Heartwood Guitar

"Peaceful Easy Feeling" Travis picking song lesson preview

rob — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 02:59:55 +0000

I’ve just released a frustration-free song lesson, teaching you my Travis-picked arrangement of the Eagles' "Peaceful Easy Feeling." I teach both a simple version for beginning Travis pickers, and my actual "fancy" version. Practice tracks, chord charts, and tablature included.

Want full access to this lesson? Join the Heartwood Guitar family today! Members also get access to...

Strum & Sing in 60 Days - My innovative beginner's guitar course
Travis Pick Like a Pro - Learn to make fingerstyle magic in this fun course
Premium Song Lessons - In-depth tutorials for classic popular songs
Strum Pattern Videos - Pop-up videos that enhance the free 850 chord charts on my site
Guided Practice Videos - Learn good practice habits. Like having a private lesson with me.
Access to the Members-only Forum

Become a MemberThe post "Peaceful Easy Feeling" Travis picking song lesson preview first appeared on Heartwood Guitar.

"Amazing Grace" song lesson preview

rob — Sun, 26 Feb 2023 05:13:16 +0000

How do you teach the most famous folk hymn of all time? You make it doable and interesting for EVERYONE. Beginners will appreciate the five common open chords and easy strumming options. Advanced guitarists will dig the chord/melody flatpicking solo I composed. And harmonizers will enjoy the vocal harmony part I teach you. Music for the people!

Want full access to this lesson? Join the Heartwood Guitar family today! Members also get access to...

Strum & Sing in 60 Days - My innovative beginner's guitar course
Travis Pick Like a Pro - Learn to make fingerstyle magic in this fun course
Premium Song Lessons - In-depth tutorials for classic popular songs
Strum Pattern Videos - Pop-up videos that enhance the free 750 chord charts on my site
Guided Practice Videos - Learn good practice habits. Like having a private lesson with me.
Access to the Members-only Forum

Become a MemberThe post "Amazing Grace" song lesson preview first appeared on Heartwood Guitar.

Happy Father's Day!

rob — Sat, 19 Jun 2021 06:07:04 +0000

My dad was a gentle, kind, polka-loving WWII navy veteran, and a few years before he passed away in 2018, he and my mom traveled here to Seattle from California to see me and my students perform at the rowdy student concert we have twice a year.

My favorite moment was performing "Wagon Wheel" with my music-teacher friends, while I harmonized with my wife, while she held our oldest son. And our infant twin boys were rocked in car seats near the stage.

The whole time, my dad clapped and sang along in the audience, a big smile on his face.

Thankfully, it was caught on film. So magical!

Everything I teach you at Heartwood Guitar helps you create these kinds of moments. I teach positive, fun, popular singalong songs in a way that's accessible for both beginners and more advanced guitarists.

If this sounds like fun to you, now's the perfect time to join the Heartwood Guitar family.

Become a MemberThe post Happy Father's Day! first appeared on Heartwood Guitar.

Spice up your alternating bass with this easy hammer-on trick

rob — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 17:56:31 +0000

Once you've got the basics of alternating bass down, throw in this hammer-on!

The post Spice up your alternating bass with this easy hammer-on trick first appeared on Heartwood Guitar.

"Brown Eyed Girl" song lesson preview

rob — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 00:09:10 +0000

Impossible to forget the words to the chorus! Just four simple chords, though the phrasing of the singing can be challenging. I teach the classic intro note-for-note (modified to make playing on an acoustic guitar possible), and offer easier and harder strumming options.

Want full access to this lesson? Join the Heartwood Guitar family today! Members also get access to...

Strum & Sing in 60 Days - My innovative course
Premium Song Lessons - In-depth tutorials for classic popular songs
Strum Pattern Videos - Pop-up videos that enhance the free 750 chord charts on my site
Guided Practice Videos - Learn good practice habits. Like having a private lesson with me.
Access to the Members-only Forum

Become a MemberThe post "Brown Eyed Girl" song lesson preview first appeared on Heartwood Guitar.

How to alternate bass

rob — Sat, 05 Jun 2021 18:58:17 +0000

The first time I heard a guitarist alternating bass, I thought it was two separate instruments. Such a great sound! Essential if you want to play country music, but used in lots of rock, folk, and blues music.

If you enjoyed this lesson, there's tons more where this came from in the Members Section. Join the Heartwood Guitar family today! Members get access to...

Strum & Sing in 60 Days - My innovative course
Premium Song Lessons - In-depth tutorials for classic popular songs
Strum Pattern Videos - Pop-up videos that enhance the free 750 chord charts on my site
Guided Practice Videos - Learn good practice habits. Like having a private lesson with me.
Access to the Members-only Forum

Become a MemberThe post How to alternate bass first appeared on Heartwood Guitar.

Huge Chord Chart Update

rob — Wed, 11 Nov 2020 01:23:59 +0000

I uploaded 63 new charts over the past few months. Have at 'em!

Alice in Chains - Got Me Wrong
Alice in Chains - Them Bones
Allman Brothers - Blue Sky
Audioslave - Like a Stone
Basement - Aquasun
Berry, Chuck - Johnny B. Goode
Black Crowes, The - She Talks to Angels
Black Crowes - Twice as Hard
Blue Oyster Cult - Don’t Fear the Reaper
Bowie, David - Five Years
Bridges, Leon - River
Cars, The - Just What I Needed
Day, Andra - Rise Up
Deftones - Be Quiet and Drive
Deftones - Cherry Waves
Derek and the Dominoes - Layla
Dire Straits - Hand in Hand
Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing
Dropkick Murphys - The Seasons Upon Us
Dylan, Bob - Mr Tambourine Man
First Aid Kit - Emmylou
Foo Fighters - February Stars
Foo Fighters - Miracle
Foo Fighters - My Poor Brain
Foo Fighters - The Deepest Blues are Black
Foo Fighters - Up in Arms
Foo Fighters - What Did I Do - God As My Witness
Fountains of Wayne - Stacy’s Mom
from A Star is Born - Shallow
from Come from Away - Me and the Sky Capo 6 Version
from The Greatest Showman - A Million Dreams
Frozen - All is Found
Garcia, Jerry and David Grisman - Shady Grove
Gauthier, Mary - Mercy Now
Go-Gos, The - Our Lips are Sealed
Hendrix, Jimi - Purple Haze Chords
Hoodoo Gurus, The - 1000 Miles Away
Illenium - Good Things Fall Apart
Joel, Billy - You’re My Home
Keys, Alicia - Girl on Fire
Keys, Alicia - If I Aint Got You
Kings of Leon - The Bucket
Lauper, Cyndi - All Through the Night
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Simple Man
Malone, Post and Swae Lee - Sunflower
Mitchell, Joni - The Circle Game
OneRepublic - Apologize
Orleans - Dance with Me
Pearl Jam - Jeremy
Pearl Jam - Soon Forget
Petty, Tom and the Heartbreakers - Mary Janes Last Dance
Raffi - Baby Beluga
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
REM - Superman
Rilo Kiley - With Arms Outstretched
Rolling Stones, The - Dead Flowers
Springsteen, Bruce - Hitch Hikin
Springsteen, Bruce - My Hometown
Springsteen, Bruce - The River
Stone, Willamette - Heart Like Yours
Supertramp - Give a Little Bit
Swift, Taylor - Safe and Sound
Yoakam, Dwight - Guitars Cadillacs

The post Huge Chord Chart Update first appeared on Heartwood Guitar.

That time my '52 Martin got run over by a car...

rob — Wed, 09 Sep 2020 01:36:04 +0000

A tale of tragedy, redemption, and an awkward encounter at my high school reunion...

The post That time my '52 Martin got run over by a car... first appeared on Heartwood Guitar.

How to sing and strum two different rhythms

rob — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 23:12:13 +0000

If you struggle with strumming and singing, you've probably noticed that the rhythm of your singing tends to lock into the rhythm of your strumming... and not in a good way.

I've found a way to cure this problem by singing Nirvana’s “Come as You Are.” It turns out this song is the perfect training exercise for learning one of the most common rhythm challenges you'll find in melodies.

If you enjoyed this lesson, there's tons more where this came from in the Members Section. Join the Heartwood Guitar family today! Members get access to...

Strum & Sing in 60 Days - My innovative course
Premium Song Lessons - In-depth tutorials for classic popular songs
Strum Pattern Videos - Pop-up videos that enhance the free 750 chord charts on my site
Guided Practice Videos - Learn good practice habits. Like having a private lesson with me.
Access to the Members-only Forum

Become a MemberThe post How to sing and strum two different rhythms first appeared on Heartwood Guitar.

How to hear chord changes when playing with others

rob — Sun, 09 Aug 2020 04:39:19 +0000

Many guitarsts struggle with staying locked-in with fellow musicians or recordings. Do you ever find yourself

Drifting off the beat?
Losing track of where you are in a chord progression?
Not hearing when you're supposed to make a chord change?

If so, don't worry--you're probably not as rhythmically hopeless as you feel.

I've taught many, many adult beginners who didn't play music or dance much when they were kids, and so never learned the deceptively difficult skills of counting and feeling beats.

In this video, I'll teach you how to train yourself to keep track of the structure of the song you're playing by counting beats and feeling them with your body.

Training yourself to do this is so, so worth it. Go for it! And remember, there's nothing wrong with you!

If you enjoyed this lesson, there's tons more where this came from in the Members Section. Join the Heartwood Guitar family today! Members get access to...

Strum & Sing in 60 Days - My innovative course
Premium Song Lessons - In-depth tutorials for classic popular songs
Strum Pattern Videos - Pop-up videos that enhance the free 750 chord charts on my site
Guided Practice Videos - Learn good practice habits. Like having a private lesson with me.
Access to the Members-only Forum

Become a MemberThe post How to hear chord changes when playing with others first appeared on Heartwood Guitar.