Blog
All articles about learning to play guitar
Chords, technique, songs, guitars and practice tips: all articles in one place. Pick a topic or browse the latest posts.
-
Practicing Post-Rock Chord Progressions on Guitar
The best way to practice post-rock chord progressions is with simple chords that you give extra color: sus and add9 chords, open strings that…
-
Surf Rock Guitar Style Explained
The surf rock guitar style is built on a bright, clean electric guitar with plenty of spring reverb, fast tremolo picking and catchy instrumental…
-
Progressive Rock Rhythms on Guitar
Progressive rock rhythms on guitar revolve around odd time signatures such as 5/4 and 7/8, syncopation and time signature changes within a song. The…
-
Tips for Playing Guitar in a Band
Playing guitar in a band is all about playing together: listen to the drummer and the bass player, play tight on the beat and…
-
How to Play Guitar with Small Room Acoustics
How do you play guitar in a small room with difficult acoustics? Dampen hard reflections with textiles, don’t sit in a corner and keep…
-
Learning Guitar on Vacation: Tips and a Practice Plan
Learning guitar on vacation works fine with a lightweight travel guitar or a rental, a tuner and a short practice session of 15 to…
-
Learn to Play Famous Sports Songs on Guitar
Learning famous sports songs on guitar is easiest with songs built on a single riff or a few power chords. You play “Seven Nation…
-
Learning Guitar With Movie Music
Learning guitar with movie music works well because you already know the melodies: you hear right away whether you are playing it correctly. Start…
-
How to Play Harmonics on Guitar
How do you play harmonics on guitar? Rest a fingertip lightly on the string, directly above the fret wire at fret 12, 7 or…
-
How to Learn Tapping Solos on Guitar
How do you learn tapping solos on guitar? Start with one simple pattern on one string: tap a note with your picking hand, pull…
-
Funny Songs to Learn on Guitar
Learning funny songs on guitar is a fun way to practice chords, because most comedy songs revolve around a few simple basic chords and…
-
Learning to Play TV Themes on Guitar
The fastest way to learn TV themes on guitar is to start with short, recognizable riffs and melodies instead of complete songs. Pick a…
-
Sweep Picking Exercises for Advanced Players
Sweep picking exercises for advanced players come down to three things: larger arpeggios across five or six strings, clean muting so notes don’t ring…
-
Playing Guitar With Sound Effects
Playing guitar with sound effects starts with three basic effects: overdrive or distortion for more power, delay for repeats and reverb for space. You…
-
Learning Economy Picking Techniques
Economy picking is a pick technique where you keep moving in the same direction when you change strings: a downstroke when you move to…
-
Hybrid Picking Technique Explained
Hybrid picking is a technique where you hold the pick between your thumb and index finger and at the same time use your middle…
-
Playing Simple Commercial Jingles on Guitar
You play simple commercial jingles on guitar by first working out the melody note by note on one or two strings and then adding…
-
Ways to Play More Dynamics on Guitar
You play more dynamics on guitar by deliberately varying how hard, where and with what you strike the strings: soft and loud, close to…
-
Songwriting Tips for Guitar and Capo
A capo makes it easier to write songs on guitar: you keep the familiar open chord shapes, but shift the pitch until it fits…
-
Finding Inspiration for Lyrics to Go With Guitar Music
How do you find inspiration for lyrics to go with guitar music? Start with the music itself: play a riff or chord sequence, notice…
-
How to Make Your Guitar Playing More Expressive
How do you make your guitar playing more expressive? By deliberately varying how you play: louder and softer, short or flowing, with vibrato and…
-
How to Make Funny Riffs on Guitar
How do you make funny riffs on guitar? Start with a short, recognizable motif and build in one surprise: an unexpected note, a sudden…
-
Tips for Writing Songs With 4 Chords
Writing songs with 4 chords works best when you pick one familiar progression, like C – G – Am – F or G –…
-
How to Write a Bridge in a Guitar Song
How do you write a bridge in a guitar song? Write a short section of four or eight bars that clearly sounds different from…