Song Notes & Patreon

For those of you who still support me on Patreon, here's a quick resource guide to accessing your membership perks! A few things have changed since I launched membership on this website in late September 2022 — and I want to make sure you have answers to any questions you might have.

For the best ongoing member experience, transfer membership to this website – here's a guide showing how.

Clicking any link below will open that post on Patreon.com (requires you to log in). If the post has an Instructional PDF, you can find it attached to the bottom of the post. You can also search all my Patreon posts using their search tool, though it can be sluggish.

Lesson Patreon Link Has Instructional PDF?
#544 First Steps with Pink Floyd's "Breathe" Yes
#543 Q&A: 8 Tips to Avoid Muting Strings
#541 Blues Shuffle Riffs – Using Just Two Strings
#540 Soulful Lead Guitar with "America the Beautiful" Yes
#539 "Country Honk" by The Rolling Stones
#538 January 2024 Recap - including a sneak peek of my new course!
#537 Strumming with Accented Notes - A Getting Started Guide Yes
#536 Lead Guitar Finger Placement — ft. "La Sitiera" by The Mavericks Yes
#535 Hybrid Fingerstyle - First Steps! Yes
#534 "Streets of London" by Ralph McTell
#533 Silent Night Yes
#532 Joy to the World Yes
#531 Blue Christmas
#530 Melody Deep-Dive: Sweet Caroline Yes
#529 First Steps with Doc Watson's "Deep River Blues" Yes
#528 10 Years of Song Notes... Thanks to You!
#527 Guitar Finger Exercises for Flexibility, Control, Speed, and more Yes
#526 Lead Guitar Improvisation Tips (feat. Wagon Wheel) Yes
#525 Travis Picking Training Wheels (ft. Hayes Carll) Yes
#524 Strumming with Alternating Bass Notes Yes
#523 "Long Black Veil" as covered by Johnny Cash
#522 Fingerstyle Cheat Sheet: Travis Picking Patterns for Every Chord Yes
#521 Soulful Lead Guitar Licks Over "Amazing Grace" - Beginner Tips Included! Yes
#520 Getting Started with Hammer-Ons, Pull-Offs, and Bends
#519 "Crowded Table" by The Highwomen
#518 Major Key Cheat Sheets! Must-Know Chords, Scales, and Fretboard Diagrams Yes
#517 Memorizing Song Lyrics: 8 Techniques That Work For Me
#516 "Stuff That Works" by Guy Clark
#515 Monday Morning Practice with Triads (Key of A major) Yes
#514 Practice With Me! G Major Arpeggios in Each CAGED Shape Yes
#513 "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison
#511 Creating a Fingstyle Arrangement from Scratch (feat. Graceland by Paul Simon) Yes
#509 A Simple Way to Travis Pick Any Song (Key of C) Yes
#508 "Summertime Blues" by Zach Bryan
#507 How I Use This CAGED Poster to Practice Lead Guitar Yes
#506 Strumming Guide for "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison Yes
#505 Q&A: Recognizing Time Signatures by Ear?
#504 "Amie" by Pure Prairie League
#503 First Steps with "Malagueña" (Spanish Classical Guitar) Yes
#502 Learning the Intro Solo to "Wish You Were Here" Yes
#500 Reading Music for Guitarists - Chord Charts vs. Tabs Yes
#499 Acoustic Blues Riff in G (feat. "Country Honk" by Rolling Stones) Yes
#498 "When the Stars Come Out" by Chris Stapleton
#496 Pentatonic Fun with Billy Strings' "Lonely At The Top" Riff Yes
#494 Learning the "Fast Car" Intro Riff, Step by Step Yes
#493 Strumming with Walking Basslines (feat. Blowin' in the Wind by Bob Dylan) Yes
#492 Major Pentatonic Scales in Open Position Yes
#491 "Uncle John's Band" by The Grateful Dead
#490 How to Strum with a Percussive "Slap" Yes
#489 Tips for Writing Guitar Tabs (on Paper and iPad) Yes
#488 Learning the "Amie" Intro Riff, Step by Step Yes
#487 Easy-Going Fingerstyle Blues: Step-by-Step Guide (Key of E) Yes
#486 Practice Routine Tips! Setting Goals, Choosing Songs, and Warm-Up Exercises
#485 Quick Tips for Strumming in 6/8 Time (feat. No Hard Feelings by The Avett Brothers) Yes
#484 "Make You Feel My Love" by Bob Dylan
#483 Q&A: How to Add Depth to a Simple Riff? (feat. Stuff That Works by Guy Clark) Yes
#482 Key of D Fingerstyle, Using Voice Leading! Yes
#481 Q&A: How Does a Capo Change a Song's Key? Yes
#480 Beginner Lead Guitar with the Star Spangled Banner Yes
#479 "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison
#477 Major Scales in Open Position Yes
#476 "Interstate Love Song" by Stone Temple Pilots
#474 How to Fingerpick in 3/4 Time (feat. Amazing Grace & John Prine) Yes
#472 Alternating Bass Notes in Key of G Yes
#471 "Long Long Time" by Linda Ronstadt
#470 "Return of the Grievous Angel" by Gram Parsons
#469 Vidami YouTube Looper Now Works on SongNotes.net!
#468 "Box #10" by Jim Croce
#467 Q&A: Why Bother Learning Scales?
#466 "I Shall Be Released" by Bob Dylan
#465 Changing the Key to "Blue Christmas" Yes
#464 Chord and Capo Guide for "Last Christmas" by Wham Yes
#463 "King of the Road" by Roger Miller
#462 Must-Know Chord Combination: C Fadd9 G
#461 "Catch the Wind" by Donovan
#460 Travis Picking Fun with Rex's Blues (Townes Van Zandt / Ramblin' Jack Elliott) Yes
#459 Getting Started with "She Talks to Angels" and Open-E Tuning Yes
#458 "Yellow Ledbetter" by Pearl Jam
#457 Blues Bends: A Getting Started Guide Yes
#456 "Melissa" by Allman Brothers Band
#455 Long Black Veil-inspired Fingerstyle Fun (with Travis Picking) Yes
#454 "Flake" by Jack Johnson
#453 Using Melodic Double-Stops to build a Country Solo Yes
#452 "Girl from the North Country" by Bob Dylan (feat. Johnny Cash)
#451 Licks & Fills in the style of Dave Rawlings Yes
#450 "Lean On Me" by Bill Withers
#449 "Personal Jesus" by Johnny Cash
#448 Alternating Bass Note Fun with Don't Worry, Be Happy Yes
#447 Beginner Blues Groove (Key of A-minor) Yes
#446 "Southern Cross" by Crosby, Stills & Nash
#445 "Dublin Blues" by Guy Clark
#443 Adding Melodic Licks & Fills to a Fingerstyle Groove (Key of G) Yes
#442 How to Make Drum Tracks Using GarageBand's Beat Sequencer
#441 "Oh, Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison
#440 "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding
#439 "City of New Orleans" by Arlo Guthrie
#438 A Fingerstyle Arrangement of Tom Petty's American Girl Yes
#437 "In Spite of Ourselves" by John Prine (feat. Iris DeMent)
#436 Using Triads & Double-Stops to Punch Up a Melody Yes
#435 Q&A: Learning a Song for a Wedding? (feat. Chris Stapleton) Yes
#433 "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" by Willie Nelson
#432 "A Pirate Looks at Forty" by Jimmy Buffett
#431 Easier Ways to Play B-minor (No Barring Required) Yes
#430 Using Slides to Connect Pentatonic Scale Shapes Yes
#428 First Steps in Learning "Fire and Rain" Yes
#426 Punching Up a Melody with Slides, Syncopation, and Double-Stops Yes
#424 Gordon Lightfoot's Sundown Chords, Explained Yes
#423 Landslide Chord & Fingerpicking Guide Yes
#422 "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac
#417 "Me and Bobby McGee" Strumming Comparison (Kris vs. Janis) Yes
#415 Neil Young-inspired Quick Chord Transition Exercise (G-A-Bm-E) Yes
#413 Chord Guide for Wildflowers and If I Had A Boat Yes
#411 Melody Deep-Dive: You Are My Sunshine Yes
#409 Q&A: How to learn a song played in open tuning? Yes
#408 Strummy Walk-Downs in the Key of A Yes
#407 Key of A-major Cheat Sheet! Notes, Chords, Fretboard, and Misc Tricks Yes
#406 "The Weight" by The Band
#405 Groovy Triad Improv w/ Basic Fills (Key of A Major) Yes
#404 How to Recognize Chord Shapes within Guitar Tabs Yes
#403 Christmas Waltz
#402 "Millionaire" by Chris Stapleton
#401 Strummy Walk-Downs from G7 to C Yes
#399 "Angel From Montgomery" by John Prine
#398 "Don't Look Back in Anger" by Oasis
#397 "The Needle and the Damage Done" by Neil Young
#396 "Colors" by Black Pumas
#395 "The Man Who Sold the World" by Nirvana (orig. by David Bowie)
#394 How to Tune Down 1/2 step (E-Flat Tuning) Yes
#393 "Night Moves" by Bob Seger
#392 F Chord, Made Easy: 7 Alternatives to the Barred Version Yes
#390 Beginner Arpeggio Fun! One Shape, 10 Riffs (Amaj7 & Dmaj7) Yes
#389 "Wilder Days" by Morgan Wade
#388 Key of C Cheat Sheet! Notes, Chords, Fretboard, and Misc Tricks Yes
#386 Electric Guitar: 8 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting
#385 CAGED Chord Shapes, Explained Yes
#384 Major Scale Positions and CAGED Chord Shapes Yes
#383 Patreon Q&A (August 2021)
#382 "Ripple" by Grateful Dead
#381 One Riff, Played Five Ways (Key of E, Blues Groove) Yes
#380 Key of G Groove (G-Am-C-D)
#379 Essential Strum Technique: Alternating Picking Yes
#378 D Chord Stretches: Ring or Pinky Finger? Yes
#376 "Cover Me Up" by Jason Isbell
#375 Learn Any Travis Picking Song, Step by Step Yes
#374 "Blackbird" by The Beatles
#372 West Texas Campfire Riff (Key of G) Yes
#371 Bass Note Strumming (Essential Technique) Yes
#370 Meditative Fingerpicking Exercise, Key of E Yes
#366 Beginner-friendly guitar slides (Keys of D and A) Yes
#364 Combining chords with a melody riff (Key of G) Yes
#361 Using flat-thirds and flat-sevenths to add GRIT to your walk-ups and walk-downs Yes
#357 Paul Simon's guitar genius: Kodachrome, Mrs Robinson, Me & Julio Down by the Schoolyard, and more
#356 Understanding the 12 notes (Practical Music Theory Ep. 1) Yes
#354 Walk-ups, Walk-downs, and the fretboard Yes
#352 "Starting Over" by Chris Stapleton
#348 Adding pentatonic fills over D-Cadd9-G Yes
#346 "Wellerman" - Traditional Sea Shanty Guitar Lesson (in the style of Nathan Evans) Yes
#345 Blank Guitar Tab Template Yes
#344 Melody Deep-Dive: Can't Help Falling in Love Yes
#342 Guitar walk-ups and walk-downs, quickly explained Yes
#337 "Enough to Leave" by Billy Strings
#336 Groovy Warm-Up Riff in F# Yes
#334 G-chord finger position guide Yes
#328 "Old Man" by Neil Young
#326 How I learned the opening chord to Neil Young's Old Man Yes
#325 Silencing the strings on the 2 count (percussive technique) Yes
#320 "Manhattan Island Serenade" by Vincent Neil Emerson
#314 Riffs with Circular Bass Notes Yes
#313 "Sedona" by Houndmouth
#312 Happy Birthday triad exercise (Key of G) Yes
#311 How to silence the strings with your left hand Yes
#310 "Keep the Wolves Away" by Uncle Lucius
#309 "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" by The Shirelles
#308 "Stand By Me" by Ben E. King
#305 "My Church" by Maren Morris
#304 Backwoods Pull-Off Exercise (Key of C) Yes
#302 Travis Picking vs. "Normal" Fingerstyle Yes
#301 "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" by Bob Dylan
#297 Country Bass Line Exercise in 6/8 Time Yes
#296 "Under the Milky Way" by The Church
#295 "Hello in There" by John Prine
#291 "Banded Clovis" by Tyler Childers
#290 Walk-down exercise inspired by the Turnpike Troubadours Yes
#289 Enhance Your Strumming with Syncopation and Sus Chords Yes
#279 "Summertime" by Billy Strings
#278 Sierra Ferrell "In Dreams"-inspired riff Yes
#277 "Walk Right In" by The Rooftop Singers
#276 Practicing Walk Ups & Walk Downs in G Yes
#271 2-string blues riffs for beginners (step by step) Yes
#269 "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (Full song lesson)
#268 "My Favorite Picture of You" by Guy Clark
#267 12 easy ways to modify the A-major chord Yes
#265 My 4 tips for starting to learn Blackbird Yes
#264 Beautiful Fingerstyle Walkdown Exercise (Key of C) Yes
#261 "Lookin' Out My Back Door" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (easy fingerstyle)
#260 How to read & write strumming patterns Yes
#259 D-Cadd9-G riffin' on "Thank You" and "Can't You See" Yes
#258 Meditative fingerpicking practice (Key of D) Yes
#257 Latin bassline groove, with percussive fingerstyle Yes
#256 "Plush" by Stone Temple Pilots
#254 "The Wind" by Cat Stevens
#253 Pinky-Powered Blues Groove with E-A-B7 Yes
#252 "Peace of Mind" by Tyler Childers
#251 "Angel Flight" by Radney Foster
#250 Jose Feliciano's Fingerstyle Approach to "California Dreamin'" Yes
#249 2-finger chords in the key of C Yes
#248 "Surf Rider" by The Lively Ones
#247 Creating a Travis Picking arrangement over C-G-Am-F Yes
#245 Barre Chord Strength Exercises! For Left Ring & Index Fingers Yes
#244 F Major Chord with Wrapped Left Thumb (for Fingerstyle & Travis Picking) Yes
#242 "Yesterday" by The Beatles
#241 How to play F#m without barring (for fingerstyle) Yes
#238 Fingerpicking "My Old Kentucky Home, Goodnight" Yes
#237 Colter Wall's Sleeping on the Blacktop intro riff Yes
#236 "First Call" (horse racing / military bugle wake-up call) Yes
#235 "Imagine" by John Lennon
#234 "Jenny of Oldstones" from Game of Thrones (Florence and the Machine)
#232 "Wildflowers" by Tom Petty
#231 Breezy strumming on E-Bsus4-Asus2 Yes
#230 Composing an Original Song Using Travis Picking (Fingerstyle) Yes
#229 "If I Had a Boat" by Lyle Lovett
#228 Triad exercises using A, D, & E Yes
#227 Travis Picking with an Anchored Left-Pinky Finger Yes
#226 "Let Him Roll" by Guy Clark
#223 Add easy flourish to C-F-G-Am Yes
#220 "Always Remember Us This Way" by Lady Gaga
#219 Cowboy chords and walking bass lines Yes
#217 Improvising blues in A-minor over a backing track Yes
#216 "St. James Infirmary Blues" Yes
#215 Nirvana-inspired barre chord exercise Yes
#214 Open chords in key of D w/ major & minor triads Yes
#213 "Copperhead Road" by Steve Earle
#211 "Guantanamera" by Pete Seeger
#210 "Blue on Black" grooving on D5-Cadd9-G Yes
#209 Adding fills to the Wild Horses intro Yes
#208 "Light On" by Maggie Rogers
#207 Improvised guitar pickin' on "The Gambler" Yes
#206 Open chords in the Key of A Yes
#203 Auld Lang Syne Yes
#202 Open chords in the Key of E Yes
#199 Please Come Home for Christmas
#198 Guitar chords on a ukulele Yes
#197 Slap strumming basics (percussive rhythm technique) Yes
#195 Practicing country blues over a backing track (A-major and B-minor) Yes
#194 Playing A-major with big fingers or a small fretboard Yes
#193 Backyard grooving in E-major ("Posters" by Jack Johnson) Yes
#192 How to play F#m (F sharp minor) Yes
#191 How to spice up a 2-chord song (inspired by Chris Stapleton) Yes
#190 Adding pinky accent notes to a chord progression Yes
#189 A-minor pentatonic walk-down groove Yes
#187 Palm muting basics Yes
#186 "One Horse Town" intro riff Yes
#185 Transitioning between Em7 - D/F# - G Yes
#183 The "Pretty Woman" lick, played 4 different ways Yes
#180 Mudfootball G-D7 Shuffle Yes
#179 Murder ballad groove in A-minor Yes
#177 How to play Fadd9 Yes
#176 Blaze Foley country strumming Yes
#175 "Acid Tongue" by Jenny Lewis
#174 3 string triad magic, in the style of Dire Straits Yes
#173 How I Learned to Travis Pick with "Clay Pigeons" Yes
#172 "Lady May" by Tyler Childers
#171 Easy E Fingerpicking Fun Yes
#170 "I've Been Everywhere" by Johnny Cash
#168 "The Chain" and Double-Drop D tuning Yes
#163 Two-finger acoustic blues in Drop-D Tuning Yes
#159 "When the Man Comes Around" by Johnny Cash
#158 "We Are the Champions" by Queen
#157 "My My, Hey Hey" by Neil Young
#156 "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses
#155 "All Apologies" by Nirvana (intro & verse riff w/ tab)
#154 "Gone Till November" by Wyclef Jean (intro riff)
#140 "Slow Burn" by Kacey Musgraves
#134 "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash
#132 "The Year That Clayton Delaney Died" by Tom T. Hall
#129 Simplifying the Spanish Fingerstyle of "Remember Me" Yes
#128 "A Million Dreams" from The Greatest Showman
#118 "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys" by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson
#114 "Me and Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin / Kris Kristofferson
#113 "American Girl" by Tom Petty
#112 "Where Rainbows Never Die" by The Steeldrivers
#109 "Whitehouse Road" by Tyler Childers
#106 "Runnin' Down a Dream" by Tom Petty
#105 "High and Dry" by Radiohead
#104 "About a Girl" by Nirvana
#102 "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" by Nirvana
#101 "LA Freeway" by Guy Clark
#100 "Tuesday's Gone" by Lynyrd Skynyrd
#95 "Danny's Song" by Loggins and Messina
#94 "Honky Tonk Heroes" by Waylon Jennings
#87 "Last Kiss" by Pearl Jam
#84 "Game of Thrones" theme song (easy version)
#83 Playing G major chord with only 2 fingers Yes
#79 "Dead Flowers" by Townes Van Zandt
#76 "Issues" by Julia Michaels
#69 "Stairway to Heaven" intro by Led Zeppelin
#55 "Highwayman" by The Highwaymen
#53 "Strangers" by The Kinks
#51 "Mrs. Robinson" by Simon and Garfunkel
#49 Walking up & down between the E, A, and B7 (bass note transitions) Yes
#46 How to play A-major with one finger (barred on 2nd fret) Yes
#44 "Badlands" by Bruce Springsteen (Play-along cover)
#42 "City of Stars" from La La Land
#38 "Lonesome Town" by Ricky Nelson
#35 Happy Xmas (War is Over)
#33 "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan
#31 "Hotel California" by The Eagles
#30 "Apple Blossom" by The White Stripes
#27 "Say It Ain't So" by Weezer
#22 "7 Years" by Lukas Graham