Guitar coaching FAQs
Wouldn’t it be great if you could stop a guitar video at certain points and asks the guitarist “what exactly exactly are you doing there” or “what did you mean when you said that?”
Well now you can. Here are some FAQs that might be helpful:
- How do we get started?
First is a video chat, just to get acquainted. Based on our conversation, I produce a video lesson specifically tailored to you! - How does it work exactly?
If you said you were interested in playing a particular song, I make a custom video lesson just for that! I break it down into manageable sections you can play as often as you want at various speeds. During the actual lesson I’ll help you figure out any parts you’re having trouble with. Split screen video show both hands and my face, so you can hear and see just what I’m doing. - How much does it cost?
Distance lessons are $25 per session and the first session is free. Pay for the next session any time before it is scheduled. - Do I need to own a guitar?
Before we start, yes.If you want to use the initial video chat to talk about what kind of instrument you should get, that’s fine! I can show you any of the guitars or ukes in my studio; you can hear them played, and we […]
radio garden
Ever wonder what tunes radio stations all over the world might be playing right now? Check out Radio Garden. This app is fascinating! Each of the dots on the globe represent a radio station and you can click on that and listen to what’s on the air. Got a yen to find out what on the radio in Reykjavík, Iceland? Travel the planet, one radio station at a time. Here’s a link to QUAY FM, 107.1, a station in Alderney, in the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Enjoy!
How to play Someone to Watch Over Me
someone to watch over me. A great tune to play fingerstyle and not too hard to get under your hand.
Lead sheet with chords and lyrics for “Someone to Watch Over Me”.
Someone to Watch Over Me from “Nice ‘N Easy” July 1960
“Someone to Watch Over Me” was composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin in 1926 for the Broadway musical Oh, Kay. First recorded by Frank Sinatra in 1946 for his first album the Voice of Frank Sinatra and in 1954 for the film Young at heart.
Sinatra’s popular recordings of the song helped cement the standard slow style, and was notably covered by Ella Fitzgerald, Chet Baker, Sarah Vaughan, Barbra Streisand, Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, Rickie Lee Jones, Elton John and Amy Winehouse.
Nelson Riddle arranged two lush orchestral versions, one backing Keely Smith (sang with and married to Louis Prima) and the other for Linda Ronstadt which won a Grammy Award. The song was also used prominently in the film Mr. Holland’s Opus
“The song tells me what to play.” – Joe Walsh
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How to play “I Will Wait”
How to play “I will wait” Mumford and Sons – fingerstyle ukulele. A beautiful song, and not too hard to get the melody right out of the chord shapes.
Saturday Night
How to play “Saturday Night” by the Misfits on guitar. A simple 1/6/4/5 tune in 3/4 time with… well, you might say “cultural significance”. “Horror punk” was a genre I hadn’t heard of until a student asked for some help with this tune. It certainly fits a cultural niche, music-wise! “Saturday Night” is fun, and not too difficult to get under your hand if you are just starting out on guitar. It will be easier to play it in the key of C than C# though- the video demonstrates a version in C# and offers instruction in the friendly key of C.
The song “Saturday Night,” also released on Famous Monsters and written by Michale Graves, is commonly taken literally to be about killing due to lyrics in the song such as “There’s 52 ways to murder anyone, one and two are the same and they both work as well.” However, the true meaning of the song as explained by Michale Graves is the representation of the metaphorical death of a relationship.
“Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.” — Earl Nightingale, author, speaker
Download the […]
Come Rain Or Come Shine”
“Come Rain or Come Shine” is a popular music song, with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was written for the Broadway musical St. Louis Woman, which opened on March 30, 1946, and closed after 113 performances.
It became a modest hit during the show’s run, making the pop charts with a Margaret Whiting (Paul Weston and His Orchestra) recording rising to number seventeen, and, shortly after, a Helen Forrest and Dick Haymes recording rising to number twenty-three.
Lead sheet with lyrics and chords
“Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.” – Confucius
How to play Donkey Riding
How to play “Donkey Riding” on ukulele. Download the tabs here
a simple two-part harmony on uke.
Donkey Riding had its origins with the sailors that left Glasgow and Liverpool on a regular basis to bring back lumber from Canada. It is not precisely a sea chanty, but more of a work song. The “Donkey” in the title is not the animal, it is the engine that was used in loading cargo in the ship’s deck. I’m recalling my days on the USS Richard L. Page – the bos’n mates maintained something called a donkey boiler or a donkey engine, so that makes sense, finally.
The melody is derived from the well known Scottish marching song, Highland Laddie.
A great old tune I remember my ma singing for me when I was little, she probably heard it from her da, who was a sailor.
This is not too hard to finger on uke right out of the chord shapes and it might be an opportunity to play familiar chords in a different spot on the neck.
Enjoy!
How to play “Something” part 1
How to play “Something” on guitar. Play the first part of this lovely Lennon/McCartney song for solo guitar. The chord changes are fairly easy and the melody can be picked right out of the chord shapes! The think I really like about it is that beautiful chromatic drop- CM, CM7, C7 to the F, so we’re dropping the notes from C to C to Bb to A. I find it’s a great way to introduce the CMm CM7 and C7 chords to new guitar players!
“The musician is perhaps the most modest of animals, but he is also the proudest.” – Erik Satie
How do I transpose a key for guitar?
Download the pdf: transpose-guitar
So let’s say you want to transpose C, F and G (the 1, 3 and 5 notes which make a CM triad) to the key of E. What you’re saying is “if C is now E, then F=A and G=B. All you’re looking for when you transpose is the same relationships in a scale with a different root so 1/4/5 in C is C/F/G which relate to E/A/B in the target key.
I hope this is helpful!
Don’t practice until you […]