Learn To Play Rock Guitar

Training Your Muscles

Hey Friend, Since we’ve been discussing picking patterns, each exercise so far has sort of built upon the one before it. Downstroke picking moves in one direction, upstroke in the opposite direction. Now with alternate picking, we “alternate” ...

Build Your Speed with Alternate Picking

Hey Friend, So far, we’ve investigated downstroke picking and upstroke picking patterns. While both are suited fairly well for certain rhythmic styles, they don’t do us as much good when you’re picking individual notes for a melodic riff such ...

Using the Upstroke Picking Pattern

Hey Friend, Morning… We’re going to be quick today with the exercises. That’s mainly because I don’t have a lot of references to pull from in Rock where you’re going to use upstrokes in much besides strumming. Here are the exercise files: ...

Solid Rock Sounds with Downstroke Picking

Hey Friend, Ah, the joys of computers… I sat down to write this morning and was handicapped within minutes. The mouse battery was drained, so I’m having to brush off my ninja keyboarding skills… Boy, am I rusty! Anyhoo, let’s hope your day ...

Let’s Look at Rhythmic Patterns

Hey Friend, Up until now, we’ve focused on the melodic and harmonic patterns that repeat all over the guitar neck. We looked at intervals in their fundamental state - the space between two individual notes - and combining two or more notes to play ...

Two-Finger Patterns for Unlimited Sounds

Hey Friend, Today's exercises only require you to have two fingers and the ability to strum simple patterns. These are easy to play, and yet you’re going to be excited by how good you sound! Over the past few weeks we've looked at a few fingerin ...

Shred and Thunder

Hey Friend, Happy Friday! This one is particularly sweet for me, because I’m not going to the j.o.b.! Takin’ a vaca day to do a little trip to historic St. Augustine, Florida with the fam… There were a couple articles this week from Guitar ...

Hearing Harmonies

Get Your Daylight Savings Hysteria

Hey Friend, Here we are, Daylight Savings Time. Already behind the 8-Ball! It’s 0930 hours and it feels like half the day is gone. I know my body still thinks it’s only 0830, but that visual aspect of the time on the clock just makes me feel l ...

Teacher’s Late - Take the Day Off

Hey Friend, Happy Friday! I’ve got an exercise in the works for you that demonstrates the major third interval pattern. Unfortunately, it’ll have to wait until Sunday. At least you didn’t drive all the way to class and then find out the ins ...