Rated 5.0 by students·Featured on Twin Cities Live

Learn to read the guitar — the way working musicians do.

Hands-On 6 is a virtual guitar program that teaches sight-reading in standard notation through original exercises composed for the curriculum — learn how to compose your own music as you learn how to read notation, backed by thirty years of one-on-one instruction with Tom Reichert.

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Fifteen minutes, one-on-one with Tom. We talk about where you are and where you want to go.

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Hands-On 6: Learn to Play Guitar — the method book by Tom Reichert
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Years teaching one-on-one
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Students taught worldwide
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Chapters, beginner to advanced
№ 01

How it works

01

Book your free lesson

Grab a free 15-minute consultation. No card, no pressure — just a conversation about your goals.

02

Get a reading plan

  • Sight-reading including all six strings in first position
  • Variations of rhythms to create your own compositions, plus accompanying chord progressions
03

Start reading music

  • Weekly or bi-weekly lessons
  • Virtual, online lessons — learning to read music after the first lesson
  • Exercises and songs include play-along tracks
№ 02

The Method

Most online guitar instruction trades literacy for shortcuts. Tablature tells you which fret, but never which note. Hands-On 6 teaches the actual language of music — so the skill you build transfers everywhere.

The Other Way

Tablature, autoplay videos, finished pop covers. Quick wins that decay the moment the screen turns off.

  • Fret numbers on strings, not standard notation
  • Memorized fingerings without theory
  • No path to read music like every other instrument
  • Just shows a string diagram
  • Does not teach rhythm

The Hands-On 6 Way

Standard notation, original exercises, one-on-one instruction. A craft you keep for life.

  • Read music from week one
  • Theory grounded in playing
  • Compose your own music
  • Chord progressions that accompany the melodies
Read the full method
Free · No card required

See the method work in one free lesson.

Fifteen minutes with Tom, one-on-one. Bring your guitar and a question, and leave with a plan for where to begin.

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What you will learn

A complete curriculum from open strings to original composition. Every student walks the same road, paced to their own tempo.

01

Read music

Standard notation from the first lesson — the universal language used by every working musician.

02

Notes in 1st position

Every note on the fretboard within the first four frets, named and recognized at sight.

03

Compose melodies

Write your own short pieces using the notes and rhythms you have learned. Theory by doing.

04

Basic open chords

The eight chords that open the door to thousands of songs — voiced cleanly and changed cleanly.

05

The I-IV-V blues

The progression at the heart of rock, country, and pop. Learn it in three keys, then improvise over it.

06

Play along with originals

Sample tracks composed for the curriculum — full-band recordings to play your exercises against.

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About Tom Reichert

Minneapolis, MN · Worldwide via video

Tom Reichert is a Minneapolis guitarist and educator with thirty years of one-on-one teaching experience and a featured appearance on Twin Cities Live.

He built the Hands-On 6 curriculum across three decades of private instruction — refining it lesson by lesson into a course that produces literate, confident players. His students range from absolute beginners to working musicians filling self-taught gaps.

Tom teaches from his home studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota — a wood-paneled room of guitars, amps, and the kind of stillness that makes good practice possible.

Book a lesson with Tom
№ 05

The Book

Hands-On 6: Learn to Play Guitar, Beginner to Advanced — the method book by Tom Reichert
$35 · Hardcover · 184 pages

A complete written curriculum of original sight-reading exercises — not familiar pop songs.

Each chapter is calibrated to build on the last. Read your way from open strings to the I-IV-V blues progression and on into your first original composition. Used standalone or alongside lessons.

Table of contents

  1. 1.High E String
  2. 2.B String
  3. 3.G String
  4. 4.D String
  5. 5.A String
  6. 6.Low E String
  7. 7.Songbook
  8. 8.Open Chords
  9. 9.Rhythm
Every chapter includes a hand-position diagram and practice tips to keep your technique on track.

Look inside

See how a lesson reads on the page.

Every exercise is written in standard notation with clear counting and fingering — like this page on song structure — so you always know exactly what you are playing and why.

A sample page from the Hands-On 6 book explaining song structure in standard notation
Sample page — song structure
№ 06

Virtual Lessons

One-on-one virtual lessons over video — calibrated to where you are, paced to where you want to go.

Most popular

30-minute lesson

$40/ lesson

Best for younger students and quick check-ins

  • Live video, one-on-one
  • Weekly or bi-weekly scheduling
  • Assigned reading after each lesson
  • Lesson recording included
Start with this

60-minute lesson

$80/ lesson

The standard adult session

  • Everything in 30-min
  • For students that want a more comprehensive session
  • Ideal for students with some experience
Choose

Monthly lessons

$320/ month

Most students book a month of lessons at a time

  • Four 60-minute lessons
  • Weekly or bi-weekly scheduling
  • Same per-lesson rate — no markup
  • Lock in your rate
Choose

Not sure which fits? Start with a free 15-minute consultation

Payments accepted via Venmo or PayPal.

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From students

“The teaching materials he developed and uses helped me learn to read music for the first time in my life. I've also learned to play the notes on the guitar in an organized, step-by-step process. Tom provides direct and clear feedback and does it in a gentle way.”
Rob Metz · Deputy Director, The BARR Center
“Working through Tom's book has helped me improve on skills I had struggled with for a while, such as timing and rhythm. My lessons are really helpful in setting goals to accomplish and making sure I'm always getting better as a well-rounded player.”
Anna Nelson · Student of five years
“Tom is a great and kind guitar teacher. He is patient and waits quietly if you want to play something again. Tom is an excellent and funny teacher and he always has a smile on his face!”
Josie Miller · Student, age 9
“Many of the songs link to play-along tracks loaded to his website. These tracks are extremely helpful for my daughter to hear the correct timing of the music and to compare her playing to that of a professional.”
Tracy Miller · Parent
“I particularly appreciate the way Tom structured his book to build string by string, while leveraging simple music theory techniques to help my son bring out his creativity while learning to read and perform music.”
Liz Anderson · Parent
“From day one, he was already learning to read music, proper positions and playing through several songs. And with confidence, Hans was learning more strings and enjoying his guitar with each lesson!”
Sally Schoeben · Parent
Join 1,200+ students

Ready to read music the right way?

Start with a free 15-minute consultation and find out exactly where you would begin.

№ 08

Frequently asked

Six common questions, briefly answered. Anything else, write to Tom directly.

See full FAQ
Lessons are billed per session at a flat rate. A 30-minute lesson is $40; a 60-minute lesson is $80. The first 15 minutes are free as a consultation, no card required. Lessons run weekly or bi-weekly, and most students book a month (four lessons) at a time. Payments are accepted via Venmo or PayPal.
No. Reading music is what we teach. Most students arrive with no notation experience and leave the first month already sight-reading short exercises in 1st position.
YouTube hands you a tab and a finished song. Hands-On 6 hands you the literacy to read any piece of music ever written. You leave with a transferable skill, not a single song memorized.
Yes. The Hands-On 6 lesson book is sold as a standalone product and ships worldwide. Many students use the book on its own and check in with a single lesson per month for accountability.
Students from age 10 through retired. The curriculum is calibrated to a serious learner of any age. Younger children are placed in a modified track that emphasizes ear and rhythm before notation.
A guitar in working tune, a phone or laptop with a camera, and a quiet room. That is it. Tom will help you set up the camera angle in the first session.
Free 15-minute session · No card required

Set up your free consultation & mini-lesson.

Fifteen minutes, one-on-one with Tom over video. We talk through where you are and where you want to go — and you play a little. No pressure, no upsell. Leave your details and Tom will reach out to find a time.

  • A real mini-lesson, not a sales call
  • Works for total beginners and returning players
  • Kids, teens, and adults welcome
Request your free session

Share your name, email, and phone — Tom will follow up to schedule.