Learn Songs Online
Click on any of the lessons below and a PDF document will pop up in a new tab
Beginner
This lesson introduces the most commonly used scale in pop, rock & blues. A great tool to get under your belt and also a great vehicle for technique, time feel, and memorisation practise.
The spider exercise is all about developing sound technique. Play it slowly and focus on connecting the notes and using the tip of your fingers.
Norwegian Wood & the Pink Panther Theme
A couple of fun melodies to learn.
It's a whole lot easier to learn changing between chords using "partial" chords (lets not play all strings to begin with).
Intermediate
Come Away With Me - Norah Jones
This piano style guitar technique is very useful.
Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran
An easy song to tackle and sounds great.
The Ghost of Tom Joad - Bruce Springsteen Fingerpicking easy version
Have a go at this version of Springsteen's fingerpicking where we keep one pattern going throughout the song.
Chord Picking - Knocking on Heavens Door
Alternate picking exercises over chords, starts off easy and progresses to Slash's style.
Chord chart with strumming pattern. Drop D tuning is optional but sounds great.
Fun easy melody to learn from the intro then I have included the chord picking which is a bit more involved.
Blues box one & two and how to get there!
These two worksheets introduces extensions to the simple blues (pentatonic) scale. These boxes are the fundamental building blocks for soloing for players like Eric Clapton and BB King.
Great pop guitar study, finger picking and strumming.
Advanced
The Ghost of Tom Joad - Bruce Springsteen Fingerpicking
A great fingerpicking song to learn with some variations to the common pattern and some odd time signature bars thrown in to boot!
Every Breath You Take - The Police
To get the sound of the recording use a pick on this song with strict alternate picking. Finger style can also be used if you prefer.
Fingerpicking with alternating thumb pattern, double hammer ons, and anticipated chord changes. Bob Dylan at his finest!
Fingerstyle comping with percussive mutes and sus-notes.
Every Little Thing - Eric Clapton Solo transcription
A great example of Clapton's fluid style and his favourite solo devices.
Modern fingerpicking with a great groove.
Classic Neil Young strumming technique here with hammer ons added within the chords.
The cycle of learning
When has learning taken place? This is quite a complicated question and will depend among other things on how the new knowledge or skill will be used. One thing that is certain is that for the purposes of learning an instrument we should aspire to a deep multidimensional learning that we can draw on instantly and that becomes part of our musical vocabulary. In other words we need the skill and knowledge to be pliable, adaptable, and deeply memorised. To achieve this level of learning I recommend you go through the following 'cycle of learning' on all exercises and songs you learn.
- Learn to play the exercise (or lick, riff, solo, song etc..) breaking it up into smaller chunks if need be
- Play it while tapping your foot in time
- Play it with a metronome
- Memorise it
- Play it in different tempos (intermediate/advanced)
- Play it in different keys/places on the guitar (intermediate/advanced)