Practical Practice
How to practice like a boss, and learn to play all your favorite songs by ear.
Grab a BETA Student Seat...This course is under active development...
Help me make this the best it can be by becoming a BETA Student! I'm giving my first 100 students that signup a huge discount for testing my course material and providing me feedback. Scroll to the bottom for more details.
You love playing the guitar...
The problem is… You wanna know how to play it better…
The answer? “practice. practice. practice.”
But... duh... obviously... How annoying is that "advice"?
This gets frustrating, because after a certain point, the hardest thing about the guitar is knowing WHAT to practice… You’re putting in the work! But it seems like you’re only getting better at going in circles…
You’re stuck.
So what are you supposed to do? Learn a new song? Memorize another chord or scale? Learn some Music Theory? Hire a teacher? Or maybe you just need more practice??
It’s really hard to find an answer when you don’t know what you don’t know!
So, where do you go from here?
There's plenty of signs pointing the way, but they all seem to point in different directions…
With all the guitar teachers, online lessons, YouTube channels, free tabs, tutorials, books, blogs, forums, websites, and apps to choose from—you’d think there’d be pretty straight-forward solution, right?
You’re not trying to be the next Hendrix! You just wanna play the songs YOU want to play!
That’s why you picked up the guitar in the first place!
The truth is…
You won't save yourself from musical stagnation by memorizing more chords, more scales, learning a fancy new technique, or adding another song to your playlist.
You might learn some new tricks, but that won't solve your problems…
The BIG mistake we all make…
Most of the problems you’re going through now actually started very early in your guitar playing career…
You pick up an instrument because you want to play music. It looks like fun and you want to get to playing songs right away... It’s understandable.
The need to rock consumes you, so you learn a couple chords, a pentatonic scale or two, learn how to read tabs and chord charts—You learn the bare-minimum necessary, and then go looking for some easy songs to play with the few tricks you know…
“What songs can I play with E, G, and C?”
…But guess what? You jumped right into the game without knowing the rules… and you built all your skills on top a shitty foundation…
You flew right past all the “boring” stuff to get to the “fun” stuff, and now you're paying for it...
The “Holy Trinity” of Music…
When it comes to playing the guitar, it all boils down to 3 basic skill sets you need to develop if you wanna make life easy on yourself...
- Technique
- Music Theory
- Ear Training
Sadly, most guitar players tend to put all their focus on improving their technique, and don’t pay much attention to the other two—I know I sure did, for a long time.
This is a BIG MISTAKE.
This imbalance is THE ROOT CAUSE OF YOUR PROBLEMS.
You’re stuck right now because of this.
You’re skills are unbalanced.
Your knowledge is fragmented.
The best thing you can do for yourself is head back to the beginning, start over, and pick up all those nuggets of knowledge you left behind… You've got to learn how to connect and balance these basic skills together, and understand how to use them in practical ways.
It doesn't have to be this way...
I’ve grown so tired of seeing players like yourself deal with these same problems, and I’m even more tired of seeing them get bad advice—over and over again!
That’s why I'm making it my mission to help you thrive as a guitar player, and obtain the skills you need to achieve your goals—whatever they may be.
Someone’s gotta help lift you out of your rut!—it might as well be me!
I want to teach you how to control your guitar and grow as a musician, instead of just teaching you how to hold a pick, play three chords, and then sending you on your way…
I want to give you something that will light that fire you felt before you got stuck in this rut...
…I want to change the way you play and practice your guitar…
Introducing, my course:
“Practical Practice”
How to practice like a boss and learn to play all your favorite songs by ear…
Learn a Practical way to Practice…
How about we turn this ship around?...
In order to do that, I’m going to show you something I like to call "The Practical Practice Method." It’s a simple 5 step process I use for learning how to play songs and working out my “musical” ears.
To do this, we’re gonna go back to the basics of learning the guitar—
Except this time we’re gonna do it right…
This time, were gonna learn how to make the most of basic techniques by also learning how to use Music Theory, and training your ears to develop “Relative Pitch”.
Most importantly, I'm going to show you how to use these skills in practical ways, that will allow you to start reaping the benefits right away.
The method works by teaching you how to play along WITH music (of YOUR choice...), and learning how to apply these skills the way you would in real life situations, like playing with a band or with another musician.
Learning this way keeps you on your toes, makes your practice exciting, and helps you synchronize the connections between your head, your hands, and your ears—You'll be growing and developing each skill together, simultaneously, and having a ton of fun in the process.
How it works…
Each lesson module focuses on learning how to use the techniques, theory, and ear training needed to tackle each step in the process...
The lessons start out very simple. You'll learn things like: the notes on the fretboard, the importance of understanding Keys, and how to use your ears to easily find the “home note” of the song on your guitar. Easy stuff.
As you progress through the course, the lessons and exercises will gradually increase in complexity, with you ultimately learning how to deconstruct and reproduce entire songs using just your ears, your wits, and your guitar. No tabs or chord charts needed.
As you continue building upon your knowledge and incorporating each new skill, you’ll become a confident and competent musician by actively engaging with music, and experiencing the benefits and usefulness of your new abilities first hand and in real time.
"PRACTICAL PRACTICE"
Course Overview
My 5 part course teaches you "the practical practice method"...
This simple process is great for practicing and learning music because it lets you break a song down into its essential elements, understand its underlying structures, and then challenges you to put it back together again... except in real time... ears only... and using tabs is cheating.
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The process goes like this:
Grab your guitar, pick a song you wanna learn, push "play", and volume up...
Step 1: Find the “Home” note, grab the key
Step 2: Determine if the key is Major or Minor
Step 3: Follow chord changes and song structure, find the "roots"
Step 4: Expand the chords and add the "flavor"
Step 5: Fill in the details
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Lessons Overview
Each lesson in the course explains a step in the process...
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Part 1: How to find your way "Home"
I show you some simple exercises you can use to improve your rhythm playing, and get better at syncing up with the groove of the music. We'll start training your ears on how to find the "Home" note, and use your guitar to pin down the key of the song.
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Part 2: Keys, scales, and how to use them
Here you'll learn about the relationships between keys and scales. I'm gonna teach you everything you need to know about the Major Scale, why it's so "Major", and how to use it to find if the song is in a major or minor key. I also make you sing "Do, Re, Mi" in the shower.
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Part 3: Simple chords and structured changes
In this part we go broad and identify the basic structures of the song and learn about song arrangements. Then we hone in and start testing your ears to follow the chord progressions of the song and find where their "roots" are. Then I show you the "power" of power chords. Don't judge.
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Part 4: Building chords and adding "flavor"
In this section I teach you all about intervals and how to use them to build chords. You'll learn why Barre Chords are so awesome, and learn how to instantly know which chords are major and which are minor. I top this off by teaching you "chord recipes", and show you how to pick out and deal with chords that don't follow the rules...
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Part 5: Devils in the Details
In this last part of the course we go hard into figuring out riffs and melodies using your ears only. You'll learn how to combine everything you've learned so far and use it as a tool for sharpening your ears and overall playing abilities. I show you a few "tricks" you can do to look cool and feel like a boss, and we touch on the CAGED system and why it's useful.
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By the end of all this...
You'll be able to jump into ANY song or jam along with ANY musician, and start learning as you go.
You'll be ditching tabs and wondering why you didn't learn all this right from the beginning. You'll develop skills that will give you an edge in any musical situation, not just practice, and are yours to keep for the rest of your life.
Great for beginners, even better for intermediates…
I’ve made the course approachable for beginners by providing simple exercises to build up finger strength and improve your timing and rhythm playing. I'll demonstrate how to do more with less, and you'll see just how effective a single finger and some power chords can be. (Something even advanced players could learn from...)
Meanwhile, the intermediate player might enjoy this more after those lightbulbs start turning on in your head... I show you how to connect the dots between techniques and concepts that are often ignored or even disregarded by way too many guitar players and instructors out there.
I show you how to fit all these puzzle pieces together and make practical use of them, so that beginners can take off running and intermediates can finally leave their crutches behind
"This shit is dope"
- Jimi Hendrix, Boss, and electric-psychedelic-guitar-god
This will be a much different approach to learning than what you’re used to…
Most instructors start out by teaching you a few chords and scales to memorize, and then how to combine them into a handful of songs before sending you out into the wild...
You're taught to imitate music by memorizing finger positions and chord sequences, instead of learning how to actively engage and play WITH music.
I don't do that.
I go hard into topics and skills that most instructors tend to avoid, because my desire is to help you become a well-balanced musician, instead of just a “guitar player”.
But don't worry...
I start you out super simple—one finger. one string.
But by the end you'll be super powerful—you'll be creating chords from scratch and pulling apart melodies in your head all day. And that's just the tip of the iceberg of possibilities!
My goal is for you to understand how and why music works the way it does, so that you can have the confidence and resourcefulness to take charge and solve your own problems.
You'll come out the other end of this a much stronger player, with the ability to create and respond to music because now you understand how to use these ideas in context.
You'll be walking away with an arsenal of "tools" instead of a bag of "tricks".
Here's some of the skills and benefits you'll walk away with...
Technique
- Learn how to play all over the neck and find your way around the fretboard
- Improve your accuracy at finding and hitting the right notes.
- Improved fretting hand strength and finger dexterity
- Improve rhythm and timing by playing along with actual music.
- Learn “shortcuts/hacks” to playing along with any song, even if it’s beyond your current capabilities.
- Learn how to make the most of simple techniques like single notes, pick scrapes, and power chords.
- Improve your improv and soloing skills by knowing how to easily find and play scales
- Find chords easily by knowing how their shapes and patterns repeat throughout the fretboard.
- Become best friends with Barre chords and learn how to play them all over the fretboard.
- Learn how to play dynamically and “blend” in with the music as if you were part of the band!
- Learn easy "tricks" like bends, slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs, palm-muting, vibrato, etc.
- Finally Break away from boring and repetitive exercises
Music Theory
- Finally understand Music Theory and how to use it.
- Understand notes, keys, scales, intervals, and their functions in music.
- Know how to count and play with basic rhythms and time signatures.
- Know how to figure out the key of a song and understand the concept of "tonality".
- Learn scale degrees and understand the function of each note in a scale
- learn the difference between major and minor keys, scales, and chords.
- Learn how to use keys to predict which notes and chords are likely being used in a song.
- Learn how to find and play major, minor, and pentatonic scales for any key
- Learn common chord progressions and how to transpose and adjust a song to be played in any key
- understand chord theory and how to build any chord you want from scratch—anywhere on the fretboard.
- Learn how to anticipate notes and dissect melodies and harmonies.
- Gain musical competence by understanding MUSIC and how these same theories apply to all instruments.
Ear Training
- learn how to play along with any song, any genre, any era, and any difficulty level—just by listening
- Develop effective ears by learning how to gain "Relative Pitch"
- Easily find the "Home note" and determine the key of any song
- Know how to tell the difference between major and minor keys, chords, and scales.
- Internalize the Major Scale by learning how to sing and use "Do, Re, Mi", aka "the solfeggio method".
- Easily identify notes by hearing and recognizing the sounds of common intervals
- Learn how to recognize common chord progressions and find their "root" notes.
- Know the signature sounds and how to identify different chord "qualities"--like major, minor, 7th, diminished, and augmented chords, etc.
- Hear and dissect melodies in your head by identifying the intervals that compose them.
- Connect your ears to your guitar and learn how to make it "sing".
Musicianship
- Practice the same way all the pro's did--by playing along with music.
- Make practice FUN again by playing along with music that YOU choose to learn.
- Break free from having to look up and rely on tabs and chord charts
- Increase your musical flexibility and ability to improvise and jam along with other musicians.
- Play along and adapt to any song or musician regardless of skill-level
- Learn improvisational skills you can use in any musical situation
- Be able to learn quicker, memorize songs better, and retain more information
- Quickly build an expansive repertoire of songs and music to play with friends.
- Improve your confidence while playing and performing.
- Improve song writing and transcribing abilities
- Develop your own style and become empowered to learn and explore the guitar on your own.
- Know how to improve your limitations by creating focused exercises for yourself
- Gain a deeper connection with your instrument.
What I want for you...
My goal is to leave you feeling empowered to approach music in more direct way.
I want you to take control of the musical super-powers you have hiding inside of you.
I want you to enjoy practice instead of be bored by it.
I want you to
feel motivated to learn and challenge yourself.
I want you to
feel confident in your abilities instead of insecure about them.
I want you to
feel capable of charting your own path instead of feeling lost and confused about what to do next.
I want you to understand and learn how to use these skills to your advantage, instead of putting them off until later (or not at all), and letting them become your handicap.
I want you to feel equipped enough to develop your own style, follow your own path, and learn how to take on music your own way.
Learn how to create, instead of just imitate…
What’s the cost you ask?
Well, ask yourself this:
What would you pay to have the ability to listen to any song and learn how to play it, on the spot (even if it's your first time hearing it), without having to go look up the tabs, chord charts, or any kind of notation?
What would you pay to be a self-sufficient musician?
Some would say that's a priceless skill to have…
Think about how many guitar lessons it would take for you learn a skill like that?
Probably a lot. That could easily turn into thousands of dollars…
And how much time would that take you?
Years probably. And I’m sure you’d rather get there sooner rather than later.
But from my perspective, I don’t think it has to take that long OR cost that much money.
And I don’t believe you should have to be rich to become a better guitar player…
...
So I’m selling this for just $297.
...about the price of a handful of private lessons...
Plus, this is yours for life!
Buying the course gives you
life-time access so you can come back and rewatch anything you want, as many times as you want!
I'm not gonna stop you!
And right now I have an even better deal available for you...
Get a HUGE discount for signing up to become a BETA Student!
But SIGN UP NOW because I have LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE!
Now, as I mentioned in the very beginning… this is a work in progress at the moment. And I want to make sure it’s the best it could possibly be before I release it to the public.
And to do that I need your help…
So, for a LIMITED TIME ONLY I’m offering BETA Student seats at a HUGE DISCOUNT.
I’m letting the FIRST 100 STUDENTS
ENROLL FOR JUST $100!!
There are plenty more perks that come along with that, so if you’re interested, signup now by clicking the "enroll" button, or keep scrolling down to the bottom of the page for more details...
Think about it…
For the price of an effects pedal (or two if they’re cheap!) you can change the way you play the guitar forever…
You’ll have solid knowledge and skills that apply to literally EVERY aspect of your playing.
You’ll understand how these skills connect and compliment each other.
You’ll know how to use them, and what you can do to improve them.
You’ll soon attain a level of musical freedom, that might have taken you decades to realize otherwise, in a MUCH shorter amount time.
And you’re gonna have so much FUN in the process!
This will challenge you...
Nothing good comes easy!
Now, I can’t guarantee you’re gonna walk away from my course and instantly become a Guitar Master—that's not what I'm saying—these skills aren’t learned overnight!
You WILL get what you put into this...
But I can assure you that you WILL walk away a much more competent musician with the skills to become a Guitar Master! And you can rest easy at night knowing that you're on the right path.
"The valor and splendor of this course is exquisite! A Masterpiece by all means and virtues!"
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Boss, of legless pianos
A glimpse of what’s possible…
Imagine if playing music were this easy…
Imagine that you could play along with anything you wanted—You’re able to pick up your guitar, start playing, and easily find your way into it the music. You use your ears to guide you through the music, and your knowledge of theory helps you map out all the possibilities…
You don’t need tabs or chord charts—You can easily figure out the key of the song, so you’re able to predict all the notes, chords, and scales that will most likely show up in the music. You’re good at understanding changes and chord progressions so following along is not too difficult for you.
You can figure out a song or melody just by listening to it—Your ears are smart enough that you can begin dissecting music in your head… You can recognize intervals and work out chord progressions with very little effort. You understand what you’re hearing and how to translate that to the guitar.
You can improvise and hit all the right notes—You can look down at the fretboard and see all the possible notes and chords you might choose to play, and you're confident that they'll fit along with the music. It’s easy to create melodies and chord progressions on the fly because you already know how a note or chord will sound before you even play it…
How much would playing music be different if you had that kind of control your guitar?…
…And that’s only the beginning…
"I may have invented Music Theory... but Mr. Wood has surely perfected it!"
- Pythagoras, Boss, of the Ages
The New You...
After completing this course you will interact with music in a whole new way...
Make your own path
You will acquire a strong foundation of musical skills and knowledge to help you set and pursue your own music and guitar playing goals. Focus and improve on the skills that will allow you to express yourself better.
Equipped with Confidence
You'll have the skills/"tools" you need to enter and navigate any musical situation and understand how to do a lot more, with a lot less.
Always ready
You will be able to fit in and play along to any type of music, and jam along with any band or musician.
Build Coordination
You'll develop a musical skillset that bridges the gap, and strengthens the connection between you and your instrument, allowing you to be more creative, expressive, and make more accurate musical decisions and choices.
You'll be flexible and able to adapt
You will learn how to react to music, instead of simply imitating it... you'll know how to find the key of a song and then determine exactly which notes, scales, and chords will work with the music.
Know how to use theory
You will understand the essentials of music theory and learn how to make it one of your most powerful weapons.
Start to "see" with your ears
You will learn how to strengthen your ears and develop "relative pitch", and know how to pick apart melodies and chord progressions with your ears alone.
Learn Faster
You'll also learn how to practice in a way that will empower you to improve your skills holistically, and learn to play along WITH music, instead of grinding away in isolation.
No more tabs
By the end of this course, you will be able to learn and play along to any song without using tabs or chord charts.
You can "Fake it"
People will think you're a lot cooler than you really are. Now you can breeze through and improv over the parts you don't know... fall back on the basics... most people won't know (or care) that you're just "wingin'" it.
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[insert sappy ending intended to make you buy my product here]
Get started now!
"This course made me rethink everything I've ever done in my life... My only regret: Not picking this up sooner."
- Eddie Van Halen, Boss, of erupting guitar solos
Frequently Asked Questions
Your Instructor
I’m just your average middle-age dude, that probably took one-too-many hits of acid, and realized that Music really is the answer… And I’ve had some pretty awesome and unique experiences in my life, all because I could stand behind a guitar at make it sound good…
At the moment I’m working on a series of guitar lessons created to help budding musicians, such as yourself, gain the musical skills and knowledge necessary to improve your guitar playing abilities, all while simultaneously boosting the fun, enjoyment, and results you get out of practicing.
That's a really long and boring way of saying that I'm gonna give you musical superpowers and show you how you're practicing all wrong...
SPECIAL LIMITED TIME OFFER
NOW ACCEPTING BETA STUDENTS!
This course is under active development and I'm striving to make it the best it can be for I launch in early spring (not much time left!!). That's why I'm giving my first 100 BETA students an incredible opportunity...
I want to make sure that I'm building the course that YOU want to have, and giving you the information that YOU need to know.
In order to do that, I need your input and feedback...
- Are my lessons making sense?
- Are they easy to follow?
- Is the course fun and entertaining?
- Am I giving you the positive changes you're looking for?
I want to make you a better musician and guitar player, and I want you to experience the progress and transformation you desire, so you should feel like you're getting your money's worth throughout the entire process.
If I'm not doing that, then I've failed you as a teacher.
...and I aint about that life!
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Your job as BETA student:
- Go through the course lessons as they're released (weekly).
- Apply the knowledge, tactics, and strategies I teach.
- Let me know how it's working for you, and what I can do to make it better.
- Give me your review/testimonial at the end.
...and help me promote the course once it's finished...
- Help me get the word out by sharing a link or two with your friends on social-media (facebook, instagram, twitter, whatever)
- Tell any friends/family/bandmates/etc you know that might benefit from what I'm teaching you.
That's it. Nothing too crazy.
You get a full course created for you at a very low cost, and I get to use your feedback to help me be a better teacher and make better courses.
Win. Win.
BUT WAIT! There's MORE!...
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Because you're special to me...
Because your help and feedback are so special to me, I'm giving my BETA students more than just a big discount...
In conjunction with getting hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars worth of instructional content, for the price of a few private guitar lessons, AND getting to help shape and guide the content of the course to suit your specific needs...
Additional BETA Student Benefits:
- Lifetime access to this course (including all updates and iterations)
- Access to our private Facebook group, where you can submit your feedback and get even more personal help and guidance from me and the other BETA students.
- Become a student affiliate and receive 10% commission for any course sales generated by you*
- Any special offers and discounts I decide to grant my wonderful BETA students in the future (I like being generous...)
* Depending on the final price of the completed course, your affiliate commission could be anywhere from $10 - $50(+) per sale...
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LIMITED ROOM AVAILABLE
Remember, I'm only offering this to the first 100 students that sign up, so once those seats fill up the deal's off the table.
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Get started now!
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