Punch It
Today's challenge will find you adding a solid musical exclamation point to your repertoire. You'll be learning this bluegrass lick in the key of G an…
Archives: Lessons
Upper Cut
Pull offs and hammer ons are the key to today's improvisation challenge. There are some other goodies thrown in too like some blues as well as some dr…
Speed Bag
The rhythm guitar challenge for today is one that will help you with quick chord changes, and add a little giddy up to your current rhythm guitar offe…
Against The Ropes
Today's chord transition challenge is the culmination of what you have been working on all week long. You'll be adding a quick fill in between chord c…
Hammers And Pulls
You will think that your picking hand is on a vacation today because today’s warmup is all about hammer-ons and pull-offs. You will have a chance to…
Thumb Workout
Your thumb is about to develop serious strength with today's warmup. You will combine a unique fretting pattern with some intense movement of the thum…
Thumb Workout 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…
Argos the Power Dog
The lick awaiting you today is one that originates from a chord shape and then uses the tale end of a descending scale sequence to finish up. The beau…
Bonsai The Ninja Master
Today’s scale is one in the key of E major and it is a “standard†scale, meaning that there are no fancy techniques used here, but what it does …
Koda The Pro Napper
This chord progression will utilize power chords. In fact, it will only use one power chord shape and a not-so-common one at that. The power chord sha…
Major Chords in the Key of Dm
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 of reas…
Minor Chords in the Key of Dm
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 Dm
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 of reas…
Thunderlips
Today’s lick is one that you will have on repeat. This lick is highly addictive and it actually is two licks in one. This lick is one that utilizes …
Clubber Lang
Open D tuning can be a little bit confusing and even disorienting. However, if you happen to know a basic major scale shape in this tuning, all of a s…
Apollo Creed
What a cool open D progression this week?!?!?! Although it only sits across three strings of the guitar this chord progression in the key of D packs s…
Tin Man
The lick today is in open D minor tuning and it is one that will give you some creative experimenting grounds. You will use an open position D minor s…
Scarecrow
The scale for today will use the low D string as a drone string while you play a D minor scale on the higher four strings. Now you might be thinking 
Cowardly Lion
This chord progression is one that involves three really crucial things, and the cool thing is that they aren't all that complicated either. So here g…
Index Reference
The whole notion of this warmup is to use your index finger as a reference and find frets based upon it. This particular feeling of having your index …
Index Reference Speed Challenge
The whole notion of this warmup is to use your index finger as a reference and find frets based upon it. This particular feeling of having your index …
Blues Jitter Bass
Bass is the name of the game today. You'll be using an eighth note pulse to play a bass pattern on your guitars low strings. While this sequence may h…
Eighth Note Turnaround
This warmup is one that reaches into the banjo trick bag and pulls out a technique that is very much applicable to guitar. This will help you focus on…
Shutout
Today's technique solely revolves around improving your sense of rhythm and timing. Since this week is dedicated to finger picking and particularly th…
Two Pad Stack
Mississippi Hill Country Blues is the genre this lick finds itself most at home. You will be using your new found sense of timing and control in conju…
Puckstopper
Two single string scales paired with a steady bass pulse will open up a world of bluesy opportunity for you today. The scale is a basic pentatonic sca…
Butterfly Slide
Minimalism and sparseness, two words not commonly associated with rhythm guitar... but they should be. When you truly edit your rhythm guitar playing …
Glove Save and a Beaut
Using single notes to transition from one chord to another is really cool... Using single notes to transition to and from chords with the blues is rou…
You Hoser
Man oh man, is a lick in store for you today!!! This lick in the key of G has two things going for it. The first is that it is as bluesy as they come,…
Great White North
Triplets, the rare mythical beast that they are, come into sight again today. Today you will learn a G minor pentatonic scale across the G string and …
Elsinore
The chord progression today is one in the key of G and it has a very cool bass technique that you can integrate into your playing nearly immediately. …
Major Chords in the Key of 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…
Triple Threat
Playing a blues shuffle is satisfying, useful, and it can get any foot tapping. The problem that sometimes arises is the thought that a blues shuffle …
Kodachromatic
Chromatic sequences are quite the ear catching thing, but how on earth do you integrate them into your playing? Today you find out. You'll be using a …
Shape Shifter
Your fretting fingers have an easy day ahead of them... well kind of. Today's 12 bar blues in A has you using the same exact shape for all of the chor…
Funkified Blues
Wowza!!! Today is a day to get funky with the blues. You'll be using pieces of chords, hammer-ons, and even muted strums to achieve a bit of funk flav…
Bob Barker
This lick is a beautifully resonant one in the key of Em. For this lick, you will use a single string descending scale sequence in conjunction with a …
Pat Sajak
What do you get when you cross a single string scale, a drone string, and a steady fingerpicking pattern… pure awesomeness that's what. Today's scal…
Alex Trebek
The chord progression on the menu for today is one that doesn't involve too many chords, but it packs a huge technique punch in the key of Em. What yo…
Minor Chords in the Key of 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…
Burt Reynolds
Today’s lick has a few things going for it, but before I even get to why this lick will change your perspective of guitar I have to tell you about t…
Groucho Marx
What happens when a banjo and a guitar collide??? This scale, this scale is exactly what happens. For today’s G major scale you will embrace open G …
Tom Selleck
The chord progression in store for today is one that will utilize open G tuning with banjo picking hand techniques. What you will learn today is actua…
Mixed Chords in the Key of 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…
Mixed Values and Strings
Deceiving is the one word I would use to describe this warmup. Today’s warmup will mix up strings as well as rhythmic values of notes. Due to the in…
Ricki Lake
Using portions of the C major pentatonic scale you will learn a lick today that really emphasizes phrasing. The beauty of this lick is that it is simp…
Geraldo Rivera
A C major pentatonic scale is on the docket today and you will actually delicately balance two shapes during this lesson. The C major pentatonic scale…
Jerry Springer
Palm muting and mini chord shapes combine today to form one awesome rhythmic technique. For this chord progression you will use small “two note chor…
KC12 in G (Barre) 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 of reas…
Pinch Study
The pinch study is something that will elevate your timing, technique, and your overall fingerpicking confidence. The pinch study mixes note values an…
Ditka
Ok, so this lick is one that may sound very familiar. It is from a song that I loved growing up and still love to this day… I will just leave that t…
Coach Q
The scale that you will learn and use today is in the key of D major and it is a harmonized scale. By taking the 1st and 3rd degrees of each chord in …
Phil Jackson
You will welcome a new technique into your home today with this lesson. This chord progression is in the key of D and it utilizes a bare hand strummin…
KC12 in G (Barre) 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 of reas…
Nice List, Naughty List
Today, you break the rules... well, first you'll follow the golden rule of flatpicking and then in nearly the same breath you will proceed to break th…
Sleigh Bells
Today's lick will keep you coming back for more. This is a blues turnaround in the key of E, that will show how the use of repetitive down pick stroke…
Milk And Cookies
Two blues scales that just so happen to be next door neighbors is what you'll be exploring today. These two scale shapes will expand your knowledge of…
Santa’s Brother, Seventh Claus
The use of percussion and seven chords will be copious today. Nothing says the blues like some ear friendly dissonance and that's what you'll be impar…
Blitzen Blues
Taking what you learned yesterday, you'll add two different styles of chord transitions. One will be a short smooth transition and the other will be a…
Pinch Study Speed Challenge
The pinch study is something that will elevate your timing, technique, and your overall fingerpicking confidence. The pinch study mixes note values an…
Hrothgar
The lick that will be under your fingers after today’s lesson is in the key of A and it is a bluesy one at that. This lick is a classic blues turnar…
Beowulf
The scale for your playing and listening pleasure this week is an A blues scale. It will be performed out of an open position, and the technique that …
Grendel
This chord progression is in the key of A and it truly is a thumb workout of epic proportions. This chord progression is a standard 12 barre blues, bu…
KC12 in G (Barre) 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 of reas…
Index Reference
The whole notion of this warmup is to use your index finger as a reference and find frets based upon it. This particular feeling of having your index …
You Hoser
Man oh man, is a lick in store for you today!!! This lick in the key of G has two things going for it. The first is that it is as bluesy as they come,…
Great White North
Triplets, the rare mythical beast that they are, come into sight again today. Today you will learn a G minor pentatonic scale across the G string and …
Elsinore
The chord progression today is one in the key of G and it has a very cool bass technique that you can integrate into your playing nearly immediately. …
Major Chords in the Key of 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…
Blues Jitter Bass
Bass is the name of the game today. You'll be using an eighth note pulse to play a bass pattern on your guitars low strings. While this sequence may h…
Triple Threat
Playing a blues shuffle is satisfying, useful, and it can get any foot tapping. The problem that sometimes arises is the thought that a blues shuffle …
Kodachromatic
Chromatic sequences are quite the ear catching thing, but how on earth do you integrate them into your playing? Today you find out. You'll be using a …
Shape Shifter
Your fretting fingers have an easy day ahead of them... well kind of. Today's 12 bar blues in A has you using the same exact shape for all of the chor…
Funkified Blues
Wowza!!! Today is a day to get funky with the blues. You'll be using pieces of chords, hammer-ons, and even muted strums to achieve a bit of funk flav…
Index Reference Speed Challenge
The whole notion of this warmup is to use your index finger as a reference and find frets based upon it. This particular feeling of having your index …
Bob Barker
This lick is a beautifully resonant one in the key of Em. For this lick, you will use a single string descending scale sequence in conjunction with a …
Pat Sajak
What do you get when you cross a single string scale, a drone string, and a steady fingerpicking pattern… pure awesomeness that's what. Today's scal…
Alex Trebek
The chord progression on the menu for today is one that doesn't involve too many chords, but it packs a huge technique punch in the key of Em. What yo…
Minor Chords in the Key of 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…
Eighth Note Turnaround
This warmup is one that reaches into the banjo trick bag and pulls out a technique that is very much applicable to guitar. This will help you focus on…
Burt Reynolds
Today’s lick has a few things going for it, but before I even get to why this lick will change your perspective of guitar I have to tell you about t…
Groucho Marx
What happens when a banjo and a guitar collide??? This scale, this scale is exactly what happens. For today’s G major scale you will embrace open G …
Tom Selleck
The chord progression in store for today is one that will utilize open G tuning with banjo picking hand techniques. What you will learn today is actua…
Mixed Chords in the Key of 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…
Shutout
Today's technique solely revolves around improving your sense of rhythm and timing. Since this week is dedicated to finger picking and particularly th…
Two Pad Stack
Mississippi Hill Country Blues is the genre this lick finds itself most at home. You will be using your new found sense of timing and control in conju…
Puckstopper
Two single string scales paired with a steady bass pulse will open up a world of bluesy opportunity for you today. The scale is a basic pentatonic sca…
Butterfly Slide
Minimalism and sparseness, two words not commonly associated with rhythm guitar... but they should be. When you truly edit your rhythm guitar playing …
Glove Save and a Beaut
Using single notes to transition from one chord to another is really cool... Using single notes to transition to and from chords with the blues is rou…
String Locater
A true wonder of a technique challenge is in store for today. This will surely increase your flatpicking prowess especially if you are looking to impr…
Synchronized Success
The lick for today is one that you can access by just making a chord. The beauty of this lick is that all you have to do is hold down a C chord and yo…
Chord Shape Conundrum
Magical improv day is here and you will be playing in the key of C, using the C major scale… but you will be soloing from the chord position that mi…
Smoke and Mirrors
The magical C shape will be used today, and not only will it be used… it will be just plain abused. Using the C shape, you will perform a magic tric…
KC1 in C (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…
Blockbuster
String familiarity is the name of the game for today's technique challenge. You will be using your thumb, index, and middle fingers on your picking ha…
Fastforward
Blues, blues, blues, and blues. The lick on tap for today is an extremely useful one. You can deploy this lick as a fill or an ending for any blues in…
Be Kind Rewind
Today you will open a can of improvisation worms. On the agenda for today's challenge are 3, count 'em 3, single string E minor pentatonic scales. Alo…
VHS Fever
The three string parade continues today. You will be taking the three string groups that you have been using all week, combining them with a muting te…
New Releases
Simple can be extremely effective, and that very lesson lies at the heart of the chord transitions you will be using in today's chord transition chall…
String Locater Speed Challenge
A true wonder of a technique challenge is in store for today. This will surely increase your flatpicking prowess especially if you are looking to impr…