This week’s issue of Six String Sunday has a lot of lessons, which always makes me happy, because really, that’s the most important thing we have as guitar players - getting better on our instrument! It feels awesome to learn something new, create a new riff, or get past something you were really struggling with before. This week we’ll talk about barre chords, funk guitar, how to play like Mark Knopfler and a bunch more.

We also just did episode 3 of Chasing Sound Live! I had so much fun, and I appreciate anyone who gets the chance to stop in. If you missed the episode live, you can check out the replay here. I’m really trying to get more and more people in the live chat when we go live, so make sure to stop in every other Saturday!

The SECRET to Easy BARRE CHORDS! - They’re one of the most important chords you’ll learn - Justin Johnson (who’s a phenomenal guitarist) teaches you how to play barre chords, move those shapes all around the neck, and gives some tips for getting your hand comfortable with playing them. If you’re just starting out, get these under your fingers as soon as possible! Learning barre chords will open the door to playing a ton of different songs.
A Beginner's Guide To Funk Guitar - If you’re a little further on your path to playing guitar, and would like to get funky, check out Rhett Shull’s primer to playing funk guitar. He gets one of my favorite teachers online, Tomo Fujita, to join him for a helpful lesson. Keep reading this issue, as we’ll be talking more about Tomo, and his cool gift he got from John Mayer.
How to get Guitar Pedals... FOR FREE!!! #SHORTS - This is too accurate.
The Paul Reed Smith Music School is OFFICIALLY OPEN - Tyler from MusicIsWin is promoting a 4 day, $100 Paul Reed Smith Music School, that benefits a really great cause. I’m looking to see if I can fit this in to my schedule! If you’d like to learn more about the event, check out this link.
Musical Phrasing On Guitar. Sick of Sounding Fragmented? Then Watch This Guitar Phrasing Lesson - If you want your lead lines to sound more vocal, you should check out this fun lesson with StichMethod. He uses simple verbal phrases to show us how easy it can be to make your lines “sing”.
Accentuate the Chord Changes - John Mayer Guitar Advice 08 - Not sure who made this channel about John Mayer’s Thoughts, but I’m glad they did (and just in time for his new album ‘Sob Rock’). In this video, Mayer talks about how important it is to accentuate the chord changes with chord tones. I also enjoyed this video where he talks about how his diverse musical influences shaped his own sound.
A letter from John Mayer - PRS ROXY PINK Silver Sky & Last Train Home Lesson - Speaking of John, he recently sent his guitar teacher Tomo Fujita one of the first Roxy Pink Silver Sky guitars. John’s “Last Train Home” single is fantastic, and in this video Tomo shows us how to play it. I love how Tomo Fujita teaches on YouTube, truly one of the great teachers we have on the platform.
Stevie Ray Vaughan Open String Blues Licks... (these sound FILTHY on a strat) - Moving to one of John Mayer’s biggest influences, this week Ross Campbell shows us some killer Stevie Ray Vaughan open string licks. Ross is tuned down a half step to Eb, so he’s able to use all of the open strings while soloing. Ross is another guy on YouTube, who’s videos I’ll watch every time. They’re always really informative, he always writes fun licks, and always has beautiful tone.
Blues Soloing Secrets - Mixing Scales + 12 Bar Blues Guitar Licks in E - Before we move on to metal, I wanted to link to one more helpful blues lesson I found this week. SwiftLessons does a great video on mixing up scales to play over a 12 bar blues in E. The lesson is broken down into two parts - one section to learn the scales, and one section with tab about how to practice the licks.
Woodshed Ep. 65 My Top 5 John Petrucci Riffs! - Andy Wood is back with another episode of his Woodshed show, and this week he’s talking about his favorite John Petrucci riffs. It’s always fun to watch a monster player like Wood pay respects to a player from a completely different genre. The coolest thing is that Wood doesn’t just pick his favorite 5 Petrucci riffs - he’s also playing them! There’s a lot to choose from (Dream Theater, Liquid Tension Experiment, solo stuff) - what are your top 5 Petrucci riffs?
Joe Bonamassa Shares Game-Changing Pearls of Wisdom - Joe Bonamassa’s output over the past couple of decades has been absolutely insane. The guy knows how to sell records and put on a live show, plus his vast collection of guitars has him playing different gear all the time - so he knows a thing or two about the craft of guitar playing. Bonamassa shared 5 helpful tips with Guitar Player, that any guitar player can benefit from.
Kramer's new Custom Graphics Collection guitars are some of the most eye-popping we've seen in 2021 - I’m a big fan of simple shred guitars, which is exactly what Kramer has just released. Not only do these guitars look fun and 80’s inspired, but they’re also at a great price point of $999. I’ve been hearing mixed messages about the playability of these guitars, so I’ll have to report back after playing one myself. And speaking of “shred machines”, a trio of Jason Becker guitars just finished their auctions - including a super rare Peavey prototype Numbers guitar.
Is Billy Gibbons’s new Wild Custom guitar the craziest signature model of the year so far? - And while I don’t focus too much on gear, I had to link to Billy Gibbon’s new signature guitar, which is giving me St. Vincent vibes. The coolest thing about this guitar other than its looks is that it features the Gyrock pickup system, for quick pickup swaps. Darrell Braun did a really fun review of this pickup system about a year ago, which you can check out here. The funniest thing about this guitar? It’s 10 thousand dollars, so…… And if you want to see even more stupidly expensive guitars, check this video out too.
Explore the wonderful world of pinch harmonics with this essential primer from Greg Koch - Young rock students will often ask me how to do pinch harmonics. Thankfully the wonderfully melodious and diabolical Greg Koch is here to help with a lesson on the subject. I also did a small lesson on the subject way back in 2017, which you can check out here.
How to make any overdrive pedal sound better - Ever bring an overdrive pedal home, only to be bummed out that it doesn’t sound as good as you’d hoped it would? Never fear! McRocklin has 5 great tips that’ll help nearly any overdrive pedal sound great.
Buddy Guy "Damn Right, I've Got the Blues" on Guitar Center Sessions - Blues masterclass is in session when Buddy Guy shows how its done with his classic “Damn Right, I’ve Got the Blues” live at GC Sessions.
Learn to play guitar like Mark Knopfler in five minutes | Guitar.com | All Things Guitar - Break out your Strat! The Dire Straits frontman has been often imitated by countless guitarists. In this short lesson from Guitar.com, you’ll learn a handful of ways to play like Mark Knopfler.
The Official Mike Campbell Reverb Shop - Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is selling off some awesome amps, guitars and more. His shop is set to go live soon, so check out the link in the video’s description, if you’re interested in getting any of this gear!