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Guitar exercises & riffs

Find your next riff. Make every note count.

Choose from hundreds of drills and riffs across a range of practice categories. Build a technique, learn a song riff, or follow a blues phrase—then slow it down and play along with the TAB and fretboard.

Explore guitar exercises Browse all categories

Free preview. Interactive controls and playback require StrumForge Pro. Available on web, iPhone, iPad, and Android.

StrumForge playing a whole-step bend and release, with the bent note moving on the fretboard and the same TAB event highlighted
A whole-step bend in real playback: the fretboard note moves with the pitch while the TAB follows the same event.
  • Animated TAB & fretboard
  • 40–200 BPM playback
  • Beginner to advanced

Choose your practice

Find a category for your next practice goal.

Start with a sound you like or a movement you want to improve. Choose a drill to focus on a movement, or a riff to put it into a musical phrase.

Listen. Follow. Play.

A practice library that moves with the music.

Choose a focused starting point

Filter by Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced, choose drills or riffs, and select one or more techniques. Previous, Next, and Random browse the matching exercises.

See the phrase as you hear it

Animated TAB follows the current note. The fretboard shows where to play it, including the motion of supported bends and slides. Note and interval labels connect the shape to the sound.

Keep a useful phrase close

Star an exercise and use Favorites only to revisit it. Set a comfortable tempo, enable a count-in and metronome, and repeat the whole exercise with Loop.

From the pattern to the phrase

See more than the next fret.

Use Exercise notes for the phrase itself, Scale position for nearby scale notes, or Full fretboard for the wider scale across 24 frets. Switch between Notes and Intervals to connect a familiar shape with its sound.

Movable exercises can change key within their supported range. Open-string and fixed-key arrangements retain their authored key. Use the appearance gear to choose the view that helps with the task in front of you.

Try the phrase shown here →
StrumForge Exercises on a narrow phone viewport, playing a major/minor blues phrase with a moving bend and active TAB
The real phone layout during playback: technique filters, tempo, fretboard context, and live TAB.

Put it into practice

A ten-minute session with one clear goal

Try the bend & release exercise →

  1. Two minutes: prepare

    Choose a warmup or picking drill at a tempo where every note stays clear. Listen for an even attack and relaxed string crossings.

  2. Five minutes: work on one phrase

    Pick a riff that uses your target technique. Listen once, then play with the repeating exercise. If a bend misses its target or a crossing breaks the rhythm, reduce the BPM.

  3. Three minutes: make it musical

    Play the phrase again with attention to rests, articulation, and the final note. Star it for tomorrow. Increase the tempo manually only when the phrase is controlled.

A few things to know

Are the guitar exercises free?

You can view an exercise preview for free. Interactive controls—including category filters, exercise selection, favorites, tempo settings, playback, and note auditions—require StrumForge Pro. The category descriptions and practice guides on this website are free to read.

What is the difference between drills and riffs?

Drills isolate movements such as picking, coordination, and scale sequences. Riffs place notes and techniques into short musical phrases. The Type filter lets you browse either or both.

Does StrumForge listen to my guitar?

Exercises provides audio and visual guidance. It does not listen to your instrument, grade your playing, or automatically judge when you are ready to increase the tempo.

Can I change the key of an exercise?

Movable exercises offer supported keys through the Key menu. Open-string arrangements and other fixed-key excerpts keep their authored key so the intended string technique is preserved.

Can I loop just part of a riff?

Loop repeats the whole exercise. You can tap the TAB to hear a note and seek, but Exercises does not currently offer a custom loop range.

Make time for one good phrase

Pick a riff. Find your pace.

Choose an exercise you want to come back to. Listen closely, repeat it with care, and make your next session a little more focused.

Try the bend & release exercise →
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Free preview. Interactive controls and playback require Pro.