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!