If you’ve been working through the hammer on and pulls or bending lesson, you’ve already got two of the expressive techniques in lead guitar under your fingers. Slides add something different. Where a bend pushes a string sideways to reach a note, a slide gets there by moving along the string. The two techniques can … Read more
Prelude in C Major, BWV 846 by Johann Sebastian Bach is one of the most recognizable pieces from The Well-Tempered Clavier. Built around a steady flow of broken chords, the music creates a calm, continuous sound while the harmony gradually moves underneath. This guitar arrangement is especially helpful for developing even fingerpicking, smooth chord changes, … Read more
“Along The Way” is a bright fingerstyle piece that begins in G major, built around a warm, jazz-influenced chord progression and a gentle melody. A few unexpected key changes give the piece a natural sense of surprise, openness, and lift. The title is simple, but intentional. It quietly reflects Jesus’ words, “I am the way, … Read more
Dionisio Aguado’s Study in A Minor is a short classical guitar piece that develops fingerstyle coordination, smooth arpeggios, and control between the bass and upper voices. The main challenge is bringing out the moving bass line with your thumb while keeping the higher notes flowing quietly above it. Grab your guitar, and let’s get started. … Read more
If you’ve been working through the hammer-ons and pull-offs lesson, your lead playing has started to feel more connected. Your notes link up more smoothly and phrases are starting to flow where they used to stutter. But there’s a next layer, and you’ll hit it quickly. The notes you land on and hold still feel … Read more
If you’ve been working through the pentatonic scales and your runs still sound like exercises, hammer-ons and pull-offs might be the missing piece that makes them sound musical. You can play the shapes and move up and down the fretboard, but every note has the same weight, the same attack, the same flat character. This … Read more
I started sketching this song a few years back. It stayed with me ever since, shifting a little each year, until it finally felt like time to share it. Here’s “In Due Time.” It’s in D major, 6/8, fingerstyle. A little jazzy, a little folky, built around a sweet melody and a gentle rhythm that … Read more
We’ve all been there. You learn your first scale shape (something like the typical Minor Pentatonic Box), and for a week, it feels like a breakthrough. But then you try to solo, and the frustration sets in. You feel like you’re stuck on a tiny island. You know there are great notes further up the … Read more
Gymnopédie No. 1 is a dreamlike piece originally written for piano and composed by French composer Erik Satie in 1888. It’s one of the most recognized classical melodies in the world, known for its slow, floating quality and beautiful simplicity. This lesson covers the sheet music for a guitar arrangement including tabs. Grab your guitar … Read more
Do you ever feel like your guitar playing is “caged”? Most guitarists spend years locked in the first three frets. You know your open chords (aka open G, C, D, Em) and maybe a few barre chords, but the rest of the neck feels like foreign territory. You have no idea how to navigate it. … Read more