Same Old Place
Upon hearing this lick for the first time, it takes you to a very distinctive place... it takes you right to the heart (actually the start) of sweet h…
Archives: Lessons
Blues Brothers
The 'E' minor pentatonic scale is your focus for today, and you'll be learning two different versions of this scale starting in the same exact spot...…
Akroyd Shuffle
Before you today lies one of the most fun, useful, and recognizable rhythm patterns of the entire blues guitar world: the blues shuffle in the key of …
Belushi Bass
Combine ingredients and bake at 425 degrees for at least 10 minutes... nope, we're not cooking a pie today, we're cooking up a complete and varied app…
Earthquakes And Lightnin’
Two items are on the musical menu today: chord control and chord modifications. Sounds intense, but I can assure you its actually super fun and ultra …
Nasty Weather
Taking into account yesterday's technique challenge you will play a portion of the "Bad Moon Rising" guitar solo today. You'll be using your chord con…
Moonrise
A little mix and match is on deck today. You'll be taking a straight ahead D major scale and then mixing in a D major pentatonic scale. You'll find th…
Hurricane’s A Blowin’
One of the most useful and common chord progressions is what's in store for you today. This chord progression is found in far more songs than just "Ba…
Bathroom On The Right
I love it when a plan comes together, don't you? Today is the culmination of all of your hard (and fun) work from this week. You'll use the D chord mo…
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…
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…
Slow (Slow) Hand
Two seemingly separate techniques are in store for you today... while these seem very unrelated, I think you'll find that when you begin working on th…
Late In The Evening
This is the one... THE ONE. When you think of this song... when you think of memorable guitar licks... this is the one. You'll use a beautiful, emotio…
Wonderful (This Evening)
Picking up where you left off yesterday, you'll discover the scale positions where the lick(s) you played yesterday were born. Two closed position 'G'…
Wonder Of It All
Four common chords, a relatively common chord progression, and a simple rhythm guitar pattern combine to create one of the most memorable and singable…
Go To A Party
It's all about that bass... yes THAT bass... one of the most catchy things about this beautiful song is the slow and lilting bass line that is used to…
Desert Highway
Your technique challenge involves developing picking accuracy while playing a chord one note at a time, also known as playing an arpeggio. This approa…
Mission Bell
Today's challenge will find you picking up right where you left off yesterday. Using mini chord shapes you'll be hinting at the chord progression to t…
Master’s Chambers
On the docket for today is a gaggle of scales in the key of A minor. By the end of today's challenge you'll have 3 different A minor pentatonic scale …
Lovely Place
"Hotel California" is and always will be one of the best guitar chord studies available, and lo and behold... that's what today's rhythm guitar challe…
Check Out Anytime
With a chord progression that contains as many chords as "Hotel California" does it's a nice touch to add some subtle bass led chord transitions. Toda…
Once Had Me
3/4 time, also known as waltz time, can be tricky if you've never tried it before. It can feel a bit disorienting and even confusing, which is why tod…
Rubber Bird
There is nothing more gratifying than playing the vocal melody to a song note for note on your guitar... that being the case I think you'll find today…
Isn’t It Good?
The improvisation challenge ahead of you today will be an eye opener for sure, as you'll be using two subtly different scales outside the standard maj…
This Bird Has Flown
Today's rhythm guitar challenge provides solid ground to further refine your waltz strumming. The chord progression is not one that has too many chang…
Norwegian Forest
All of the pieces you have worked on this week will come together for a grand finale of sorts today. A grand finale that results in you playing one of…
Day 1 – Boogie
Today you will head on over to your friendly neighbor's house (the bass family), and ask to borrow a cup of one of the most useful bass lines in all o…
Day 2 – Bassman Bobby
Today you'll lean on the bass end of the spectrum yet again, but this time you'll be incorporating some off beats to give it a little oomph. This patt…
Day 3 – High And Lonesome
The thing I love about 12 bar blues progressions is that they are fun, simple, and effective. The 12 bar blues form shows up in nearly every genre, wh…
Day 4 – Hammer The Hurt
You're going to switch gears to finger style today. You'll be using a simple finger picking pattern, but adding a spicy little hammer on that adds som…
Day 5 – Jimi’s Chord
I love the chord shape that you're going to play today and to be honest I know it only as the Jimi Hendrix chord... and that's enough for me. You'll b…
Light My Fuse
Two physical movements are the focus of today's technique challenge. For the first part you will be focusing on your pinky and stretching it quite a f…
Layin’ It Down
The guitar lick on deck for today is actually a core part of the song "Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo." Not only is it a focal point of this song... it ju…
That Funky Sound
The scale that started it all... for me anyway... the A minor pentatonic scale. If I had a nickel for every hour I spent with this scale when I first …
Hoochie Koo
I'd like to introduce you to your new best friend... the power chord. Today's challenge is the chord progression to the entire song "Rock and Roll Hoo…
Spread The News
Today you combine all of the ingredients you have collected thus far to bake a rock and roll casserole specifically designed for the acoustic guitar. …
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…
I’m A Lot Like You
Chord modifications sound mysterious and seem difficult, but the good news is that they are quite easy, especially if you use the chord you are holdin…
So Much More
The "Neil Young" chord is what's in store for you today. You know the one... I know you know the one. The great thing about this chord is that it's an…
Rolling Home To You
A bit of a shake up happens on today's challenge. You are going to mix two things that maybe you thought could never be mixed before... a major and a …
Take A Look At My Life
The main chord progression for "Old Man" is on deck and although it may seem pretty standard it has a bit of a twist... two twists actually. Twist #1 …
Run Around The Same Old Town
Remember those chord modifications from way back on Monday's technique challenge? Well, you're going to lean on those heavily to accentuate the change…
Seeing Clearly
Nothing crazy to start the week this week... it is the holidays after all. Your focus today is on palm muting and finding the sweet spot for some diff…
The Rain Is Gone
The melody of a song is the most important thing you can get under your fingers. Finding and learning the melody is good for your fretting hand, it's …
Obstacles In My Way
Two scales on tap for today... kind of three, but first let's focus on the two main ones. You'll be learning a D major scale as well as a D mixolydian…
Nothing But Blue Skies
Strum, strum, strum your way into the New Year. This challenge will help you harness one of the most useful syncopated strumming patterns in all of gu…
Bright Sun Shiny Day
Bringing in the palm muted strum you worked on on Monday, you'll freshen up the verse portion of this song and give it a mellow laid back feel. You'll…
Sambora Sweetness
This technique challenge is not fair. It's not fair that it is one of the most musical challenges ever AND it provides an incredible opportunity for g…
Loaded Six String
You've heard of "stank face" right? It's when you play something on the guitar and your face contorts in such a manner that would insinuate something …
A Million Faces
Clear up the neck you go for today's improvisation challenge. You'll be looking at a D minor pentatonic scale today in three forms. The first two are …
Living Or Deceased
If the doctor had to order a highly addictive chord progression to heal your soul, this is the one that would be prescribed 99% of the time. This chor…
Steel Horse
Space, sustain, and time are what fuels today's chord transition challenge. You'll be using some little bass walks and chord embellishments to add to …
Give Me One Thing
There's nothing too crazy contained in today's technique challenge, but it does introduce you to two techniques that will prove invaluable as you marc…
Thunder Dreams
Rather than play one guitar lick today, you'll actually play guitar licks for the entire verse of the song, but guess what?!?! You'll only be using tw…
Flying Angel
There are two items on the "to-do" list today. The first is learning a standard G major scale and including the flat 7 note (in this case an F note). …
Not So Old Rodeo
A rhythmic brain teaser is on deck for today. In today's rhythm guitar challenge you will be learning the chord progression to the song "Angel Form Mo…
Free Ramblin’ Man
Things get lighter today, things become more sparse, and even though we are stripping some things away for today's chord transition challenge the song…
Cloudy Day
The objective for today is to give the picking hand a workout and gain a perspective on how to divide time so that you have options for basic rhythm a…
Gone Too Long
Melody is king. Melody is queen. Melody is top dog. I could go on, but I think you get the idea... melody is very important and it makes a great launc…
I Know, I Know, I Know
'A' minor pentatonic is on the menu today... all 5 positions of it as a matter of fact. One position of this scale is effective so don't feel like you…
Wither Away
The rubber meets the road today with 3 differing approaches to the basic chord progression of "Ain't No Sunshine." Starting from the basic chords with…
Every Time She Goes Away
A simple chord progression can receive the smallest of tweaks to make it more interesting and gain a greater feeling of movement... this chord progres…
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…
Two Note Window
For day 1 of your 5 day Bass Walk Challenge you'll be looking at a bass transition between two chords that takes up, as you may have guessed, two beat…
Four Note Window
As the name of today's challenge suggests you will be walking into the bass note of a chord using a full measure... all four beats. This type of trans…
Stepping Down
Instead of walking up to the bass note of the next chord, in today's challenge you will be walking down to the bass note of the next chord. This is a …
The Secret Sauce
Remember back to that two note window challenge? Well, today you'll take that two note bass walk and turn it into a full chord two beat bass walk. Sel…
Walk This Way
So far you've had a chance to play through some shorter form bass walks... I'm referring to the two beat and four beat windows that you have now becom…
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…
Rock Me
Where do guitar licks come from? Where do I even begin thinking about what to play for a guitar solo? The melody, the melody, the MELODY of the song y…
Wind And Rain
Today you'll take a standard G major scale one step further by targeting specific chord tones. You'll start by getting an open position G major scale …
North Country Winters
Rhythm guitar doesn't have to be busy, it doesn't have to be fancy, it just has to be steady, even, and supportive of the song. The strumming pattern …
Headin’ Down South
Picking up right where you left off yesterday this series of chord transitions is not crazy extensive, but it packs a punch and just so happens to use…
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…
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…
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…
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…