Interactive charts and cheat sheets I use in lessons. Free for everyone.
Three tools to train your ears and hands. Turn your volume up a little. Everything here also works on your phone.
Tap the fret where you think the note lives. Learning the low E and A strings first unlocks everything else.
Start slow (60–70 BPM) and only speed up when it feels easy. Down on the numbers, up on the “&”.
What chord is this?
Loop the chords and solo over them with the scale shown above. Show that scale on the fretboard ↓
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Six one-page PDFs to print and stick on your wall or keep on your phone. Free to download and share.
Standard tuning, low E at the bottom. Notice the pattern: the same note repeats 12 frets up, and the same shapes repeat on every string, except for a small shift between the G and B strings.
E · A · D · G · B · e. A classic memory phrase: Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie.
A B C D E F G. Between E–F and B–C there's no sharp or flat; everywhere else there's one fret of space.
Skip two strings and two frets up (low E fret 0 → D string fret 2) and you land on the same note an octave up.
Pick a key and a scale, then step through the five positions. Minor pentatonic is the classic rock and blues sound; major pentatonic is bright and country-flavoured; the blues scale adds one “blue note”.
Every major pentatonic uses the same notes as the minor pentatonic three frets lower. A minor pentatonic = C major pentatonic. Same boxes, different “home” note.
The white dots are the root. Land on them at the end of a phrase and your solo will sound resolved.
Numbers inside the dots are fingers (1 = index). × means don't play that string, ○ means play it open.
G · D · Em · C is one of the most-used progressions in pop. Master just these four and you can play hundreds of songs.
Practice tip: change chords on the beat, even if it sounds slow. Speed comes after accuracy.
A power chord is a root note plus the 5th. No third means it's neither major nor minor, which is why it works with distortion. The shape is movable: slide it up the neck and the root note changes.
Root on the low E string: index on the root, ring finger two frets up on the A string, pinky on the D string. Root on the A string: the same shape one string set higher.
Rest the edge of your picking hand lightly on the strings near the bridge. Instant tight, chunky rock rhythm.
The thick bar shows where your index finger lies across the strings. Slide the shape up the neck and the chord name changes with the fret number.
Barre chords are tiring at first. Practise for 5 minutes at a time, then shake out your hand.
Rotate the index finger slightly onto its bony side. It's firmer and avoids the soft pad.
Aim right behind the fret wire. It takes far less pressure to get a clean sound.
The secret to strumming: your hand never stops, it just sometimes misses the strings. Down on the numbers, up on the “&”. Press play to watch the beat run.
Silence is a note. Play a short phrase, then stop. Let the band breathe.
Play a small idea twice, then change the ending. Repetition makes it sound intentional.
Play a phrase (the question), then answer it with a different one that lands on a root note.
Know where the roots are in your box and aim to end phrases on them.
Bend up to the pitch of the next note and check it with the fretted note. Pitch first, style second.
Hum a melody, then find it on the neck. Your ears will guide you better than any pattern.
Short and daily beats long and rare. Here's a simple structure you can adapt to any level.
Slow finger stretches and one-finger-per-fret exercises.
Chord changes with a metronome: 1 minute per pair of chords.
One pentatonic box, up and down, then improvise over a backing track in the same key.
A song you love. Always end on something fun.