Guitar
Rock Guitar Lesson: Smooth Soloing with Paul Gilbert
For so many of us rock guitar players, our biggest aspiration is to be able to step onto the arena stage under the spotlight and take that face-melting, shredding guitar solo in the fashion of our favorite musical heroes. Who wouldn’t want to unlock the virtuosic stylings of players like Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, or Paul Gilbert in their own playing, right?
Country Guitar Lesson: Connecting the Pentatonic Scales to Chord Shapes with Guthrie Trapp
When you’re first learning how to improvise, especially on the electric guitar, one of the best places to start is to develop an understanding of the major and minor pentatonic scales. These pentatonic scales are the building blocks on which most improvisations are built, especially within the blues, rock, and country genres, and are a great tool to get you improvising quickly and tastefully.
Bluegrass Guitar Lesson: Harmonizing a Major Scale with Chris Eldridge
Understanding the framework of the fretboard and the manner in which chords and notes fit together and relate to one another is essential as you progress on the acoustic guitar. Knowledge of basic music theory and how those concepts manifest themselves on the fingerboard will make everything from internalizing new tunes to learning songs by ear, alternating between keys, and more that much easier. It will also provide you with the confidence to take on new challenges as the puzzle pieces of bluegrass guitar continue to fit together.
Beginner Rock Guitar Lesson: Learn a Classic Minor Chord Progression with Kevin Barry
As you begin learning to play the electric guitar, there are a series of essential guitar chords that every first-time player should practice and get under their fingers. These chords are called the “open position” chords, and are used in countless rock and roll classics written across decades.
Bluegrass Guitar Lesson: Embellishing Your Boom Chuck Strumming with Bryan Sutton
One of the most important and common rhythm guitar methods and strumming patterns utilized in the bluegrass genre is known as the Boom Chuck. This Boom Chuck strumming sequence is designed to emulate the rhythmic parts of both the upright bass and mandolin players within a traditional bluegrass ensemble.
Blues Rock Guitar Lesson: An Introduction to Power Chords with Jared James Nichols
One of the most common types of guitar chords that can be heard across musical styles ranging from classic to modern rock, blues, metal, and everything in between is the Power Chord. So, it’s no surprise that the Power Chord is a critical element and a staple within the blues rock guitar style and the genre in general. Therefore, it’s essential to fully understand what defines a Power Chord and master the associated performance techniques when learning to play hard rock and blues guitar.
Bluegrass Rhythm Guitar Lesson: Learn to Play “Shady Grove” with Chris Eldridge
A traditional Appalachian folk song thought to have originated in eastern Kentucky at the beginning of the 20th century, “Shady Grove” was quickly adopted into the bluegrass repertoire early on and has since become a staple of the genre. As such, it’s a piece that pickers, strummers, and fiddlers of all levels should be familiar with, and is a great tune to call at any jam session.
Beginner Rock Guitar Lesson: How to Tune the Guitar with Kevin Barry
Before you pick up the electric guitar and begin performing, practicing, or even leisurely strumming your favorite songs, there is one critical step that always needs to be taken—checking the tuning of your instrument and adjusting as needed. Knowing how to tune the guitar properly is an essential skill that guitarists of all levels need to master, and is crucial for beginners to learn. Hearing the guitar in its proper tuning is especially important for first-time players as they begin to navigate the fretboard and develop their musical ears.
Two New “Beginner’s Guide” Courses Now Open for Piano and Rock Guitar
We are absolutely ecstatic to announce that two of our newest courses, “Beginner’s Guide to Piano” and “Beginner’s Guide to Rock Guitar,” are officially here! As of 12 pm PT, the courses are both live and open to all students.
Bluegrass Guitar Lesson: The Boom Chuck Style & Sound with Bryan Sutton
As bluegrass guitar players, it is critical that we not only be able to perform single-note melodies, improvise, and occasionally step into the spotlight as soloists, but that we’re able to provide a harmonic and rhythmic foundation and support the rest of the ensemble through our rhythm guitar playing. In fact, in many cases, having a firm grasp of our rhythm guitar techniques can be more important than our single-note performance skills. As such, players of all skill levels should continuously practice and focus on improving their rhythm guitar playing.