Below you’ll find all of the Learn to Play Guitar with Jimmy Yeary lessons in this category. Each post is part of a step-by-step journey designed to help you build skills, gain confidence, and enjoy the process of making music. Explore the lessons here and revisit them anytime as you continue growing as a guitar player.
Jimmy Yeary shares the story behind She’s Somebody’s Daughter, written with longtime friend Drew Baldridge—a song that went viral and became Baldridge’s first No. 1 as an independent artist. Jimmy teaches it in Drop D with a capo on the third fret, walking through the chords (G, A, B minor, D) and demonstrating the downstroke “chunking” strum that drives the song. You’ll see how a simple progression, played with intention, can turn into something powerful.
Continuing in Drop D, Jimmy walks through the verse progression of I Called Mama, keeping the picking pattern steady while moving through the altered G, the adjusted E minor, and a thumb-muted A. The focus is on timing, clean transitions, and staying relaxed as you connect the shapes in real tempo—turning a challenging pattern into a smooth, musical groove.
Building on the drop D tuning from Part 1, Jimmy Yeary teaches a challenging strumming and picking pattern from his song I Called Mama, recorded by Tim McGraw. This technique combines alternating down–up movements with subtle finger adjustments that change the feel of the D chord. Though tricky at first, practicing this progression will sharpen your rhythm, strengthen your dexterity, and give you a deeper understanding of how creative chord shapes and strumming can transform a song.
Jimmy Yeary introduces you to drop D tuning using his hit song I Called Mama, recorded by Tim McGraw. You’ll learn how to retune the low E string to D, adjust your G and A chord shapes, and practice muting techniques to keep everything sounding clean. Jimmy also demonstrates a picking pattern that makes the most of the deeper, richer sound this tuning provides. It’s a step up in difficulty, but mastering drop D will open the door to new textures and inspiration in your playing.
In this lesson, Jimmy Yeary shifts from guitar technique to the art of songwriting. He explains how personal stories and real-life experiences can become powerful lyrics, using his own #1 hit I Drive Your Truck as an example. Jimmy encourages you to draw from your own memories and emotions, showing how authenticity and honesty are the keys to creating songs that truly connect with listeners.
Jimmy Yeary teaches you how to play his hit song Everything’s Gonna Be Alright, recorded by Kenny Chesney and David Lee Murphy. Along with a new strumming pattern, he walks through the chords you’ll need (G, C, D, A minor, and F as the flat seven) and even shares a few shortcuts and passing notes to make the transitions smoother. This lesson blends rhythm and chord work while showing how real songs can fast-track your growth as a guitarist.
Jimmy Yeary introduces strumming patterns by teaching you how to play his number-one bluegrass song Bone Dry. You’ll learn a down–up pattern that turns your right hand into the “drummer” of the song, keeping rhythm steady from start to finish. Along with practicing the chords in the key of A (A, D, E, and G as the flat seven), Jimmy shows how repetition and playing full songs accelerate your growth more than anything else. This lesson blends rhythm, chords, and practice into one fun challenge.
In this lesson, Jimmy Yeary reveals a powerful secret behind nearly every song: the three-chord foundation. Walking through each of the seven major chords (A–G), he shows you the two supporting chords that complete the trio in any key. Using “Happy Birthday” as a simple example, Jimmy makes it clear how songs are built and why chords fit together the way they do. This is an eye-opening step that helps guitarists move from strumming shapes to truly understanding music.
Jimmy Yeary takes everything you’ve learned so far and applies it to a classic—John Denver’s Country Roads. In this lesson, you’ll practice the chorus in every key (A through G), learning how to combine the 1-4-5 progression with the right minor chord for each key. Along the way, Jimmy explains chord placement options, strumming patterns, and how practicing songs in multiple keys will sharpen your ear and expand your playing.
Jimmy Yeary introduces the C chord and shows how it works alongside D and G to open up new possibilities. Using the hymn Amazing Grace as your first full song, you’ll practice a simple waltz strumming pattern while learning how chords shift between keys. This lesson helps you hear the difference between playing in D and G, giving you flexibility to match songs to your voice and style. With steady practice, these chord changes will start to feel natural.