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
The standard grip in one minute, plus why your pick keeps slipping and the light-grip fix. Squeezing harder is the one move that makes it worse.
How to Stand While Playing Guitar
Why songs fall apart when you stand up, and the strap-height fix that makes sitting and standing one position. Set it once, relearn nothing.
The First 4 Guitar Chords Every Beginner Should Learn
The very first chords you should learn as a new guitarist: Em, G, C, and D. Learning these open chord shapes first will help you establish a strong foundation for your guitar journey.
Barre Chords for Beginners
Barre chords are leverage, not strength: the index-edge roll, the arm pull, and why starting at fret 7 beats fighting F. Partial barres count too.
Why Can I Play a Chord Alone but Not in a Song?
Your chords are fine. The song adds a deadline your hands have never practiced. Why chords collapse under a beat, and the slowed-down drill that fixes it.
How to Build Guitar Calluses (and Will I Lose Them?)
Fingertip pain fades in 2–4 weeks of short daily sessions. What speeds calluses up, what water does to them, and why a trip won't reset you to day one.
Power Chords for Beginners
Root plus fifth, one movable shape, most of rock. The two-finger version first, the muting that kills the mud, and the light grip that stops the cramp.
What BPM Should Beginners Practice At?
There is no magic beginner BPM. The rule that beats every number: play the passage clean and relaxed, raise in small steps, and drop back when it gets sloppy.
How to Strum Without Looking at Your Hand
Your strumming hand never needed watching; it needed a home. The forearm contact that aims the hand by touch, and the eyes-closed drill that proves it.
How to Practice Guitar Quietly (Thin Walls, Roommates)
Quiet is a mode your guitar already has: headphone routes for electric, soft-touch tricks for acoustic, and a plan for when evening is your only window.
Should You Practice Songs Above Your Level?
Yes, in a small dose and an easier form: one extracted riff, slowed down, simplified. Why complete easy songs still beat fragments of hard ones.
Palm Muting Explained
The name lies: it's the pinky edge of your hand, parked at the bridge. Position and pressure are the two dials, and a discovery drill finds your spot.
Bends Explained
Most flat bends share one cause: no destination. Fret the target note first, listen, then bend to match it. Wrist rotation and stacked fingers do the rest.
Do You Actually Need Music Theory to Play Guitar?
No, you don't need it, and a little is a cheat code. The honest answer between the two gatekeeping camps, plus the short list of theory that pays early.
How to Turn Four Chords into a Song
Yes, one loop can carry a whole song. Sections come from delivery, not new chords: melody placement, dynamics, and rhythm are the three levers.
How to Play Your First Open Mic
Bring two or three songs well below your ceiling, watch a night first, and never apologize on mic. The room is mostly performers rooting for you.
How to Choose Guitar Picks
Thickness is the whole question: thin flexes and forgives, heavy speaks clearly, medium splits the difference. Start around 0.73mm and branch by feel.
Why Does My Guitar Buzz on Certain Frets?
Fret buzz has two suspects: you or the guitar, and where it buzzes is the diagnosis. The location map, the is-it-me tests, and why some buzz is normal.
When Should You Learn Barre Chords?
It's a readiness gate, not a date: clean open chords, comfortable changes, calluses formed. Until then the waiting is the training, not stalling.