FINGERSTYLE GUITAR LESSONS

My Paulino Bernabé Model 20 is broken.

This classical guitar was made in Madrid in 2003, hand made by one of the most well-known Spanish luthiers of our generation. I didn’t play this guitar for at least four years.

You can imagine my face when I opened the guitar case and realized that the guitar had two major cracks on the top and the back.

Also, the guitar neck became uneven, pushed away from the strings with the result of really high action.

The guitar is unplayable! I didn’t know that keeping the guitar closed in a guitar case could break or damage the wood. I am not saying that this will happen to anyone.

I am sure it has to do with a combination of different factors such as humidity and temperature. I had a chance to talk to a luither. He said that the cracks are fixable but the neck is pretty much gone! He could put the guitar under a press machine which will slowly bring the neck to a straight position.

However, he said that once the wood starts to bent like this such treatment is temporary and that the neck will go back to the same uneven position after a while.

Hey guys, welcome back! Today I want to show you how we can put together a chord progression using chords from two different keys.

The chord progression I am playing at the beginning of this video is played with the chord C major and Bb major. Now, I know that it seems like these chords have nothing to share, but trust me, they sound fantastic when played in sequence.

I am actually playing a Cadd9 and a Bbsus2(#11). Such mouthful names for a straightforward chord shape.

The reason why I love these two chords so much is that they create an endless loop that never resolves. I can play these chords all day long!

We will also learn how to play two different sections. One in C major and one in D minor.

The reason why we can switch between these two keys is that we can decide to emphasize the chords that belong to the C major key as well as the ones that belong to the D minor/F major key (which is where the Bb major chord comes from).

I hope you enjoy this lesson!

Hey guys, welcome to another video. Today I am going to answer one of the most asked questions I get on my YouTube channel: Which guitar I use the most and why?”

In this video, I want to show you why I decided to use these five guitars in my videos, recordings, and daily practice.

Each guitar is unique and allows you to express yourself differently. I consider myself really like to be able to change guitar based on the music style I feel like playing.

I am also fortunate because I didn’t have actually to buy all the guitars I own. A lot of companies send me guitars to try. This is awesome for me, but also you guys because I get to discover so many amazing guitars and share it with you.

I don’t get paid to say good things about these guitars, and I don’t ask for an affiliate link. I only showcase guitars that I really like, and that resonates with the music style I play.

I don’t recommend that you buy any of the guitars that I use in my videos unless you try it yourself and decide that it is the guitar you need.

Don’t buy stuff just because I use it. If you like one of the guitars I use, do your research and try it (if you can) before you buy it.

Now, let’s go back to the video!

The guitars are listed based on how much I use them.

I will go through the things that I like about each guitar so that you can have an idea as to why I own them.

We will talk about the:

• 5. Journey OF410.
• 4. Paul Reed Smith Single Cut Trem.
• 3. Avian Skylark 4A
• 2. LAVA ME 2
• 1. Eko Massimo Varini Signature.

Enjoy this video, and let me know your favorite guitar!

Hey guys, welcome back to another guitar lesson. Today I want to show you how to use the Bossa Nova rhythm over a simple chord progression.

For you who don’t know, the Bossa Nova is a music genre born in Brazil, and it is most commonly played on the classical guitar. Some of the most influential Bossa Nova players are Joao Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Luiz Bonfa. If you want to know how the real Bossa Nova sounds like, you should start with these guys!

Now, I am not a Latin music expert, and as much as I love the genre, I don’t see myself digging into incredible complex chord progressions that are so characteristic of the Bossa Nova style.

Instead, I am more intrigued by using one of the Bossa Nova rhythms over a simple chord progression to make things simple and more approachable.

As you will see, playing the Bossa Nova rhythm over NON-Bossa Nova chords doesn’t sound quite the same. But, hey, we have to start somewhere, right!

I suggest that you take things step-by-step and practice the rhythm over one chord before moving on to the next one.

All the info in the video! Tab on my Patreon page.

Hey guys, welcome to Just Play Along Module 3. In this module, we are going to learn how to play a beautiful melody in G major using the G major scale.

The melody will be played four times in two different positions. Section one and two of the solo is played in position one while part three and four will be played starting from position seven (index of fret seven).

I hope you enjoy it!

In Just Play Along, we practice scales along with backing tracks. I try to make the scales sound as musical as possible so that it feels more like playing melodies than scales.

We made it to Module 3! I received a ton of great feedback from you, and you guys seem to appreciate this program.

Today, we focus on the G major scale. If you are new to scales, I recommend that you check out my course Scales, Arpeggios & Musical Ideas. In this program, we learn the scales mechanically in different positions. You can learn how to play the G major scale before getting started with Module 3 of Just Play Along.

Both courses (as well as a ton of other classes and YouTube tabs) are available on my Patreon page inside the $15 tier.

APOLOGIZE FOR LAST WEEK!

I apologize if last week, many of you in the $5 tier got confused and expected to access this course. It’s 100% my fault, as I wasn’t clear in the video introduction in Module 2.

When I post a new lesson for Just Play Along, I always post two videos.

The first video, which is available to everyone, is an introduction to what you will learn in the video tutorial. This video is available to everyone. So, if you pledge $5, you will be able to watch the free video but not the video tutorial, which is priced at $15. Sorry about that.

I UNDERSTAND YOUR FRUSTRATIONS!

I also got one message from an angry Patron complaining about the fact that the course wasn’t available for $5. I understand your frustration, man. However, the fact that some of my lessons are available for $5 (the YouTube tabs and Fingerpicking Guitar in 7 Days courses) doesn’t mean that everything I do will be priced at $5. Again, I understand your frustration. I know you get upset because you want to access the lesson, but unfortunately, some of the courses have a higher price.

CHECK THE FREE VIDEO INTRODUCTION HERE!

Hey guys, in this lesson, I am going to show you a simple exercise that should help you with fret memorization. 

I started playing guitar when I was a little kid. My first teacher was bad and he taught me the guitar for two years. Fortunately, after a couple of years, my dad took me a better one.

So, in my first lesson with him, he said, “Ok, you have been practicing for two years. Can you please play the note F starting from the low E string up to the top E string without skipping a string?” 

It took me about twenty seconds to play all the Fs, and I was already sweating! 

Now, he was a talented teacher! And, in one moment, he showed me two things: 

• First! I wasn’t able to navigate the fretboard with confidence. 
• Second! Playing the same notes on adjacent strings gives you a pattern. 

In this lesson, I am going to show you a simple exercise that will help you with fret memorization. We will be playing one note on each string with the metronome (no time to think).

This exercise can drive you crazy! After years of playing guitar, I am still messing notes up! However, it will help you a lot with fretboard navigation and fretboard knowledge.

Good luck guys.

Hey guys, welcome back to another lesson. Today, I want to talk to you about chords and how to use them to write songs. Precisely, I want to show you how to write a beautiful chord progression with just one chord.

The awesome thing about the guitar is the fact that we can move the same chord shape in different positions of the neck. This approach is excellent because it allows you to learn one chord shape and move it up and down the neck.

The chord shape we are learning today can be played with just two fingers, one on the 6th string and the other on the 2nd string. We will also play the top E string open to add color and extensions to some of the chords.

These types of chords are perfect for beginners but also singer-songwriters who want to find an easy way to spice up chords.

Enjoy this lesson!

Hey guys, Marco, here! Welcome back to another guitar lesson. Today we are going to talk about a lot of things. First of all, I am going to show you a sweet, beautiful, and simple melody in E minor.

Now, learning this melody is not the primary goal. I mean, it’s a lovely melody, so I am happy to show it to you, but I also want to show you all the musical elements and techniques that I used to play this melody.

I am sure you know that it is never just about playing the right notes. I mean, this is important, but what’s the point of playing the right notes if what you play sounds flat and uninspiring?

So, let’s take a look at a bunch of techniques that I use all the time to enhance such a simple melody. I am talking about over-ringing, vibrato, dynamics, and a technique I call “Strummed arpeggio.”

The melody is entirely played with the E minor scale over one string, the top E string. We will repeat this melody four times and add a musical element every time we start over.

Enjoy this lesson.

Hey guys, welcome back to another lesson. I received so many requests about this song that I had to record this video hehe.

Today, I am going to show you how to play a beautiful Christmas song called Silent Night. I believe this is indeed one of the most popular Christmas songs ever, so I am thrilled and excited to teach you that.

The arrangement is in E major. We are going to be using a combination of Pop and Jazzy chords. The melody is very simple to play, and most of the time, we only have to play two or three strings.

I tried to write the most simple version of this song without making it sound too banal. I hope you like my version of the song! Also, I hope you will be able to learn it by Christmas.

It’s time to challenge your guitar skills. We only have twenty-five days! Grab your guitar and start playing.

Enjoy this lesson.