Songs Made Simple

Students often tell me they want to learn a song exactly as it is on the album but it’s not always a good idea. As teachers, we often simplify songs to make them more accessible to beginners but that’s not the only reason to make changes. Take the song Creep by Radiohead for example. Johnny Greenwood has written a great arppegiated guitar part using a number of barre chords. The drums

13 Easy Basic-Strum Songs With G, C and D Have you started to mix down strums with up strums? Awesome! That probably means that you have learned the “basic-strum,” also descriptively referred to as the “down, down-up” strum or the “boom chuck-a” strum. And it means you will benefit from playing your basic strum with real songs! But as a beginner, it can be trick

Play 13 Easy Beginners Songs On Guitar Using The C Chord When beginning guitar players learn the C chord, it’s a HUGE moment. For some reason, maybe because it is a little more stretched out, many beginners find the C chord challenging–but once you learn it, you have unlocked exponential guitar growth. That is why I refer the the C chord as the “Rubicon” of guitar. When Jul

14 Easy Best Strum Songs With G, C and D Do you know the “best strum”? If you do, you love it! It is the most used strum in guitar, because it sounds amazing–it is syncopated and driving and beautiful. At NYC Guitar School we started calling it “the best strum” in 2006. Over a decade later…it’s still the best! The best strum is a 4/4 strum pattern that com

12 Easy Guitar Songs For Beginners With A Major Chords If you’ve just learned an A chord, you are in the right spot to begin mastering it with fun and easy songs! In this blog post, I’ve listed a DOZEN beginner friendly songs which feature an A chord–and not too many other chords–so that you can concentrate on your A chord chops! I’m even including links to the audio

10 Awesome Split Measure Songs For Guitar Beginners Are you right on the edge between being a very much beginner guitar player, and a not so much of a beginner guitar player? If so, you’re probably ready to play songs where the chord changes come faster than every measure–and in this blog post I’ve picked out eight easy beginners songs for you to practice chord changes on which f

17 Easy Four Chord Songs for Guitar Beginners With G, Em, C and D7 Guitar may take a lifetime to master–but unlike the harpsichord and trombone, beginning guitar players can start making beautiful and awesome music RIGHT AWAY. These chords are huge. A guitar student who learns to pivot from G to Em to C to D7 has taken an exponential leap in guitar capabilities, because that combination of c

17 Easy Four Chord Songs for Guitar Beginners With G, Em, C and D7 Guitar may take a lifetime to master–but unlike the harpsichord and trombone, beginning guitar players can start making beautiful and awesome music RIGHT AWAY. Of course, as a beginner, it can be hard to find songs that match your level. This blog post is written EXPRESSLY for students who know D, G, A7 and/or G, Em, C and D7

Play 8 Awesome Beginner Friendly Guitar Riffs That Can Be Played With Beginner Friendly Open Chords Like G, C, D, A and E   What is a GUITAR RIFF? A riff is a memorable sequence of notes or chords. ?A good test if something qualifies as a riff is this: ?if you hear it one time, do you know what the song is? If you do, you?re probably listening to a riff. ?Think of the opening notes to ?Sweet

Jam to The Temptations’ “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” guided by star teacher Shane! Good luck and keep shredding! For more tutorials, click here. To take a lesson with Shane, click here!