swiftlessons posts
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Rockabilly Fingerstyle Guitar Lesson - Part 1
Hello friends,welcome back to Swiftlessons for part one of my two part series breaking down rockabilly finger-picking technique. In this tutorial I'll be showing you how to perform a 1, dom6, dom 2, 5 progression in the key of A and this classic Chet Atkins and Scotty Moore inspired pattern. Let's get started!Links: Premium Lessons Request a Song Swiftlessons Facebook Group Official Instagram
Texas Blues Rhythm Guitar Lesson - 12 Bar & Strumming Pattern
Hello friends,and welcome back to Swiftlessons for another rhythm guitar tutorial. In today's session I'll be breaking down a useful Texas Blues style strumming pattern over a 12 bar blues in the key of E. In this video we will study three common dominant 7 chord shapes, a basic 12 bar blues progression, and percussive strumming techniques. Let's get started!Links: Premium Lessons Request a Song Swiftlessons Facebook Group Official In...
Sliding Nine Chords - Beginner Blues Rhythm Lesson
Hello friends,and welcome to another rhythm guitar tutorial. In today's session I'll be breaking down one of the most used rhythm techniques in the blues genre, sliding 9 chords over a 1.4.5 progression. This technique is great for "playing the pocket" and staying out of the way of other instruments in a full ensemble. Let's get started!Links: Premium Lessons Request a Song Swiftlessons Facebook Group Official Instagram
1.4.5 Major Arpeggio Exercise - Lead Guitar Lesson
Hello friends,And welcome back to Swiftlessons for another lead guitar tutorial. In today’s session I’ll be showing you three useful arpeggio patterns that you can use to improvise over a 1.4.5 progression in the key of A. Practice this routine in repetition while gradually increasing the tempo. Once these techniques have been committed to muscle memory, I suggest jamming over a backing track as you combine these arpeggios with scales to form...
The Beatles "Julia" Guitar Play Along w/ Chord Diagrams
Hello friends,and welcome back to Swiftlessons for another guitar play along session. In preparation for my upcoming tutorial on The Beatles' "Julia," I invite you to familiarize yourself with the tune and see what you can figure out using your ear, and my attached tablature. I'll be back after Christmas with some new content, until then I wish you all a wonderful and safe holiday. Enjoy your practice! -RobAssociated *Patron Only*...
Major Pentatonic "Super Scale" - Unlock the Fretboard!
Hello friends,In today’s session we’ll be unlocking the fretboard as we connect four positions of the major pentatonic scale to form one extended scale pattern across 12 frets in the key of E major. The goal for your week of practice will be to master ascending and descending through this extended scale, while also recognizing the repetition of five notes; E, F#, G#, B, and C#. Let’s get started!Section #1: What is the Major Pentatonic Scal...
Intervals of the Two Octave Major Scale - You NEED to Know This!
Hello friends,and welcome to another music theory tutorial. In today's session we'll be reviewing the common position of the major scale, and its numeric interval names that are assigned to each note across two octaves. This concept is essential for understanding how melodies can be transposed and how chord harmonies are named. Let's get started!Section #1 - Major Scale in Two Octaves (Key of C)The major scale is created by applying a...
The Beatles "Julia" Tab & Mp3 Play-Along
Hello friends,Today I've finished a new tablature for John Lennon's fingerstyle guitar work on "Julia" from the bands 1968 White Album. This classic tune features a single travis-style pattern all the way through, and employs several unorthodox chord changes. You can expect a full video tutorial and chord sheet to be posted within the next few days. Enjoy your practice! -RobClick Here for TabAssociated *Patron Only* Post: The Beat...
The "Magic Note" - Adding the Maj 9 to Pentatonic Licks
Hello friends,And welcome to another lead guitar tutorial! In today’s session we will be spicing up those boring pentatonic licks by adding a flavorful major 9 interval. This technique can be applied to both major and minor licks and is a great way to add variety to your solos. Let’s get started!Lick #1Our first lick primarily uses notes found in the A minor blues scale. Back sliding into the 9th interval provides a bit more brightness, and m...
Unlock the Major Scale | You'll Love this Melodic Lick!
Hello friends,and welcome to another lead guitar tutorial! In today's session we'll be reviewing how to play our major scale in the key of D, before putting those notes to work to create a jazzy 16th note run. Let's get started!D Major Scale:Practice this scale in time using a metronome. Gradually increase the tempo as you gain proficiency. Focus on performing clean notes with alternate picking.Lick of the Week:This 16th note lick out...
Jump Blues Style Lick - Mixing Major & Minor Pentatonics
Hello friends,Today we are once again digging into the Swiftlessons archive to learn an ear catching jump blues style lick! Using the attached PDF study guide w/ midi mp3's, take time to memorize the source scales and note names before tackling this useful phrase. I recently started using Guitar Tab Pro to create tabs and notation, let me know what you think the print quality ascetic and addition of musical notation. Let's get started!Maj...
The Beginners Guide to String Bending | Easy Lead Guitar Lesson
Hello friends,Today I'd like to share a video for the budding lead guitarist in the group. This tutorial from the Swiftlessons archive, now exclusively available here on Patreon, breaks down my tips for bending strings, and how to develop bends that are in pitch. I'm hoping to offer a follow up lesson on this subject that features some practice licks and backing track, so please let me know if you have any questions related to this techni...
How to Play "White Christmas" - Jazzy Acoustic Guitar Lesson
Hello friends,and welcome to another by request song tutorial. In today's session we will be using the Bing Crosby classic "White Christmas" as a template for learning jazzy chord forms and licks. Let's get started!Note: PDF study guide coming soon!Suggested Post: Elvis Presley "Blue Christmas" - Video, Chords and Tab How to Play "Happy Xmas" By John Lennon - Easy Guitar Song!Links: Facebook Twitter Instagram Req...
New Patron Orientation - How to Find Specific Lessons
Hello friends,Today I'm very happy to introduce an updated welcome video for new arrivals to our Patreon community. This short orientation introduces the Patreon platform and hopefully does a good job of explaining how to navigate the site to find specific content. I've added information about the new search bar, changes to the tags system, and the My Membership/Community pages. Enjoy your practice! -RobLinks: Premium Lessons Request a So...
Fool-Proof Minor Soloing Strategy • Creating Licks from Chord Shapes
Hello friends,welcome back to Swiftlessons for a "Fool-Proof Minor Soloing Strategy." In today's session I'll be showing you how I use chord shapes to reveal melodic possibilities when soloing over minor progressions. We'll begin by learning useful chord positions up the fretboard, then use those positions to create a practice routine featuring arpeggios and melodic phrases. Let's get started!Section #1 - Useful Chord Shap...
"Nothing Compares 2U" Guitar Soloing Lesson
Hello friends,and welcome back to Swiftlessons for another lead guitar tutorial. In today's session I'll be breaking down some of my favorite licks and soloing techniques over the instrumental section of the Chris Cornell version of "Nothing Compares 2U." Take a few moments to hum along to my demonstration, before tackling this solo line by line. Let's get started!Suggested Post: "Nothing Compares 2U" Rhythm Guitar Les...
Percussive Hit Rhythm Guitar Tutorial
Hello friends,In response to a great question from your fellow Patron JoAnn, I'm posting an archive lesson that sums up how to perform a key percussive element to rhythm guitar. In this session I break down the "percussive hit," a technique that emulates the sound of a snare drum, adding dynamics to even the most complex strumming patterns for guitar. Let's get started!I'll be sure to provide an updated lesson on this subject ...
Optimizing Reach - Tips for Small Handed Players
Hello friends,In today’s session I want to talk to you about how proper technique and posture can compensate for having smaller hands. We’ll begin by adjusting the way we hold our instruments, and position our thumb and elbows before tackling one my favorite stretching exercises. Let’s get started!Announcements:Moving forward I would like to respond to some of your private messages in video format. This will give me more opportunities to pr...
Bluesy Hybrid Picking Guitar Lesson
Hello friends,Today Natalia and I are having a blast meeting talented musicians and content creators at Patrecon in Los Angeles, California. Our goal for this week is to learn how we can better serve our supporters, while also twisting some arms to get better search functions implemented into the site. I took a moment today to respond to a question from one of your fellow patrons about my approach to hybrid picking, so in this session I'll be...
Unusual Guitar Chords That Sound Amazing!
Hello friends,And welcome back to Swiftlessons for another rhythm guitar tutorial. In today’s session I’ll be showing you four underused chord shapes that are jam-packed with flavor, and how they can be used in the same progression. Let’s get started!Click Here to check out the OF420 Acoustic-Electric Guitar by Journey InstrumentsFeatured Premium Courses:Solo Blues Guitar Series - Updated PDF, Mp3's & VideosBlues Guitar Crash Course - L...
Brian May "Bohemian Rhapsody" Classic Guitar Solos Lesson
Hello friends,And welcome back to Swiftlessons for another lead guitar tutorial. One of the best ways to improve as a soloist is to learn from the best, so in today’s session we will learn how to play Brian May’s epic solo from "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. To fully understand how this solo was created, we'll begin by learning the underlying rhythm, and the source scales. Let's get started!Links: Premium Lessons Request a Song...
Must Know Bar Chord Progressions for Guitar!
Hello friends,and welcome to another rhythm guitar tutorial. In today’s session we will learn how a less than common fingering of the major scale can reveal the positions of 4 essential bar chord progressions. The goal is to use movable shapes to achieve “stock chord progressions” so that you can easily transpose thousands of different songs. Let’s get startedSuggested Lessons: How to Really Play Bar Chords - A Beginner Tutorial Essential...
"All I Have To Do Is Dream" Everly Brothers Guitar & Vocal Harmony Lesson
Hello friends,and welcome to another by request song tutorial! In today's session I'll be joined by my good friend Skip Robinson for a full demonstration and break down of The Everly Brothers' "All I Have To Do Is Dream." We'll begin by learning the chord progressions and strumming techniques for the A and B sections, before learning the unique vocal harmonies used throughout the tune. Let's get started!Suggested Lesso...
"All I Have To Do Is Dream" Everly Brothers Guitar Play Along w/ Chords
Hello friends,And welcome back to Swift Guitar Lessons! My project for today is to create a full break down for The Everly Brothers' "All I Have To Do Is Dream" with my good friend, actor and musician Skip Robinson. Take your time to familiarize yourself with this classic tune and see what you can get down with this demonstration. Enjoy your practice!Suggested Lessons: Everly Brothers "Bye Bye Love" Guitar Lesson How to Play &...
Amazing Rhythm Guitar Trick | Lush Open String Chords
Hello friends,And welcome back to Swiftlessons for another rhythm guitar tutorial. In today’s session I’ll be breaking down how your open E and B strings can be applied to each of the 7 chords in the key of E major. The basic approach is to strip down each ascending bar-chord shape so that their three-note triads are played against the open strings. These chords will be easy to perform, lush, and able to sustain from one chord transition to t...
"You've Got a Friend in Me" Guitar Tutorial - Toy Story Theme - Randy Newman
Hello friends,and welcome to another by request song tutorial. In today's session I'll be breaking down my arrangement for Randy Newman's 1996 Toy Story theme "You've Got a Friend in Me." I'll take you through the tunes instrumental intro, and the finger-style rhythm options for the verse and bridge sections. Let's get started!Links: Premium Lessons Request a Song Swiftlessons Facebook Group Official Instagram
5 Pentatonic Boxes for Major & Minor Soloing
Hello friends,And welcome to another lead guitar tutorial. In today's session we will use our CAGED system to discover how each of our five pentatonic scale boxes can be used in both major and minor soloing. The basic concept is that a given major or minor chord can be played in five positions on the fretboard - C,A,G,E,D - surrounding each of these chord positions is both a major and minor pentatonic box. Each box can be played in two locati...
How to Play "Crazy" on Guitar - Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson Tutorial
Hello friends,and welcome to another by request song tutorial. In today's session I'm joined by Philadelphia singer-songwriter Chelsea Mitchell for a demonstration and lesson on Patsy Cline's 1961 rendition of "Crazy" by Willie Nelson. We'll begin with a live performance before breaking down the chord progressions and strumming options for the intro, verse and chorus sections. Let's get started!Suggested Post: Patsy Cl...
Patsy Cline "Crazy" - Play Along with Chord Diagrams
Hello friends,Today I'm hard at work finishing up a new tutorial on Patsy Cline's "Crazy." This project has taken more time than expected, as I am experimenting with some new chord diagram overlays. Take some time to familiarize yourself with this classic song and enjoy the the amazing vocal stylings of Chelsea Mitchell. I'll be back asap with a full breakdown!Enjoy Chelsea's original music at DirtyDollHouseMusic.comSugges...
Must Know Guitar Exercise for Beginners and Up!
Hello friends,and welcome back to Swift Guitar Lessons for another lead guitar tutorial! In today's session I'll be breaking down a very useful, and beginner friendly guitar technique that I call the Sliding Harmony Exercise. Let's get started!Note: This video is not yet available to the public - Tabs will be added shortly.Suggested Lessons: Iconic RIffs of the 70's - Skynyrd, Zeppelin, ZZ Top! Mastering Blues Rhythm - Easy Chord ...
