Post archive
Guitar Sessions 48: “Box of Rain” for two guitars
Learn an arrangement of the Grateful Dead’s classic “Box of Rain,” played on two guitars with different tunings and capo positions.
Guitar Sessions 47: The low fifths trick
Learn a simple way to create powerful and distinctive chord voicings.
Guitar Sessions 46: Play Neil Young’s “Old Man”
Learn the perennial favorite “Old Man,” from the signature riff to the chord shapes and groove.
Guitar Sessions 45: Easy open-string chords up the neck
Explore open-string chord shapes up the neck that give you alternate-tuning-like sounds with easy fingerings—while staying in standard tuning.
Guitar Sessions 44: Play “Deep Elem Blues”
Play a funky dropped-D guitar arrangement of the classic traditional song, inspired by the Grateful Dead.
Guitar Sessions 43: Play an acoustic “Sunshine of Your Love”
Learn an acoustic arrangement of the Cream classic, played in dropped-D tuning.
Guitar Sessions 42: Inside the“Day Tripper” guitar riff
Learn how to play the original George Harrison guitar riff, and then how to adapt it for other keys and other songs.
Guitar Sessions 41: Play Don Henley’s “The Boys of Summer”
Learn an acoustic arrangement of Don Henley’s classic song, with a guitar adaptation of the original synthesizer riff.
Guitar Sessions 40: Four-note scale workout
Try this exercise to improve your fretting finger dexterity and strength and practice alternate picking too.
Guitar Sessions 39: Limber up with scales in thirds
Here’s a great exercise for warming up and playing melodies and lead too.
How to create sophisticated harmonies on guitar with cluster chords
Video lesson with examples based on songs by Neil Young, James Taylor, Janis Ian, Dave Matthews, and more
Guitar Sessions 38: Play Jimmy Cliff’s “Sitting in Limbo”
Learn a fingerstyle guitar arrangement of the Jimmy Cliff classic from The Harder They Come.
Get into the learning zone
Tips and exercises to help you get out of ruts and discover new territory on the guitar
Guitar Sessions 37: Play Brandi Carlile’s “You and Me on the Rock”
Learn the correct tuning and the intro riff for the Brandi Carlile’s Joni Mitchell–esque song.
Guitar Sessions 36: The sweet sound of sixths, part two
Part two of a video lesson on playing sixths intervals on guitar, as used in classic riffs from songs by Cat Stevens, Van Morrison, Jim Croce, and more.
Guitar Sessions 35: The sweet sound of sixths, part one
Explore sixths intervals on guitar, as used in classic riffs from songs by Van Morrison, John Fogerty, Cat Stevens, and more.
Guitar Sessions 34: What would Jerry do?
Learn four secrets of Jerry Garcia’s lead guitar style in this video lesson.
Guitar Sessions 33: Play Joni Mitchell’s “Just Like This Train”
Learn to play a Joni Mitchell classic, inspired by her triumphant return to the stage at Newport Folk Festival 2022, in this video lesson.
Guitar Sessions 32: How to use slash chords
Learn what slash chords are and how to use them to sweeten the sound of a chord progression or bass line.
Explore the guitar style of James Taylor
An in-depth video lesson on the distinctive fingerstyle guitar of JT, with examples to play based on some of his best-loved songs.