Jimmy Brown

Jimmy Brown

Senior Music Editor

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.

Latest articles by Jimmy Brown

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 Published

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

Lessons
Man playing acoustic guitar
How to borrow chords from a parallel minor key and lend your songs a bittersweet edge

By Jimmy Brown Published

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

Chords
Man tuning acoustic guitar
How to tune your guitar by ear

By Jimmy Brown Published

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

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

By Jimmy Brown Published

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

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

By Jimmy Brown Published

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

Chords
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 Published

How borrowing chords from parallel minor keys can refresh your songwriting

Chords
Man playing Gibson ES-335 electric guitar
Change the mood and spice up your tunes with parallel major and minor keys

By Jimmy Brown Published

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

Lessons
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The technique secrets of the decade's best guitarists

By Jimmy Brown, Sam Roche Published

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

Guitarists
Close-up of hand playing chord on electric guitar neck
Make your compositions soar using augmented climb progressions

By Jimmy Brown Published

How to inject a sense of drama into your songwriting

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

By Jimmy Brown Published

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

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

By Jimmy Brown Published

Learn how to walk down scales with contrary motion

Lessons
The Beatles perform live
Add tension to your compositions by using augmented chords in major keys

By Jimmy Brown Published

Learn how to use this crucial chord beloved by The Beatles

Chords
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Master some useful melodic tactics for a minor jazz-blues progression

By Jimmy Brown Published

In this lesson, learn some cool, musically effective things to play over a rather dark, intriguing set of chord changes

Lessons
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What do Stone Temple Pilots, Phish, Led Zeppelin and the Beatles have in common? This progression

By Jimmy Brown Published

Diving into the "major chromatic drop"

Bands
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Inject some drama into your compositions with the sweetly painful augmented chord

By Jimmy Brown Published

Learn how to use this somewhat painful- yet sweet-sounding chord to dramatic effect

Chords
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The Ultimate Transition Chord, Part 3: Old-School, Jazzy Dim7 Resolutions

By Jimmy Brown Published

Learn how to employ this restless yet alluring chord as a musical attention grabber.

Chords
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How to Play the Dreamy Arpeggios in Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata”

By Jimmy Brown Published

Learn this neat, May and Gilmour-influenced guitar arrangement of “Moonlight Sonata.”

Lessons
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The Ultimate Transition Chord, Part 2: Major and Bluesy dim7 Resolutions

By Jimmy Brown Published

Learn some interesting applications of this harmonic enigma, and a few ways to get more musical mileage out of it.

Chords
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Colorful Jazz-Blues Chord Substitutions

By Jimmy Brown Published

Some commonly used variations that adventurous musicians will often interject into their playing.

Chords
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What to Remember When Learning Robert Johnson's "Cross Road Blues"

By Jimmy Brown Published

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.

Lessons
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Adding Tension to the Minor Jazz-Blues Progression

By Jimmy Brown Published

Learn some cool variations of this progression that feature added chord changes and spicier harmony and voice-leading.

Lessons
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Shredding with the Minor-Drop Progression

By Jimmy Brown Published

Using movable and transposable four-note arpeggios to create fun and exciting runs.

Lessons
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Meet the Major Diatonic Drop, a Progression Used by Ozzy Osbourne, Glen Campbell and John Lennon

By Jimmy Brown Published

Learn about the major diatonic drop, and how you can use it to great effect in your own songwriting.

Lessons
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The Ultimate Transition Chord: Four Minor Resolutions for dim7

By Jimmy Brown Published

Learn a few interesting applications of this harmonically unstable yet appealing chord.

Chords
Close up of man's fingers playing electric guitar
Guitar intervals: everything you need to know about the building blocks of music theory

By Jimmy Brown Published

A comprehensive primer on the topic of intervals, designed to give guitarists from any stylistic background a solid grasp on one of the foundational cornerstones of music.

Lessons
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