TESTIMONIALS
I’ve been playing guitar across a variety of styles since my first in-person lesson at age 12—over 40 years ago. Yet for much of that time, I found myself stuck. I could memorize songs and licks, but I never truly understood the fretboard. I was playing by shape and habit, not by insight. That changed two years ago when I discovered the Guitar Daily Workout – System One. Almost immediately, I began to experience genuine growth—not just in fretboard knowledge, but also in physical dexterity and confidence. The structured, thoughtful regimen helped me break out of my rut and rekindled my appreciation for the instrument. In a world full of guitar methods that promise quick fixes, the Guitar Daily Workout stands out. It doesn’t rely on gimmicks or shortcuts—just a solid, well-designed plan for building muscle memory and real understanding. Stick with it for just a few weeks and you’ll be surprised by your progress.-Ayhan from PA
As someone who’s been a musician for 10 years already, I was getting sick of wasting time and money on practice routines and books that just taught riffs with no explanation about the technique behind them. I wanted to learn how to play the guitar, not just copy verbatim what other people have played. The Daily Guitar Workout is where I found just that. These books break down scales, arpeggios, and basic techniques that anybody who hopes to succeed on their journey will need. The videos make this a completely beginner friendly course, and the structured practice routines have been instrumental in my practice sessions. Could not recommend enough!!– Jacob from AL
I spent the first 30+ years of my guitar-playing life as a self-taught guitar player. I have a degree in music but upright bass was the instrument that put me through college. Guitar was always a “figure it out on my own” kind of thing though. But every time I picked up the guitar I felt like an imposter. I knew there were gaps in my knowledge and understanding. So I didn’t feel competent or confident and never played with any real conviction. I was always second-guessing what I was playing. I needed a system in order to know that I had covered all the bases and hadn’t missed anything vital. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. How I wish the Guitar Daily Workout existed when I first started playing. It would have saved me years of frustration.
– H.G. from PA
The Guitar Daily Workout has been incredible for me! I’ve been a (very casually) self taught guitarist for a while, but have taken my playing more seriously for like 2 and a half years. I started the GDW in 10th grade. I recently finished the first 4 books of the Guitar Daily Workout, and it changed my playing dramatically from when I started. With half an hour or so, five days a week, I’ve become far more articulate and precise in every respect. Both my left and right hand technique have improved substantially. The muscle memory I’ve formed has helped me break out of a rut of always playing the same songs, and has enabled me to learn new music much more quickly. The Daily Workout is definitely somewhat challenging at points, but if you’re committed and really stick with it, you will DEFINITELY see results. I couldn’t believe the improvement I made within just the first 8 weeks or so. If you’re looking for a highly structured, highly doable program that will really take your playing to the next level, I wouldn’t look any further than the Guitar Daily Workout.
– Luke, PA
I found the Guitar Daily Workout very inspirational and motivating. I have the System One and it is exactly what I needed – it means I don’t need to think about what to practice, it is all laid out for me to just knuckle down and put in the work. Even though I’m pretty dedicated, some days I would sit down to practice but ended up playing what I already knew – this would happen more when I only had a short amount of time. I think this extensive course will put structure into every practise session and really develop my foundational playing. On the days I have more time, I can then spend time on chords, technique, songs etc but it ensures that the critical first half hour is never wasted. Thoroughly recommended.
– Almba1on youtube
I’ve been teaching guitar in public education, collegiate level, and private studio for many years. Last year, I was introduced to the Guitar Daily Workout, by Dan Shields. Soon after, I began integrating the Guitar Daily Workout into my courses and lessons and was instantly amazed at my students’ weekly results. The exploration of the fretboard, locating notes, utilizing the CAGED system, the organization of the material and the daily discipline all played a positive role each week. There has been more experimenting and performing in positions across the fretboard, than what I have observed in the past. The students really seem to have fun practicing the material. My decision to include the Guitar Daily Workout as a resource for my guitar curriculum, came as soon after I started using it. If you are looking for a great method/system that saves you time as the educator in creating material, so you can present, coach, and see your students progress on making sense of the fretboard, along with technique, then the Guitar Daily Workout system is for you.
– Gregory Janicki, BM, M.Mus., Professor of Music, Liberty University
As a guitarist that has been playing since 7 years old (now mid-60’s and recently retired), I trained privately in my youth using the Berklee method, studied for 2 semesters at Berklee and was on the road for 4 years in the 1970’s. I’ve found System One to be excellent. The ability to increase tempos with the play along exercises adds to the enjoyment and increases the challenge. For the player that wants to invest the time and is looking to accurately master the fretboard, the Guitar Daily Workout gives you the foundational practice material that will launch every player a higher skill level allowing you to play with more accuracy. I am looking forward to diving into System Two.
– Tom from FL
I started the Guitar Daily Workout after I graduated from music school. It really helped solidify concepts I already knew and took many ideas that were previously head-knowledge and made them muscle memory. Dan teaches these ideas in a very clear and understandable way, which makes the Guitar Daily Workout great for both first-time learners and those needing a little brush-up on their technique. I would highly recommend the Guitar Daily Workout for anyone looking for a simple practice routine that will provide consistency and growth, no matter what stage of musicianship you are at!
– Sam from AZ
I’m a self taught metal style musician and I have played in many small venue to large national act live shows. I have also recorded my fair share of albums and I consider my ability to play as decently well over the last 20 years however, I would like to correct some habits and fill the gaps of knowledge that I have with my instrument.
I am currently into the 8th week of System One of the Guitar Daily Workout and I’m really enjoying the challenge. The Guitar Daily Workout has helped me with quickly locating roots and forms all across the neck. I am noticing strong and tighter playing already and I plan on moving on to System Two once I have completed this one. I would recommend this system to anyone who would like to get to know their instrument and strengthen their playing.
– Justin from PA
I have had the privilege to play and study with several of the finest musicians and guitar players in my city, but my time spent with the Guitar Daily Workout has improved my technique and understanding faster and more effectively than any other method I have tried. Many great teachers have presented parts of these fundamentals to me in lessons, but the translation into a systematic and effective practice routine was never there until now.
The Guitar Daily Workout will engrave arpeggios, pentatonics, major scales, and dexterity into your fingers permanently in a simple and easy-to-follow regiment that you can’t find anywhere else.
-Isaac from PA
As a senior studying electric guitar in college, the Guitar Daily Workout: System One book really helped me build familiarity with the guitar neck. The exercises are easy to follow and help you envision the fretboard fluidly, all while building picking speed. The exercises have helped link my hands together and play faster passages. I would definitely recommend the program to anyone wanting to become more familiar with the fretboard and increase their playing speed.– Mason from CA
I’ve played guitar off and on since I was 13. I wish these books and YouTube existed when I was younger. I own System One and System Two and I loved how it helped me bridge the basics of chords, pentatonic and major scales, and the theory I’ve learned over the years. It really does what Dan says, gives the basics, builds that muscle and brain memory that’s needed for practice, live play, and let’s not forget learning new songs. It is much easier to learn song when you have seen the content before. Highly recommend.– Cole from PA
I’m a high school senior who started the Guitar Daily Workout as a beginner guitarist. I knew some chord shapes and a few songs, but I had never put time into learning the actual theory behind what I was playing. Just by going through System 1 I felt that I made huge progress in visualizing the guitar neck, and my technique vastly improved. I am now working my way through System 2 and I am still seeing continuous progress. The Daily Workout is incredible for building the skills that you need to learn how to play guitar at a higher level. It’s formatted very well, and it’s easy to start even as a complete beginner. I can’t recommend it enough.
-Micah from PA
Never underestimate the power of a good routine! I have worked through the two first books of The Guitar Daily Workout. It provides you with a systematic approach to some of the most useful guitar techniques like arpeggios, octaves and scales. Every time I take my guitar in my hands I know what to practice. That’s exactly why I definitely have improved in my guitar playing over the last months. Recommended!
-Joachim from Germany
I’ve been playing guitar for a few years now and I wanted to learn how to improvise, so I looked for courses and happened to stumble upon Dan’s Guitar Daily Workout. Reading through the Systems and following along Dan’s Youtube videos has taught me more than I’ve learned in years of lessons. Even though I’m only through the majority of System 1, I have started to come up with licks and jam to his pre-recorded tracks. Highly recommend at least trying System 1!!-Bryan from TX
The Guitar Daily Workout really helped me see the fretboard like I never saw it before. It must be how it was organized and the approach. I was aware of the topics like octaves, scales, and arpeggios, but it was never presented to me in the way that the Guitar Daily Workout did. It’s like it was all connecting like a puzzle. I’m now able to see where each scale is around the fretboard.
– Sydney, College Music Student
I just started up your program after years of putting off improving my guitar skills. Already feeling improvement and confidence after a couple of days. Thank you for putting this out into the world.
–Spencer from YouTube
I’m on week 8 of the System 1 and loving how effortless and systematic the entire process is. As a guitar player of 15 years, I’ve been messing around with learning things here and there. But having committed to mastering the theory & improv side of the instrument recently, I couldn’t have imagined a better system for learning the theory and the scales (they were so damn overwhelming before).-Daniel from CT
Two years ago I started learning electric guitar to fulfill a lifelong dream of mine. I started with lessons from a teacher and stayed with him for over a year. I learned some useful things from him, but I felt stuck. I learned on my own via Youtube, but my progress was limited to chance discoveries.After stumbling upon your course, I purchased it and started practicing regularly for the past two and half months. My improvement has skyrocketed, and I can see clearly now how the pieces I knew were only parts of a greater whole wrt to unlocking the complete fretboard and being able to improvise using CAGED as a foundation.I am now able to “see” how chord shapes, scales, and arpeggios fit into the chord progressions that are commonly used in worship music (I, IV, IV, vi, etc.). Through your materials, I can now find roots to chords, see triads/diads over chords/keys, and move around the pentatonic shapes and scales up and down the fretboard.-Joe from CA
I finally completed the GDW System 1 book.The Guitar Daily Workout System 1 is a great resource as it taught me guitar notes, essential techniques and enabled me to connect the guitar neck in a meaningful way using the CAGED chord forms. Dan has created a well organized and focused book for anyone looking to improve their guitar musicianship.-Neil From PA
I want to sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart for the Guitar Workout series. It has been a game changer for me. I purchased the first four systems and have been practicing them. I’m amazed at how you came up with this method, and I can’t tell you enough how perfectly designed your workout book is. It’s fun to play, never boring, and teaches so much at the same time. I’ve been playing for 8 years and never had anything this useful. Forever grateful.-Rashad from YouTube
I have heard of the CAGED system before, but only thought of that when I worked with chords. The Guitar Daily Workout opened my eyes to that system that it was beyond just chords. The patterns helped me see more clearly the fretboard and how patterns and shapes repeat. I realized after a few weeks I pushed the tempo, and I was flying around the fretboard like I was doing this for many years. I liked how each week it was very well put together and they built upon each week. I am looking forward to System Two.
– Brandon Lee Johnson, Music Major