Hey there, Reader — to close out a whirlwind end to the summer, I'm excited to bring you a brand new video lesson & a new 16 page PDF handbook! This tackles a topic I've wanted to explore for a long time now, and I can't wait to share. Without further ado... LESSON #597Getting Started with Double Stops!Fun riffs using Harmonized 3rds, 6ths, and 10ths Click to watch free video lesson In today’s lesson I’ll introduce you to double stops, diving straight into a handful of fun & approachable...
12 days ago • 1 min read
LESSON #596Ozzy Osbourne, Fingerstyle? Yes! Click to watch free lesson » In today’s lesson I show a fun fingerstyle groove inspired by the intro to Ozzy Osbourne’s 1991 hit Mama I’m Coming Home. Instead of teaching the full song, I take the beautiful intro sequence and show you my own spin on it using harmonized 6ths – which allow us to create a beautifully melodic sound with just two strings. As per usual, I'll walk you through things step-by-step. Don't miss my print-friendly practice...
27 days ago • 2 min read
LESSON #595🎵 Around Nassau Town We Did Roam 🎵 Click to watch free video lesson In today’s new lesson I’ll teach you to play the folk-rock classic, Sloop John B. I learned this song through the Beach Boys, only recently realizing it came from the folk tradition of Nassau in the Bahamas. My lesson starts with the basic chords and strumming, before teaching a few ways to spice things up. I’ll end with an overview of the melody, in case you want to incorporate that into your strumming,...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
NOW AVAILABLEMinor Key Handbook! My friends! Today, I'm happy to share a brand new 8-page PDF guide that dives into minor keys. My aim is to give you everything you need to know when jamming or playing songs in any minor key — from chord families to common progressions, minor CAGED shapes, plus a list of all my song lessons in minor keys. Here's a video tour if you want a quick overview of the handbook. I do plan on making more videos diving into these topics, in time — but for now, I trust...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
In today’s new lesson, I teach melody deep-dive for Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah — showing you a way to play the melody notes and chords at the same time. This makes for an incredibly satisfying way to play this amazing song, as it allows you to capture the recognizable melody line in a way that sounds bigger & more full thanks to the strummed chords. Click to view my video lesson Don't miss the additional content I have for this lesson! This includes a zoomed playthrough video, a play-along...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hey there, my friends! I’ve been very busy the last two weeks with a ton of helpful updates to FretMonster, my interactive fretboard tool, which are finally ready to share. Let's start with a brand new video tour of FretMonster, which shows off all the new features: I also put together a free PDF handbook to give you a proper print-friendly introduction to the tool. This started as one page, then became two, and each of the last few mornings I woke up with additional content I wanted to add....
2 months ago • 2 min read
Reader — this week marks 10 years since my family and I moved from Maryland to Austin, Texas. In that time, I’ve discovered so much incredible music that grew out of the blossoming Austin scene in the 1970s. Willie, Jerry Jeff, Guy Clark, and so many others. With that in mind, here’s a brand-new lesson for one of my all-time favorites... and one of the anthems of Texas country. Don't miss the handful of other Austin-inspired lessons further below! Thanks and enjoy ✌️ // David LESSON #593...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Reader – if you're looking for a last minute Father's Day gift, I've got you covered! For the next 3 days, gifted memberships to Song Notes Premium are 20% off. This gives you, your dad, or whoever you send the gift to, a full year of membership for $79 instead of $99. Here's a quick video explaining how the gifting process works: A quick text summary: Click here and buy the gifted membership I'll email you a magic link. You share the magic link with the gift recipient. You can do this at...
3 months ago • 1 min read
"You can't light a fire / you can't light a fire without a spark" Happy Friday, my friends! Here's a brand new lesson for you to usher in the weekend. This looks at one of my favorite Springsteen tunes, which many of you requested in response to my prior newsletter. Ask and you shall receive! Don't miss my extra strumming recommendations below – they'll help with this one. Enjoy! -David LESSON #592 "Dancing in the Dark" by Bruce Springsteen Click to Watch Video Lesson In today’s new lesson...
3 months ago • 1 min read