Become a Better Guitar Player, Who Can Play Great Guitar Solos, and Write and Perform Your Own Songs

Are you ready to improve your technique, be able to jam with other guitar players, understand music theory and how the guitar works, learn how to write songs and compose your own instrumental pieces? Then you need to read this page...

Picture this:

It's Saturday morning, three years from today.

It's a nice sunny morning.

You get out of bed, take a short walk and make a cup of coffee.

Taking your coffee, you sit down at your home studio and open up your Digital Audio Workstation.

Sitting down with my guitar, computer and a pencil to compose is my favourite way to spend a day...

You grab your guitar, and continue to work on writing your next instrumental song, picking up where you left off a few days ago. 

The song you released two months ago was pretty good, and you're excited to finish the next one. 

It's crazy to think that just three years ago, you were fumbling your way through a simple scale, and now, here you are writing your own music.

At this rate your EP should be finished by Christmas...

Reaching This Level Is Closer Thank You Think...

The above vision might seem like it's a million miles from where you are today. 

At the moment, you probably feel like you're struggling with some of the lower level problems that beginner guitar players face:

Maybe you've tried learning guitar before, but it was a constant struggle and you constantly felt confused and like you weren't making any progress?

Maybe you put time into practising, but you felt like no matter what you did, your playing didn't improve?

Maybe playing a single guitar solo feels like it's light years away, because you're struggling to play through a simple pentatonic scale correctly?

Or every time you improvise, it sounds like musical diarrhoea?

Or every time you try to write a song, you end up with a collection of random riffs that don't work together... and the steps from "here is a cool riff" to "here is a cool song" feel like a quest that Tolkein would document?

Feeling like this is totally normal... and there is a path to get from where you are, to where you want to be

These problems you're facing with your guitar playing, they are completely normal.

Every guitar student experiences these problems at one point or another.

I know, because I faced them myself.

But here's the thing.

All of these problems can be fixed. 

I faced these problems and overcame them, and my students have all faced these problems and overcome them. 

The secret (if there is such a thing) to improving your guitar playing, musicality and compositional abilities; is to work through effective training programs, that have been tested and proven to work.

And these training programs are exactly what we are offering.

With effective training programs, you can:

  • Develop your guitar technique to any level you want, so that you can play blazing fast guitar solos up and down the entire neck.
  • Learn the music theory behind writing riffs and melodies, so that you can sit down and write music without experiencing "writers block".
  • Learn how songs are structured, so that you can take your ideas and put them together into full songs.
  • Learn how instruments work together, so that you can take your guitar riffs and turn them into a full arrangements.
  • Learn best practices for using industry standard recording programs, so that you can take your songs, demo them on your computer (even if you can't play all those instruments!) and hear your songs come to life.
  •  Learn classical structures and approaches for instrumental music, that still work today, so that you can take a 2 bar melodic idea and turn it into a 5 minute rock guitar epic.

These are not the dreams of a mad man, these are all things that YOU can achieve... if you want it...

I know that this might seem a bit ambitious. 

But it is possible.

I've been through the process myself, and I've taken my students through these processes too. 

By providing you with courses that take you step by step through each topic, you can incrementally and consistently improve your playing.

By providing you with exercises to work on between lessons, you'll be practising and honing your skills.

By providing you with clear guides on how to practice, you'll always know how you should be practising and what it is you should be doing.

By using the support forum, you can get your questions answered and clear up any misunderstandings you have. 

"This sounds great, but why should I listen to you?"

That's probably what you're thinking at the moment.

And it's a fair question.

So why should you listen to me?

Let me tell you where I started... where I am... and how I got there...

How I started...

I started playing guitar when I was at school, maybe about 14 years old or so.

I had taken maybe... 3 weeks of lessons when I was about 9. But the teacher I had at school quit (I don't think it was anything to do with my playing!).

But when I was 14, my parents (very kindly) offered to get me music lessons, so I started taking guitar lessons.

I had a teacher come by every week and we would work on something. 

I would stumble my way through songs and scales. I formed a band at school which was terrible, but also fun.

I improved a bit. 

I went to university (not to study music!) and joined a band there. That band was slightly less terrible than my school band, and I improved a bit more. 

This is me playing at my first gig - I think we were playing a Bon Jovi song

I study a few books with exercises in them.

I goto music college for a year... then after music college I take lessons with various teachers over the years, I start studying music theory textbooks seriously...

Eventually I start to get good at playing guitar. 

I record Bach's 1st and 2nd cello suites on electric guitar.

I write and release an album of heavy metal songs.

I write and release a handful of cello and guitar duets.

I write and release some orchestral music pieces (even an opera song).

The only limitation I feel that I have now, is the time I can spend writing and recording music. 

I don't say this to brag (well ok, maybe a little), but to make the following point:

I really sucked at music when I started. I wasn't anything special. I just kept at it.

This is me today, two albums, a leather jacket and 1000's of hours of practice later

I really sucked at music when I started.


I wasn't anything special. 


I just kept at it.


Sam Russell

Study-Guitar Instructor

Any person, with correct training, can consistently improve their guitar playing, song writing and musicianship and do all the above... and more! 

The path I took to improving my playing was convulated with a lot of years spent with minimal progress (maybe you're familiar with this?).

The path I'm offering is a lot more direct, taking you on a journey of consistent progress.

Writing and releasing music, being able to jam with other guitar players and play at a technically advanced level, none of this has anything to do with talent.

It's all about following a process and putting in the time to work on incrementally advancing your skills and abilities.

And methodically laying out that process, in a series of courses and exercises, is what I'm aiming to achieve with the student area and courses on study-guitar.com. 

Sometimes I would not make significant improvements in my playing or understanding for years at a time, because I didn't have access to the materials and teachers I needed. 

I've tried to remove all of that for you, and give you a place where you can learn all about the guitar and music, and get trained on improving your playing.

I can help you, because I have been where you are, and I can take you step by step to where you want to go.


What do you get when you become a student?

When you become a student, you get full access to the student area, which is built around 3 key components:

Course Library

Support Forum

Monthly Live Q&A

  1. Course Library. While you're a member, you will have access to all our current and future courses. You will have step by step guides to mastering a range of techniques and skills, so that you can master the different elements of electric guitar playing.
  2. Support forum. Do you have a question? Do you want to share your experience with other guitar players? That's where the forum comes into play - get all your questions answered and meet other guitar players, so that you can feel confident in your understanding and remove roadblocks as they appear.
  3. Monthly live Q&A. Once a month, I'll do a live Q&A session where you can have all your guitar related questions answered.

Let's talk about each of these elements in a bit more detail:

Courses Designed To Help You Improve Your Playing, Knowledge and Musicianship

Here is an example of what the course library looks like, with just three of the available courses. When you join, you get full access to the entire course library.

Course Library

The courses on Study Guitar have been designed from the experience of a decade of teaching, researching how musicians learn and even some study of epistemology. 

The courses are all designed to take you from where you are, to a more advanced level, one step at a time. 

You will be told exactly what it is you are trying to achieve.

You will be told exactly what you should be doing with your hands.

You will be told exactly what you should be thinking about.

You will be told how to practice.

You will be told how to set your metronome properly.

The idea is to have you take one simple step after another, so that you can take a complex topic and understand it's key components and how it fits in with other topics. 

When it comes to studying specific skills, such as your picking technique, sweep picking, tapping or rhythm playing; we will take each skill and isolate very specific elements of that skill.

You will be trained on that specific element.

We will then take that specific element, and put it back into context. 

We then take that new skill that you have mastered, and integrate it with other techniques on the guitar. 

By following a path like this, you will be able to consistently and incrementally improve your guitar playing, gradually mastering increasingly complex skills to an advanced level. 

You can see an example of what the lessons inside the courses will look like:

This is an example of what lessons look like inside the members area. There is more text on the page - I couldn't fit it all in a single screenshot.

In your account area, all the courses that you are currently taking are tracked, so that you can pick up right where you left off:

Your course progress is tracked, so that you can pick up right where you left off.

The Support Forum - Get The Help You Need

The Study-Guitar support forum - get your questions answered and make some new friends!

Support Forum

Something that I strive to achieve with every single lesson, is to make it clear and digestible. 

You may have to read something a few times, or watch the video 3 times in a row to get a complete understanding, but I strive for clarity in every lesson.

That being said, sometimes you have a question. Maybe there is something you don't understand, or a phrase where you don't understand the context? 

Maybe you're just a little bit confused about something? 

That's where the support forum comes into play.

Anytime you have a question, you can ask it on the support forum, and Monday-Friday, I'll be answering your questions. 

You may even find that someone else has asked your question and received an answer that explains it for you! 

You'll also be able to see other peoples questions and answers. You will find other people will ask questions that you had never considered, and you'll be able to learn from that too. 

Another feature which you will be able to enjoy, is that there will be a whole group of guitar players, just like you, going through the same journey of working on their guitar playing. 

You'll be able to talk to them, share your victories, frustrations and get feedback from them.

If you don't have many musically inclined friends, you may find they can't relate to, or understand, the journey that you are going through. 

On the forum, you will have a group of people that understand exactly what it is you are experiencing. 

And another great feature...

You will find that, when you discuss musical ideas with others, those ideas become clearer and your understanding deepens. 

By creating a space where you can discuss musical ideas with others, and engaging in those conversations, you will find that your understanding on music deepens and becomes much clearer, surprisingly fast. 

Monthly Live Q&A

Monthly Live Q&A

Some questions are better answered live on video. 

That's where the monthly live Q&A will come into play. 

Each month, I'll do a live video Q&A, where you can get all your guitar related questions answered. 

Each Q&A session will be recorded so that you can watch it later, and you can also watch all the previous Q&A sessions.

Available Courses

The following courses are currently available:


Rhythm and Strumming

In this course we cover the basics of strumming and counting rhythm.

We look at how to read rhythm correctly and play these rhythms as strumming patterns.

Even if you want to be an advanced lead guitar player, this course will form a foundation for understanding rhythm and approaching practising that will be vital for developing your lead guitar skills.


Finger Independence and Picking

This courses is a series of lessons to develop your fretboard finger independence and also start developing your picking technique.

This course has a year of lessons, so that every week you can work on a new exercise to develop your technique.


The Minor Pentatonic Scale

A lot of guitarists "know" the minor pentatonic scale, but few can play it in any key, from any root note, any where on the guitar.

This course will develop your knowledge of the minor pentatonic scale to a depth you didn't think was possible, giving you the ability to use the scale in every key, from every possible root note, utilising the entire guitar neck.


Other Courses

We will also be looking at a bit of music theory, ornamentation and improvisation as we go. 


How often will new lessons be added?

There will be one new lesson added every week.

"What's the deal? How do I become a student?"

As you'll be amongst the first people to sign up to Study Guitar, I'm offering a special, "Founding Members" only deal:

The first 30 people to sign up get access to everything, for just $17/mo. 

$17/mo, or $170/yr (saving $34 on the monthly membership).

The first courses we will be covering are:

  • Mastering the minor pentatonic scale, so that you can play the minor pentatonic scale in any key, in any position, from anywhere on the guitar.
  • Picking technique. Start developing your picking technique so that you can play more accurately... and hence faster.
  • Introduction to music theory. No need to be able to read music, this is a practical music theory course to help you understand how the guitar works.
  • Rhythm and strumming. In this course we cover the fundamentals of rhythm applied to strumming. This is a vital foundation, especially for those wanting to shred.

30 Days Money Back Guarantee

If, for any reason, you don't enjoy being a student, you can get a full refund anytime within 30 days after your purchase. If you have any issues, just get in touch with our friendly support team (which is me) and I'll either help you out until you get the results you need or give you a swift refund.

30 Days


MONEY BACK GUARANTEE

Frequently Asked Questions

I'll do my best to answer some of the most common questions here. If you have any other question, don't hesitate to reply to an email or use the contact form to get in touch (click each question to see the answer).

"I'm a beginner, will this be suitable for me?"

Yes! As long as you can read tab and play a few open chords, this will be fine for you. Every lesson is broken down into bitesize pieces starting at beginner levels, then we gradually progress to push your ability as the lessons go on. 

"I’m not naturally talented, will I still benefit from these lessons?"

Yes! All lessons are designed so that you do not need any natural talent, just some persistence and regular practice. 

"I don’t know anything about writing music, will I still be able to write songs?"

Yes! The lessons on music theory, song writing and composition will be broken down and will start from a total beginner level. 

We’ll build from from writing a simple chord progression to writing a whole song, from writing a two bar melodic idea to writing a full rock guitar sonata. 

"What if I don’t have good ideas when writing music, will I still be able to write something good?"

The fastest way to write a good song, is to write 100 bad songs. And in reality, if you study the lessons, you’ll get there a bit quicker than that.

The thing is, creativity is a skill that can be learned. Especially musical creativity. 

Here is a test to see if you are capable of being musically creative: Put the following fruits in any order, with the apple going first:

  • Orange
  • Apple
  • Pear

If you are capable of doing that, you are capable of being musically creative.

When we start to cover chords, harmony, songwriting and functional harmony; this example will make more sense!

"I’ve tried learning guitar before but didn’t get very far, will I be able to learn with you?"

I can’t guarantee that you will reach XYZ level, but I can guarantee that, if you take the lessons seriously, try your hardest, you will improve. 

And as long as you can improve just a little bit, each week, you will be surprised at the levels you can reach. 

If you are struggling to understand something, or have a question, I'll be on the support to make sure that you get the help that you need.

 

"How much time do I need to practice? "

This depends on the level you want to reach. If you want to make some ok improvements, 30 minutes a day. 

If you want to make serious improvements, 60 minutes a day.

If you want to be on the level where you can play advanced solos and compose interesting music that you play, 2 hours - 3 hours a day (you can reach world class levels practising this much).

I recommend you take one day a week off from practising to give your body a rest.

"Will this work with my schedule?"

You can access the lessons any time, which means that you can work the lessons around your schedule

We will have some lessons on time management and how to get the most practice you can out of your timetable.

"What happens if I can’t practice one week?"

It’s not a big deal, it happens. Just pick up where you left off when you get back to it.

The lessons will always be there for you to access.

"What happens if I don’t understand something you explain in a lesson?"

Pop a question on the forum and I’ll get back to you ASAP. I’ll be answering questions Monday-Friday. 

You may even find your question has already been answered!

"How much does it cost?"

$17/mo or $170/yr, but this is strictly for the first 30 people to sign up, so get your spot today. 

"Will this work for me?"

I hope so! If for whatever reason it doesn’t, you can have a full refund in 30 days - no questions asked!

"What sort of guitar do I need? I only have a cheap one."

That’s fine - I started off on a cheap guitar. In fact, my main guitar I use every day and record with was £350 second hand! 

Lessons will be primarily aimed at a rock / electric guitar context, but most lessons will also apply to acoustic guitar.

If you are serious about learning, I recommend that you get a guitar that is as good as you can afford, but this is by no means a requirement.

"What gear do I need?"

You need a computer to view lessons and download any files. Either Mac or PC will be fine.

You can use a tablet, but I would recommend either a desktop or laptop. 

I recommend you use a metronome, there is a free app you can get for your metronome and I will also have a file for a free music program that turns it into a metronome for you. 

I will recommend several software programs as we progress, and when I do there will always be a free option and a paid option.

"Is this better than private lessons?"

Yes and no. It’s different. 

I’ve pieced together the lessons from my experiences with multiple teachers, courses and books; filtered through how I’ve found people learn best.

So while you may find some teachers teach some topics very effectively, it is unlikely you will find a private teacher that covers the range of material that we will cover, in the depth that we will cover.

This will definitely be better than your average guitar teacher, as we will cover a range of topics to a depth that few teachers would ever cover.

"How does this compare to other guitar teaching websites?"

It’s different and it will cover some similar things, and some different things. For example, a lot of sites teach the minor pentatonic scale. But I’ll be teaching it in a way that I have found effective that allows students to use the minor pentatonic scale in any key from any location on the fretboard, so that they can improvise with ease.

Some topics I haven’t seen taught in any other teaching websites, e.g. classical composition or how to use a DAW to demo a song or practice effectively. 

"What courses are currently available?"

Currently there are courses on:

  • Rhythm and strumming
  • Finger independence and picking technique
  • The minor pentatonic scale

The minor pentatonic scale course is currently just starting and will be updated each week.

Some weeks we will have a lesson on some music theory or improvisation to keep things interesting. 

There are other courses planned for once we finish the minor pentatonic scale...

"How often will new lessons be added?"

There will be a new lesson every week.

"Is my card payment secure?"

Payments are done through Stripe.com, which is an industry leading card processor. 

All transactions are encrypted with industry standard encryption. 

"Can I change from a monthly plan to a yearly plan?"

You can upgrade from monthly to yearly anytime, directly inside your member account.

In 3 years time, you'll be three years older. You could also be much, much better at guitar...

There's an overused quote that goes along the lines of "We over estimate what we can achieve in a year, and under estimate what we can achieve in 10 years". 

This is true of guitar as much as anything else, if not more so. 

3 years is enough time to become technically advanced and be writing your own songs. 

If we take the quote to the extreme, 10 years is enough time to be at an incredibly high level, with a couple of albums under your belt and playing your own gigs (if that's something you're interested in doing...)

That is, these goals are achievable if you are practising consistently, practising the right things, at the right time and in the right order.

Having a support system for that never hurts...

And having access to a place where you can get your questions answered and get guidance on what to do next will only help you progress faster than you would by yourself.

These goals are ambitious, but they are achievable.

I'm not saying you have to do all of this - there is nothing wrong with wanting to play some scales and your favourite songs (and we'll give you the techniques and strategies for that), but once you start... you may be surprised at just what you can achieve.

As you'll be amongst the first people to sign up to Study Guitar, I'm offering a special, "Founding Members" only deal:

Start Your Journey and Become a Student Today...

The first 30 people to sign up get access to everything, for just $17/mo. 

$17/mo, or $170/yr (saving $34 on the monthly membership).

The first courses we will be covering are:

  • Mastering the minor pentatonic scale, so that you can play the minor pentatonic scale in any key, in any position, from anywhere on the guitar and use it to play solos up and down the entire neck.
  • Picking technique. Start developing your picking technique so that you can play more accurately... and hence faster.
  • Introduction to music theory. No need to be able to read music, this is a practical music theory course to help you understand how the guitar works.
  • Rhythm and strumming. In this course we cover the fundamentals of rhythm applied to strumming. This is a vital foundation, especially for those wanting to shred.

After these 30 places have been filled, the price will increase.