In this set of lessons, we’ll learn the basics of strumming the guitar, Country Music style. While these lessons are demonstrated on acoustic guitar, the same techniques may be used on electric guitar. Basic guitar strumming skills are central to playing Country Music. From the early roots of Country music, to today’s contemporary country stars and styles, you’ll find strummed guitar as the core of virtually every Country style song. While this is an Introductory course, it assumes a basic level of familiarity and comfort on your part as to playing basic...

What is the 12-Bar Blues? In a nutshell, it is a piece of blues-style music consisting of 12 measures (or “Bars”), which follow a set of consistent and predictable chord changes. The Blues may also be enhanced by using certain types of chords, and playing certain types of improvisational notes, licks, or scales. But at it’s core is the cyclical chord progression, which will remain consistent no matter what key you play it in. This set of introductory lessons will follow this chord 12-Bar Blues chord progression: //: I / I / I / I / / IV / IV ...

The Intro section of this song is the musical equivalent of the first half of a verse structure. Keep the rhythm tight and punchy, and the chords good and crisp.

One of the most challenging tasks for a new guitarist can be making chord changes smoothly and quickly, without creating a pause in the music. Often times, coming up with a specific strategy for getting from one chord to the next can make all the difference. This first lesson looks at chords which share one note in common. By holding this note in place while you make the switch from the first chord to the second chord, you keep your hand oriented and in position, and the chord change goes much more smoothly. Practice the following chord changes, and keep the co...

Take a complete tour of this terrific song in this series of lessons. We'll look at everything from the chord structure and strumming rhythms, to the signature riffs and the songwriting sensibilities. While this song can be played at an advanced level by incorporating all the riffs, it can also be enjoyed at an intermediate level by just staying with the chords and rhythmic strumming.

In this lesson, we’ll use this bass/strum technique, and play a chord progression in the key of A. Try to play this along with me. A / A / D / D / A / A / E / E / A / A / D / D/ A / E / A / A / In the next lesson, we’ll stick with the same technique, but we’ll ramp up the speed a bit, and play the song with a country band.

In this set of lessons, we’ll build on the basics of guitar strumming technique, by adding an upstroke on an 8th note count. We’ll also work on 2 essential left hand techniques (Alternating Bass, and Bass Runs) which will give your strumming a little extra Country flavor. While these lessons are demonstrated on acoustic guitar, the same techniques may be used on electric guitar. The techniques presented in this course are Essential Rhythm Guitar techniques, applicable to strumming the guitar in a wide variety of styles and genres. While this course presents...

Now let’s play a 12 bar Blues progression in the key of C, using a quarter note strumming pattern. To determine the likely chords you will encounter in the key of C, you first want to figure out what the “one chord”, “four chord”, and “five chord” will be. If C is chord number one, simply count up the C scale one note at a time to determine number four and number five. C=1 D=2 E=3 F=4 G=5 A=6 The “one” (I), “four” (IV), and “five” (V) chords will be played as major chords (not minor ch...

Now let’s play a 12 bar Blues progression in the key of C, using an eighth note strumming pattern. When playing eighth notes, it is like you have changed the count to “One and, two and, three and, four and.” The newly added “and” beats are played with an upstroke of the pick. Your hand does not move faster, or go out of it’s way to achieve those extra upstrokes, as the pick is going by anyway on its way to the next downstroke. Simply let the pick graze the strings as it passes up towards the ceiling. In the last lesson, we determined that the major ...

In this lesson, we’ll use this bass/strum technique, and play the same chord progression in the key of A. We’ll ramp up the speed a bit, and play it along with a band Play this along with me and the band: A / A / D / D / A / A / E / E / A / A / D / D/ A / E / A / A / In the next lesson, we’ll stick with the same technique again, but we’ll ramp up the speed even more, and play the song with a slightly different feel, called a “Shuffle beat”. And we’ll invite the country band to join us once again!

When you play a 12 Bar Blues progression on the guitar using barre chords, it is quite easy to find the I, IV, and V chords, as they line up in a very systematic and consistent manner on the neck of the guitar. Of course, you can always count up the scale of whatever key you are in to determine the I, IV, and V chords. For instance, in the key of D, we would have: D = 1 E = 2 F# = 3 G = 4 A = 5 B = 6 But when you use Barre chords, there is another, easier, way to determine the I, IV, and V chords a...

This lesson offers you the chance to try to play the 12 Bar Blues in the key of C along with the band. The chord progression goes like this: //: C / C / C / C / / F / F / C / C / / G / G / C / C :// Listen to my starting count and the drumbeat to get going, and see if you can play long with the video. It’s a great way to practice!

In this set of lessons, we’ll build on the foundational guitar strumming techniques that you have been working on in previous lessons. We’ll be working with full-measure strumming patterns, eighth notes, and….GHOSTS! While these lessons are demonstrated on acoustic guitar, the same techniques may be used on electric guitar. The techniques presented in this course are Essential Rhythm Guitar techniques, applicable to strumming the guitar in a wide variety of styles and genres. While this course presents these skills in a Country-style context, these skill...

In this lesson, we’ll stick with the same bass/strum technique, and the same chord progression in the key of A, but we’ll ramp up the speed even, and play the song with a shuffle beat. Play this along with me and the band: A / A / D / D / A / A / E / E / A / A / D / D/ A / E / A / A / In the next lesson, we’ll stick with the same technique again, but we’ll change the rhythm to 3/4 time, or “Waltz time”. And of course, we’ll invite the country band to join us once again!

In this lesson, we’ll stick with the same concept of the bass/strum technique, but alter it to accommodate 3/4 time, otherwise known as Waltz Time. To play in 3/4 time, strike the bass note once, then follow that with 2 strums of the remaining strings. These three steps add up to one measure of music in 3/4 time. Once again, we’ll use the same chord progression in the key of A, but this time we’ll be playing in 3/4 time. Play this along with me and the band: A / A / D / D / A / A / E / E / A / A / D / D/ A / E / A / A /

Now let’s play a 12 Bar Blues progression in the key of D, using an eighth note strumming pattern. To determine the likely chords you will encounter in the key of D, you first want to figure out what the “one chord”, “four chord”, and “five chord” will be. If D is chord number one, simply count up the D scale one note at a time to determine number four and number five. D=1 E=2 F#=3 G=4 A=5 A=6 In the key of D, the I, IV, and V chords will be D, G, and A. When applied to the 12 bar Blues structure,...

In this lesson, we’ll learn the technique called Alternating Bass. In the first half of a measure of 4/4 music, you’ll play the standard bass note for whatever chord you are playing. In the second half of the measure, you’ll play an alternate bass note. On a C chord, your alternate bass note will be G (6th string, 3rd fret). On an F chord, your alternate bass note will be C (5th string, 3rd fret). On a G chord, your alternate bass note will be D (4th string, open). On an D chord, your alternate bass note will be A (5th string, 3rd open)....

In this lesson, we’ll switch to the key of E. We’ll use this bass/strum technique, and play a chord progression in the key of E. Try to play this along with me. E / E / A / A / E / E / B7 / B7 / E / E / A / A / E / B7 / E / E / In the next lesson, we’ll stick with the same technique, but we’ll ramp up the speed a bit, and play the song with a country band.

Folk music is music "of the folks". In other words, traditional folk songs have evolved over time and throughout cultures. There is generally no one known author for a traditional folk song. These songs frequently tell a story or address a community purpose. The main role of the guitar in traditional folk songs is to support the song harmonically and rhythmically. Therefore, the guitar parts may remain rather simple while the "star" of the song is the lyrics and the singing. As a guitar learner, sometimes what you want to do is to practice hard and hone your guitar s...

This lesson offers you the chance to try to play the 12 Bar Blues in the key of D along with the band. The chord progression goes like this: //: D / D / D / D / / G / G / D / D / /A / A / D / D :// Listen to my starting count and the drumbeat to get going, and see if you can play long with the video. It’s a great way to practice!

Notice how the first riff is simply a C Major scale, played backwards. Cool! Use this song as a good excuse to practice your C scale. Make sure that your pick technique allows the groove to carry through, whether you are strumming the chords or playing the riffs. You don't want the riff to feel interruptive of the groove. Use alternating up and down strokes with the pick, and keep it loose.

While the rhythmic feel of the chorus is not all that different than the verse, it is played with more energy and a looser strum. The signature riffs in this chorus give it a lot of extra personality, but if they are beyond your skill level, it is fine to just keep to the strumming and the chords.

One of the most challenging tasks for a new guitarist can be making chord changes smoothly and quickly, without creating a pause in the music. Often times, coming up with a specific strategy for getting from one chord to the next can make all the difference. This third lesson looks at chord pairs in which one finger remains on the same string as you change from one chord to the next chord, allowing you to slide that finger rather than pick it up and lose your hand’s orientation to the string. In the first example, D to A, the ring finger remains attached to ...

Hey, this one has only TWO chords! Cool! WILLIE TAYLOR (traditional ballad) Willie (D) Taylor and his youthful (G) lover, Full of (D) mirth and loyal-(G)ty, They were (D) going to the church to be (G) married, He was (G) pressed and sent on (G) sea. Dolly dilly (D) dum dilly dum dum (G) day (G) She dressed herself up like a sailor On her breast she wore a star Her lovely fingers long and slender She gave them all just a smear of tar. Dolly… On the ...

In this lesson we'll do a quick run-through of some of the basic guitar skills that will come into play in learning the songs in this series.

Lisa McCormick gives you a complete tour of this classic 70s hit by Cat Stevens, guiding you through the song form and chord structure, strumming rhythms, signature riffs, and the songwriting sensibilities. You get a full play-along at the end of the tutorial, plus a bonus lesson at the very end!

In folk music, the guitar often plays more of a supporting role than the starring role. For this reason, it is easy to learn literally hundreds of songs, using rather simple chord structures. In this series, we stick to the chords G, C, and D, and explore how the personality of the song itself makes each song into its own distinct unique pieces of music.

5 traditional Christmas songs are presented with fingerstyle arrangements. Each song has an arrangement to accompany singing, and also an instrumental melody solo.

Play 13 classic holiday songs with just three chords. Single-note melody solos are also included. Use of a capo is recommended to adjust the pitch of each song to best suit your singing voice, and suggested capo settings are included.

This tutorial walks you through all the skills and information needed to play Closer to Fine. Besides the guitar parts, we also look at the dynamics, vocal harmony, lyrical composition, and song structure.

Learn how to play basic Stringband guitar in the 4 most popular keys. The acoustic guitar has a specific and important role to play in traditional Stringband music. It's a lot of fun, and easier than you might think!

Stringband music's gut appeal took the world by surprise when the movie O Brother Where Art Though won 5 GRAMMYs in 2001. This tutorial teaches the basics of stringband guitar, skills which will also be useful in Bluegrass, Old Time, Irish, Celtic, Appalachian, Folk, and Country styles.

Your band is waiting for you to tune up and play! These Song Projects allow you to put all your strumming skills to work, with four song arrangements to master.

In this set of lessons, you'll learn to add upstrokes to your strumming. This will open new possibilities in adding fun and groove to your playing. You'll also learn some classic ornamentation techniques that will give your playing a real country flavor.

In this set of lessons, we get to the most powerful and versatile strumming rhythms. Learn these techniques well, and you'll be able to become a strong solid strummer in nearly any guitar style.

Learn the foundational skills of guitar strumming. The techniques you learn in this tutorial will set you up to become a master guitar strummer. This tutorial presents skills in a country music context, but these skills are equally powerful in virtually any contemporary guitar music style.

This instrumental song project uses a single fingerpicking pattern, and some chord variations There are no other fancy moves, which makes this a great piece for the Advanced Beginner to Intermediate student. Mastering a Song Project is a great way to solidify your skills and build your repertoire.

This tutorial is the graduation ceremony for Acoustic Fingerpicking, Levels 1-8. Learning to play this tune will draw on skills you have learned in the previous levels, and give you a nice instrumental tune for your repertoire.

Fingerpicker's Goldmine is a treasure trove of classic fingerpicking figures, perfect for adding flavor and complexity to fingerstyle guitar songs. From Hot Tuna to Jack Johnson, Joni Mitchell to James Taylor, these classic figures have been used extensively by acoustic music's icons. This tutorial is a continuation of the Acoustic Fingerpicking Series, created by Lisa McCormick. All prerequisite skills and concepts necessary to master these figures are taught in earlier lessons in the series.

Welcome to Acoustic Fingerpicking, Intermediate Level. In this set of lessons, we'll build on the skills learned in Acoustic FIngerpicking for Beginners, Levels 1 through 6. We'll take patterns and pattern variations learned in the Beginner section, and begin combining them within a single song. This will allow you to create song arrangements that are more interesting, varied, and dynamic. Learning to combine patterns leads to refined coordination, and lays the groundwork for adding in some exciting fingerpicking figures, which will be presented in Acoustic Fingerpic...

This tutorial presents a fingerpicking pattern in 6/8 time. It also offers a playalong exercise to develop your speed and fluidity. The tutorial finishes with a song project, the traditional folk song, "Do You Love an Apple?".

This tutorial talks you through the process of selecting a guitar pick that will be a good fit for your level and style of playing.

This tutorial explains what it means when you see a chord that is written with a slash. For instance, "D/F#", or "G/B". This lesson discusses how to name these chords correctly, and how to play them.

This tutorial picks up from where we left off at Level 4, and introduces a new time signature. Using similar fingerpicking skills to those you have been developing, we'll branch out into 3/4 time with a playalong exercise and a song project.

This tutorial builds on the fingerpicking skills and concepts presented in Levels 1, 2, and 3. In Level 4, you’ll learn another versatile and popular variation of the Four Step Pattern. You'll also learn what "Travis Picking" is all about. This new pattern variation can be heard in acoustic folk, blues, country, rock, and pop music everywhere. Fans of James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Indigo Girls, Gillian Welsh, and countless other fine acoustic players will hear a very familiar sound in this new skill, Variation #2.

This tutorial presents an acoustic fingerstyle versions of this classic Christmas carol. This version features chords and a picking pattern to accompany the singing part, and a melody riff to serve as an intro, and a spacer between verses.

This tutorial builds on the fingerpicking skills and concepts presented in Levels 1 and 2. In Level 3, you’ll learn an extremely versatile and popular variation of the Four Step Pattern, one which expands the pattern to a full measure. This pattern can be heard in acoustic folk, blues, country, rock, and pop music everywhere. Fans of James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Indigo Girls, Gillian Welsh, and countless other fine acoustic players will hear a very familiar sound in this new skill, Variation #1.

This versatile warm-up exercise can easily be adapted for beginner through advanced players. It is also equally useful on acoustic and electric guitars, and relevant for players of any guitar style. Why is it called Spider Legs? Because when you get this exercise up and running, your fingers look like the legs of a spider crawling all over the neck of your guitar. (don't be afraid!) ****************************************************** Spider Legs Warm-ups offer many benefits, including: FOR THE LEFT HAND: *Proper Hand Positioning ...

This tutorial presents two acoustic fingerstyle versions of this classic Christmas carol. One version can be used to accompany singing the song. The other version is an instrumental melody solo. You may prefer one version over the other, or you may wish to learn both. They go together perfectly.

This tutorial presents two acoustic fingerstyle versions of this classic Christmas carol. One version can be used to accompany singing the song. The other version is an instrumental melody solo. You may prefer one version over the other, or you may wish to learn both. They go together perfectly.

This condensed lesson presents 2 versions of the classic carol, "What Child is This?", also known as "Greensleeves". First, we'll take a look at a fingerstyle arrangement you could use if you were going to sing the song. Second, we'll learn an instrumental melody solo. Learn one, or learn both. They go together perfectly! A more thorough tutorial on "What Child is This" can be found at Acoustic Christmas Classics 1A: What Child is This?: Song + Solo

This fingerpicking pattern in 4/4 time consists of the following four steps: thumb on the bass note of the chord, thumb on the third string, index and middle fingers together play the second and first strings simultaneously, thumb on the third string once again. The "Bass Note" of a chord is the LOWEST SOUNDING NOTE that is included in that chord. It is usually the same letter name as the chord itself (for example, an E chord uses the low E string played open as it's bass note; a D chord uses the open 4th string as its bass note). Sometimes when I play this pat...

In this lesson, we’ll practice playing a 12 Bar Blues progression in the key of D#, using barre chords. We’ll play an eighth note rhythm pattern, and use the palm muting technique. I’ll be playing the same blues progression in the key of D#, using palm muted eighth notes, following this pattern: //: I / I / I / I / / IV / IV / I / I / / V / V / I / I :// Try playing along with the video to get used to keeping time with the beat, and notice once again how your chord changes follow an “L” shaped pat...

Why would you want to play a 12 Bar Blues progression in a sharp key, or a flat key? Maybe you are playing with another instrumentalist who prefers to play the song in one of those keys; a horn player, or keyboard player, for instance. Or maybe you are playing with a singer who wants to sing the song in a particular key that is the best match for his or her voice. Whatever the circumstance, when you play a 12 Bar Blues progression on the guitar using barre chords, it is quite easy to find the I, IV, and V chords, even if you are playing in an unusual key, like a sharp k...

Betsy Likens is a traditional tune from the Appalachian Mountain region of the United States. It would typically be played on a fiddle or a clawhammer banjo. This adaptation for guitar is in DADGAD tuning. I have put the capo on the 5th fret to raise the key to be more in keeping with what a fiddle or banjo would play. You can certainly play it without the capo, but it will have a lower sound. In this condensed lesson, I will play the tune several times over, which is the traditional way to play it. Then I'll present both sections of the tune with close up and ...

In this lesson, we’ll do a playalong using the rhythm variation that places extra emphasis on beat number ONE, and on the AND that follows beat number two, in one measure of eighth notes. The chord progression will be: //: G / C / D / C ://.

In this lesson, we’ll stay with a rhythm that uses eight eighth notes per measure, but we’ll add an extra challenge by emphasizing a couple of those beats more than the rest. This will give the music a bit more groove. This is a slightly more complicated and practical use of palm muting, heard in many modern country tunes. For this rhythmic variation, you’ll be counting the measure as “One And, Two And, Three And, Four And.” Place extra emphasis on beat number ONE, and on the AND that follows beat number two. Practice this variation, and then experiment wit...

Palm muting is a technique used with your strumming hand which creates some interesting effects that can be used to flavor the rhythm and tone of your playing in a variety of ways. You’ll find this technique used in many musical styles, from rock to folk to country, but in this lesson, we’ll look at it in a blues context. To palm mute, let the side of your right hand below your pinky finger rest lightly against the strings of the guitar, while at the same time using your pick to strum. Depending on how much contact and pressure you use with the side of your hand ...

“Open Barre” chords are a fun way to expand your repertoire of chords, help you move beyond first position on the guitar, and venture up the neck. Even if you have trouble getting good clear tone out of regular barre chords, you should have better luck with Open Bar chords. This chord form also introduces some interesting and unexpected harmonies. First, it is helpful to understand the theory behind bar chords. If you make a standard E major chord, you’ll see that the open 6th string, the low E, is the bass note, or root note for that chord. Now, if you were to...

In this arrangement of Good King Wenceslas, notice the four key fingerstyle concepts at work (explained in the intro to this tutorial). The Right Hand Roll gives the chords a more harp-like presentation, a little more flair. The use of sustain allows the notes to sing out and blend in the air, rather than being cut short and choppy. The melody notes are highlighted by being played with more volume and emphasis, while the harmony and rhythm notes are more subtle. And whenever possible, I hold down an entire chord, even when I am not using all the notes of that chord fo...

Here is a slowed down view of my left hand playing Good King Wenceslas. You’ll see and hear the four key fingerstyle concepts at work: the Right Hand Roll, separation between melody notes and harmony or rhythm notes, sustain, and making the whole chord whenever possible. Here is a link to my lesson on the Right Hand Roll: Fingerstyle Technique: Right Hand Roll

This fingerpicking pattern in 4/4 time consists of the following four steps: thumb on the bass note of the chord, thumb on the third string, index and middle fingers together play the second and first strings simultaneously, thumb on the third string once again. The "Bass Note" of a chord is the LOWEST SOUNDING NOTE that is included in that chord. It is usually the same letter name as the chord itself (for example, an E chord uses the low E string played open as it's bass note; a D chord uses the open 4th string as its bass note). Sometimes when I play this patt...