Think you missed your chance to learn guitar because you're not a teenager anymore? Think again.

Learning guitar as an adult comes with some serious advantages — and it might just become the most rewarding part of your day.

Why Adults Make Great Guitar Students:

• You’re learning by choice. That makes a huge difference in motivation.

• You have life experience. You already understand concepts like time management, goal-setting, and patience.

• You don’t need to become a rock star. Adults tend to focus on joy and expression, not competition.

Here are a few more reasons why learning guitar as an adult is so beneficial...

What You Might Struggle With:

• Time management — juggling family, work, and practice.

• Frustration with progress — adults often expect to “get it” fast.

But here’s the truth: progress happens fast when your goals are realistic and your practice is focused. I have a few tips here on how to develop a time efficient practice plan.

How to Ma...

If you're new to guitar, you’ve probably heard the terms “lead guitar” and “rhythm guitar.” But what do they actually mean — and which should you focus on first? 

Before we get into this, I actually wrote a full 30 day step by step practice plan for beginner guitarists to get started FAST and see results. You might find it useful!

The Quick Breakdown:

• Rhythm Guitar = Chords, strumming, groove. Think of it as the foundation.

• Lead Guitar = Riffs, solos, melody lines. Think of it as the frosting on the cake.

Why Rhythm Usually Comes First:

• It builds your timing — crucial for any guitarist.

• You’ll be able to play full songs faster. Most songs rely more on chords than solos.

• It’s easier to jam with others. Bands need solid rhythm players more than solo shredders.

If you're currently struggling with rhythm guitar and want cleaner chord changes, check out this guide here!

When to Explore Lead Guitar:

• Once you’re comfortable with chord transitions, rh...

If you’ve been practicing for weeks, months, or even years and still feel like your guitar playing is stuck in slow motion — you’re not alone. Many guitarists hit a wall with speed and feel like they’re just not "naturally fast."

Here’s the truth: speed isn’t natural — it’s trained. And most guitarists hit a plateau because they’re focusing on the wrong things.

If you want a quick and easy personalised practice plan, I offer them for free here! Thousands of guitarists have used my plans to improve their picking speed!

Why You're Stuck:

• You’re tensing up. Muscle tension is the enemy of speed. Fast players look relaxed because they are. If your shoulders, forearms, or picking hand are stiff, your speed suffers.

• You’re always playing at full speed. Ironically, trying to play fast all the time can slow you down. You build speed by mastering control — and control comes from slow, precise practice.

• Your technique isn’t consistent. If your picking angle, hand movement, or...

If you’ve ever learned a scale, tried to figure out why certain riffs sound great, or wondered what actually makes chords sound the way they do…
You’re dealing with intervals — whether you realise it or not.

And here’s the thing:
Once you understand how intervals work, you’ll start hearing music completely differently. You’ll write tighter riffs, create more emotional chord progressions, and improvise with actual purpose. Understanding intervals even helps you unlock the fretboard and improvise freely with intention!

So let’s break down what intervals are, why they matter, and how to use them on guitar — with no fluff.

🎸 What Is an Interval?

An interval is simply the distance between two notes.

That’s it.

On guitar, that “distance” can be measured in frets, but in music theory, we give those distances names — like minor third, perfect fourth, or major sixth.

Each interval has a specific sound and emotional quality, and once you know how to recognise them, your playing opens up ...

Music theory can feel like a giant mountain of rules. I wrote a whole guide on why guitarists struggle with music theory!

Scales. Modes. Circle of Fifths. Modal interchange. Secondary dominants… 😵‍💫
You start learning and suddenly feel like you need a degree just to write a decent chord progression.

But here’s the truth:
Most great songwriters only use a handful of theory concepts — they just use them really well.

So in this post, I’m going to break down the only theory you actually need to start writing better songs — stuff you can hear, see on your fretboard, and use today.

🎸 1. Major and Minor Keys

This is the foundation. Every key has 7 chords — and learning how to find those chords is one of the fastest ways to start writing music that actually sounds good.

In the key of C major, your chords are:
C – Dm – Em – F – G – Am – Bdim
(Or using Roman numerals: I – ii – iii – IV – V – vi – vii°)

💡 Most songs are built by mixing and matching a few of these — like I–IV–V or vi–IV–I–V....

 Let’s be honest:
The Circle of Fifths looks like something from a GCSE physics textbook. You’re told it’s “essential music theory,” but if you’re anything like most guitarists, you’ve probably seen it once and thought:

"Cool. No idea what to do with that."

Totally fair. If you're wanting some music theory to improve your song writing, I got you covered here.

But when it’s broken down simply — and shown in a way that’s relevant to your playing — the Circle of Fifths becomes seriously useful.
Let’s clear up the mystery and show how you can actually start using it today.

🌀 What Is the Circle of Fifths?

The Circle of Fifths is a visual tool that shows you:

✅ All 12 keys in music
✅ The relationship between those keys
✅ How many sharps/flats each key has
✅ The order of key signatures
✅ Closely related keys for chord progressions, songwriting, or modulating

It’s called the “circle of fifths” because each key moves in intervals of a perfect fifth clockwise around the circle (e.g., C → G → ...

If you’ve ever stared at a chord chart, tried to make sense of modes, or wondered “Why does music theory feel like learning algebra?” — you’re not alone.

Most guitarists struggle with theory.

But the truth is: it’s not your fault — it’s the way it’s usually taught. If you want a quick guide on the essential theory you need as a guitarist, click here.

💡 So Why Is Music Theory So Confusing?

Let’s break it down.

❌ It’s often taught backwards
Most players are shown rules before they’ve seen the musical results. You’re given terms like “major third” or “diminished triad” without knowing how they sound, where they live on the neck, or why they matter.

❌ Too much info at once
You get dumped with a mountain of concepts — scales, intervals, chord formulas — but no idea what to actually do with them.

❌ It’s disconnected from your playing
Many guitarists learn theory in a way that’s separate from how they actually play. If you can’t see it on your fretboard, hear it in your music, or use i...

So, you're thinking about going to uni to study guitar. Or maybe you're already halfway through filling out your UCAS application and wondering:

"Is this actually worth it?"

As someone who’s been through the system and gone on to work professionally as a guitarist, I want to give you a real, unfiltered look at what studying guitar at university is actually like — the good, the bad, and what you might want to consider instead. If you're wondering if it's possible to be a pro guitarist without a degree, I talk about it in this guide.

🎓 The Pros of Studying Guitar at University

Let’s start with the upside — because there are genuine benefits:

✅ Time to focus on your playing
Three years to practise, jam, and immerse yourself in music? That’s a rare opportunity. For some, it’s the first time they get to really take it seriously.

✅ Networking
You’ll meet other musicians, producers, singers, and tutors. Some of those relationships can last a lifetime (and lead to gigs and sessions late...

Let’s be real — the internet is full of guitar lessons.

YouTube tutorials, PDFs, free apps, 20-minute “shred in a week” ads… it’s a lot. And if you’ve ever tried to teach yourself guitar online, you’ve probably asked yourself:

“Can I actually learn guitar properly this way?”

Short answer: yes — but not all online learning is equal. If you're unsure whether learning guitar online is right for you, I talk about it here.

I’ve seen students waste years bouncing between random YouTube videos, and I’ve also seen players make serious progress with the right online approach. So let’s talk about what actually works… and what doesn’t.

What Doesn’t Work (Don’t Fall Into These Traps)

❌ Binge-watching random tutorials
Jumping between 10 different YouTubers teaching different techniques in different styles is entertaining, but it doesn’t give you structure — and you won’t retain much. It’s like learning a language by reading random words in a dictionary.

❌ Overcomplicated theory too early
I’...

 Let’s talk about the part nobody seems to cover properly:
How do you actually make money as a guitarist?

Not theoretical money. Real, pay-your-rent kind of money.

I’ll be straight with you — it’s not always easy. But it is doable, and you don’t have to be a famous YouTuber or shredding on a sold-out arena tour to get paid.

I’ve done it. I know plenty of others doing it too. Here’s how. Oh, and here's a few extra tips on being a professional guitarist that you might find useful.

First Things First: Diversify

Most guitarists who make a living do a mix of things, not just one.

Here are the main ways players make income:

1. Live gigs – bands, solo sets, weddings, function gigs, cruise ships, festivals (My advice on booking your first gig)

2. Session work – recording guitar for other artists, producers, or companies

3. Teaching – in person, online, group classes, video courses

4. Content creation – YouTube, Instagram, lesson packs, Patreon

5. Licensing – recording music for

   ...