Hello friends,
welcome back to Swiftlessons for another featured artist showcase. In today's session I would like to introduce to you Romain Vuillemin, as he performs a solo rendition of Nat King Cole's "Sweet Lorraine." Join us for a brief interview before Romain performs on his beautiful 1940 Epiphone Emperor. Enjoy! ...
2019-11-08 00:17:30 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello friends,
welcome back to Swiftlessons for another gypsy jazz lick of the week. In today's session I've broken down a phrase inspired by Django Reinhardt's classic performance on "All of Me." This lick offers an excellent example of how high-level lead players play through chord changes, in this case over a 1.6.2.5...
2019-10-31 09:01:58 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello friends,
Welcome back to Swiftlessons for another lead guitar tutorial. In today's session I'll be breaking down some of my favorite R&B style licks to create a complete practice routine in the key of A major. Each lick responds to the changes in a 1.4.5 chord progression, borrowing notes from those harmonies ...
2019-10-15 20:59:42 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello friends,
welcome back to Swiftlessons for another blues guitar tutorial. In today's session I'll be breaking down an impressive turnaround riff that utilizes walking transitions and ascending chord shapes. This technique will serve as an excellent way to wrap up a blues chord progression, and can easily be transpo...
2019-10-10 02:34:25 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello friends,
In today’s mini guitar tutorial I’m breaking down how to perform a 12 bar blues progression using easy two-note partials of our A7, D7, and E7 chords. This technique is excellent for beginner rhythm players looking for a low pressure way to jam in every key, and for lead players who like adding chordal e...
Hello friends,
welcome back to Swiftlessons for another lead guitar tutorial. In today's session we're going to shift our focus away from scales, and learn to create complete solos by visualizing chord shapes. The goal for this session is to zero in on the chord tones present on the B and high E strings, and establish t...
2019-10-03 20:40:27 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello friends,
and welcome back to Swiftlessons for another by request song tutorial. In today' session I've broken down how to play a beginner friendly guitar song in Green Day's 1997 hit "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)." In this lesson you will learn the chord progressions for the intro, verse and chorus sections, ...
2019-09-29 16:12:28 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello friends,
welcome back to Swiftlessons for another lead guitar tutorial. In today's session I've broken down how to combine blues rhythm and lead techniques, and how counting aloud is the key to merging these elements. In this lesson I'll teach you three examples for beginner, intermediate and advanced players. Let...
2019-09-26 19:56:26 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello friends,
welcome back to Swiftlessons for another mini-lead guitar tutorial. In today's session I wanted to share with you a simple, but powerful approach to soloing over a 1-5 chord change. Shown here in the key of A, this ear catching lick can be applied to blues, jazz, and R&B chord progressions. Let's get ...
2019-09-19 17:52:42 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello friends,
Welcome back to Swiftlessons for another beginner friendly song tutorial. In today's session I've broken down a simplified version of Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight." Together we'll learn the basic chord progressions for the intro, verse and bridge sections, and an essential strumming pattern. A follow...
2019-09-17 16:20:46 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello friends,
welcome back to Swiftlessons for another rhythm guitar tutorial. In today's session we'll expand our knowledge of blues chord progressions and learn how to perform a version of our eight bar blues that is loaded with jazzy chord shapes. We'll begin by memorizing each chord, and the progression before appl...
2019-09-15 19:17:16 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello friends,
and welcome back to Swiftlessons for another by request song tutorial. In today's session I've broken down a fairly beginner friendly song in Elvis Presley's "Pocket full of Rainbows." This tune is an excellent stepping stone for players looking to break out of the open position (first three frets) and st...
2019-09-12 13:29:57 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello friends,
Welcome back to Swiftlessons for a special tutorial on how to master difficult guitar chords. In this session I'll break down my top six tips for developing muscle memory, finger dexterity, and understanding the theoretical origins of a given chord. Let's get started!
Special shout out to your f...
2019-09-10 02:58:50 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello friends,
welcome back to Swiftlessons for another blues guitar tutorial. In today's session I've broken down how syncopated pentatonic riffs and chord partials can be combined to create a funky groove in the key of G major. Remember, the key to mastering techniques is slow, patient, and meticulous repetition. Star...
2019-09-07 18:55:35 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello friends,
It’s time for another mini-lead guitar lesson. In this session I've broken down a few ways of mixing major and minor scales to create bluesy licks in the key of C major. Beginners, take some time to memorize the scale patterns below, and be sure to2019-09-04 02:29:26 +0000 UTC
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Hello friends,
welcome back to Swiftlessons for another lead guitar tutorial. In keeping with our recent study of licks that make use of chord tones, in this session I have broken down a bluesy transition between the 1 and 4 chords in a blues or rock progression. Today's lick will combine notes from the Am blues, and D ...
2019-09-01 00:14:21 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello friends,
Today I'm offering a new resource for my tutorial on The Beatles "Day Tripper," from the Swiftlessons archive. Attached you will find a complete PDF study guide with tabs, mp3 audio samples, and chord sheet. Thanks so much for the support and guidance. Enjoy!
Hello friends,
welcome back to Swiftlessons for another lick of the week! Becoming a high level lead guitarist means zeroing in on the melodic possibilities that exist between specific chord changes. In this tutorial, I've broken down a lick that can be performed over the E7, D7, and A7 chord changes (5.4.1 progression)...
2019-08-27 20:03:08 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello friends,
welcome back to Swiftlessons for another by request song tutorial. In today's session I'll be teaching you my approach to performing the Mr. Rogers Neighborhood theme song "Won't You Be My Neighbor" by television icon Fred Rogers.
This show meant a lot to me growing up, and I hope that by teac...
2019-08-23 03:34:47 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello friends,
welcome back to Swiftlessons for another lead guitar tutorial. In today's session the goal is to learn how to solo up and down the fretboard. To accomplish this we will learn to visualize useful chord shapes, and scale patterns before tackling a country, bluegrass lick that makes use of those concepts. Le...
2019-08-21 23:50:17 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello friends,
welcome back to Swiftlessons for another slide guitar tutorial and part 2 of my series breaking down The Traveling Wilburys' "Handle with Care." In this session I'll be breaking down George Harrison's iconic solos, and learning some general slide technique. Let's get started!
Hello friends,
welcome back to Swiftlessons for another Lick of the Week tutorial. In today's session I'll be breaking down an impressive blues turnaround lick that I previously featured in the key of E, this time around we'll learn to transpose the technique to the key of A Major!
Let's get started!
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2019-08-13 02:37:54 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello friends,
welcome back to Swiftlessons for a mini rock guitar tutorial. In today's session I'm breaking down the riffs to "Blow," the new collaboration between Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, and Chris Stapleton. This is the perfect introduction to modern rock guitar playing, as it features beginner friendly riffs, and bas...
2019-08-09 03:48:56 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey friends,
Thank you so much for your continued support! In today's session I'm breaking down the rhythm guitar parts to the Traveling Wilburys 1988 hit song "Handle Me With Care." I'll take you through the chord progressions and strumming options for the intro, verse, bridge and chorus sections. Check in next week fo...
2019-08-04 21:17:06 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello friends,
And welcome back to Swiftlessons for another music theory tutorial! In today’s lesson we’ll be discussing the three types of diminished chords: how they are built using the major scale, and how they can be performed in the key of C. Let's get started!
2019-07-31 00:27:06 +0000 UTC
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Hello friends,
and welcome back to Swiftlessons for another rhythm & music theory guitar tutorial. In today's session I'm responding to a request I received from a patron who needed a little more explanation on how jazz embellishments, chord substitutes, and passing chords, work when applied to the 12 bar blues.&nbs...
2019-07-29 01:13:51 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey friends,
Today I'm busy working on a few different projects; updating my beginner's ebook, a lesson on diminished chords, and a new premium exercise series. As I finish that work, I thought I'd better share this lead guitar concept before I forget it. In this mini-lesson, I break down how to target the chords in a 1...
2019-07-26 20:59:27 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello friends,
and welcome back to Swiftlessons for a follow up on my tutorial covering how to perform a jazz blues style 12 bar progression. In this tutorial I'll break down how to embellish this chord progression using licks, additional passing chords, and walking transitions. Let's get started!
2019-07-25 22:15:33 +0000 UTC
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Hello friends,
and welcome back to Swiftlessons for another rhythm guitar tutorial. In today's session I'll be showing you how to perform a standard 12 bar progression in a Jazz-Blues style. Together we'll review the basic blues version of the progression, before adding in jazzy voicings, passing chords, and substitutio...
2019-07-18 22:22:23 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello friends,
welcome back to Swiftlessons for another by request song tutorial. In today's lesson I'll be breaking down an old spiritual from the 1860's entitled "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." This piece of American music history has been performed in countless ways, but today I'll be breaking down my own arrangement fea...
2019-07-16 18:48:00 +0000 UTC View Post
