Here’s a witty song with a pretty depressing undertone.

It’s a unique blend of playful lyrics, a broad sentiment, and of course, the blues…

Paul Simon plays it fingerstyle. 

Grab your 6-stringer, and let’s dive into this "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover?

"50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" was written by Paul Simon in 1975. It became his first solo number-one single in the U.S. after parting ways with Art Garfunkel.

They got together in the 1950s when first performed as "Tom and Jerry." But their big fame emerged in the 1960s when they adopted their real names and embraced a folk-inspired sound.  

“50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” is renowned for its playful yet punchy lyrics. The inspiration for the song came during Simon's own divorce from Peggy Harper. He reportedly came up with the opening lyrics while waking up in his Central Park apartment, reflecting on his pain. 

The chorus’s lighthearted rhymes, like "Slip out the b...

Here’s an epic song that’s become a bit of a cultural phenomenon. 

Every time I’ve performed it at a special event, bar, wedding, or club the crowd always seems to go CRAZY.

Especially when they get to the sing-along… 

So grab your 6-stringer, and let’s dive into this "Sweet Caroline" chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote Sweet Caroline?

"Sweet Caroline" was written by Neil Diamond in 1969. The story goes for years he claimed it was inspired by Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of President John F. Kennedy. 

He said he saw a photo of young Caroline on the cover of a magazine and thought the name "Caroline" fit perfectly with the melody he had already been developing. 

However, in 2014, Diamond revealed that the song was actually inspired by his then-wife, Marcia Murphey. He chose "Caroline" simply because her name didn’t fit the rhythm of the song.

Can you picture it?

“Sweet Marsha…”

This unexpected twist adds another layer of charm to the song’s already fascinating history....

George Harrison was sued by the publishers of the song "He’s So Fine" recorded by the Chiffons. 

They claimed he had unintentionally copied their melody. 

This song is a standout tune from Harrison’s monumental album All Things Must Pass.

In this post, I’m going to break down the guitar style behind it in an easier and more advanced way.

So grab your axe, and let’s dive into this "My Sweet Lord" chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote My Sweet Lord?

"My Sweet Lord" is a powerful song written by George Harrison, the lead guitarist of The Beatles. It was released in 1970 as part of his landmark solo album All Things Must Pass. 

At this point, Harrison was truly blossoming into his unique solo sound – post The Beatles. “My Sweet Lord” is one of the most beloved spiritual pop songs of all time. It blends Harrison’s newfound enlightenment with pop music of the day.

Harrison was inspired to write the song after hearing the Edwin Hawkins Singers’ gospel track, "Oh Happy Day." The ch...

Sometimes you gotta give someone the boot in your life…

You’ve got to say, "Hit The Road Jack..."

Ever been there?

In this post, I want to share with you a powerfully bluesy groove. You only need a couple of chords to have a lot of fun with this one…

So grab your axe, and let’s dive into this "Hit The Road Jack" chords and guitar lesson! 

Who Wrote Hit The Road Jack?

"Hit the Road Jack" was originally written by a blues singer-songwriter named Percy Mayfield. Mayfield was from the South. He was born on August 12, 1920, in Minden, Louisiana.  

He grew up surrounded by rich musical traditions, which deeply influenced his songwriting and vocal style. The most popular version of “Hit The Road Jack” was recorded by Ray Charles in 1961. His version featured The Raelettes, particularly Margie Hendrix, whose powerful vocals provided a memorable call-and-response dynamic typically of the blues. 

The song has biting humor and sings about a heated exchange between a man and a woman....

Here’s a powerful track that highlights an amazing moment in rock history…

The moment when Stevie Nicks (from Fleetwood Mac) became a Heartbreaker.

Nicks joined up with Tom Petty and released this emotional rock song that struck a chord with listeners around the world.

I’m going to break it down for you step-by-step.

So grab your axe and let’s dive into this “Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" chords and guitar lesson! 

Who Wrote"Stop Draggin' My Heart Around"?

"Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" was written by Tom Petty and guitarist Mike Campbell. The song marked an epic collaboration between Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac) and the Heartbreakers. This song was originally written for Petty’s band, but at the same time Nicks was working on her album Bella Donna, her producer Jimmy Lovine, was also working with Petty and suggested this duet. He felt that Petty could make a strong addition to her album.  

At first, Petty was reluctant, he didn’t want to let go of the song. But after heari...

Remember when dial-up internet came out?

All those beeping and buzzing sounds just to get online. And then finally… 

“Welcome”...

….“You’ve got mail” 

Internet back than was like the stone age compared to today’s speeds.

True story: 

A few years back I went to a YouTube Space headquarters in Playa Del Ray, California. The internet there was the FASTEST I’ve ever seen. It was like plugging in directly to Google. (Google owns YouTube.) 

Massive files and videos that would normally take hours to upload on high-speed internet. We’re uploaded in mere minutes at the YouTube headquarters. It was insane!

Do you feel like learning new songs is slower than dial-up internet?

Do they take forever to get down? 

Often players get stuck here at the base of what feels like a big insurmountable mountain. Then, once they finally go to play some of the songs they’ve been trying to get down. They exclaim things like, "Oh, come on, fingers! We practiced this a million times!".

One of the bigg...

Let’s go back in time to the early 1980s…

The story goes legendary guitarist Mike Campbell was about to get his house foreclosed on then suddenly had this smash hit song.

It was supposed to be a Tom Petty tune. But he passed on it. He thought it sounded too jazzy to be a Heartbreaker’s tune.

It wasn’t until Don Henley got into the mix and as they say, the rest is history.

Below I’m going to break it down for you step-by-step. 

So grab your axe, and let’s dive into this "Boys Of Summer" chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote Boys Of Summer?

“Boys of Summer” was written by Don Henley and Mike Campbell. It started off as a simple instrumental track Campbell was putting together using a LinnDrum drum machine at his home studio. Originally it was meant to be a Tom Petty tune. But when Petty heard the vibe, he felt it was too jazzy.  

So he didn’t want to record it.

Shortly after the song was pitched to Don Henley. Henley felt it was a good fit and added some lyrics, changed the ...

Recently a fellow asked:

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I'm struggling to understand the blues scale: is it the same thing as the minor pentatonic?

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Major pentatonic, minor pentatonic, blues scale, mixolydian… there are so many terms being tossed around by guitar players out there – it makes sense why this player feels this way.

Not knowing what scale to use for a solo, or where to even begin on the neck can be downright frustrating.

Often guitarists feel like they are getting traction learning theory etc. For example, they unlock how an A minor pentatonic scale can work over a C major chord. But then they get completely confused when someone is playing a blues in the key of C but uses the C minor pentatonic…

How does that work?

Well, to answer their question… 

No the pentatonic and the blues scale are not the same. They are two different scales. Two completely different sounds. In fact, many times guitarists think the go-to scale for soloing over the blues is the pentatonic. But that’s actually...

Here’s a smash hit song with an interesting backstory that now spans over 40 years.

It all started off as a classic country tune first recorded by David Allan Coe… then George Jones…  

But it wasn't until American singer-songwriter and guitarist Chris Stapleton got a hold of it, and he mashed it up with a soulful old blues groove. And as they say...the rest is history.

In this post I’m going to unpack some insider tips to help you understand the guitar style behind it – and whether you want to do an easy strumming version, or dive into the solos and lead parts, I’ve got you covered. 

So grab your axe, and let’s dive into this "Tennessee Whiskey" chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote Tennessee Whiskey?

"Tennessee Whiskey" was originally written by Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove – two famous songwriters out of Nashville, Tennesse. Although now the song is most often associated with Chris Stapleton’s cover version. The first recorded version of "Tennessee Whiskey" was done by Da...

Have you ever wondered what exact steps you should take to learn blues guitar?

Many guitarists discover basics like how to read tabs, maj/min scales, a few chords, and maybe even a bit about the pentatonic scale.

But when they search videos online the lessons often only focus on one area. And they often have pre-requirements or things that aren’t explained the players don’t know about yet.

This can be frustrating. So in this post, I’d like to walk you through a powerful framework (I’ve developed over the past 26 years of teaching and playing blues guitar professionally) to become blues proficient fast.

It’s all built around 3 easy steps, starting with…

1) Unlocking the "Freedom Palette"

I learned this from my old mentor (blues guitar maestro Kenny Burrell.) He called it a palette because he saw the blues as a simple framework any artist could use. This opens a door where other musicians and listeners can really look at you. What you do with this freedom palette shows your stor...