Here’s a song from an interesting period during the Rolling Stones’ career.

It has a slightly mellow feel to it in contrast to many of their more high-energy tunes. But the groove is deep and the song also features legendary jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins

Grab your axe and let’s dive into this “Waiting On A Friend” chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote Waiting On A Friend?

“Waiting On A Friend” was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. But like many Rolling Stones songs, it was a collaborative effort. It all came together with significant contributions from the other band members and also some guest musicians.

Lyrically, the song is a departure from the Stones’ usual themes of love, sex, and rebellion. Instead, it leans more into the value of friendship and companionship. Mick Jagger has said in interviews that the song isn’t about waiting for a woman but rather about the camaraderie between friends. Given the Stones’ turbulent history, particularly in the 1970s, many interp...

You might get a kick out of this…

In 2006, I went to Borders bookstore and bought John Mayer’s new album Continuum.

I came home, popped the CD into my player, opened up the jewel case to look at the liner notes, and got lost in the music. The first track is “Waiting On The World To Change”. 

Shortly after this, I played “Waiting On The World To Change” to my friend who was the bass player in my band at that time. He said, “Oh… these are some gospel changes.”

My ear wasn’t as developed as it is now. But his comment got me thinking.

I later learned the chord progression to “Waiting On The World To Change”, and noticed it was (almost) exactly the same as “People Get Ready” by Curtis Mayfield.

But then something else happened…

I figured out the solo too. It's all played on one string… it just slides up and down the neck and uses bluesy bends. Then later, I learned the solo on Stevie Ray Vaughan’s, “Lenny” and discovered John Mayer’s solo on “Waiting On The World To Change” is ...

Would you like to start something up?

A new relationship?

A new skill?

An exciting night out on the town?

Well, here’s an iconic rock song to get you going. 

Below I’m going to break down the guitar style behind it. You only need 4 chords and a couple of blues guitar moves to make it all happen.

So grab your guitar and let’s dive into this “Start Me Up” chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote Start Me Up?

“Start Me Up” was originally written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the two primary songwriters for the Rolling Stones. Their collaborations produced some of the band's biggest hits, and this song is no exception.

The lyrics for “Start Me Up” sing about energy, confidence, and the excitement of getting going — both literally and metaphorically. "Start Me Up" is one of the Rolling Stones’ most iconic songs. It was released in 1981 and was a part of their Tattoo You album. 

The song had an interesting journey before it become the version we hear now. It all started as a slo...

​​Are you struggling to get your guitar in tune?

I don’t think there is anything worse than circling round and round, trying to get each string in tune, then finally playing a chord, and it STILL sounds off. 

Perhaps you even broke a string trying to tune your guitar.

Well, in this post I am going to share with you 3 easy ways to tune a guitar. These work for both acoustic and electric guitars. Need to tune a guitar at a music store, home, on stage, or even in the middle of nowhere camping without electricity? No problem. After this, you’ll know how to tune a guitar so you sound like a pro anywhere and all the time.

Now, I must give you this one sweet caveat.

You see, I’m going to share with you 2 of the most common ways to tune a guitar – which you absolutely should try first. And then, I’m going to share with you my own special way of tuning. I came up with this special method that you won’t hear about anywhere else on the internet. It just might change your life, and be one ...

One of my early mentors was a guy named Ron Anthony who has gone on to join the choir invisible. But he played guitar for Frank Sinatra. 

And one day in a guitar lesson he told me, “Jon all music is patterns.”

And it’s true.

So in this post, I want to share with you 5 super common chord progressions every guitarist should know. But before we begin, let’s first talk about…

How These Common Chord Progressions Work

In any major key, we have seven diatonic chords. In the key of C major they would be:

C - Dm - Em - F - G - Am - Bdim

These chords are built by stacking thirds on each note of the scale. They follow a specific pattern of major, minor, and diminished chords:

• I (C): Major
• ii (Dm): Minor
• iii (Em): Minor
• IV (F): Major
• V (G): Major
• vi (Am): Minor
• vii° (Bdim): Diminished

This pattern applies to every major key, and understanding it is key to identifying and playing common chord progressions. These progressions are combinations of these chords, often grouped t...

When you find yourself in times of trouble, here’s a comforting song to pull you through.

You see, we all go through seasons in life.  

Seasons of happiness and seasons of pain.  

I believe, wherever you might be right now, playing this song can help. And also, it will level up your guitar playing at the same time. While many think this song is about the Virgin Mary, there’s a twist, and I’m going to get into it below. 

So grab your axe, and let’s dive into this “Let It Be” chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote Let It Be?

"Let It Be" was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon-McCartney songwriting partnership. It’s become one of the most iconic Beatles songs ever.

It all started with a dream McCartney had about his mother, Mary McCartney. It was during an intense period of recording with the Beatles. In the dream, his mother came to him and reassured him saying, ‘It’s going to be okay. Just let it be.’"

This dream deeply moved Paul, and he channeled that comfort ...

Picture this… 

You’re in a giant stadium for an event.

The crowd is stirring, feeling rebellious and rambunctious…

They’re wondering what is about to happen. Who will hit the stage or field? Suddenly, a guitar riff comes through the speakers…

What riff is it gonna be?

Well, a very common one is the mighty “Seven Nation Army” guitar riff.

In this post, I’m going to break down some insider tips on Jack White’s guitar style, and how you can get playing like this too.

So grab your guitar, and let’s dive into this “Seven Nation Army” chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote Seven Nation Army?

"Seven Nation Army" is one the most famous songs by the American rock band The White Stripes. It was written by Jack White, the band’s lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary writer. 

The song beats with a strong feeling of defiance and empowerment. As the lyrics sing of fighting back against forces and obstacles the narrator faces.

“Seven Nation Army” was featured on the band's fourth studio ...

Behold… THIS… was the first riff I ever done learned.

I was around 11 years old, went over to my neighbor’s house, and he showed me the notes. It’s a fun one – on only 2 strings. 

The problem was, I never got the counting right. 

You see, I thought the first note started on beat 1 but it didn’t…

It was a “pickup”... 

In music theory, this is called an anacrusis. Which means you start playing BEFORE beat 1. But I played the “Come As You Are” riff as if the first note was beat 1. 

This made my rhythm wonky. 

And guess what?

I didn’t correct this timing problem for decades…

Until one day, I tried to play with the recording and fell flat on my face. When I heard Dave Grohl’s drum groove against the riff, I started to figure out the timing…

It was weird. As a yute, trying so hard to learn the riff, I actually engrained the WRONG rhythm in me. Working with recordings can help you not mess up like this. It will help you sort out your favorite songs faster.

However, something was...

Have you ever wondered how to actually learn your blues scales?

What order you should go in?

And what’s a good way to structure scales in your practice sessions?

I’ve talked to many campfire guitar players over the years who want to learn how to add more depth, versatility, and skill to my playing in general with the blues scale. But many practice for years and never get it down.

They can’t navigate the neck, and they can’t improvise blues licks.

So today, you’re ole’ pal Johnny is going to reveal 3 powerful tips for mastering the blues scale on guitar. Starting with one, not a single online fake guitar goo-roo is going to tell you and that is…

1) Sing It

No, you don’t have to be a singer. You don’t have to sing onstage or sing loud. Just in the privacy of your own home. In fact, you can even lightly hum or whistle it. 

My old guitar teacher Kenny Burrell (I was in a band and he was the leader), used to whistle notes at me – and the other musicians in the band all the time. ...

Ever wonder what you should do the day of a performance?

In this video, I want to share 7 tips I've found useful to prepare for a performance. These tips have helped me play HUGE shows with great success.

But they work the same if you're retired, and maybe you want to play for friends and family at a summer barbecue. Or you want to play at your church, or you have an open mic night coming up.

I help a lot of my students in my programs on my site do exactly this.

And it's been awesome to hear amazing stories from retired students live their dreams. So I thought I would share 7 quick ones here to help you out.

1. Play your guitar the day of the performance

Don’t go in cold. You want your fingers to feel warmed up. I often don’t leave my guitar out onstage. When possible I bring it backstage and I’m running through songs and playing quietly before the show. That way when I walk out, my guitar and strap are already on and I’m ready to rock. If it’s an open mic night, this might me...