Free Lead Guitar Lessons
A 12-lesson series on the fundamentals of lead guitar and the stepping stones to shred: picking, legato, bends, the whole fretboard, speed, tapping, and sweeps. Every lesson includes real tablature rendered on the page, with no signup and no paywall.
New to guitar? Start with the free beginner series first; this one picks up where it ends.
Part 1 · Lead Foundations
- 01Alternate PickingFix your grip and picking motion, then build strict alternate picking with three drills in tab: one-string sixteenths, string crossing, and speed bursts.9 min read
- 02LegatoBuild real legato technique: trill drills for every finger pair, rolling triplet exercises, and a flowing pentatonic run, all in full tab.9 min read
- 03Bends & VibratoBend in tune every time with target-pitch and unison bend drills in tab, then build a slow, wide vibrato you control instead of one that just happens.9 min read
- 04Timing & SubdivisionsSubdivide the beat like a drummer: a subdivision pyramid, triplet-to-sixteenth switching, and accent drills in tab, plus a metronome routine that sticks.8 min read
Part 2 · Fretboard Freedom
- 05The Five BoxesLearn how the five A minor pentatonic boxes tile the neck, then connect them with slide-based exercises in tab so no solo traps you in one position.10 min read
- 06Three-Note-Per-StringLearn the three-note-per-string A minor patterns behind most rock and metal runs, with a picking workout and a legato workout for each, in full tab.9 min read
- 07PhrasingThe difference between running scales and playing solos: motif development, question-and-answer phrases, and chord-tone landings, with exercises in tab.10 min read
- 08Building SpeedA speed-building system for guitar: burst training, chunking, tension checks, and a tempo log, with two drills in tab and a week-by-week practice plan.10 min read
Part 3 · Shred Techniques
- 09Sequences & SkipsTurn scales into lines that sound composed: sequences in threes and fours, plus string-skipping drills that make your runs leap instead of walk, in tab.9 min read
- 10TappingLearn two-hand tapping from zero: which finger taps, how to kill string noise, the classic tapped-triplet lick, and moving triad shapes, all in tab.9 min read
- 11Sweep PickingStart sweep picking with the rest-stroke motion, two-string sweeps, and the three-string minor and major arpeggio shapes every shredder learns first.10 min read
- 12First Shred SoloThe capstone: a twelve-bar solo in A minor built from every technique in this series, taught phrase by phrase in full tab with a practice plan for each.11 min read
After the series · Pentatonic lead vocabulary
The twelve lessons above cover technique. These five take the pentatonic scale you already know and change what you do with it: sequences, wide intervals, one shape that travels, the sixth note, and phrasing.
- Cascading Pentatonic Runs: Descending Fours and Ascending SixesTwo sequences that stop the pentatonic sounding like a scale: descending groups of four and ascending groups of six, both written out in full tab.9 min read
- Wide-Interval Pentatonic: String Skipping and Spread ShapesLeave a string out, then stretch the box to three notes a string. Two ways to make five familiar notes stop sounding like a box, with tab for both.9 min read
- Two-String Pentatonic Patterns: One Shape That TravelsOne four-note unit moved up the neck beats five boxes you have to recall. How to play pentatonic horizontally instead of in shapes, with full tab.8 min read
- Pentatonic Plus One Note: The 2nd and the Blues NoteFive notes are safe, and five notes sound safe. Adding the 2nd or the blues note gives a pentatonic line somewhere to pull, and where each belongs.8 min read
- Blues-Rock Pentatonic Phrasing: Motifs, Legato, and SpaceWhy a three-note idea repeated beats twelve different notes. Motif cells, legato descents, and leaving space, with tab for each and a practice plan.9 min read
Turn technique into instinct
Guitar Quest listens to your real guitar and drills everything in this series (notes, scales, speed) through RPG gameplay.
Try Guitar Quest FreePrefer to freestyle? Jam over backing tracks, build a routine in the Studio, and log every session.