Posted a new video lesson today! Though this song is based on a repetitive cycle of four chords, there are plenty of tasty licks to check out!

A PDF of the lesson (in tab) is available here.

Posted a new video lesson this morning! This week I take a look at the 80’s pop classic “Obsession” by Animotion. The main theme consists of major and minor triads. Many of the other synth and guitar parts are lines outlining D7 and G7. Enjoy!

A PDF of the lesson (in tab) is available here.

Posted a new video lesson on YouTube today! I learned this new Paramore single for a cover band I joined recently. Most of my lessons so far have focused on fingerstyle and acoustic sounds, so I thought I’d shift gears with a straight-ahead rock tune. “Still Into You” uses drop-D tuning, where the low E string is tuned down a whole-step to D. As we’ll see, this tuning not only gives us a low open D for riffing, but also opens up some cool five-note powerchord voicings. There are also some interesting layered guitar1/guitar2 parts in the verse and bridge. Enjoy!

Posted a new video lesson this morning! This week I take a look at the new Hunter Hayes single “I Want Crazy.” There are other videos on YouTube (and elsewhere) covering the rhythm guitar, which is relatively straightforward. So, I decided to focus on the main theme, which initially appears the intro, then after the first chorus (1:13) and again in the outro (3:19). The theme is a challenging lick utilizing triplets, swung 8th notes, hammer-ons, pull-offs and slides. Throughout, the theme has a Celtic dance feel to it, and is fun to play (especially at or near album tempo)!

This is a good example of a phrase where metronome practice is invaluable. Learn each phrase, and be very conscious of choosing a specific picking pattern and fingerings (you don’t necessarily have to use my fingerings from the video, but pick a fingering and stay with it). Find a tempo, no matter how slow, that you can play each phrase in proper time with the metronome. With enough repetition, you’ll be able to gradually increase the tempo until you reach performance speed.

A PDF of the lesson (standard notation and tab) is available here.

Posted a new video lesson today! Now that the basic website is up and running, I plan to post at least one new lesson every week.

This is part of my series of lessons on strategies for playing piano riffs on guitar. Previously, we’ve looked at various ways (capo, alternate tunings, loop pedal) to copy piano parts note-for-note. Here, we’ll take a different perspective. Sometimes, a keyboard part may sound a bit sparse on guitar. This is where arranging techniques are useful.

Corey Hart’s “Sunglasses at Night” is a great example of this. In the recording, the keyboard part is dramatic and effective, but sounds thin on a solo acoustic guitar. Using the keyboard riff as a starting point, we’ll utilize the implied underlying harmony to arrange a nice classical-style arpeggio figure.

The second half of the lesson covers improvising over the changes. The main chord progression is Amin – D9/F# – F – F/G. Three of these chords sound in the key of A minor (no sharps, no flats). The second chord is a D dominant sound (D – F# – A – C – E), which sits a bit outside the key of A minor. No worries, I’ll show you a simple way to alter the A minor pentatonic scale to improvise over D7.

I’ll be happy to respond to any questions or comments!

Enjoy!

New guitar lesson up on YouTube…

Break out your looper pedal and learn to play the keyboard parts from this classic Journey tune. This arrangement is perfect for a small ensemble or acoustic setting. Using loops is one way to creatively fill in space, or keep a rhythm part going while you take a solo. Click on the post title to view the video.

Cheers!

Posted another lesson on strategies for playing piano riffs on guitar. I’ll show you an acoustic arrangement of the piano parts to “Bad Company.” This lesson also introduces drop D-flat tuning, which is Db – Ab – Db – Gb – Bb – Eb (low to high). Eddie Van Halen uses this tuning in “Unchained,” and Zakk Wylde uses it quite a bit, too. And, as you’ll hear in this lesson, it’s a useful tuning for fingerstyle acoustic as well. Click the post title to view the video.

Enjoy!

In this lesson, you’ll learn the note-for-note piano parts to “Colorblind” by Counting Crows. This tune is a great example of how you can use a capo to play high-register arpeggio figures. A PDF of this lesson in standard notation and tablature is available here.

Thanks to my friend Tim Oehlers for the song suggestion! I highly recommend checking out Tim’s guitar compositions here.

Just posted a new video in my series of lessons on strategies for playing piano riffs on guitar. This installment covers the Hunter Hayes song “Wanted,” which features a tasteful arpeggio figure in the key of C major. You’ll learn the note-for-note intro/verse piano part (with a capo at fret 5), the guitar theme, and how to practice fills using the pentatonic scale. Enjoy!

For at least two years, I’ve thought about offering guitar lesson videos. At long last, I’ve turned those thoughts into substance, and I’m pleased to share my first offering! I wanted to avoid repeating lesson topics that have been thoroughly covered elsewhere. While looking at guitar lessons on YouTube and elsewhere, I noticed that when guitarists cover keyboard tunes, the strategy is typically to strum chords, rather than doing a note-for-note interpretation. So, for my initial topic, I decided to do a series of lessons on strategies for playing piano riffs on guitar. While it’s not always possible to copy a piano part exactly, it’s a rewarding challenge to try to get as close as you can. You’ll develop your ear, and broaden your technique.

In this lesson, you’ll learn the main theme of “How to Save a Life” note-for-note, using fingerstyle technique and a capo. This song is also a nice example of melody notes sustained over an arpeggio figure. A lead sheet (with tablature) is available here. Enjoy!