In this country guitar lesson, you'll learn how to play a classic country boogie woogie style rhythm (in the key of D) as well as a pedal steel style, country lead. I've often found that when I try to learn country guitar, I become frustrated because it's usually played at such an insanely fast tempo. Maybe you've found that to be the case as well? In this lesson, I've tried to take some classic country guitar licks and slow them down to a tempo that's within reach. You'll also learn how to … [Read more...]
Bluesy Lead Guitar With Piano – EP115
In this guitar lesson, you'll learn how to play a blues lead along on top of a piano backing track. It can be great practice (and fun) to strip music down to it's rawest form and try to play something that is interesting and complementary to the other instrument. This style of playing forces you to be on your toes, and leaves less room for error. It also forces you to really listen and to develop interesting leads and fills. … [Read more...]
Drop D Tuning – Original Fingerstyle Composition – EP085
In this week's guitar lesson, learn how to play an original fingerstyle composition in drop D tuning. I'll show you how to easily tune your guitar to Drop D and will discuss some of the advantages to this tuning. I'll also show you how you can take this simple rhythm and expand upon it, creating your own compositions. This lesson is great for anyone, beginner - advanced, it also works well on acoustic or electric guitar. … [Read more...]
Simple Rhythm Fills – EP082
If you’re looking for a way to spice up your rhythm, this lesson will give you some ideas for simple 2 note rhythmic fills that you can play in between chords. You can also use these fills with your lead playing. In addition to showing you how to play them, I’ll show you which scales they come from so that you can create your own fills. This can be played on electric or acoustic guitar. … [Read more...]
Warren Haynes Style Guitar Lesson – EP064
I've had so many Warren Haynes requests lately that I had to try and put together a lesson with some of his signature licks. I was very hesitant to do it at first because he's such a fantastic guitar player that I wasn't sure if I could pull something together that did his style any justice. I feel like this is a decent interpretation of his style (although not as much overdrive as he would probably use). I had a great time with this one and will probably create a follow-up if there's enough … [Read more...]
Part 2 of 2 – Lead Guitar Lesson for “Jam in D” – EP048
This guitar lesson is a follow-up to last week’s lesson (EP047) which was a stand-alone rhythm that worked on it’s own with no accompaniment. This week, I’ve created a jam track that can be applied to last week’s lesson.. so you can now practice EP047 with the jam track in this lesson. In addition, I’ll show you how to play a lead part that incorporates both major and minor pentatonic scales. … [Read more...]
Part 1 of 2 – Rhythm Guitar Lesson for Jam in D – EP047
In this week's guitar lesson, you'll learn about rhythm and dynamics. This is part 1 of 2 in a series on how to jam. This week you'll be learning how to play the rhythm on it's own with no accompaniment, but in part 2 (EP048) I will provide you with a jam track to play along with, as well as a lead part that will fit on top of this. … [Read more...]
EP036 – Drop D tuning rhythm and 3 solos in the key of D
In this guitar lesson you'll learn how to play a blues, rock rhythm (with a hint of country) in drop d tuning. In addition, I've included 3 mini double-string solos in the key of D that has repeatable licks in both major and minor pentatonic scales. You can practice interchanging these licks / solos with the jam track, and ultimately transpose them into other keys to play with other songs. … [Read more...]
Allman Brothers Lead Guitar Lesson – Dickey Betts Style – EP030
In this guitar lesson, you'll learn how to play a short (but sweet) Dickey Betts inspired guitar solo. A lot of what creates that Allman Brothers sound was the fact that guitar solos were often played in the major pentatonic scale - which creates that "happy" sound. Learning how to switch between the major pentatonic and the minor pentatonic (sad) is key to playing great sounding solos, so hopefully you'll be able to take the notes that make up this solo and apply it to other songs! … [Read more...]
Acoustic Slide Guitar Lesson – Delta Blues – EP026
In this guitar lesson I'll show you how to play basic, delta blues style slide guitar on an acoustic. This is played in open D tuning, and I'll show you an easy way to tune to open D, without even needing a tuner. I also assume you know little to nothing about slide and will walk you through all of the basics, how to hold a slide, what finger to use, etc. If you've always wanted to learn how to play slide, this lesson is a great one to get you started! … [Read more...]