Guitar modes explained and how to use them to improve your playing Guitar modes are a scary topic for many intermediate and advancing guitar players. While the theory behind the modes can get a bit complex unless you have a solid basis of music theory you can, and should, start using them even if you’re […]
A guitar interval is the distance between two notes on the guitar fretboard. If these two notes are being played at the same time we call it a harmonic interval (also called a double stop in guitar terminology). If they’re played after each other we call it a melodic interval. An interval of an octave […]
The natural minor scale is very commonly used by guitar players and is found in guitar riffs, licks and solos in most genres of music including Jazz, Blues, Rock and Heavy Metal. In this lesson we’ll first go through a bit of theory on the natural minor scale. Then I will give you 3 notes […]
The reason I didn’t title this article “How to learn the guitar fast” is that I would risk misleading you into thinking that you can learn the guitar in a short period of time. Promises that you can learn the guitar in 10 hours, 10 days, or 10 weeks tend to give the wrong impression […]
Guitar chord construction for beginners Simply put, a guitar chord is a group of three or more notes played together on the guitar. Thus, if you’re strumming say, the chord of C major you’re playing the notes C, E and G. Now, if you strum the C major chord in the open position, you will […]
The harmonic minor scale is very popular among guitar players and is used in a variety of genres including Jazz, Heavy Metal (especially Neo-Classical) and Surf guitar. In this lesson I will show you 5 positions of the harmonic minor scale to cover the entire guitar fretboard using 3 notes per string patterns, as well […]
Is there a set of guitar scales that are used exclusively by metal guitar players? Are metal guitarists bound by a set of scales specifically created for players in this genre? The answer to both questions is no. Any scale considered a “metal guitar scale” is also used in other genres, including classical, blues, folk, […]
If you’re a complete beginner on the guitar it is better to start with playing tunes that use one note at a time, than to learn chords. The reason is that a chord is three or more notes being played at the same time on the guitar. Needless to say, playing one note at a […]
The easiest way to solo over chords on the guitar is to first determine which key the chords are in, choose a scale that fits with that key and use it to solo over the entire progression. For instance, if the chords of the progression are C, Am, F, and G you can use notes […]
The difference between the lead guitar and the rhythm guitar is the role the guitarist takes in the musical setting he’s playing in. The rhythm guitarist provides part or all of the rhythm and the harmony of the song while the lead guitarist provides melodies over the rhythm and the harmony in the form of […]