Hi, everyone. I wanted to start us off with a comment to get the ball rolling. I would LOVE it if you could leave a short comment introducing yourself to the other members. ο»ΏIβm Dan Thorpe, from Birmingham, UK (not Alabama!). I love fingerpicking – Paul Simon, James Taylor, Tommy Emmanuel and about a gazillion others! My favourite thing about playing guitar is having some quiet time to play for myself (music is a great outlet for everything in life) and to jam with my 4 year old boy, Archie! I used to be terrible at guitar but after years… Read more »
Hey everyone, I would love to know what lessons you would like to learn. More on fingerpicking, Travis picking, chord changes, theory, jamming???… you name it, leave your ideas below!! This is the place to do so.
Hi Dan, I am an intermediate player, but am fascinated about finger style, and very anxious to get started. But i must admit i do struggle a bit with the dreaded Barr Chords, but am improving a bit. I am a Viet Nam vet, who suffers from PTSD, I am very private, so if you don’t hear much from me please understand. Thanks
Steve
Hi Steve, thanks for getting in touch. It`s great to have you here. Barre chords are tough but do make sure you take your time and use good technique with them.
No problem at all regarding being private and I hope you are doing well regarding the PTSD. Just know that the comments section and the mini-forum is there for you when needed. All the best.
Cool, for sure, let us know some more details. What sort of slaps and slides? The crazy stuff or solid on beats 2 and 4 type thing? What sort of guitarists have inspired this? (I ask, so I know I’m on the right path). π
No particular artist comes to mind but I would say on beats 2 and 4 nothing crazy (yet). Slapping all the strings I find okay, it’s the thumb slap I have trouble with on the low E A strings.
I have come across slaps in the odd piece of music, done right sounds amazing. Just something I would like to add to my repertoire.
Ah, okay cool, thanks for letting me know. The slaps on beats 2 and 4 are very cool. The grooves these can add are great. Will get something ready on this. π
If you would like to submit a video, you can add it to your comment by including a video LINK (for example, a YouTube, Vimeo, or Dropbox link). (Email Dan for help if you get stuck uploading a video)
YouTube and Vimeo links are the preferred video format. Make sure that your links are set to unlisted (not private!) and then only we will see it.
Hopefully, you have all noticed the new comments section at the bottom of each page in the DTAA! I would love for you to comment, ask questions and say “hi”!
I always appreciate you giving us pretty exercises. Learning to play is such a marathon and only focussing on scales is not satisfying for me. When we get a pretty exercise like the Level 3, it provides fuel while allowing me to feel like I can play a song.
Great course! I have learned how to fingerpick one of these songs. What I am interested in learning is playing the cords on my looper then playing the melody along with it. I am pretty good on playing melody’s but need to work on strumming and timing. especially the timing! This is just what I needed, Thanks Dan for a well put together course.
Interesting approach. I usually warm up with the “Going Up” pattern. At first without using my fretting hand. Then slowly begin adding chords with the fretting hand, C, G, D, E, A and F. Then try to play a few songs by memory. Looking forward to the next three weeks with this added motivation. Thank you Dan!
Yikes! I was just messing around, warming up, this morning and I suddenly got the Modern Strum pattern! I have been trying to get it for close to a year now without success. I wasnβt even consciously trying to get it, just messing with fingerpicking patterns and then strumming a bit and I realized I was doing the modern! I feel like I won the lottery. I guess my subconscious had been working on it while I was working on other things.
One of my favorite things you’ve taught me through this last year is alternating the index and middle fingers when playing the same string. It improves the musicality immensely.
Super pleased to hear it. It’s such a powerful way of playing melodies for sure and that will give you a solid foundation for everything in the rest of this course and of course, all your fingerpicking playing. Keep up the good practice π
I really appreciate that this exercise does one finger at a time. It makes a lot of sense. A lot of the warm-up or strengthening exercises I’ve come across often require a lot of learning/skill which makes me less likely to do them. These are simple and really work. And it makes it very easy to work on the quality of my tone in picking.
Glad to hear it, Ashlie. Most “warm-ups” out there are more like complex technical exercises that leave the fingers and the mind scrambled I also find. One finger at a time is so simple but much more effective – pleased you like it. π
This is super hard for me but I know I just need to keep practicing. Not coming from a strumming background makes this more challenging for me. I do love the sound of it and want to keep trying until I get it. Thanks for something different!
My pleasure, it is not easy for sure. Nothing is at first (something I always try to remind everyone). As usual, break it down into the smallest chunks, work on the weaker areas, and gradually put it together – enjoy the process too π
Teresa posed an interesting question as I too am often curious about the technical aspects. I was wondering if you could maybe do a session on some of the more technical aspects of guitar playing. For example guitar maintenance, amplifying the acoustic guitar and things along those lines. Just a thought.
Jim
Good stuff, Jim. Thanks for the comment. I’d be happy to do this for sure. Do let us know if you have more specifics as there’s so much we could cover here (feel free to email or comment below). Same for everyone. More than happy to cover this stuff. π
You have mentioned these tips before, but I haven’t taken them to heart. I tend to try to learn a song all at once and even though I play it I don’t know how many times, it seems not to stick. I am going to practice the Waltz just as you recommended!
Glad to hear it, Tammy. It’s easy to want to rush and do it that way – I certainly made that mistake a lot. The wise way is often the patient and methodical way. If you can play it in your mind, you’re half way there with both the memory and movements, I find. π
This is probably a question most people wouldnβt have to ask but . . . I notice that in some videos your guitar sounds different. What is making your guitar sound like it does? Are you using an amplifier with some sort of sound changing thing? (Coming from someone who has never plugged a guitar in so knows nothing about equipment).
If it’s what I think you are talking about, it is a bit of reverb. Is it during the performance part you hear it? I used to plug the guitar into an amp with reverb to give it a bit of sparkle during the “playthrough” but now we do that using a digital plug-in during editing. Sounds more vibrant that way – let me know if that’s what you are on about though π
Yes, I love reverb – one of the coolest sounds when added to a guitar I find. It’s funny, bathrooms usually have great natural reverb but filming lessons in there probably not a great idea, haha π
During the pandemic Mad Fiddler – John Teer of Chatham County Line – did a series of videos in his shower. He played fiddle, mandolin and guitar in the videos and all sounded fantastic. I have a big shower and no amp . . . Maybe I will give it a try.
I did this in college, but it was a great review. I enjoyed singing with the intervals and getting a few more ideas for songs to stick the interval in your head.
Good stuff, yeah, this is one of those things that I find gets taught a lot in music schools but very rarely in the guitar world. Super useful though. Glad it was helpful π
Good idea to sing the ear training. I did a lot of ear training in college, but it was with an instructor playing a piano. Singing riffs is also a great idea – that could help a lot with improvisation.
Good stuff. Yeah, the more we sing out loud what we play on the guitar the better it is for the ear. I find the voice is like a bridge between the ears and the fretboard. π
I enjoyed the D and Esus chords, though the Esus is a bit of a stretch. They are very pretty, though. And it’s easy to add the first and pinky to the Dsus to make some different sounds.
Good stuff, Leslie. Glad to hear it. Yeah, the Esus is a challenge for sure, but keep at it with good technique. Quite a useful shape for developing the fingers too. π
Pleased to hear it. Yeah, it is very lovely and a nice calming one to play too. Glad you like it. There’s a lot of great classical pieces out there for sure π
Cheers, Rich. Yeah, that is the beauty of it. Many possibilities with one simple progression and of course, you can adapt this, what we have done here, as much as you like too. Enjoy! π
Dan, thanks for this, itβs just what I wanted. Iβve been trying to learn triads and their inversions on the various strings and itβs been very confusing. On the piano itβs all right there, easy to visualize and play, but the guitar -! The most wonderful thing about the guitar – its versatility and all the multiple paths you can take and choices you can make – is of course the most flummoxing thing at times. Your notations are very helpful. Iβve been trying to find a sort of instinctive way to βfeelβ and remember the intervals, but it hasnβt… Read more »
Cheers, Dawna, Glad to hear it. Yeah, for sure, the piano is a more logical and linear instrument in many ways. The guitar is a little more quirky in layout but as you say, it gives us versatility and options. It means more work up front learning the notes but then a whole world of fun playing possibilities. Thanks and keep enjoying the playing. Happy to do more on this sort of stuff. π
Congratulations to Teresa Halvorson-Fox (Gold), Rich Augugliaro (Silver), and Martin Hill (Bronze) for winning the Leaderboard for September 2024. Also, congrats to Diane Bourne for the thoughtful and excellent comment HERE. Well done everyone. Prizes on the way. π
Love this piece Dan & thank you for all the tips on the mini barres and specially the focus on relaxing. You donβt just say relax but you show us βhow to relaxβ. Thank you, I just so appreciate your teaching style.
what a beautiful piece of music.is there a part 2?
Cheers, Diane. It’s such a lovely piece for sure! Much appreciate the kind words too. There is a Part 2, which is much trickier but also beautiful, inside the Fingerstyle Collection course here. π
Hi Amy, welcome aboard. Delighted you are here. I hope you enjoy the course and lessons and do let us know how you get on. Welcome back to the guitar! π
Thanks for these mini lessons. Very handy and helpful reminders. Love the sound of the Dsus2 and Esus2 together. My pinky does not like it at the moment………Thanks again.
Glad to hear it, Susan. Thanks. Yeah, they’re very cool chords. Not easy though, but keep at it with good technique – your pinky will thank you for it. π Enjoy!
Good stuff, Dan. Especially the relaxation and dexterity drills. I use the Bindex method you taught in a lesson I did early on as a part of every practice session warmup to run through C-Am-G-Em-D for a minute or so. Really helps to stretch things out in these arthritic fingers! And a question β where on the site are these mid-month lessons stored so that I can go back to them? For now, Iβm saving your email and using the link there, but thatβs an extra step. Thanks for all you provide. I appreciate it.
Good stuff, Sharon. Pleased they are helping. Glad you use and like the Bindex exercise – it’s such a good one! π In terms of the middle of the month lessons, you can find them all in the Past lessons here (Note: this is only the third one – so far we have middle of the month lessons for July, August, and September).
Yeah, for sure, never easy, but focusing on one thing at a time (and just one section of that thing) to remember is a good place to start. Like you say, baby steps π
Hi Dan and all participants,
My name is Baruch I am nearly 68, living in Israel and started to play classical guitar about 3 years ago. I am here hoping to improve my technique and payability.
In the past I tried to follow some video lessons and books, but it didn’t work for me.
Hope this time it will be different,
Hi Baruch, welcome to the course. I hope you enjoy the lessons and the simple but very effective techniques on show. Do let us know how you get on and do your best to finish the course – I think you will enjoy the results. π
Great teaching Dan !
You explain everything so that itβs clearly understood. When replaying the video it becomes even clearer.
I am a person who needs to understand the whys and you explain so beautifully.
1 have incorporated the powerchord exercise into this my daily warm up practice to help strengthen that ring finger & separate it from its dependency on the middle finger.
Cheers, Diane. Yes, the “why” is always super important for many, me included. Without knowing why something is important, it’s hard to want to put it into action. Pleased you are enjoying the lesson and good about the power chords too. Thanks for the kind words. π
Hi
Im Geoff from West Yorkshire. Im 72 and have messed around with a guitar for the last 6 years without making much progress. Watched several of Dans Utube videos and was impressed by there clarity of teaching. So here I am eager to learn more.
Hi Geoff, thanks for the kind words. Pleased the YouTube lessons have helped and hope you get a lot from this course and the bonus course too! Do let us know how you get on and leave a comment on any page with any questions. Happy to help. π
The “Fretboard” section of the 5-star award resources page HERE and there are some past monthly lessons on this which you may see in the “past lessons” pages (depending on how long you’ve been a member.) I hope that helps. π
This is the perfect follow up to last month’s lesson!! The many fun applications taught here really brings it to life!! This has to be one of my favs!!! Thanks Dan!!
Super stuff and delighted to hear it. Yep, loved creating this lesson as an organised way of sharing all these ideas but having one thing remain consistent (and therefore removing the randomness). Don’t forget to try these ideas with other chord progressions (such as those in the 5-star award). Enjoy π
Outstanding!! I love how you started with a popular progression and applied so many key points to what can be done with the notes and chord. It was so much fun and thorough!! Thanks Dan!!
Thanks, Krystal. For sure, that’s why I love chord progressions – they give us a solid base to explore many techniques and ideas. Remember to try these techniques with other chord progressions (any in the 5-star award will be good). Cheers π
I missed the Fretboard Developer Lesson last month because I was concentrating on the new strumming course (which is fantastic, btw). So when I pulled this up, I had to go back to last month and spend some time working with last monthβs Fretboard Developer Lesson. I have to say they are both really giving me something I was looking for but didnβt really know. These lessons are great for fretting, picking and they add in a little theory in action! I love putting theory into practice because it helps it stick. Great lessons!
Glad to hear you are enjoying the Fretboard Developer lessons (and the Superhuman Strumming course too!). Thanks, I really enjoyed putting these together myself – a bit of a logical and organised way of teaching and showing various picking ideas, techniques, etc. Chord progressions make for a great base for organising these things. π
Part 1-5 is not too difficult until I get to the dyads, especially the treble dyads. I had trouble with them in last month’s lesson too. Will have to spend time with the tab to get these down so I can play them up to your tempo.
Yeah, they can be tricky but be patient getting the fingers in just the right spot for these. Also, remember you can have your finger flat across the fretboard for these shapes (no need to be on the finger tips for these). I hope that helps. π
They are awkward, but like I say, well worth trying every day until they click (the power chords that is, not your fingers! :)) Remember, power chords can help with barre chords too! Keep enjoying them. π
They can be tricky at first for sure. The good news is, once you get the position/shape down for one power chord you pretty much have them all sorted. Keep it at π
Good stuff, Larry. Yeah, there is a lot of focus on them in the classical world but not so much for non-classical styles – still, they are super useful and I’m finding I’m using and teaching them more and more. Hope you enjoy practicing them. π
Really love this lesson, Dan!!
It is a good one for incorporation a lot of what you’ve been teaching us.
I’m taking it in little snippets at a time.
First by working solely on the finger picking pattern…
Then adding in the second half of the first bar (using the 10 times method..)
then doing the whole first bar until its solid.
Then rinse and repeat throughout the whole.
Awesome lesson!! Thanks!!!
Cheers, Logan. Pleased to hear it. Yeah, that is the way to do it. Love how you are applying the core aspects and principles from the other lessons to this. Developing a method like that but that suits you is key – keep it up π
Congratulations to Rich Augugliaro (Gold), Sandy Williams (Silver), and Jim Davis (Bronze) for winning the Leaderboard for August 2024. The best comment prize goes to Laura for the comment on this important lesson page HERE. Iβll be in touch with your prizes. Well done and the Leaderboard has now been reset! π
Great tips Dan super duper π
Cheers, Angie. Glad to hear you like the lesson. Keep coming back to it too. π
Hi, everyone. I wanted to start us off with a comment to get the ball rolling. I would LOVE it if you could leave a short comment introducing yourself to the other members. ο»ΏIβm Dan Thorpe, from Birmingham, UK (not Alabama!). I love fingerpicking – Paul Simon, James Taylor, Tommy Emmanuel and about a gazillion others! My favourite thing about playing guitar is having some quiet time to play for myself (music is a great outlet for everything in life) and to jam with my 4 year old boy, Archie! I used to be terrible at guitar but after years… Read more »
Hey everyone, I would love to know what lessons you would like to learn. More on fingerpicking, Travis picking, chord changes, theory, jamming???… you name it, leave your ideas below!! This is the place to do so.
Hi Dan, I am an intermediate player, but am fascinated about finger style, and very anxious to get started. But i must admit i do struggle a bit with the dreaded Barr Chords, but am improving a bit. I am a Viet Nam vet, who suffers from PTSD, I am very private, so if you don’t hear much from me please understand. Thanks
Steve
Hi Steve, thanks for getting in touch. It`s great to have you here. Barre chords are tough but do make sure you take your time and use good technique with them.
No problem at all regarding being private and I hope you are doing well regarding the PTSD. Just know that the comments section and the mini-forum is there for you when needed. All the best.
I would love to see some lessons on guitar slaps and slides please. That is if you possibly find time in your busy schedule.
Cool, for sure, let us know some more details. What sort of slaps and slides? The crazy stuff or solid on beats 2 and 4 type thing? What sort of guitarists have inspired this? (I ask, so I know I’m on the right path). π
No particular artist comes to mind but I would say on beats 2 and 4 nothing crazy (yet). Slapping all the strings I find okay, it’s the thumb slap I have trouble with on the low E A strings.
I have come across slaps in the odd piece of music, done right sounds amazing. Just something I would like to add to my repertoire.
Ah, okay cool, thanks for letting me know. The slaps on beats 2 and 4 are very cool. The grooves these can add are great. Will get something ready on this. π
If you would like to submit a video, you can add it to your comment by including a video LINK (for example, a YouTube, Vimeo, or Dropbox link). (Email Dan for help if you get stuck uploading a video)
YouTube and Vimeo links are the preferred video format. Make sure that your links are set to unlisted (not private!) and then only we will see it.
Post your video below…
Hopefully, you have all noticed the new comments section at the bottom of each page in the DTAA! I would love for you to comment, ask questions and say “hi”!
I always appreciate you giving us pretty exercises. Learning to play is such a marathon and only focussing on scales is not satisfying for me. When we get a pretty exercise like the Level 3, it provides fuel while allowing me to feel like I can play a song.
Got to admit that I tend not to warm up so that’s got to change. Thanks for this Dan.
Great course! I have learned how to fingerpick one of these songs. What I am interested in learning is playing the cords on my looper then playing the melody along with it. I am pretty good on playing melody’s but need to work on strumming and timing. especially the timing! This is just what I needed, Thanks Dan for a well put together course.
Interesting approach. I usually warm up with the “Going Up” pattern. At first without using my fretting hand. Then slowly begin adding chords with the fretting hand, C, G, D, E, A and F. Then try to play a few songs by memory. Looking forward to the next three weeks with this added motivation. Thank you Dan!
Yikes! I was just messing around, warming up, this morning and I suddenly got the Modern Strum pattern! I have been trying to get it for close to a year now without success. I wasnβt even consciously trying to get it, just messing with fingerpicking patterns and then strumming a bit and I realized I was doing the modern! I feel like I won the lottery. I guess my subconscious had been working on it while I was working on other things.
One of my favorite things you’ve taught me through this last year is alternating the index and middle fingers when playing the same string. It improves the musicality immensely.
Super pleased to hear it. It’s such a powerful way of playing melodies for sure and that will give you a solid foundation for everything in the rest of this course and of course, all your fingerpicking playing. Keep up the good practice π
I really appreciate that this exercise does one finger at a time. It makes a lot of sense. A lot of the warm-up or strengthening exercises I’ve come across often require a lot of learning/skill which makes me less likely to do them. These are simple and really work. And it makes it very easy to work on the quality of my tone in picking.
Glad to hear it, Ashlie. Most “warm-ups” out there are more like complex technical exercises that leave the fingers and the mind scrambled I also find. One finger at a time is so simple but much more effective – pleased you like it. π
Important to warm up and a good reminder. Looking forward to Lesson 2.
Pleased to hear it. Yes, an essential foundation for all the exciting things to come π
My first try, I got 105
Andy Sciacca
Good stuff, well done. Hope you enjoyed it π
I’m so excited to begin this! It’s the jump start I need.
Ace. Super pleased to hear it. Excited to hear how you get on. Enjoy and let us know how you get on. π
Oh, you know I will! lol ,,, I woke up a smidge early and waiting for my 1st lesson. Like a kid at Christmas!
Ha, good stuff, hope you’re enjoying it so far (and I know it’s early but Merry Christmas) π
Hi Dan, Iβm Anthony from Quebec City, Canada, and Iβm a complete beginner at fingerpicking
Hi Anthony, welcome aboard. I hope you love it here. Enjoy the process and have fun! π
This is super hard for me but I know I just need to keep practicing. Not coming from a strumming background makes this more challenging for me. I do love the sound of it and want to keep trying until I get it. Thanks for something different!
My pleasure, it is not easy for sure. Nothing is at first (something I always try to remind everyone). As usual, break it down into the smallest chunks, work on the weaker areas, and gradually put it together – enjoy the process too π
Teresa posed an interesting question as I too am often curious about the technical aspects. I was wondering if you could maybe do a session on some of the more technical aspects of guitar playing. For example guitar maintenance, amplifying the acoustic guitar and things along those lines. Just a thought.
Jim
Good stuff, Jim. Thanks for the comment. I’d be happy to do this for sure. Do let us know if you have more specifics as there’s so much we could cover here (feel free to email or comment below). Same for everyone. More than happy to cover this stuff. π
Yes! This! I wanted to ask for this in my question but wasnβt even sure what to ask.
Good stuff, thanks for letting us know π
You have mentioned these tips before, but I haven’t taken them to heart. I tend to try to learn a song all at once and even though I play it I don’t know how many times, it seems not to stick. I am going to practice the Waltz just as you recommended!
Glad to hear it, Tammy. It’s easy to want to rush and do it that way – I certainly made that mistake a lot. The wise way is often the patient and methodical way. If you can play it in your mind, you’re half way there with both the memory and movements, I find. π
This is probably a question most people wouldnβt have to ask but . . . I notice that in some videos your guitar sounds different. What is making your guitar sound like it does? Are you using an amplifier with some sort of sound changing thing? (Coming from someone who has never plugged a guitar in so knows nothing about equipment).
If it’s what I think you are talking about, it is a bit of reverb. Is it during the performance part you hear it? I used to plug the guitar into an amp with reverb to give it a bit of sparkle during the “playthrough” but now we do that using a digital plug-in during editing. Sounds more vibrant that way – let me know if that’s what you are on about though π
I think so. I thought it was reverb I was hearing. I love the sound of it.
Yes, I love reverb – one of the coolest sounds when added to a guitar I find. It’s funny, bathrooms usually have great natural reverb but filming lessons in there probably not a great idea, haha π
During the pandemic Mad Fiddler – John Teer of Chatham County Line – did a series of videos in his shower. He played fiddle, mandolin and guitar in the videos and all sounded fantastic. I have a big shower and no amp . . . Maybe I will give it a try.
this is a really fun piece. i really like the melody part at the end!
Pleased to hear it and thanks, Denise. That’s cool and glad I added that. A little melody is always fun π
I did this in college, but it was a great review. I enjoyed singing with the intervals and getting a few more ideas for songs to stick the interval in your head.
Good stuff, yeah, this is one of those things that I find gets taught a lot in music schools but very rarely in the guitar world. Super useful though. Glad it was helpful π
This was very fun. I actually did quite well. My ear is very good – I just don’t trust it enough sometimes.
Really glad to hear it. All that training must have come in handy – now trust those ears. Sounds like they know what they’re doing. π
Good idea to sing the ear training. I did a lot of ear training in college, but it was with an instructor playing a piano. Singing riffs is also a great idea – that could help a lot with improvisation.
Good stuff. Yeah, the more we sing out loud what we play on the guitar the better it is for the ear. I find the voice is like a bridge between the ears and the fretboard. π
I enjoyed the D and Esus chords, though the Esus is a bit of a stretch. They are very pretty, though. And it’s easy to add the first and pinky to the Dsus to make some different sounds.
Good stuff, Leslie. Glad to hear it. Yeah, the Esus is a challenge for sure, but keep at it with good technique. Quite a useful shape for developing the fingers too. π
I love this – it is such a pretty piece and super quick to learn. I have a fondness for classical pieces.
Pleased to hear it. Yeah, it is very lovely and a nice calming one to play too. Glad you like it. There’s a lot of great classical pieces out there for sure π
Dan, this is really interestingβ¦there ends up being a lot of music coming out of this 4-chord progression.
Cheers, Rich. Yeah, that is the beauty of it. Many possibilities with one simple progression and of course, you can adapt this, what we have done here, as much as you like too. Enjoy! π
Dan, thanks for this, itβs just what I wanted. Iβve been trying to learn triads and their inversions on the various strings and itβs been very confusing. On the piano itβs all right there, easy to visualize and play, but the guitar -! The most wonderful thing about the guitar – its versatility and all the multiple paths you can take and choices you can make – is of course the most flummoxing thing at times. Your notations are very helpful. Iβve been trying to find a sort of instinctive way to βfeelβ and remember the intervals, but it hasnβt… Read more »
Cheers, Dawna, Glad to hear it. Yeah, for sure, the piano is a more logical and linear instrument in many ways. The guitar is a little more quirky in layout but as you say, it gives us versatility and options. It means more work up front learning the notes but then a whole world of fun playing possibilities. Thanks and keep enjoying the playing. Happy to do more on this sort of stuff. π
Excellent lesson. Thanks Dan. I played the melody in rhe pat and it never seemed right. Your insight made me sound musical.
Congratulations to Teresa Halvorson-Fox (Gold), Rich Augugliaro (Silver), and Martin Hill (Bronze) for winning the Leaderboard for September 2024. Also, congrats to Diane Bourne for the thoughtful and excellent comment HERE. Well done everyone. Prizes on the way. π
Love this piece Dan & thank you for all the tips on the mini barres and specially the focus on relaxing. You donβt just say relax but you show us βhow to relaxβ. Thank you, I just so appreciate your teaching style.
what a beautiful piece of music.is there a part 2?
Cheers, Diane. It’s such a lovely piece for sure! Much appreciate the kind words too. There is a Part 2, which is much trickier but also beautiful, inside the Fingerstyle Collection course here. π
Greetings! Amy J here. Had a few lessons decades ago – didnβt learn a thing! Ready to try again!
Hi Amy, welcome aboard. Delighted you are here. I hope you enjoy the course and lessons and do let us know how you get on. Welcome back to the guitar! π
Love the variety & the way you use fun simple ( maybe not) exercises to improve the various skills needed to play better. π
Cheers, Diane. Very pleased to hear it. Variety is the spice of life after all. Keep enjoying the journey – which it sounds like you are π
Thanks for these mini lessons. Very handy and helpful reminders. Love the sound of the Dsus2 and Esus2 together. My pinky does not like it at the moment………Thanks again.
Glad to hear it, Susan. Thanks. Yeah, they’re very cool chords. Not easy though, but keep at it with good technique – your pinky will thank you for it. π Enjoy!
Good stuff, Dan. Especially the relaxation and dexterity drills. I use the Bindex method you taught in a lesson I did early on as a part of every practice session warmup to run through C-Am-G-Em-D for a minute or so. Really helps to stretch things out in these arthritic fingers! And a question β where on the site are these mid-month lessons stored so that I can go back to them? For now, Iβm saving your email and using the link there, but thatβs an extra step. Thanks for all you provide. I appreciate it.
Good stuff, Sharon. Pleased they are helping. Glad you use and like the Bindex exercise – it’s such a good one! π In terms of the middle of the month lessons, you can find them all in the Past lessons here (Note: this is only the third one – so far we have middle of the month lessons for July, August, and September).
Thanks, Dan. ππ»
It is difficult memorizing while dealing with every day tasks……. for me, anyhow. Baby steps and appreciate tips.
Yeah, for sure, never easy, but focusing on one thing at a time (and just one section of that thing) to remember is a good place to start. Like you say, baby steps π
Hi Dan and all participants,
My name is Baruch I am nearly 68, living in Israel and started to play classical guitar about 3 years ago. I am here hoping to improve my technique and payability.
In the past I tried to follow some video lessons and books, but it didn’t work for me.
Hope this time it will be different,
Thank you and bye,
Baruch
Hi Baruch, welcome to the course. I hope you enjoy the lessons and the simple but very effective techniques on show. Do let us know how you get on and do your best to finish the course – I think you will enjoy the results. π
Great teaching Dan !
You explain everything so that itβs clearly understood. When replaying the video it becomes even clearer.
I am a person who needs to understand the whys and you explain so beautifully.
1 have incorporated the powerchord exercise into this my daily warm up practice to help strengthen that ring finger & separate it from its dependency on the middle finger.
You are a good teacher, so methodicalπ
Thanks Dan
Cheers, Diane. Yes, the “why” is always super important for many, me included. Without knowing why something is important, it’s hard to want to put it into action. Pleased you are enjoying the lesson and good about the power chords too. Thanks for the kind words. π
Hi
Im Geoff from West Yorkshire. Im 72 and have messed around with a guitar for the last 6 years without making much progress. Watched several of Dans Utube videos and was impressed by there clarity of teaching. So here I am eager to learn more.
Hi Geoff, thanks for the kind words. Pleased the YouTube lessons have helped and hope you get a lot from this course and the bonus course too! Do let us know how you get on and leave a comment on any page with any questions. Happy to help. π
Are there other lessons that teach notes on strings other than the E string?
The “Fretboard” section of the 5-star award resources page HERE and there are some past monthly lessons on this which you may see in the “past lessons” pages (depending on how long you’ve been a member.) I hope that helps. π
WOW, thatβs interesting! Scarecrowβs Dream has rests where a note is played, now I understand. Thanks Dan! π€£
Great stuff, thanks, Sandy. Hope you enjoy applying these ideas and techniques to that great song! π
This is the perfect follow up to last month’s lesson!! The many fun applications taught here really brings it to life!! This has to be one of my favs!!! Thanks Dan!!
Super stuff and delighted to hear it. Yep, loved creating this lesson as an organised way of sharing all these ideas but having one thing remain consistent (and therefore removing the randomness). Don’t forget to try these ideas with other chord progressions (such as those in the 5-star award). Enjoy π
Outstanding!! I love how you started with a popular progression and applied so many key points to what can be done with the notes and chord. It was so much fun and thorough!! Thanks Dan!!
Thanks, Krystal. For sure, that’s why I love chord progressions – they give us a solid base to explore many techniques and ideas. Remember to try these techniques with other chord progressions (any in the 5-star award will be good). Cheers π
Thanks Dan! great lesson on the difference between the rest stroke and free stroke!!
Cheers, Krystal. Very pleased you have found it helpful, and keep revisiting the lesson when you need to π
I missed the Fretboard Developer Lesson last month because I was concentrating on the new strumming course (which is fantastic, btw). So when I pulled this up, I had to go back to last month and spend some time working with last monthβs Fretboard Developer Lesson. I have to say they are both really giving me something I was looking for but didnβt really know. These lessons are great for fretting, picking and they add in a little theory in action! I love putting theory into practice because it helps it stick. Great lessons!
Glad to hear you are enjoying the Fretboard Developer lessons (and the Superhuman Strumming course too!). Thanks, I really enjoyed putting these together myself – a bit of a logical and organised way of teaching and showing various picking ideas, techniques, etc. Chord progressions make for a great base for organising these things. π
Part 1-5 is not too difficult until I get to the dyads, especially the treble dyads. I had trouble with them in last month’s lesson too. Will have to spend time with the tab to get these down so I can play them up to your tempo.
Yeah, they can be tricky but be patient getting the fingers in just the right spot for these. Also, remember you can have your finger flat across the fretboard for these shapes (no need to be on the finger tips for these). I hope that helps. π
110 out of 120. Missed one
Still a great score. Well done! π
I agree w Larry! Look so simple on paper but my fingers (or brain) beg to differ. LOVE IT.
They are awkward, but like I say, well worth trying every day until they click (the power chords that is, not your fingers! :)) Remember, power chords can help with barre chords too! Keep enjoying them. π
Hey there I’m Dennis. I’ve been playing for years, looking forward to taking my playing to a new level
Hi Dennis, welcome aboard. Hope you enjoy the course, you learn a lot, and have loads of fun! Keep us posted on your progress. π
Power chords! Arrgh! Should be so simple, but give me fits! But Iβll work on it.
They can be tricky at first for sure. The good news is, once you get the position/shape down for one power chord you pretty much have them all sorted. Keep it at π
I like it! Or at least I will when I get the rhythm down.
Good stuff. Yeah, take your time, try humming it to help get the rhythm down, and be patient. You’ll enjoy this I think π
I always need help with memory. Thanks for the insight!
Ha, yes, don’t we all. I’ll be sure to do more on this sort of stuff if you all want me to. π
Interesting! Never heard of a rest stroke before. Can hear it clearly though. Will give it a try. π
Good stuff, Larry. Yeah, there is a lot of focus on them in the classical world but not so much for non-classical styles – still, they are super useful and I’m finding I’m using and teaching them more and more. Hope you enjoy practicing them. π
Really love this lesson, Dan!!
It is a good one for incorporation a lot of what you’ve been teaching us.
I’m taking it in little snippets at a time.
First by working solely on the finger picking pattern…
Then adding in the second half of the first bar (using the 10 times method..)
then doing the whole first bar until its solid.
Then rinse and repeat throughout the whole.
Awesome lesson!! Thanks!!!
Cheers, Logan. Pleased to hear it. Yeah, that is the way to do it. Love how you are applying the core aspects and principles from the other lessons to this. Developing a method like that but that suits you is key – keep it up π
Congratulations to Rich Augugliaro (Gold), Sandy Williams (Silver), and Jim Davis (Bronze) for winning the Leaderboard for August 2024. The best comment prize goes to Laura for the comment on this important lesson page HERE. Iβll be in touch with your prizes. Well done and the Leaderboard has now been reset! π