Olli
The Punk · Fast. Loud. Honest.
Olli learned three chords in a squat and started a band the same week. He has zero patience for gatekeeping and infinite patience for beginners. His rule: you don't need permission, you need reps.
“Rules later. Noise now.”
Olli's guides
How to Hold a Guitar Pick
Holding the pick wrong makes everything harder. Here's the grip that feels weird for a day and right forever — plus a game to lock it in.
How Often Should You Tune Your Guitar?
Short answer: every time you play. Here's why guitars drift out of tune, what makes it worse, and how to keep yours sounding right.
How to Stand While Playing Guitar
Strap height, balance, and switching from sitting to standing without your chords falling apart. Look comfortable, feel steady, play clean.
The First 10 Guitar Chords Every Beginner Should Learn
The ten open chords that unlock most beginner songs, in the smart order to learn them, with a spot-the-chord game.
Why Your Chords Buzz
String buzz is feedback, not failure. The three player causes, the one guitar cause, and a 60-second test to tell which one is yours.
Barre Chords for Beginners
Barre chords are leverage, not strength. The technique checklist (edge of the finger, elbow in, thumb low) and a smart on-ramp that starts with two strings.
Why Can I Play a Chord Alone but Not in a Song?
A chord is a photo; a song is a movie. Why perfect chords collapse mid-song, and the bridge drill that trains changes with a real deadline.
How to Build Guitar Calluses (and Will I Lose Them?)
The fingertip ouch phase lasts 1–3 weeks of daily playing, and yes, calluses fade with breaks but rebuild in days. The schedule that works.
Power Chords for Beginners
Two fingers, one movable shape, most of rock. What a power chord is (root + fifth, no third), how to play E5 and A5, how the shape slides to any fret, and the muting that keeps it tight.
What BPM Should Beginners Practice At?
Real numbers: 50–60 BPM for new skills, +5 after three clean reps. How to set the metronome dial honestly (and why slow wins).
How to Strum Without Looking at Your Hand
Your strumming arm works a six-inch target blind. Forearm anchors, shallow pick contact, and big-target sweeps that train aim by feel.
How to Practice Guitar Quietly (Thin Walls, Roommates)
Thin walls don't get a vote. Soft strums near the neck, palm mutes, silent chord-change drills, and headphones. The quiet-practice playbook.
Should You Practice Songs Above Your Level?
THE song that made you buy the guitar? Chase it — sliced into fragments, slowed down, simplified. The 80/20 split that keeps stretch songs teaching instead of crushing.
Palm Muting Explained
The chunky 'djun-djun' in every rock song is the edge of your hand at the bridge. Learn the placement, the pressure, and your first chug.
Bends Explained
Bends have a destination. The target drill that makes bends land in tune, the three-finger + wrist technique, and half vs full bends explained.
Why Do My Bends Sound Out of Tune?
Sour bends are unaimed bends. The echo check, the unison-bend referee, and the three-finger machinery that lands full bends in tune.
Why Does My Fast Playing Turn to Mush?
Blur is a hand-sync failure, not a speed limit. The slow-tempo-fast-motion drill and accent checkpoints that make speed come out clean.
Do You Actually Need Music Theory to Play Guitar?
Honest answer: no to start, a little goes miles. What theory actually is, the 20% worth learning, and why curiosity-first beats syllabus-first.
How to Turn Four Chords into a Song
G, C, D, and Em run half the radio. Reorder them, change the rhythm, add your words — how the famous four become YOUR song.
How to Play Your First Open Mic
Two songs at 80% capacity, one scouting trip, tune before your name is called. The full first open-mic playbook — nerves, sound check, and etiquette included.
How Often Should You Change Strings?
Strings dull from chemistry, not just playing. The honest schedule (2–3 months for daily players), the three tells, and why fresh strings fix false feedback.
How to Choose Guitar Picks
Thickness decides everything: thin for shimmer, medium to learn on, heavy for control. The fifty-cent decision that changes your tone.
Why Does My Guitar Buzz on Certain Frets?
Buzz with an address is hardware, not technique. Map it, run the capo test, note the season, and hand the tech a case file.
When Should You Learn Barre Chords?
Not week one, not year three: three readiness signs (automatic open chords, on-time changes, a song that demands one) and the months 3–8 window.
Is It Normal to Be Bad at Guitar at First?
Yes — universally. Guitar is front-loaded, your ears are ahead of your hands, and progress hides from the person making it. The pep talk with receipts.