Rocking on Acoustic Guitar
Everything You Need to Rock On Acoustic Guitar
“Rocking on Acoustic Guitar,” a fun course featuring Will Ripley, will give you the skills, confidence and knowledge necessary to sound and play like your favorite rock artists. Whether you’re interested in modern rock or classic rock, whether your inspirations are Guns N’ Roses or Jason Mraz, this course will enrich your playing and have you ready to rock in no time.
The course starts by covering the basic acoustic techniques that everyone must know. You’ll learn the proper way to hold, fret, strum and play your guitar and apply everything over fun rock, pop and classic rock JamTracks. Additionally, you'll discover new barre chord shapes, chord embellishments and hammer-ons, discover how to integrate fingerpicking into the rock style, and learn the mystery of the "slash" chord. This course provides an amazing amount of material, making it essential for all aspiring acoustic rock players. Learn more or start the course with membership, or get lifetime access with purchase.
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The JamPlay Learning System
Like every JamPlay course, Rocking on Acoustic Guitar features world-class instruction and a dynamic learning system to help you succeed quickly.
It's not just videos, and not just downloads. You'll get:
- Interactive tabs, notation, and fretboard
- JamTracks for play along practice
- Ask-a-teacher functionality
- Speed up, slow down and loop the video
- Bookmark exact moments in the lesson
- Note-taking feature
- 4k video with multiple camera angles
- Track progress with the progress report
Lessons
This is a full, 8+ hour course featuring 44 step-by-step lessons with full supplemental content.
4k & 1080p
Course filmed with 6 cameras and stream in awesome 4k video quality and downloadable in 1080p.
Interactive Tabs
Tabs powered by Soundslice, the powerful interactive tab software, working natively in your browser.
JamTracks
Download and play along with custom JamTracks to lock in the concepts. Own them for life.
Tabs & GPX
Download all tabs and notation in PDF and Guitar Pro formats. Download and own them for life!
This Course Covers
Basics
A refresher on the basics to ensure a solid foundation
- Proper right hand technique
- Proper left hand technique
- Beginner Learning Progression
- Much more...
Skills
Learn the skills you need to play rock on an acoustic
- Strumming
- Changing Chords with Ease
- Mastering Rhythm
- Much more...
Style
Play in the style of your favorite artists
- Green Day
- The Beatles
- Guns N' Roses
- Much more...
Meet Will Ripley
Will Ripley is a passionate guitarist who performs, teaches, and manages a successful music business. He is a graduate of the Berklee College Of Music’s Canadian Affiliate School, The Selkirk College. He has recorded, performed and toured with Grammy award winning musicians, and has shared the stage with members from bands you may know, including David Bowie and Jethro Tull. He is also a sought-after studio musician.
His unique style is touted as a combination of the blues stylings of Albert King and Jimi Hendrix, combined with larger-than-life riffs of bands like Led Zeppelin and Rage Against the Machine. Add in rhythmic complexity in the vein of Red Hot Chili Peppers and N.E.R.D. and you have a solid description of his eclectic style. While his heart may lie in blues and rock, he also has a love and deep appreciation of pop music, adoring and deriving inspiration from artists such as The Beatles, Stone Temple Pilots and Kelly Clarkson.
Learn to play Acoustic Rock guitar
Learn this style with our world-class lesson videos, tabs and JamTracks
Everything you need to rock out on an acoustic.
This course is for beginner and intermediate players who want to play rock on an acoustic guitar. Learn the fundamentals to build a solid foundation and then move on to play like your favorite artists.
This course offers 44 lessons covering 8+ hours of material in step-by-step, digestable presentation.
Series Introduction
Welcome to Acoustic Guitar! This series is geared for beginning and intermediate players with a focus on rock, classic rock, and pop-rock aspects of the acoustic guitar. In this video, Will gives you the rundown of what you can expect in this series.
5:08 Runtime
0.0 Difficulty
Technique Tweaks
To get us started on the right foot, Will goes over some foundational techniques that are 'must know' for this series!
9:11 Runtime
1.5 Difficulty
Right Hand Technique
In this lesson, Will gets more specific with the right hand. Learning proper hand placement for strumming and fingerpicking will set you up with a solid foundation!
10:29 Runtime
1.5 Difficulty
Left Hand Technique
Not to forget the left hand, Will focuses in on proper thumb placement on the neck of the guitar, as well as how to get nice clean tones from your guitar without any buzz!
13:29 Runtime
1.5 Difficulty
Beginner Guitar Progression
In this lesson, Will lays out a path for the beginning guitarist. Following this path will ensure you set yourself up for success on the acoustic guitar!
12:15 Runtime
1.5 Difficulty
Intro to Chording
Before Will dives into all the chords you need to know, he brings us this lesson that will set you up for success moving forward. This includes his big secret to changing chords!
11:05 Runtime
1.5 Difficulty
Chords You Need to Know
Not all chords are necessary to know when you're just getting going on guitar. Will shows you some essential chords that will get you prepped to play tons of songs!
15:19 Runtime
1.5 Difficulty
Developing Strum Patterns
Strumming and rhythm are huge parts of learning guitar. Many players feel they have to know very specific patterns. Will is here to teach you that it's more about developing a sense of rhythm that will give you the freedom to create your own patterns.
9:57 Runtime
1.5 Difficulty
Close to the Bridge Upstroke
Here's a cool little technique that gives some dynamic quality to your playing. Just another tool in your tool belt that you can use at any given time!
5:17 Runtime
1.5 Difficulty
One Finger Chord Movement
Sometimes chords can be much simpler than we think. This is the case in this lesson. With a basic one finger movement, you can play three super cool sounding chords!
8:30 Runtime
1.5 Difficulty
The "Wonderwall" Chords, Part 1
This lesson explores these great chords that allow you to get super pro sounds with minimal movement.
7:05 Runtime
1.5 Difficulty
The "Wonderwall" Chords, Part 2
In this lesson, Will expands on these great sounding chords with more easy chord movements. In addition, he shows us how to inject more rhythm into our strumming by accenting certain beats.
12:10 Runtime
2.0 Difficulty
In the Style of Buffalo Springfield
In this lesson, Will has a great track for us done in the style of Buffalo Springfield that is a great vehicle for getting solid strumming and rhythm down pat.
10:42 Runtime
2.0 Difficulty
Ballad in the Style of Guns 'n' Roses
So much of acoustic guitar strumming is about rhythm. This lesson in the style of a Guns 'n' Roses ballad has a great simple strum pattern that will help you understand connecting with rhythm even more!
9:07 Runtime
2.0 Difficulty
In the Style of Coldplay/Cream/Jane's Addiction
Sometimes the coolest sounds are just certain chord shapes moved around the fretboard. This lesson clues you in on how to get some awesome sounds out of your basic E chord shape.
8:34 Runtime
2.0 Difficulty
In the Style of CCR
Learning to put accents into your strumming will help you become a more dynamic player, especially when you're playing by yourself! This lesson works on the accents, plus a simple chord progression with a key transitional chord.
11:39 Runtime
2.0 Difficulty
In the Style of Marshall Tucker Band
Another classic sounding chord progression here from Will! This lesson will also focus in on changing chords efficiently and smoothly, as well as how to add dynamics to your playing.
18:01 Runtime
2.0 Difficulty
In the Style of The Beatles/Green Day
It's time to ramp up the difficulty on your chords! Luckily, Will gives us a great track at a moderate to slow tempo to work out this very Beatlesque chord progression. If you can master this, you will have earned your chord playing diploma!
17:22 Runtime
2.5 Difficulty
Slap Strumming, Part 1
In a basic sense, your acoustic guitar is really a percussion instrument. To start to get the most out of that aspect of your guitar, Will shows us a great technique for injecting rhythm into your playing: Slap Strumming.
5:44 Runtime
2.0 Difficulty
Slap Strumming, Part 2
Now, let's take this new technique of slap strumming and apply it to some tracks we've already learned in this series. This will help you see the value of injecting rhythm into your playing, especially when you're playing your guitar all by yourself!
11:59 Runtime
2.0 Difficulty
Open Barre Chord Shapes
Open barre chord shapes allow you to get very cool colors in your chords by using open strings. Will shows us some of his favorite open barre chord shapes, leading us up to a very cool track in the next lesson!
7:59 Runtime
2.0 Difficulty
In the Style Alice in Chains/Nirvana
Now we put those open barre chord shapes to use with this 90's sounding track. This is also a great track for practicing big chord movements around the neck!
19:45 Runtime
2.0 Difficulty
Full Barre Chord Shapes
So you've mastered the open barre chord shapes, now it's time to make a slight adjustment and voila! You've got your full barre chord shapes. These shapes will truly open up the entire fretboard to you, and Will uses that to lead us into some cool barre chord songs in the next few lessons!
17:19 Runtime
2.5 Difficulty
In the Style of Jason Mraz
Putting those full barre chord shapes to work, Will teaches us a chord progression reminiscent of Jason Mraz. This will allow you to use the shapes you learned, plus practice moving them around the neck of the guitar!
9:42 Runtime
2.5 Difficulty
In the Style of Led Zeppelin/Pink Floyd, Part 1
Learning the nuances of strumming is something that can really take your acoustic playing to the next level. In the track that Will made just for this series, he gets into the details of getting a good strum going which adds lots of dynamics and feel to the track!
13:39 Runtime
2.0 Difficulty
In the Style of Led Zeppelin/Pink Floyd, Part 2
This lesson is about big, resonant chords. These chords turn your guitar into a huge sounding instrument! In the chorus section of this track, Will shows you how to get the most out of these chords.
17:50 Runtime
2.0 Difficulty
In the Style of Led Zeppelin/Pink Floyd, Part 3
Now it's time to learn the signature lead melody of this track! Not only does Will show us the notes, but he also gets us going on some fundamental techniques like bending, vibrato and hammer-ons.
19:47 Runtime
2.0 Difficulty
Dominant and Minor 7th Barre Chords
7th chords can drastically change the tonal character of not only chords you're playing, but the songs you're playing them in. Will gets you up to speed on your dominant 7th and minor 7th barre chords, which can be used all over the neck!
8:52 Runtime
2.0 Difficulty
R&B Song for Dominant Barre Chords, Part 1
In lesson #29, Will unveils a classic sounding R&B style track that will give you all the practice you need on your barre chord shapes, particularly the dominant 7th shapes.
19:43 Runtime
2.5 Difficulty
R&B Song for Dominant Barre Chords, Part 2
In part two of this lesson, Will takes a look at 'thumb chords' as a great alternative to your regular barre chords. And as always, he looks at the rhythm and strumming, adding another type of feel to your repertoire!
11:22 Runtime
2.0 Difficulty
Chord Hammer-ons
Adding chord hammer-ons and embellishments is a great way to really step up your game on the acoustic guitar. In this lesson, Will gives you the low down on some commonly used chordal hammer-ons that will make you sound even more pro!
17:31 Runtime
2.5 Difficulty
Moving Bass Technique
The moving bass technique is something commonly found in country, old rock and roll and rockabilly. Join Will as he gets us up to speed with this super fun technique!
13:16 Runtime
2.5 Difficulty
Slash Chords
Are 'slash' chord still a mystery to you? Well, this lesson is designed to take away that mystery, and get you playing these chords that add a lot color to your sound!
10:36 Runtime
2.0 Difficulty
In the Style of John Mellencamp/Neil Young
Here's a cool mellow track in the style of John Mellencamp or Neil Young that gets you moving certain shapes around the neck. This one's a lot of fun!
14:46 Runtime
2.5 Difficulty
Movable Triads
Lots of triads shapes can be moved around the neck to get great, colorful sounds. Will takes the common shapes in this lesson, and shows you how and where to move them!
7:50 Runtime
2.5 Difficulty
Intro to Fingerpicking
For some of us, fingerpicking can be quite the mysterious process. Will demystifies that process in this lesson, giving you some simple, attainable techniques to get you started on this must know guitar style!
17:00 Runtime
2.5 Difficulty
In the Style of Santana/Led Zeppelin
Now that you've got a few fingerpicking basics under your belt, here's a catchy descending riff that is fingerpicked in the style of Santana or Led Zeppelin.
5:04 Runtime
2.5 Difficulty
Fingerpicking in the Style of Led Zeppelin/Pink Floyd
Fingerpicking can be applied in many different ways. Case in point, this is a riff we learned to play with a pick earlier in the series, now Will shows us how the riff can be just as effective using a fingerpicking technique.
5:44 Runtime
2.5 Difficulty
Acoustic Blues, Part 1
This lesson encapsulates a lot of elements of classic acoustic blues, but with a rock 'n' roll attitude. Explore the minor pentatonic scale, along with fingerpicking to get that traditional Delta Blues sound!
15:14 Runtime
2.5 Difficulty
Acoustic Blues, Part 2
Will now continues with the "B" section of the Acoustic Blues track. Here we'll find some driving, straight ahead strumming, culminating with a simple yet effective minor pentatonic lick at the end of the section.
8:53 Runtime
2.5 Difficulty
In the Style of Dave Matthews/The Beatles
This one is all about the shapes. Once you get these intervallic shapes down, you open a whole new world of sounds on your guitar. Couple that with a very rhythmic track, and you end up with a very uplifting, fun practice time!
15:24 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
In the Style of Radiohead/John Mayer
Here's a nice acoustic rock ballad done in the style of Radiohead or John Mayer. This track incorporates some very atmospheric chord voicings, as well as right hand techniques such as strumming without at pick and fingerpicking.
17:48 Runtime
2.5 Difficulty
Picked Arpeggio Chording
This technique is sort of a hybrid between strumming and picking. Will uses a track that we learned earlier in the series to demonstrate this technique that you will find in all sorts of classic songs. A great technique to know, it can do a lot to spice up your strumming!
13:23 Runtime
2.5 Difficulty
Using a Capo
Capos: A great inspirational tool, or a great mystery? In this last lesson of the series, Will attempts to demystify the capo with some basic information that can get you started using one right away!
10:34 Runtime
2.5 Difficulty
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Lessons
This is a full, 8+ hour course featuring 44 step-by-step lessons with full supplemental content.
4k & 1080p
Course filmed with 6 cameras and stream in awesome 4k video quality and downloadable in 1080p.
Interactive Tabs
Tabs powered by Soundslice, the powerful interactive tab software, working natively in your browser.
JamTracks
Download and play along with custom JamTracks to lock in the concepts. Own them for life.
Tabs & GPX
Download all tabs and notation in PDF and Guitar Pro formats. Download and own them for life!
Lifetime Access: Stream & Download
Lifetime access. Download all files to your devices or stream online. Includes all videos, tabs and supplemental material.
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