Systematically builds your vocabulary of essential Guitar Chords and gives you the secrets of Strumming Like a Pro with a detailed system for Mastering Rhythms.

Dear Fellow Guitarist

ou may be surprised to learn that the following questions are very common. Do any of these sound familiar? If so, you are in good company. These have even floated around in my head when I was first learning to play guitar.

• "Why can other guitar players switch between chords quickly...and I can't?"
  
  
• "Strumming patterns seems like an alien language, why can't I crack the code?"
  
  
• "When is this going to start sounding like real music?"

It's OK. It's not your fault, and you are not alone in your frustration. Whether you are just starting your guitar journey, or have been banging your head against the wall for a little while...fear not, You Can Do It. There is hope...

Understanding how to play the chords, rhythms and techniques used by the guitar players you love is not hard...you just need a systematic step-by-step approach. And once you learn the formula, it really is easy...and doesn't take as long as you might think.

Rhythm Guitar?...

As a guitar player, you will spend a good deal of your time playing accompaniment.  This means playing chords in one form or another to support a vocal or instrumental melody. This course focuses like a laser on the elements of playing Rhythm Guitar.

And while the lead guitar player tends to get all the glory, it's the rhythm guitar parts that are the backbone of songs. Now don't get me wrong, having a firm foundation in understanding rhythms will help you take your lead guitar playing to another level as well.

Your course will be covering a lot of ground, and by the end you are going to have the tools necessary to become a great rhythm guitar player.

Building a Vocabulary of Useful Chords
is Essential as a Guitar Player

Why Learn Chords? Because they are a core part of playing songs. You will find the same common chords and progressions keep coming up over and over. So learn them once, and you will be able to instantly play new songs that contain them.

But learning and remembering chords can be difficult unless you have an organized way to practice and review them.

This course starts from the most fundamental of guitar chords, and moves you on to
Power Chords, Barre Chords, Dominant 7th Chords and more. All in a logical order building on what you have learned before.

With each new chord you learn, you are given multiple chord progressions to practice so you can imbed them in your fingers and brain. Jam Tracks are also provided to help with timing, and make things fun.

Want to Know the
Secret of Understanding Rhythms?...

Besides chords, rhythms are the other key piece of the puzzle. Even though there are infinite rhythmic combinations in music...they can be broken down into a few common patterns that can be connected together like Legos.

Once you have your collection of Legos you can easily build anything you need.

This course gives you these small rhythmic building blocks in a systematic way. So before you know it rhythmic confusion is a thing of the past.

It also contains a complete library of strumming and accompaniment patterns. So gone are the days of being stuck in a strumming rut.

Combine together chords with rhythms and you can literally play thousands of songs.

Is this just a bunch of dry
"textbook exercises"?...

"Man, I just wanna jam some cool tunes". Well how about learning to play in the style of bands and artists like these...

Nirvana, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Beatles, Metallica, AC/DC, Green Day, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, The Clash, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, James Taylor, Jack Johnson, Bob Seger, Blink 182, Semisonic, The Cranberries, America, Bush, Blue Oyster Cult, Heart, Iron Maiden

We are covering a lot of fundamentals about rhythms and chords, but the end goal is to get you playing songs from the bands and artists you love. Throughout this course I make an effort to get you playing "real music" right away.

Just Another Schmo Offering Guitar Lessons?... So who am I...

My name is Shawn Bradshaw and I've been teaching guitar for over 25 years. In fact teaching guitar was my first job in high school. I started playing guitar at age 9 when my dad taught me my first 4 chords...I practiced them for hours and was hooked. Over the next few years I studied with various Classical, Rock and Jazz guitar teachers, and by the time I was 14 I was playing out in bars....and on school nights!!! (shhh, don't tell my Mom...) After high school I attended the Ohio State University School of Music. After a couple of years at OSU and playing out in my share of dive bars, it was time for a change. I moved to Boston where I attended Berklee College of Music and graduated Cum Laude* with a degree in Jazz Composition in 1992. Don't be fooled by the degree. I love jazz, but I listen to and play many styles of music including rock, blues, classical, folk... *(Yes, Cum Laude is the lowest honors level... but I blew off a couple of English classes, what can I say.) Berklee College of Music 1992 Commencement Shawn receiving his Bachelors of Music degree from 9 time Grammy Award winner Bonnie Raitt ..the story continues After college, some tendinitis problems in my left arm pulled me off my original path of being a performer, and lead me down another. So instead of pouring my energy into a playing career, I put my efforts into becoming the best guitar teacher I could. I worked hard to develop teaching materials for my private students. (Much of this course is made up of the materials I have been using with my private students for years. So the methods have been tested and refined to help you get the best results in the shortest period of time.) ...and while over time my tendinitis healed, I was firmly on a new path with a new mission. Playing in smoky bars didn't have the same appeal to me as it had in the past. But helping my private students reach their goals on the instrument did. In 1999 my love of teaching guitar and my computer nerd side led me to start Cyberfret.com, an online guitar lesson website. (Many of you may know me as "The Cyberfret Dude") So this schmo has taught over a thousand private guitar students and tens of thousands of online students over the years. And in teaching so many students, I have learned the methods and systems that will help you learn and improve quickly.

What Are You Gonna Learn?...

"Yeah, it all sounds good but what EXACTLY are you gonna be teaching me Shawn?"

This course contains 14 different chapters on 9 DVDs and in a 236 page detailed instruction manual, so below is a breakdown of what your course will give you.

Chapter 1: Getting Started
(DVD-1)

If you are new to the guitar this first chapter will get you up in running quickly.

• Learn the basic parts of both an electric and acoustic guitar.

• Learn multiple common way to hold the guitar both in a sitting and standing position so you can avoid some common nasty wrist pain.
  
  
• Learn the best way to hold a pick...so it doesn't go flying across the room or end up inside your acoustic guitar.
  
  
• Learn good basic left hand fretting technique so you can easily play notes and chords avoid pain.
  
  
• Learn how to tune the guitar by ear, and with an electronic tuner.
  
  
• Learn how to read chord charts, and learn your first really easy chord.
  
  
• Learn the fundamentals of music like what a staff is, measures, and learn your first rhythms...quarter notes and half notes.
  
  
• Learn how to read Guitar Tablature so you can start playing all kinds of guitar riffs right away.
  
  
• Get your fingers into shape with a must know finger exercise so you can build the strength and stamina necessary to play different chords and songs.

Chapter 2: Basic Open Position Major & Minor Chords
(DVD-2)

• Learn 9 of the most basic open position chords (Em, C, G, D, Am, E, A, Dm and F)
  You will learn the best fingerings for the easiest chord transitions.
  
  
• You will learn 3 must know chord troubleshooting tips to help you get a nice clean sound with your chords.
  
  
• Learn how to do "pinky pushups" to help strengthen your 4th finger so you can easily play chords that use it.
  
  
• Play 20 chord progressions along with 60 jam tracks in different styles to help you master these 9 basic chord forms.
  
  
• Continue to systematically build your rhythm vocabulary by learning about dotted half notes, whole notes, 4/4 and 3/4 time signatures.
  
  
• Learn 2 undercover exercises to help you learn how to switch between chords quickly.

Chapter 3: Getting More Rhythmic - Strumming Basics
(DVD-3 & DVD-4)

Once you learn the basics of strumming in this chapter you will be able to play all kinds of songs quickly and easily.

• Continue to build your rhythmic arsenal by learning about 8th notes, dotted quarter notes, ties, 8th note triplets, swing 8th notes, and accents.
  
  
• Learn six essential 2 beat 8th note strum building blocks. You will be surprised how much music is derived from these 6 easy to learn patterns.
  
  
• Learn 15 eighth note strum patterns in 4/4 time demonstrated using both straight and swing 8th notes.
  
  
• Learn 6 eighth note strum patterns in 3/4 time demonstrated using both straight and swing 8th notes.
  
  
• All strum patterns are written using traditional rhythmic strum notation, and include exactly where to strum down and up so that anyone can easily learn these strums even without understanding how to read music.
  
  
• Play along with 24 jam tracks to make practice fun, and to master your new strums.
  
  
• Start playing real music with songs in the style of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Nirvana, America, Jewel, Semisonic, and the Cranberries.
  
  
• Easily apply what you learn to playing songs from bands and artists you love.
  
  
• Learn the secret trick to being able to transition between chords quickly when strumming. (Yes, this is very rarely taught. WARNING: If you don't learn this you are doomed to never being able to smoothly strum and switch chords).
  
  
• Learn how to practice with a metronome so you can develop a good sense of time.
  
  
• Learn a strumming exercise that will help you play any strum you want by ear.

Chapter 4: Misfit Open Position Major and Minor Chords
(DVD-5)

In this chapter you are going to learn some extra basic major and minor chords that were not covered in Chapter 2.

• Learn a special form of a G chord and 5 other easy great sounding chords that you can instantly combine to create your own songs. These are the Money Chords.
  Many hits have been written using this magic set of chords.
  
  
• Learn other forms of A & C.
  
  
• Learn the Jimmy Page F Chord.
  
  
• Learn how to play an open position Cm, Fm and Gm chord.
  
  
• Learn a little Bob Seger rhythm guitar strumming.
  
  
• Learn 36 easier alternative fingerings for some of the more difficult major and minor chord forms. If your fingers are not cooperating with you yet, these 36 chord forms will be a life saver when playing songs as a beginner.

Chapter 5: String Muting & Rests
(DVD-5)

• Learn how to stop unwanted strings from sounding in your chords using 3 different string muting techniques.
  
  
• Learn about rests which is silence in music. You will learn about quarter rests, half rests, dotted half rests, whole rests, and 8th rests. You will learn how to stop the strings using both your right and left hands.
  
  
• Learn six 2 beat strum building blocks that use rests.
  
  
• Put your 8th rest knowledge to the test by jamming in the style of the Clash.

Chapter 6: Power Chords
(DVD-5)

Are you ready to ROCK! OK, Power Chords are used in more that rock music, but they are "THE ROCK GUITAR CHORD".

• Learn about moveable chord forms.
  
  
• Learn the 9 essential 2 & 3 string Power Chord forms.
  
  
• Learn 2 exercises that will help you move between different power chord forms quickly.
  
  
• Learn an essential power chord transition technique. If you don't learn this one, you will always wonder how the pros move between power chords without pausing.
  
  
• Put your power chords into practice by playing in the styles of The Beatles,
  Blue Oyster Cult, AC/DC, Blink 182, & Bush.
  
  
• Learn about a very important rhythm guitar technique called Palm Muting.
  
  
• Learn a type of power chord with an altered bass note that gives a much more thick and even "menacing" sound.
  
  
• Learn an essential guitar technique called a slide, and apply it to moveable power chords.
  
  
• Learn 7 open position Power Chords.
  
  
• Practice your power chords with chord progressions and jam tracks.

Chapter 7:  Getting to Know the Names of the Notes
(DVD-6)

Learning the names of the notes on the neck of the guitar is key to knowing where to play certain chord forms. This chapter gives you all the short cuts to learning the neck.

• Master the names of the notes on the 5th and 6th strings in a short period of time so you can easily use power chords and other moveable chord forms.
  
  
• Learn how to use fret markers so you can easily navigate the neck of the guitar.
  
  
• Learn about Sharps & Flats
  
  
• Learn how to line up Moveable Chord Forms with the notes on the neck of the guitar so you can quickly go to the chords you need.
  
  
• Learn an easy trick to help you quickly find the names the notes on the 4th, 3rd and 2nd strings.

Chapter 8: Major & Minor Barre Chords
(DVD-6)

• Learn moveable major and minor or "Barre Chords".
  
  
• Practice your Barre Chords by playing songs in the style of Eric Clapton,
  Green Day, and The Kingsmen
  
  
• Master playing Barre Chords with 11 chord progression and 22 jam tracks.
  
  
• Learn how to build up strength in your left hand to help make Barre Chords much easier.

Chapter 9: Dominant 7th Chords
(DVD-7)

Dominant 7th chords are very common in Blues, Country and Rock music.

• Learn 11 basic open position Dominant 7th chord forms.
  
  
• Learn 5 moveable Dominant 7th chord forms.
  
  
• Practice 28 chord progressions with jam tracks to help you master these Dominant 7th chord forms.
  
  
• Play a 12 Bar Blues in A with a jam track

Chapter 10: Boom Chick Strums
(DVD-7)

This chapter is dedicated to a strumming style that is used a lot in Bluegrass, Traditional Country and Folk music...and Rock that is influenced by those styles.

• Learn the basic "Boom Chick" Strum in 4/4 and 3/4 time.
  
  
• Learn how to use alternating bass notes to add interest to your strums. A complete library of alternate bass choices is included to get you up and running fast.
  
  
• Practice your "Boom Chick" strums by playing songs in the style of
  Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and James Taylor.
  
  
• Learn how to add some more rhythmic spice to your Boom Chick Strums by adding 8th notes.
  
  
• Learn how to play bass note runs (walk-ups and walk-downs) so you can add movement and interest to your strums.
  
  
• There is a library of 32 done for you bass runs that you can plug right into your strumming.
  
  
• Learn how to play hammer-ons and pull-offs and apply them to boom chick strums.
  
  
• Learn 15 of the coolest hammer-on strumming patterns.

Chapter 11: Percussive Strums - Anticipations
(DVD-8)

• Learn how to add percussive sounds into your strums to add a new dimension to your playing.
  
  
• Learn how to play Back Beat Strum Patterns to imitate the sound of playing with a drummer.
  
  
• Learn how to use anticipations or pushes to give your strums rhythmic emphasis.

Chapter 12: 16th Notes
(DVD-8)

• Continue to build your rhythmic vocabulary by learning about 16th notes and dotted 8th notes.
  
  
• Learn six essential 1 beat rhythmic building blocks that use 16th notes.
  
  
• Multiply your 16th note strumming by learning 36 two beat strum patterns with ties.
  
  
• Learn how to play the 5 most common 4/4 16th note strumming patterns that are used in hundreds of songs.
  
  
• Learn about 16th note push strums so you can add momentum to your strums when switching chords.
  
  
• Expand your 16th note strumming arsenal by adding percussive strums.
  
  
• Learn the most essential metal rhythm guitar strum called "the gallop".
  
  
• Put your 16th note strums into practice by playing songs in the style of
  Led Zeppelin, Jack Johnson, Heart and Iron Maiden

Chapter 13: Triplets
(DVD-9)

• Continue building your rhythmic vocabulary by learning about 8th note triplets, quarter note triplets and 16th note triplets.
  
  
• Learn 14 triplet rhythmic blocks.
  
  
• Learn how to combine swing 8th notes & 8th note triplets
  
  
• Put your triplets into practice by playing songs in the style of Metallica, and
  Green Day.
  
  

Chapter 14: Time Signatures
(DVD-9)

If you have ever been confused about time signatures, this chapter will put that behind you. Fully understand all about time signatures once and for all.

• Learn the basics of how time signatures work. This is where most courses end, but this is just the beginning.
  
  
• Learn about Cut Time, and a quick and easy "cheat" that will have you playing in cut time without learning anything new.
  
  
• Understand what simple time signatures are.
  
  
• Learn how to decode the sometimes confusing subject of Compound Time Signatures. Learn how to play in 3/8, 6/8, 9/8 & 12/8 time easily.
  
  
• Learn 21 Compound Time Signature Rhythmic Strumming building blocks
  
  
• Learn the 4 most common building blocks that will help you get by in any 6/8 strumming situation.
  
  
• Practice your 6/8 strum patterns with a song in the style of the Moody Blues.
  
  
• Learn all about simple and compound odd times signatures (5/4, 7/4, 5/8, 7/8, 11/8). If you like bands like Tool, Dream Theater, Rush, Kansas, Radiohead, or
  Coheed and Cambria. Learning about odd time signatures is a must.

Alright, here's what I've got for you...

So that gave you the basics of what I am going to teach you, and now here is a list of STUFF that you get with your course.

9 DVD's - Over 12 1/2 hours of Video Guitar Lessons

At the core of this course is over 12 1/2 hours of detailed video guitar instruction on 9 DVD's. These DVD's are in NTSC format and region free.

I shot the videos for this course with 4 separate cameras. One in the center, one on my right hand, one on my left hand and the 4th is what I call the "Blimp Cam".

The "Blimp Cam" is a camera over my right shoulder looking down on my left hand. This is exactly what you would see when looking down at your own hand.

Why 4 cameras? Because I knew it would help you learn the material faster. You will be right there in the front row, and looking right over my shoulder in the optimal place every step of the way.

I have also included all of the examples, exercises and chord charts up on the screen. So you can see what I am playing on the guitar, and the notation all at the same time.

236 Page Detailed Instruction Manual - PDF Download

The 236 page printed instruction manual is packed with step-by-step written guitar instruction. This book covers all of the material in detail and stands on it's own to help you learn the topics...even without the DVD's.

This book is packed with chord charts, music examples, rhythm building blocks, full strum patterns, pictures of my hands from the front and above...and much more.

Bonuses

BONUS: 116 Page Comprehensive Guitar Chord Dictionary - PDF Download

This comprehensive 116 page resource is packed full of
1640 chord forms in Standard, Drop D, Double Drop D, Open D, and Open G tunings. (Most chord dictionaries only cover Standard Tuning)

Learn...Major, Major 6, Major add 9, Major 6/9, Major 7, Minor, Minor add 9, Minor 6,
Minor 6/9, Minor 7, Minor/Major 7, Dominant 7th, Dominant 7th(#5), Dominant 7th(b5),
Minor 7(b5) Diminished, Diminished 7th, Augmented, sus2, sus4, 7sus2, 7sus4, and
Power Chords.

BONUS: Jam along with a Band - 150 Jam Tracks - MP3 Download

Have fun with over 2 hours of play-a-long fun. There is no better way to help get the material under your fingers than making real music with other instruments backing you.

Give a listen to the samples below.

BONUS: CD-ROM

The CD-ROM Includes PDF files that contains all of the chord charts, exercises & examples from every chapter of the course. It also includes the bonus
Guitar Kickstart Metronome software, and the Guide To Playing Songs

BONUS: Printout Organizer with Course Breakdown

This 3 ring Printout Organizer contains a detailed course breakdown that takes you through each chapter of the course and points out the essential parts and offers extra suggestions on how to approach the material.

This binder also helps you organize any exercise pages you print off and is a place for you to put the extra bonus material.

Save Thousands Over Taking Private Guitar Lessons

I teach private guitar lessons, so I'm not going to tell you this course replaces studying with a good private guitar teacher. But I will tell you this. You will get more information in this course than you would if you spent thousands of dollars with a private teacher.

With private lessons you don't have the ability to look over your guitar teacher's shoulder when you need to the most...when you are at home practicing the material.

A private guitar teacher's chicken scratches on a scrap of paper will not guide you in the same way this detailed and organized home study guitar course will.

Here's What To Do Next...

Try the course Risk Free
Click the "Add To Cart" button below to go to our Secure Shopping Cart

Guitar Kickstart - Rhythm Guitar 9 DVD's with over 12 1/2 hours of video guitar instruction. 236 Page Detailed Instruction Manual - PDF Download Bonus - Printout Organizer with course breakdown Bonus - 150 high quality Jam Tracks...over 2 hours of play-a-long fun. Bonus - 116 page Comprehensive Guitar Chord Dictionary - PDF Download (Chords in Standard, Drop D, Double Drop D, Open D, and Open G tunings) Bonus - CD-ROM (Includes PDF files that contains all of the chord charts, exercises & examples from every chapter of the course. Also the bonus Guitar Kickstart Metronome software, and the Guide To Playing Songs special report) Special Introductory Price! - Only 8 Left!! Credit Card Services

P. S. - Since this course is brand new, I have only printed a limited quantity. After they are gone I may break it down into multiple courses since it includes so much information. So order now while you can still buy the super size package for the value price.

P. P. S. - If you have been searching for a way to systematically build your guitar chord vocabulary and master rhythms and strumming once and for all...search no more.
Grab your copy of Guitar Kickstart: Rhythm Guitar Now!

Have a good one

Shawn Bradshaw
GuitarKickstart.com