Advanced Guide to Playing Guitar

In this lesson, learn about two advanced techniques: the hammer-on and pull-off, which are key to shredding solos! Let Your Guitar Sage show you the basics.

You might not shred like Van Halen, but adding volume swell is a good start! In this lesson, learn to create textures on electric guitar with volume swell.

From clean channels to overdrive to equalization, this lesson will show you how to quickly and easily adjust the tone settings on your amp.

Natural harmonics on guitar create a resonant chime on specific frets, creating a beautiful ringing tone. In this lesson, learn to locate and play harmonics.

Pseudo harmonics, or false harmonics, let the guitar shriek like a metal solo! In this lesson, learn the picking technique needed to master squealies.

Playing a bass note with your thumb? Well, Hendrix did it! In this lesson learn the fundamentals of using a thumb to play bass notes over the top of the neck.

Sliding is similar to a pull-off or hammer, but without removing a finger from the frets. Try this lesson and learn how to slide to a target note on the guitar.

One of the first steps to mastering a guitar solo is learning how to bend notes. In this lesson, learn to bend notes and practice by using a reference pitch.

If you are looking to advance your picking, try this lesson and learn about tremolo and trills. These simple strategies are great for accenting a guitar solo!

Palm muting is an extremely versatile strumming augmentation on guitar that lends a percussive element to the sound. Try this lesson, and master the basics!

Adding vibrato to a note strummed on the guitar adds a rich and soulful tone. In this lesson, learn the basic technique for attaining vibrato on guitar.

If you are familiar with hammers and pull-offs, try this lesson on tapping (or two hand tapping) and learn to use your picking hand to fret a note on guitar!

If you want to play with alternate guitar tunings, then this is the lesson for you! Try it out and learn to tune to drop D and compensate melodies.

It’s time to pick! In this lesson, learn a cool exercise to practice string skipping and pick control. This will challenge your hands in ways that songs don’t!

Practicing guitar scales with a metronome will improve your fretting and timing. In this lesson, practice quarter notes, eighth notes, and sixteenth notes.

If you are comfortable playing guitar with a metronome, try learning an advanced technique. In this lesson, review an exercise to seriously improve your timing.

To be a great guitarist, you need to constantly grow, as a musician and a performer. Learn the two types of practice you need to be a well-rounded musician.

Want to know how to play fingerstyle guitar? In part one of this series on finger picking, learn the foundation for integrating melody and bass line.

Want to learn more about how to play fingerstyle guitar? If you are comfortable with the basics of finger picking, continue developing timing in this lesson.

It's amazing how much you can do with three guitar strings! Learn to make a pinch picking rhythm, layering melody notes over an alternating bass pattern.

There’s no substitute for practice to build your melodic fingerstyle guitar skills. Practicing these right hand fingerpicking exercises will help you get there!

Ready to continue learning how to play fingerstyle guitar? In this lesson learn to start practicing patterns with melody and keep training your picking hand!

If you are comfortable using counting exercises with basic fingerpicking, try this lesson to advance from eight notes to sixteenth notes when picking on guitar!

You’ve practiced both single string and alternating string fingerpicking exercises. Now, develop fingerstyle guitar speed and coordination by combining them!

Now that you can play a melody while fingerpicking on guitar, it’s time to learn how to play the moving melody line while changing strings within a phrase!

Right hand speed is crucial for fingerstyle guitar. In this lesson, guitar teacher Your Guitar Sage demonstrates two guitar exercises to develop finger speed.

Now that you are a guitar fingerpicking master, it’s time time to add a moving melody line to the patterns that you have practiced. Learn how in this lesson!

Now that you have given economy picking a try, it’s time to learn more exercises to try out your new guitar picking technique, develop accuracy, and gain speed!

Learn sweep picking, a guitar strumming technique used in folk, country, and rock music, on an A minor chord. It's easy once you get the motion down!

How do you turn a single strum into a rocking guitar riff? With sweep picking, of course! Learn to play an arpeggio in A minor and A diminished in this lesson!

If you’re looking for an easy guitar exercise, skip the sweep arpeggio. If you’re willing to work hard to build skill and dexterity in both hands, stick around!

For a guitar player, sometimes less is more. In this lesson, practice economy of motion while playing an alternating bass fingerstyle picking pattern!

Attention intermediate and advanced guitar players: It is time to learn slide guitar! This lesson is an intro to slide guitar technique, placement and muting.

If you know the left hand basics of slide guitar, it’s time to try some finger picking. In this lesson, learn picking patterns to play with slide guitar.

If you are an intermediate or advanced guitar player familiar with slide guitar, it’s time to buy a slide! In this lesson, get tips for finding a great slide.

If you are familiar with slide guitar basics, placement and muting, try this lesson to build your skills. Learn exercises to practice slide guitar technique.

Looking to spice up your chord selection? Your Guitar Sage shows you how to form dominant seventh chords all across the neck—in open and bar form.

Fine-tuning your guitar skills? In this advanced lesson, learn how to locate and play a minor major seventh chord anywhere on the fretboard.

Ready to learn an advanced guitar trick using major and minor chords? In this lesson, learn how to turn A, E, D, C, and G major chords into minor chords.

Learning to play guitar? In this lesson, you'll learn several basic major 7th chords featured in jazz music. This lesson covers C, D, A, and G major 7th chords.

Add a jazzy, melancholy tone to your chord progressions! This advanced guitar lesson shows you how to play minor seventh chords—in both bar and open form.

Want to extend your improvisational guitar skills? Master these pentatonic scale patterns to improve your rock, jazz, blues, or country noodling repertoire.

This lesson from Your Guitar Sage shows you how to play the G major scale up and down the guitar neck. Build the skills that make guitar playing really fun!