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...
Tag Archives: Theory
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:
- 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.
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...
Double Stops: Mandolin Lesson
Learn 4 easy to use, movable double stops! Double stops are an important part of playing the mandolin. They can be used in a variety of ways to bring harmony and texture to a melody and accompaniment.
Double Stop Video Lesson
Exploring The Banjo: Single-String Major Scale
In this banjo video lesson we cover the single string formula for the major scale in the key of G. The major scale in G is found in many styles on the banjo and the notes are used to form many melodies. Understanding how the scale is built will help you gain a greater knowledge of the banjo fretboard and music in general. Go to lesson...
Notes on the Fretboard: Guitar
Here’s a chart that lists all the notes on the guitar fretboard. It also includes common intervals found on the fretboard. Go to lesson...
Scales: Guitar
The following worksheets contain patterns for a variety of scales. Scales are a great way to practice technique, learn the fretboard and are essential when improvising. Go to lesson...