LEARN TO IMPROVISE
while building your repertoire and deepening your groove
When you join the The Fingerstyle Five, you won't just learn new songs, you'll get the exercises and lessons you need to solo on them, too. And with an ever-growing archive of classic blues songs, original instrumentals and members-only lessons and workshops, you'll know just what to practice without ever running out of things to work on.
Practicing Improvisation
Somewhere in between playing by rote and blindly winging it lies this simple idea: improvisation starts with learning a few variations for every couple of bars, then learning to swap them out for each other on the fly. That's it. Got three variations for every two bars of an eight-bar song? Even I can do the math on that: it's 81 different combinations for how to play through the tune. That's a lot of music from just twelve licks.
Creating Whole Arrangements
You can build a complete instrumental arrangement of any blues tune with just seven steps: an intro, a basic pass through the tune, an embellished pass through the tune, a chorus or two of improvising, an arranged variation or "shout chorus," a recap of the melody, and an outro or closing vamp. That's it! In the Fingerstyle Five, we do a members-only live stream each month just to talk about arranging strategies and look at hands-on ideas for intros, vamps, shout choruses and more.
A Roadmap For Soloing
If you're wondering how to fill up all that blank space without running out of ideas, don't worry – you've got the form. In the case of the blues, it's typically an eight or twelve bar chord progression, which we can break down into two or four bar sections. The chord progression and the melody tell you a lot about what to do – the scales and notes to emphasize, where to play, where to pause. The form is your roadmap to the tune, and the melody is your guide to shaping your solo.
Repertoire & Groove
Even if your goal is improvising, repertoire still matters: what are you going to improvise on? In The Fingerstyle Five you'll apply everything you learn to classics like "Stagolee," "Crow Jane" and "Sitting On Top Of The World" as well as original blues tunes you can't get anywhere else. And because everything sounds better when it's played with great time, each arrangement and every lick is treated as an opportunity to improve your right hand coordination and master the groove.
BUILD A REPERTOIRE OF SOLO FINGERSTYLE BLUES INTRUMENTALS
For each new song, you'll learn both a Fundamental and an Embellished version, get exercises to help with new voicings, fingerings and transitions, and have lessons on how to improvise on and arrange that particular song. You'll also gain access to a private members' forum, members-only live streams and an ever-growing archive of classic blues tunes and original instrumentals.
Improvisation and Arranging
Learning to play better fingerstyle blues doesn't have to be a vague, frustrating experience. Watch these two in-depth lessons to see the exact step-by-step processes you'll use to start playing like you want to with The Fingerstyle Five:
WHAT PEOPLE HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE FINGERSTYLE FIVE:
Jim F.
"You have given me back my love of guitar and a clear path to follow to play the style I have always wanted to play."
Richard N.
"There are a lot of great guitar players and instructors out there but I've yet to see one who's laid out such a simple, effective, complete, and yet flexible method of teaching"
Mark S.
"In a difficult year ( for a number of reasons) being a part of the community that you shepherd has made my musical life much richer, which in turn makes my life a much better place."
Bob R.
"The format is very helpful for someone like me, who has tons of lesson materials and tends to jump around from day to day without ever finishing something up. Spend a month with a song here and you've got new repertoire and some new skills."
Anton E.
"I can't believe it has been a year in this course. I've learned so much. This is the longest I have stuck with learning a new style of guitar music."
Hank I.
"More than memorizing a song or piece of music I wanted a system of how to learn a song and of course take that song further. This is what I've been searching for."
Mike D.
“I’m still a nobody, but thanks to you I’ve become a much better guitar playing nobody!”
Join now if you're ready for a clear, organized and step-by-step path to playing better fingerstyle blues guitar
√ Build your repertoire and deepen your groove
√ Learn how to turn any blues tune into a complete arrangement
√ Get new in-depth lessons and live streams every month
√ No long-term commitment – join now and stay on a month-to-month basis
