"David does an amazing job...it feels like personal lessons, even though you're with a lot of people as you learn."
Bob S., member since 2023
"The best part is that I'm learning the instrument, not just songs. My only regret is not finding this sooner!"
John P., member since 2023
Do you want to feel motivated, see real progress in your playing, and finally play complete solo arrangements of classic and contemporary solo blues tunes?
If you've been feeling stuck or scattered, the Fingerstyle Five method can help you build your repertoire and play better solo blues guitar in a clear, structured way, whatever your level.
Getting better takes work, but it doesn't have to be complicated. You just need to know what to work on, and how to work on it.
If you can:
- Narrow your focus: work on playing one style well, instead of doing a little of everything,
- Use a repeatable method: learn each new song the same way – so you get good at learning songs, and
- Slow down:Â use the time you have to put more thought into fewer songs...
...you'll start to feel and hear real progress in your playing.
"I've gotten more in the first month than I ever did from a year's worth of lessons."
Scott L., member since 2024
Play Solo Blues Guitar With Confidence
Build Your Repertoire
Play complete versions of traditional blues tunes, whatever your level
Learn To Groove
Get your thumb and fingers working together
Make It Your Own
Use intros, endings and solos to create your own version of every song
Start To Improvise
Build a vocabulary of licks and learn a step-by-step method for playing blues solos
Find Community
Study with like-minded guitarists who share your passion for unlocking this style
Make Real Progress
Know what to work on, how to work on it, and when to move on
"I've discovered a very welcoming community in the forum. People were so friendly, I even started to post practice videos, something I never thought I would do. And my blues vocabulary (which was almost zero when I joined) has increased exponentially."
Delphine E., member since 2023
Get The Focus You Need
We do one thing here at the Fingerstyle Five: solo fingerstyle blues guitar. Steady bass or alternating thumb, traditional or contemporary blues, instrumental tunes or vocal accompaniment – for over six years, the Fingerstyle Five has been the organized, ongoing place to learn complete songs, make real progress, and become a better musician.
The idea is simple: instead of tackling massive tabbed-out transcriptions or worrying about playing prewar masterpieces "just like the record," you'll start learning songs the way musicians really do it: from the inside out.
The first thing you'll learn is the tune: just the eight or twelve bars of the melody, over a simple alternating-thumb or steady bass. That's a framework you can build everything else on – from syncopating the melody or adding in bass runs and chord substitutions to using intros, outros and solos to create a complete arrangement.
For every song, you'll find multiple versions of the same tune, so you can choose the level that's right for you, and come back later when you're ready to take the next step. The quarterly song schedule gives you time to learn at your own pace, while the lessons on improvising and arranging provide enough challenges and ideas for even the most advanced player.
With detailed PDFs for every lesson, you'll always know what to work on and how to work on it, and regular, ongoing live streams provide longer discussions about how to approach the material, as well as answers to your questions about everything from fingerings and technique to practice habits and how to maintain your new repertoire.
Structured Lessons
For Every Level
The membership runs on a quarterly schedule, introducing a new song every three months. Starting in January 2025, you'll learn how to play and arrange the contemporary 16-bar blues "Redwing Stumble" and revisit the traditional blues classic "Stagolee."
Weekly Lessons
There are three hour-long live streams per month. Every live stream is also archived and available for on-demand viewing.
Essential Keys, Essential Grooves
The Fingerstyle Five covers both steady bass and alternating-thumb styles, in all the essential keys: E, A, D, C, E minor and A minor.
Blues Classics
The Fingerstyle Five's Traditional Blues Library contains every song we've covered so far, more than two dozen classics, including:
Statesboro Blues • Key To The Highway • Nobody's Dirty Business • How Long Blues • Matchbox Blues • Trouble In Mind • Catfish Blues • Rollin' and Tumblin' • You Got To Move • Crow Black Chicken • Nobody's Fault But Mine • Baby Please Don't Go
Contemporary Blues
The contemporary library holds more than a dozen original tunes designed to help you learn new chord voicings, walking bass lines, turnaround licks and other sophisticated variations on the basic blues forms.Â
All The Tools You Need
Learn the basic 8- or 12-bar melody first, then create your own arrangement using syncopation, bass runs, chord substitutions and more
A Complete Method
Struggling to cobble together a meaningful practice routine? The Fingerstyle Five provides a structured, repeatable method for learning complete guitar arrangements.
"It's a wonderful, accessible range of music info. Notes, tabs, theory, improv, exercises – all the whys, hows, and ways of fingerstyle blues."
Valerie S., member since 2021
Three Reasons To Join Now
Know what to work on, and how to work on it
On January 15, we'll start working on "Redwing Stumble," a 16-bar blues in D available only in the Fingerstyle Five. Join now for three months of step-by-step lessons taking you through the whole tune. Work at your own pace, at your own level, while getting answers to your questions in the live Q&As and in the community forum.
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Get help with practicing, theory and the fretboard
The Practice Planner is an entire course on how to make progress even when you have limited practice time. You'll learn how to balance working on technique and repertoire, and how to finally learn your way around the fretboard.
Music Theory is an eleven-lesson series explaining intervals, chords and scales from absolute scratch, and how they apply to the blues.
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A Six Week Start for fingerstyle blues beginners
New to fingerstyle blues? The Six Week Start will introduce you to steady bass blues in E with six short lessons on this essential groove, including introductory licks, changing chords, your first turnaround and your first twelve-bar blues solo.
Plus week-by-week tips on right-hand coordination and learning the fingerboard, and big-picture videos on how fingerstyle guitar players think about groove, repertoire, improvisation and more.
" A year ago I didn't know a flat third from a hole in the wall and had only a vague notion of keys and scales. Today, I understand everything you said in this month's improvisation sessions and how you arrive at the licks you give us."
– Rob B., member since 2024
"I got the greatest compliment last week, my wife told me I actually sounded great and she could tell that I really have improved."
– Robert C., member since 2024
HOW IT WORKS
Sign Up
Use the secure form below to sign up now using Paypal or Stripe.
Join The Membership
Start learning with the membership's clear, structured, ongoing lessons.
Transform Your Blues
Play more complete songs, make real progress, and become a better musician.
When are the live streams? Can I watch them later, on demand?
I just started playing fingerstyle guitar. Will the Fingerstyle Five work for me?
I'm a long-time player and already know plenty of tunes. What will I learn from the Fingerstyle Five?
How long are the live streams?
Where do I go to watch the lessons?
How much is the membership? Is it easy to cancel?
The Fingerstyle Five
There is no long-term commitment when you join The Fingerstyle Five. Sign up now for $29/month, pay monthly, and cancel at any time.
