"Now THAT Is How a Guitar Ought to Be Played"

He wasn't even planning on buying anything. Just killing time.

But he found himself in the acoustic room anyway. You know the one—guitars lined up on the walls, the cheap ones at eye level, the beautiful ones up high where you have to ask for help. Or be bold enough to reach.

His eyes kept drifting to a Gibson on the top row. Way more than he'd ever spend. But it was just sitting there, and the room was empty, and...

He glanced back into the store. Nobody watching.

So he reached up—with just a small twinge of guilt—and lifted it off the wall.

The weight of it surprised him. Solid. Serious. He sat down, settled it against his chest, and played a few chords just to hear what a guitar like that sounded like.

And then he kept playing.

Nothing rehearsed. Just a little progression he'd been working on at home. Some chord modifications.

A few fills woven in between. The kind of thing he'd learned over the past few months from a course called Dynamic Rhythm Guitar.

He wasn't performing. He wasn't thinking. He was just... lost in it. Feeling the guitar resonate against his ribs. Watching his fingers find positions they'd never found before.

Then he heard the door open behind him.

Another customer. Older guy. Stood there for a moment, listening.

And then he said:

"Now THAT is how a guitar ought to be played."

Just like that. Like it was obvious. Like he was stating a fact.

The guy nodded, smiled, and walked off to find a salesperson.

And my student? He sat there for a second, not quite believing what just happened. Then he put the Gibson back on its hook—carefully, like it deserved the respect—and walked out of that store grinning like an idiot.

He told me later his face hurt from smiling by the time he got to his car.

Here's the thing: he was only four sections into the course. Out of fourteen.

He'd first picked up guitar nearly 20 years ago. Then life happened—the guitar collected dust in a closet. Last year, he dug it out thinking his son might want to learn.

Funny how that works. He ended up learning right alongside him.

He found Dynamic Rhythm Guitar and started working through it. Nothing else. Just this course, a few months of practice, and a willingness to actually apply what he was learning.

And now strangers were stopping to compliment him in music stores.

What did he learn that most guitarists never figure out?

Maybe you read that true story and thought: That could never be me.

You've been playing for years. You know your chords. You can get through songs. But somewhere along the way, you stopped improving. The guitar sounds the same as it did three years ago. Five years ago. Maybe longer.

You've tried things. Watched tutorials. Learned new songs. Maybe bought a course or two that collected dust.

And each time something didn't click, a voice in the back of your head whispered: Maybe I'm just not cut out for this.

Here's what that voice doesn't know:

The 1% and the Rest of Us

There are two ways to become a great guitarist.

The First Path is talent. Raw, natural ability. Some people are born hearing music differently. They pick up a guitar and within months they're playing circles around people who've been at it for decades. 

They don't know why something sounds good—they just hear it. Instantly. Intuitively.

About 1% of guitarists have this gift. Maybe that's generous. 

If you were one of them, you wouldn't be here with the rest of us.

The Second Path is understanding. Learning the patterns and principles that the 1% hear automatically. It's not a shortcut—it's a different route to the same destination.

Here's the problem: almost nobody teaches it.

Every guitar course you've taken, every YouTube tutorial you've watched—they taught you what to play. Chords. Scales. Songs. And you learned it. You know what to play. And that's important... 

But knowing what to play and knowing how to play it are completely different skills.

One fills your head with information. The other fills a room with music.

The Second Path is about how.

"I was looking for a course that could help me learn how to make music with the guitar, not just give me things to play. I saw the video of you playing in the course preview and immediately knew—I want to be able to play like that!


The course has 100% lived up to what I hoped."


—Andrew Vincent

Get The Course

The 6 Shifts

The Second Path isn't one thing. It's six.

Six skill areas that work together to produce the sounds the 1% create intuitively. Most guitarists never learn any of them. A few stumble onto one or two by accident.

When you have all six working together, something clicks.

You stop playing songs and start making music.

Shift 1: The Rhythm Engine

Your strumming hand stops keeping time and starts driving the song.

  • Why two guitar players can learn the exact same song from the exact same tab—yet one sounds like a professional and the other sounds like a student. (The difference has nothing to do with talent.)
  • The "invisible drummer" hiding inside your strumming hand—and the specific technique that wakes it up. (This is how acoustic players fake having a rhythm section. Most never figure it out.)
  • A specific thing most guitarists do during every chord change that marks them as amateurs—even when everything else is perfect. (Once you see it, you can't unsee it in other players.)
  • Why your "quiet parts" probably aren't actually quiet—and what's missing. (Hint: it's not about strumming softer.)

But rhythm alone won't save you if your chords sound like everyone else's...

Shift 2: The Color Palette

Vanilla open chords become rich and textured.

  • Why your A minor and C major chords are secretly twins—sharing something that lets you swap them freely without ever hitting a wrong note. (This one relationship unlocks half the chord substitutions you'll ever need.)
  • The one-finger chord modification that Nashville songwriters have built entire careers on. (You've heard this sound in hundreds of songs. You just didn't know it was this simple.)
  • A "tension twin" hiding near every open chord you play—and what happens when you start alternating between them. (Some players stumble onto this by accident. Most never find it.)
  • The sus chord timing secret that turns "waiting for the next chord" into the most interesting part of the progression. (This is not about which sus chord. It's about WHEN.)

Now your chords have texture. But you're still strumming. What about melody?

Shift 3: The Melodic Edge

Strums-only playing evolves into melodic picking.

  • The picking hand mistake that's quietly capping your speed—no matter how many hours you practice. (I had to unlearn years of muscle memory when I finally figured this out. It was not fun.)
  • Why 90% of guitarists are cementing bad habits every single time they practice scales. (There's one rule most teachers assume you already know. They're wrong.)
  • A finger on your picking hand that most guitarists never activate—and the string patterns it unlocks that are physically impossible otherwise. (Once you feel this, you'll wonder how you ever played without it.)
  • The "two-string mindset" that makes flatpicking sound musical before you've learned a single scale position. (This has nothing to do with which two strings.)

You can pick. But where do those riffs actually GO?

Shift 4: The Riff Pocket

Riffs stop sitting unused and start weaving into songs.

  • How to slip riffs between your chords so seamlessly that listeners think you've got a lead guitarist hiding somewhere. (The secret isn't learning more riffs.)
  • The invisible "pocket" in every song where riffs fit perfectly—and where they'll fight with everything else. (Session players see this instantly. Most guitarists never learn it exists.)
  • Why some players' riffs sound natural while yours sound like showing off—and the mindset shift that fixes it. (It's not about the riffs themselves.)
  • A half-bar riff template that's almost impossible to mess up—and works between nearly any two chords. (Three notes. Predictable landing. Instant confidence.)

You know when to play them. But do you understand WHY they work?

Shift 5: The Light Switch

Memorizing shapes becomes understanding why.

  • Why every riff you learn is actually 12 riffs you're not using. (One principle unlocks all of them. Most players learn the hard way—if they learn at all.)
  • The "light switch" that turns the fretboard from a maze into a map. (Some players find it by accident after decades. Others never do. There's no reason it should take you more than an afternoon.)
  • The embarrassingly simple relationship between major and minor scales—and why it changes everything about how you see the fretboard. (When I explain this to students, they always say "wait, that's IT?")
  • Why certain "rule-breaking" chord combinations sound amazing—and the simple test that reveals which ones will work in any key. (This is the kind of thing jazz musicians gatekeep. It's not complicated.)

"I was just doing the up down up down strumming. I never knew what made a chord or why some chords had sharps and some had flats. I had guitar teachers before, but all they told me was where to put my fingers on the frets. That's it.


For the first time in my life I understand theory—the hows and whys. I never really knew that music was actually a science. It all fits. It all makes sense. I love knowing about it!"


—Eve Wiese

Now you see the fretboard. One thing left: the hidden layer most players never find...

Shift 6: The Hidden Harmony

Single note lines become rich, hidden harmony.

  • The "hidden harmony" buried inside every chord you already play—and what happens when you start using it on purpose. (You've been hitting it accidentally for years.)
  • A "chess knight" pattern that reveals exactly where to find the intervals that make everything sound more musical. (Same shape. Every position. Once you see it, you can't unsee it.)
  • The specific fret region where melodic ideas cut through a mix—and why the same notes played elsewhere disappear into mud. (This is physics, not preference.)
  • An interval that's secretly powering half the riffs you've ever loved—and you've been stumbling onto it by accident your whole playing life. (Once you know what to listen for, you'll hear it everywhere.)

Once you have these six skill areas working together, everything changes.

Here's what that journey actually looks like...

Start The Six Shifts

What It Sounds Like On The Other Side

Picture this: You sit down with your guitar. Someone calls out a song—or you just feel like playing. You don't freeze. You don't reach for the same strum pattern you always use.

Your hands respond. Dynamics. Groove. Fills that fit. The song comes alive under your fingers.

And for the first time in a long time, you're not just playing guitar. You're making music.

"Now I'm doing cool chord progressions even changing key (ha, I didn't know keys were so important!) I'm doing things I'd only seen others do and wondered how! 


I'm very grateful to you for opening a gate to the path of guitar heaven! The buzz from learning and actually playing (not copying) is immense."


—Wayne Holland

Why Short Courses Can't Fix This

Most guitar courses are short.

45 minutes. An hour. Maybe two if they're "comprehensive."

There's a reason for that. Short courses are easier to sell. They sound less intimidating. They let teachers charge $50 for something that took them a weekend to record.

But here's what short courses can't do: they can't build a system.

They can give you a tip. A trick. A technique you'll forget in two weeks. They can't rewire how you think about guitar.

Dynamic Rhythm Guitar is 20 hours across 14 sections because that's how long it takes to install six new skill areas into your playing—and connect them so they work together.

It's not 20 hours of filler. It's 20 hours of density.

Let's do some math:

Private guitar lessons run $50-70 an hour depending on where you live. And most of that hour isn't teaching—it's small talk, figuring out where you are, watching you practice. The stuff that actually moves you forward? Maybe 10-20 minutes.

DRG is 20 hours of pure instruction. No filler. Every minute organized, building on the last.
To get this same density from private lessons, you'd need 80+ hours and $4,000-5,000.

"A truly complete and unique package in the sense that it's not about copying someone's playing or about memorizing specific licks. This course truly does empower the player with solid insight into how to enhance what would otherwise be basic guitar playing."


—Stephane Villeneuve

And here's the thing: you don't have to rush.

Take a month. Take six months. Take a year. You've got lifetime access—come back whenever you're ready.

Get Lifetime Access

"There's a lot in it, and I go back to previous lessons to reinforce my understanding. I very much like your easy going style of teaching and while I'm too old to ever be a rock god I feel my playing has improved quite a bit, and knowing why and how things work has made it more fun for me."


—Nev

Is This For You?

You don't need to be "intermediate"—whatever that means.

If you know your basic open chords and can strum through a simple song, you're ready. Whether you've been playing for 6 months or 30 years, the course meets you where you are.

It's NOT for complete beginners. You should already be comfortable with basic open chords and simple strumming. If you're still learning your first G chord, start there and come back.

"I am 71 years young, so am going slow, but I am playing so much better. I could play open chords and some bar chords but I am very happy with how it's going."


—Ron Keller

"I am 62 years old and have been playing since I was 11 years old. What I am finding is it contains many things I have used for years but not as well as I should have being self taught. I always let my picking hand lead me to where it wanted to go. Now I understand why it did it."


—George F. Boggs

What Other Players Are Saying

Don't take my word for it. Here's what players are saying after going through the course:

"I have completed several courses with Play Guitar and this one is the best. It touches on all aspects of playing; my understanding has definitely improved."


—Leigh Dicker

"Your course Dynamic Rhythm Guitar is absolutely unbelievable. I am only up to DVD 3 and it has made a lot of difference to my playing guitar. Your style of teaching is also very good, not like some others who just want to 'show off' how good they are playing their screaming loud shreds."


—Russell Hevey

"I have spent a small fortune on guitar lessons on the internet. Downloads, DVDs, PDF course books—you name it and I've acquired it. All a waste of time—thin on content, poor delivery and inferior documentation. Not now since I found JB's web site and lessons. They stand head and shoulders over the rest."


—David Hunter

"My key learning has been the major and relative minor relationship. Suddenly the modes, the CAGED system, the scales all fit together logically. Wow! I'm in wonderful new territory with my playing."


—Rick Lee

"I've been playing for about a year and found myself no longer progressing. Your courses have moved me to a new level and I'm having so much fun! I appreciate that you fully explain all concepts. Now I understand theory! I feel like I'm getting personal lessons."


—Julie McCord

I'm Not a Natural Either

I'm Jonathan Boettcher, and I've been teaching guitar online since 2009.

I'm not one of those prodigy players in the 1%. The first time I picked up a guitar, I quit after two months.

Years later, I tried again—and got lucky twice.

First, I found a teacher who didn't just show me where to put my fingers. He showed me why things worked. Theory wasn't homework. It was the key that unlocked everything.

Second, I had a friend who played rhythm guitar in a way I'd never heard before. Dynamic. Textured. Alive. I didn't get to formally learn from him, but his playing stuck in my head for years—this sound I couldn't quite reach but couldn't stop chasing.

It took me a long time to develop my own style that scratched that itch. And when I finally got there, I realized: this is teachable. The things he did instinctively—I'd figured out the principles underneath.
That's what Dynamic Rhythm Guitar is. The sound I spent years chasing, broken down into a system you can actually learn.

Since 2009, I've helped tens of thousands of players through courses like Guitar Theory Unlocked (10,000+ students) and dozens of other programs at PlayGuitar.com and RiffNinja.com.

"Between you and Colin, I've made more progress than I ever thought possible in large part due to your patient/persistent style of teaching."


—Kurt Frampton

You might be thinking: what if it doesn't work for me?

Don't worry—that's something I think about too, and I want you to have the best possible chance at success. That's why I created my unique guarantee:

Level Up or Your Money Back

If you go through this course and don't feel your playing improving—if you're not leveling up—email me and I'll refund every penny.

No hoops. No hassle. No "prove you did the work."

60 days. That's your window.

I've been doing this since 2009. I know some courses aren't right for some players. If this isn't right for you, I'd rather you have your money back than a course collecting dust.

Finally Sound Like You Know What You're Doing.
Because You Actually Will.

This isn't tips and tricks. It's six skill areas that work together as a system. Once you have all six, everything clicks. That's what this course builds.

  • "I'm doing things I'd only seen others do and wondered how!" — Wayne Holland
  • "For the first time in my life I understand theory—the hows and whys." — Eve Wiese
  • "Suddenly the modes, the CAGED system, the scales all fit together logically." — Rick Lee
Get Instant Access for $199

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Instance 1

Still Have Questions?

"What Exactly Will I Be Learning?"

14 sections. 20 hours. Each one builds on the last.

I've laid out the full curriculum below so you can see exactly what's inside. But here's the thing—” you don't need to know all of this going in. The course is designed to meet you where you are and pull you forward. Click any section to see what it covers and what it unlocks.

Section 1: Strumming Foundations

Quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenths, triplets. Reading rhythm notation. The muting technique that turns your strumming hand into a percussion instrument.

 → You stop keeping time and start driving the song.

Section 2: Basic Guitar Theory

The major scale pattern. How chords are built from scales. Why some chords "belong" together.

→ The fretboard starts making sense instead of feeling random.

Section 3: Flatpicking Fundamentals

Alternate picking mechanics. The picking hand mistake that caps your speed. Two-string patterns that make scales musical.

→ Single notes become as natural as strumming.

Section 4: Chord Modifications I

Relative major and minor relationships. Sus2 and sus4 chords. Where to add them and when.

→ Your chord vocabulary doubles overnight.

Section 5: Chord Substitutions

Why Am and C are secretly twins. Swapping chords without hitting wrong notes. The Nashville trick that's simpler than it sounds.

→ You start hearing options instead of just playing what's written.

Section 6: Hybrid Picking

Activating your picking hand fingers. String patterns impossible with a pick alone. When to pick, when to pluck, when to do both.

→ A whole new dimension of sound opens up.

Section 7: Scale Patterns

Pentatonic and major scale positions. How they connect across the neck. Using scales musically, not just as exercises.

→ The fretboard becomes a map instead of a maze.

Section 8: Full-Bar Riffs

10 riff templates over a simple progression. Chord-based riffs. Scale-based riffs. Intervals that hook the ear.

→ You learn WHERE riffs actually fit.

Section 9: Chord Progressions

Common patterns and why they work. Anticipating what comes next. Building and releasing tension.

→ Songs start feeling predictable in the best way.

Section 10: Advanced Strumming I

Syncopation. Accents. Ghost strums. Dynamics that make simple progressions interesting.

→ Now you can make two chords start sounding fuller than most folks can with ten.

Section 11: Half-Bar Riffs

Quick fills between chord changes. The three-note template that works almost anywhere. Confident landings.

→ Riffs stop feeling forced and start flowing naturally.

Section 12: Advanced Strumming II

Combining everything. Rhythm variations. Building intensity. Pulling back.

→  Your strumming hand becomes expressive, not mechanical.

Section 13: Thirds Theory

The interval hiding in plain sight. Why thirds sound so good. Finding them anywhere on the neck.

→ You discover the secret ingredient in half the riffs you've ever loved.

Section 14: Applying Thirds

Thirds in riffs. Thirds in fills. Thirds as chord embellishments. Putting it all together.

→ The hidden harmony becomes second nature.

Plus: 151-page PDF workbook with every diagram and exercise, plus many alternate explanations. Drum tracks at 60, 75, and 90 BPM. "Rubber room" practice videos where I play rhythm and leave space for your riffs. 130-bar jam tracks with bass and drums.

"What if I don't have 20 hours?"

You don't need 20 hours this week. You have lifetime access. Work through one section at a time. Come back when you're ready. There's no deadline.

Plus, all the sections are broken into smaller videos, averaging 5-15 minutes each, and there is a progress tracker in the member's area so you can easily pick up exactly where you left off. 

"I will take a break and probably repeat the whole course again... Why? Well I have FOUND it to be of great personal benefit, maybe I just wasn't ready to understand earlier but it is starting to make sense."


—Leigh Dicker

"What if I've tried other courses and they didn't help?"

Most courses teach you what to play. This one teaches you how to play. That's the Second Path. If random YouTube tutorials haven't added up to real progress, now you know why.

"I have spent a small fortune on guitar lessons on the internet. Downloads, DVDs, PDF course books—you name it and I've acquired it. All a waste of time—thin on content, poor delivery and inferior documentation. Not now since I found JB's web site and lessons. They stand head and shoulders over the rest."


—David Hunter

"What if it's too advanced for me?"

If you know your basic open chords and can strum through a simple song, you're ready. The course meets you where you are— skills build on each other, so you can jump in at the point that makes sense for you and start making progress immediately.

"What if it's not advanced enough?"

If you're already weaving riffs into your rhythm playing, using chord modifications instinctively, and getting compliments on your dynamics... you probably don't need this. But if any of that sounds aspirational rather than actual, there's something here for you.

"For a veteran player—like me—it helps to widen the scope of guitar playing ('get out of the barre-box') as well as refresh the music theory skills."


—Seppo Ahvenainen

A Year From Now

You're going to sit down with your guitar a year from now.

The question is: will it sound any different than it does today?

If you do nothing—if you keep watching random tutorials and hoping something clicks—you already know the answer. Another year of the same chords, same patterns, same plateau.

Or...

You could be the guy in the music store. The one a stranger compliments. The one who finally sounds like he knows what he's doing.

That version of you is available. But it requires a decision.

I'm Ready - $199

"Now I'm doing cool chord progressions even changing key (ha, I didn't know keys were so important!) I'm doing things I'd only seen others do and wondered how! I'm very grateful to you for opening a gate to the path of guitar heaven! The buzz from learning and actually playing (not copying) is immense."


—Wayne Holland

The Second Path is open.

Six shifts stand between where you are and where you want to be.

I'll see you inside.