Tag Archives: Theory

102 Flatpicking Guitar: Beginner’s Crash Course

G’day and welcome to the second instalment of the beginner’s crash course, 102 Flatpicking Guitar: Beginner’s Crash Course. In this next level, we’ll continue to learn new techniques, new tunes and expand your ability and knowledge on the guitar, focusing on Bluegrass and other folk styles.

This crash course is for the complete beginner wanting to learn to flatpick. Go to lesson...

Fretboard Freedom 102: The Guitar Octave Pattern

Using the guitar octave pattern to gain fretboard freedom is a crucial and quick step to locate a note anywhere on the fretboard. By using the guitar octave pattern and your knowledge of the notes on one or two strings (see Fretboard Freedom 101: The Musical Alphabet) it becomes quite simple to locate any note on any string, then play a chord, scale, arpeggio, etc. Go to lesson...

Fretboard Freedom 102: The Banjo Octave Pattern

Using the banjo octave pattern to gain fretboard freedom is a crucial and quick step to locate a note anywhere on the fretboard. By using the banjo octave pattern and your knowledge of the notes on one or two strings (see Fretboard Freedom 101: The Musical Alphabet) it becomes quite simple to locate any note on any string, then play a chord, scale, arpeggio, etc. Go to lesson...

Fretboard Freedom 102: The Mandolin Octave Pattern

Using the mandolin octave pattern to gain fretboard freedom is a crucial and quick step to locate a note anywhere on the fretboard. By using the mandolin octave pattern and your knowledge of the notes on one or two strings (see Fretboard Freedom 101: The Musical Alphabet) it becomes quite simple to locate any note on any string, then play a chord, scale, arpeggio, etc. Go to lesson...

Fretboard Freedom 101: The Musical Alphabet

Fretboard Freedom: The Musical Alphabet is the first lesson in a course that will help you unlock the fretboard, enabling you to find any note, double stop, chord, scale, arpeggio in any position. It will give you the freedom to find your way in any key and have the ability to transpose/reposition breaks, melodies & chord progressions and improve your ability to improvise. Go to lesson...

101 Flatpicking Guitar: Beginner’s Crash Course

Welcome to the Pickin’ Lessons Beginner’s Crash Course in Flatpicking Guitar!

This crash course is for the complete beginner wanting to learn to flatpick. Focusing on Bluegrass and other folk styles, the course will get you pickin’ some of your favourite melodies and learn how to accompany others by learning the common chords played on the guitar. Go to lesson...

Hot Pentatonic Licks: Mandolin Lesson

G’day! In this mandolin lesson we’ll take a look at several bluesy Hot Pentatonic Licks! The licks are built using the minor pentatonic scale, blues scale and the minor pentatonic scale with the added major 3. As part of this lesson we’ll dive into a little theory to help you understand how to use these licks and also start to build your own! Go to lesson...

Nine Pound Hammer: Mandolin Lesson

G’day! In this mandolin lesson we’ll take a look at a movable break for the song ‘Nine Pound Hammer’. Recorded in the key of A, the break is using a closed position major blues scale and double stops, so can be transposed to any key! The lesson also includes technical work which covers the major blues scale & double stop shapes required for the tune & and how to then transpose the break. Go to lesson...

Chop Chord Shortcuts: Mandolin

Are you having trouble playing the 4 finger chop chord? Well this lesson is for you! Here we’ll take a look at easy ways to play chop chords using only 2 or 3 notes. The lesson has 3 parts:

  1. In the first lesson we’ll take a look at 3 easy major chop chords and practice playing along in a standard I IV V chord progression.
Go to lesson...

Arpeggios: Mandolin Lesson

G’day! In this mandolin lesson we’ll take a look at some of the major & minor arpeggios found on the mandolin. Arpeggios form an important part of melody & improvisation, so it’s well worth getting your finger’s around them! The first video lesson focuses on the open position patterns, and in the second video we’ll take a look at movable arpeggios. Go to lesson...