THE BEGINNER

GUITARIST
PLAYBOOK
(Tricks that will blow your mind)
Welcome to this playbook!

My name is Den and I put this together for your

enjoyment.
This book is structured around the posts that have
blown people's minds the most over the last year.
I intend that you learn and enjoy and get many insights
by reading this collection of diagrams.
Let me tell you the story of why I got into teaching
guitar.
One afternoon I was practicing some guitar parts on my
'96 Mexican Strat and a friend of mine came over to visit.
When seeing me play she said: wow! that's so cool! I'm
going to sign up my daughter for guitar lessons😃
The first thing that came to my mind was: Oh no! Poor
child!
Instantly I knew what that girl was going to go through.
The process, the pain, the frustration.
I knew my friend did not know what she was signing her
daughter to.
You've been there. Learning your first chords. Trying to
change from one chord to the next fast enough to keep
up with the song. The mighty and terrible F chord.
And all this without having a clue of what you are doing!
I also felt like the guitar was a maze where there was too
much to learn and no clear direction.
I also got frustrated sounding like a beginner for years!
It took me so long to understand how the guitar worked
and why my playing did not sound quite "right".
So I started to think about this girl and how could I help
her not go through that pain. I realized that the biggest
struggle for beginners is fretting chords and changing fast
through them.

That is when I came up with "The Guitar In 1 Hour Method"

which makes complete beginners be able to play 100's of
songs in under an hour.

When putting my ideas out there, I started to see even

guitar teachers admired my thoughts. So I got addicted to
finding tricks, easy wins, and ways to make guitar easy and
fun.

This playbook is a compilation of the ideas I put out there

that got the most attention. The ones that gave beginners
better insights. The ones that helped the most.

I left some topics out of this book (maybe for part 2) for I
know information overload leads to not taking action.
Simplicity is key.

For that reason, this book is structured in a way where

every concept weaves and builds on the previous one.

Do not worry if not everything clicks. If you can get one

good idea from this book that helps you understand the
guitar a bit better, it will be worth it.

Hope you like it and let's get playing!

Den López

NOTE: Every time you see a blue link under a diagram, if

you click on it, it will take you to a video post :)
This post blows everyone's mind. Every time.

As beginners, we all hit the wall of barre chords and fear

playing songs that involve chords like the Bm.

By playing the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd strings (the thinnest)

without even fretting the guitar, we have an E minor
chord.

If we treat those open strings as a shape (nut), we can

then move that shape across the neck to create all the
other minor chords.

Note that sharps and flats are not in the diagram for
aesthetic reasons but you can use the same shape to
play all simple minor chords.

For example: F#m would be at the 2nd fret.

And, why is it that you can play a full chord by using
only 3 strings?

Basic chords are created by playing 3 notes together.

If we want to play all six strings, we must repeat some

of those notes.

The best chord shape to see this is the A shape

(above).

See how the 6th and 5th strings are the same notes as
the 4th and 3rd?

The only note that is not repeated is located in the 2nd

string (yellow).
So, because we only need 3 notes to create a chord,
we can play all major or minor chords using 1 finger.

We just fret the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd strings to play minor
chords, and the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th strings to create
majors.

Do you see how the same shape creates different

chords?

If you learn a chord shape and slide it across the neck,

you can play any chord.
It's easy to see by playing an F chord.

Try playing an F chord and then moving it back 1 fret

towards the headstock.

See how it becomes an E?

This is true for any chord.

Try this with the B chord. Even if you can't play it yet.

See how if you move it two frets down towards the

headstock it becomes an A?
Now that you know that you can move any chord
shape around to create any other chord, the whole
neck is available to you.

For example, if you want to play an F chord, you can

use the E shape and move it 1 fret towards the bridge.

But, you could also move a D shape 3 frets and play an

F too.

Or a C shape and move it up 5 frets!

Any chord shape is movable!

There are 5 major chord shapes that we use to create

all the other chords.

They are the C shape, the A shape, the G shape, the E

shape, and the D shape.

Hence, the word:

C-A-G-E-D
Hopefully, you understand that the open chords you
learned when starting out are not really chords.

They are shapes that create chords.

And that you can move those shapes across the neck
to create other chords.

Now here is the tricky part.

If you want to play all 6 strings, you have to make the

nut follow you.

You do that by playing a barre with your index.

Imagine your
index finger was
the barre.

To play that chord

shape, you will
have to fret the
strings behind the
shape.

https://business.facebook.com/LearningGuitarSecrets/videos/1027855551243868/

We go deep into this inside the PERFECT BARRE

CHORDS course (quick plug).

If you're interested, check it out!

Let me give you a couple tips in case you don't.

https://business.facebook.com/LearningGuitarSecrets/videos/2148237925337516/

Hot tips to play barre chords:

1. Always fret your strings as close to the fret wire as
possible (this is true for any chord).
2. Get a good setup by a professional.
3. Practice at the 3rd fret instead of at the first

There are more we cover inside the course for

example:

And if you're still

having trouble try this:
Place a capo behind
the barre chord you're
trying to play.
Now of course you don't have to play all 6 strings
every time.

You can choose to play 3, 4, 5... 1.

There are no rules. If you choose to play only 3 and

play chords you are playing TRIADS.
Triad meaning 3.

3 notes that if you remember from the first diagram,

create a basic chord.

The diagram on the previous page shows how a "full

chord shape" can be broken down into triads.

Take a look at this other diagram:

To change from a minor chord (triad) to a major, we

only need to change one note!

This means we can play any simple chord with our

index and middle fingers.

And you might be asking yourself...Why do I need to

know this?

If you ever want to play Reggae or Funk, these are the

chords to go to.

There are other applications too (solos, cool intros,

doubling guitars in a recording...) Tons of cool stuff.

By now just know that if you're struggling to play a Bm,

you can save the day by fretting the thinnest 3 strings
at the 7th fret.
Here's another example of a "cheat" chord.

If you're really struggling to switch to an F fast, try this.

It doesn't work for every song, but when it does, it

sounds amazing.

Now let's transition to how we can start sounding

amazing, yes?
https://business.facebook.com/LearningGuitarSecrets/videos/846749950017374/
So many times we get caught up in trying to be better
players by perfecting the fretting hand.

The reality is that what makes you sound like an

experienced guitarist is your rhythm hand.

That is why I posted the diagram on the previous page.

I know I struggled with this. It took me too long to

discover.

If you get any advice from this book, let it be this:

GET WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW TO PLAY AND
APPLY RHYTHM TO IT.

It is that simple.

The chord progression on the previous page uses the

same shape to create different chords.

That gives you the ability to focus on your rhythm

hand.

And that brings us to this post:

Don't let anyone put that idea in your mind.

I have yet to find someone that cannot count to 4 on

time.

The problem comes with fear.

Changing from a C to a D as a beginner is HUGE.

It requires all of your attention which then is taken

away from the rhythm hand.

And that is why you sound like a beginner for so long.

Here are some cool and easy chord changes that won't
require your full attention.

When playing this notice

that your index and
middle finger stay in the
same shape.

They only move strings.

For this, you only need to

move your middle finger
one string.

The rest of the shape

stays locked down.
 There are other chord changes that are easy and let
you focus on your rhythm hand.

For example:
https://business.facebook.com/LearningGuitarSecrets/videos/474127537643366/

By moving this shape up

or down one string you
can play a two-chord
progression.

You can even move that

shape one more time like
this:

This is an easy 1 finger

move that lets you
practice your rhythm
without too much
thinking.
Here's a quote by Cory Wong:
"...the right hand, once you get the motor down,
makes things pretty easy"

And I know it might feel intimidating when you see

something like this:

But that just means that you have to count to 3.

1, 2, 3, and repeat. All the time.

***More inside the video training***

If the top number is 3, you count to three. If the top

number is 4, you count to four.

And if it's 6? you guessed it. Forget the bottom number

for now.
There is something weird that happens when you focus
on your rhythm hand.

Everything makes more sense, your chord changes

seem easier, and you sound and feel better...

With anything you play, like lead guitar.

When I teach my students lead, I only let them play

one note.

But that would be a silly diagram, so I teach them this

second.

By focusing on one note, you can really be intentional

on what you are trying to say with it.
You can bend it, slide it, apply vibrato to it... A million
things!

Even play it at different beats or for different lengths

of time.

All this affects what you're trying to say with your

instrument.

Once we go past that stage we can go on to things like

this.
https://business.facebook.com/LearningGuitarSecrets/videos/410432611080266/

Also called the house of blues it's a simple pattern that

has so much to say!

Great for starting out instead of running up and down a

scale shape.

Plus, it's a full pentatonic scale (penta = 5 / tonic = tone).

5 notes. When you play a scale on all 6 strings you

repeat notes.

To discover how easy it is to play amazing solos check

my LEAD GUITAR FOR BEGINNERS course
Here's a definition of rhythm I like that will give you a
perspective on how important it is.

Basically said, music is not music without rhythm.

Now let's transition to other random thoughts and

ideas that have gotten attention.

With no particular order:

I cannot stress how important this is as a beginner.

There's a belief that practice makes perfect. It's not

true.

Practice makes permanent. If you practice the wrong

way or the wrong things, those habits will become
permanent and hard to break once accepted.

That is why I teach my students to practice everything

very slowly. It gives you the chance to focus on what
you're doing, one thing at a time.

You only have to do it perfectly once to make it click.

Once it does, your brain will recognize it as valid, and
then you can start speeding things up.
Take for example this diagram. We touched on this
earlier but let's play with it from another perspective.

If you can play an E chord (to the left) try this.

Approach that chord slowly. Really focus on bringing

your fingers down on the strings.

Capture that perfect shape on the fretboard. Now lift

your fingers up and do it again. SLOWER.

I promise if you do this right tomorrow you will play a

cleaner and easier chord.

Now lift up your finger from the 3rd string to play an E

minor and visualize that chord. Capture that image.

The cool thing about this now is that you can bring that
memory up whenever and wherever you are.

Because you played that chord perfectly, you can re-

live that experience without actually playing the guitar.

Your brain won't know if it's real or not. Every time you
think of that perfect chord, you will be "practicing" it.
Let's explore some other topics.

Take this diagram for example:

https://business.facebook.com/LearningGuitarSecrets/videos/1612279735804006/

Remember you only needed 3 notes to play a chord

and that if you wanted to play more than 3 strings,
some notes had to be repeated?

This is an easy, partial G shape (G from c-a-G-e-d)

broken down that you can move across the neck.

On the diagram below you can see why this shape

comes from a G open shape.

To play this shape be sure to mute the top and bottom

strings.
Now here comes the fun stuff...

Ready?

Under each chord shape, we can learn any scale we

want and the scale shape will move with the chord
shape.

In the diagram above you can see the major pentatonic

scale (red) over the G shape chord (blue).

This is true for any scale you want to learn.

Check out why this is so cool.

In the diagram above, we are playing a C chord, right?

If we wanted to play a D, we would slide that "shape"

two frets towards the bridge, yes?

Following the alphabet: C - D...

If we wanted to play an E we would move that shape 2

frets more. C -D- E.

What's cool is that the same scale shape will move

with that chord shape. So any time you play this
shape, you can play the exact same licks under it!
The same happens with all chord shapes.

Take a look at the D chord shape

For those critics out there, I understand you want to jump in and say
this is the C shape. It's ok. Relax.
Remember we could move that shape around?

Now any time you play this shape, you can play licks
around this shape and they will sound fantastic!

You can essentially combine rhythm and lead guitar in

one.

To practice this I teach my students to stay focused on

one chord.

Find some cool licks to play around it and then use the
same chord shape to play a chord progression.

Every chord shape has its scale shape under it.

When I heard I had to learn every scale position in

every key, it felt like a huge mountain to climb.

But by learning a couple of scale shapes under my

chords, you can play really cool guitar without
memorizing every scale in every key.
Here's for example the minor pentatonic scale under
the E minor shape (E from CAGED, remember?)

Or for the A minor shape.

If you're still wondering why I say A minor shape and

I'm playing a Bm chord, remember you can move
chord shapes around to play different chords.

If you look closely at those 3 blue dots, they look like

an A minor shape, right?
Another post that got a lot of a attention was this one:

If you're just starting out trying to memorize the

fretboard this might simplify the process.

If you treat the fretboard like 3 sets of 2 strings,

everything repeats itself exactly in the same order.

There are many approaches to trying to learn all the

notes on the fretboard, and I like many of them.

This post is not meant to be a definite way to learn

every note.

It's just meant to simplify and make the guitar less

abstract.

Less intimidating in a way.

Remember the post about the box? If you learn a little

lick on two strings, you can repeat it across the neck
on the other two sets of strings.

3 licks for the price of 1!

Let's jump into another topic: The major scale.

You have heard of it and if you're like me, you're

probably thinking: Why does everyone talk about it?

What is its use?

Let me show you just one diagram.

All those numbers represent the major scale.

In this case, the G major scale.

Remember that we only needed 3 notes to create a

simple chord.

To create a major chord, we play the 1st, 3rd, and 5th

notes of that major scale (to the right of the diagram)

What's cool is that now you can create any chord.

For example, a Gmaj7 would be 4 notes (adding the 7th

note of the scale)
Now, let's see how you can use the 6th and 5th strings
to find any chord you want to play.

If you know the notes on the 6th string, you can use
the E shape chord to play any chord you want.

If you know the notes on the 5th string, you can use
the A shape chord to play any chord you want.
To conclude I would like to tell you a story of belief. Of
belief in one's self.

When I first started out playing, one of my favorite

bands was Led Zeppelin (of course!).

I used to think only guitar gods could play Stairway To

Heaven.

But then one day I met a friend that started playing

around the same time as I did.

We were talking music stuff and this came up. I was

like: Imagine if we could play Stairway...

He was like: Oh yeah, I can!

Yeah right! I said to him. In your dreams.

And then the most amazing thing happened. He played

it!

Note for note! The whole song! Without stopping!

That day my whole perspective changed.

It gave me the belief that if he could do it, I could too.

So we went to the copy shop and made a copy of his

tab book for the song and I ran home.

And sure thing, I started learning Stairway To Heaven.

And I did.

To this day I still remember most of it. Even if it's been

years that I haven't played it.
I tell you this story so you know that every great guitar
player also started out knowing nothing about guitar.

And they also hit walls and went through obstacles.

It's just a matter of belief. Sometimes it's a little

change that changes it all.

I'll let you go with these two images. Happy playing!

Check out a 5 exclusive videos on the next page

Hopefully you have gotten amazing insights from this
book.

I want to give you one more thing from free.

Watch this mini masterclass on some of the concepts

in the book.

Click on the videos below.

VIDEO 1 VIDEO 2

VIDEO 3 VIDEO 4

VIDEO 5

Click HERE to access the rhythm course