This lesson changes the focus of attention to the right hand and the pick. Play each note of the exercise twice, and alternate downstrokes and upstrokes of the pick. For each note you play, you'll use a downstroke and then an upstroke. 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 re...

This tutorial on string bending was inspired by a few subscribers in the forum, that wanted to know how to start bending strings. I started with useful tips, followed by sixteen lessons using whole tone bends on the B string. In the first eight I'm bending the 2nd note of the scale up to the 3rd. In the next eight I'm bending the 4th note of the scale up to the 5th, and close with tips on how to use them.

In these rock soloing technique lessons, we'll be teaching you some essential bends and vibrato technique that will aid you in your lead playing. You'll be learning four types of bends here: up and down bends, pre-bends, bend and choke, and bending one string but not the other. Next we'll show you some vibrato technique, then put all of it together.

In this four lesson tutorial, the student will learn the theory, the mechanics, and the fingerings of double stops and why they work as they do. Simply put, double stops are the approach of playing two notes at once that are harmonized. I'll start off by playing a short original tune that's based on double stop, then use the C and G major scales to demonstrate this technique.

Acoustic fingerpicking is not as difficult as you might think. A simple 4-step pattern is all you need to play zillions of songs and chord progressions, in a variety of musical genres. This tutorial is designed to teach all the basic skills you need to begin to play acoustic fingerstyle guitar. Whether you are a beginning guitarist just starting out, or an more experienced player looking to get into a new style of playing, this tutorial will get you started on the right foot. Learn this 4-step pattern presented in Series One, then go on and try some of the variations and ornamentations presented in subsequent tutorials. You'll be amazed at how powerful and versatile this technique really is!

Now that we've focused a bit on your right hand, it's time to take a close look at the basic hammer on and pull off technique. Even if you're already comfortable using hammer-on's and pull-off's in a blues context, there's always room for improvement. And very often new technique opens new doors creatively and it will start influencing your ideas! Once again, I'll show you some technical things to...

If you're playing electric guitar, especially rock, you'll want to know how to get a good pinch harmonic on demand and it takes a little practice. The best way to to get them is to understand how they work and then to practice the technique. There are high pitched harmonics right under your picking hand as you play. The secret to getting them is to get the skin on the side of your thumb (p...

You've probably heard harmonics before, they are very common in acoustic and electric playing. In this lesson I'll show you how to get a good, clear harmonic and the best place to find them on your fretboard.

Hybrid picking is a hybrid of using a pick and using the fingers to get a snappy, chicken picking sound. This series of lessons will get you started with solid techniques that will get your hybrid picking fundamentals down.

The Italian word legato (meaning "tied together") indicates that musical notes are played or sung smoothly. That is, in transitioning from note to note, there should be no intervening silence. In this example we'll be using the legato technique in tandem with hammer-ons and pull-offs, playing 3 notes per string in the C major scale. You'll find many a shredder using this regularly.

Palm muting is an essential technique for every rock guitarist, and is simple to learn! This tutorial will walk you through the mechanics of how to use palm muting with power and barre chords, accents, and more.

If you're looking to be more expressive and dynamic in your lead playing, then learning about hammer-ons and pull-offs is a great technique to get under your fingers. The basic concept is fairly simple: a hammer-on is hammering your finger onto the fret without picking it, creating a tone. The pull-off is the equal and opposite. We'll work on building finger strength, using the pentatonic and dorian scale, playing legato, using open strings, and how to "pull-hammer-slide".

This lesson is similar to "Fingerpicking + Melody" but with a bouncier feel. You should easily recognize this sound, if you're a follower of John Prine. This technique is borrowed from the banjo playing style and is a great technique to have under your belt.

Slapping is a technique that is most often thought of in the context of bass playing- but you can do it on guitar too! In this set of four guitar lessons you'll be introduced to slapping techniques on guitar; how to use your thumb to get the slap in the lower notes, and fingers to get that pop in the upper notes. We'll use a backing track to help you get in the groove.

Using a bottleneck slide is an expressive technique often used in blues. In this tutorial, we'll look at basic slide technique, open D tuning and standard tuning, some Duane Allman approaches, how to play slow blues slide, and pedal steel 3rds. We'll conclude by jamming along with a backing track.

Strumming is essential to playing the guitar, and in this tutorial Anders Mouridsen will teach you some basic techniques and patterns to give you a solid strumming foundation. We'll start with holding the pick and right hand/arm technique for optimum strumming. Next we'll examine a basic 8th note strumming pattern and a basic 16th note pattern in 4/4 time, followed by a pattern in 3/4. Anders will conclude with a synopsis of everything he taught. You'll be strumming in no time!

In this tutorial, Eric Barnett gives you the essentials of sweep picking, to get you started on this rock and metal guitar technique. We'll go through what sweep picking is, the right and left hand functions, and detailed exercises on both and how to put them together.

In this tutorial we will learn to connect the 5 pentatonic box patterns using tapping technique. This is another tutorial in the overall series of connecting pentatonic boxes in rock style guitar.

Are you curious about touch and tapping on guitar? This unusual technique can produce some beautiful, distinct sounding chords and melodies. In this tutorial, HP Kruesi will delve into this fascinating approach in the style of Stanley Jordan using both your left and right hands on the neck. HP will get you started by showing you the basics, put the technique into use in the context of jazz and blues styles, and some exercises.

The use of vibrato is an effect that is unique to all string instruments and all the more effective when used on the guitar. In blues playing, the use of vibrato is key and each blues player has his or her own vibrato. When used wisely, it can make even the simplest phrases and solos sound very effective. In this tutorial we are going to take a look at a few different types of vibrato that are both artist specific and usable by any guitarist at any level. Let's get started!