Beginner Guitar System

In this section you will find all the downloadable resources for this course.

In this section we will cover all the basics you will need to know to get the most out of this course. We will cover, parts of the guitar, how to hold the guitar, how to hold the pick, string names, tuning the guitar and how to use an amplifier.

In this lesson you will learn the different parts of the guitar. From the body to the neck, to the headstock. All the parts are explained.

In this lesson you will learn the proper way to hold the guitar. By holding the guitar properly, you will reduce your risk of injury due to bad posture or unnecessary stress to your wrists and hands. Proper technique in this area is important to your health and guitar playing longevity.

In this lesson I will show you the proper way to hold a pick (plectrum). You will get a super close-up of my right hand so you can see specifically how to properly hold the pick, keeping it from moving around in your hand.

In this lesson you will learn how to properly fret a note with your left hand. Bad technique in this area can cause buzzing or dead notes. You will see a close-up of my left hand so you can see specifically when to place your finger for best results.

In this lesson you will learn the names and number of the different strings on the guitar. This is a super important lesson as learning the string will help you navigate the rest of this course. E-A-D-G-B-E.

In this lesson you will learn the basics of how to read tabs. Tablature is a six line staff representing the six strings of the guitar. The number on each line represents the fretted note on that particular string. Once your able to read tab, you be able to learn songs directly from printed song books or via the internet tab sites.

In this lesson you will learn to read chord diagram or chord stamps. The horizontal lines represent the frets, while the vertical lines represents the strings. The dots represent where you will place your fingers. Once you can read chord diagrams, you'll have the knowledge to learn 1000's of songs from printed song books.

In this lesson you will learn how to tune the guitar using an electronic tuner. This is one of the most important skills you can learn as a guitar player. No one wants to hear you playing out of tune, so grab your guitar and lets get tuned up...

In this lesson you will learn the basics of a guitar amplifer. An "amp" amplifies your electric guitar signal so that it can be heard. There are many makes and models of guitar amps but we'll cover the basics. We'll discuss gain, EQing, and reverb.

In this lesson you will learn how to play the major and minor open chords. These open chords are often referred to as the "Cowboy Chords" but don't let that fool you. Open chords are use in Rock, Blues, Pop and Country.

In this lesson you will learn how to play the D Major Chord. Due to the proximity of your fingers, the D Major chord is one of the easiest chords to learn. So this will be a good one to start with.

In this lesson you will learn the A Major chord. This is another popular chord. I will show you a couple of different fingering for this particular chord shape.

In this lesson you will learn the E Major Chord. This chord uses all six string and has been used by many guitarists throughout rock history.

In this lesson you will learn how to play the previous three chord "in time". It's one thing to play a chord all by itself, but it's a completely different experience when you put them together.

In this lesson you will learn the A Minor chord. The A minor chord is similar to the major version with the exception of the 3rd note (of the scale) is lowered from a major 3rd to a minor 3rd.

In this lesson you will learn the E Minor chord. The E minor chord is similar to the major version with the exception of the 3rd note (of the scale) is lowered from a major 3rd to a minor 3rd.

In this lesson you will learn the D Minor chord. The D minor chord is similar to the major version with the exception of the 3rd note (of the scale) is lowered from a major 3rd to a minor 3rd. This D minor chord is a little tricky and may take some work to get your fingers in the proper position.

In this lesson you will learn the G Major chord. The G Major chord is going to stretch your hand a bit, as the chord spans across all six strings. it will take a little work to get comfortable with this chord shape, but stick with it.

In this lesson you will learn the C Major chord. The C major chord is similar to the G major chord where it will take a little extra effort to get comfortable with the chord shape. it spans three frets across five strings.

In this lesson you will learn variations for both the G and C chords. The "modified shapes" are a little easier to play but still sound great.

You now know several open chords. 1000s of popular songs on use 3 or 4 chords. So once you have these chord shapes memorized, you will have the potential to learn 1000s of songs. It might be time for a campfire sing-a-long.

In this section you will learn the movable chord shapes. These movable barre and power chords will allow you to play all major and minor chords up and down the neck with the same basic shape.

In this lesson you will learn the Root 6 Barre Chord. The Root 6 Barre chord is similar to the open E major chord but we'll use our index finger to create a barre. Allowing us to move freely up and down the neck.

In this lesson you will learn the Root 5 Barre Chord. The Root 5 Barre chord is similar to the open A Major chord but we'll use our index finger to create a barre. Allowing us to move freely up and down the neck.

In this lesson you will learn about Power Chords. Power Chord are similar to the Barre chords but only use 2 notes. The root note and the 5th.  Power Chords are often called 5 Chords.

By playing Movable Cord Shapes, you should be able to play every Major and Minor Chord Up and Down the entire fretboard.

Playing guitar, especially rhythm guitar is all about timing. So in this section you will learn some basic musical timing concepts as well as a few different strumming patterns. You don't need to worry about your left hand in this section, this is all about the right hand. Count out loud as this will help you find the groove.

In this lesson you will learn two basic strumming patterns. Pattern 1 is based on quarter notes. Use all downstrokes for this pattern. Pattern 2 is based on eighth notes, use both downstrokes and upstokes for the pattern.

In this lesson you will learn another popular strumming pattern. This pattern is also based on eighth notes, use both downstrokes and upstokes for the pattern.

In this lesson you will learn another popular strumming pattern. This pattern is also based on eighth notes, use both downstrokes and upstokes for the pattern. Keep your arm in motion, even if your not strumming the strings.

In this lesson you will learn another popular strumming pattern. This pattern is also based on eighth notes, use both downstrokes and upstokes for the pattern. This pattern has a little more space at the end of the measure. Keep your arm in motion, even if your not strumming the strings.

In this section you will learn some fun and easy finger dexterity exercises to get both your right and left hand working together. It's best to do these exercises with a metronome. These are great warm-up exercises. Use these at the beginning of you practice routine.

In this lesson you will learn how to use alternate picking. Alternate Picking is a technique using an up and down motion with the pick.

In this lesson you will learn a one finger per note finger exercise. Often called the spider, because your hand crawls up and down the neck like a spider, on fret at a time. Pay attention to your alternate picking. Stay consistent.

In this lesson you will learn a variation to the one finger per note finger exercise. This one covers a smaller area of the fretboard but can be just as effective. Pay attention to your alternate picking. Stay consistent.

In this lesson you will learn another one finger per note finger exercise. This one only uses three finger per string so your picking pattern will change each time you change strings. Down-up-down. Then Up-down-up. Repeat.

You now have some excellent warm-up exercises that you can use at the beginning of your practice routine. use a metronome and stay consistent. Go slow at the beginning and only increase your speed after you can comfortably play it at slower tempos.

In this section you will learn a couple of the most popular scales used in modern music today. When practicing these scales, be sure to use a metronome and use alternate picking.

In this lesson you will learn the Minor pentatonic scale. This scale is arguably the most used scale used in Rock and Blues music. Some famous guitarists have made careers by being masters of this one scale. This example is in the Key of A.

In this lesson you will learn a variation of the Minor pentatonic scale. This pattern is an extended pattern covering more area of the fretboard. This example is in the Key of A.

In this lesson you will learn the Minor Blues Scale. This scale is basically the same as the pentatonic scale but with an added note. The Flat 5 note or Blue Note. Adding this blue note to your pentatonic scale is a pro move. Go ahead and try it. Rock On!

You now have a basic understanding of the scales you need to play Rock, Pop, Country or Blues. Just bu moving this pattern to different frets on the neck will change the Key of the Scale. So this scale can be used in all keys. Just move it up or down the neck to the appropriate position.

In this lesson you will learn various techniques to embellish or add flavor to your playing. Scales are only part of the puzzle, you need to add some of the techniques to bring out the emotion in your playing.

In this lesson you will learn the Hammer-On. The hammer-on is hammering on from a lower note to a higher note. That's two note but with only one pick stroke.

In this lesson you will learn the Pull-Off. the pull-off is the opposite of the hammer-on. Instead on hammering onto a higher note, you are pulling off to a lower note. That's two note with one pick stroke.

In this lesson you will learn the Trill. A trill is basically a bunch on Hammer-ons and Pull-Offs repeated over and over again. It could be several notes with one pick stroke.

In this lesson you will learn Tremolo Picking. Tremolo picking is a fast succession of alternate picked notes. This technique is use in Spanish guitar but also used by many rock players like Eddie Van Halen.

In this lesson you will learn how to use Slides. Slide allow you to seamlessly transition from one position to the next as you move across the fretboard. Slide can be as little as  one fret, or several frets.

In this lesson you will learn how to bend strings. String bending is the technique that pushes the string across the fingerboard to effectively change the pitch of the string. When bending up to a note, pay attention to your pitch accuracy.

In this lesson you will learn vibrato. Vibrato is similar to bending the string but usually is smaller motions. Vibrato can be slow and wide or fast and narrow. Many players can be recognized by their vibrato technique. This technique has the most vocal quality of all guitar techniques.

When you add these techniques to your scales, you will be making music. These techniques give your playing character and emotion.

In this Section you will learn how to solo over a basic 12 bar blues shuffle chord progression. I'll start out by playing the solo myself, then I'll break it down for you note by note. Learn it measure by measure. Go slow at first then build up your speed as you feel more comfortable.

This is the solo example. It in the Key of A and is a 12 bar blues shuffle progression.

Bars 1 and 2 start out pretty basic with a simple blues lick based on the minor pentatonic scale in the fifth position. This is played over the A Chord or I Chord.

Bar 3 adds in the first Double-Stop that we use. A double stop is two note played at the same time. Bar 4 is back to the minor pentatonic shape.

Bars 5 and 6 move to the D chord or IV Chord. We do some half step bends that add a nice amount of tension to the solo.

Bars 7 and 8 go back to the A chord. We do a descending and ascending pattern taken directly from the A Minor Blues Scale. We add in a couple more double-stops at the end of bar 8.

Bars 9 and 10 move to the E Chord or V Chord. Bar 9 is a simple pull-off pattern while bar 10 is a repeating bending pattern.

Bar 11 is Played over the A chord and is a typical Blues Rock Lick played on the higher three strings. Bar 12 moves to the E chord for the Turnaround and we play a simple repeating pull-off style lick.

Bars 13 and 14 are played over the A chord. Bar 13 is a repeating hammer-on lick. Bar 14 is a descending pattern taken from the pentatonic scale.

Bars 15 and 16 are played over the A chord. Bar 15 is the same repeating hammer-on lick from bar 13. Bar 16 is a descending pattern similar to bar 14 but sliding up to the A note at the 10th fret on the second string.

Bars 17 and 18 are played over the D Chord and is a pretty typical blues lick in the style of Stevie Ray Vaughn.

Bars 19 and 20 are played over the A chord. Bar 19 is one slightly bent note held for the entire measure. Bar 20 sides from the A note at the 10th fret on the second string down to the G note at the 8th fret. Add some vibrato to the G note.

Bars 21 and 22 are played over the E chord. Bar 21 is a simple repeating bending pattern while bar 22 is a descending lick taken directly from the pentatonic scale.

Bars 23 and 24 is going to be the most challenging lick in this solo. It is a descending sequence of 4 notes. Pay attention to the TABs, play it slow until you have it memorized then you can work it up to speed.

You now have some basic lick ideas to work with. Play a-long to the jam track. Try mixing up some of the licks. Put them in a different order or mash them up to create new licks. Most of all...have fun with it!