Tutorials
Follow along step by step. Several tutorials pair a clear written lesson with a video from an experienced guitar educator.
22 results
Alternate Picking Technique
Build a strict down-up picking motion that keeps your playing even, efficient, and ready for faster lead lines.
Basic Strumming Patterns for Beginners
Build a steady down-up strumming hand and learn a few go-to patterns that work for most acoustic songs.
Building Triads from the Major Scale
Learn how stacking every-other note of a major scale generates the chords used in that key, and why some come out major and some minor.
Changing Chords Smoothly and Quickly
Practice drills that shrink the gap between chord changes so your strumming never has to stop and wait for your fretting hand.
Fingerpicking Basics: The PIMA System
Learn the PIMA finger-naming system and your first fingerpicking pattern so you can play chords without a pick.
Fingerstyle Arpeggio Patterns
Learn a handful of classic right-hand arpeggio patterns you can apply to any chord progression for a flowing, cascading sound.
How to Hold the Guitar the Right Way
Learn a comfortable, sustainable sitting and standing posture so your fretting and strumming hands can move freely from day one.
Intervals on the Fretboard
Learn to measure the distance between any two notes so you can understand chords, scales, and melodies as relationships, not just shapes.
Intro to Barre Chords
Learn the E-shape and A-shape barre chord forms so you can play any major or minor chord anywhere on the neck.
Major Scale Positions Across the Neck
Learn how the major scale repeats in five connected fretboard positions so you're never stuck in one small box.
Play Knockin' on Heaven's Door
Learn Bob Dylan's four-chord classic and practice keeping a steady strum through a full verse-chorus structure.
Play Wonderwall by Oasis
Learn the capo position, sus chords, and strumming pattern behind one of the most-played acoustic songs ever.
Play Your First Full Song: A Horse With No Name
Put your open chords and strumming together on a real, complete song that uses just two chords and a galloping rhythm.
Reading Chord Diagrams and Guitar Tab
Decode the chord boxes and six-line tab notation you'll see in every guitar lesson, songbook, and tutorial site.
String Bending and Vibrato
Learn to bend strings accurately in tune and add expressive vibrato, two techniques that give lead playing its voice-like quality.
The CAGED System Explained
Learn how five open-chord shapes tile across the entire neck, giving you a map for finding any chord anywhere.
The Circle of Fifths for Guitarists
Use the circle of fifths to find key signatures, common chord families, and smooth chord progressions for songwriting.
The Minor Pentatonic Scale, Shape 1
Learn the single most useful scale shape in rock, blues, and pop lead guitar, and start improvising your first licks.
The Travis Picking Pattern
Learn the alternating-bass fingerpicking pattern behind countless folk, country, and singer-songwriter recordings.
Tuning Your Guitar to Standard Tuning
Get your guitar into standard EADGBE tuning using a clip-on or pedal tuner, plus a backup method using the 5th-fret trick.
Using a Capo to Play More Songs
Learn how a capo works, how to place it correctly, and how to use it to play songs in keys that would otherwise need barre chords.
Your First Open Chords: Em, C, G, and D
Learn four beginner-friendly open chords that unlock hundreds of real songs on their own.