Lesson 54 Learn a new STRUM PATTERN – add another rhythmic element to your playing – 2:55 min 

In this lesson Megan teaches you another strum pattern. This pattern is very similar to strum 1 – but it adds quarter note rests on downstrokes that you will be playing first – then strum 1. Sounds complicated but it isnt and you will be getting it down in no time. Megan demonstrates the strum at regular and slow speeds as well as breaking it into sections so you really can digest the strum. As discussed previously it is very important to have a big arsenal of strum patterns that we keep adding to as you move forward in your guitar journey. Listen to how this one sounds very different than strum 1 – even though it only adds two downstrokes in front – it gives a whole other rhythmic element. Have fun and rock on. YOU CAN DO IT!

Lesson 53A Chord changing exercises with LONG PROGRESSION & technique tips – 21:32 min

In this lesson David teaches how to get your chord changing to the next level and tackle songs. He will use some practical examples and a long progression. These exercises will really push you to the next level. He also teaches you how to practice your chord changes and what exactly you should be working on at home to get your changes to that next level and strat tackling any song you wish to play. david also teaches proper technique and see all the chords and chaging tips up close with tight shots of the neck – learn all the proper techniques.

Lesson 53 CHORD CHANGING Practice mechanics with shared fingers and clusters – 11:31 min 

In this lesson David discusses where you should be at with your chord changing at this point in your guitar journey. In this lesson you will get a review of all the proper chord changing techniques that you should be practicing to this point. You want to download and print out the OPEN POSITION CHORD CHANGING TECHNIQUES written lesson in the “WRITTEN LESSONS” section of the website. David reviews the written lesson and stresses the importance of proper technique and continuing to build the rock solid foundation as you move forward in your guitar journey. You want to use the written lesson as part of your practice regimen to get solid on your chord changes using shared fingers and the cluster principle. Put the written lesson in your binder and work on the changes individually and practice the chord changing mechanics. Remember, Rome was not built in a day – and …..YOU CAN DO IT – chord changing gets easier with time so keep at it and you will get it!

Download and print out the OPEN POSITION CHORD CHANGING TECHNIQUES written lesson in the “WRITTEN LESSONS” section of the website.

Lesson 52 Chord changing using the CLUSTER principle – must know technique! -12:59 min

This lesson will teach you another critical technique to utilize when changing chords – what we call the “cluster principle”, or “clustering”. You always want to leave your fret hand in the same cluster, or voicing, when changing certain chords . This is important as it will make your life so much easier when changing chords. Remember, chord changing and fret hand positioning is all about utilizing the proper technique – so now we add clustering to shared fingers as techniques that you will be practicing when changing chords. IN this module David takes you through a bunch of cluster changes. Then you want to print out the document listed below and work on the rest of the cluster changes listed out as well as the shared finger changes.

Lesson 51 Add SONG SUGGESTIONS to your practice routine – use songs as vehicles 11:58

In this module David suggests some songs that you will want to consider learning to use as vehicles to practice the techniques you have learned to this point. You want to use the songs to practice your strumming, rhythm, timing, and chord changes. So the song is a vehicle for practice purposes – as a nice perk you get to learn the song. These songs will string together two – three – four chords. You should be familiar with all the chords that David talks about in this module. He gives you some easier song suggestions and then some more challenging song suggestions. You can use strum 2 or strum 1 for these suggestions and use whatever guitar you have available – whether it be acoustic or electric. Add these suggestions to your practice regimen and have fun…………..and rock on!

Lesson 50 Practice Routine 3 – keep following the structure – you can do it! – 4:13 minutes 

This is practice routine 3. This module will go over all the items that you need to have down or working on up until this point in your training. Follow these structured practice regimens and you will see results as you are having fun. At this point in your playing much of your practice time will be working on chord changing using the mechanics of chord changing, strumming and timing. You want to really work on the chord changing techniques and use shared fingers as per previous modules. Remember to have fun and enjoy your journey!

Lesson 48 Tips on how to use the PICK or PLECTRUM – 5:41 minutes

In this lesson you will learn some tips on using the guitar pick. Many students often use the pick improperly and that will cause problems down the road. This lesson is all about good technique and will really help your picking when picking individual notes. Here we will concentrate on how you hold your wrist and the angle of the pick to the strings. Now with strumming you can keep the pick more horizontal to the strings but we want to angle it when picking individual notes. Do these exercises with the open strings to start and keep up all the hard work………. and rock on! 

Lesson 47 Learn a NEW STRUM PATTERN w/ Tim  variations and chord progressions 10:21 min

In this lesson Tim will teach you a fun and easy strum pattern that you will get down fast. The pattern is d/d/u/d/u/d/d  – break it up to 2 sections as it will be d/d  u/d/u/d/d – try to do each part of the pattern then put them both together. Tim breaks the strum down and also puts some variations on the strum later in the lesson.