Guitar lessons
Work through the lessons in order, or jump to what you need. Every lesson is short and has interactive examples.
01
Getting started
Meet your guitar, tune it, and play your first chords and strumming patterns.
- Lesson 14 minWelcome: how to learn guitarWhat you will learn, what you need, and how to practice so you improve fast.
- Lesson 25 minParts of the guitarAn illustrated tour of the headstock, neck, frets, body, pickups and strings.
- Lesson 36 minHolding the guitar and the pickPosture, hand position, finger numbers and how to hold a pick without tension.
- Lesson 45 minTuning your guitarStandard tuning (E A D G B E), using a tuner, and tuning by ear with the 5th-fret method.
- Lesson 56 minReading chord diagrams and tabsLearn to read chord boxes and guitar tablature — the two notations every guitarist uses.
- Lesson 68 minYour first chordsEm, Am, C, G, D, E and A: the open chords behind thousands of songs.
- Lesson 77 minStrumming patternsDown and up strums, counting, and the strumming patterns used in pop and rock.
- Lesson 85 minChanging chords smoothlyAnchor fingers, one-minute changes and other tricks to switch chords in time.
02
Music theory
Notes, rhythm, intervals, scales, keys and chords — explained the guitarist way.
- Lesson 96 minNotes and the musical alphabetThe 12 notes, sharps and flats, half steps and whole steps.
- Lesson 107 minLearning the notes on the fretboardA simple system to find any note on the neck, using octave shapes and landmarks.
- Lesson 117 minRhythm, tempo and time signaturesBeats, BPM, note values, 4/4, 3/4 and 6/8 — and how to practice with a metronome.
- Lesson 127 minIntervals: the distance between notesHear and see every interval from the minor 2nd to the octave, and their fretboard shapes.
- Lesson 137 minThe major scaleThe W-W-H-W-W-W-H formula, scale degrees, and how to play it on the neck.
- Lesson 147 minKeys and the circle of fifthsWhat a key is, key signatures, relative minors and the circle of fifths.
- Lesson 157 minHow chords are built: triadsMajor, minor, diminished and augmented triads, built from stacked thirds.
- Lesson 168 minChord progressions and harmonic fieldDiatonic chords, Roman numerals, and the progressions behind famous songs.
- Lesson 177 minMinor scalesNatural, harmonic and melodic minor — the darker sounds of rock and metal.
03
Rock & lead guitar
Power chords, barre chords, pentatonic solos, blues and lead techniques.
- Lesson 187 minPower chords and palm mutingThe backbone of rock and metal rhythm guitar: power chords, palm muting and riffs.
- Lesson 198 minBarre chordsE-shape and A-shape barre chords let you play any chord anywhere on the neck.
- Lesson 208 minThe pentatonic scaleThe five-note scale behind most rock solos, with all five box shapes.
- Lesson 217 minThe blues: 12-bar form and blues scaleThe 12-bar blues, the shuffle rhythm and the blue note.
- Lesson 228 minBends, slides, hammer-ons and vibratoThe expressive techniques that make a solo sing.
- Lesson 237 minAlternate picking and building speedClean, fast picking for riffs and solos, including gallops and tremolo picking.
04
Going further
Seventh chords, CAGED, modes, arpeggios, tunings, ear training and practice.
- Lesson 247 minSeventh chords and extensionsmaj7, m7, 7, m7♭5 and add9 chords — richer colors for your progressions.
- Lesson 258 minThe CAGED systemFive chord shapes that map the entire fretboard.
- Lesson 268 minModes of the major scaleIonian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian — and how they sound.
- Lesson 277 minArpeggiosPlay chords one note at a time to outline harmony in your solos.
- Lesson 286 minAlternate tuningsDrop D, D standard, Drop C, open G and DADGAD — heavy riffs and new sounds.
- Lesson 296 minEar trainingRecognize intervals and chords by ear and figure out songs on your own.
- Lesson 305 minBuilding a practice routineA balanced daily routine, goal setting and how to keep improving for years.