How to solo over the chord changes? This is one of the questions I had early on when I first started to learn how to solo and I felt stuck. I could solo over major and minor, no problem, but I knew there was more than just that.

Solo over chord changes - I had to learn how to do that. I tried to learn jazz… fusion and whatever I found complex and sophisticated. The more chords the better. The more scales I memorized the better.

I went deeper into the study of harmony and music theory and I was able to understand it all… but I could not solo over chord changes yet… I had the head knowledge… but it turned out that I wasn't able to translate that head knowledge translate into what I deeply wanted to: play freely over the chord changes.

So I decided to go back to the basics: Blues. Is there anything more foundational to the electric guitar than BLUES? And this is what I am going to teach in this video: How to solo over chord changes on Blues.

How to solo over the major key? What is the most effective way to sound good very quickly? Do you need to memorize a whole new scale?

I don't know you, but when I first started to play guitar, I was told that to solo and improv you needed to learn all the scales of all the different keys, major and minor... If that's what you heard as well, I am here to tell you that it is much easier than that, so no stress.

In this video I will show you what is my favourite scale to solo over the major key and how to, with just a few adjustments, you can have some amazing results.

How to solo over the minor key? What is the most effective way to sound good very quickly?

In this video I will show you what is my favourite scale to solo over the minor and how to, with just a few adjustments, you can have some amazing results.

Take your time and go through this lesson and start playing in new and exciting ways.

How to play guitar fast? 

I cannot tell you how many times I heard this question in my life as a guitar teacher. The truth is that playing guitar fast is pretty awesome.

In this video you will learn a few fast licks you can learn and play the next time you’re with your friends. These are fast licks using different techniques to impress your friend and a few girls. So, have fun!

However, playing fast is not the main thing in guitar. When I was younger I used to think that a great guitarist is a fast guitarist. All I wanted was to play as fast as John Petrucci. It didn’t take long for me to learn that it would be impossible because he is way too fast… LOL so I had to change the way I thought about that… LOL.

Playing fast has its value, no doubt. It is a great way to bring intensity and the dynamic of rush in a solo and improvisation, but again, it’s just one aspect of guitar playing. Use it as a means to an end, and not an end alone.

Thomas Dekker

How to solo on guitar in any given key? Can you solo in any given key? What about if it is a minor key? Or major? What about the genre?

It seems almost impossible to know all the scales, right? Major, minor, sharps and flats? It is a lot to memorize, isn’t it? 

How to do that? How can you know all the scales that we have in our guitar? This is what I love about guitar. Guitar is an instrument that is based in shapes rather than notes. That fact makes our lives as guitarist much more simple!

Well, in this lesson you will learn a very simple and practical way for you to be able to do exactly that: solo in any key, major, or minor, any genre! You will learn how to use one single shape that will work for everything: Any given key, major or minor!

Thomas Dekker

Have you been playing guitar for a while and you still struggle when it comes to finding the notes on the fretboard? Know this: YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

How to learn all the notes on the fretboard? 

It seams almost impossible, right? And I'll tell you that, if you don't understand the ergonomics of the guitar, how it is build and how to use it in our favour, knowing all the notes on the guitar can be quite overwhelming.

In this lesson I'll show you the most simple and logical way to finally know all the notes on the fretboard of your guitar.

Well, you don't need more music theory, right? For that reason, I will also show you how you can start implementing the concept of the CAGED System into your playing right away.

Thomas D.

Do you still struggle with your Alternate Picking technique? How long have you been playing for? Well, it's time to get over it!

Do this exercise every day, for 5 minutes, for 2 weeks.

In my opinion, the alternate picking technique is the most fundamental skill you should master. But when I say master, I don't mean become a shredder, but rather, become so natural and instinctive to you that you don't need to worry about it anymore.

And this is the goal of this video: to make the alternate picking your second nature.

Just do this exercise every day, for 5 minutes, for 2 weeks. I am certain that you will find great improvement on your picking skills. You will also notice how your playing will become smoother!

If you are stuck in your playing when it comes to blues, then these two notes will help you FOR SURE!

A lot of us get stuck in our own ways to do things. Many times, a little help is all we need to get ahead. And what is more surprising is that, once you get ahead, you notice that you were just a few steps from breaking through.

Here you'll see two little notes that, if used with wisdom and craftiness, can make your soloing over blues much more interesting and, of course, more BLUESY!

Are you stuck with the pentatonic scale? Would you like to solo in more than just one position of your fretboard?

Well, we all are at some point, so you're not alone there! I'm sure this will help you! In this video you will learn how to solo over 12 Bar Blues using the Pentatonic Scale Shape #1/E (and its octave) and Shape #4/A. 

You will learn how to use the Pentatonic scale in three different areas of your fretboard!

Being able to solo and improv over blues is one of the most desirable and fun things a guitarist can do! In the same time that it will be one of the first things you will learn as an early guitar students, it will also be one of the last things you will master! It can either be so nice and simple, or it can get sophisticated and jazzy!