FINGERSTYLE GUITAR LESSONS

The minor Blues has a quite exciting sound. There is a chord that we can borrow from the melodic minor scale that can make the minor Blues even more exciting and refreshing to play.

In this guitar lesson, we will explore the Min(Maj6) chord played over a Blues in A minor. We will talk about the minor Blues structure as well as the chords and the melodic minor scale.

Most of the time, all we need to add more color to a chord progression is that one note that changes the character of the chords.

Play an A minor chord, and you have lovely minor sounding chord perfect for a lot of different songs and music styles. Now add the note F# to the A minor chord to make it sound more mysterious and unresolved. This single note changed the way the A minor sounds like and opened up a ton of harmonical and melodic possibilities.

In this video, we will be focusing on the Blues, but you can use this concept to transform any chord, you know.

Enjoy this lesson.

It is possible to make your guitar sound like two guitars. It all comes down to how we break down the rhythm and melody of a song. Also, we should treat each one of our plucking fingers as an independent speaker capable of playing each note with a different tone and volume.

In this Spanish guitar song, the thumb is the loudest speaker, playing the melody on the bottom strings while the index and middle finger pluck away the notes of the chords with less intensity and volume.

If we can control the volume of each finger, we can create two separate layers between the melody and the chords. It is challenging, but it can be done!

The fingerstyle arpeggio is played with the popular 3-3-2 pattern performed with the thumb, middle, and index finger. I will explain in detail how to develop this pattern in the video, so make sure you don’t skip this part.

I recommend that you don’t go too crazy too soon with this arpeggio. Start at your own pace before you speed up.

The tab is available on my Patreon page.

P.S: Here is a list of other Spanish guitar lessons I posted in the past (https://bit.ly/2OKgpc4)

Enjoy this lesson.

Hey guys, welcome back to another video. Today, I am going to show you fifteen beautiful chord progressions for beginners played with basic chords in different keys and positions of the guitar neck.

Now, beginner chords are not boring chords. They don’t have to be.

Of course, it takes time to achieve the skill and muscle memory necessary, to change two or more chords fluently, and I agree that the process can be tedious.

However, if the chords that we are practicing have the additional “spice,” then maybe we will feel more motivated and keen to keep practicing them.

In this video, I am going to play fifteen simple chord progressions in different keys. I recorded two versions of each progression. In the first version, I am playing the chords just one time with a simple strum. If you are a total beginner, you can start like this.

The second version is my interpretation of the chords. Here, I like to play the chords with the fingerpicking technique and a few additional notes. If you have been playing for a while, I recommend that you start with these chords instead.

Some of these chords are played with the capo as well.

Enjoy this video. Let me know if you like it.

Keep playing!

Repeating the same thing over a long period will inevitably make whatever it is that you are practicing better.

Now, we don’t repeat the same thing just to become faster at playing guitar.

As a non-fast slash non-virtuoso player, I never practice for speed. Instead, I like to focus on fluidity. And trust me! It makes a whole difference.

Fluidity is the ability to make everything you play look and sound smooth, easy, and effortless regardless of the speed.

If I slow down the melody from the intro, it will still sound fluent.

So, how do we get to this level of confidence and expression? Well, for me, it is about understanding the basic movements of the plucking hand.

The song we are about to learn was entirely played with alternate fingering, the continuous movement between the index and the middle finger.

But how do we pluck the strings with fluidity? Let’s understand the plucking movement.

The right hand should be positioned at a 45-degree angle. When you pluck the strings, the first point of contact is the left side of the fingertip, followed by the fingernails.

The first movement is called “Preparation.” Here, we move the finger away from the string using the base knuckle to generate speed and momentum.

The second movement is called “Plucking.” Here we move the finger towards the string and strike it upward using the middle knuckle.

In this video, I am going to show you how to put the alternate fingering into practice so that you can improve your fluidity and speed and take your guitar playing to the next level.

Enjoy this lesson!

There are seven chords in the major key, with one of them being the most “unused” chord of all time.

I am talking about the Diminished and Diminished 7th chord.

To be honest with you guys, I am not a massive fan of this chord! When played alone, the Diminished chord sounds tense, dark, and unresolved. However, if we think of it as a passing/bridge chord, it opens up a lot of new and exciting possibilities.

Now, what’s a diminished chord? Or even better, what’s a chord?
A chord is a combination of three notes — the root, third, and fifth.

When the third is major, and the fifth is perfect, the chord is major. This chord sounds happy and positive.
When the third is minor, and the fifth is perfect, the chord is minor. This chord sounds sad and melancholic.
When the third is minor, and the fifth is diminished, the chord is diminished.

Now, the big brother of the diminished chord is the Diminished 7th chord, which is played with the three notes of the diminished triad plus the diminished 7th. The diminished 7th adds even more tension to the chord.

In this video, I am going to show you how to play a chord progression with a bunch of Diminished chords so that you can get inspired and start using this chord a little bit more.

Enjoy this lesson.

There is one chord in the major key that can open up seven beautiful and unique sounding chords with the least amount of effort.

The chord I am referring to is called “Sus2” or “Suspended 2” chord. In this particular lesson, we will be taking a look at the Asus2 chord and how we can use it to create a beautiful chord progression.

The Asus2 is the chord built on the first degree of the A major scale. We can play the Asus2 by simply lowering the major 3rd (the note C#) to the major 2nd (the note B). The Asus2 is indeed one of the most popular chords on the guitar.

But why is the Sus2 chord so awesome?

In this video, you will learn how to change the bass note of the Sus2 chord to create seven beautiful sounding chords instantly.

We will narrow it down to one musical idea, but, of course, you can experiment and create more chord progressions and melodies using this simple trick.

Enjoy this lesson.

I don’t understand why when I think of a key, I automatically play the root chord of that key. If I think C major key, the very first chord I think and play will be the C major chord. I think of E minor key? Guess what! I am playing an E minor chord.

But what if we change that? What if I deliberately postpone the root chord and start the chord progression with a different chord.

What if I think C major, but I play an F minor chord before the C major? Would it make the chord progression more interesting? And most importantly, does it bring a fresh wave of new ideas into my playing?

Let’s find out.

In this video, I am going to show you a bunch of chord progressions that DON’T start with the root chord. Let’s move the most obvious chord (the root chord) far away from the beginning, and let’s see what happens.

We will have a look at wight different chord progression:

• C major key: Fm-C.
• E major key: F#m-A-E-B.
• Am minor key: Dm-Am.
• B minor key: Em-G-A-Bm.
• D minor key: Bb-C-Am-Dm.
• E major key: Asus2(#11)-E.
• A major key: Dmaj7-C#m7-Bm7-Amaj7.
• E major key: F#-A-C-E

Enjoy this video!

Hey guys, welcome back to another exciting lesson! Just Play Along with module 5. In this lesson, we are going to play a beautiful guitar melody in A major over a slow backing track.

We will be using the A major scale as well as major and minor arpeggios to build a lovely melody split into four different sections.

If you want to learn the A major scale, check my course ” Scales, Arpeggios, & Musical Ideas,” which is also available on my Patreon page for the $15 tier.

Just Play Along is a guitar course that put scales into practice. The goal for this course is to introduce you to music scales with musical examples played along with a backing track.

By becoming a Patron, you will access this course as well as all the other courses on my Patreon page.

Watch the video introduction for module 5 and move on to the next video to learn this excellent solo.

Good luck!