Earlier in the series, we explored the C major scale. In this lesson, the A minor will get some love. Learn the basic open position and use it in a new melody.
Taught by David Isaacs in Beginner Guitar With David Isaacs seriesLength: 15:43Difficulty: 1.5 of 5
Don't get stuck learning chords, scales and theory with nowhere to apply the things you work on. Take the "David Isaacs" approach and learn the guitar by using real music. You'll be playing along with simple song examples after the second lesson!
Lesson 1
Don't get stuck learning chords, scales and theory with nowhere to apply the things you work on. Take the "David Isaacs" approach and learn the guitar by using real music. You'll be playing along with...
Length: 2:32 Difficulty: 0.5 FREELesson 2
Tune up, learn your way around your guitar, and explore a simple, musical picking exercise to help you learn the string names. You'll be playing right out of the gate!
Length: 22:20 Difficulty: 0.5 Members OnlyLesson 3
Learn hand position, posture and see how to set up your playing for success when it comes to your fret hand. Dave goes in depth with his discussion and demonstration of hand mechanics. Don't miss this...
Length: 16:10 Difficulty: 0.5 Members OnlyLesson 4
Learn the E7 minor and Am chords and then immediately put them to use with a simple song. Play along to the provided backing track and feel like you're part of the band...It's only your 4th lesson! Keep...
Length: 15:32 Difficulty: 1.0 Members OnlyLesson 5
Power chords are some of the most simple and ubiquitous tools for playing and making great songs. Learn the most basic shapes and put them to use right here! Dave also discusses the beginnings of strumming...
Length: 12:21 Difficulty: 1.0 Members OnlyLesson 6
Learn a simple melody and take in a little info about what a 'key' is. You can learn the melody and have a friend strum the rhythm. Or, do it the other way around!
Length: 18:07 Difficulty: 1.0 Members OnlyLesson 7
These simple, musical tools can take you a long way. Use your index and middle fingers to play a simple Am chord and a simple E chord. You'll also learn how to read chord charts and play through another...
Length: 16:46 Difficulty: 1.0 Members OnlyLesson 8
You will be introduced to a simple A minor scale and then learn a song that helps you get your new scale under your finger tips!
Length: 12:08 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 9
Do you ever feel like you are wearing mittens while you are trying to practice your guitar playing? If you have ever experienced this sensation, this lesson is for you!
Length: 11:04 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 10
You'll be introduced to the C Major scale and then you'll be able to put it to use over a soothing acoustic guitar rhythm bed. Have fun!
Length: 10:37 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 11
Here you'll get to spend some time applying some fundamental chord shapes. Dave shows how to switch between these two chords seamlessly and, as usual, has a creative example ready to go so you can put...
Length: 18:39 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 12
I know what you're thinking..."I just learned these!" Well, you did learn a C chord and a G chord, but this lesson goes over ways to play these chords together in a chord progression that REALLY sounds...
Length: 11:06 Difficulty: 1.0 Members OnlyLesson 13
You've probably heard it before, but most songs out there can really be played with just 3 or 4 chords. In this lesson, Dave gives you the tools to play most of the songs you know and love!
Length: 14:04 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 14
We're moving into some new territory with this series now. You'll now be focusing more and more on material that you can play in a band setting. Up until now, you've been applying the basics to real music,...
Length: 24:54 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 15
Learn about the blues form and strum along with a cool, laid back, bluesy track. You'll be able to take the material in this lesson a long way down the road! Don't forget to have fun with it now though...
Length: 12:03 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 16
Learn the C major pentatonic scale and put it to good use over a catchy tune! You'll be surprised how simple this is and how very musical you can be with just 5 notes arranged in a musically interesting...
Length: 8:38 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 17
The mighty and intimidating F chord is one that most beginners see as a major hurdle in learning the basic chords on the guitar. Dave offers some ways to make the F chord more approachable. Once you examine...
Length: 15:35 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 18
Work on precision with your picking hand and more finger independence with your fretting hand using a soothing practice track called "Chimes". You'll get a good taste of combining melody and rhythm playing...
Length: 15:34 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 19
Dave works you through eight different strumming variations, discusses how to feel the groove while keeping the rhythm, and shows you how to take a handful of examples and create any strum pattern you...
Length: 14:18 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 20
Look at the C major scale once again. This time however, you'll get to complete the first position C major pattern. You'll play every note within reach of your first 4 frets. You'll also learn a catchy...
Length: 16:28 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 21
Work in the Am, Dm, and Em chords and play them in a melancholy, yet soothing example. You'll also get to work on your basic strumming.
Length: 12:18 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 22
Learn the E minor pentatonic scale with a small position shift that will get you out of the open position and moving around the neck a little bit. This is where it really starts to feel like you are owning...
Length: 13:53 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 23
Earlier in the series, we explored the C major scale. In this lesson, the A minor will get some love. Learn the basic open position and use it in a new melody.
Length: 15:43 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 24
Back to some chords now. In case you couldn't tell from the title, we'll be focusing on 7th chords for this lesson. You learned A7 a while back, and now you'll learn E7 and B7.
Length: 13:32 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 25
Take a moment to pat yourself on the back! You've covered a lot of ground so far! You've been playing real music now for some time, and in this lesson, we're going to learn a walking blues line. What is...
Length: 10:50 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 26
Chords that don't have any open strings in them AND chords whose open strings fit comfortably within the chord all called "moveable chords". Learn how to play a couple chords up the neck.
Length: 15:31 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 27
In this lesson, you'll take another big step forward when it comes to working outside of the open position. You'll feel like doing some jamming too!
Length: 8:44 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 28
There are eight more strum patterns for you to dig into in this lesson. This time, they are a bit trickier. Follow along with the rhythm charts and take each example in chunks if needed. Combine them with...
Length: 19:33 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 29
You knew it was coming! This is the lesson where we stop dancing around full fingered moveable chords and dive head first into the most common barre chord shapes. They're not as bad as you may be fearing....
Length: 19:21 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 30
As the musical examples continue to distance themselves from that stereotypical beginner sound, Dave works through this track with a simple, moving melody inside a blues progression.
Length: 14:47 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 31
Some of you may have been waiting for this one! Now we'll focus on some improvisation...Some lead playing. It's not about knowing all the scales or trying to be fancy. It is about using what you know...
Length: 12:45 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 32
Learn how to create motion and percussive interest with your strumming. If you look at and listen to how drummers accent general grooves, there is a lot of insight there in to how to make your rhythm playing...
Length: 17:29 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 33
Learn B minor chord and continue developing your feel and grooviness when it comes to strumming. Be sure that you are combing over older lessons as well so that you can incorporate many ideas into what...
Length: 21:19 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 34
Develop precision in your picking. Learn when it's best to use alternate picking. Get comfortable with a few exercises and then apply the technique in a musical context!
Length: 20:26 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 35
We're going to continue with rhythm playing and 16th note strumming, but this time we're going to touch on some laid back bluegrass playing. This is another simple style of playing to add to your arsenal.
Length: 10:06 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 36
Learn a few more barre chord forms and get more advanced with your strumming. As you've come to know and love with these lessons, you'll have a chance to learn a new song!
Length: 13:51 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 37
You've made it a long way if you've made it to the end of this series! In this final lesson of Mr. Isaacs beginner course, you'll spend some dedicated time moving both major and minor barre chord formations...
Length: 21:58 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
About David Isaacs
View Full Biography
Nashville-based Dave Isaacs has made a name for himself as one of Music City's top guitar instructors, working with both professional and aspiring songwriters and artists at his Music Row teaching studio. He is also an instructor in the music department at Tennessee State University and is the coordinator and artistic director of the annual TSU Guitar Summit.
A seasoned performer as well, Dave has released eight independent CDs and gigs steadily as a solo artist, bandleader, and sideman. He continues to write, record, and perform as well as arranging and producing projects for other artists.
Our acoustic guitar lessons are taught by qualified instructors with various backgrounds with the instrument.
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Mike H.
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I am 66 years young and I still got it! I would have never known this if it had not been for Jamplay! I feel like a 12 year old kid with a new guitar! Ha! I cannot express enough how great you're website is! It is for beginners and advanced pickers! I am an advanced picker and thought I had lost it but thanks to you all, I found it again! Even though I only play by ear, I have been a member a whopping whole two weeks now and have already got Brent's country shuffle and country blues down and of course with embellishments. Thank you all for your wonderful program!
Greg J.
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I'm a fifty eight year old newbie who owns a guitar which has been sitting untouched in a corner for about seven years now. Last weekend I got inspired to pick it up and finally learn how to play after watching an amazing Spanish guitarist on TV. So, here I am. I'm starting at the beginning with Steve Eulberg and I couldn't be happier (except for the sore fingers :) Some day I'm going to play like Steve! I'm self employed with a hectic schedule. With Jamplay I can fit in a random session when I have time and I can go at my own pace, rewinding and replaying the videos until I get it. This is a very enjoyable diversion from my work yet I still feel like I'm accomplishing something worthwhile. Thanks a lot, Greg
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Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.Have downloaded a 30 day free trial of Guitar Pro 7 - looks like it could be quite useful to see the progression thru the music at the same time as hearing the melody. Can I save each Guitar Pro session somehow? Also, how do I get the 10% discount if I decide to go for it after 30 days (fairly likely!). Thanks for any comment!
Hi Planck1! To download the GuitarPro files all you need to do is click the "Lesson Materials (GPX)" link, then click "Download Lesson Materials". For your 10% discount just use the coupon code: JAMPLAY10 at GuitarPro's checkout screen during your purchase. Cheers!
Beautiful <3
I really enjoyed this lesson and the song. Like Dave was saying at the end, this one made me feel like I'm making good progress.
Error loading media: File could not be played. Not buffering at all. This problem hasn't been fixed since July of 2017. What gives!
Discovered that this lesson does not work with 4K resolution selected. Video won'y load error.
I ave t say that I couldn't do this lesson because there were errors loading the two files.
I'm sorry to hear you're having trouble. Can you be a bit more specific about what is happening? Are you unable to watch the videos or are you possibly talking about supplemental content files? If you're having trouble with the video, is it giving you any errors, or is it buffering etc? If the video is buffering, in the lower right hand corner of the video window click the button labeled "HD" and select a lower quality setting. This will usually cure that issue by providing a smaller sized file that is easier to stream. If you continue to have issues, please contact us at [email protected] and we can help troubleshoot further.
Great lesson. I'm not sure how lesson 22 (shifty pentatonic) was rated a 2.0 for difficulty and this lesson a 1.5. The timing of this one makes this lesson harder than lesson 22.
Great lesson. Thanks ! ! !
I'm finding I need to memorize each measure as soon as possible, because 1) I can't read the tab and look at my fretboard simultaneously and 2) the tab numbers are in TINY plain font. If they were a bit larger and boldface they would be SO much easier to read and follow. This is true of most tablature found on the Internet, and I guess if I had 18-year-old eyes it wouldn't be a problem. Maybe memorizing is best anyway.
Thanks Dave, this was another great lesson in timing.
Why is it called the "A" minor scale when it uses all the Major notes in the "A" scale?? Should it not be called the "A" major scale??
jcaputo1, It's not the notes in the A scale. It's the notes in the Cmajor/Aminor. The tonal center here is Am
Sorry the answer was in the Q & A
This is a great drill, David. Thanks so much.
The interactive lesson is the incorrect one. It should be Sonora
How come the guitar pro is "Walkin' the Blues'?