Hello friends,
I’m reaching out to wish you all safe travels as you wrap up your holiday festivities. As you can see, I’ve enjoyed my time with family (even if some of the youngsters think I missed Santa’s visit 😆). With 2018 around the corner, I want you to know how grateful I am for your support, encouragement and guidance over the last year. Let me know how your holiday was and if you found any time to play some music with friends and family. I’ll be back to work tomorrow with ...
2017-12-26 03:59:42 +0000 UTC
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Hello friends,
and welcome to a special holiday addition to my By Request Song Tutorials. In today's session I'll be showing you how to play John Lennon's 1972 classic "Happy Xmas (War is Over)." This is a fantastic song for beginner and intermediate level players to check out, because it teaches many of the common variations that can be applied to basic chords. There are just two sections and a single strumming pattern to this song, a verse and chorus section that repeats throughout th...
2017-12-20 22:35:12 +0000 UTC
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Hello friends
And welcome to part two of my lesson series on Cat Steven's "Father and Son." In this session I'm going to break down a beginner friendly approach to soloing over the tunes instrumental section. Most of these licks will be drawn directly Cat's vocal melody, and found within the G major scale in C position. Let's get started!
P.S. Great news, the complaints of patrons and creators alike have convinced Patreon not to change their fee structure. Thanks to everyone who signed t...
2017-12-14 22:27:41 +0000 UTC
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Hello friends,
Today I'm introducing some items that make for excellent stocking stuffers for guitarist and other musicians this holiday season. Each of these products are ≤ $100, and are things that all players need regardless of genre, and skill level.
Many of these items are constantly being misplaced (guitar picks!) and so players are always happy to have a spare. Let me know what you think of my top-ten-list, and if you have any suggestions for next year. Thanks!
1.
2017-12-13 03:31:15 +0000 UTC
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Hello friends,
and welcome to another by request song tutorial! In this session I'll be breaking down Cat Stevens 1970 classic "Father and Son." I'll take you through a bit of music theory to discover the chord progressions, and strumming options for the verses, and also break down some of Cat's signature licks and tricks. Let's get started!
Associated Lessons:
Hello friends,
and welcome to another by request song tutorial! In today's session I'll be breaking down a fairly easy guitar tune in Bill Withers' 1972 classic "Lean On Me." This song only uses four basic chords, but does feature some challenging rhythmic elements that will require dedicated practice. Here's a few tips for getting the main section of this tune down:
1) Using the attached tablature, practice the chord changes and walking transitions first, without the optional s...
2017-12-06 04:16:52 +0000 UTC
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Hello friends,
For your weekend blues practice, I invite you to revisit my lesson on Brownie McGhee's 1966 classic "Born and Livin' with the Blues." I've created a PDF study guide complete with a chord sheet, diagrams and tabs to help you master this iconic tune. Let's get started!
Note: This is a simplified version intended for intermediate players. Brownie's live performances are full of advanced flourishes, and variations to the techniques discussed in this tutorial. In the near futur...
2017-12-02 04:25:16 +0000 UTC
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Hello friends,
At the request of your fellow patron Françoise, I took some time today to create a new chord sheet and tablature for my 2015 guitar arrangement for Joni Mitchell's "California." Of the nearly 500 videos I've created, this is one of my all time favorites, as it features my good friend, the very talented Caroline Kane. Let me know your thoughts on what else you would like to hear Caroline sing, and maybe I can convince her to swing by the studio. Thanks so much for your continued...
2017-11-30 04:00:51 +0000 UTC
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Hello friends,
and welcome to part two of my lessons series for The Beatles "Let it Be." In this session, I'll be breaking down George Harrison's iconic electric guitar solo. We'll begin with a full demonstration, then I'll break it all down for you lick by lick and chord by chord. Let's get started!
Associated Lessons:
Hello Patrons,
It was a great pleasure to meet with my new friends Brian Buchanan and Rose Baldino of House of Hamill last week. The two were kind enough to perform their new single "Pound a Week Rise" and a track off their last record entitled "The Magnificent Seven." Check out the video above to hear those tunes, and pick up a few tips for getting that Celtic sound out of your acoustic guitars. Enjoy!
More on House of Hamill:
2017-11-26 02:55:50 +0000 UTC
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Hello friends,
and welcome to another by request song tutorial. In today's session, I'll revamp my previous tutorial on The Beatles 1970 classic "Let It Be." This time around, I'll be breaking the tune down in it's original key of C, and include Paul Mccartney's walking chord transitions. Check in later for a follow up tutorial breaking down George's iconic guitar solo. Let's get started!
Associated Lessons:
Hello friends,
Today I'm whipping up a revamped lesson on The Beatles 1970 classic "Let It Be." This time around, I'm showing the tune in it's original key of C, and including Paul's walkdown and walkup riffs. In addition, I'll also be breaking down George's iconic guitar solo. As I finish filming, please take some time to download the attached PDF, re-familiarize yourself with the song, and see what you can figure out on your own. Have fun! -Rob
2017-11-22 22:05:04 +0000 UTC
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Hello friends,
Welcome to another lead guitar tutorial. In today's session, I'll be sharing with you a simple, but powerful approach to soloing over a blues turnaround. We'll begin by reviewing the 12 bar blues chord progression, and your scale positions. Last, I'll break down each lick into easy to learn sections. Let's get started!
Associated Lessons:
Hello friends,
Apologies for my lack of output this week, I spent Monday and Tuesday in Boston picking up a new soundboard for the studio, this was a crucial investment that was only made possible by your generous support! With the new and improved recording capabilities, I decided to get back to my featured artist showcase, this time with House of Hamill, a husband and wife band out of Phoenixville, PA.
In the coming week, expect a second performance, a full interview and a few tips fro...
2017-11-17 03:38:51 +0000 UTC
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Hello friends,
and welcome to another by request song tutorial! In today's session I'll be breaking down how to play Sarah Jarosz's Grammy award winning song "House of Mercy." This arrangement for solo-acoustic guitar combines elements performed on Sarah's octave mandolin, and the lead guitar parts heard on the original track and various live performances. Let's get started!
Associated Lessons:
Hello friends,
In today's session I'll be showing you how to combine a basic bluegrass rhythm with some classic flatpicking licks. We'll begin by reviewing the theory behind the 1.4.5 chord progression in G, a bluegrass style strumming pattern, and your major blues scales before combining these elements into a complete practice routine. Let's get started!
Suggested Lessons:
Hello friends,
Earlier in the week I got a message from your fellow patron PJ, who wanted some incite on how to play this amazing acoustic blues tune "House of Mercy" by Sarah Jarosz. I immediately got hooked on the song and decided to create a version suitable for solo performance on the guitar. Attached you will find my chord sheet and my tablature for the tunes bluesy riffs and strumming patterns. I'm leaving tomorrow for a Patreon conference in LA, where hopefully I'll pick up some new tri...
2017-11-01 21:35:23 +0000 UTC
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Hello friends,
And welcome to another music theory guitar lesson. In today's session we will learn about the CAGED system, and how it can be used to find all the positions of a basic chord across the fretboard. Let's get started!
P.S This tutorial goes out to your fellow patron Dawn, thanks so much for your thoughtful comments, I hope this video answers your questions. -Rob
Links:
Hello friends,
and welcome to another classic song tutorial. In today's session we are paying homage to the now late, great Fats Domino by learning his 1956 smash hit "Blueberry Hill." I'll take you through an acoustic guitar arrangement of the tunes iconic intro, and the riffs, chord progressions and strumming options for the verse and chorus sections. Let's get started!
Links:
2017-10-26 22:13:34 +0000 UTC
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Hello friends,
and welcome to another by request song tutorial! When 80's pop icons a-ha dropped their acoustic rendition of their 1984 classic "Take on Me," I immediately started getting request for how to play it. In this session, I'll take you through a complete demonstration of the the tune, and break down my arrangement for solo performance. Let's get started!
Links:
2017-10-23 20:53:25 +0000 UTC
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Hello friends,
I hope you're wrapping up a great week of practice, and making tons of progress with my latest resources. I've spent a lot of time over the last few days digging into older lessons and creating new resources. Today I've produced a new chord sheet and tab for my approach to playing The Beatles 1970 classic "For You Blue." In this video lesson and tablature, I've broken down how to perform the tunes iconic intro, the 12 bar blues progression, George's walking turnaround and some s...
2017-10-20 20:55:19 +0000 UTC
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Hello friends,
and welcome to another lead guitar tutorial. In today's session I'll be sharing with you a powerful lead guitar trick that is guaranteed to improve your playing instantly. The cascading harmony trick allows lead guitar players to navigate through their scales in a less predictable way by "stacking" the intervals, rather than running the scale verbatim. We'll begin by reviewing the major pentatonic scale, and it's upper and lower extensions before tackling this powerful tec...
2017-10-18 15:29:09 +0000 UTC
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Hello friends,
As I'm sure you have noticed, I'm feeling a bit jazzy this week. My recent lesson on "Four Ways to Play a Jazz 2.5.1" reveals different chord voicings for the genres most common progression. To take you one step further, I've reached back into the Swiftlessons Archive and discovered techniques that build on what we've already learned!
In this tutorial, I'll take you through the 2.5.1.6 progression and classic bebop style lick. Let's get started!
Associa...
2017-10-17 15:37:30 +0000 UTC
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Hello friends,
And welcome to another rhythm guitar lesson. In today's session we will be branching out into the Jazz genre, and learning four ways of playing it's most common chord progression, the 2.5.1. We will begin by learning the beginner version in the open position (first three frets), and then move on to practicing traditional jazz chord shapes up and down the fretboard. Let's get started!
Associated Lessons:
Hello friends,
This week I was blown away by a-ha's new acoustic rendition of their 1984 hit "Take On Me." I immediately got to work developing an easy version for solo-performance. Within the week, I'll be producing a full video lesson for my arrangement, but in the meantime, take a moment to re-familiarize yourself with the tune, and study the chord diagrams provided in the first draft of my PDF chord sheet & Tab.
To perform my version, you'll need a capo placed on the 2nd fr...
2017-10-14 17:47:47 +0000 UTC
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Hello friends,
Welcome to another blues guitar tutorial. In this lesson I’ll be showing you how to perform a useful major blues turnaround in the key of E major. This technique is built from a hybrid of our major and minor blues scales, and is the perfect way to complete a 12 bar blues. We’ll begin by reviewing our scales, and an advanced version of our 12 bar blues progression. Let’s get started!
Associated Lessons:
Hello friends,
and welcome to another by request song tutorial. In today's session, I'll be breaking down how to play Neil Young's 1992 classic "Harvest Moon." I'll take you through the tunes iconic riffs, progressions and strumming patterns to get you performance ready. Let's get started!
Associated Lessons:
Hello friends,
Today I'm celebrating the music of the recently deceased Tom Petty with a tutorial on his 1994 classic "Wildflowers." Tom's music has had a massive influence on my life, and with a career that lasted more than forty years, I'm sure that his tunes have shaped many of your memories as well. I'll get started by breaking down the intro riff, which will reveal the techniques utilized in the chorus and verse sections. From there, I'll take you through the instrumental bridge to get th...
2017-10-04 21:10:43 +0000 UTC
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Hello friends, welcome to the second installment of my lessons series breaking down Passenger's 2012 hit "Let Her Go." In this session, I'll breakdown the tunes finger-style intro, and the progressions and strumming patterns for the verse, chorus, and bridge sections. Let's get started!
Associated Lessons:
Hello friends,
Thanks to a special request from your fellow Patron Suiyang, I've updated and re-posted my tab, and chord sheet for my "advanced" rendition of the Ben E. King classic "Stand By Me." In this tutorial, I break down how to merge the tunes iconic bassline with a percussive strumming pattern, and make use of some Hendrix style licks to create an instrumental section. Let's get started!
Links:
