One of the great things about learning to play the guitar is the fact that learning how to read sheet music isn’t an absolute requirement. It’s a fair statement to say that many of the most famous guitar heroes from over the years didn’t know how – from…

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Let’s learn to play this brooding pop tune! One of the more distinctive elements of this song is the changing “time signature” (number of beats in each bar) in the chorus. Like most songs, it has 4 beats per bar, except for some bars with 2 beats per bar. These…

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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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