What do you mean by "Beyond Chords"?

This series of lessons, called "Beyond Chords" is all about getting past simple strumming. Strumming is the first level of guitar playing. You learn some basic chords and some fairly simple strum patterns and then you can play along with hundreds of songs. This is great, and it is a major accomplishment.

But "Beyond Chords" moves you from "playing along" with songs (playing a fairly simple accompaniment with a singer or other band members) to actually playing the song (where the song stands on its own because you've embedded the melody in your strumming pattern.

This course encourages you to go beyond just strumming to begin playing melodies. This involves moving your fingers around, often out of the normal position within the chord, and playing individual notes as you strum.

To encourage you to move in this direction and to help you become comfortable doing it we give you some exercises and a number of familiar tunes.

A step-by-step course in "Beyond Chords" will be offered in late winter 2025.

Have fun learning to go "Beyond Chords"

Subscribe to the Online Course

Get the manual and study guide

Playing Major Scale with Chords

- Key of G Major
- Key of E Major
- Key of A Major

Exercises

- Chord Change Runs - G-C-D
- Chord Change Runs - C-F-G
- Chord Change Runs - D-G-A
- Chord Change Runs - A-D-E

Songs

Mary Had a Little Lamb in Chords
Ode to Joy in Chords
You Are My Sunshine in G
She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain in G
Wipe Out in E
Doe A Deer
By the Rivers of Babylon

Christmas Songs

Jingle Bells
Little Drummer Boy
Here Comes Santa Claus
Joy to the World - Ukulele

Many more Songs and Exercises...Subscribe