Starting From Zero
Today's guitar lick makes up roughly 90% of the song "Fast Car." It is THE guitar hook, THE main theme, and it is wildly fun to play... and did I ment…
Archives: Lessons
Ticket To Anywhere
Three single string G major scales are on your to-do list today. Now, single string scales can seem simple and almost elementary in a way, but today's…
Speedy Vehicle
The song "Fast Car" doesn't necessarily have strummed chords in the verse per se, but the lick you played on Tuesday suggests a chord progression, and…
Fly Away
Don't you love it when a plan comes together?!?!? I know I certainly do, and all of the work you have put in this week will allow your plan for this s…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Chuck Wagon
Changing gears isn't just for mountain bikers and race car drivers, it's for guitar players too. Today's technique challenge focuses on rhythm and how…
Mr. B. Goode
Taking the triplet idea from yesterday's technique challenge, you'll continue to expand on the use of triplets in both mini chords (double stops) and …
Goode and Bad
Get ready for a mind blowing moment... you can use both a minor and major scale that just so happen to be in the same exact physical shape in a single…
Duck Walk
Stretch your pinky finger for this one... seriously, its gonna need a pep talk for today's challenge. You'll be using a power chord as your anchor poi…
Berry Berry Goode
You don't know it yet, but you're a bass player as well as a guitar player. The challenge that lies ahead of you today builds off of the rhythm you le…
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 …
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…
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…
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…
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…
Cash It In
Just how much sound and oomph can you get out of three strings? Well, you can actually get quite a bit of magic out of just three strings if you give …
Jail Break
Today's lick is one that will put a smile on your face and have you sounding like a straight ahead country guitarist. You'll use a major pentatonic sc…
Walkin’ The Line
Country style guitar leans on the major pentatonic scale pretty solidly, and that's exactly what you'll experience today. You'll be learning two shape…
Maximum Security
Palm muting with a little flash is what's on deck for your challenge today. Using the palm muting you refined on Monday, today you'll add a bit more c…
Life Sentence
Remember that lick that was on Tuesday? You'll play the exact same thing in a different location today and it will function as a chord transition. Thi…
Heartstrings
Open D major tuning is just a beautiful thing and it just so happens to open the door of studying flatpicking technique, accuracy, and control. Today'…
Angel Walkie Talkie
"She Talks To Angels" by the Black Crowes is and always has been a shining example of how beautiful and easy open D tuning is. Today's lick is actuall…
Certain Company
Learning a scale is fantastic... learning a scale while incorporating a drone string is even better... learning a scale with a drone string that happe…
By Name
Chords in open tunings often seem mysterious and almost hidden from plain sight, that will change today as you will explore the chords used in "She Ta…
Caw Caw
Chords in open D tuning are already beautiful... today you'll make them gorgeous by adding a wonderful, drone-infused transition between them. This ch…
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…
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…
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 …
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…
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…
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…
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…
Snow Covered Hills
Space is not just for exploring in a rocket ship... space in music is one of the most difficult yet powerful things you can add to your playing. For t…