Category: Skill Lessons

The Skill Lessons focus on specific areas of study such as improvisation, scales, chords, and theory. The lessons are here to help you develop skills that can be used in any genre and form a deeper understanding of certain topics.

Improvisation Over Knockin On Heaven’s Door
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In this lesson we will be using the song and chord changes of Knockin On Heaven’s Door to study three important soloing and improvisational concepts. These three concepts to consider when approaching a solo are studying the melody, determining usable scales, and chord tone targeting.

Major Scale Harmony and Chord Theory
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Learn how we come up with chords using the major scale! This is an important part of music theory and very applicable to composing and learning songs. Having the knowledge of Major Scale Harmony and chord theory can greatly improve your ability to learn songs by ear

Tips For Sticking With It
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We have had several requests from members asking for tips on how to stick with learning how to play guitar. In this video Bryan will offer some ideas on how you can stay consistent with practice

Clave Strumming Pattern
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In this lesson we will be studying the Clave strumming pattern.  The Clave rhythm has its roots in Afro-Cuban music.  It can be identified in such modern tunes as Buddy Holly’s Not Fade Away and several Bo Diddley songs. It has been referred to as the Bo Diddley beat.

How To Find The Mode of A Song
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Songs can be written in different modes other than the Major Scale.  For example, Mixolydian is a common mode used to write and compose Rock N Roll tunes and Dorian is common in Latin music.  In this lesson we will study and learn how to find the mode a song may have been written in.  This can help us determine the chords used and how to improvise over those chords.

Harmonic Minor Scale
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In this lesson we will be studying the Harmonic Minor Scale and why it might exist. Learn how to use it in your soloing or create interesting and new chord progressions!

Minor Chord Inversions
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Learning chord inversions will increase your knowledge of the fretboard and improve your rhythm playing in a more creative way. In this lesson we will dive into minor chord inversions using the B, G, and D strings.

Major Chord Inversions
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Learning chord inversions will increase your knowledge of the fretboard and improve your rhythm playing in a more creative way. In this lesson we will dive into major chord inversions using the B, G, and D strings.

Daily Practice Routine
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In this lesson Bryan will discuss some ideas for daily practice routine.  This will vary for each player depending on what their focus is at the time.

Hybrid Picking Basics 2
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In this lesson we will be applying a simple hybrid picking technique to a common blues turnaround in the key of G

Hybrid Picking Basics
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Hybrid picking is the technique of using both your fingers and a pick to play the strings.  It is used for several reasons including efficiency, tone, and style.  Hybrid picking is used in nearly every genre and a great technique that will expand your playing capabilities. In this lesson we will start with a basic exercise using the pick and second finger.

5 Pentatonic Shapes Exercise
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In this lesson we will be learning a great exercise to get more familiar with the pentatonic shapes across the entire fretboard.

Making Common Chord Progressions Unique
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In this lesson we are going to learn how to take a very common chord progression and make it more interesting. By using strumming, arpeggios, and articulations we can make a stock chord progression into a unique guitar part. Try to come up with a simple 3 or 4 chord progression and create your own unique part.

Beginner Major Blues Solo
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In this lesson we will study a beginner level major blues solo.  This lesson is specifically designed for those just beginning their exploration of blues improvisation and soloing with the pentatonic major scale.  We will go through one pass of a major blues chord progression note by note.  You are encouraged to expand upon the specific solo taught and come up with your own style.

Bells and Whistles
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In this lesson we will cover more tricks to add to your lead playing. Trills, Double Stops and vibrato are demonstrated and discussed.

Transposing Licks
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In this lesson we will practice and learn how to transpose licks to different keys.

Using Pentatonic Major in Country
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In this lesson we will learn how to use the Pentatonic Major scale to make our leads sound more country.

The Country Scale
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In this lesson we will learn the Country Scale and how to apply it to our improvisation and lead playing.

Country Riffing
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In this lesson we will learn some country style riffs using the b3rd and b7th.

Country Licks
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In this lesson we will learn some country licks you can use in your lead playing.

More Country Licks
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In this lesson we will learn some more country licks you can use in your lead playing, combining the country scale and pentatonic major.

The Pentatonic Box Fingerings
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In this lesson we will cover the 3 remaining pentatonic box shape fingerings. These shapes can be applied to pentatonic minor or major depending on where you start and the root notes you choose.

Blues Improvisation
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This lesson is a basic introduction to improvising over a 12 bar blues pattern. Use of pentatonic major and minor are discussed.

Blues Improvisation 2
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in this we will continue with concepts on soloing over blues changes.

Phrasing
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In this lesson we discuss the concept of phrasing as applied to soloing over chord changes. We will study some possibilities and things to focus on to develop this skill.

Double Stop Bends in Style of Stevie Ray Vaughan
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In this lesson we will study some unique bends in the style of SRV. This technique can be great for adding to your vocab of licks

Beginner Minor Blues Solo
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In this lesson we will study a beginner level minor blues solo.  This lesson is specifically designed for those just beginning their exploration of blues improvisation and soloing with the pentatonic minor scale.  We will go through one pass of a minor blues chord progression note by note.  You are encouraged to expand upon the specific solo taught and come up with your own style.

Chuck Berry Style Blues
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In this lesson we will study blues improv in the style of Chuck Berry combining Mixolydian and Blues scale

Relative Pentatonic Major and Minor
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In this lesson we will discover how Pentatonic Major and Minor are related and how we can use this relation to move around the neck and expand our lead vocabulary.

Blues Scale Licks
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In this lesson we will study ways to apply the Blues scale in your lead playing.

Intro To Chords – G and Em
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In this lesson you will be introduced to your first open chords. The chords covered in this lesson are G Major and E minor.

Changing Strings
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In this lesson you will learn the proper way to change your guitar strings.

Ear Training and Intervals
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This lesson talks about ear training and how to identify the intervals of the Major Scale.

Minor Scale Octave 2
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In this lesson you will learn the 2nd octave of the minor scale.

Introducing the Metronome
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This lesson will show you a free online metronome and how to use it in your practice routine.

Finger Exercises
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This lesson introduces several finger exercises to help improve, finger independence, muscle memory, and finger dexterity. Don’t get discouraged if you can’t get this one right away! It is meant to be tough.

The Notes
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This lesson covers some basic music theory and how to find the notes on the guitar.

Major Scale Octave 2
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This lesson covers the meaning of Intervals and the second octave of a major scale.

The Major Scale – Building Blocks of Music
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This lesson covers the Major scale and some basic musical terms

Minor Scale
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This lesson introduces the Minor scale and how it relates to the Major Scale.

C Major and A minor Chords
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This lesson covers the C Major and A minor open chords and the idea of shared fingers among chords.

Chord Theory and Charts
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This lesson covers chord charts, chords written in tabliture, and the roman numeral system for chords and how it relates to the Major scale.

Chord Exercises
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This lesson will give you a couple exercises that will help you with chord fingerings.

A, D, and E Major chords
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This lesson shows you how to play the open chords A, D, and E major.

G7 and Use of the V Chord
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In this lesson we will cover the G7 open chord and how V chords function in the harmonic structure of a musical piece.

Major Scale in Thirds
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In this lesson you will learn how to play the major scale in 3rds. This is a great exercise to help with fingering and right hand picking.

The Three Major Chord Families
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This lesson will discuss the three major chord families and introduce some new dominant 7 open chords. E7, A7, and D7 chords are covered

Connecting Major and Minor Scales
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This lesson covers Major and Relative minor scales and how to connect them. The theory behind it and application are also discussed.

F Major and B Major Chords
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This lesson will cover the chords of F and B Major and how they relate to different keys.

The D minor Chord
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This lesson will cover the D minor open chord and how it can be applied to chord progressions in the key of C.