Frequently Asked Questions
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Learning Guitar With Me
Learn, Practice, Play will be perfect, because you’ll be playing melodies from the very first lesson, even if you’ve never picked up a guitar before.
Here’s a quick video where I explain the difference between my first three courses, Learn, Practice, Play, Next Level Playing, and Acoustic Adventure:
To summarize my message:
- If you’re just starting out, or in need of a refresher of the fundamentals, then my first course Learn, Practice, Play would be great for you to check out.
- If you’ve already been playing for a while and you’re proficient at playing barre chords, know your scales backwards and forwards, have extensive practice in fingerpicking, and are knowledgeable about music theory, Next Level Playing is the course for you.
- In Acoustic Adventure, I use a slightly different format to show intermediate players how to get the most out of the acoustic guitar. Rather than going step-by-step (or level-by-level) this course allows you to select what technique you want to work on and what style you are interested in playing each time you practice. To get the most out of this course, you should be comfortable playing the most commonly seen chords and have some familiarity with barre chords.
My newest course, Electric Elevation, is for intermediate guitarists who are ready to become "advanced." Here, I cover techniques that will help members improve fluidity and cultivate greater confidence and expression in their playing. This will be a great fit for anyone who is already familiar with basic theory, has a good grasp on fundamental guitar skills, and is looking to gain a deeper understanding of how to use them to play with even greater confidence and freedom.
If you have existing guitar skills and are interested in mastering the loop pedal, I encourage you to check out Loop School.
If you join a course and find that it is not the right fit, just email my team during your risk-free guarantee and they will be happy to swap your course access to a different course that is currently open for enrollment (free of charge).
The size and shape of your hands do not mean anything! I’ve seen fantastic players with HUGE hands and fat fingers, and I’ve seen great players with tiny hands and really short fingers. The advantages are very marginal. Success mostly comes down to practicing regularly and using the right technique.
I have a bachelor's degree in music (guitar) and a minor in education from Rotterdam Conservatory. I also perform regularly and produce and write music.
Electric Elevation
Electric Elevation is an online, self-paced course with five modules, 26 unique lessons, and over seven hours of video instruction.
The lessons inside the course are centered around chord progressions and one single key per module, which we’ll explore in-depth together. For each progression, you’ll learn solos, rhythmic lines, rhythm and lead together, and techniques to add “spice” to your playing. And, you’ll work toward developing an intuitive sense of how to incorporate musical elements in order to sound better than ever before.
Upon joining the course you will have access to all materials so you can follow the modules sequentially or in whichever order you like.
Electric Elevation is a self-paced course so that’s entirely up to you; the more you practice, the better your results will be! If you need to take it slow with only a short practice time each day, that’s no problem. But my hope (and expectation!) is that once you get started learning the soulful songs in the course, you’ll start practicing more than ever before without even meaning to, just because you’re having so much fun!
That said, if something does come up in your schedule that prevents you from starting right away or slows down your progress, no worries. You get lifetime access to all course materials when you join so they will always be available for you to pick up again whenever you can come back to it.
This course is designed for the electric guitar, and I strongly recommend using one for it. No fancy gear is needed, just any electric guitar and amp will be enough for you to get the most out of the lessons.
If you don’t have an electric guitar yet, you can still join, but some of the “electric” elements within the course (such as tone and other effects) won’t be possible without being plugged in. We’re also playing things that are much harder (or even impossible!) on the acoustic: techniques like bending or playing higher up the neck. But with lifetime access to the course, you’ll have plenty of time to get started on the course material while you work toward getting an electric instrument.
Nope! Electric Elevation is designed for any intermediate-level guitarist who is ready to become more advanced.
To get the most out of this course, you should be comfortable playing the most commonly seen chords, and have some familiarity with playing scales and barre chords.
If you’ve been through Learn, Practice, Play and you’re feeling up for a challenge, you’re welcome to try this course – though some aspects of the course may take a bit of extra work, I think you’ll have a blast!
If you’ve been through Next Level Playing, then Electric Elevation is the perfect next step for you to take what you’ve learned so far and apply it in a more challenging context so you can deepen your musical understanding and grow into a more nuanced and mature player.
If you don’t have the level of comfort with chords or the training described above, I’d suggest starting with one of my step-by-step courses first to build your foundational skills.
If you’re not sure what “level” you’re at, that’s OK; feel free to join this course and get started on it. If it isn’t a good fit, you can get a refund within the first 14 days (or exchange it for a different course within the first 14 days.)
In Electric Elevation, you’ll develop a deeper understanding of music so you can turn even the most fundamental scales and chord progressions into beautiful, expressive guitar playing.
In Next Level Playing, I give students step-by-step guidance in learning the fundamentals of guitar starting from a beginner/early intermediate level, with each module progressing to a more challenging level throughout the course.
In contrast, Electric Elevation is a deep dive into the “how” and “why” of musical decision-making, intended for intermediate students who are ready to become more advanced. This course is definitely more challenging than Next Level Playing, though not necessarily from a technical or theoretical standpoint – the challenge comes from pushing yourself to play with more nuanced detail and musical expression than ever before!
The heart of the course is understanding chords and solos – and more importantly, how they fit together. What do we play over those chords? And what chords go with your scales? And how does that relate to the key? We discuss ways to fluently combine elements like triads, chords, various scales, arpeggios, and target notes all while keeping all of those questions in mind. We’ll also be using quite a bit of fingerpicking, which was not part of Next Level Playing.
This is the perfect follow-up to Next Level Playing and will take you beyond the question of “what” to play, and help you develop your ear so you can intuitively make musical choices that sound great. This will be a great fit for anyone who is already familiar with many fundamental guitar skills and is ready to get a deeper understanding of how to use them to play with greater fluidity and freedom.
If you are a player with some experience under your belt and you’re ready to develop a more advanced guitar skillset, Electric Elevation will be a great next step in your journey!
Loop School
Loop School is an online, on-demand course that can be completed at any time.
I will walk you through eight gorgeous original loops step by step so you can master your loop pedal and become an overall better guitarist. In addition to the loops, you can visit the four classroom lessons to learn how to properly set up your looper, nail your timing, adjust your amp, and write crisp loops that don’t clash.
Upon joining the course you will have lifetime access to all of the course material. While you are free to go through the course however you’d like, the loops do get more complex as you go, so I recommend working through them sequentially. Also, if your schedule gets busy, no problem! The course will always be available for you to resume whenever you can come back to it.
This course contains approximately three hours of video content (not counting bonuses), but actually mastering the loops can take as much time as you choose to put into them. With lifetime access to the course, you’ll be able to revisit each section whenever you’d like.
Any looper will do. So if you have a guitar that you can hook up to the looper (acoustic or electric) you’re good to go! Some loops might be better suited to electric or acoustic, but the majority of the course can be done on either.
Don’t worry if you don’t have a loop pedal yet, or don’t know what to get – I’ll walk you through the basics of choosing a pedal without breaking the bank.
Nope! This course is open to guitarists of all playing levels, from fairly basic to intermediate and advanced. Since the focus of the course is on the fundamentals of looping, this will not be a particularly technical course for the guitar. This course will teach you looping so you can then create your own music at whatever level you’re comfortable with. Within the course, there will also be some opportunities to choose how basic or how fancy you want to get within the context of particular layers, so you can always opt to challenge yourself or keep it simple.
If you’ve taken any of my other courses, this course will be a great next step in your growth as a guitarist.
If you’re not sure what level you’re at, I encourage you to give this course a try. If you find it isn’t a good fit, you can change your mind within the first 14 days for a full refund.
Acoustic Adventure
The lessons inside the course are grouped together inside five different “venues,” or destinations. Each one has its own focus and flavor, so you can explore whichever techniques and skills you’re interested in each day. The venues focus on fundamental techniques, fingerpicking, strumming, and flatpicking. There is also one venue full of songs I have written just for this course.
Upon joining the course you will have access to all of the course lessons so you are free to choose your own adventure from day one! The lessons within each venue do get more difficult as you progress through the course, so I recommend working through them sequentially.
Playing the guitar is an ongoing journey, with no end destination. As you go through this course you will learn techniques for making the acoustic guitar sounds as rich and clear as possible by playing original tunes, rather than exercises, so you have fun and are motivated to practice more than ever before.
And when you go deep into exploring the styles and techniques taught in the course, you won’t just sound great and have a lot of fun bringing your acoustic guitar to life – you’ll also become a better, more well-rounded, and versatile guitarist in two important ways:
First, you’ll become familiar with the history of the instrument, and the ways that several older styles have blended to influence the music of today. And that means when you hear a new song that you love, it’ll be so much easier to understand the sound you’re hearing, and how it translates to the guitar.
And second, when you become familiar with a variety of techniques (like different ways and styles of fingerpicking, palm muting, bass, chords and melodies played together, percussive slaps, muted strums, and more), it gives you so much more opportunity to play the music that expresses what you want to say.
By the end of this course, you will have a much broader repertoire from which to create your own sound.
That’s entirely up to you; the more you practice, the better your results will be! If you need to take it slow with only short practice times, that’s no problem. But my hope (and expectation!) is that once you get started learning the great-sounding songs and exercises in the course, you’ll start practicing more than ever before without even meaning to, just because you’re having so much fun! The course comes with lifetime access to all course materials so you are free to move at whatever pace best fits your schedule and learning style.
This course is designed for acoustic guitar, and I play several of my favorite acoustic guitars throughout the different lessons. If you already have an acoustic guitar, I’d definitely recommend using it for this course. It’s not just the “little brother” of the electric guitar; it’s actually a beautiful instrument on its own with a lot of cool characteristic traits and history in the evolution of guitar music across many styles. Also, it is often the best option for playing by yourself.
If you don’t yet have an acoustic guitar, you can still join if you’d like. Most (probably even all) of the songs and exercises in the course can be played on an electric or classical guitar, and I’m sure you’ll have a great time going through them. With lifetime access to the course, you’ll have plenty of time to get started with your current guitar and then consider getting an acoustic when you’re ready – and I even give you some shopping tips inside the course.
Nope! So long as you consider yourself an “intermediate player” and have experience playing chords and barre chords, I think you will enjoy this course. If you begin the course and find it too difficult, just write to my team and we’ll swap your membership over to Next Level Playing or Learn, Practice, Play at no extra cost.
Next Level Playing
Next Level Playing is an intermediate guitar course. It focuses on improving your skills for playing chords and solos, and improvising in any key. It also demystifies guitar terminology and music theory, making it practical. You have complete control of the pace you advance through the course. I’ve provided mini-quizzes so you can judge if you’re ready to move on to the next level. There are no deadlines or expiry dates – you choose how to learn and practice, and you have lifetime access. There are 7 levels, each with 5 or 6 video lessons. There are exercises for you to practice in every lesson, with tabs and notations included, plus there are backing tracks, chord and scale charts, and audio recordings of the exercises to take the guesswork out of your practicing.
You don’t need to do Learn, Practice, Play first. So long as you consider yourself an intermediate player, I think you’ll enjoy Next Level Playing. If you give it a try and feel it’s a little too advanced for you, just write to my team and we’ll swap your membership over to Learn, Practice, Play at no extra cost. And if you have taken Learn, Practice, Play, this course is the natural progression in your guitar journey.
This course is designed for electric guitars. That being said, if you’d like to participate on an acoustic guitar, you’ll be able to benefit quite a bit and will be able to complete most (but not all) of the exercises as presented. So, if you’d like to get started on acoustic until you have an electric guitar to use, you’re welcome to do so.
Then I commend your guitar skills. 🙂 I’d encourage you to try the course risk-free and see how you get along. I’ve included plenty of exercises to challenge you, and I’ve provided backing tracks at slow and fast speeds to cater to different skill levels. Plus, you may want to go more deeply into understanding my “practical theory” classes than less-experienced guitarists. (There’s always more to be learned with the guitar!) If you give it a try and within 14 days still feel that it’s not challenging enough for you, then just write to my team and we’ll swap your access to my more advanced course, Electric Elevation, or give you a full refund.
If you’d like to focus on your fundamentals, I invite you to try my first course, Learn, Practice, Play – it’s open year round, and is the perfect introduction to learning guitar and mastering the fundamentals so you’re ready to take your playing to the next level!
If you feel that you’d benefit from going back to basics and working on your fundamentals, just email my team within your first 14 days and they will swap your membership over to Learn, Practice, Play free of charge.
Learn, Practice, Play
There are 7 modules, each with 5–6 short lessons. You’ll get a new module every 2 weeks. This will give you enough time to practice and play along with my backing tracks so you feel confident to move on to the next module. There’s a lot to learn, but you have lifetime access, so the lessons will always be here for you.
If you practice daily, this course will set you up with the foundational skills that every guitarist needs to have. You’ll be able to play melodies and frequently used chords, and you’ll know some great strumming patterns and finger-picking techniques. You’ll have the confidence to improvise and do solos, and you’ll know many recognizable riffs, licks and chord progressions. At the end, you’ll get a taste of playing barre chords too.
People often ask me how to get better at guitar. It’s all about practice: 15–30 minutes a day is an ideal place to start because you’ll see progress and still be able to fit it in around your lifestyle. This course is split into short videos so you can rewatch them, then practice. When you practice, try to cut out distractions. Dedication and focus will help you get better!
You most definitely can – you have lifetime access to the course, so you can watch the videos whenever you like, and as many times as you like. I do recommend watching and practicing in the order the videos are released. I teach progressively more advanced techniques in each video.
You will start playing melodies from the very first lesson! As you progress, you’ll combine multiple techniques into songs as you learn them. So you won’t just practice a new fretting technique, for instance – at the same time you’ll also learn more about scales and learn some new licks that you can use when you’re improvising with friends.
I’ve designed the course this way so that you can progress as the weeks go on. If you’ve already watched the videos in this module, that’s great – you have even more time to practice! Your progress as a guitarist is more important than which module you’re up to. So play again and again! It makes all the difference – it’s repeat, repeat, and repeat. Then you’ll be even more ready for the next week’s video when it’s released. 🙂
You can get as technical as you want with the course, or you can just practice and play along with the backing track. I encourage you to just start playing and pick up a deeper understanding as you practice.
I introduce terms gradually so they’re easy to learn (and when you play with other people you’ll always be able to understand what they’re talking about!). There will be a glossary you can refer to any time so you never feel lost.
That’s no problem! I’ll provide videos on the basics to get you started, like how to choose a guitar and tune it, and how to read chord and tab charts. And in the lessons, I’ll show you how to play with the correct form, how to sit and hold the guitar, and where to place your hands so that you don’t hurt your joints.
I’ve made a point to include a range of alternative exercises suitable for people with a range of skills and aptitudes. It satisfies absolute beginners and those who advance more quickly. And if you struggle at first, you can go back and do the more complex versions later when you’ve had time to practice.
Billing and Technical Support
You’ll be able to purchase the courses with a credit or debit card, as well as through PayPal.
Absolutely! Just head over to the following pages to complete your payment:
As soon as your payment is confirmed, you’ll receive an email with your login details – please bear in mind that this can take up to 1 business day.
I’m sorry to hear there’s an issue with my payment page. Please check that you’ve entered the correct details and that the card you’re paying with matches the address you’re entering. If you are seeing an error message regarding your zip code, please contact your bank to make sure you have the correct zip code/post code registered for that card.
My support team will be happy to help you if the problem still doesn’t resolve. You can easily reach them at team@learnpracticeplay.com
No, I never store any credit card information. I use Stripe.com, one of the most secure and reputable payment processors available. Card numbers are encrypted while decryption keys are stored on separate machines.
So, your credit card details are perfectly safe!
While the course currency is USD, if you pay through credit/debit card, you will be charged in your local currency, as per your bank’s conversion rate. Please bear in mind that you may also be charged a small conversion fee by your bank, but it’s unlikely to be higher than 2.5%.
I’m sorry about that! Sometimes these emails land in the spam folder and are deleted after a few days. Please check your spam folder, and if your welcome email isn’t there, please contact my support team and they’ll resend your login details.
Your username will be the same email address you signed up with when you purchased the course. If you can’t remember what that is, you can simply check where you’re getting my emails about the course, and this will be the email address you can use to log in. If you’d like to update your username, just email my team with your new email address and they’ll get that updated for you.
Not to worry. If you click the “Forgot Password” button on the login page, this will send you an email with instructions on how to reset your password. If the email doesn’t come through, please check your spam folder (or “other” inbox if you use Hotmail).
If you continue to have issues, let my support team know and they’ll happily set you a new password.
Learn Practice Play has a 30-day risk-free guarantee.
Next Level Playing has a 14-day risk-free guarantee.
Acoustic Adventure has a 14-day risk-free guarantee.
Loop School has a 14-day risk-free guarantee.
Electric Elevation has a 14-day risk-free guarantee.
If you’d like to swap your access between courses of the same price, you are welcome to do so any time during your risk-free guarantee. Just write to my support team to let them know and they will swap your course over free of charge.
If you are interested in switching to a course with a different price, just let my team know which course you are interested in and they will assist you in making the switch.
If you go through the course and don’t feel like you’ve learned anything about playing the guitar, write to my support team here within the guarantee period and we will refund you 100% of your money.
Don’t see your question here?
My team is looking forward to answering your question! Just send them a message here: team@learnpracticeplay.com