I just want to play for YOU today, not teach. Enjoy a little Bach. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a joyful new year to you. Thank you for a wonderful year. I am so happy you’re here.

If you're not practicing your chord changes with this slow, relaxed, physical approach, you are missing out on the #1 opportunity to train your body. This lesson goes out to Steven D. Here we approach chord changes like a dance or Tai Chi class. Slow, smooth, undulating hand movements leading from one chord to the next. Going slowly FORCES your mind to catch your body if it's being inefficient. Visualize that next chord before you even get there. Get your mind right. What finger moves first? Are you moving fingers unnecessarily? Can you keep any fingers down or have common frets between chords? Rushing through block, chunky, aggravated chord changes robs your ability to play mindfully. Here, we stay RELAXED and smooth. No matter how slow you have to go...have you ever REALLY watched your hand is super-slow motion move from one chord to the next? The song we are practicing is called Spanish Romance - Theme 2. Late beginner fingerstyle/classical.

Here you go! Just a quick holiday gift for you. I found this in my "vault", and was so happy to see it! Follow the links for a measure-by-measure breakdown. Scroll all the way to the right, through the videos, to see the PDF tabs. Measure 1 and 2: https://vimeo.com/893342988 Measure 3: https://vimeo.com/893344155 Measure 4 and 5: https://vimeo.com/893352900 Measure 6: https://vimeo.com/893345267 Measure 7 and 8: https://vimeo.com/893353394 Measure 9 and 10: https://vimeo.com/893356711 Play-along: https://vimeo.com/893348754

Do this workout to master strums. Here is the “scuff” approach I use with students to REALLY nail down and clear up rhythm issues. This one is for 3/4 time - like a waltz, or lazy country tune. This example is taken from the rhythm in the song “More Gun”. https://vimeo.com/1141667370/077c45fbc0