Free guides, tutorials, and tips to help you become a better guitarist. From fretboard memorization to music theory fundamentals.
The cheapest way to get a clean guitar signal into your phone or computer is the JOYO audio interface, usually around $18. It's USB-C, plug-and-play, has headphone monitoring, and works great with OpenFret and Guitar Quest.
The Donner Arena 2000 is the best amp modeler for the money: 80 amp models, 100 IR slots, 278 effects, a looper and drum machine, and a USB-C audio interface, for a fraction of the price of the big names.
The Neural DSP Quad Cortex is the best amp modeler you can buy: 90+ amps, Neural Capture to clone your own rig, and an 8-in/8-out USB interface. Here's what it does and who it's actually for.
The Mogami Gold INST Silent is the best guitar cable: oxygen-free copper, a silent plug that kills the pop when you unplug, and a lifetime warranty. Why a good cable matters and when a cheap one is fine.
The Dunlop Matt Heafy Custom Max-Grip Jazz III is the best pick for speed and accuracy: a small, sharp 1.38mm pick that won't slip. Why Jazz III shapes win for lead playing and who should use something bigger.
What guitar backing tracks are, how to practice and solo over them, how to pick a key and scale, and why isolated stems make them the fastest way to build timing and phrasing.
The Electro-Voice Everse 8 is the best battery-powered PA speaker: 400W, 12+ hours of battery, weatherized, Bluetooth, and a built-in mixer. The portable PA for busking, patios, and anywhere without an outlet.
The Electro-Voice ZLX-15P G2 is the best powered PA speaker: 1,000W, 15-inch, DynaCord DSP, Bluetooth, and app control. The pick for gigs, rehearsals, and FRFR use with an amp modeler.
What Slopsmith is, who it's for, and how its note-highway works, plus an honest look at OpenFret: a guided RPG that teaches the fretboard, scales, and theory through play.
A free online metronome for guitar players. How to pick a tempo, use tap tempo, set time signatures, and build timing that holds up when the drummer disappears.
The circle of fifths, finally explained in plain English. How to read it, how to use it to find keys and chord progressions, and why guitarists should actually care.
How key signatures work on guitar. Reading sharps and flats, figuring out what key a song is in, and the two rules that cover most of what you need.
A fretboard viewer turns the guitar neck into a living diagram. How to use one to see scales, chords, modes, and intervals without buying another book.
One chord, many voicings. Why a C major at the 8th fret sounds different from an open C, and how swapping voicings makes your playing sound twice as interesting.
E Major punk rock backing track at 140 BPM. A fast, driving loop through E, C#m, A, and B for working on phrasing, time, chord-tone targeting, and fretboard fluency at speed.
A Major neo soul backing track at 90 BPM. A warm, looping groove through A, E, F#m, and D for working on phrasing, chord-tone targeting, and getting comfortable with major key soul sounds.
Eleven music theory tools in one browser tab. Metronome, tuner, fretboard, chord voicings, scale explorer, circle of fifths, and more. Drag them around, resize them, and it saves your layout.
G Minor jazz rock backing track at 67 BPM. A slow, looping groove through Eb, Cm, Gm, and Bb for working on phrasing, chord-tone targeting, and getting your ears used to minor key movement.
A tiny, native guitar tuner for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. No sign-up, no ads, no pop-ups. As accurate as clip-on tuners that cost $20-30, except this one is free and lives on your wrist.
Db Major progressive rock backing track at 60 BPM. A slow, spacious loop for working on phrasing, chord-tone targeting, and getting comfortable in a key most guitarists avoid.
E Major pop rock backing track at 116 BPM. A bright, up-tempo loop for working on phrasing, chord-tone targeting, and moving around the neck at a pace that keeps you honest.
E Minor psychedelic rock backing track at 80 BPM. A slower, heavier groove for working on phrasing, bends, and finding notes that actually fit over a dark vamp.
C Major pop guitar backing track at 100 BPM for practice and soloing. A clean-looping C major jam to work on phrasing, timing, chord tones, and moving around the neck without getting lost.
Why Elixir Nanoweb are the best electric guitar strings, the gauges I use for E and D standard, how often to change strings, and how OpenFret logs every change for you.
The best beginner guitar is the one that's easy to play and doesn't fight you. Here's why the Ibanez GIO GRGR221PA is our pick, plus what actually matters in a first guitar.
Barre chords are the wall most beginners hit around month two. The capo trick, the thumb adjustment, and why squeezing harder makes it worse.
I used all three for at least a month each. Here's what I found about pricing, teaching methods, hardware requirements, and which one is worth your money.
Guitar Quest is an RPG where you fight monsters by playing real guitar notes detected through your mic. Here's how it works and why it kept me practicing longer than anything else.
An honest timeline for learning guitar, milestone by milestone: your first song in a week, open chords in a month, and what 'good' really takes. Plus why consistency beats talent.
Four practical methods for learning every note on the fretboard. Natural notes, octave shapes, the CAGED system, and a game that made me actually stick with it.
Sore fingertips are normal when you start guitar. Why it happens, how long calluses take to form, what speeds it up, and the kind of pain that means you should stop.
Guitar tablature explained from scratch. The six lines, the numbers, and all those weird symbols like h, p, /, and b that nobody explains properly.
The five scale shapes that cover most of popular music. Minor pentatonic, major pentatonic, natural minor, major, and blues - what they sound like and when to use each one.
Seven beginner guitar exercises that build finger strength, accuracy, and speed: the chromatic walk, the spider, one-minute chord changes, picking drills, and more.
Five chord progressions behind thousands of songs. The four magic chords, the 12-bar blues, the doo-wop, and why so many songs sound the same.
The eight open chords that unlock most songs, the order to learn them in, how to read a chord diagram, and the fixes for buzzing strings and slow chord changes.
How to tune your guitar with a free browser-based chromatic tuner. Covers standard tuning, alternate tunings, and the mistakes most beginners make.
Eight strumming patterns that cover folk, rock, pop, and country. Plus the one mistake every beginner makes with their strumming hand.
Twelve real songs you can play with two, three, or four beginner chords. Grouped by how many chords you need, so you can match songs to what you already know.
Three structured routines for different time budgets. Why 15 focused minutes beats an aimless hour, and what to actually work on during each block.
The real options for beginner guitar lessons: private teachers, apps, and free online lessons. What each is good at, what to learn first, and when a teacher is worth it.
Everything you need in your first month on guitar. How to hold it, tune it, fret cleanly, your first chords, your first strum, and how to practice so it sticks.
Five alternate tunings that open up sounds you can't get in standard. How to tune each one, what it's used for, and famous songs you'll recognize.
