Guitar Music Theory

In this free guitar lesson, I answer email questions and I also talk about playing the national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner.  

In this free guitar lesson, I answer emails questions about music theory, the number system, playing over complex chord changes, creating backing tracks, and more.  

In this free guitar lesson I have another installment of How Does This Song Work featuring “Runnin’ Down a Dream” by Tom Petty. You get to know how this song makes use of the blues scale, added chord tones, and modal interchange. I also answer a few email questions.  

In this free guitar lesson, I have another installment of How Does This Song Work featuring “Hard to Handle” by The Black Crowes. You get to know how this song uses a blues-influenced composition technique that involves mixing major and minor tonalities. 

In this free guitar lesson, I answer email questions regarding the Kemper Profiling Amplifier, mode intervals, tapping into your creative genius, my PRS DGT guitar, and more. 

In this free guitar lesson, I explain why a blues chord progression is not 1-4-5, technically. Blues is actually 5-5-5 and makes use of dominant 7th chords, Mixolydian mode, and dominant scales.

In this free guitar lesson, I explain what a "1 4 5" chord progression is and play some examples to help you train your ear. I also answer email questions. 

In this free guitar lesson, I have another installment of How Does This Song Work featuring “Ramblin’ Man” by The Allman Brothers Band. You get to know important details about the song’s composition including the key, scales, modes, chords, and progression.

In this free guitar lesson, I show you how to play the chords to “Lean On Me” by Bill Withers. I focus on the song’s introduction. You play the same chord voicings played by the pianos on the recording. This requires a bit of fancy finger work that is best suited for guitar players who are beyond the beginning stage.

In this free guitar lesson, I have another installment of How Does This Song Work featuring “Twilight Zone” by Golden Earring. I will go over the main sections of the song, and you will get to know the key, chords, progressions, scales, and modes used in the music. If you want to learn how to actually play this song, you can use the information I provide here along with the tablature which can be found online.   If you’d like to learn more about music theory for guitar, or maybe back up and fill in gaps in your playing so you can play better at this level, visit my website, answer the questions I ask you about your playing, and I’ll send you FREE custom video instruction calibrated to your current level. Go to: https://www.guitarmusictheory.com/play-better-guitar/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=episode&utm_campaign=upload

In this free guitar lesson, I have another installment of How Does This Song Work? featuring "Still Got the Blues (For You)" by Gary Moore. I’m going to take a look at the general chord progressions and key as well as the scales used for the solos and how the main lead line connects to the chords. If you’re a student of my Fretboard Theory program and you’ve advanced to Volume II, you’re going to see many of the concepts I teach in the course at play in this song.  If all this music theory talk goes over your head, visit my GuitarMusicTheory.com website, answer the questions I ask you about your playing, and I'll recommend a FREE course calibrated to your current level.

Is guitar talent something you’re born with, or is it something you develop through study and practice? How do you know when you’ve reached your limits? When should you give up on something? I answer these questions and discuss how to make the best of your guitar playing in my latest podcast episode.   What do you specifically need to do in order to play guitar better? Visit the GuitarMusicTheory.com website and click on the answer that best describes you. Get FREE custom video instruction calibrated to your current level. Get on a plan to progressively play and sound better today. 

In this free guitar lesson you get to know how the chords in “House of the Rising Sun” by The Animals fit together. This includes a discussion on parallel scales, modal interchange, and voice leading. I also answer email questions.

In episode 44 of the Guitar Music Theory podcast, I explain what sus2 and sus4 chords are and how they get used in familiar songs. What do you specifically need to do in order to play guitar better? Visit the GuitarMusicTheory.com website and click on the answer that best describes you. Get FREE custom video instruction calibrated to your current level. 

What do the songs “Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison, “Hot Blooded” by Foreigner, and “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses have in common?   They all make use of a perfect 4th interval over the IV chord.   Why do you need to know this? Because it's a common composition technique used in popular music and it helps you understand why songs often contain notes that are out of key.   I explain all the details and play through examples in today's podcast episode.    What do you specifically need to do in order to play guitar better? Visit the GuitarMusicTheory.com website and click on the answer that best describes you. Get FREE custom video instruction calibrated to your current level. 

What kind of guitar amplifier and effects pedals do you need to play a gig? Should you mic your amp or go direct using a digital amp emulation device? In this free guitar lesson, I tell you what you need to know in order to be prepared for your next live performance. What do you specifically need to do in order to play guitar better? Visit the GuitarMusicTheory.com website and click on the answer that best describes you. Get FREE custom video instruction calibrated to your current level. 

In this free guitar lesson, I analyze some of the guitar parts heard in the song “Tom Sawyer” by Rush and explain how the parts work.   You get to know the song’s music theory including the key, chords, chord progressions, scales, modes, and more.   I also discuss guitarist Alex Lifeson’s musical influences and how “Tom Sawyer” borrows ideas from music by The Who, Led Zeppelin, and Cream.   What do you specifically need to do in order to play guitar better? Visit the GuitarMusicTheory.com website and click on the answer that best describes you. Get FREE custom video instruction calibrated to your current level.