The Back Side of Albany is a traditional American reel in the key of Em (dorian). In this fingerstyle arrangement, the melody is supported by harmonising bass notes that compliments the tune in a pretty way, with some really interesting chord movements throughout. This is suited to the advanced fingerstyle player, especially as the tune requires a quick, lively tempo. Go to lesson...
The Connaughtman’s Rambles is a great jig in the key of D, played at a fast tempo, and suited to the advancing intermediate picker. There are two parts to the tune, each presenting their own challenges; cross picking, arpeggios and the picking technique required ensuring the 6/8 feel is accented. Spend some time on this tune, it will certainly develop your picking and will be a great addition to your repertoire! Go to lesson...
The Connaughtman’s Rambles is a great jig in the key of D (standard tuning), played at a fast tempo, and suited to the advanced picker. There are two parts to the tune; both of which are extremely challenging for the picking hand, with some unorthodox combinations appropriate for the movement of the melody. Go to lesson...
In lesson 15 of the Flatpicker’s Crash Course, we’ll spend some time working out of the D Major scale in the 2nd position, while we learn a fun arrangement of Arkansas Traveler. We’ll develop strategies to improve our picking, tempo, control and fluency, all while working our way through this fun fiddle tune. Go to lesson...
The Connaughtman’s Rambles is a great jig in the key of D, played at a medium/fast tempo and suited to the advancing intermediate picker. During the lesson we’ll focus in on the picking technique required to suit the 6/8 time signature, while also working on the grace note slide and pull off. Go to lesson...
Bound for South Australia is a traditional English/Australian sea shanty, that has become a popular folk song. In the key of D, this arrangement features the banjo tuning aDGBD, and has 2 variations: a single-string version down the neck, and a melodic variation up the neck. For the advancing beginner/intermediate picker, the lively tune is a great introduction for both techniques, but equally as fun for the more experienced picker! Go to lesson...
In this sixth instalment of the beginner mandolin crash course, we’ll cover:
In this lesson for Amazing Grace on the 5-string banjo, we’ll look at an arrangement that uses a chord melody approach, where we’ll highlight the melody with different chord harmony through out. In the key of D, the banjo is in standard tuning. The beautiful melody is relatively straight forward, but as we support it with the chordal harmony, it does become more difficult, and is suited to the more advanced intermediate picker. Go to lesson...
In this mammoth beginner lesson we’ll cover:
John Ryan’s Polka is a well known, traditional Irish tune, played at a fast tempo. In this lesson, we’ll learn a melodic arrangement that contains two variations, in the key of D (standard tuning). The techniques used in the arrangement, combined with the tempo make this a challenging endeavour, suited to the more advanced picker. Go to lesson...