Banish Misfortune has an awesome melody, with some interesting phrases and rhythm. Lot’s of fun to play & definitely one of my favourites! It’s a traditional Irish jig in the key of D mixolydian and has 3 parts. In this lesson we’ll look at 2 variations, the basic melody plus an advanced variation with more ornamentation, both suited to the more advanced picker. Go to lesson...
Angeline The Baker is a popular fiddle tune and in this lesson we’ll look at a Travis picking arrangement. In the key of D, the guitar is tuned to Open D (DADF#AD), which works great for the melody and as part of this lesson we’ll break down the tune, working through the rhythm & technique. Go to lesson...
Learn how to harmonise the melody with this pretty chord melody arrangement of The First Noel. In the key of D, we’ll look at the basic maj/min chord choices when harmonising the major scale, while keeping the melody on top. We’ll also break down the arrangement of the Christmas carol, looking at the different voicing of the chords, some of which are a challenge for the left-hand, so I’d suggest this lesson is for the intermediate student. Go to lesson...
Get ready to learn a great Christmas carol & some awesome theory! The First Noel is a very pretty traditional English carol and this arrangement is in the key of D (standard tuning). While we follow the simple melody, we’ll be adding in a harmony using the 6th intervals. As part of this lesson we’ll look at the D Major scale played in 6th’s, which will allow you to pick up the tune very easily. Go to lesson...
In this lesson we’ll learn 8 chord variations in Drop D tuning, while we learn several rhythm variations in 4/4 time. We’ll use the traditional Celtic reel, The Merry Blacksmith, as an example during the lesson, but these chord voicing’s can work with any tune in the key of D and the rhythms will work with any reel. Go to lesson...
The Merry Blacksmith is a traditional Irish reel in the Key of D. In this lesson we’ll learn the melody with the addition of some advanced ornamentation including the grace note slur and triplet 16th notes, suiting the advanced intermediate student. The added ornaments certainly spice up the tune, giving it an extra flair. Go to lesson...
Bonaparte’s Retreat is a traditional tune in the key of D Major. This tune has such a great melody and within this arrangement we’ll focus on the the single-string technique plus playing out of the D chord shape while finding our melody notes. The form we’ll play for this version is ABBCBB, but once you know the parts, you may hear it played with a different structure, so be adaptable! Go to lesson...
Bonaparte’s Retreat is a traditional tune in the key of D Major and we’re in Drop D tuning. This tune has such a great melody and within this arrangement we’ll focus on two main techniques, crosspicking & triplets. The form we’ll play for this version is ABBCBB, but once you know the parts, you may hear it played with a different structure, so be adaptable! Go to lesson...
Bonaparte Crossing The Rhine is a traditional tune in the key of D Major. There are 2 variations within this arrangement. Firstly, the basic melody, perfect for a beginner picker, but also a great variation for any level, as knowing the basic melody really helps develop your knowledge of the tune, plus sometimes less is more! The Go to lesson...
Bonaparte Crossing The Rhine is a traditional tune in the key of D Major and we are in standard ‘gDGBD’ tuning, which works really well for this melody using the D major scale. In this arrangement we’ll be using the melodic techniques.
There are 2 variations within this arrangement. Firstly, the basic melody, played using the melodic technique. Go to lesson...