How to Learn the Guitar Fretboard: Unlock Lead Up the Neck Learn the guitar fretboard the simple way. Start on the G string, memorize a few notes, and use one shape to play rhythm and lead all over the neck. I don’t want to give you another hack you’ll forget...

How to Improve Your Guitar Strumming: 3 Fixes That Actually Work Struggling with strumming? Learn the three changes – a smoother motion, a lighter pick grip, and real rhythm – that make the biggest difference. If you’ve ever felt like your strumming sounds stiff or uneven, you’re not alone –...

September Update An injury — or anything else life throws at us — might force us to slow down for a while. But that doesn’t mean the progress is gone. Setbacks Don’t Erase Your Progress You know how they say to practice until your fingers bleed? This past month it...

5 Lead Guitar Mistakes That Hold Your Soloing Back (And Easy Fixes) Learn the 5 most common lead guitar mistakes that keep your solos sounding stiff – plus a simple, beginner-friendly fix for each you can start today. Lead guitar is where a lot of players get stuck – not...

3 Levels of Strumming Without a Pick (Beginner to Advanced) Learn to strum without a pick in 3 build-up levels – from a simple finger strum to blending strumming and fingerstyle – explained step by step for beginners. A lot of players assume that putting the pick down automatically means...

The 5-Minute Chord Switching Routine for Smooth, On-Time Changes Chord switching tips, tricks and shortcuts to help you shave off those milliseconds! Most players only tackle chord switching from one angle – getting their fingers onto the right spots. But the people who switch smoothly are quietly doing a few...

August Update The guitar has carried generations of incredible songs. Songs that deserve to be played, not just left sitting on an “oldies” playlist. But those songs only stay alive if we keep learning them, playing them, and passing them along. Sticking With The Classics Summer is in full swing...

The 2-Finger Trick That Makes Chord Switching Twice as Easy A simple two-finger anchor trick that cuts chord switching in half – so you can play G, C, D and E minor and real songs far sooner than you thought. Playing real songs is what keeps you motivated on guitar...

5 Common Fingerpicking Mistakes (And How to Fix Each One) The five most common fingerpicking mistakes I see – and the simple, one-at-a-time way to fix each one so your playing finally sounds clean. None of these five fingerpicking mistakes are hard to fix on their own. The real trick...

The Smartest Way to Learn Your First 15 Guitar Songs Most beginners learn songs at random. Here’s the exact order to learn your first 15 – each one adds a single new skill so you improve while having fun. There are two ideas that usually feel like opposites. One says...

July Update – My First Live Workshop! James on nerves, live teaching, and one student who wouldn’t give up on her first song — plus every June lesson in one place. This month, I did something I’ve never done before with GoodGuitarist: I taught my first live workshop. I’ll be...

The One Fretboard Shape That Unlocks Every Key (No Theory Needed) Learn the simple fretboard shape that ties keys, scales and chords together – so you can play any progression in any key without learning theory first. Most players skip right past this one simple idea. They jump straight to...