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🎸 City Pop Guitar 101
So city pop has been making waves again in recent years — and if you’re a guitarist, you’re in the perfect spot to join the party. In...
ryanboisselle
Nov 17, 20253 min read


Learning Songs Helps You Write Better Music (Here’s Why)
A lot of students tell me they want to write original music. Which is awesome. But here’s what I’ve noticed: They often skip one of the...
ryanboisselle
Nov 10, 20253 min read


Soloing Over “Sunny” – Level 3: Adding Tension and Colour (With Clever Arpeggios and More)
Welcome back! This is Part 3 of my 3-part video series on building better guitar solos over the tune Sunny . If you haven’t checked out...
ryanboisselle
Nov 3, 20253 min read


🎸 Feeling Discouraged by Better Players? You’re Not Alone.
Why comparison hurts, and what to do instead Let’s be real for a second. Have you ever seen another guitarist play something so clean, so...
ryanboisselle
Oct 27, 20254 min read
Beyond the Minor Pentatonic: What scales to Play Over "Isn’t She Lovely" on guitar
If you’re like most intermediate guitarists, your go-to soloing approach over Stevie Wonder’s Isn’t She Lovely probably involves the C#...
ryanboisselle
Oct 25, 20254 min read


Why Learning Guitar Solos is The Key to Unlocking Better Improv
The not-so-secret shortcut to sounding like you know what you’re doing A lot of guitarists want to improvise. They know some scales. They noodle around. But somehow… it just doesn’t sound musical. If that’s you, you’re not alone — and the fix isn’t more scale diagrams. One of the fastest ways to improve your soloing is to start learning actual guitar solos. Not just for fun — but to build the vocabulary and phrasing you need to improvise confidently. 🧠 Why Learn Solos? Wh
ryanboisselle
Oct 20, 20254 min read


🎸 Online Guitar Lessons for Kids – What to Expect
If your child has shown interest in music, you might be wondering: “Would online guitar lessons work for my kid?” The short answer?...
ryanboisselle
Oct 13, 20253 min read


Soloing Over “Sunny” – Level 2: Smarter Scale Choices (Lydian Dominant, G Dorian, etc.)
Welcome back! This post is Part 2 of my 3-part video series on how to build better guitar solos over the tune Sunny . If you missed Part...
ryanboisselle
Oct 6, 20254 min read


Looking for Guitar Lessons in Tokyo? Here’s Why I Teach in Takadanobaba
So—you’ve decided to start learning guitar. Or maybe you’ve already been playing and want to tighten things up. Either way, you type...
ryanboisselle
Sep 29, 20253 min read


🎸 How to Play Real Guitar Phrases (Not Just Scales) Over a Funky Blues
You’ve got your pentatonic scale memorized. You know which key you're in. But when it’s time to actually solo… your phrases don’t quite...
ryanboisselle
Sep 22, 20254 min read


How to Learn Modes on Guitar Without the Headache (You Only Need a Few)
Let’s get this out of the way up front: You don’t need to learn all 7 modes to become a good guitarist. At least, not all at once. I’ve...
ryanboisselle
Sep 15, 20254 min read


How to Conquer the F Chord (Even If You’ve Tried Everything)
Ahh, the F chord… the bane of every beginner guitarist’s existence. It buzzes. It mutes. It hurts your hand. And no matter how hard you...
ryanboisselle
Sep 8, 20254 min read


Soloing over "Sunny": Level 1 Minor Pentatonic
So the idea of just "making stuff up" over a chord progression can feel overwhelming. What scale should you use? How do you know if...
ryanboisselle
Sep 1, 20253 min read


8 Must-Know Chords for R&B Guitar!
In today’s post, I want to show you 8 essential guitar chords that’ll get you playing real R&B in no time. These chords are the backbone...
ryanboisselle
Aug 25, 20253 min read


From Toronto to Takadanobaba: My Experience Teaching Guitar in Tokyo for the Past 12 Years
“Night time at Takadanobaba Station. BIG BOX and the busy area in front of the ticket gates. I moved to Tokyo from Toronto over a decade...
ryanboisselle
Aug 18, 20253 min read


Learn to Groove on the Guitar: The Real Secret
Groove is trainable When people talk about having “good groove,” they’re often pointing to a mysterious X-factor that separates pros from...
ryanboisselle
Aug 11, 20253 min read


Don’t Practice Guitar Every Day? Here’s Why That Might Be a Good Thing.
As musicians, we often hear the phrase “practice every day” like it’s gospel. While consistency is absolutely essential for growth, I...
ryanboisselle
Aug 4, 20254 min read


Learning Guitar While Learning English: How Music Can Boost Your Language Skills
If you’re learning English in Japan, you’re probably familiar with the frustration of studying textbooks that pile on vocabulary but...
ryanboisselle
Jul 28, 20254 min read


🎸 The 4 C’s: 4 Funk Tunes That Will LEVEL UP Your Guitar Scale Usage
If you’ve been playing guitar for a while and want to level up your groove, soloing, and improvisation chops the 4 C’s are a must-learn...
ryanboisselle
Jul 21, 20253 min read


🎸 5 FUN Anime Songs You Can Play on the Guitar!
If you're an anime fan and a guitarist, then you're in for a treat. In this post, I’ve picked 5 iconic anime songs that are super fun to...
ryanboisselle
Jul 13, 20253 min read
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