Few rock & roll songs are as iconic and universally known as “We Will Rock You” by Queen. Every school kid knows how to stomp-stomp-clap on the gym bleachers as the masses chant along. This song works splendidly for a newbie guitar player to learn to transition between three chords in a changing chord progression. […]
Considering Live Video Lessons?
The Internet has changed the way we learn. Want to build a guitar from a cigar box? No problem. Get clever with your coffee? Easy-peasy. Build an awesome LEGO car? Just listen to the master. Yes, you can even learn to play an instrument via the World Wide Web. There is a growing community of […]
Introduction to Keys
Did you have a set of plastic building blocks as a kid? Every box has a picture of a super cool project on the front – maybe a house or a robot or a motorcycle. When you open the box and dump the pieces on the floor, you realize that there are WAY more blocks […]
Why Bother with Barre Chords?
Its reputation precedes it. Even non-guitarists are aware of its legend. You don’t want to meet it in a dark alley and you definitely do not want to get on its bad side. It will torture you, make you question everything you thought you knew and drive you to the edge of quitting. It is […]
3 Introductory Picking Styles
Acoustic guitar players typically break down into two groups: strummers and pickers. Their playing preferences are pretty self-explanatory. Strummers like big, ringy chords. They want the acoustic guitar to fill the room with notes. Pickers like to arpeggiate chords, pulling out notes and putting together little licks and partial chords to embellish their playing. When […]
How to Read & Write Strum Notation
Playing rhythm guitar means playing a pattern of strokes known as a strum pattern. This pattern repeats itself throughout the song and often remains unchanged. However, it is not uncommon for different sections of a song to have different strum patterns. Rhythm guitarist can determine the strum pattern of a song through a series of […]