As part of the Boston Herald’s Guestlisted Guitar Series, Jed Gottlieb sits down with local guitarist Alex Stern for a guitar lesson. They talk everything from upbeats to upstrokes, the origins of the sound, and how to make your playing fit with the rest of the band. Alex helps Jed find the right beat, how to play the chord, and how to play it like you mean it.

Alex Stern plays guitar for Big D and the Kids Table, The Pomps, and Void Union, and is releasing a song every week in 2015. Needless to say, he knows what he’s talking about when it comes to ska guitar.