What should you learn on your first day of playing guitar? Guitar Tricks instructor Gary Heimbauer will show you the things that are worth learning within the first 10-15 minutes of picking up a guitar.

This week, Guitar Tricks instructor Gary Heimbauer is getting into the holiday spirit by showing you some super easy ways to play Jingle Bells!

Whether you want to play and sing, back your favorite band of merry carolers, or simply sip some eggnog and play the melody gently in the background while the family digs through their stockings -- Gary will show you a few simple ways to absolutely nail this holiday classic, no matter what your ability level is.

Play better, more complicated, and more interesting guitar chords by using what are known as "slash chords."

We're not talking Guns N' Roses -- though Slash probably uses lots of slash chords in his guitar playing. We are talking about the technique of playing a standard chord, but adding a different bass note beneath it!

This is a lot more simple than it might initially seem. Guitar Tricks instructor Gary Heimbauer will break down how to approach this technique.

Using dynamics while playing guitar is one of the most direct ways to sound more like a guitar pro. It's a simple concept of volume control.

In this video, Guitar Tricks instructor Gary Heimbauer will show you how to apply dynamics to your guitar paying to make you sound better in one step!

If you're a fan of the sound of an acoustic guitar, then you're probably listening to a song that features two guitarists playing together seamlessly. Various models on the market can accommodate different budgets. With various features and options, 12-string acoustic guitars can provide a unique and authentic sound. The sound of 12-string electric and acoustic guitars has captivated listeners for decades. Whether you're looking for an electric or acoustic guitar, there's something special about this versatile instrument.

Many guitar players think that you need 5 or 6 strings to play most chords like G, C, or Em, but the reality is that these chords are made up of only 3 notes (a triad) and can often be played on only three strings! Four of the most common open chords, in the most common guitar key of G major are the chords G, C, D and E minor.

Since the pentatonic scale has no half steps, and is constructed of whole steps and minor thirds (1.5 steps), it lends itself well to sliding up and down the fretboard from position to position.  One great way to connect the patterns as we slide between them is to take advantage of the finger friendly 2x2s or 3x2s in each of the 5 vertical patterns of the pentatonic scale.

The Circle of Fifths is a concept used in music theory that shows the relationship between all of the musical keys. The circle is also used to show the number of sharps and flats in a particular key, which is helpful to understand the relationships between major and minor keys as well. Finally, the concept gets its name because the Circle of Fifths is presented as a circle of musical keys, these are all separated by degrees of a fifth. 

In this video, Gary shares three classic blues riffs, or bits of vocabulary that are inspired by classic sounds we’ve all heard before. If you listen to the blues greats, you will hear ideas very similar to these. What you want to do is see if you can play them exactly as I present them with my guidance, and THEN, take the most important step, which is to reinterpret them, develop them, change the rhythm, start them the same, and end them differently, change when they start within a measure (we go over this in depth), change their direction. The possibilities are truly endless.

Holding down all the strings is tough because there’s a lot of tension, and playing barre chords closer to the headstock is even more complicated because the strings are tighter and the frets are more spread out. Learn how to play barre chords the right way!