that Mississippi John Hurt is synonymous with. Y…
Railroad Tracks
Now, Mississippi John Hurt isn't known for his lead playing per se, but you can take his technique and apply it to lead guitar situations. Here you wi…
Spike Driver
Hammer on like you would hammer a spike. Today's rhythm challenge gives your fingerpicking rhythm guitar approach a subtle oomph that conures up some …
Catch and Release
Get ready to be comfortably uncomfortable... sounds weird I know, but today's transition challenge is one that uses friendly dissonance to emphasize c…
Punching Bag
Today's technique challenge will bring together a few different pieces of the puzzle. First on the menu, a fretted pull off. This will find you fretti…