Kirk's Weekly Guitar Lesson: Yankee Doodle Dandy

Hi, fellow picker. This week's lesson is a look at the art of arranging a piece for finger style. I have used one of the simplest tunes ever, Yankee Doodle Dandy, to show how any piece can be fleshed out into an interesting and satisfying arrangement. Finger picking is different, it's more of a regular repetitive pattern that works well as an accompaniment for voice or other instrument; finger style is a stand alone, self contained way of rendering a tune. It takes the melody line, bass line and chord structure and weaves them into one part. Nothing is quite as satisfying as hearing them come together after juggling them around for a while.

The lesson is here: http://www.guitarforbeginners.com/forum/finger-style-lessons/14381-yankee-doodle-dandy/

Guitar for Beginners and Beyond community

Well over 40,000 strong now, the forum is a goldmine of information and expertise. We've made it very easy for you to upload your recordings to the 'Members Showcase', so if you have any mp3s you'd like to show off, by all means let us hear them. We've also installed an audio/video chatroom, that's lots of fun. There are many other lessons from our other members ... so, if you haven't already, drop in, join up and join in. http://www.guitarforbeginners.com/forum/

PlaneTalk - The Truly Totally Different Guitar Instruction Book

Still struggling with scales, modes, boxes and positions for your solos, wondering why they just sound like scales? Learn the other way, the PlaneTalk way, the melodic way. Not only will you learn that, but also how to access the whole fretboard far anything at all: chords, harmony, melody. Here is an excerpt from a letter I received today:

" ... I am still working to get proficient with the PlaneTalk method. I love experimenting with it. All my licks have always been someone else's but not now I just play what I feel and invent licks on the fly and add some of my old stuff. It is a work in progress and in time I see the potential to be a very improved player. I owe a debt of gratitude to Kirk for his excellent material. I now have an appreciation for the acoustic guitar that I hardly every played."

Learn more here: http://www.thatllteachyou.com

Read testimonials here: http://www.thatllteachyou.com/testimonial2.php and here: http://www.guitarforbeginners.com/forum/planetalk-testimonials/

You also get to join the private PlaneTalkers' Forum where we discuss it all on a daily basis.

Slide Guitar in Standard and Dropped-D Tunings

My all time favorite way of playing is with a slide on my pinkie. I used to use open tunings, but got tired of hearing those same old licks and riffs, so I went back to standard. I love it because the fretboard is unchanged. Here's a quick blues improvisation (a la PlaneTalk) over a backing track I put together for my students: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLpyz1P50BE ... I think you'll agree that combining normal playing with slide in standard or dropped D is a pretty spicy way of playing. If you want to learn more about the art, check out the DVD I produced recently ... I tell all. http://www.bottleneckguitar.com

OK, I can't think of anything else, until next time,

Kirk

http://www.guitar.name