r/guitarlessons 17h ago

Mod | Meta Post r/GuitarLessons Monthly Gear Thread

2 Upvotes

Welcome to the r/GuitarLessons monthly gear thread!

First, we want to let you all know about the official r/GuitarLessons Discord server!

You can join to get live advice, ask questions, chat about guitars, and just hang out! You can click here to join! The live chat setting opens up lots of possibilities for events, performances, and riffs of the month! We're nearing 8,000 members and would love to have you join us!

Here you can discuss any gear related to guitars, ask for purchase advice, discuss favorite guitars, etc. This post will be posted monthly, and you can always search for old ones, just include "Monthly Gear Thread".

Here, direct links to products for purchase are allowed, however please only share them if they relate to something being discussed and the simple beginner questions that are normally not allowed are allowed here. The rest of our subreddit rules still apply! Thank you all! Any feedback is welcome, please send us a modmail with any suggestions or questions.


r/guitarlessons 7h ago

Lesson How to solo over chords using chord tones - outlining the chords with triad arpeggios

47 Upvotes

I see a lot of guitarists getting stuck playing "a scale over the chords", the pentatonic box works but the solos tend to sound like the scale and not like the chords. In my experience the fix is usually not yet another scale, it is targeting the chord tones (the 1-3-5 of the chord playing underneath).

Here is a quick cheat sheet, using the major triad:

  • Roots: land on the root to anchor your ear, your safety net when lost.
  • 3rds: target the 3rd on the strong beats, it is the note telling the ear major or minor.
  • 5ths: the safest note of the three, consonant anywhere in the bar, less color than the 3rd, great for resting and resetting.
  • Leading: approach a chord tone from a half-step below to sound intentional.
  • Connect shapes: using movable triads you can outline the same chord all over the fretboard, not just in one position.

I made a chart showing the major triad arpeggios over the entire fretboard.

There is also a minor version, for the darker flavors.

Hope this helps it click! Have a nice week!


r/guitarlessons 4h ago

Question Feeling a bit lost

5 Upvotes

Hey guys,
I started playing electric guitar back in April, and I’m slowly realizing that I’m kind of missing a roadmap to follow.

I can play all the open chords, I have a basic understanding of the Circle of Fifths, and I know all the pentatonic shapes. I’ve also learned a few songs along the way.

But now I’m kind of stuck on what to work on next. There are just SO many different things you could learn that it’s honestly a bit overwhelming. I don’t really know what’s actually useful for me at this point and what I should maybe leave for later.

One thing that might be helpful to mention is that I absolutely love John Frusciante’s sound and playing style, so that’s kind of the direction I’m aiming for. I’m not trying to become a Frusciante clone or anything, but his way of playing is definitely a big inspiration for me.

One of my next goals would be to be able to move freely around the fretboard and actually know where I am instead of just relying on the shapes. But even there, I’m not really sure where or how to start.

So if anyone has some advice, a learning path, or maybe some exercises/resources they’d recommend, I’d really appreciate it!

Thanks in advance!


r/guitarlessons 3h ago

Question power chords sliding problem

2 Upvotes

Hi, i am having problem when sliding power chords it sound sloppy and not right.
When am playing iron man and when it gets to quick sliding part it sounds so horrible.


r/guitarlessons 26m ago

Other Help with this intro to Silent Man - Dream Theater

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Upvotes

So i am a beginner just learning chord by chord section by section slowly and I can do the acoustic strumming part after this because there are tabs available and some covers i can watch to look at peoples hands. The intro to this live has a cool single not plucking part but I just cant tell what hes doing well enough to get it accurate. Its from 11 seconds to 30 seconds. Right now i am playing something similar to fill but it just doesnt sound right.


r/guitarlessons 9h ago

Question How can I make better vocal covers?

6 Upvotes

I've been playing guitar for about 8 months, and I think I've reached a standstill in my practice. My overall goal is to be able to make covers of songs as people do on TikTok; whenever I do make covers, some parts sound good, but others sound really bad. I've learned the minor scale shape one the one thats like (1,4,1,3,1,3,1,3,1,4,1,4) and i've learned the two octave major pentatonic, however my solos over the song don't sound right and I don't know if I should keep learning scale shapes or if it's something else that I'm missing. If any of you know of a video or playlist that could help me, please let me know. Thanks!


r/guitarlessons 23h ago

Question Confused on the fingering for this

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56 Upvotes

So I’m on lesson 14 of Absolutely Understand Guitar and have kind of hit a wall. Scotty West basically says that you start with red as your root note and then play through a RYGBIV system to get across the neck and the back down, with index and pinky shifts. But I’m confused on how exactly I’m meant to play each finger based on my root note.

For example, if I wanted to start with A as my root note on the sixth string, and I’m looking at the first chart, you see the red dot is out of the box as he calls it. So does that mean I technically start on the fourth fret (G#/Ab)? And if so, since orange is next, does that mean I use my second finger? Or would I use my third finger since I’m technically skipping a fret to go from red to orange?

And what about the other charts where red starts on the fifth or fourth string? Sorry if this is a dumb question I’m just confused


r/guitarlessons 16h ago

Question Scales on guitar (self thought)

15 Upvotes

Hi! So I'm playing on guitar fo a while now, and I thought it is the moment to learn the scales. I did research, I watched videos, I read articules but no matter how hard i try understand - I can't. I think I know why there are, but I don't know how to practice and use them. So if anyone can tell how all of this work or send me a link to a webside where it's clear, I would be realyy grateful.


r/guitarlessons 4h ago

Question Help transcribing rhythm, please!

1 Upvotes

Hey guys. I’m a beginner and I’m trying to transcribe this guitar rhythm into 4/4. I attached the audio i want to transcribe and my current attempt at the notation.

The problem is that when I play back what I transcribed in the notation software, it doesn’t sound like the original rhythm, so I’m pretty sure I’ve used the wrong note durations

https://reddit.com/link/1w4m1fd/video/dz9y5z5ijymh1/player


r/guitarlessons 4h ago

Question How to start playing faster solos

0 Upvotes

I’m trying to learn how to play the song crystal mountain by the band death now I’ve got the notes down but I just can’t play it fast enough I can only it at time 40% of the full speed I’ve always had problems with alternate picking so it’s been tough unlearning my bad habit of only down picking but is there any songs I could learn to play faster or maybe like anything it doesn’t have to be a song maybe even like a warmup kinda thing I don’t know I’m just stuck playing it way slower than the actual song


r/guitarlessons 1h ago

Lesson Choosin' Texas Intro Guitar Lesson

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Upvotes

This is a lesson on the intro guitar on Elle Langley's Choosin' Texaas


r/guitarlessons 6h ago

Question How can I get faster on this passage ?

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1 Upvotes

Hey everyone, so I’ve been thinking of buying a new guitar but before buying a second one I want to prove to myself I’m worthy of having 2 guitars. Anyways, I was learning the entirety of Panama and now I’m at the solo but there’s this part where it’s not really difficult it’s just that I can’t speed up to the right tempo, how can I get faster ?


r/guitarlessons 1d ago

Question How to make practice not boring?

34 Upvotes

I’m in the noodling stage where I have a few songs that I can play along to but slowing things down and practicing the fundamentals bores me to death. Am I doing something wrong or do I have just to push through?


r/guitarlessons 14h ago

Question (Newb Question) How do I match strumming pattern/chords to metronome clicks?

2 Upvotes

Hello people! I've been learning guitar for over 6 months now, just focusing on chordal vocabulary, strumming and playing songs i love. Now, i want to get better at rhythm, hence i bought myself a metronome.

The thing is: i don't understand how i'm supposed to match that clicking to the song's strumming pattern/chord switching. I watched a ton of tutorials on whole, quarter, sixteenth notes and that seems straightforward. But none of those tutorials show you how to pick a song, slow it down(say the song is in 120 bpm, and i want to practice it at half the speed so 60 bpm) and match the song to those clicks.

Could you PLEASE help me figure this one out, I will greatly appreciate it, thank you guys!


r/guitarlessons 17h ago

Question Fingerstyle using scales

5 Upvotes

How can i learn to fingerstyle a song by using scales?


r/guitarlessons 6h ago

Question Ola les presento mi fender scrotocaster Mexicana

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0 Upvotes

La conseguí en empeño hace 8 años y estaba en 4 mil pesos esta fender


r/guitarlessons 10h ago

Question Ha Chuttak guitar learning

1 Upvotes

Hey guys, I started playing the guitar for 2 months now, and I know some chord shapes and strumming as well. But chord transition is hard, I used cardboard by drawing chord shapes😉. And the song I am practixing is Ha Chuttak by Yohani in the accostic guitar. There was no tutorial for this song, I want is tips for chord transitions and strumming pattern to the song please. Also, the chord progression I am playing this song is on Am-G-F-F with capo on 4th. Also the ehythm is too fast, making it impossible to play but I started playing it on 85 bpm on the metronome. But I need help a lot, now and I doing as a skill project to show my progress in learning. Please help me..

Thank you, I looking for tips and feedback😊


r/guitarlessons 22h ago

Question I need tips for learning guitar

6 Upvotes

Hello, I am going to start my journey of learning guitar, I have no idea how hard it is going to be but I am REALLY hard to teach. I was incredibly lucky to inherit a mint condition Yamaha FG800, a capo, a guitar case, a box of guitar picks, and a guitar stand. I have been searching tutorials all over the place and I just can’t figure out where to put my fingers, what position I should play in, how to strum, or anything. I’m completely oblivious and in need of tips and tricks for beginners. I don’t need to go straight to songs instantly, but I need tips to help me learn more about the instrument. Any help is appreciated.


r/guitarlessons 18h ago

Question How do you actually build calluses without wrecking your fingers in the process?

2 Upvotes

I keep alternating between practicing too little because my fingertips hurt and practicing too much because I want to push through it. Is there an actual balance that works, or does it just come down to time no matter what?


r/guitarlessons 1d ago

Question How to make fretting more confortable

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109 Upvotes

I've been playing for 6 months (self taught) and when I try to get all four fingers down it feels really uncomfortable and my ring finger seems like it's glued to my middle finger. Can anyone help? It feels fine with only 3 fingers but when I introduce the pinky it all seems to go wrong.


r/guitarlessons 2d ago

Other I had Bob Ross running in the background while I was bored at work and heard him give this insight that I thought any beginners here (including myself) should hear

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

1.0k Upvotes

r/guitarlessons 23h ago

Lesson Recommendation for strumming course

3 Upvotes

I'm especially interested in learning fast 16th-note strumming, muted/percussive strums, switching between muted and ringing chords, and keeping the right hand moving consistently while changing chords.

Songs J-pop/J-rock songs are the kind of playing I'm trying to work toward. I'm not necessarily looking for a traditional funk course focused only.

I would like to splay songs like "stay with me"


r/guitarlessons 1d ago

Lesson my go to sentence for the 10th fret.

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36 Upvotes

r/guitarlessons 17h ago

Lesson Jack of Speed Steely Dan Guitar Solo Lesson

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1 Upvotes

r/guitarlessons 1d ago

Question Unable to utilise the 'proper' thumb/wrist/finger angle position on fretting hand

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3 Upvotes

I’ve watched many videos and tutorials of the “correct thumb placement” and i cannot seem to get it right without having my wrist being bent in some sort of way. I did see people saying that thumb placement is intuitive but others saying the way i hold the guitar when playing (in the attached photo) could hinder my reach. Also no matter how hard i try with whatever position, i’m unable to have my fingers be “straight” up on the frets, and instead they are sort of pointed diagonally, which i also read as being an incorrect technique, so i’m really not sure what to do here. Any advice?