At Guitar Tricks® we make learning how to play songs a lot of fun!
Our instructors cover every section of the song slowly at first, and once you get each part down you get to play along with a professional backing band! For difficult songs we offer a 'Songs Made Easy' version for beginners, which is simplified to the basic chords and one guitar part.
Each song includes accurate guitar tabs as well as standard music notation.
Free Lesson: Sweet Home Alabama (Made Easy!)
Anders will show you this classic Southern Rock anthem in a version that has been made easy, so you can hang at any level.
This is a really fun song that almost everyone knows, and it features three basic chords repeating throughout the whole song, so if you can learn and perform even the simplest version of it, it is bound to pay off.
Dave will show you the guitar parts to this song, from the heavy rhythm guitar riffs, to the blazing lead guitar solo loaded with plenty of Zakk traits like wah-wah, fast finger vibrato, melodic phrases, and lightning speed licks.
This tutorial teaches you how to play a beginner arrangement of "House of the Rising Sun". There are only five open position chords you need to know to play the song. First I will introduce you to the song, then I'll show you how to play a simple strumming version. Next I'll show you how to pick through the notes in the chords, or "arpeggiate". Finally, we'll play through the song with a backing track using arpeggiation.
Mike will show you the two guitar parts that make up this classic early rock tune based on R&B and the blues. There is an electric guitar that plays one of the most iconic rock riffs of all time, as well as some cool R&B influenced rhythm guitar. Guitar 2 is an acoustic guitar that plays a steady strumming groove throughout.
Mike will show you this classic early rock tune based on R&B and the blues. This tutorial is beginner level using an acoustic guitar, but any guitar is suitable to learn the song this way. All the parts are adapted to simple open chords, and add an easy strumming pattern.
In this song tutorial, Lee Wanner will teach you (I Just) Died In Your Arms, made famous by Cutting Crew. After talking about the tones, Lee will get into the song intro and the elements of the verses. Then Lee will break down the chorus rhythm and lead parts, and break down the bridge parts as well. You'll learn the solo, the funky part in the ending of the song, then do a full performance play-along.
In this set of lessons, Sharon Aguilar will teach "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone", as made famous by The Monkees. We'll look at the song as a whole and the gear and tone, then learn guitar 1 for the intro, verse, and chorus. Next up is guitar 2 for the intro and chorus, then for the verses. We'll learn the bridge plus a bonus lesson of the organ part before we do a full and single guitar performances and a jam along.
Mike will show you the 2 guitar layers in this song. Guitar 1 is a light crunch electric guitar that strums the chord progression and adds a backbeat staccato pulse to the arrangement. Guitar 2 is an overdriven guitar that adds a cool riff to the chorus and adds some muscle to the last half of the song.
Mike will show you to use an acoustic guitar to strum along with the band in a "made easy" format, using open chords and barre chords to play the chord progressions with a simple strumming pattern.
Mike will show you the one clean electric guitar layer used in this song that lays down some bluesy licks with double stop bends, single note bluesy fills and triads. There’s also a great chord progression played on the recording by the piano that we’ve adapted to this guitar layer so that you can support the vocal perfectly. The tune features a strong swinging groove that has its roots in country or even ragtime and Dixieland jazz.
In this metal song tutorial, Lee Wanner will teach you "(Sic)", as made famous by Slipknot. Lee will give you a brief overview of the song, then talk about the dropped B tuning and tones. This song has an atypical structure and is all about rhythm riffs, so Lee will start with the intro riff, then the "pre-verse" riff. We'll follow that up with the verse and "post-verse" riff, then break down the bridge; after which we'll look at the chorus, and the outro riffs. We'll do a play along performance, then you take over in the jam along.
In these lessons Lee Wanner will teach you "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay", by Otis Redding. Lee will introduce the song and talk about gear and tone, then teach the intro and outro. This song has both acoustic and electric guitar, and Lee will break down the verse, chorus, and bridge parts on both instruments. For fun, we'll learn the famous whistling melody, then we'll do full and single guitar performances. We'll end with a jam along.
Caren will show you how to play along with this classic crooner love song. You'll use a capo and an acoustic guitar to play a simple chord progression. A bonus lesson shows you how to approach the song without the capo.
In this series of ten lessons, Mike Olekshy will be taking you back in time to learn "1983", by Neon Trees. After giving an overview, Mike will talk about the gear and tones. Then it's into the main verse riff played by guitar 1, and the single-note melodies from both guitars. Mike will delve into the elements of the chorus and the bridge, and we'll end with a full performance play-along and a jam-along with the "band".
Mike will show you all 3 clean electric guitars.
There are distinctive riffs an iconic hook and bonus guitar layer that appears in the outro to mimic the "dive bomb" bass overdub heard in the original recording.
In this set of song lessons, our surf master Henrik Linde will teach you all the guitar parts to the song "2000 Pound Bee", as made famous by The Ventures. This song has two parts, so we have twelve lessons here to cover everything! Henrik will show you the tones and the main fuzz riff; he'll take you through the two solos that occur in part 1, then all the various fuzz guitar and clean rhythm guitar parts in the rest of the sections that follow. Then you'll get out your surf board and play along in a full performance!
Mike will show you the one electric guitar layer in this tune that uses a classic 60s massive fuzz tone to play loud and proud rhythms and riffs throughout. In the following lessons, he'll talk about power chords and open chords, bending, and some high energy rock riffing.
In this set of lessons, Lee Wanner will teach you "30 Days in the Hole", as made famous by Mr. Big. Lee will talk about the song then the gear and tones before diving in with the verse rhythm riffs. The chorus riffing is up next, then we'll move on to the fills that occur in the verses. The solo is next, then the outro; we'll bring things to a close with a play along performance and a jam along where you play by yourself with the backing track.
In this set of song lessons, lee Wanner will be teaching you "37 Stitches", by Drowning Pool. Lee will discuss the tuning and tones, and subsequently get into the various clean parts for the intro/outro, verse, and chorus. Then it's on to the chorus lead and distorted rhythm parts, followed by the verse lead and the two solos. Lastly, you'll play along with Lee through the song, then take over in the jam along.
In these song lessons, Mike Olekshy will take you through "A Beautiful Lie", by 30 Seconds To Mars. We'll get into the gear and tones a bit, then look at the strumming rhythms and power chords in the verse and the second guitar part. We'll follow that with the chord extensions in the second verse, and the chorus variations. Last up is the full performance, and the jam along to the backing track.
In this set of country lessons, Mike Olekshy will teach "A Better Man", by Clint Black. Mike will introduce this #1 modern country hit, then talk about gear and tone before breaking down the acoustic parts in the intro, chorus, and verse. The electric main riff and the licks and fills for the verses and choruses follow that. Then it's time to do a play along and single guitar performance, and end with a "guitar karaoke" jam along.
