Rock Guitar Course

Lesson 1 • Posture, Grip, and Hand Position

Get into an ergonomic playing position for both sitting and standing. Proper form stops you from getting injured and helps you build good technique.

Lesson 2 • Amp and Gear Basics

Plug your guitar into an amp and dial in a clean tone as your starting point. Knowing how the signal flows prepares you for shaping your sound later on.

Lesson 3 • Tuning and Intonation Basics

Tune your guitar by ear and with a tuner, then set basic intonation. Getting the tuning right is something you need to do before every technique you practise later.

Lesson 1 • Rhythm Notation and Time Signatures

Read semibreve, minim, crotchet, and quaver note values in common time signatures. Knowing your rhythms directly improves your timing when you play with a band.

Lesson 2 • Basic Music Theory for Guitarists

Understand notes, intervals, and the chromatic scale as they apply to the fretboard. This theory vocabulary supports the scale and chord work in later chapters.

Lesson 3 • Introduction to Guitar Tablature

Read six-line tab notation and turn it into fretboard positions. Tab is the main written format for rock guitar and is used throughout the course.

Lesson 1 • Power Chords and Root-Fifth Shapes

Build and move power chords across the neck on both the E and A strings. Power chords are the main harmonic building block of rock and punk rhythm guitar.

Lesson 2 • Barre Chords: Major and Minor

Form and play E-shape and A-shape barre chords right across the neck. Barre chords unlock every key and expand the range of your rhythm playing.

Lesson 3 • Open Chords for Rock

Finger and strum the main open-position major and minor chords cleanly. These chords are the harmonic backbone of countless rock songs.

Lesson 4 • Strumming Patterns and Rhythm Accuracy

Play downstroke, upstroke, and mixed strumming patterns at steady tempos. Getting your rhythm precise here is the foundation for all ensemble playing.

Lesson 1 • The Minor Pentatonic Scale

Memorise the five positions of the minor pentatonic scale across the neck. This scale is the main tool for rock lead guitar and improvisation.

Lesson 2 • The Blues Scale

Add the flat-five blue note to the pentatonic scale for expressive phrasing. The blues scale gives rock solos their typical tension and grit.

Lesson 3 • Practising Scales and Moving around the Fretboard

Build speed, accuracy, and positional awareness through structured scale exercises. Moving around efficiently means less hesitation when you're improvising live.

Lesson 1 • Combining Techniques in Phrases

Put bends, vibrato, and legato together into musical phrases. Combining techniques is what separates mechanical playing from expressive soloing.

Lesson 2 • String Bending Basics

Bend strings accurately by semitone, whole tone, and a tone and a half. Precise bending is the most expressive single technique in rock lead playing.

Lesson 3 • Vibrato Styles and Control

Use wrist-driven and finger-driven vibrato with a steady speed and width. Vibrato is the main way to sustain notes and give them your own character.

Lesson 1 • Playing in a Band

Lock in with a drummer and bassist by adjusting your dynamics and timing. Knowing how to play in a group turns a solo guitarist into a useful band member.

Lesson 2 • How to Build Riffs

Build memorable riffs using chromatic movement, open strings, and rhythmic displacement. Understanding how riffs are built lets you write your own songs.

Lesson 3 • Semiquaver Rhythm Patterns

Play tight semiquaver strumming and picking patterns at rock tempos. Being precise with semiquavers is essential for funk-rock and modern hard rock styles.

Lesson 1 • Overdrive and Distortion Pedals

Choose and set up overdrive, distortion, and fuzz pedals for rock. The pedal you pick and how you set it defines your signature sound as a guitarist.

Lesson 2 • Pickup Selection and Guitar Controls

Use pickup switching and tone controls to change your timbre while you play. Shaping your sound at the guitar level means you rely less on external gear.

Lesson 3 • Modulation and Time-Based Effects

Use chorus, flanger, delay, and reverb to make your guitar parts sound better. These effects add depth and atmosphere without cluttering the mix.

Lesson 4 • Amp Gain Stages and Overdrive

Dial in clean, crunch, and high-gain tones using your amp's gain controls. Understanding gain staging stops unwanted noise and keeps notes clear.

Lesson 1 • Advanced Picking Techniques

Use economy picking, sweep picking, and hybrid picking for speed and fluidity. Advanced picking raises the technical ceiling of your lead playing.

Lesson 2 • Mixolydian Mode for Rock Soloing

Use the Mixolydian mode over dominant and power-chord-based progressions. Mixolydian is the main scale for classic rock and blues-rock soloing.

Lesson 3 • Building a Complete Solo

Structure a solo with an intro, climax, and resolution over a full song section. Thinking about the structure turns a bunch of licks into a musical statement.

Lesson 4 • The Natural Minor and Dorian Modes

Use the Aeolian and Dorian modes over minor chord progressions. Knowing your modes gives you more melodic options than just the pentatonic scale.