Browse all 34 guitar lessons, practice ideas and articles.
Phil Roberts · August 16, 2026
You’re not stuck because you haven’t learned enough guitar stuff. You’re stuck because your skills haven’t joined up into something usable. Learn the 5 practical fixes.
Phil Roberts · August 8, 2026
Stuck in minor pentatonic box 1? Learn why your solos sound samey and how chord tones, phrasing, rhythm and space can make them more musical.
Phil Roberts · December 6, 2024
Ever sat down with your guitar, started noodling, and thought, *Why does everything I play sound the same? It’s because when it comes to breaking new ground, you’re missing a vital ingredient that will allow you to take the next step.
Phil Roberts · June 15, 2024
Understanding the emotional value of intervals is crucial for creating melodies that resonate with listeners. In this blog post, we'll explore resolved and unresolved intervals and how you can use them to enhance your melodic creations on the guitar.
Phil Roberts · June 15, 2024
Think learning more scales will improve your guitar solos? Nope. In this guide learn why this is wrong and how to elevate your solos using a better approach.
Phil Roberts · January 10, 2023
Here’s an example of how I wrote a song using Garageband. I detail the process and some of my creative choices.
Phil Roberts · June 12, 2021
I get a lot of emails asking about improvising: how to start, how to come up with ideas, how to not sound like you are playing scales. Are you stuck creating solos or frustrated that they always sound the same? I can help – what are your top 2 questions?
Phil Roberts · July 26, 2019
Here’s a fool-proof method for learning lots of songs fast. Great for last minute fill-in gigs.
Phil Roberts · March 27, 2019
Guitar Modes. Why are they such a mindf#ck? Despite the huge amount of information about understanding modes of the major scale, it’s probably one of the most confusing subjects in music theory. But when it comes down to it, you only really have 3 questions about them…
Phil Roberts · February 21, 2019
Learning music theory is for the most part thought of as complicated and painful that takes decades of learning. But its not (if somebody explains it well). If you’re one of the “been playing for 10 years but never bothered to learn Music Theory” types, then this one is for you.
Phil Roberts · February 7, 2019
What is this secret chord number system? You’re hearing people talk about “One, Four, Five” chords progressions. And you’re seeing chords written as I, vi, ii, V, I. What the heck are they talking about?
Phil Roberts · January 21, 2019
Budding songwriter who wants to start writing your own songs? While some songwriters take a words-first, approach, many prefer to start with a chord progression to serve as the framework for the song and melody. So how do you know which chords to use in which order? Is there a formula for creating chord progressions?
Phil Roberts · January 18, 2019
Following the previous post on guitar chord construction in this article we’ll look at chord exensions. Extended chords are often avoided by the self taught guitar player firstly as the names of chord extensions can be a little intimidating but more significantly, many find it difficult to understand just when and where these extended chords can be applied.
Phil Roberts · January 18, 2019
Understanding guitar chords can hard because beyond the basics there are lots of long and complicated chord names. Exotic chord names strike fear into the hearts of guitar players (both beginners and intermediates alike) because they seem complex and difficult to understand. As it happens, demystifying complex guitar chords is not that hard, if you know how to decode them – so let’s cover some basics then move on to helping you decode.
Phil Roberts · December 3, 2018
Ever wondered how musos at jams communicate with eachother in the moment? If they are strangers, how do they all know to do that stop in verse 1, or when to get really quiet, or what if one of them is crazy loud and needs to turn down? Is it just instinct or is there something else going on? This guide should clear things up.
Phil Roberts · September 21, 2018
Almost every novice player starts out playing guitar using open chords. This makes chords fairly easy to play from a practical point of view but many players experience confusion around understanding chord construction later on.
Phil Roberts · June 27, 2018
You've plucked up the courage to go to your first jam night or open mic but there's a shit tonne of things related to perfoming live that you don't know about. Stagecraft is knowledge only gleaned from years of playing to audiences: dealing with gear issues and learning from on-stage mishaps. Here are my first time jam tips…
Phil Roberts · May 30, 2018
When I began playing around with chords I found that some sounded better together than others. Instead of randomly hunting for these chords, let’s explain the underlying framework to help you find the groups of chords that work best.
Phil Roberts · March 26, 2018
At some point you'll find yourself working with other musicians who many not be up to you level. It's important to remain supportive to them while still getting the job done. Here's my guide…
Phil Roberts · October 20, 2017
Your local open mic nights or jam sessions are a great place for you to go as a practicing guitar player. They offer opportunities to learn through meeting other musicians: talking, playing and just hanging out. But some players use the opportunity as an ego booster, here are lsit of things you should never do.
Phil Roberts · September 8, 2017
Imagine finally having the skills to focus in on and identify elements in the music you love, so you can learn to play it more accurately with more feel. Learn How Here.
Phil Roberts · June 27, 2017
Learn this legendary track from Jimi Hendrix's 1968 album Electric Ladyland .
Phil Roberts · August 25, 2016
If you're stuck in a rut and your guitar playing has stopped moving forward there's one thing you definitely haven't tried. But I warn you, you are going to be scared. (But that's good)
Phil Roberts · August 11, 2016
If you want to make the move from bedroom guitarist to live performer, then need to learn how to play live at a jam. Brave Your First Blues Jam gives you all the guidance, training and preparation to do just that.
Phil Roberts · June 21, 2016
So many online tutorials get this wrong! Here's how to actually play If 6 was 9 by Jimi Hendrix - authentically.
Phil Roberts · May 23, 2016
Stuck on some weirdly named chord? Baffled by the "It's a one-four-five" call at a jam, here's how the major scale helps.
Phil Roberts · May 12, 2016
Food and music go together like, erm, burgers and chords *ahem*. Grab your ingredients, fire up the grill and let's gets started building some tasty chords
Phil Roberts · May 10, 2016
It's taken longer than expected but today I'm launching my free course:
Phil Roberts · February 22, 2016
How do I know which key a song is in? Here's 3 methods, a couple of quick and dirty ones and one more academic (but jargon free) one with a free cheatsheet.
Phil Roberts · January 28, 2016
Music theory tells you that you need 3 notes to make a major chord. So why the hell does your major barre chord (and all the other chords you play) have 6? Here's why....
Phil Roberts · January 3, 2016
You've heard this guitar motif used hundred times in songs by John Mayer, The Rolling Stones, Poison, Dire Straits and more. Learn it and apply to your playing today
Phil Roberts · December 29, 2015
How do you train your ears to recognise the intervals of 3rds, 4ths and 5ths? Learn the distinctive sound of each with some famous song examples.
Phil Roberts · December 21, 2015
How you can use dead-time away from your guitar (travelling on a bus, in a queue, at the gym, in a taxi) to help you improve your playing. Sounds like a crock, right? Wrong.
Phil Roberts · December 7, 2015
There are 132 notes on your fretboard but who the hell wants to learn all those? Check out 4 hacks that mean you only need to learn 16 notes to unlock the entire fingerboard.