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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Add tension to your compositions by using augmented chords in major keys By Jimmy Brown Learn how to use this crucial chord beloved by The Beatles
Master some useful melodic tactics for a minor jazz-blues progression By Jimmy Brown In this lesson, learn some cool, musically effective things to play over a rather dark, intriguing set of chord changes
What do Stone Temple Pilots, Phish, Led Zeppelin and the Beatles have in common? This progression By Jimmy Brown Diving into the "major chromatic drop"
Inject some drama into your compositions with the sweetly painful augmented chord By Jimmy Brown Learn how to use this somewhat painful- yet sweet-sounding chord to dramatic effect
The Ultimate Transition Chord, Part 3: Old-School, Jazzy Dim7 Resolutions By Jimmy Brown Learn how to employ this restless yet alluring chord as a musical attention grabber.
How to Play the Dreamy Arpeggios in Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” By Jimmy Brown Learn this neat, May and Gilmour-influenced guitar arrangement of “Moonlight Sonata.”
The Ultimate Transition Chord, Part 2: Major and Bluesy dim7 Resolutions By Jimmy Brown Learn some interesting applications of this harmonic enigma, and a few ways to get more musical mileage out of it.
Colorful Jazz-Blues Chord Substitutions By Jimmy Brown Some commonly used variations that adventurous musicians will often interject into their playing.
What to Remember When Learning Robert Johnson's "Cross Road Blues" By Jimmy Brown This historic 1936 recording by Robert Johnson of one of his classic songs showcases the pioneering Delta bluesman’s trademark funky, aggressive fingerstyle attack and rhythmically free and quirky phrasing style.
Adding Tension to the Minor Jazz-Blues Progression By Jimmy Brown Learn some cool variations of this progression that feature added chord changes and spicier harmony and voice-leading.
