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Lessons.

Practical lessons on technique, theory, and the small moves that change how the guitar feels.

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Lessons The Sus4 Trick That Will Transform Your Guitar Playing (Every Time)
September 23, 2025 · 6 min read
The Sus4 Trick That Will Transform Your Guitar Playing (Every Time)

Have you ever wondered how professional guitarists make simple chord progressions sound so captivating? Well there’s a number of reasons, but one of the “secrets” lies in suspended chords (commonly referred to as “sus” chords) – and how you can use them to create musical tension and resolution.

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Lessons John Mayer’s Most Underrated Song: Why “Stop This Train” is Nearly Impossible to Play
September 5, 2025 · 8 min read
John Mayer’s Most Underrated Song: Why “Stop This Train” is Nearly Impossible to Play

When John Mayer released Continuum in 2006, one track stood out for its deceptively complex fingerpicking: “Stop This Train.” The intro alone features a beautiful fingerpicked pattern in D major that’s challenging enough.

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Lessons ‘Make You Feel My Love’ Chords: The Chromatic Line That Ties It All Together
August 12, 2025 · 10 min read
‘Make You Feel My Love’ Chords: The Chromatic Line That Ties It All Together

There’s this chord progression in Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” that uses a trick that makes it so wonderfully beautiful and sad at the same time. And once you hear it, you cannot unhear it. It magically ties all of the chords in this progression together.

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Lessons Why this is Red Hot Chili Peppers’ HARDEST GUITAR RIFF
April 17, 2025 · 8 min read
Why this is Red Hot Chili Peppers’ HARDEST GUITAR RIFF

At first glance, this Red Hot Chili Peppers riff sounds simple. But John Frusciante sneaks in three genius moves that take it from basic to absolutely brutal. This is “Can’t Stop.” This riff covers many aspects I see beginner and even intermediate guitarists struggle with. I struggled with this.

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Lessons Stop Thinking in Scales: why your solos sound boring
March 25, 2025 · 8 min read
Stop Thinking in Scales: why your solos sound boring

“All my solos sound like scales being played up and down.” I hear it every day. So let’s fix it, because there’s actually a very easy way to overcome that problem. It’s something every guitarist should know – maybe even before playing scales.

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Lessons The Most Satisfying Chord Progression in Pop History
December 20, 2024 · 8 min read
The Most Satisfying Chord Progression in Pop History

I just got back home from seeing Paul McCartney play in Paris – absolute legend. And walking on the Champs-Élysées looking for a croissant and a coffee, well, it reminded me of a song. Growing up, I loved punk rock, and “Champs Elysees” was one of my favorite NOFX songs at the time.

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Lessons How to Play Autumn Leaves on Guitar: A Complete Jazz Standard Guide
November 8, 2024 · 10 min read
How to Play Autumn Leaves on Guitar: A Complete Jazz Standard Guide

“Les Feuilles Mortes” (The Dead Leaves), better known in English as “Autumn Leaves,” has to be one of the prettiest tunes to play on guitar. This jazz standard is beloved by musicians worldwide, and for good reason—it’s sophisticated enough to sound impressive, yet accessible enough for intermediate players to tackle with a bit of practice.

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Lessons 5 Theory Concepts That Will Transform Your Rhythm Guitar Playing
October 5, 2024 · 10 min read
5 Theory Concepts That Will Transform Your Rhythm Guitar Playing

Music theory doesn’t have to be intimidating. In fact, understanding just a few key concepts can completely transform how you approach the guitar, opening up creative possibilities you never knew existed. These aren’t abstract academic ideas—they’re practical tools used constantly across all styles of music, from pop to jazz to rock.

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Lessons 10 Guitar Mistakes Beginners Make (And How to Fix Them)
September 9, 2024 · 14 min read
10 Guitar Mistakes Beginners Make (And How to Fix Them)

Every guitarist develops habits from day one—the question is whether those habits help or hurt your playing. Self-taught players especially tend to develop techniques that work in the short term but sometimes create problems down the line. The more you repeat incorrect technique, the harder those habits become to break.

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Lessons These Iconic Guitar Riffs Started as Simple Practice Exercises (And What They Can Teach You)
August 6, 2024 · 9 min read
These Iconic Guitar Riffs Started as Simple Practice Exercises (And What They Can Teach You)

It sounds almost too good to be true, but history has shown us that sometimes the most iconic moments in guitar music didn’t come from deliberate songwriting sessions. They came from guitarists sitting alone, warming up, drilling finger exercises, and chasing better technique.

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Lessons The Secret to Emotional Chords (featuring San Holo)
July 22, 2024 · 5 min read
The Secret to Emotional Chords (featuring San Holo)

San Holo—DJ, producer, songwriter, and at his core, a highly skilled guitarist from a small town in Holland. While he’s known for breaking the internet with remixes, producing tracks with industry legends, and pioneering the future bass genre, most of his work begins in the same place: him and his guitar.

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Lessons How to Play Chords, Melody, and Bass on One Guitar: Building “Lakeside” in Open D Tuning
May 30, 2024 · 5 min read
How to Play Chords, Melody, and Bass on One Guitar: Building “Lakeside” in Open D Tuning

There is something extremely satisfying about playing chords, melody, and bass all on one guitar — and that’s exactly what we’re going to do in this lesson.

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Lessons How to Play Bossa Nova Guitar: Dominic Miller’s Complete Beginner’s Guide
April 17, 2024 · 6 min read
How to Play Bossa Nova Guitar: Dominic Miller’s Complete Beginner’s Guide

“I recommend every guitar player to learn just the basics of bossa nova.” This isn’t just casual advice—it’s a philosophy from Dominic Miller, the legendary guitarist and composer best known for his decades-long collaboration with Sting.

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Lessons Why “Little Wing” Is So Hard to Play (And What Hendrix Was Really Doing)
April 4, 2024 · 7 min read
Why “Little Wing” Is So Hard to Play (And What Hendrix Was Really Doing)

I’ve been playing “Little Wing” my whole life. And for most of that time, something felt off. No matter how carefully I learned the chords, the embellishments, the chord melody approach — it never quite had the same impact as the original. It never grooved the same way. It never breathed the same way.

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Lessons How to Make Your Guitar Melody Sound Huge: 5 Pro Recording Techniques
January 26, 2024 · 6 min read
How to Make Your Guitar Melody Sound Huge: 5 Pro Recording Techniques

Whether you’re laying down a lead line for the first time or trying to make an existing melody sit better in a mix, there’s a set of tried-and-true production techniques that professional guitarists use every single day.

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Lessons Recording with Mike Shinoda at Metropolis Studios — A Linkin Park Fan’s Dream
January 5, 2024 · 5 min read
Recording with Mike Shinoda at Metropolis Studios — A Linkin Park Fan’s Dream

I want to tell you about the moment I got a message from Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park asking if I wanted to play a song with him. I pinched myself. Then I said yes. There is no other correct response. Hybrid Theory changed everything for me. I need to give you a little context.

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Lessons Did Your Favourite Guitar Riff Get Stolen? The Truth Behind 5 Iconic Songs
August 1, 2023 · 7 min read
Did Your Favourite Guitar Riff Get Stolen? The Truth Behind 5 Iconic Songs

So much of music history is tied together by similar riffs, similar rhythms, and similar chord patterns. But where does inspiration end and plagiarism begin? Let’s take a look at five of the most famous examples — and you can decide for yourself. 1. “Johnny B.

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Lessons The $99 Guitar Behind Justin Bieber’s Most Iconic Riff
July 17, 2023 · 7 min read
The $99 Guitar Behind Justin Bieber’s Most Iconic Riff

If you heard the guitar riff on Justin Bieber’s track “E.T.A.” and assumed it was laid down on some vintage Fender or boutique custom build, you’d be wrong. That unmistakable groove was played on a Squier Stratocaster — bought used for $99 with stock electronics, no setup, and five-year-old strings still on it.

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Lessons 10 Guitarists, 1 Backing Track: A Masterclass in Solo Diversity
July 3, 2023 · 11 min read
10 Guitarists, 1 Backing Track: A Masterclass in Solo Diversity

What happens when you gather ten world-class guitarists from completely different musical backgrounds—jazz, metal, blues, soul, rock—and give them one simple rule: solo over the same track? You get a masterclass in musical personality, phrasing philosophy, and the infinite expressive possibilities of six strings.

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Lessons The Night a Casino Burned Down and Gave Us Rock’s Most Iconic Riff
May 11, 2023 · 5 min read
The Night a Casino Burned Down and Gave Us Rock’s Most Iconic Riff

There are guitar riffs, and then there’s that riff. You know the one. The very first thing millions of people learn when they pick up a guitar for the first time.

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