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Jimmy Brown
Jimmy Brown

Over the past 30 years, Jimmy Brown has built a reputation as one of the world's finest music educators, through his work as a transcriber and Senior Music Editor for Guitar World magazine and Lessons Editor for its sister publication, Guitar Player. In addition to these roles, Jimmy is also a busy working musician, performing regularly in the greater New York City area. Jimmy earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies and Performance and Music Management from William Paterson University in 1989. He is also an experienced private guitar teacher and an accomplished writer.

Articles by: Jimmy Brown

Jimmy Brown

How creating chains of dotted-eighth syncopations can revolutionize your rhythm playing

By Jimmy Brown

It's time to go against the grain with some tricky rhythmic phrasing

Gifts for guitarists

How to play 5 classic Christmas songs on guitar - with tab and chords

By Jimmy Brown

In the spirit of the Axemas season, we’ve compiled a handful of select solo guitar arrangements of popular Christmas songs

Guitar playing

Shake up your rhythm playing with shifting 16th-note accents

By Jimmy Brown

This “rhythm-within-a-rhythm” approach can add dynamism to your playing

Man playing Fender Telecaster electric guitar

How 16th-note rests can shake up your rhythm guitar playing

By Jimmy Brown

This introduction will take you from the basics to more tricky syncopated rhythm lines

How to use a capo on guitar

By Jimmy Brown

Here are some tips for better intonation, and how to think of key when using a capo

Improve your rhythm playing with this guide to 16th notes, the roots of chug

By Jimmy Brown

Count in the next stage in your rhythm guitar evolution

Capo

How a capo can make 5 classic songs easier to play

By Jimmy Brown

From Eagles' Desperado to Aerosmith's Dream On: here's how a capo can make playing these hits simpler than ever

Dotted-quarter syncopations

Bolster your rhythmic arsenal by learning how to cycle dotted-quarter syncopations

By Jimmy Brown

Learn a technique employed in songs like the Cars' Good Times Roll and David Bowie's Suffragette City

How to play slide guitar like the world's greatest players

By Phil Capone, Jimmy Brown

Learn slide guitar in the style of Duane Allman, Ry Cooder, Rory Gallagher, Derek Trucks and more

How to build dramatic tension with dotted-quarter syncopations

By Jimmy Brown

Mastering rhythms within rhythms can make for much more interesting compositions

Eighth-note syncopations

Accelerate your rhythmic understanding with this lesson on eighth-note syncopations

By Jimmy Brown

We break down a widely used rhythmic tool, and how bands like Black Sabbath, AC/DC and Deep Purple use the concept in their riffs

Guitar playing close up

Sharpen up your theory with this primer on eighth notes and rests

By Jimmy Brown

Get to grips with the most widely used rhythm in popular music

Man playing a Fender Blacktop Jaguar electric guitar

How mastering the concept of rests and ties will make you a better musician

By Jimmy Brown

Your comprehension of this fundamental aspect of rhythmic notation is crucial if you're looking to write and read music

Man playing acoustic guitar

How to borrow chords from a parallel minor key and lend your songs a bittersweet edge

By Jimmy Brown

Learn a songwriting trick used by everyone from Eric Clapton to The Beatles

Chris Cornell of Soundgarden performs on stage at Brixton Academy on September 18, 2013 in London, England

11 alternate tunings every guitarist should know

By Jimmy Brown

From drop D to DADGAD and beyond, these essential tunings will make you approach guitar in an entirely new way

Man tuning acoustic guitar

How to tune your guitar by ear

By Jimmy Brown

Train your ears with our guide to tuning a guitar for beginners - no tuner required

Beginner guitar: lock down your rhythm playing with this lesson in basic note durations

By Jimmy Brown

Everything you need to understand the concept of timing in popular music

Shake up your songwriting by borrowing chords from a parallel minor key

By Jimmy Brown

With examples of the technique employed in famous songs across different genres

Man tuning acoustic guitar string

How to tune your guitar to drop D tuning by ear

By Jimmy Brown

Don't have a tuner lying around? Fear not! Learn this all-powerful alternate tuning the easy way

Close-up of guitarist playing a minor chord on a Gibson SG

Give your major-key compositions a moment of darkness by employing the 'four minor' chord

By Jimmy Brown

How borrowing chords from parallel minor keys can refresh your songwriting

Man playing Gibson ES-335 electric guitar

Change the mood and spice up your tunes with parallel major and minor keys

By Jimmy Brown

Impart a touch of sadness or melancholy to an otherwise happy and predictable-sounding progression

The technique secrets of the decade's best guitarists

By Jimmy Brown, Sam Roche

A rundown of the explosive playing styles of Mark Tremonti, Tosin Abasi, Gary Clark Jr. and Nita Strauss

Close-up of hand playing chord on electric guitar neck

Make your compositions soar using augmented climb progressions

By Jimmy Brown

How to inject a sense of drama into your songwriting

How using the augmented chord in a minor drop progression can change your songs

By Jimmy Brown

Paul McCartney, David Gilmour, George Harrison, Tom Petty and many more have done this in their music, so why shouldn't you?

This compositional trick has been used to great effect by Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, The Eagles, Queen and many more

By Jimmy Brown

Learn how to walk down scales with contrary motion