The Sustain Six Blog
Guitar lessons, fretboard practice guides, and music theory explained for players.
-
Guitar Interval Recognition, by Ear and on the Neck
Learn guitar interval recognition two ways: as fret distances you can see on the neck, and as sounds you can train your ear to name.
-
Guitar Scale Degrees, and What the Numbers Under a Scale Mean
What the numbers under a scale chart count, why a five-note box has a b3 and a b7, and how guitar scale degrees connect to chord names.
-
Guitar Chord Tones, and Why Your Solos Land on the Wrong Note
Why a note from the right scale can still sound wrong. How guitar chord tones decide what clashes, and how to find the 3 of a chord on the neck.
-
How to Read Guitar Chord Progressions Instead of Memorizing Them
How to read guitar chord progressions by number, so one progression works in every key. What the Roman numerals mean and four progressions worth knowing.
-
How to Use a Metronome for Guitar, and Why Slower Is Harder
How to use a metronome for guitar without hating it. Why slow tempos expose more than fast ones, what the accent is for, and a routine that fits four minutes.
-
CAGED Past the 12th Fret: the Shapes Repeat, Your Hand Doesn't
Fret 12 is the octave, so the five CAGED shapes start over in the same order. See where they land in the second octave and why your hand is the real limit.
-
The Pentatonic Box Guitar Players Get Stuck In, and How to Get Out
You know the pentatonic box at the fifth fret. Here is how to break out of it and play the minor pentatonic across the whole neck, using the root as your guide.
-
How to Read a Guitar Fretboard Diagram
A quick guide to reading a guitar fretboard diagram: strings, frets, the nut, open versus fretted notes, and how to spot the root at a glance.
-
Major Scale Guitar Positions, Connected Across the Neck
Stop learning major scale positions as separate boxes. See how the major scale connects across the whole neck, using the root as your landmark.
-
Guitar Arpeggios: Chord Tones You Can See
What guitar arpeggios really are, how they differ from scales, and how to see the chord tones across the neck so your solos land on the right notes.
-
The Circle of Fifths for Guitar, in Plain English
The circle of fifths explained for guitar players, without the theory headache. See how keys, chords, and relative minors connect, and how to actually use it.
-
Guitar Scales Across the Neck, Not Just the Box
Break out of the one pentatonic box. See how a guitar scale connects across the entire neck, with a full C major map and a simple method to link positions.
-
The CAGED System Explained, Shown on the Neck
The CAGED system explained simply and shown on the fretboard. See how five chord shapes tile across the whole neck so you can play any chord anywhere.
-
How to Learn the Guitar Fretboard (Without Rote Memorization)
Learn the guitar fretboard with a simple system: anchor the low E and A strings, multiply your knowledge with octave shapes, and practice five minutes a day.