It's been a while since you've heard from me. We have been working on the site and making some changes to improve your lesson experience, and I'm excited to report that all the maintenance has been completed and we are back in action. I want to thank you for your patience with a whole boatload of new lessons!

Your new GOLD MEMBER LESSON for the week is:

Advanced Rhythm Guitar: D Progression | 24:32 -- This is the second in our series of advanced rhythm guitar lessons. An important part of guitar playing is rhythm guitar. In this lesson we are building off of our last Rhythm Guitar lessons, "Intro to Walking Baselines", by adding in advanced swing chords. These chords are mostly "closed", meaning that they don't use any open strings and are completely moveable up and down the neck of the guitar. By mastering these chords and learning how the forms are related in every key allows you to play your progressions no matter what key the song or tune is being played in. This progression is in D.

SPECIAL REQUEST VIDEO LESSON:

Goldrush -- Byron Berline was one of Bill Monroe’s bluegrass boys, as well as a National Fiddling Champion at Weiser, Idaho way back in the 60′s. Ever since Byron Berline wrote Gold Rush it has become almost as famous as Byron himself, loved by fiddlers and pickers alike. I transcribed this version of Gold Rush from a live performance by Byron at a bluegrass festival, which you can watch in the YouTube clip below. If you like the tune, you can buy the full video lesson, which comes with a 40 minute video, two backup videos, audio tracks, sheet music and TAB. In the lesson I focus a lot on Byron’s use of open drones and his unique version of the shuffle stroke. This lesson is a real gem for you bluegrass lovers.

And there are 3 SPECIAL REQUEST SHEET MUSIC transcriptions

Cindy -- A nice 3-part old-time tune in the key of D. I’ve transcribed the melody in both the high and low registers. You can add drones to the high sections to spice it up a bit, or just play the melody to keep it simple. All the special request lessons and transcriptions can be purchased for 3$ (or 5$ for non-Gold Members)

The Squirrel Hunters: Play Like John Hartford! -- Now here’s an awesome 2-part old-timey tune in standard tuning that I learned from the playing of John Hartford. John Hartford has such a unique style of playing, so I am excited to provide you with a transcription of his playing with exact bowings.

Black Eyed Susie: In the Style of Robert Sykes -- Black Eyed Susie is an old-time tune that has many different faces. It’s been played by bluegrassers, old-timey fiddlers in several different regions, and each has a slightly different take on it. The version you see today is in AEAE tuning and comes from the playing of Robert Sykes, a fiddler in the Round Peak tradition from Surry County, North Carolina. While the tune was played and recorded widely throughout the Midwestern and Southeastern parts of the country, this version is unique in that it uses flattened notes, is played in the key of A, and possesses a unique third part. Robert Sykes was known as a fiddler whose style bridged the gap between Old Time and Bluegrass music.

And for all checking out the free trial, I hope that you have enjoyed your lessons and are ready to start getting the full benefit of the weekly lessons. Upgrade to a Gold Membership for just $10/month and you get to enjoy hours of video lessons, sheet music, backing tracks, audio files, and special Gold Member deals. With a Gold Membership you get a $2 discount on all the Special Request transcriptions and video lessons. Sign up for your Gold Membership today and continue your growth as a player and musician!

Best Wishes,
Mike