Hey, I've been looking through the bios of people joining this group, and I've noticed something that comes up again and again... A lot of you used to play guitar, have fallen out of the habit, and now want to pick it up again and finally have a go at fingerstyle guitar. So I thought September would be the perfect time to do something about it! I'm starting a 3-Week Back to Guitar Challenge, with two completely FREE live guitar classes every week. The classes will take place on Zoom, so you'll be able to follow along with me from home. And don't worry — you don't need to turn your camera on, show your face or play guitar in front of anybody! You can simply grab your guitar, watch me and play along from the comfort of your own home. 🎸 What are we going to learn? We'll start right at the beginning and gradually work towards playing a proper fingerstyle arrangement. Lesson 1 — Get Your Fingers Moving Simple exercises to get your fingers working again, followed by something musical to put them into practice. Lesson 2 — Open Chords & Arpeggios Refresh your essential open chords and learn how to turn them into beautiful-sounding fingerstyle arpeggios. Lesson 3 — Famous Chord Progressions as Arpeggios We'll take some familiar chord progressions and use them to practise different fingerpicking patterns. Lesson 4 — Introduction to Travis Picking Learn the basics of alternating bass and start building that classic Travis picking sound. Lesson 5 — Easy Fingerstyle Melodies We'll move onto playing simple melodies and develop the control you need to play them cleanly. Lesson 6 — Turn a Simple Melody Into a Fingerstyle Arrangement Finally, we'll take an easy melody and gradually add bass notes, chords and fingerpicking until we've turned it into a complete solo fingerstyle arrangement. 🗓️ When are the classes? We'll meet every Tuesday and Thursday at 4:45pm Spain / Central European time for three weeks. 🇬🇧 3:45pm UK & Ireland 🇺🇸 10:45am Eastern 🇺🇸 9:45am Central

Hey everyone, A lot of us come to fingerstyle guitar after spending years playing with a pick and strumming chords. Then suddenly your picking hand has a completely different job. Instead of simply holding a pick, your thumb and fingers have to find and pluck individual strings accurately – often while doing completely different things at the same time. It can almost feel like you're learning guitar all over again. Sound familiar? It certainly did for me, which is why I've always made fingerpicking accuracy exercises part of my practice. In fact, I have a simple warm-up that I use myself, and today I'm giving it to you. I've attached the PDF to this post. Inside you'll find 5 short fingerpicking exercises using only open strings, so there are no chords or complicated fretting to worry about. The idea is to forget about your left hand completely and concentrate on developing accuracy, coordination and control in your picking hand. Some of the exercises also use common fingerpicking patterns that you'll come across again and again in songs, so you're developing skills that transfer directly into your playing. ⏱️ Here's exactly how I use it Before I practise anything else, I set a stopwatch and play each exercise continuously for one full minute. Don't worry about playing quickly. Concentrate on hitting the correct strings cleanly and keeping the pattern steady. That's it. Five minutes at the beginning of every practice session. It doesn't sound like much, but do this consistently and you'll start to notice your picking hand becoming more accurate and comfortable. And when you go back to learning your songs, you should find the fingerpicking patterns start to feel much more natural. So steal my warm-up, give it a go and let me know how you get on! The PDF is attached to this post. Jack 🎸

Hey, It's a bold question, I know, but (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay by Otis Redding has to be in the conversation. Released in 1968, shortly after Otis Redding's tragic death, it became his biggest hit and one of the defining songs of the soul era. Its laid-back groove, beautiful melody and timeless lyrics make it a fantastic song to learn on fingerstyle guitar. If you think there's an even better soul song, let me know in the comments. I'd love to hear your suggestions! This week it's also our free beginner tab. I've created both a Level 1 and Level 2 version. If you're new to my beginner arrangements, here's how they work: 🎵 Level 1 focuses on playing the song's distinctive melody one note at a time. It's a great way to become familiar with the tune while developing the coordination and accuracy needed for fingerstyle guitar. 🎵 Level 2 takes that melody and begins adding bass and harmony notes, creating a richer sound while introducing the techniques you'll need for full fingerstyle arrangements. The idea is to give you a series of stepping stones, allowing you to build your skills gradually rather than jumping straight into a more advanced arrangement. I've attached both YouTube videos below for you to have a listen. If you'd like to learn the song, the Level 1 tab is available free this week. Just head to the Classroom tab and open the Free Weekly Fingerstyle Tab Bundle to download your copy. If you'd also like the Level 2 version, plus instant access to my entire back catalogue of over 400 fingerstyle tabs, exercises and courses, you can explore the Fingerstyle Guitar School with a 7-day free trial here Enjoy the arrangement, and don't forget to tell me your favourite soul song in the comments! Jack 🎸

I know... it's only August! 😄 But if I want everything ready well before Christmas, I need to start planning now. Every year I add a handful of new fingerstyle arrangements to the collection, and I'd love your help deciding which songs to work on next. Below are the Christmas arrangements I've already written, so have a quick look before making your suggestions. Already available: - White Christmas - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - O Holy Night - Silent Night - The First Noel - O Come All Ye Faithful - Angels We Have Heard on High - Away in a Manger - Good King Wenceslas - We Three Kings - Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - Joy to the World - Deck the Halls - O Christmas Tree - We Wish You a Merry Christmas - Little Drummer Boy - Silver Bells - It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Let It Snow - Winter Wonderland - Jingle Bells - Jingle Bell Rock - Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Santa Claus Is Coming to Town - Here Comes Santa Claus - Blue Christmas - All I Want for Christmas Is You - Fairytale of New York - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday - Merry Xmas (War Is Over) - Carol of the Bells - Ding Dong Merrily on High 🎵 Now it's your turn! Which Christmas songs are missing from the list? Comment below with your requests

Hey everyone, Did you know that Leaving On A Jet Plane was written by John Denver in 1966, before he became a household name? At the time, he was a struggling songwriter, and he originally recorded it himself under the title "Babe, I Hate to Go." It wasn't until Peter, Paul and Mary recorded the song a few years later that it became an international hit, reaching No. 1 in the US in 1969. What I love most about the song is how little it relies on complexity. There are no flashy chord changes or complicated melodies—just a beautiful tune that manages to say a lot with very little. Those are often my favourite songs to arrange because every note really matters. I've attached the playthrough videos to this post so you can hear both the full arrangement and the easy version. If you'd like to download the tabs, they're available inside the Fingerstyle Guitar School, where you'll also get access to my complete back catalogue of fingerstyle arrangements, exercises, courses, and every new tab I release. You can have a look around with a 7-day free trial here: https://www.skool.com/fingerstyleguitarschool/about Finally, a little sneak peek... next week I'll be releasing the first videos from my brand new Travis Picking Course inside the Fingerstyle Guitar School. It's something many of you have asked for over the years, so I'm really looking forward to sharing it with you. Enjoy the videos, and let me know what you think of the arrangement! Jack