Videos

Chord of the Day: E minor (Open Position)
This is the first chord I teach to all beginning guitar students and is one every guitarist NEEDS to know. I love its melancholic, beautiful tone. No wonder why it’s the key of so many songs.
This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords 

Pro Tip: Learn multiple fingerings. Using the index and middle fingers are my preferred way, but sometimes using the middle and ring fingers makes the most sense.

Chord of the Day: G Major (Open Position)
This is the most important chord for all guitarists and is by far, the most common. It’s a chord that can’t be ignored.
This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords 

Pro Tip: Focus on placing the index and middle fingers, then add the ring finger.

Chord of the Day: A minor (Open Position)
This is another common chord that is often the tonal center of a song. It goes well with most other open chords and contrasts beautifully with chords like C or G, making it a go-to for songwriting.

This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords 

Pro Tip: Notice how A minor is almost the same shape as C major — just move one finger. Mastering this shift will make chord changes smoother and help eliminate transition time.

Chord of the Day: C Major (Open Position)
This is another must-know chord that makes the list as one of the most common chords. It goes well with most other open chords.

This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords 

Pro Tip: Be careful not to play the low E string while strumming the C chord. Although technically a chord tone, unless you see this chord: C/E, I would stay clear of that string. Consider using the side of the pad of your ring finger to mute the 6th string.

Chord of the Day: F Major 7th (Open Position)
This is a great chord for beginners to learn because it’s an easy way to play the F Major chord. Although slightly different than F, this chord is close enough to get you through most situations.

This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords 

Pro Tip: This chord sounds best when played from the 4th string (D String). Avoid the 5th and 6th Strings for a better sounding chord.

Chord Progression of the Week: Em-G-Am-C-FMaj7-D
Wrapping up my first week doing the #chordoftheday series. After one week learning chords, we combine those chords into a chord progression. This progression is perfect for beginning guitarists because it links chords that have similar fingerings or “anchor fingers” together. It also organizes the chords so that the roots are on different strings every 2 chords.

This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords 

Pro Tip: Notice which fingers stay and which move when switching between chords. Don’t reposition your whole hand when you can just move a few fingers. Memorize the chord shape for even faster transitions.

Chord of the Day: D Major (Open Position)
This is an important and common open chord that you need to know. Notice the triangular shape of the chord

This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords 

Pro Tip: Turn your wrist inward when playing the D chord. It enables the index and middle fingers to be in a better position on the fretboard, while allowing space for the ring finger to complete the chord.

Tuesday Tip of the Week: Chord Push-ups This exercise is perfect for beginning guitar students who are learning their first chords. This will help you memorize your chords, get faster at transitioning between chords, and establish muscle memory quickly and efficiently.

Tuesday Tip: Don’t Be a Bobblehead!

New guitarists often waste time darting their eyes between music, fretting hand, and strumming hand before finally playing a chord. Instead, keep your focus on the fretting hand—you don’t need to watch the strumming hand to hit the strings. You might catch a few extras at first, but that’s part of learning. Once the chord shape feels familiar, you’ll improve faster. And don’t forget: “Chord Push-ups” help lock in those shapes!

Chord of the Day: A min7 (5th Position Jazz voicing)
This is an important chord to learn for beginning jazz guitarists because it is the standard shape for a 6th string root minor chord which is also moveable to other root notes.
This week’s theme: Beginning Jazz Chords 

Pro Tip: There are many alternative fingerings for this chord. I have two suggested fingerings pictured. Find the one that works best for your hands and your situation.

Chord of the Day: D9 (5th Position Jazz voicing)
This is a versatile, moveable, dominant chord that can be a substitute for other dominant chords like 7ths or 13ths.
This week’s theme: Beginning Jazz Chords 

Pro Tip: Try barring your ring finger across the G,B,E strings which adds another string and a 5th to the chord. This also makes the chord perfect for playing funky chord riffs.

Chord of the Day: G13 (3rd Position Jazz voicing)
This is a great way to play a dominant chord on the 6th string. If you barre the pinky finger to include the high E string, you can add the 9th as well.
This week’s theme: Beginning Jazz Chords 

Pro Tip: You can also play this chord as a barre chord and have access to more notes and frets.

Chord of the Day: C Major 7 (3rd Position Jazz voicing)
This is an important chord to learn for beginning jazz guitarists because it is the standard shape for a 5th string root Major chord which is also moveable to other root notes. This can be a nice substitute for most Major chords.
This week’s theme: Beginning Jazz Chords 

Pro Tip: You can also barre your index finger to add the e string. Some publishers use a “𝚫” to indicate Major 7th.

Chord of the Day: Bmin7b5 (2nd Position Jazz voicing)
This chord has a few different names and symbols. It’s known as B half-diminished 7th and is notated with a “⦰“ symbol. It is also known as B minor 7 flat 5th which describes it exactly as it is.
This week’s theme: Beginning Jazz Chords 

Pro Tip: This chord isn’t an ideal substitute for other minor chords because of the flat 5, but it does work well in ii⦰7-V-i progressions in minor keys.

Chord of the Day: E7#9 (AKA: Jimi Hendrix Chord)
This chord is one of the most unique chords and an absolute blast to play on the guitar. The chord is gritty and makes the hair on my neck stand up. It interestingly has both the major and minor 3rd (aka #9) in the chord. Jimi Hendrix uses this chord often and is featured prominently in the song “Purple Haze.”
This week’s theme: Beginning Jazz Chords 

Pro Tip: This chord uses the open E string but doesn’t need to, so it can be used as a moveable shape.

Chord Progression of the Week: Am7 - D9 - G13 - CMaj7 - Bm7b5 - E7#9
Wrapping up week 2 of the #chordoftheday series. This week’s chords were on a jazzier side and are the first chords I teach those getting into Jazz guitar. I’m excited too showcase more chords like this since there are so many.

This week’s theme: Beginning Jazz Chords 

Pro Tip: All of these chords are moveable so experiment with creating your own chord progressions by moving chord shapes up/down the fretboard. 

Chord of the Day:  Major Barre Chord (E Shape)
This is the most common and most important Barre chord. It is derived from the open position E Major chord, but by barring the first finger, we can move that shape throughout the fretboard.

This week’s theme: Barre Chords

Pro Tip: Barre chords require significant hand strength and proper technique in order for the chord to ring clearly. Before attempting the full chord, try just barring the index finger and see if you can make the notes sound clean.

Chord of the Day:  Minor Barre Chord (E min Shape)
This barre chord is derived from the open position E minor chord. This chord is harder than the Major barre chord to make clean because the G string often buzzes or is unclear

This week’s theme: Barre Chords 

Pro Tip: The index finger is the most troublesome part of barre chords. Try tilting the index finger slightly to use more of the side of the finger. This prevents any bend in the finger segments, which allows for a more straight barring finger.

Chord of the Day: Major Barre Chord (A Shape)
This chord is derived from the open A Major chord. The root of this chord is on the fifth string which is why this is such an important chord shape.

This week’s theme: Barre Chords 

Pro Tip: This is a difficult chord to make because it requires 3 fingers to be right next to each other on the same fret on adjacent strings. Look at my alternative fingering where I barre the ring finger over the D, G, and B strings instead of using individual fingers.

Chord of the Day:  Minor Barre Chord (A min Shape)
This common barre chord is derived from the open A min chord with the root note on the fifth string. 

This week’s theme: Barre Chords 

Pro Tip: This chord is easier to play than its Major counterpart. It resembles the Major barre chord on the 6th string, but just shifted over one string.

Chord of the Day:  Dominant Barre Chord (E7 Shape)
This is a common dominant chord shape which is derived from the open E7 chord. Got to make sure that the D string rings in order for the quality of the chord to come through.

This week’s theme: Barre Chords 

Pro Tip: A common variation is to add the pinky to the 3rd fret (relative to the barring finger) on the 2nd (B) string.

Chord of the Day:  Dominant Barre Chord (A7 Shape)
This dominant chord is derived from the open A7 Major chord. It is a common moveable shape that can be played on any fret.

This week’s theme: Barre Chords 

Pro Tip: This chord requires the G string to ring clearly in order for that 7th to be heard. Make sure the ring finger doesn’t accidentally mute that string

Tip of the Week: Know Your Roots!

This week’s focus on barre chords makes it the perfect time to zero in on the 6th and 5th strings. Most barre chords are rooted here, so learning the notes on these two strings will make it much easier to place chords on the correct root. Use the fretboard markers (dots or inlays) as guides—the 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th frets are marked, with a double dot on the 12th fret, which is the octave of the open string. From there, the notes repeat as you move higher up the fretboard.

Chord of the Day: E Major (Open Position)
This is the Major Counterpart to E minor, which we learned a few weeks back. This one adds an additional finger, making it a 3 finger chord similar to the Am shape but over one string.
This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords 

Pro Tip: This is a great chord for playing blues guitar.

Chord of the Day: A Major (Open Position)

A must-know chord, but it can feel tricky since all the fretted notes sit on the same fret across adjacent strings. Hand size, finger length, and even your guitar’s neck width make a big difference. The traditional fingering uses the index, middle, and ring fingers, but if that feels cramped, try using middle, ring, and pinky or barring the index finger instead.

This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords 

Pro Tip: Alternate fingering is to barre a finger over all three strings. 

Chord of the Day: D minor (Open Position)
This is a great chord to pair with A minor. It’s a minor chord with root on the fourth (D) string. Many struggle with this chord because the fingering can be a bit odd for the hand. 

This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords 

Pro Tip: I find it way easier to get a cleaner Dm chord if I use the pinky instead of the ring finger on the b string. This allows room for the E string to ring clearly and gives the ring finger access to other notes like the 3rd frets of the 4th and 5th strings.

Chord of the Day: E7 (Open Position)
This chord is another related chord to E Major. This chord simply takes the E shape and takes out the ring finger, exposing the 7th note (D).

This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords 

Pro Tip: A great alternative fingering is to add the pinky finger to the 3rd fret of the B string. This makes the 7th more prominent and adds a pleasant dissonance between the 1st and 2nd strings.

Chord of the Day: A7 (Open Position)
A common open chord built from the A shape, the A7 adds the 7th note (G) to the chord. That G, paired with the 3rd (C#), creates a tritone interval (G–C#), giving the chord its signature bluesy sound.

This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords
Pro Tip: Think of A7 as an A major chord with the middle note removed.

Chord of the Day: B7 (Open Position)
Many beginning guitarists struggle with this chord since it is the first four-finger chord many learn and requires all the fingers to be in the right placement for the strings to ring clearly, all while avoiding the low E string.

This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords 

Pro Tip: If your hand allows, you can have the pad of your middle finger slightly touch the low E string, which mutes the string and makes it easier to avoid. This can also be done with the thumb if it extends beyond the neck.

Chord Progression of the Week: A, A7, Dm, B7, E, E7
Wrapping up week 4 of the #chordoftheday series. This week’s chords went back to the open position with chords that are related to other open chords we looked at in week 1. When you combine these chords in various combinations, you can get some really interesting results. Especially when combined with the open chords from week 1. 

This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords 

Pro Tip: The E7, A7, B7 chords are the basis for the 12-bar blues in E. Check out these progressions and experiment with chords from week 1.

Tip of the Week: “Strumming Mode”

This is what I call the position I put my right hand when strumming. Here are some main points about strumming: 

The strumming arm makes contact with the edge of the guitar at the “elbow pit” and is free to swing from the elbow.

Use a mix of arm and wrist movement - Not too much of either. Whip wrist when strumming to unify tone and avoid “brushy” strums.

The arc of the strumming hand/pick should be over the sound hole.

Hold 90% of the pick. Only a small corner of the pick should extend beyond your grip.

Playing an amazing 8-String Baritone Steel-String Acoustic guitar. The guitar is tuned down a fourth and the middle 2 strings are doubled like a 12 string guitar. I experienced pure bliss playing this guitar and improvised with some open position chords that don’t sound quite like they do on a standard guitar. Thanks Foggy Mountain Music in Grass Valley for the experience!

Chord of the Day: D min 9 (5th Position Jazz voicing)
This is my go-to moveable minor chord shape with a 5th-string root. The added 9th gives it a colorful, and complex jazz flavor that works beautifully in progressions.

This week’s theme: Beginning Jazz Chords 

Pro Tip: Alternative fingering: You can barre your ring finger to cover 3 strings (G, B, E), which adds the fifth on the high E string.

Chord of the Day: G7#5 (3rd Position Jazz voicing)

This is a “mildly-spicy” altered dominant chord includes the augmented 5th (#5). Try barring your ring finger across the G,B,E strings which adds another spicy note (b9). If you look back to chords from week 2, you’ll find a related chord - G13.

This week’s theme: Beginning Jazz Chords

Pro Tip: The #5 is an excellent tone to add to dominant chords when you want to create more tension and release, especially if the dominant chord resolves to its tonic.

Chord of the Day: C Major 9 (3rd Position Jazz voicing)

This is a beautiful, moveable major chord with a 5th-string root. The fingering can feel a bit awkward at first, but with practice, it’s well worth the effort.

This week’s theme: Beginning Jazz Chords

Pro Tip: It is common for jazz chords to exclude the 5th of chords and instead prioritize 3rds, 7ths, extensions, and alterations.

Chord of the Day: F Major 7 (3rd Position Jazz voicing)

This 4th string root Major 7 chord utilizes the ring finger to barre over 3 strings (G, B, E) similar to the A shape Major barre chord we learned in week 3 but over one string set.

This week’s theme: Beginning Jazz Chords

Pro Tip: You can also play each chord tone with its own finger, but I find it to be an awkward stretch and feels cramped on the fretboard.

Chord of the Day: Emin7b5 (2nd Position Jazz voicing) This moveable chord is the 4th string root version of the half-diminished 7th, AKA: E minor 7 flat 5. This unstable chord works well as a transitional moving chord rather than a substitute for the tonic.

This week’s theme: Beginning Jazz Chords Pro Tip: This chord works well in ii⦰7-V-i progressions in minor keys, or as the 7th chord in the Major mode. Notice how similar the shape is to the chord C9? - More on that in a future post.

Chord of the Day: Bbmin6
I love this 6th string minor chord which includes the Major 6th instead of the flat 7th in the middle of the chord. It doesn’t work in every situation, but certainly has a nice tone.
This week’s theme: Beginning Jazz Chords 

Pro Tip: Notice that this chord is very similar to the 5th string dominant chord (D9) we learned back in week 2.

Chord Progression of the Week: Dm9 - G7#5 - CMaj9 - FMaj7 - Em7b5 - Bbm6 - Dm9
Wrapping up week 5 of the #chordoftheday series. This week’s chords were all moveable jazz chords. This progression uses all 6 chords, but the combinations are endless when you start moving these chords onto different root notes. Check out my Jazz Chord resources on my website shop! Link in Bio.

This week’s theme: Beginning Jazz Chords 

Pro Tip: Several of these chords have multiple interpretations. In this week’s progression, the Bbmin6 doubles as Eb9/Bb which is the tritone substitute for A7 in the key of D minor. If that’s confusing, keep following!

Tip of the Week: E minor Pentatonic Scale

This is a great scale for beginning guitar players to learn. For starters, there’s only two notes per string so it’s easier to remember. This scale works in both the E minor and G Major keys and is an excellent scale to start improvising.

Pro Tip: Advanced players can integrate this scale into their open chords, adding smooth, stylish transitions between shapes like E minor and G Major.

Chord of the Day:  Minor 7 Barre Chord (Em7 Shape)
This barre chord is derived from the open position E minor 7 chord and is just one finger different from the 6th string root minor barre chord we learned in week 3. This chord is only two fingers but still requires significant strength to get a clean chord. Remember that all barre chords are moveable and they’re named by what fret they are located on. This example is on the 5th fret which is A, so this chord is known as “A minor 7.”

Chord of the Day:  Minor 7 Barre Chord (Amin7 Shape)
This barre chord is derived from the open position A minor 7 chord and if you look back at week 3, this chord is one finger different from the Am shape barre chord on the 5th string. In this example, the chord is on the 5th fret with root on the 5th string, which makes this a D minor 7 chord.

This week’s theme: Barre Chords 

Pro Tip: This chord is a great substitute for other minor chords, especially if you are already playing in this A minor shape, simply lift the pinky off and there it is. Placing that pinky onto the E string 3 frets higher than the barre introduces another 7th and sounds amazing!

Chord of the Day: Major Barre Chord (G Shape)
This very difficult chord is derived from the open G Major chord. Although lesser used than other barre chords because of its difficult fingering, it is still an important one to visualize and use in certain situations

This week’s theme: Barre Chords 

Pro Tip: I tend to only play this chord from the 4th string down because its a hard chord and leaving out string 5 and 6 make the chord much easier to play.

Chord of the Day:  Major 7 Barre Chord
This is similar to one of the Jazz chords mentioned in Week 2, but extends the barre to include the high E string.

This week’s theme: Barre Chords 

Pro Tip: This beautiful chord can serve as a great alternative to any major chord with a 5th string root.

Chord of the Day:  Major Barre Chord (C Shape)
Similar to yesterday’s G shape barre chord, this one is derived from the open position C chord. Not my first choice because this chord is a handful, but it is useful in some situations and helps with learning the CAGED scale system - More on that in a future post.

This week’s theme: Barre Chords 

Pro Tip: You don’t need to barre your index finger across all of the guitar strings to play this chord.

Chord of the Day:  Minor 9 Barre Chord
This beautiful jazzy sounding minor 9 chord is a great alternative to a standard minor chord. 

This week’s theme: Barre Chords 

Pro Tip: When playing with a bassist, I prefer to play this chord without the 6th and 5th strings.

Chord of the Day: C Major 7 (Open Position)
This chord is not only easy, but also sounds beautiful. Just think: C Major chord in open position and take away the index finger.
This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords 

Pro Tip: You can use this chord in place of a standard C Major chord, or you can use it as an embellishment to the C chord by placing the index finger off/on.

Chord of the Day: D7 (Open Position)
This chord looks like an inverted D major shape. As with most D chords, strum this chord from the D string down, skipping the 6th and 5th strings.

This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords 

Pro Tip: This fun bluesy chord goes well with other dominant 7th chords like G7, and A7.

Chord of the Day: C7 (Open Position)
Here is another chord that is related to the C Major shape. This time, take the open C chord and add the pinky to the 3rd fret of the G string.
This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords 

Pro Tip: If not including the open E string, this is a moveable chord shape.

Chord of the Day: D minor 7 (Open Position)
Here is another D related chord, this time taking the D7 and making it minor by lowering the Major 3rd (F#) down to a minor 3rd (F).

This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords 

Pro Tip: This chord sounds best when played from the 4th string (D String). 

Alternative fingering: you can play the E and B string notes with the index and middle, and play the G string note with the ring finger.

Tip of the Week: Barre Chord Technique

Having a hard time playing barre chords? You’re not alone! They require significant hand strength to play, stamina to play a whole song with barre chords, and even more to make it through a whole concert with many songs using barre chords. I tend to use barre chords when I need it and not by default unless I want that type of sound. Barre chords allow you to mute the strings easier making it a great rhythmic add in to your chords.

Chord of the Day: A minor 7 (Open Position)
Take the open position A minor chord and remove the ring finger which exposes the flat 7th on the G string.

This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords 

Pro Tip: Optional note: 3rd fret of the high E string - You may recognize this chord from part two of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.”

Chord of the Day: G7 (Open Position)
This common open chord is closely related to G, but the hand position and fingers used feel more like a C chord. It features the flat 7th on the high E string and works well with C, D7, and Amin.

This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords 

Pro Tip: Think of this chord as a C major chord with fingers expanded outward by one string.

Chord of the Day: Cmin7b5 (6th String Root Jazz Chord)
This is the most common 6th string version of the half-diminished 7th chord that all guitarists should learn. It’s commonly used as the ii chord in a minor ii-V7-i chord progression.
This week’s theme: Beginning Jazz Chords 

Pro Tip: Look back at Week 2 to see the 5th string version of this chord.

Chord Progression of the Week: Db6/9 - Cm7b5 - F7b9 - Bb7#9 - Ebm7 - (Ab13) - Db6/9
Wrapping up week 8 of the #chordoftheday series. This week’s chords were all Jazz Chords that are built off of chords we learned back in Week 2 and 5. The following progression uses all 6 chords, but the options are infinite when you consider that all of these chords are moveable.

This week’s theme: Beginning Jazz Chords 

Pro Tip: Look back at chords from week 2 & 5. Do you notice chord shapes that are similar or related in name and shape? If so, spot the differences and see how the notes used in the chords influence the name of the chord. Once you see that chord tones can be changed to turn one chord into another by simply moving one finger by one fret, you’ll start creating and discovering new chords all the time.

Chord of the Day: Ebm7 (5th String Root Jazz Chord)
This 5th string root minor 7th chord avoids extensions but can easily access the 9th by lowering the pinky down one fret.
This week’s theme: Beginning Jazz Chords 

Pro Tip: Even though we can use chords with multiple extensions and alterations, the simpler chords can give the soloist more freedom to play notes without clashing with the guitar player. It can also give the guitar player options. As an example, you can play both this chord and the minor 9 chord mentioned earlier instead of just using one or the other.