So you’re in the market for your first serious guitar. You think you’ve got it figured out, but how do you know it’s a match made in heaven?

Usually, you’ll know right away. There’s that inner instinct; that feeling you get when you meet eyes with that pretty girl across the room (cue any Michael Bolton song). 

But don’t leave your big decision up to destiny alone. That guitar you’ve been dreaming about for years may not be the one after all (cue that girl’s hunky boyfriend).

Here are some things to consider when you are looking for that first serious guitar, acoustic or electric. 

First of all, don’t rule out a guitar just because it doesn’t say Gibson or Fender on it. These companies make great guitars, but so do Ibanez, Norman, PRS, Danelectro, Yamaha, and many additional smaller companies. 

Second, don’t base your decision on the look of the instrument alone. There are a number of factors to...

We all want to play our favourite songs. Well, what happens if we know the chords for a song but we don't know the strumming pattern? This lesson will show you the key pieces you need to find and choose a strumming pattern for a particular song. You'll learn about the important building blocks like tempo and time signature but you'll also see that once you have those in place, there are ways to fill in the blanks according to your own style and feel of the song.

It’s an exciting time. You’ve got your first guitar, your first songbook, your first chord book, and your first blisters (pain is progress!).

But how do we get this clunky instrument sounding like our favorite songs?

The first few months of learning the guitar can be slow and painful. The real fulfillment from learning the guitar comes from playing the music you love. Getting to that point will take time.

How do we shorten that time?

If your goal is to learn how to play your favorite songs, there are a few key things you should focus on to get you there as soon as possible.

1) Practice Your Chords.

Every song is made up of chords. Learn these chords. You’ll find some chords are used more than others.

G and C are two of the most difficult chords in learning guitar. They are also among the most common in popular music. Don’t skip these ones just because they appear to be too difficult.

Changing between chords quickly is absolutely crucial. The less “dead...

 Download the PDF here: BEGINNER STRUMMING PATTERN (CLICK HERE)

There is only one ‘trick' to this, and that is the trick to all strumming patterns: KEEP YOUR HAND MOVING. Don't let it pause after the up-strum before the tie and then have to rush down to get the next up-strum. This is the most common mistake that people make. Keep that hand moving!

Playing along with me in the video will help you the most.

Once you can play it, you need to do it over and over again – drill it in so that it becomes natural to do it. This for many guitarists is THE strumming pattern, and I have met quite a few singer-songwriters that use this pattern in every song! That's not necessarily recommended, but you will use this pattern a whole lot once you get it comfortable.

This Snow Patrol poptastic tune is pretty easy but with a bit of a stretch if you are up for it, with some great options for exploring layering (two guitars).

Download the TAB here: CHASING CARS (CLICK HERE)

Do you want to reach your goals? Here's one critical thing that can make or break your success on the guitar! Hope you enjoy the video.

Chord progressions are a great way to work on transitions between chords as well as learning how/what chords to use in different keys.

In this lesson we're playing a sequence of chords in the Key of D - using the D major, E minor, and A major. 

These chord progression lessons are more about the sequence of chords we're using than the actual rhythm. So use whatever strumming pattern you'd like - just insert these chords. Have fun!

 Download the CHORDS here: CHORD PROGRESSION IN THE KEY OF D (CLICK HERE)

The Minor Pentatonic is a really useful scale for blues and rock and you will use it for your entire playing life. It sounds really cool and has many uses. If you want to get into the blues then you totally need to get this one down. It is equally as important as The Major Scale. The minor pentatonic scale is often the first scale learned by guitar players because it is easy to play and fun to use to start your blues improvisation.

Download the TAB: MINOR PENTATONIC SCALE (CLICK HERE)

If you know the E chord, you'll love this lick. I'm a big fan of using the open strings and letting them ring out.

In this lesson, you'll take the E major shape and move it all around the neck. The key to this lick is making sure you use the dot markers to help you find the fret positions quickly. Also, keep your fingers on the strings when you're moving up and down the neck so you don't have to keep resetting your fingers.

Download the CHORD / TAB: OPEN E GUITAR LICK (CLICK HERE)