Sweet Spot
One of the hard parts about playing up the neck is getting back to play the chords, when you switch from “solo mode” to “rhythm mode.” This li…
Archives: Lessons
Sweeter Spot
The scale you will go through today is a G major scale that accomplishes the goal of the week rather well… it is an up the neck/closed position scal…
Block Party
Open chords are wonderful it’s true, I dearly love them with all of my heart… but what happens when you can’t get away from up the neck in time?…
KC1 in C (Accidental)
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…
Ring Finger Roundup
This technique challenge will help you, in great detail, to examine the fingerpicking relationship between your thumb, index, middle and ring finger. …
Back Asswards
This lick puts the backward roll in action, and shows how it can be placed over a chord prior to a single note lick. This is a technique that really h…
Parallel Parking
The powerful interval of the octave is what this scale sequence is all about. So often the backward roll is performed on the higher strings, leaving t…
Nintendo Nuances
Today you will use little chord chunks so that you can see how effective even little pieces of chords can be. All of these chord chunks will be locate…
KC1 in C (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…
Adjacent Strings
The warmup on the schedule for today is one that will begin to help you maintain proper pick direction even when picking two different strings. This e…
Ace Up Your Sleeve
Nothing is better than a standard sounding lick with a tweak at the end. Today's lick fits that bill to a T. Placed in the key of A, this licks starts…
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…
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 …
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…
Storm’s Comin’
Thumb, Thumb, Thumb, and more thumb. Today's technique challenge centers around, you guessed it, your thumb. You will combine a steady, pulsing bass w…
Lightnin’ Strikes
Maintaining the palm muted bass drive while adding a guitar lick is exactly what you will be doing in today's challenge. This is the essence of Lightn…
Storm Tracker
You'll be connecting fragments of the A minor pentatonic scale on the two high strings today. This does two things for your playing: 1.) You will be a…
Rumblin’ Thunder
Allowing the thumb to take the driver's seat for your rhythm guitar is really the name of the game this week, and that leaves this wonderful opportuni…
Red Sky In The Morning
Those high strings sure add some sparkle to a basic rhythm don't they?!?! Today you will keep that train rolling... you'll use the same exact approach…
Ménage à Trois
Harnessing pull-offs and triplets is the name of the game today. The goal for this challenge is two-fold: One, you will have a chance to work on your …
Head Over Heels
This lick has an almost tumbling or rolling effect due to it's descending direction and the free use of pull-offs and triplets. You'll see two things …
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…
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 …
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…
Pumpkin Pie
The technique in your sights today is harnessing the power of syncopation. On a single string you will execute a somewhat odd rhythm including muted n…
Golden Brown Perfection
Today's lick employs the rhythm you spent time on yesterday, but in a far more musical context, in fact today's lick is so useful you can use it verba…
Dollop Of Whipped Cream
D major is on the agenda for today... and you'll be playing that scale over a B minor backing track... cue the record scratch. How can this be done?!?…
Lemon Meringue
The same rhythm that you worked on with single notes on Tuesday will now be used within the rhythm guitar arena. Muted percussive strokes have a huge …
Key Lime
Remember Tuesday? Remember Yesterday? Good :-) Today you will be combining those two days. You will use Tuesday's lick as a mode of transportation bet…
3D Glasses
First thing's first, make sure your guitar is in open D major tuning (D A D F# A D low to high strings). Now you can strap on your 3D glasses because …
Buttered Popcorn
Quite possibly the most useful open D tuning, blues lick is on the menu for you today. This may seem like just a small little two measure phrase, but …
Main Feature
A classic D minor pentatonic (blues) scale in open D tuning is going to be your target today... with a twist... or I should actually say a bend. You'l…
Starring Role
Open D tuning is just a wonderful, blank musical canvas to work with... Things sound new, they sound different, they have more impact, and... are easi…
Sunday Matinee
Just one more reminder that this week is all done in open D tuning, so if your guitar sounds a bit funky make sure that it's tuned D A D F# A D low to…
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…
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…
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…
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’…
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…
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, …
Pete Best
Two frets join forces to become your best friend today. You'll be looking at two fret patterns in two different ways today. First, you'll connect note…
Mr. Lennon
The guitar lick on the docket today is one that will likely sound familiar. This lick will utilize double stops and two fret slides to carry out a cat…
Brother Harrison
Two frets, two frets, two frets... (sung to the rhythm of chug, chug, chug). Today's C major pentatonic scale has been oriented in such a way so that …
Captain Starr
For your Rhythm Guitar Challenge I present to you one of THE most common chord progressions in all of music done with a basic strumming pattern. Today…
Sir Paul
The chord transitions you're learning today are the ones I wish I knew right when I started playing because they make your rhythm guitar (even basic r…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Set Out Runnin’
Alternate picking is the focus today and in the process of honing your flatpicking skills you'll be adding a hammer-on as well. What seems like a two …
Home Before Daylight
An incredibly useful guitar lick is on the menu for you today. This lick finds itself right at home in the song "Friend of the Devil," but can also be…
Twenty Bills
Welcome to today's time warp... where 10 minutes can turn into an hour. Today's scale is a G major pentatonic scale formatted in two different ways. F…
Devil’s Friend
The chord progression and rhythm technique you'll be using today isn't flashy, it's not filled with guitar pyrotechnics... it's not even all that diff…
American Beauty
Today, today, today... today will be a day you won't soon forget. Today's transition challenge will prove that just a single note can hold as much wei…
Day 1 – Limbering Up
The limbering up exercise is one that will prepare your mighty index finger for the barre chord madness that is heading its way.
This exercise, which…
Day 2 – ‘E’ Shape Familiarity
There are two barre chord shapes that prove to be the most useful and the ‘E’ Shape is certainly one of them.
This workout is designed to get you…
Day 3 – ‘A’ Shape Familiarity
The A shape is an extremely effective barre chord shape and one that, once learned, can be incredibly useful.
This shape has given me a fair share of…
Day 4 – ‘E’ Shape Exam
It is exam time, wahoo!!!
Do not worry this is not a pass/fail situation.
This exercise is simply meant to work on a few aspects of the E shaped barr…
Day 5 – ‘A’ Shape Exam
It is time to test your A shape barre chord.
This test is really designed to evaluate where your barre chord is currently at and where it can go in t…
BB Shake
Vibrato... the thing that you want to work on, you want to add to your playing, but aren't quite sure how to approach it... yep that vibrato. Today yo…
Lucille
Channeling your inner BB is what you need to do today... never heard BB? Don't worry about it... all the BB you need is in today's guitar lick. You've…
King’s Court
On the chopping block are two scale shapes, both of the minor pentatonic variety, both in the key of A, and both are connected. These scale shapes are…
Thrill Seeker
Space and breath are your buddies again today, but this time in the rhythm guitar world. Your mantra for today is "beats 2 and 4." Those beats get the…
It Has Not Gone Away
Upon conclusion of this challenge you will be very firmly placing an exclamation point at the end of this week's series of challenges. You'll be takin…
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…
Misty Morning
Double stops are on the menu this week and my oh my does this technique have a huge impact on your playing, how you view the fretboard, and how you ca…
Transistor Radio
You've heard this guitar lick countless times... seriously likely more than a thousand times before, and not only in the song "Brown Eyed Girl." It po…
Skippin’ And A Jumpin’
Double stops a plenty today. Three sets of double stops, also known as harmonized scales, await you. Learning these will help you add harmonic complex…
Slippin’ And A Slidin’
Strumming without a pick is a necessary tool, whether you lost your guitar pick, or you just can't stand using the darn thing being able to strum with…
In The Old Mine
Sometimes the most effective chord transition is just hammering into the full chord of the next measure. Sounds aggressive, but it's actually a very s…
Paint Shaker
Your pick accuracy muscle will be flexed and developed today. You'll be skipping strings with reckless abandon... actually quite the opposite.. more l…
Color Swatch
D minor is the saddest of all keys and this lick proves it... you'll immediately feel the mood created by the D harmonic minor scale notes and the con…
Drop Cloth
Today will change your guitar playing forever. Bold statement, yes... Exaggeration, not at all. You'll be maintaining a D drone along with a D harmoni…
Painter’s Tape
The chord progression for "Paint It Black" is your launching pad today, and it will reveal so much. First, you'll be incorporating up strums with a mu…
Paint Roller
Riddle me this: How can you play a chord without playing a chord? Well, it would be no fun if I told you right off the bat, but don't fear today's cha…
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…
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…
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.…
Day 1 – Ants In Your Pants
Vibrato is the name of the game and you'll be learning one of the three types of it today. "Confined" vibrato is your target in today's challenge. It'…
Day 2 – Pullin’ Nails
Leverage is on your side today with the aptly named "leveraged vibrato." Mainly performed on the D and G strings, leveraged vibrato has you using the …
Day 3 – Livin’ On The Edge
Living on the edge is not just an Aerosmith song... it's the name of your challenge today because you'll be working on an "edgy" vibrato. This approac…
Day 4 – The More The Merrier
Vibrato is not just limited to single notes and today's challenge proves that. Using vibrato on chords allows you to do less with your picking hand, a…
Day 5 – Tag Along
Using vibrato on chords located on the low strings is pretty darn effective as you have experienced, but what if you tried it on the high strings with…
Fat Possum
Your thumb is about to turn into your best friend. Looking through the lens of hill country blues this week you'll begin to see how important of a rol…
My Baby’s Gone
The lick on deck for today is taken directly form Robert Belfour's song "My Baby's Gone." He uses this lick and derivatives of it throughout the entir…
Rollin’ Hills
E minor pentatonic times three is an equation you will be very familiar with by the end of today's challenge. Don't worry there isn't any math involve…
Streamline Train
Driving steady bass, one chord shape, some movement, and a bit of palm muting are the ingredients you'll need for today's rhythm guitar challenge. One…
Where Can She Be
One of the primary confusion points for a twelve bar blues is that sometimes you simply lose track of where you are. It's not intentional and even if …
Dogwood Flowers
Hammer-ons and pull-offs are on the menu today... a whole buffet of hammer-ons and pull-offs as a matter of fact. You'll be using every finger on your…