Learning to Play Guitar: Chords, Scales, and Solos

Overview Course No. 7776

These 24 engaging lessons offer a fun and customizable learning system, refined by Dr. McAllister over decades, which will teach you to play the guitar in a surprisingly short time. Starting with the basics and building one element on another, Dr. McAllister provides a spectrum of core principles and musical material, building a solid base for playing the guitar and for further exploration in any style. Each lesson is a complete unit, where you’ll work through five learning modules:

• Technique: Learn fundamental guitar playing skills including left-hand fingering, shifting, right-hand strumming, finger picking, and pick playing.

• Musicianship and Note Reading: Learn to read music, grasp the fundamentals of music theory, and develop the ability to play by ear.

• Chords: Practice a wide range of basic chords and study chord theory.

• Scales and Melodic Patterns: Learn all the essential scales for guitar, melodic patterns, and how to improvise.

• Putting it All Together: Apply what you’ve learned to real guitar songs and tunes covering various musical styles.

The program also takes you on a journey into the history of the guitar, its greatest players, and the styles they created, from legends like Andrés Segovia, Doc Watson, and Paco de Lucia to many pivotal but lesser-known figures.

Video Lessons

01: Guitar Basics: Play a Song in 60 Seconds

Learn a simple song on the guitar in one minute. Study guitar parts and hold the instrument. Explore G and C major chords.

Duration: 31 min

02: Tuning Up, Reading Music, and Dexterity

Learn to tune your guitar and study the importance of practice and performance. Explore E and A minor chords.

Duration: 38 min

03: Classical Guitar Position and Posture

Study body posture with your instrument and practice alternating finger warmups. Learn notation basics.

Duration: 38 min

04: Learning How to Practice the Guitar

Study practice techniques, shifting, chord notation, and scales. Play “Shifting Sands”.

Duration: 33 min

05: Playing Fingerstyle Guitar

Learn fingerstyle technique and explore open strings, scales, and fingering chords in a song.

Duration: 37 min

06: Playing Rhythm Guitar

Explore rhythm guitar and play arpeggios, eighth-notes, waltz rhythms, and melodic patterns.

Duration: 34 min

07: The Pentatonic Scale

Study Eric Johnson’s guitar-playing and use the pentatonic scale for improvising.

Duration: 25 min

08: The Blues Scale and Lateral Stretching

Explore pre-war blues players and the blues scale in “Blues for Art”. Practice lateral stretching.

Duration: 35 min

09: Planting for Control and Accuracy

Learn planting technique for accuracy. Play D and A major chords and new melodies.

Duration: 28 min

10: Guitar Tremolo: Gaining Speed

Study tremolo and classical guitar techniques. Play the “Raindrop Etude”.

Duration: 30 min

11: Legato and Power Chords

Practice legato technique and power chords for rock music.

Duration: 24 min

12: Travis Picking for Folk, Country, and Rock

Study Merle Travis’ fingerpicking and apply it in “Dusty Blue”.

Duration: 28 min

13: Hammer-Ons and Pull-Offs

Explore dominant seventh chords and legato techniques in accompaniment.

Duration: 33 min

14: Finger Independence and Chord Theory

Study harmonic tension, resolution, and practice left-hand independence.

Duration: 32 min

15: Crosspicking and Bass Lines

Learn Doc Watson’s techniques, crosspicking, and barre chords.

Duration: 26 min

16: Piano-Style Guitar and Fingernail Care

Explore chord qualities, nail care, and piano-style guitar techniques.

Duration: 27 min

17: Syncopated Strumming and Movable Scales

Practice chromatic octaves, syncopation, and movable scales.

Duration: 29 min

18: A New Pentatonic Scale and the Capo

Study musical “silence” and use the capo with pentatonic scales.

Duration: 32 min

19: Barre Chords: Movable Chords

Delve into jazz guitar, movable chords, and reggae-style songs.

Duration: 34 min

20: Flamenco Technique: Rasgueado

Explore flamenco styles and rasgueado in a new song.

Duration: 30 min

21: Playing with Natural Harmonics

Learn about harmonics, diatonic seventh chords, and modes in a tune.

Duration: 30 min

22: Jazz Harmony and Dorian Mode

Study jazz influences, modal scales, and apply them in a blues tune.

Duration: 34 min

23: DADGAD Tuning and Lydian Mode

Explore alternate tunings, modes, and play “Alpine Sunrise”.

Duration: 25 min

24: Taking the Guitar to the Next Level

Learn artificial harmonics, diminished chords, and finish with a jazzy flamenco-inspired song.

Duration: 38 min