A capo is one of those pieces of equipment that can be very confusing for beginners. It is easy to ignore what they do, as many songs can be played without a capo. When the day comes that you’re at band practice and someone says “you’ll need a capo on…

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You may be thinking, “Why would I need a bunch of information on what are the right guitar strings for me to buy? I mean really… strings are strings, right? Aren’t they all the same?” That really couldn’t be any farther from the truth! There are many factors that you…

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Is someone cutting onions? Is it raining on my face? Time to learn the heartbreaking ballad Hurt – originally by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, but reimagined by the legendary Johnny Cash. This is a great example of the emotional power of music, especially when stripped back to simple…

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“Bad Guy”, made famous by Billie Eilish, is now available in Yousician for Piano and Singing. Bad Guy for Piano by: Sunny Choi, Music Education Designer for Piano The accompaniment exercise (level 4) is a simple accompaniment…

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OK… so you’ve been learning some chords and really starting to get a handle on this whole “playing guitar” thing. Congratulations – you’ve already progressed farther than many people ever will! It’s time to take things to the next level, though. Playing basic chords is one thing, but if you’re…

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Let’s learn this blues-rock classic! Like many blues tunes, this song uses a “swing” rhythm (also known as a shuffle or boogie rhythm), which gives it a great bouncy feel. In swing rhythms, the off-beats aren’t half-way in between the main-beats: they come late, just before the next beat. Instead…

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Alright, let’s learn this powerful rock classic! This song has great examples of musical “hooks” – short repeated ideas that catch your ear and draw you in. Think about the “Thun-der!” in the intro or the fast high guitar part that repeats throughout the song. If you pay attention to…

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Let’s learn to play this jazzy ballad! This song features a rhythm that’s very common in jazz and blues – each main beat is divided into 3 notes, called triplets. You can count these along with the song by saying 1-2-3 over and over. “idontwannabeyouanymore”, made famous by Billie Eilish…

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Let’s learn to play this iconic rock song! This song is a textbook example of the power of syncopation (playing on the off-beats), which gives a strong sense of tension and momentum. The strong beats in songs are usually 1, 2, 3, 4 – those are the ones you tap…

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