Are You Using the Right Pickup? How to Use the Pickup Selector on Your Guitar for Beginners

Hey guys, Brad Litton from SimpleGuitar.com. This blog post transcribes my YouTube lesson on the three-way switch on a Les Paul–style dual-humbucker guitar — any brand, same idea.

The switch chooses which pickup is hearing the strings and sending that to the amp. Each pickup has its own sound.

What the Labels Say

On a real Les Paul:

• Rhythm (one end of the switch) = neck pickup
• Treble (the other end; some people say "lead") = bridge pickup
• Middle = both

Why Those Labels Are Backwards for Rock

Les Paul was a jazz player. Jazz tones are a different world from rock, blues, metal.

In high school jazz band I left it on Rhythm (neck) for chording and it sounded great.

In a rock band, neck pickup for crunchy rhythm can get muddy — not crisp. Bridge pickup for lead can sound thin and weak.

Flip It for Popular Music

Lead: try the neck pickup. Creamy, juicy, smooth. That's often what yo...

16th Note Strumming Basics For Beginners

Hey guys, Brad Litton from SimpleGuitar.com. This blog post transcribes my YouTube lesson on 16th-note strumming. Most beginner patterns are eighth-note based. Eventually you run into 16ths. Here's the foundation.

Works on acoustic or electric. Mute the strings at first if you want.

The Beat First

Popular music: usually four beats per measure.

• Whole note: play on 1, ring for 1 2 3 4
• Half notes: two beats each
• Quarter notes: one beat each — 1 2 3 4
• Eighth notes: split each beat in two — 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and. Down on the beat, up on the "and"

Most beginner strum patterns are combinations of quarters, eighths, and ties.

What 16th Notes Are

An eighth note is half a beat. Split that in two and you get four notes per beat.

Count: 1 e and a

Strum:

• 1 = down
• e = up
• and = down
• a = up

That's down up down up for one beat: 1 e and a.

For a full measure: 1 e and a 2 e and a 3 e and a 4 e and a.

How to Get the Feel

1. Mute the
...

If You're Struggling With Your Guitar Playing Right Now, Watch This Pep Talk

Hey guys, Brad Litton from SimpleGuitar.com. This blog post transcribes my YouTube pep talk. Every once in a while we have to remember guitar is as much about what's in your head as what you do with your hands.

Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Doing Poorly — To Get Started

Remember that quote. On YouTube it's easy to drown in information and watch six-year-olds play circles around you. Easy to think you'll never "master" the guitar.

If you enjoy music and you enjoy the guitar, it doesn't matter where you are right now compared to other people. What matters is you get started, you keep pushing, you keep learning.

Guitar Mastery Isn't a Destination

Don't get hung up on having to master the guitar. That mythical place where you've learned everything and there's nowhere left to go? That's a crock.

The more you play, the more you realize there is to learn. It never ends. Mastery is a journey of doing better ...

How to Make Strum Patterns Sound REALLY Good

Hey guys, Brad Litton from SimpleGuitar.com. This blog post transcribes my YouTube lesson on taking a boring, plain strum pattern and making it infinitely more musical. Pretty simple.

I was working with a band at my school on Sheryl Crow's "If It Makes You Happy." Great song. The main rhythm (especially in the chorus) is:

1 2 3 and 4 and — down, down, up, down, up

That's a good pattern. Gets used in tons of songs. Played evenly, it sounds vanilla. Stock. Expected. The recording does not sound like that.

Step 1: Put an Accent on Beat 2

An accent is a note (or strum) that's louder.

On this song, accent beat 2 — the second downstroke. Why? Drums typically crack the snare on 2 and 4. Matching that makes you lock in.

Two ways to make the accent:

1. Hit beat 2 harder (usually more strings)
2. Play the other beats less — quieter, and fewer strings

On beat 1 of a G, I might only hit two or three strings. Then sink into beat 2.

Chorus ch...

You NEED to Know These 10 Christmas Songs in 2025

Hey guys, Brad Litton from SimpleGuitar.com. This is the write-up of my YouTube lesson on 10 Christmas songs using only five chords so you can be ready for the parties.

Grab the PDF of all 10 songs (rhythm sheets, no page turns): simpleguitar.com/lastminutechristmas

The Five Chords

You only need G, C, E minor, D, and A minor. Standard open versions are fine. Here's how I like to play them.

G add5 (nickname): third finger on the third fret of the second string, pinky on the third fret of the first string. (Standard G is third fret first string, second fret fifth string, third fret sixth string.) "Add5" isn't a real chord type — it just tells us which G. You can use this anytime you see a G.

Cadd9: leave those third and fourth fingers down. Move first and second over a string: second finger third fret fifth string, first finger second fret fourth string, third string open. Easiest change in the world from G to C — just two finger...

How to Play Joy to the World on Guitar (The Easiest Christmas Song)

Hey guys, Brad Litton from SimpleGuitar.com. This is the write-up of my YouTube lesson on the easiest Christmas song to get down last-minute: Joy to the World. I'll show you the melody (one note at a time) and a simple three-chord strum so people can sing along.

Grab the music first so you can follow along: simpleguitar.com/joytotheworld

The Melody

The melody is really simple. We're only playing your first three strings, and we're using your first three fingers.

The rule: use the same finger as whatever fret you're playing.

• First fret → first finger (any of those three strings)
• Second fret → second finger
• Third fret → third finger
• Plus open strings

I play through the whole melody on the video. If you need to rewind, slow it down, and play along, do it. Repeat any parts you need. The tab in the download has the melody written out.

The Chords You Need

Just three: G, C, and D. This is the simplest versi...

How to Play Silent Night on Guitar (4 Levels)

Hey guys, Brad Litton from SimpleGuitar.com. This is the write-up of my YouTube lesson on Silent Night — from total beginner melody all the way up to a full guitar arrangement where you play the melody and the chords at the same time.

I think Silent Night is one of the most essential Christmas songs to know as a guitar player, because it was originally written for the guitar. I end up playing this every Christmas season.

Grab the tab for all four levels: simpleguitar.com/silentnight

This song is in 3/4 time — three beats per measure.

Level 1: Just the Melody

One note at a time. Super straightforward.

Start with the third fret on your second string. I like my second finger there, because we only play the first fret at the very end of the song.

First phrase (repeats twice): third fret second string, open high E (first string), open first string, open second string.

Then come up to the fifth fret on your first string, down to two, ...

The Slash Chord Trick Pros Use (Most Players Miss This)

Hey guys, Brad Litton from SimpleGuitar.com. This blog post transcribes my YouTube lesson on slash chords — chords over bass notes. Most players stay stuck on the same old open chords. Pros use this little slash (not that Slash) and it instantly makes progressions sound smoother and more expensive.

We actually spent time on this in the Guitar Mastery Circle. This is the condensed version so you can start using it today.

What Is a Slash Chord?

When you see something like G/B, that's not two chord names. That's one chord, and after the slash is the bass note you play with it.

• G/B = G over B. Play a G chord, but make sure the lowest note you hear is a B.
• D/F# = D over F#. Lowest note is F#.
• Am/G = A minor with a G in the bass.

Important: the bass note does not have to be part of the chord. In G/B, B is in the G chord. In G/F#, that F# is not in the G chord. We use that to keep the bassline moving, and that's what hooks...

5 Mistakes Adult Guitar Players Make (And How to Fix Them)

Hey guys, Brad Litton from SimpleGuitar.com. This blog post transcribes my YouTube video on the five mistakes I see adult guitar players make over and over — the ones that keep people stuck for months, sometimes years.

I just hit 6 years on YouTube. After teaching thousands of adult players, these are the traps that show up again and again. The frustrating part is most of the time the person thinks the problem is them — that they're not talented enough, or they started too late. It's almost never that.

If you've been playing for a while and you still feel like a perpetual beginner, this one's for you.

Most of the people I work with are adults — 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond. Busy, jobs, families, a lot of them have tried and quit before. The adult brain learns differently than a kid's. We understand things faster, but we also get in our own way faster. These five mistakes are usually the reason.

Mistake 1: Trying to Hol...

How to Play Have You Ever Seen the Rain by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Hey guys, Brad Litton from SimpleGuitar.com. This is the write-up of my YouTube lesson on the rhythm guitar part to "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" by Creedence Clearwater Revival. We're going to break it down the way we always do: intro (including two optional little licks), verse, chorus, then the whole song from start to finish.

I put together a free rhythm sheet for this. Grab it first so you can follow along: simpleguitar.com/seentherain

Time Signature and Strumming

The rhythm sheet is in 4/4. Every time you see a chord name, that's how many beats you're playing that chord — four beats per measure.

The strum is just eighth notes: 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and — down up down up down up down up. That's all you need.

Add accents on beat 2 and beat 4. In the intro (and a few other spots) you'll hear little 16th-note pickups — and-a 1 — that you can slip in as you hear them. You'll hear that first thing in the int...