Dear Friend,
Learning how to play guitar can be a lot of confusing work… or it can be a lot of fun.
Most people get to the first part just fine, but never seem to make it to the second…
When I was six years old – remember the good old days when life was carefree
– my parents put me in piano lessons. My teacher was an old woman who lived across the street and down a block. I went to visit her once a week to learn how to play.
You know what? She made learning to play more boring than watching paint dry. And as a six year old, if given the choice, I probably would have chosen the paint!
She tried teaching me music theory, but it was like cutting down a forest with a pocketknife. More on that story in just a minute…
Most beginner guitar players start out by learning a few chords and some simple songs.
That’s cool – its a good start.
But as I’ve helped other people learn the guitar, I’ve observed that there’s a general lack of understanding as to exactly why we play what we do.
More importantly, I’ve noticed this lack of understanding really slows down progress, and even worse – can make learning the guitar confusing and feel like a lot of hard work!
The good news is – there’s a KEY that will…
There’s this concept in music called I – IV – V. If that looks like Greek to you, it’s not – it’s Latin!
I-IV-V (that’s 1 – 4 – 5 in English) refers to the root note (I), or tonic, and the two notes in perfect relation to it (IV and V). Because it is a numbering system, it is universal, and applies to every single key.
Simply put – this lesson on I-IV-V will show you how the guitar fretboard is built on patterns of I-IV-V, and once you see the patterns, your guitar will come alive in a whole new way.
You will play…
Have you ever been in an unfamiliar city, looked at a road map, and tried to figure out what was going on?
Ok, good, so you know it takes a while to get your bearings and to find your way, right?
Now – have you ever had a friend visit your home town, and showed them where to go on a map? Chances are that map just intuitively made sense to you, because it described familiar landmarks, right?
Have you ever struggled to follow the music or tab, without really knowing why the notes are where they are – why you need to play them in that order? That’s because you’re playing in unfamiliar territory…
Understanding I-IV-V as it relates to your guitar will be the key that unlocks your guitar in your hands – unleashing your true potential as a player.
I promise (more on that later).
When I was a teenager, I started taking guitar lessons. My guitar teacher approached music from a totally different angle than I’d ever seen before. Suddenly theory not only made sense, but it came alive in my hands!
Now I don’t play a note without knowing why (for the most part!).
Let me tell you something – one guitar player to another. I-IV-V such a basic concept to the guitar that it is something every single guitar player needs to know (Even the very tuning of the guitar is based on it).
It doesn’t matter if you want to be a rock star, or if your highest goal with the guitar is merely to strum a few chords around a campfire with some friends.
Rockstar or campfire jammer – and everyone in between – you simply have to understand I-IV-V.
Ok, so I don’t know if the numbers are bang on or not – but from personal experience I would say they are. And it is 100% true that the Pro’s communicate using the number system.
Remember I started telling you about my episode with the piano lady? Well, I ended up quitting after three months. My parents weren’t sure if I would ever like music again after that (good thing they were wrong!).
The thing is… I DON”T WANT THIS TO HAPPEN TO YOU!
…. not as boring as watching the grass grow!
Learning guitar can and should be one of the most fulfilling parts of your life – mastering an art that allows you to express yourself is truly priceless.
There are many different guitar courses that can help you learn guitar…
But none of them (so far as I’ve seen – and I’ve seen most of them by now) presents I-IV-V from the same perspective that you’ll be seeing it here.
Unlocking I-IV-V is the perfect introductory theory lesson to get you started on the guitar, or to reveal the secrets of the fretboard that have thus far been hidden from you…
But it will perfectly complement any course that does teach these things.
If you were to hire a guitar teacher to sit down with you for 2 hours, and explain I-IV-V to you, it would cost you at minimum $120. Then you’d leave, and if you had questions later on or forgot something, you’d have to come back and pay again.
With the Unlocking I-IV-V lesson you can hit rewind and re-watch any part that you don’t pick up immediately. As they say, video is the most patient teacher in the world!
Hey Jonathan,
Cool lesson, very down to earth. Being an elementary teacher you kept it simple and to the point.
What I learned from the lesson was: chord numbers, relative minor chords, and tones and semi tones and their meanings and operations. I’ve been playing since before you were born, so you know I’m a dinosaur, lol. I taught myself and learned by watching other people, like those two guys in Liverpool. I never understood what I was doing , but wrote a lot of songs in the past and recently recorded a couple of cd’s.
Your DVD gave me some revelation about chord structure that I sat down and started fooling around with some chords. I also started helping out my buddy at his guitar school so this will come in handy big time. The added weekly tips, I think, will be extremely helpful. I think this old dog is gonna learn and understand some new tricks!
Thanks so much,
Bob Nodzo,
Auburn, New York
Print these cheat sheets (they’re in color) and keep them handy in your guitar case!


I’ve explained I-IV-V to quite a few guitar players, and for many, it is like putting the final piece in a huge jigsaw puzzle: finally you get to see the whole picture, and you get it. The final gear drops in place, and you’re off to the races.
Have you tried to learn music, but been intimidated by having to learn each key? Would you like a rule of thumb so you don’t have to memorize anything?. Discover why all keys follow the same patterns, just with different letter names.
I had a chance to review your lesson on the 1,4,5 theory and it was exactly what i was looking for. It was very informative and easy to follow. I honestly believe that this will take my guitar playing to the next level and then some… the more that I watched the more that it made sense. Very well done and I would have to say that I would not change a thing. Thanks for this lesson and I look forward to future lessons!
Scott Wadlow
St. Louis, Missouri
A: No! Unlocking I-IV-V is equally relevant for players of all levels.
Q: Is this a complete guitar course?
A: No! Unlocking I-IV-V is an intensive 109 minute video that will give you a crash course on guitar theory. This course would be the perfect companion for a more complete guitar program, as it offers a unique perspective I’ve not found in any of the products I’ve reviewed.
Q: How is the lesson delivered?
A: After purchasing, you will be given access to the Unlocking I-IV-V member’s only site, where you can download the lesson and bonus material. On a normal high speed connection, download takes approximately 30 minutes. Videos are compatible with Mac or PC, and can be viewed with free software.
Order Now for just $29.95 by clicking on button below.
Click Here To Order
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Let’s work together to take your guitar playing to levels that you never dreamed possible!
To Your Success,
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PS. The I-IV-V lesson will greatly improve your knowledge of the guitar and your ability to play it, and it will also help you better understand many of the other guitar courses out there.
PS. If for any reason you’re not satisfied, you’re protected by my 100% “No Weasel Clauses” 60-day GUARANTEE
PS. Your order includes the main lesson, as well as all the bonus material, including the cheat sheets and additional video content.

Hi Jonathan,
Well, I’ve had a chance to look at the video…many times; and I still look at it several times throughout the day. You have a way of making your lessons understandable unlike any “help” that I’ve ever received.
Like you said, there is a lot of information packed into your lessons.
One thing I’ve noticed already is that I was able to apply the number system to assist in learning a song that I needed to learn for yesterday. I saw the pattern (I-V-VI-IV) and learned the song in a matter of a few minutes. It usually takes me hours of listening…stoping the music to find the notes…slowing the tune down with Transcribe…very time consuming.
I guess you can tell that you have helped me out tremendously. Thanks man! You are making a huge difference in making this music thing fun for me. I had actually quit playing for over twenty years because it had become too much like work rather than something that I could enjoy.
Thanks for everything.
Alvin Campbell
Houston, Texas