Learn to Play Guitar Archives

Lesson 26: A Shortcut to Feeling

Learn to Play Guitar | Intermediate Jimmy Yeary Songwriting

How do you write lyrics that don’t sound cheesy or too obvious? It’s a question every songwriter wrestles with—and Jimmy Yeary’s answer might surprise you. Instead of a writing tip, he heads straight for the guitar. In this lesson, Jimmy demonstrates a go-to pattern in Drop D tuning that he uses to unlock the emotional part of his brain. Whether played slow or fast, this simple technique has sparked countless songs—and it might just do the same for you.

Lesson 25: Three Questions Every Songwriter Asks

Learn to Play Guitar | Intermediate Songwriting

For the first time in Musician’s Dock, Jimmy Yeary opens up the floor to answer your questions—and three of them cut right to the heart of every songwriter’s struggle. How do you know if an idea is worth chasing? Should the melody come first, or the lyrics? And what do you do when you sit down to write and absolutely nothing comes? Jimmy doesn’t just give theory—he shares stories from his own career, including the unexpected origins of two hit songs, and demonstrates guitar techniques that emerged directly from those creative moments.

Lesson 24: Borrowing Melodies to Spark Creativity

Learn to Play Guitar | Intermediate Songwriting

Jimmy Yeary teaches how great songwriting often starts by borrowing the feel of songs you already love. Using his hit Why Wait (recorded by Rascal Flatts) as an example, Jimmy demonstrates the intro lick and shares how it was inspired by Little River Band’s The Other Guy. He explains why it’s okay to mirror melodies or phrasing from favorite songs, then reshape them into something uniquely your own. This lesson blends guitar technique with songwriting insight, showing how imitation can lead to originality.

Lesson 23: Turning Scales into Something Musical

Learn to Play Guitar | Dexterity Intermediate Practice

Jimmy Yeary introduces you to your very first guitar lick—a simple but powerful scale-based phrase designed to build dexterity, coordination, and confidence. He breaks it down slowly, showing multiple picking approaches (all downstrokes, alternate picking, or a mix) and encourages you to repeat it until it becomes second nature. Once mastered, this single lick can unlock dozens of variations and open the door to improvisation. It’s a challenging but rewarding step beyond chords and strumming.

Lesson 22: Writing Lyrics with Heart

Learn to Play Guitar | Intermediate Songwriting

Jimmy Yeary takes you behind the scenes of writing “I Called Mama,” recorded by Tim McGraw. He explains how the song was born out of personal loss, the choice of opening lines, and why holding back details can make lyrics more powerful. Jimmy emphasizes the principle of writing your own story—because when you feel it, others will too. This lesson is both a masterclass in lyric writing and a reminder of how songs connect us through authenticity and emotion.

Lesson 21: “She’s Somebody’s Daughter” (Drop D Strumming)

Learn to Play Guitar | Intermediate Songs Strumming

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.

Lesson 20: The Boomerang Effect

Learn to Play Guitar | Intermediate Practice Songwriting

In this lesson, Jimmy Yeary shares what he calls the boomerang effect—the surprising way consistent effort can suddenly transform into exponential progress. Drawing on stories from childhood, his early career in bluegrass, and even the writing of “I Called Mama” for Tim McGraw, Jimmy shows how persistence pays off in unexpected leaps forward. It’s a reminder that your practice on guitar (and in life) is never wasted, even when progress feels slow.

Lesson 19: “I Called Mama” (Part 3 – Verse Progression)

Learn to Play Guitar | Chords Intermediate Songs

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.

Lesson 18: “I Called Mama” (Part 2 – Strumming Technique)

Learn to Play Guitar | Intermediate Songs Strumming

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.