O.k. so this post is called “Left Hand Position on Guitar” but this may not be your left hand – if you are left handed then your “fretting” hand will be your right hand. Maybe more accurately we can call this your fretting hand. Your fretting hand is usually your non-dominant hand – and your […]
Acoustic Guitar Anatomy: Diagram and Definitions
Below you’ll find a diagram of the acoustic guitar anatomy plus explanations for what each part is and what each part does. It’s not crucial to understand all the parts of the guitar if you are just a casual player and have no interest in doing your own guitar maintenance. However, if you are interested […]
Do I Need a Pick to Play Guitar? Or Can I just Use my Fingers
A lot of guitarists ask the question “do I need a pick to play guitar” or can I just use my fingers? So, is it necessary? I’m going to say yes. But of course the answer is no! Wait…. What? Of course you don’t need a pick to play guitar – you can play guitar […]
How to Create a Guitar Practice Plan
If you want to make your guitar practice sessions effective and efficient then it’s a great idea to have a guitar practice plan. Having a plan will ensure that you get the most out of every practice session and this will enable you to progress quickly. There are a few things involved in creating an effective […]
Can You Teach Yourself to Play Guitar? Or Are Lessons Necessary
A lot of guitarists or would be guitarists would like to be able to teach themselves guitar. But can you teach yourself to play guitar? The answer is kind of yes – but you need to define what teaching yourself actually means. How Can We Classify Self-Taught? The true meaning of self-taught is hard to define. […]
The C Major Scale Positions on Guitar
In an earlier lesson we looked at how to play the major scale on guitar. In this lesson let’s take a look at the C major scale in multiple positions along the fretboard. Why Learn this Scale in other positions? Learning this scale all over the guitar will open up a lot more options for […]
How to Read Guitar Sheet Music
This comprehensive article on how to read music will be particularly focused on guitarists wanting to learn to read music and will cover the basics of reading music. Let’s start with the notes on the staff. The Staff When looking at sheet music the staff is where all of your notes will be located. The […]
How to Play the Blues Scale for Guitar
Ever wanted to learn to play the blues? One of the fundamentals of learning the blues is learning the blues scale. So in this lesson I will show you how to play the blues scale for guitar. There are some different variations on the blues scale but for the sake of this lesson we will […]
How to Play the Major Pentatonic Scale on Guitar
Last week we looked at the minor pentatonic, this week I will show you how to play the major pentatonic scale on guitar. Recap on Pentatonics Remember that a pentatonic scale is simply any scale with 5 notes within the octave. The major pentatonic is no different. Like the minor pentatonic, the major pentatonic is […]
How to Play the Minor Pentatonic Scale on Guitar
Learning how to play the minor pentatonic scale on guitar was one of the best things I ever did on guitar. It was the biggest breakthrough for me in terms of being able to improvise. The beauty of this scale is that it fits over so much. It works best with the blues but can […]
How to Play the Melodic Minor Scale On Guitar
In previous lessons we have looked at the natural and harmonic minor scales. In this lesson we finish off the trio by showing you how to play the melodic minor scale on guitar. The 3 Minor Scales As we learnt in the previous lessons, there are 3 different minor scales. The Natural Minor Scale The […]
How to Play the Harmonic Minor Scale On Guitar
In the last lesson we looked at the natural minor scale and today, as promised, we will look at how to play the harmonic minor scale on guitar. The 3 Types of Minor Scale As we learned in the natural minor scale lesson, there are 3 types of minor scales: Natural Minor Scale Harmonic Minor […]
How to play the Minor Scale on Guitar
This page is dedicated to teaching you how to play the minor scale on guitar. When we are talking about minor scales it is important to distinguish which minor scale we are talking about. This is because there are 3 different minor scales. Natural Minor Scale Harmonic Minor Scale Melodic Minor Scale This might seem […]
How to Play the Major Scale On Guitar
Learning scales may sound boring – and it can be a bit tedious at times – but it’s also really beneficial to your playing. This post will show you how to play the major scale on guitar. In future posts I will cover the various minor scales and other scales such as the pentatonic scale. […]
Learn How to Read Guitar Tabs: Step by Step Instructions
Learning how to read guitar tabs is really important for any guitarist. If you want to learn how to play songs from tab you’ll need to understand tablature. It’s also handy to be able to write tablature (which you will be able to do once you learn how to read it) in case you need […]
How to Play Minor 7th Chords on Guitar
Learning how to play and construct minor 7th chords on guitar is a great way to expand your repertoire and add richness to your playing. And like most chords they aren’t as daunting as they sound. The only difficulty in playing these chords, if any, comes from having something new to learn – but once you […]
How to Play Major 7 Barre Chords on Guitar
Last week we looked at playing open major 7th chords. This week we are going to cover major 7 barre chords. Why learn Major 7ths as barre chords? You may wonder what the point is of learning major 7th chords in the form of barre chords. There are a couple of good reasons for this: […]
How to Play Major 7th Chords on Guitar
This post will teach you how to play and construct Major 7th chords on guitar. Major 7th chords are commonly confused with “dominant 7th chords but the two are different chords altogether. What are Major 7th Chords Major 7th chords are major chords with a “major” 7th. On the other hand, dominant 7th chords (the […]
How to Play 7th Barre Chords on Guitar
Last week we looked at playing the most common open position 7th chords. This week I will show you how to play 7th barre chords. There are a couple of advantages to learning 7th chords in the form of barre chords. Why Learn Barre 7th Chords? Firstly, they are easy to change to from major […]
Learn to Play the Basic Open 7th Chords on Guitar
Playing open 7th chords on guitar is really quite simple – especially if you have already mastered playing major and minor open chords. And they can add a distinct flavor to your playing. Not to mention that a lot of songs you probably want to learn incorporate the use of 7th chords. A lot of […]