Chord Explorer
Master chord embellishments, key relationships and essential progressions across the five main guitar keys, from beginner open chords to intermediate lead and blues.
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About this course
The Chord Explorer series is built around one idea: rather than just learning songs, you learn how to think like a guitarist in any key. Each lesson takes one of the five most important keys on guitar and maps out everything available to you: chord shapes, embellishments, scale positions, diatonic chords and real song examples that make every concept immediately playable.
Starting in C major and working through G, D, A and E, the series builds progressively from beginner-friendly open chord shapes all the way up to CAGED system positions, Mixolydian riffs, octave technique and acoustic blues. A dedicated Circle of Fifths lesson ties the keys together and explains why some chords feel bright, dark, stable or tense, giving you a musical map you can use for the rest of your playing life.
The final two lessons broaden the picture further: a Rhythm Workshop breaks down the handful of core grooves that underpin almost all popular music, and a Top 10 Chord Progressions lesson shows how a small number of foundational patterns sit behind hundreds of hit songs across every genre.
By the end of the course you will:
Know all the essential chord embellishments in five keys: major seven, dominant seven, sus two, sus four, add nine and more
Understand diatonic chord relationships and how to use them to write and improvise
Be able to move around the fretboard confidently in C, G, D, A and E
Understand the circle of fifths and how key relationships affect the mood of your music
Have a solid grasp of core rhythmic grooves and the ten chord progressions that built popular music
Have a toolkit of riffs, licks and ideas drawn from artists including The Cure, Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, AC/DC, The Beatles, Stevie Ray Vaughan and many more
What our students say
I first picked up the guitar just over 6 months ago and have been learning completely through Andy's videos on his app. It's great to have so many practice songs with the chords and strumming patterns broken down.
I have been playing for a couple of years now and felt that the Beginner's course might be too easy, but I decided to do the lessons anyway. I am amazed at how much I learned!
I could never have dreamed that in a short space of time I would actually be playing along with some of my favourite songs, but I am and I'm loving it. It's so much easier to learn chords while having fun learning songs, I'm hooked!
Andy's emphasis on learning to play along to real songs and have fun as quickly as possible taught me to make the most of everything I learnt and gave me the confidence to play in public and even to start writing and recording my own songs!
The website with the dashboard facility is brilliant! It has allowed me to keep a close tab on my lessons and practice plans. Keep up the excellent work Andy and team!
When my grandchildren ask me about what I did during the pandemic, I'm going to tell them about how I got stuck at my parents' house learning something I always wanted... music. I can't thank Andy enough!
