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Free Guitar Lessons and Tips from Steve Stine
Step-by-step lessons on chords, strumming, soloing, blues, the fretboard and music theory. Most come with a free video, so you can watch, then play along.
Good places to start
Free Beginner Guitar Lessons: 23 Videos by Steve Stine
23 free step-by-step beginner guitar lessons from Steve Stine: parts of the guitar, holding the pick, tuning, first chords, strumming and first songs.
5 Tips for Learning Guitar as an Adult
Learning guitar as an adult? Five practical tips from Steve Stine: look after your body, keep it fun, practice in short sessions and keep a guitar handy.
How to Change Guitar Chords Faster and Easier
Struggling to switch chords? Learn to visualize chord shapes before you play them, build muscle memory with "bouncing" and make chord changes smoother.
Learn to Solo in 5 Minutes: 6-Note Soloing Trick
Think soloing is too hard? Steve Stine shows a simple 6-note trick that gets beginners playing their first guitar solos in minutes. Free video lesson.
How to Play 12-Bar Blues in Any Key
Play the 12-bar blues in any key: learn the I-IV-V progression, find the IV and V chords with barre chords, and use a capo. Video lesson by Steve Stine.
How to Memorize the Guitar Fretboard Notes
Learn the notes on the guitar fretboard and actually remember them. Tips from the Steve Stine Guitar Podcast on visualizing and understanding the neck.
Guitar chord library
How to play every common chord, with an easy shape, the barre chord version, a video and practice tips.
Get New Sounds From Open Chords Without Changing Chords
You don't have to change chords to change the sound. Steve Stine shows how to get more out of open chords by staying on one shape. Video lesson.
Movable Chord Shapes: Play Any Chord Up the Neck
Go beyond open chords: learn movable chord shapes you can slide up the neck to play new chords and new sounds. Video lesson by Steve Stine.
Learn chords the right way, step by step: Chords Made Easy and Barre Chords Made Easy.
Start here: beginner lessons
New to guitar, or coming back after a break? Start with these.
5 Tips for Learning Guitar as an Adult
Learning guitar as an adult? Five practical tips from Steve Stine: look after your body, keep it fun, practice in short sessions and keep a guitar handy.
How to Change Guitar Chords Faster and Easier
Struggling to switch chords? Learn to visualize chord shapes before you play them, build muscle memory with "bouncing" and make chord changes smoother.
Free Beginner Guitar Lessons: 23 Videos by Steve Stine
23 free step-by-step beginner guitar lessons from Steve Stine: parts of the guitar, holding the pick, tuning, first chords, strumming and first songs.
Which Guitar Course Is Right for You?
Not sure which guitar course to start with? Steve Stine explains how to choose the right course for your level and goals.
Want it step by step? See the Play Guitar For Life course.
Songs, strumming and acoustic guitar
Play real songs: strumming, chord changes, dynamics and song lessons.
How to Play Songs on Guitar in 3 Easy Steps
Learn songs on guitar by listening, "scratching" along with the rhythm and finding the chord changes. A simple 3-step method from Steve Stine, with video.
Acoustic Guitar Basics: Steady Strumming and Smooth Chords
The two skills behind playing songs on acoustic guitar: a steady strumming rhythm and smooth chord changes. Simple principles and a video lesson.
How to Play "Layla" (Acoustic) Chords on Guitar
Learn the chords of Eric Clapton's acoustic "Layla" and test your fretboard knowledge. Steve Stine walks through the original chord shapes. Video lesson.
Acoustic Guitar Dynamics: Play With More Feeling
Make your acoustic guitar playing sound more musical by using dynamics, not just strumming. Simple tips and a video lesson from Steve Stine.
How to Write Rock Songs That Tell a Story on Guitar
Write rock songs that tell a story: Steve Stine shows how to build a song with chords, riffs and solos that make people want to keep listening.
How to Play "Hair of the Dog" by Nazareth on Guitar
Learn the melody and riff of Nazareth's "Hair of the Dog" on guitar, step by step with Steve Stine. Video lesson.
Want it step by step? See the Strumming Made Easy course.
Soloing and licks
From your first solo to phrasing, arpeggios and speed picking.
3 Steps to Building a Great Guitar Solo
Stop soloing like you're playing scales. Build a melody from what you know, make it sing with phrasing, and connect licks across the fretboard. With videos.
Learn to Solo in 5 Minutes: 6-Note Soloing Trick
Think soloing is too hard? Steve Stine shows a simple 6-note trick that gets beginners playing their first guitar solos in minutes. Free video lesson.
3 Easy Arpeggio Licks to Add Flavor to Your Solos
Arpeggios don't have to be shred. Learn 3 simple guitar licks built from the notes of a chord and use them in your solos. Video lesson by Steve Stine.
Minor Pentatonic Scale for Guitar: Start Soloing Today
Learn the minor pentatonic scale, the go-to scale for blues, rock, pop and metal solos, and start soloing with it today. Video lesson by Steve Stine.
Hammer-Ons and Pull-Offs for Faster, Smoother Solos
Use hammer-ons and pull-offs to play faster, smoother guitar solos when your picking hand can't keep up. Video lesson by Steve Stine.
Speed Picking With Harmonic Minor Licks
Build picking speed with a harmonic minor lick pattern. Steve Stine breaks the lick down so you can practice it step by step. Video lesson.
Use Repetition to Build Better Guitar Solos
Repetition is one of the simplest ways to make a guitar solo stick. Steve Stine shows how to repeat licks and ideas to build stronger solos. Video lesson.
Want it step by step? See the Learn How To Solo course.
Blues guitar
The 12-bar blues, blues licks and how to make your solos sound bluesy.
How to Play 12-Bar Blues in Any Key
Play the 12-bar blues in any key: learn the I-IV-V progression, find the IV and V chords with barre chords, and use a capo. Video lesson by Steve Stine.
Blues Guitar Soloing Tips from Steve Stine
Quick blues guitar soloing tips from the Steve Stine Guitar Podcast: how to improvise, phrase and make your blues solos sound more like music.
Slow Blues Soloing: B.B. King-Style Jam Lesson
Play soulful slow blues solos like B.B. King. Steve Stine shows how to target chord tones like the minor third over A minor and D minor. With video.
Jimmy Page-Style Blues Lick Over A7, D7 and E7
Learn a simple Jimmy Page-style blues lick that targets key chord tones over A7, D7 and E7, and bring your blues solos to life. Video lesson.
Mixing Major and Minor Pentatonic in a Blues Solo
Learn how to blend the major and minor pentatonic scales for blues solos that sound richer and more musical. Video lesson by Steve Stine.
Want it step by step? See the Learn To Play Blues course.
Fretboard and scales
Learn the notes, the pentatonic and major scales, CAGED and how to move around the neck.
How to Memorize the Guitar Fretboard Notes
Learn the notes on the guitar fretboard and actually remember them. Tips from the Steve Stine Guitar Podcast on visualizing and understanding the neck.
How to Solo With the CAGED System on Guitar
Use the CAGED system to build better guitar solos. Steve Stine explains how the five shapes connect and how to use them when you improvise.
Break Out of the Pentatonic Box and Use the Whole Fretboard
Learn the pentatonic scale, break out of the box patterns and improvise across the whole fretboard in blues, rock and country. Video lesson.
Using the CAGED System to Move Around the Fretboard
Break out of the box with the CAGED system: visualize the chord shapes and play around them to move freely across the fretboard. Video lesson.
C Major Scale: All 7 Positions on the Guitar
Learn the C diatonic (major) scale in all 7 positions across the guitar neck, and why it is the gateway to understanding music. Video lesson.
Meandering: A Simple Way to Learn the Guitar Fretboard
"Meandering" is Steve Stine's simple practice method for exploring the fretboard and connecting scales across the neck, in any style. Video lesson.
Want it step by step? See the Fretboard Masterclass course.
Music theory and modes
Theory that makes sense on the guitar: intervals, scales, melody and modes.
Guitar Music Theory: The Scale That Works Like a Dictionary
Basic guitar music theory made simple: learn the chromatic "dictionary" of notes, memorize the 6th string and see why the white keys matter. With video.
Guitar Intervals: Expand Your Soloing Creativity
Learn guitar intervals from the chromatic scale up, and use them to train your ear and get more creative when you solo. Video lesson by Steve Stine.
Guitar Modes Explained: What They Are and How to Use Them
Confused by guitar modes? Learn what modes really are, how they differ from scale positions, which modes sound major or minor, and how they work with chords.
How to Create a Guitar Melody From Simple Chords
Learn simple ways to turn the chords you already know into your own guitar melodies, so you can write songs or add something new to the ones you play.
How to Play Over Chords Outside the Key (Lydian Example)
What do you play when a chord doesn't fit the key? Steve Stine shows how to use modes, with a Lydian chord progression example. Video lesson.
The A Major Scale on Guitar: Using Intervals to Build Scales
Learn how intervals build the A major scale and its modes, and use them to get more creative on guitar. Video lesson by Steve Stine.
Want it step by step? See the Music Theory Made Easy course.
Ear training
Learn songs faster and play what you hear.
Ear Training: Mapping and Clearing to Learn Songs Faster
Learn songs faster by ear with two simple ear training ideas from Steve Stine: mapping and clearing. Video lesson.
4 Ways Ear Training Makes You a Better Guitarist
Why ear training matters: it helps you find your musical taste, tell a story when you improvise, write your own songs and make theory make sense.
Want it step by step? See the Learn Songs By Ear course.
Ready for more than one lesson at a time?
GuitarZoom Premium gives you 16 of Steve Stine's core courses in a clear order, plus PDF books and jam tracks, so you always know what to learn next.
Prefer one skill at a time? Browse 50+ courses. Been stuck for years and want a professional guiding you? See GuitarZoom Academy.
