Lesson series

Essential Guitar Technqiues

Essential Techniques will help you master essential techniques and apply them to your guitar playing, the right way.

Write your awesome label here.

Online guitar course · Guitar techniques

Essential Guitar Techniques

Learn the core guitar techniques, from strumming to tapping

Essential Guitar Techniques is a guitar technique course taught by GuitarZoom Master Instructor Steve Stine. It starts with your guitar and amp setup, chords and strumming, then works on the picking hand, the fretting hand and hand synchronization. Later modules cover slides, vibrato, a dozen bend lessons, arpeggios and sweeping, harmonics, tapping and other effects, and acoustic techniques like fingerpicking and hybrid picking. The course has 72 video lessons in 10 modules, about 6.5 hours in total, plus a module of short practice-lick clips. This course is included in GuitarZoom Premium.

72video lessons

6+ hoursof step-by-step teaching

11 modulesin a clear order

All levelslevel

Short practice-lick clipsincluded

In Premiumwith 15 more core courses

Excellent · 4.8 out of 5 on TrustpilotRead our reviews

START FREE 14-DAY TRIAL BUY THIS COURSE · $97

Included in GuitarZoom Premium · course 8 of 16 in the path (Stage 2: First Steps in Lead Guitar)

Free preview

What Essential Guitar Techniques is about

Steve breaks every skill into simple steps you can follow. In these videos, he introduces the course, covers guitar, amp and setup, and teaches a four-finger exercise.

Course intro: Introduction · 1:36

Free preview lesson: Guitar, Amp and Setup · 9:52

Free preview lesson: 4 Fingers Exercises · 3:08

Who it's for

Is Essential Guitar Techniques right for you?

Beginners building good habits. The first modules cover setup, chords, power chords, barre chords and strumming.
Players starting lead guitar. Modules on legato, slides, vibrato and bends cover the moves used in solos.
Intermediate players filling gaps. Later modules cover arpeggios, sweeping, harmonics, tapping and whammy bar.
Acoustic players. The acoustic module covers fingerpicking, hybrid picking and the capo.

What you'll be able to do

Skills you'll walk away with

Play power chords and barre chords
Strum with patterns, organic strumming and kick-and-snare strums
Use palm muting, string deadening and funk picking
Play hammer-ons and pull-offs and finger combination exercises
Synchronize your picking and fretting hands
Play slides, vibrato and many kinds of bends
Play triad arpeggios, sweeping and rakes
Play natural, artificial and pinch harmonics, tapping and fingerpicking

What's inside

The course, module by module

Every module and every lesson, in the order you learn them.

Module 1

Chords and setup

Guitar, amp and setup, chords, power chords and barre chords.

5 lessons · 48 min

See all 5 lessons

Barre Chords 12:55
Chords 10:57
Guitar, Amp and Setup 9:52
Introduction 1:36
Power Chords 12:59

Module 2

Strumming

Strumming with your hand, adding up strums, safety zones, rhythm and strumming, pattern vs. organic strumming, kick-and-snare strum, single note strumming and strumming with barre chords.

8 lessons · 36 min

See all 8 lessons

Adding Up-strums 3:31
Kick-and-Snare Strum 5:16
Pattern vs. Organic Strumming 6:39
Rhythm And Strumming 7:59
Safety Zones 1:45
Single Note Strumming 4:26
Strumming With Barre Chords 3:42
Strumming With Your Hand 2:44

Module 3

The picking hand

Single note picking, alternate picking, string skipping, developing consistency, deadening strings, palm muting with strumming, funk picking and pinch harmonics.

8 lessons · 65 min

See all 8 lessons

Alternate Picking Exercise 1:31
Combining Palm Muting And Strumming 8:44
Deadening Strings 10:20
Developing Consistency 20:53
Funk Picking 5:43
Pinch Harmonics 4:52
Single Note Picking 11:23
String Skipping Exercise 1:14

Module 4

The fretting hand

Legato hammer-ons and pull-offs, two-finger and three- and four-finger combination exercises, exercises on two strings and short legato licks.

5 lessons · 26 min

See all 5 lessons

3 And 4 Fingers Combinations 3:59
Exercises On Two Strings 5:13
Exercises: 2 Fingers Combinations 12:54
Legato Licks 0:21
Legato: Hammer-On And Pull-Off 3:06

Module 5

Hand synchronization

Synchronization exercises on two strings and with three and four fingers, plus legato and picking exercises.

6 lessons · 32 min

See all 6 lessons

2 Strings Exercise 4:11
3 Fingers Exercises 13:06
4 Fingers Exercises 3:08
Legato Exercise 1:16
Picking Exercise 8:47
Synchronization Exercises 1:11

Module 6

Slides and vibrato

Sliding from one note, back-and-forth slides, airplane slides, blues note slides and vibrato.

5 lessons · 23 min

See all 5 lessons

Airplane Slide 5:07
Back-and-Forth Slide 2:01
Blues Note Slide 2:44
Sliding From One Note 2:44
Vibrato 10:23

Module 7

Bends

Half-step, whole-step and three-fret bends, blues, harmony, unison, siren and pre-bends, double pump, and combining bends with slides and pull-offs.

12 lessons · 33 min

See all 12 lessons

Bends 1:15
Blues Bend 3:28
Combining Bend And Pull-Off 1:10
Combining Bend And Slide 1:18
Double Pump 0:49
Half-Step Bend 5:14
Harmony Bend 3:44
Pre-Bend 1:04
Siren Bend 1:00
Three Frets Bend 4:05
Unison Bend 2:05
Whole-Step Bend 8:08

Module 8

Arpeggios

Triad arpeggios, connecting and expanding arpeggios, intervallic movement, string skipping, sweeping and rakes.

7 lessons · 58 min

See all 7 lessons

Connecting Arpeggios 2:51
Expanding Arpeggios 4:41
Intervallic Movement 3:01
Rake 2:56
String Skipping 9:33
Sweeping 5:00
Triad Arpeggios 30:23

Module 9

Other techniques

Natural, artificial and pinch harmonics, tapping, pick tapping, pick scraping, octaves, dynamics, volume swells, multi slides, the 'throat' sound and the whammy bar.

12 lessons · 41 min

See all 12 lessons

‘Throat’ Sound 0:47
Artificial Harmonics 4:45
Dynamics 5:22
Multi Slides 0:48
Natural Harmonics 4:30
Octaves 4:51
Pick Scraping 1:56
Pick Tapping 1:01
Pinch Harmonics 3:09
Tapping 9:31
Volume Swell 1:48
Whammy Bar 2:15

Module 10

Acoustic techniques

Fingerpicking, hybrid picking, using the capo and the course conclusion.

4 lessons · 27 min

See all 4 lessons

Conclusion 0:51
Fingerpicking 13:43
Hybrid Picking 3:20
The Capo 8:49

Module 11

Practice licks

24 short practice-lick clips, a few seconds each.

START FREE 14-DAY TRIAL BUY THIS COURSE · $97

How it works

Learn at your own pace

Clear video lessons

Every move is shown up close. Pause, rewind and repeat each lesson as often as you need.

Practice materials

Includes Short practice-lick clips. Use them to practice what you learn in each lesson.

Part of a clear path

This is course 8 of 16 in the Premium path, so you always know what to learn next.

Your instructor

Steve Stine

GuitarZoom Master Instructor

Steve has taught guitar for more than 30 years and has helped millions of players in over 100 countries. He has a Music Education degree from Minnesota State University Moorhead and taught guitar at North Dakota State University. He's known for breaking hard things into simple steps you can follow. Read Steve's full story

Student reviews

What students say about Steve's teaching

Excellent · 4.8 out of 5 on TrustpilotRead our reviews

"Steve Stine is the teacher that I have been looking for a long time."
Jimmy H.United States

"I discovered your courses. I find them great. It's a complete guitar journey and I learned something every week."
Philip M.United States

"It made the fretboard much, much simpler and easier to understand than I have imagined it to be."
Geoffrey E.United Kingdom

"I'm amazed with just how much improvement I've seen in my own guitar playing."
Don B.United States

"What I'd really say is definitely take Steve Stine's course. I think you would find it really, really beneficial."
Demetrio G.Canada

"One major problem that I had was just being lost. Steve helped me find the way."
Jared H.United States

Read 100+ more student reviews

FAQ

Essential Guitar Techniques questions

Is this course good for beginners?

Yes. It starts with setup, chords and strumming. Later modules on arpeggios, sweeping and tapping suit more experienced players.

Do I need to take the modules in order?

No. Each module covers one area, so you can go to the technique you want to work on.

Which bends will I learn?

Half-step, whole-step and three-fret bends, plus blues, harmony, unison, siren and pre-bends, and bends combined with slides and pull-offs.

Does it cover acoustic guitar?

Yes. A module covers fingerpicking, hybrid picking and the capo.

Does it cover advanced techniques?

Yes. Lessons cover sweeping, tapping, natural, artificial and pinch harmonics, and the whammy bar.

How long is the course?

There are 72 video lessons in 10 modules, about 6.5 hours in total, plus short practice-lick clips.

How do I get Essential Guitar Techniques?

Essential Guitar Techniques is one of the 16 core courses in GuitarZoom Premium. Premium costs $39 a month or $299 a year and starts with a 14-day free trial. You can also buy Essential Guitar Techniques on its own for a one-time $97.

What else is included in GuitarZoom Premium?

Premium gives you Steve Stine's 16 core courses in a clear, step-by-step path, from your first chords to improvising your own solos, plus a Jam Tracks library. You get every course from day one.

Can I cancel GuitarZoom Premium?

Yes. You can cancel any time. If you cancel before your 14-day trial ends, you won't be charged.

Can I watch on my phone or tablet?

Yes. You can watch on any computer, tablet or phone with an internet connection, as often as you like.

Next in the Premium path