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2 Fingers + Secret Open Chord = Simple Bluegrass Composition by yourself! – Guitar Lesson – ML139

bluegrass acoustic guitar lesson

In this week's lesson, you'll learn how to create a solo Bluegrass-style arrangement using just strings 4, 3, and 2 with a simple strum pattern and minimal fretting. Great for improving rhythm, melody, timing, and musical feel all at once. … [Read more...]

Need some ideas to make your rhythm sound more interesting? Blues Rhythm Guitar Lesson – ML137

fun blues rhythm ideas

In this week's guitar lesson, you'll learn how to play a rhythm for a 1-4-5 Blues progression that sounds interesting by mixing up strum patterns and chord embellishments. … [Read more...]

Understanding the CAGED System with the Blues – Blues from the E Shape – Guitar Lesson – ML134

Blues out of the E shape from the CAGED System

In this week's guitar lesson, you'll learn how to play the Blues by yourself, both chords and lead licks while staying in the same 4 fret region of the fretboard, starting with the E shape. … [Read more...]

Blues out of the “A Shape” from the CAGED System – Blues Guitar Lesson – ML133

Blues guitar using the A shape from the CAGED System

In this week's guitar lesson, you'll learn how to play a 1-4-5 Blues out of the A shape from the CAGED System. I'm going through each of the 5 shapes and showing you how to connect the 1, 4, and 5 chords as well as the Major and Minor Pentatonic scales in the same region of the fretboard. … [Read more...]

The G Shape from The CAGED System – Play the Blues from the G shape – Guitar Lesson – ML132

The G Shape - guitar lesson

In this week's guitar lesson you'll learn how to play a standalone Blues / Bluegrass / Rockabilly style composition (1-4-5 progression) by starting with the G shape. Everything stays within the same 4 fret range. … [Read more...]

Need help with your timing? Strum patterns + rhythm ideas! Lesson – ML128

need help with timing? guitar lesson

In this week's guitar lesson, you'll learn how to play the rhythm guitar part over last week's jam track (EP625). You'll learn how to play ahead of the beat, and how to play on the beat as well as several simple rhythm embellishments! … [Read more...]

How to USE the upgraded Blues Rhythm to layer on top of a 1-4-5 progression – Guitar Lesson – ML126

blues rhythm guitar lesson

In this week's guitar lesson, I'll continue what we started in lesson ML125 by demonstrating how to layer the upgraded Blues rhythm over a standard 1-4-5 chord progression. Learn how to count it, and how to hear the extra chords. Here's a link to the previous (prerequisite) lesson to this lesson … [Read more...]

Upgrade your Blues rhythm with these chords (Jazzier structure) – Game Changer! – Guitar Lesson – ML125

upgrade your blues rhythm - guitar lesson

In this week's guitar lesson, you'll learn how to convert a basic sounding 12 bar Blues rhythm into a much more interesting chord structure by adding a few extra transition chords. This concept was a game changer for me! Here is the follow-up lesson to this one showing how to play this new structure over a standard 1-4-5 progression. … [Read more...]

MicroLesson: ML118 – Blues harmonies hiding inside chord shapes – Can you see them? Guitar Lesson – ML118

Blues harmonies hiding in chord shapes

In this MicroLesson (ML118), you'll learn how to find Blues harmonies inside of basic chord shapes (from the CAGED System) - Makes it easy to find them again in the future (in any key). … [Read more...]

MicroLesson: ML111 – Compliment “Cowboy Chords” with these 3 triad shapes!

compliment cowboy chords

MicroLesson (ML111) - Have you ever been in a situation where a person (or people) are strumming cowboy chords and you want to play a different rhythm, to compliment what's going on without copying what they're doing? This lesson is exactly that. 3 triad positions (on the first 3 strings) that will allow you to play major and minor chords all over the fretboard. … [Read more...]

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Recent Lessons

Learn how to construct a classic Chicago Blues style guitar solo – Guitar Lesson EP636

How do I jam with someone on guitar? Learn both rhythm and lead parts in this lesson – EP635

Vocal Guitar Phrasing; How to play it like you would sing it. Guitar Lesson – EP634

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