Attention Guitarists Who've Been Playing For Years But Still Feel StuckDo You Play The Same Old Licks Every Time You Pick Up The Guitar?
You don't need more shapes. You need the missing pieces that tie the chords, triads and scales you already know into real music.
Does this sound like you?
You know some scales, chords, and licks but can't connect them across the neck.
You can play songs but don't fully understand what you're doing on the fretboard.
You freeze up when it's time to solo.
You feel stuck in the same patterns, playing the same licks over and over.
You stop mid-song to figure out a chord or scale, and it breaks the flow every time.
If that sounds like you, chasing another trick isn't the fix. You need a path that starts from the ground up, doesn't skip steps, and helps you use what you already have under your fingers.
Hear it from guitarists who went through the system
Video reviews and written comments from people who enrolled, in their own words.
As Seen On
I Was a "Good" Guitarist Who Was Secretly Lost.
For years, I thought I was a pretty solid guitarist. I could play songs, I could improvise, and I had a bunch of cool licks under my fingers. Then I went to Berklee. The first time I sat down to play with serious musicians, something became painfully obvious: I was lost. Everyone around me seemed light years ahead. They understood the fretboard in a way I didn't. They moved through harmony effortlessly while I was scrambling to keep up.
The "Lick" Trap — Instead of fixing the real problem, I did what most guitarists do: I chased more licks. More patterns. More "hacks." Sound familiar? I was trying to build a skyscraper on a foundation of sand. The truth was simple: I didn't really know the fretboard — I just knew shapes. I didn't understand what I was playing; I just knew what sounded "good enough."
The Turning Point — I realized the only way forward was to go back. I started practicing the "unsexy" things: triads, inversions, and the core mechanics of the instrument. At the time, it felt embarrassing. I remember thinking, "Why am I practicing basic triads while everyone else is playing circles around me?" But then, something clicked. The fretboard stopped looking like random patterns and started feeling like a system. My soloing became intentional. My rhythm playing got deeper. I could finally hear the music before I played it.
"Once I put my head down and worked on my foundation, everything else became easy."
That journey led to what I now call The Core 5 — the five fundamental building blocks that make the entire instrument make sense. Back To Basics is the course I wish I had years ago. No gimmicks — just the real foundation that makes everything else finally connect.
— The Donut Doctor
Real Comments From Real Players
Why this works when lessons and courses didn't
You've probably already tried a lot of things. And some of them were probably good. So why are you still plateaued? Because most guitar content — even the great stuff — is missing a system.
YouTube Tutorials
Great for learning individual concepts — terrible for building a connected foundation. You end up with a pile of unrelated ideas and no map for how they fit together.
"Learn 10 Licks in 10 Minutes" Courses
Fun in the moment, forgotten in a week. If you don't understand why a lick works, you can't apply it, adapt it, or build on it. It just becomes more stuff to forget.
Endless Scale Shapes & Patterns
Memorizing boxes and "cages" might help you survive a solo, but it doesn't help you hear the music. Without real application, these concepts just become another "warm-up" shape that gathers dust while your playing stays stuck.
Private Lessons Without a Roadmap
A good teacher is invaluable — but many lessons jump between whatever you bring in that week, never building toward a clear destination. Progress feels random because it is.
What Actually Works
A deliberate, step-by-step system that teaches fundamentals on the guitar, in the right order, with jam sessions so you can immediately hear and feel the difference. It connects the shapes you already know in a way that's actually easy to use in real music. That's exactly what Back To Basics is built to do.
The Core 5, in the right order, plus jam sessions with me, so it actually sticks
Instead of random lessons and scattered YouTube videos, Back to Basics: The Complete System teaches how the Core 5 (triads, scales, arpeggios, 7th chords, and inversions) connect. Each lesson builds on the last. Music Theory 101 is included when you want the written-theory foundation.
Start at the beginning with triads and the Anchor Technique
The first module builds the positioning system that everything else hangs on, so you stop guessing where your hands should go.
Connect your scales with the Pentatonic Triad System
You'll see your triads inside the pentatonic box shapes you already know, so you can move smoothly from pro-sounding rhythm into melodic lead lines. No more guessing where the “good” notes are.
Add color with 7th chords and inversions
Once the foundation is in, you'll add colorful seventh chord voicings and inversions that give your rhythm parts depth and sophistication.
Outline the harmony with arpeggios and chord-tone soloing
You'll learn to see the chord tones inside the scale, so the notes you choose actually fit what's going on underneath.
Make it stick with call-and-response jams
Guided play-alongs with me are built into the modules, including “No Talking, Just Jamming” sessions, so you use each idea in real music right away, not just as an exercise.
A system that connects everything
If the neck still feels like a pile of unrelated ideas, you're not alone. Here's how those ideas fit together, one module at a time.
75+ lessons across 7 modules
Click any module to see exactly what's inside. Every lesson is designed to build on the last.
- Major Triad Inversions — The Anchor Technique8:24
- The Pentatonic Triad System11:04Preview
- Call and Response — Guided Jam10:15
- Call and Response — No Talking, Just Jamming6:25
- Pentatonic Triad System — Rhythm Guitar6:33
- Pentatonic Triad System — Key of E14:10
- Triad Inversions — Bottom Strings1:58
- Horizontal Triad Movement1:50
- Spread Triads8:45
- Spread Triads Applied — Creating Rhythm Parts5:02
- Major Triad Arpeggios9:08
- Copy + Paste Arpeggios — A Visual Approach3:51
- Voice Leading — Your New Superpower7:19
- Voice Leading Applied8:19
- Etude No. 14:00
- Side Quest: How To Find Any Triad Interval1:49
- Triad Shortcut — Generate Any Triad2:06
- Triad Practice Tips1:26
- Triad Exercise — Mix and Match!2:35
- Exercise: Where's Waldo?1:53
- Arpeggio Shortcut — Generate Any Arpeggio1:59
- Spread Triads — Interval Awareness1:48
- Daily Exercise — Spread Triads1:43
- Warm Up — Spread Fingerings2:17
- Exercise — Voice Leading Challenge4:41
- Call and Response — Key of E (Guided)6:38
- Call and Response — Key of E (Just Jamming)4:43
- Pentatonic Triad System — Key of E (Rhythm Guitar)3:25
- How To Practice eBookPDF
- The Major Scale — A Simple Approach7:54
- 3x3 Scale Formula11:04
- Call and Response — Guided7:05
- Call and Response — No Talking, Just Jamming3:47
- Deja Vu Fingerings3:30
- How To Generate ANY Scale2:42
- Scale Exercise — Mix and Match!2:48
- The Pentatonic Jazz Scale6:57Preview
- Call and Response — Pentatonic Jazz (Guided)6:02
- Call and Response — Pentatonic Jazz (Just Jamming)3:57
- The Pentatonic Jazz Scale — Rhythm Guitar3:57
- 7th Chord Voicings — E and A String Roots9:53
- Diminished 7th Chord Application14:06
- Min7(b5) Chord Application8:35
- 7th Chord Inversions13:52
- 7th Chord Inversions — The Anchor Technique10:54
- The Neighborhood Technique5:47
- 7th Chord Jam — Rhythm Guitar11:19
- Chromatics in Rhythm Guitar5:01
- Shell Voicings5:39
- On The Hunt — Intervals1:57
- 7th Chord Arpeggios — E and A String Roots6:20
- Identifying Intervals — Generate Any Arpeggio2:33
- The Pentatonic Arpeggio Blueprint6:27
- The Chromatic Approach Technique6:22
- Call and Response — Pentatonic Arpeggio Blueprint (Guided)8:03
- Call and Response — Pentatonic Arpeggio Blueprint (Just Jamming)6:39
- Adding Color — 2-Note Per String Arpeggios9:47
- Copy + Paste Arpeggios — 3 Octaves3:35
- Arpeggios Extended3:28
- Chord Tone Soloing15:59
- Call and Response — Chord Tone Soloing (Guided)8:28
- Call and Response — Chord Tone Soloing (Just Jamming)5:19
- Daily Exercise For Mastery1:11
- Reading the Staff and Treble Clef7:50
- The Major Scale8:07
- Circle of 5ths + Key Signatures13:04
- All About Intervals15:51
- Triads11:23
- Diatonic Triads and Chord Functions10:59
- 7th Chord Hierarchy1:52
- Dozens of guided call and response jam sessions — apply new concepts in real time
- "No Talking, Just Jamming" Playalongs — pure musical application
- Integrated across every module so concepts stick through real music
- Downloadable PDFs & Fretboard Diagrams for every module
- "How To Practice" eBook — eliminate wasted practice time
- Music Theory 101 Course — master the basics of theory
Stop noodling. Start playing with freedom.
Join 11,700+ guitarists already learning with me.
Back To Basics: The Complete System
$850+ value
$199
One-time payment · or pay in installments
- 75+ video lessons across 7 modules
- Triads, Anchor Technique & Pentatonic Triad System
- Arpeggios & Chord Tone Soloing Framework
- 7th Chords, Inversions & Major Scale Systems
- Guided play-along jam sessions throughout
- Downloadable PDFs, Jam Tracks & Fretboard Diagrams
- "How To Practice" eBook
- Music Theory 101 (Bonus Course)
- Lifetime access — it's yours forever
- Free course updates
14-day money-back guarantee · Instant access · Secure checkout
Lifetime access, updates, and the extras that come with the course
These are included when you enroll in Back to Basics: The Complete System.
“But what if I just wait a little longer?”
There is no countdown here. The cost of waiting is the one students already name: more time stuck in the same patterns, and the feeling of wishing they'd gotten unstuck decades ago.
Damn, I can’t believe I didn’t learn this 30 years ago.
@stanparchaiski5394
I sure wish I'd seen this in 1983!
@drongoesgalore
I wish that I could’ve run across this video or this lesson from you 20 years ago 30 years ago.. I eventually figured it out of necessity 5 to 10 years ago, and it was a long slow process.
@Stephen-zx4uf
Wow. 50 years of playing guitar and I never really knew this, or the fundamentals behind it.
@SurvivalistGardener
You can keep putting this off and hope it clicks on its own. Or you can start now, and give future-you a lot less to wish they'd done sooner.
$199 · One-time payment · or pay in installments · Lifetime access · 14-Day money-back guarantee
Who this is for, and who it's not for
This is for you if
- Intermediate guitarists who already know their basic chords, but want a deeper grip on the neck, soloing, and improvising.
- Players who describe themselves as stuck in intermediate hell, on a plateau, or as a long-time intermediate who "really should be much, much better."
- Players who can go up and down the neck, but whose improvising still sounds like a practice routine instead of a musical statement.
- Players who've been at this for years and still feel like they're missing the fundamentals that make everything connect.
- Anyone who wants a complete roadmap, with each idea used in actual playing, not another stack of disconnected exercises.
This is not for you if
- Complete beginners. This course is designed for “intermediate” players. If you're just getting started, some concepts may move too fast.
- Players who only want another “learn 10 licks in 10 minutes” pack. If you don't understand why a lick works, it just becomes more stuff to forget.
- A player who is looking for a shortcut, loophole, or “quick” transformation.
- Someone who wants to watch the lessons but isn't willing to pick up the guitar and practice what they learn.
- Anyone who wants to stay comfortable playing what they already know instead of putting in a few focused minutes a day.
$199 · One-time payment · or pay in installments · Lifetime access · 14-Day money-back guarantee
Students who signed up, and what clicked for them
These are viewer comments from people who signed up after watching the lessons, with the handles they used on the videos.
I have the full course and love it! You're a fantastic teacher and break things down in a fun way
@kyle_1341
Same with me! I was learning triads when you came across with your anchor technique. You cut my learning time in half. Now I anchor everything I do.
@isaiahmarquez9717
Just signed up for the course. This is exactly what I need - a clear path to breaking out of the intermediate plateau! Now, let the pain begin. lol
@TheRockasaki
Wow. 50 years of playing guitar and I never really knew this, or the fundamentals behind it. By using bar chords and showing how the triads fall out of them you made learning this easy! Thank you!
@SurvivalistGardener
Absolutely awesome brother. You explained the missing link I needed to take that next step in my playing. Thank you!!!
@D5139516
So exciting to see the clear path ahead and that it is not magic, because you gave us the map.
@scottjones6624
The Donut Doctor
A Los Angeles-based guitarist and educator with a degree in Jazz Guitar Performance from Berklee College of Music (graduated Magna Cum Laude), The Donut Doctor has taught thousands of students worldwide and led masterclasses at colleges and universities. His teaching bridges the gap between technical fundamentals and real-world musicality — helping intermediate players finally break through the plateau for good.
As a Grammy-nominated guitarist, he has toured with Jung Kook (BTS), Sam Smith, and Fletcher, performed on stages from Madison Square Garden to Coachella, and appeared on Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, GMA, and more. He brings that professional experience into every single lesson.
14-Day Money-Back Guarantee
Try it completely risk-free. If you're not 100% satisfied within 14 days, simply email support@thedonutdoctormusic.com and you'll get a full refund — no questions asked, no hassle.
Frequently asked questions
This course is built for intermediate players. If you already know your basic chords and can get through songs, but you've hit a wall with the neck or with soloing, you're in the right place. If you've been playing for years and feel like you should be further along, this is for you. Complete beginners may find some concepts move too fast.
Forever. You get lifetime access from the moment you enroll. Go at your own pace, revisit any lesson as many times as you need, and come back anytime. The course will always be there.
No. The Music Theory 101 module is included to build the foundation you need — covering everything from reading notation to intervals, triads, and chord functions.
You're protected by a 14-Day Money-Back Guarantee. If it's not the right fit, email support@thedonutdoctormusic.com within 14 days and you'll get a full refund — no questions asked.
The concepts — triads, arpeggios, 7th chords, scales, and inversions — are universal and apply to any genre: rock, pop, jazz, blues, R&B, folk, and beyond. The Donut Doctor draws from a diverse rock/jazz background but teaches in a way that translates to any and all styles.
Yes! A payment plan is available at checkout. You get full immediate access either way. Check the checkout page for current installment options.
More comments from people taking the lessons
Wow. 50 years of playing guitar and I never really knew this, or the fundamentals behind it. By using bar chords and showing how the triads fall out of them you made learning this easy! Thank you!
@SurvivalistGardener
This is kind of blowing my mind. Been playing for 20 years and this is bonkers. hahahaha thanks for showing me the holes in my playing :D
@SamuraiMullet
I just want to say thank you. I have let rip with the pentatonic for 30 years and can easily go up and down the neck. I've always been frustrated that I didn't know how to add a jazz flavour when it felt right. I am self taught and have no music theory. Your video has literally opened the door for me. Really appreciate it.
@KookamungaCardiff
Amazing piece of musical knowledge. Been playing 20 years without any formal education into the guitar. And all those three note shapes I conjured up by default is making total sense now.
@ehsanhaq155
The most valuable guitar lesson I’ve ever had. You have no idea how this video unlocked my playing and changed the way I see jazz from now on. Thanks 🙏🏻
@pedroalexandria
Quickly becoming my favourite youtube guitar teacher... feel like you're targeting my intermediate plateau audience with REAL progress lessons
@ShimmyBricks
You've already put in the work. Now it needs a way to show up when you actually play.
You can spend another year hoping it clicks on its own. Or you can start today, go in order, and finally hear the difference in your playing. Back to Basics: The Complete System is 75+ lessons across 7 modules, a one-time payment, lifetime access, and a 14-day money-back guarantee.
$199 · One-time payment · or pay in installments · Lifetime access · 14-Day money-back guarantee
Real Students, Real Results
There are a lot of comments here, so keep scrolling as long as you want.
I have the full course and love it! You're a fantastic teacher and break things down in a fun way
Mind blown. This instantly changed my playing and really breathed some new life into it. Awesome lesson.
Dang! I've found gold! You are a great teacher if you can teach me something and you just did!
Absolutely awesome brother. You explained the missing link I needed to take that next step in my playing. Thank you!!!
Woa it opens a window on my mind about guitar playing… I am new on playing guitar and never thought like that… thnx…
Nicholas…… you have a gift. There have been only a few times in my guitar playing journey where I’ve had a true 💡 moment…. This is one of them. Thank you 🙏
you're a great teacher ...watching here from the Philippines....thanks bro
This is EXCELLENT teaching. All concepts clearly explained and demonstrated in fun and engaging ways. Great stuff dude!!
Truly the best guitar teacher on here. I've never bought an online guitar course before but your friendly and calm demeanour has convinced me.
Thanks for explaining all these big words... Inversions, triads, 7ths, etc... Seeing my guitar in a simpler way. I think this literally plugged a massive hole in my playing.
Wow, even the spread triads are completely new to me! They're really nice. Your videos are always jampacked with all these sorts of gold nuggets. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and explaining it in such a comprehensible fashion!
This is really good. Perfectly explained in a simple way. You packed lots of information in there, but in a good way because you managed to connect things very logically. I'm pretty advanced, and even if these concepts weren't completely new to me I still thought of them in new ways.
I love how learning music / theory, it's very circular. You start learning A but hit a wall, so you start learning B and hit another wall, but now you've unlocked the next level of A and first level of C, etc. It's just awesome how everything you learn reinforces something else and leads to the next thing. Learning theory has really helped me level up over and over again.
Dude, I'm not even four minutes in and part of my brain just exploded. I realize my favorite guitar teachers on YouTube are the ones that basically focus on the same core skills and systems a lot of the time but come at it from so many different angles. Your entire method gives your lessons a lot of rewatch value and since you come back to a lot of the same topics, it makes it easy to skip around your library without feeling lost or overwhelmed. Thanks again.
This is kind of blowing my mind. Been playing for 20 years and this is bonkers. hahahaha thanks for showing me the holes in my playing :D
Quickly becoming my favourite youtube guitar teacher... feel like you're targeting my intermediate plateau audience with REAL progress lessons
OMG! I was so stuck till I see this. Man, that was a great lesson. Amazing. Thanks for that! You got a new sub and a new fan! thanks man
Same with me! I was learning triads when you came across with your anchor technique. You cut my learning time in half. Now I anchor everything I do.
The most valuable guitar lesson I’ve ever had. You have no idea how this video unlocked my playing and changed the way I see jazz from now on. Thanks 🙏🏻
this video is so helpful to me because I was stuck for a really long time, I finally found a good teacher and actually understood this time, thank you🫶🏻
Incredible lesson! What a cool idea and it sounds great!
So good man, a best teacher to learning guitar! From Vietnam with love.
I love how you feel every note you play even though this is just a tutorial and sharing tips — true guitarist.
I'm happy you're doing more YT! I like this style of learning! Down to earth and non pretentious as it should be!! Thank you!
Bro... I'm so thankful you exist. I love your style of instruction and whole vibe of your channel. Thank you for being on YouTube.
This is such a great video. You can become lost these days with access to information, it's so good to know what you should anchor your knowledge and playing to. Thank you
You are the absolute greatest!!!! I am a drummer and pianist... I picked up guitar last and it feels like that... last. I only know shapes and my number system. I am tired of being a bedroom player. Your videos will be my saving grace.
Great recommendations! The hardest for me was to actually keep track of the chords in the progression. It doesn't come naturally to us all. It took some time to train my ears to start hearing the chords. Initially the brain was just locked in on listening to what I was playing and missing the changes. With fast tracks it is still an issue for me.
Thanks god for YouTube algorithms for putting such a useful video in may feed. Finally I understand how it works with pentatonic scale etc. Really relay good explanation!
Amazing piece of musical knowledge. Been playing 20 years without any formal education into the guitar. And all those three note shapes I conjured up by default is making total sense now.
Theoretically ı knew that ı had to to what you said , but pratically i didin’t know how to be able to hit the chord tones . Thanks for showing the way man it all made sense , cheers 🙏🏻🤘🏻
Wow. 50 years of playing guitar and I never really knew this, or the fundamentals behind it. By using bar chords and showing how the triads fall out of them you made learning this easy! Thank you!
Oh my god. I was doing this intuitively but did not understand it. Thanks for outlining this is an intelligent and understandable way. I really need to get into theory more than noodling. ✌️
First visit to your channel. This lesson is awesome! Probably the best explanation I’ve seen regarding soloing over a chord progression. Tying triad notes within a scale pattern for soloing is “gold.” Thank you!
I love this! It's now my objective to learn this concept of the triad arpeggio and taking the 3rd from below using the rhythm to make a lick. I just found your channel today and really enjoying your approach to teaching. Thanks.
Your channel is criminally underrated. Great lesson!
Really helpful video, thank you! I really struggle to sit down and just write something — this seems like a good system to follow to write something without getting bogged down.
It really does not take a ton of practice. Most people fail because they think they aren't getting better. But they low key are. It just takes a while to bear fruit and people aren't ok with not being good at something immediately. The only talent behind good to great guitar players is the ability to be patient with learning.
Thank you for this well-explained and very easy-to-understand lesson, with its lot of great advice!
Best lesson I've seen in a long time, exactly what I needed. Subscribed!
Thanks so much for another great lesson! Your explanations are crystal clear!!!
Great lesson. I'm making some good progress on finally being able to solo over a progression. This lesson has been extremely helpful. You've gained a new subscriber.
This is by far the cleanest explanation and demonstration I have seen on the subject. In my case, it showed me that I was partially using the triads, but partially stuck in the pentatonic thinking. A+ video from a great teacher.
Dude, you are one the best teachers i have ever seen. Straight to the point without any filler, and yet there is plenty of context. Your approach is super friendly and just pleasant to watch and play along with. Hell of a good job man, thanks for the video
Really enjoyed this lesson. So basic. So simple. Restricting the triad choices to the same 3 strings throughout is teaching me to look at these popular chord progressions in a new light. Yep! The light bulb is on! Thank you! Liked and subscribed 🕉️
What a great NEW concept to add to my soloing. I picked up on it very quickly. Just kind of letting it flow and weaving it in and out of the scale structure is really fun and enjoyable. At age 68 I guess you CAN teach an old dog new tricks. Thanks SO much!!!
Not gonna lie- this is probably the first hooky titled guitar shortcut video THAT actually LIVES UP TO THE HYPE. Its super easy, it works, and it sounds good. I'm gonna file it in my brain as the "smear up" hack!
I just want to say thank you. I have let rip with the pentatonic for 30 years and can easily go up and down the neck. I've always been frustrated that I didn't know how to add a jazz flavour when it felt right. I am self taught and have no music theory. Your video has literally opened the door for me. Really appreciate it.
Wow I'm heading a good direction. Everything you listed are things I've spotted as my weakness. Thank you for your confirmation!
Amazing guitarist amazing teacher! I've improved so much since taking your course. Thank you.
Great video as always, your teaching style really resonates with how I learn... I have the monthly membership already. Thanks for everything you're doing with helping break free of intermediate zone blues!
I love your videos. I've been playing for 25 years and your videos really are helping to fill in gaps.
You're an awesome guitar player and your insights on guitar fretboard mastery are incredible. Thank goodness you came along!
David left you this feedback
Thank you for helping me get out of "stuck" and feeling more confident about the guitar neck.
When you've been practicing this pattern and it finally clicks on how to sound good — I can't thank you enough for this lesson.
Bro you're a great teacher keep up the good work!
Your videos are fantastic for helping guitarists smash through plateaus and play at the level above where they currently are. Your understanding of where students get stuck and taking them from a deer in headlights to someone that can confidently take the next step is impressive. Thank you.
Just subscribed having watched only this one video. You are explaining exactly what I've been practicing for the last several months. Like you said, I already knew it but it's just a simple profound way of seeing and applying it. I have a feeling your other videos will be just as helpful.
I'm a guitar player, singer and performer for 43 years. The triad outlines in this lesson - and playing within "limitations" is what separates a 'wanking' wannabe guitar hero from a player with taste, behind a singer, as you serve the song. And that simple thing and learning how to play to the song will get you the gig over Mr. McSpeedy licks, every time. Excellent lesson. Thank you.
Oh this was REALLY clear and linear. It strikes me that a good limitation to start would be simply to choose one chord rather than a progression and toggle back and forth between the triad notes and the pentatonic scale until that triad shape and its notes become just second nature and effortless. Then build slowly with another chord from there.
Absolutely great lesson. I have just graduated up to this level in the last 4 or 5 years. It's so much fun and a great feeling when the penny drops and you realize that you have unlocked something that gives you the freedom to use more than cowboy chords. It's also opening more options for playing lead. Thanks so much for sharing. I'm sure you are helping a lot more people enjoy playing the guitar. Cheers ❤️
this is BONKERS!!! I was just recently starting to play around with triads instead of full chord shapes, and I knew the (a-shape triad) major and the (e-shape) major triad, but I had not worked out how to understand the minors with any kind of linkage. THIS was exactly what I was trying to work out in my own head!!!!! Now I can understand that the 4 and 5 are right below, and the 2 and 3 are right above the root!!!!! JUST WOW!!!!!
Wow. So happy I came across your video! Yea I’ve been caught in a rut and feel’s like every time I pick up a guitar I start playing the same old repetitious common licks. Your video inspired me to go outside what I know and venture into some of what I thought would be to difficult and time consuming to learn. My wife just came into the room where I’m playing and asked if that was me playing along lol. Love it! Thanks for the knowledge.
Great lesson, your course has been the only course that has worked for me, well worth the time and money. Thanks Nicholas 🤘
The value in your content really butters my roll, homie. You've helped improve my playing a ton. I'm gonna make a video about your channel — I got a bunch of young players that I think would really benefit from watching your stuff. Thanks for what you do, dude.
Literally perfect video for me — cannot be put more easily and simply.
My goal for 2026 is to finally break out of the intermediate plateau that I've been stuck in for years. Finally decided to pony up and buy the course. Your videos are great! I'm excited to have fun playing the guitar again.
Awesome — I had already started this after a few years of frustration, you have crystalised it for me. I had signed up for your course and look forward to starting it. Outstanding lesson, thank you.
This video wasn't just fluff. It really is absolutely true and a key to success. Because these things require focus and patience and overcoming constant distraction — facing this conundrum is humbling even though the answer is so simple. Thanks for a really useful video passing on hard won wisdom.
Big shout out — all of your video lessons have made a major difference in my playing. Thank you!
This is an amazing lesson, subscribed and course is next!
Wow, a lightbulb just went off on me triads! Seems stupid simple now that you explained picturing the top of the bar chords!
This was great stuff! Triads have brought me further in 6 months than "scale practice" approachs. I've been taking the chord shapes and finding the triads within those shapes... primarily the A and E shape bar chords, them making a chord "ring" in a different octave position on the FB.I dont know all the triad inversions and My next goal was to find the triads in the C, D and G shapes and learn the inversions verbatim. Subscribed! And appreciate the free practice track.
This is a great video; thank you for putting these out there. I've played guitar since I was 15 but never learned to *play guitar*, so I'm finding these extremely helpful. 3:20, the part about imposing limitations, instantly reminded me of a book I read recently called Inside The Box: How Constraints Make Us Better by David Epstein. I'm sure you'd like it if you haven't already read it. The idea has applications everywhere, but as you described it's incredibly useful in creative endeavors like playing guitar.
This was such a great tip. Keeping it simple. Switching between different triads of the same chord in the same string set, while playing the chord is really the key. I always tried to master all string sets at once and always failed. Now it sounds really good and groovy. Also using some variation with your right hand is an eye opener. I always focused too much on my left hand and all the different possibilities and completely forgot to groove. Fantastic lesson. Thank you!
Okay, this is, by FAR, the best guitar lesson I’ve watched on YouTube in a lonnnnnng time, LOL! I’ve been a Guitar Teacher for the last 20 years of my career (I’m 60), and I pride myself in making the lesson as simple, clear, concise, and easy to understand as possible… You’ve not only done this fabulously, but you’ve also presented it in an incredibly clear, professional manner… Love the simultaneous overhead shot as well! Definitely clicked “Like”, and now I’m gonna click “Subscribe”… Don’t mind if I borrow this concept, okay? 👊🏻😅 (Seriously, I’m gonna forward this to some of my students, right away!) 🙏🏻
This is excellent information. It was a bit of a revelation to me to learn about just playing the top three strings of a chord. I know that probably sounds silly, but so many books and courses teach you to play as if you’re going to be the only instrument playing a given song (where large chord shapes would naturally apply) and the idea of ‘stepping on another band member’s toes’ by hitting their same notes with your chords is not often discussed. So I appreciate your reinforcement of this concept. Rhythm guitar can add texture, tone, and character to a song, but it seldom has to carry the entire load all by itself. Thanks for this.
Okay, let’s talk about this. All of us hobby guitarists know what our weaknesses are (every box across the fretboard, every mode, and doing numbers 1 and 2 as the chord progression changes). Conceptually, I know all of this. Frankly, I don’t have the time to master all of those elements to step into a true advanced guitar player. But THIS!? This is a beautiful, bite sized technique that I can implement in likely a few solid weeks of practice. The gap from intermediate guitarist to advanced guitarist can sometimes feel like an insurmountable chasm. This feels like a solid rope bridge to easily get me a little closer to my goals as a musician.
Jesse left you this feedback
Honestly, this course has made things click for me like never before, wish I had had this when I was a kid, but I am improving, becoming more fluid, very quickly, so thank you!
Your lessons are fire! I love the breakdown for everything. Keep up the awesome work you do Doc! New sub here.
This is a great lesson! I almost feel bad for getting it free...almost. Thank you very much!
This is awesome.... I can't wait to throw this down!
Best freakin guitar teacher on youtube hands down!
Thank you! This is exactly my next improvising step. Good teacher.
Thanks for continuing to drill us on our triads. You've taught me how to connect those pentatonic scales to real lead lines. I love your approach of using limitations to create more freedom and fluency.
Great great lesson! You know how I know you're amazing? You left the small little mistake in there and didn't edit it out or autotune it. Thank you for being genuine and earning credibility and trust!
This channel consistently has by far the best videos for learning the neck. I like that you emphasize music and chord knowledge rather than selling a shortcut. Knowing the basics deeply is the biggest hack of all.
You explained this really really well! I wish that I could’ve run across this video or this lesson from you 20 years ago 30 years ago.. I eventually figured it out of necessity 5 to 10 years ago, and it was a long slow process. I do not teach a lot of students, but when I do, this is often an area where they have a hard time letting go of wanting to play six strings for every chord. Anyhow, your presentation is truly fantastic! It makes so much sense and is easy to follow. I subscribed and will send future students or friends over to listen to the way that you explain it (much better than my explanations). Thanks again for a great video and contribution to the wonderful world of joy and playing guitar!
Just do what he did there and work those local triads to the “dummy box” wrapped around that E string minor. You can do a zillion set lists running just that stuff and can bail out into chords local to that position as well. Just my opinion as a hack guitarist but I do play Sundays in a worship band often and I’ll get a 5-6 song set list with about 2 days to play and I’ve gotta run lead stuff unique at times. This kind of localized stuff relates to triads is a godsend. It’s too quick and easy and it transposes instantly with the Nashville number system (knowing your 1,4,5,6m,2m,3m basics). Then when you’ve gotta improvise infront of a couple hundred people just because the lead dude randomly gives you the nod…well this helps with that and takes about 15mins to learn assuming you know your basic triads and number system.
I love how every time I come across your videos, you’re literally summarizing what I’ve been working on recently 😂. I’ve been working on this system for the past few months, but this week I feel like I’ve had a breakthrough in seeing the triads of the parent major scale around whatever chord progression I’m playing to, and connecting that roadmap to my internal voice. It feels like I’ve opened the suitcase in Pulp Fiction, but it’s abundantly clear that this is a ton of power to wield irresponsibly (lol). For the first time I feel like I have too many choices for where my melodic ideas can go. It’s cool seeing how the melodies in my head look on the guitar within the context of the triad system, and further breaking those triads down to create endless ideas. I feel like I’m finally on the path to honing how I play rather than stumbling over what to play. As always, thanks for the right-on-time lesson!
TOUCHDOWN!!!!!! What a fabulous video. I have watched tons of videos on this subject and this is the FIRST ONE I have found that started literally at the beginning and extremely systematically and linearly without skipping any steps, laid out the concept, the theory, the advancing steps (one by one building on the previous), and the practice paradigm with permission to take your time with limitations. Masterful. This example of step by step teaching in my experience is soooo rare. I am so appreciative of what you have made here and now know this is the first step towards adding non-chord pentatonic tones to the triads once I have the triads down pat. I am hoping in the future you have exactly the same style video to take that next step (but of course I totally get it that I should not go there until I have what is in this video mastered). So exciting to see the clear path ahead and that it is not magic, because you gave us the map. Just awesome.
I’m 66 and use all the ‘jazz’ modes, melodic minors & bebop scale, using enclosures & target notes. So I already do all of this anyway… This takes the pentatonic very close to both Dorian and Mixolydian - and with the approach notes in both directions you’re ’kind of’ getting into the chromatic scale. But the simplicity of this lesson 🤯 - mind blown. That doesn’t happen very often at my age!!! I may be 66 but every day’s still a school day. New subscriber here!
Bro, your videos are really great.
probably the best lesson I got in years, thank you is not enough
Great lesson. I think the best thing about the way you teach is that you keep it simple and apply it to something that sounds like music. Too many people try to teach all the theory in one solid lump. If it was food instead of music people wouldn't be able to eat it all at once, they would literally throw up.
Awesome lesson. There is almost nothing that inspires and motivates me to get better than hearing simple ideas/teachings that I can apply immediately, which will have a profound impact on my playing and overall enjoyment.
This is the kind of stuff no one shares or breaks down to this simple of instruction. Awesome video keep them coming!
You are a fantastic teacher.... No matter what concept you are teaching, you make each lesson clear, concise and very accessible to anyone regardless of experience level.... Thank you very much!
I am back after trying your advice and report that it made a big difference. I stripped down to a 15 minute concentrated period on a single topic with a goal for that session. I found that I was refreshed and ready for the next focused topic. I have three things I'm working on so this gave me 3x15 minute intense periods in the morning and then I repeated in the afternoon. I wasn't exhausted. I enjoyed it. It felt very effective. I think this might be a sweet spot for me. Thanks again for this video.
You keep illuminating things that have been staring me in the face this whole time. I spent a long time building speed with Yngwie patterns and tapping like Eddie. I neglected EVERYTHING you talk about. Thank you, brother. You made me see the holes in my playing. But even better, you showed me how to FIX IT.
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