REQ: Truefire Clive Carroll's The Art & Craft of Acoustic Guitar
Hi folks,
this a really good acoustic guitar masterclass i went through all of his videos on youtube, he teaches the every concept very well. if you have this please share. Thank you.
British guitar phenomenon Clive Carroll’s masterful compositions, coupled with his versatility and unparalleled technical virtuosity, have rendered him one of today’s most admired and respected guitarists. He has toured the world garnering praise for his sublime performances of everything from 16th and 17th-century lute music to Jazz standards, Blues, Irish reels and his own groundbreaking compositions. Acoustic Magazine sums up his extraordinary musicality, ”Sensational instrumental music that knows no boundaries”.
We’re thrilled to welcome Clive to the family with his first TrueFire course, The Art & Craft of Acoustic Guitar. You will likewise be captivated as you play your way through Clive’s engaging and insightful curriculum for acoustic guitar.
”I’ve been drawn to the art and craft of composing and performing music on the acoustic guitar for my entire life. I’m inspired by a wide variety of genres and their underlying techniques, all of which are fused together to create my own voice on this instrument. Music and education are of central importance to me and I’m always open to sharing with others who are passionate about the guitar.”
Clive organized the course into five sections. Each section is focused on a set of creative approaches and key techniques that you’ll find useful when composing or performing on the acoustic guitar. You’ll first play through a series of etudes to help you get a grip on them. And then, Clive will perform and breakdown an original tune of his to illustrate how those approaches and techniques can be applied.
”The five original tunes cover a broad range of styles. We’ll play Montreal Rag, a piece in the classic American rag style. Promise of Spring features a cascading melody played over an alternating bass pattern. There’s “In the Deep” which focuses on a steady rolling groove in the bass while projecting a bluesy pentatonic melody over the top. Reed All About It is loosely based on the guitar style of one of my favorite American guitar pickers, the great Jerry Reed. And finally, we’ll play Eliza’s Eyes. This has a contemporary groove that incorporates a lot of different textures and musical lines in order to evoke the sound of a full band through one solo instrument.”
Clive will explain and demonstrate all of the key concepts and approaches along the way. You’ll get standard notation and tabs for all of the performance studies. Plus, you’ll be able to use TrueFire’s learning tools to sync the tab and notation to the video lesson. You can also loop or slow down the videos so that you can work with the lessons at your own pace.
Grab your guitar and let’s dig in with Clive Carroll!
Montreal Rag - SECTION 1: Overview
""This is a piece written in the classic American rag style. Technically it focuses on separation between an alternating thumb technique (left hand of the piano) and the other fingers which will play the melody. There are a couple of riffs that are fun to play, and there's a full variation based on inversions of the chords in the original harmonic progression. I'll also show how you can create a variation of your own.""
Independence Workout - Practice Study 1
"Here's a lesson to help gain independence between an alternating-thumb groove and block chords with the fingers. It might sound simple but the discipline of counting out loud while you play the exercise can help improve thumb/finger independence and ultimately allow your melodies to sing and give your bass parts a good groove!"
Syncopated Picking - Practice Study 2
"This study is similar to "Study 1" but instead of picking the high chord on the beat, this time we're playing on the 'and' of each beat. It's a little more tricky but very worthwhile."
Mix & Match Workout - Practice Study 3
"There's a lot happening in Study 3! The alternating thumb groove stays the same but the chords above are played on and off the beats to create an independent musical line to the bass part. Practice this study until you don't have to think about it anymore! Then you'll be ready to move on to Montréal Rag."
Montreal Rag - Performance Study
" I really hope you enjoy learning this piece. I wrote it in Montréal many years ago for a workshop in England and I'm so glad that it continues to bring so much pleasure to guitar players around the world. Maybe I'll get to hear you play it at some point in the future!?"
Montreal Rag: Main Part - Breakdown
"Here is a thorough breakdown of Montréal Rag's main head. The piece opens up with the alternating thumb technique along with the block chord melody over the top. The three studies will have prepared you for the opening of the piece. These sections of music are interrupted by a couple of single-line riffs that I hope you'll really enjoy learning! You might even find those single note riffs useful when hitting the chord of G in another piece!"
Montreal Rag: Variation - Breakdown
"In the 'Montréal Rag performance' video you'll hear this variation from 0:33sec to 1:00min. Most of the time it utilizes the same techniques as the main head but the chord inversions are further up the neck and the single-note riffs are a tad more challenging. When practicing, keep it slow, focus on groove, make sure the notes in the riffs are played evenly, and keep that thumb rocking over the arpeggio lines later on in the variation! It's tough but it can transform your playing!"
Create Your Own Variation - Demonstration
"This section is packed full of ideas from arpeggio figures, to ideas using intervals of a sixth to shape and shade the melody. There's a triple-string country bend riff I use a lot, a campanelas idea akin to the style of Chet Atkins, and some bass runs. I hope these ideas will help you to create a variation of your own for Montreal Rag, and that these tools may be useful for other arrangements you might be working on."
Promise of Spring - SECTION 2: Overview
"Promise of Spring' features a cascading melody, over an alternating bass pattern played with the thumb. It also focuses on playing chord changes smoothly without disturbing the rhythmic flow. There is also a bridge section within the piece where the chord changes are syncopated and played more quickly."
Broken Arpeggio Groove - Practice Study 1
"Here's a short exercise focusing on chord changes whilst maintaining a solid arpeggio groove with the picking hand. This aspect of playing can easily be overlooked but it is essential to the rhythmic flow. In other words, if the front row of your audience isn't tapping their feet, it's not their fault! Keep the groove solid and they'll be tapping without realizing! "
Single String Melody - Practice Study 2
"In this exercise the bass alternates between strings six and four whilst a predominantly first-string melody sings over the top. The count is the same as the 'Broken Arpeggio Groove' exercise but it feels different when the fingers pluck consecutive melody notes on the same string as apposed to arpeggio notes. By the way, sorry my counting in the video is a little off with the 'and' of beat 4. That's me trying to talk and play at the same time! Once you've mastered this exercise, try playing it and reciting your shopping list out loud at the same time. The ultimate challenge!"
Promise of Spring - Performance Study
"I wrote "Promise of Spring" back in the late '90s after listening to a lot to one of my favorite singer/songwriters, Nick Drake. When I recorded this on my first album, 'Sixth Sense', I used a Gibson Hummingbird and there was a cooler vibe when I tuned the guitar down a whole tone. Try it on your guitar and see if it feels and sounds rich and resonant. The tuning would be: C,G,C,F,A,D. For this learning video though, it's in standard drop D."
Promise of Spring: A Section - Breakdown
"There's a lot of info here! Firstly, this segment talks about counting yourself in before playing a single note. This is a great idea in general as it can help to overcome performance nerves. You are also going to focus on the volume difference between bass groove and the upper voices. There are tips about difficult stretches for the fretting hand, an exercise to overcome barre-chord challenges, and using the back of the thumbnail in the bass for single string groove."
Promise of Spring: A Section Variations - Breakdown
"This is a short demonstration about creating echos, or variations, of the melody in the middle strings or alto area of the guitar. It's fun to do but it's not essential to the piece. Remember that the most important factor is to stay in time."
Promise of Spring: Bridge - Breakdown
"The bridge section of "Promise of Spring" focuses on a contrasting picking-hand pattern to the other sections of the piece. I have broken down the chord shapes in detail for you here and there is a rundown of the Outro. In addition, towards the end of this clip, there is a very useful one-bar exercise that is easy to pick up but tricky to master! It can help so much with voice independence in general. Give it a try!"
In the Deep - SECTION 3: Overview
"This piece focuses on playing a steady rolling groove in the bass while projecting a pentatonic melody over the top. The melody features several question/answer phrases that you can highlight by using contrasting tones, dynamics, and textures. One other technique that this piece will help you with is playing the 2s against 3s polyrhythm. I've created a few exercises to accompany this piece so, if you haven't done it before, I hope to have you up and running soon!"
Shifting Thumb Groove - Practice Study 1
"Everything in this exercise is played with the thumb. It's slightly trickier than creating a groove with an alternating thumb pattern for example. The same fretted notes F# and B first appear at the 4th fret before moving up to the 9th fret. It would be a good idea to perfect this exercise before moving on. Don't forget, the tuning is Low B, A, D, G, B, E."
3's Against 2's - Practice Study 2
"Here is all you need to know about 3's against 2's. If you haven't done them before, take this lesson in small doses before it has a chance to overwhelm you. Try the percussive exercise first, remembering to say the 'nice to see you' phrase out loud. Once perfected, let it sit in your mind for a while. When you can play it without having to think too hard, it will be time to transfer the 3's against 2's over to the picking hand.
I've used the phrase 'nice to see you' in this clip. The infamous phrase 'nice cup of tea' is also good for learning to play 3's against 2's but for this piece, you will realize that it is not quite relevant. This exercise is in standard tuning. Clive"
Challenging Left Hand Moves - Practice Study 3
"Here is a 1-bar exercise about keeping the groove in the bass whilst allowing a simple melody to sing out. The challenges here are the brief bar chord formed halfway through, and the fourth finger stretch on the high A, first string. It is only one bar of music but with slow practice and attention to detail, this technical challenge could be a very beneficial asset to your playing."
In the Deep - Performance Study
""In the Deep" was written after a trip down to the Gulf of Mexico with John Renbourn. It has a hypnotic bass groove with a mostly pentatonic melody over top. Once the bass groove has been established it should simmer in the background so that the listener is always drawn to the upper melodies—and of course that lower bass melodic riff!"
In the Deep: Main Theme - Breakdown
"This section focuses on establishing a rocking groove whilst playing the "In the Deep" melody over top. There are also ideas about tonal contrasts and voice separation volumes."
In the Deep: Octave Theme - Breakdown
"Once you have mastered the notes and technique in this passage, the "icing on the cake" involves creating tonal and dynamic contrasts to draw the listener in. Don't be afraid to play very quietly in the answering 'echo' phrases."
In the Deep: The Bass Riff - Breakdown
"As well as learning the notes for the bass riff section of "In the Deep" it is important here, as explained in the video, to keep an ear open for any intonation issues. When playing the bass riff, fret lightly with the first finger of the fretting hand whilst pressing more firmly with finger four. Your first finger is dealing with a thicker string and a much lower tension than the fourth string. This could feel weird at first but it is an interesting concept that may be applied to help the intonation of any bass lines in your repertoire."
In the Deep: Lead Solo - Breakdown
"Once you have learned the notes, some details to work on are:
1. Quick hammer-ons in the opening phrase
2. Accuracy when sliding the pentatonic notes up the second string
3. The super laid-back feel when sliding back down the second string
4. The pianissimo ponticello echo. (Don't be afraid to play extremely quietly here)"
In the Deep: 3's Against 2's - Breakdown
"Mastering the 3's against 2's exercise is really going to help with this section. I've tried to break it all down as slowly as possible for you.
It is a great idea to practice overplaying the thumb part whilst playing lightly fingers the fingers, and vice-versa. The focus on one part (ie the bass or the melody) acts as a useful distraction to help cement the music in your muscle memory. A great little tip for memorizing pieces in general!"
In the Deep: Ending - Breakdown
"Here is a breakdown of the ending to "In the Deep". It also includes a short demo of harmonics at the 7th and 12th frets along with an explanation on how to sound 7th fret harmonics and an octave higher! Interesting and useful stuff!"
Reed All About It! - SECTION 4: Overview
"I've written a piece loosely based on the guitar style of Jerry Reed. There are some picking hand techniques not dissimilar to his, and the trick is not to play the piece too fast—it needs to be at a speed that sounds “funky". The opening melody works up the neck in chord shapes, whilst maintaining an alternating bass pattern. A new melodic theme is introduced mid-way through the piece that provides a nice contrast to the original theme and is fun to play. As an extra, I've come up with some other grooves to sink your teeth into so that you can familiarize yourself with this style."
Groovin' Slides & Pulloffs - Practice Study 1
"This two-bar phrase incorporates a double slide, a pull-off, and tips on muting the bass strings to create a funky groove. It goes without saying that if you can play this exercise super slowly with groove, only then is it time to increase the metronome mark."
Positional Jumps - Practice Study 2
"This study focuses on maintaining a rock-steady groove whilst shifting chord shapes with the fretting hand. This is definitely worth spending time on! "
Reedy Mini Groove - Practice Study 3
"This is the final study installment to prepare you for "Reed All About It". The melody begins in first position on the second string and ends up on the first string high A, in fifth position. When you have mastered the chord shapes, ensure that the bass is rock solid, the tune sings through, you are not feeling any tension in your hands, arms, legs, or brain—and that you can drink a cup of tea at the same time! "
Funky Country Pickin' - Practice Study 4
"Whilst in the Truefire studios I came up with three more grooves that I thought you might enjoy. I hope these patterns will help you to dig into this funky country picking style a little more. Perhaps you could try writing a melody over top to sing, or even play on the guitar at the same time as the groove."
Reed All About It! - Performance Study
"In 2019 I was asked to write a piece that needed to have a country feel with an element of funk and had to be at a certain technical level. All in all, not the easiest commission! The first person who came to my mind was Jerry Reed! I hope you enjoy the music and that the technical aspects covered are beneficial to your own playing. I think sitting in front of all those cameras at Truefire made me play it at a fair nip on the metronome scale. The tempo here is the absolute max. Slower is good!"
Reed All About It! A Section - Breakdown
"The piece opens with a right-hand picking style akin to Jerry Reed's technique and the exercises leading up to the piece are beneficial with this first section. In the video, there is a slight diversion at about 11m20sec to 12min10sec to show you a couple of extra turnarounds! As well as the rock-solid groove, ensure that all the pull-offs have a clean snap to them."
Reed All About It! Variation - Breakdown
"Here is the A section again with a couple of variations in the first part including a higher 'A' chord voicing, some intervals of sixths, and a double bend on the sharp 9 chord!"
Reed All About It! B Section - Breakdown
"Switching to half time, here is a detailed run-through of the middle section of "Reed All About It".
Take care with the chord shapes on the low strings, by avoiding any out-of-tune string bends with the fretting hand.
This segment also includes some brief advice on the advantages of recording yourself."
Reed All About It! Ending - Breakdown
"The return to section A begins up the neck and gradually works its way into what should be by now familiar territory. Slow right down in that penultimate passage of the piece and remember that the final riff is back in time, even if only for a few seconds. On one of my tours with Tommy Emmanuel we were messing around backstage with the last chord and, as a nod to Tommy, I have immortalized the A9b5 from our jam at the ending of "Reed All About It!". Clive"
Eliza's Eyes - SECTION 5: Overview
"This is a piece in the open tuning of CGCGCD. A percussive groove is created with the picking hand and the piece incorporates a lot of different textures and musical lines which are meant to evoke the sound of a full band through one solo instrument."
Steady Bass & Percussion - Practice Study 1
"Playing a driving "rock bass" groove and sounding the percussive slap on beats two and four is tricky to start with. The slap and the bass note should both sound at the same time! If you have a higher action on your guitar you will need to 'slap' more firmly. Make sure the correct fingering is used for the upper 'piano' part. To start with, it will feel a little like patting your head and rubbing your tummy at the same time but, as with all the technical challenges in this course, once the concept has been internalized it will feel effortless."
Octave Interruption - Practice Study 2
"This study is an extension of the "Steady Bass & Percussion" example. If you can make the octaves sound louder than the bass part and upper arpeggio figures, it will ultimately give the impression to the listener that you are playing all four parts, (bass, percussion, arpeggios, and octaves) at the same time. Extremely slow practice to start with is very highly recommended!"
Swinging the Groove - Practice Study 3
"This is an extra study that I thought you might enjoy trying out. The guitar is in standard tuning in the clip and the study may be useful when playing something in a blues/jazz style. The metronome here is set to 110 bpm."
Brass Stabs - Practice Study 4
"Here is another short, standard tuning, fingerstyle swing groove exercise (I feel a Truefire Fingerstyle Swing project in the making!). I have used the groove in this exercise so much over the years, and alternating between the bass/chord part and 'brass stabs' is a classic arranging technique in the big band style for creating an introduction before the main melody. As in "Eliza's Eyes", special attention should be given to finding the balance between the bass note as well as achieving the percussive sound. The amount of pressure applied varies from player to player, and the string height of your instrument. You will have to experiment here to find out what works best for you."
Eliza's Eyes - Performance Study
"This piece was requested by many players for inclusion on my Truefire course. I wrote it circa 2009—Eliza is the name of my daughter. I hope you enjoy learning it! Clive"
Eliza's Eyes: Intro Section - Breakdown
"Practice Studies 1 and 2 are really going to help with the introduction section of "Eliza's Eyes". The guitar is tuned to C,G,C,G,C,D.
The techniques you learn from this session can be used in a variety of tunings and situations—from accompanying singers to contemporary song, blues, and jazz arrangements."
Eliza's Eyes: Main Theme - Breakdown
"Once the actual notes have been learned, a key point in this lesson is to bring out the opening melody on string 4 (and the final note on string 5). Halfway through the video, when the melody switches to the upper octave on string 1, the inner voice heard on strings 2 and 3 should sound totally independent. This is an advanced concept to pull off but very worthwhile if you are passionate about delivering complex multi-voiced pieces in a solo performance setting."
Eliza's Eyes: Variation - Breakdown
"This segment focuses on a fleshed-out version of the main theme. The opening chord shape here is transposable in this tuning so you might enjoy experimenting further with that. Later on, the music heads back into previous techniques that we've covered. There is a tricky passage where the separate voices work their way up into the "dusty end". It goes without saying that slow practice and attention to the left and right-hand technical detail is of extreme importance."
Eliza's Eyes: Ending - Breakdown
"In this section, it is ALL happening!!! The only parts missing are the choir, full orchestra, and canons! The bass line and percussive groove sound throughout while the middle voice plays an eighth-note melody and the highest voice is singing a three-note figure. As mentioned in the video, this is the peak of the song and delivering it as such takes priority over the cleanliness of each part. It is a case of "go for it" before the music reduces down to the final C chord. The dampening idea before playing the final chord may be a useful technique to have in your toolkit for other situations.”
this a really good acoustic guitar masterclass i went through all of his videos on youtube, he teaches the every concept very well. if you have this please share. Thank you.
British guitar phenomenon Clive Carroll’s masterful compositions, coupled with his versatility and unparalleled technical virtuosity, have rendered him one of today’s most admired and respected guitarists. He has toured the world garnering praise for his sublime performances of everything from 16th and 17th-century lute music to Jazz standards, Blues, Irish reels and his own groundbreaking compositions. Acoustic Magazine sums up his extraordinary musicality, ”Sensational instrumental music that knows no boundaries”.
We’re thrilled to welcome Clive to the family with his first TrueFire course, The Art & Craft of Acoustic Guitar. You will likewise be captivated as you play your way through Clive’s engaging and insightful curriculum for acoustic guitar.
”I’ve been drawn to the art and craft of composing and performing music on the acoustic guitar for my entire life. I’m inspired by a wide variety of genres and their underlying techniques, all of which are fused together to create my own voice on this instrument. Music and education are of central importance to me and I’m always open to sharing with others who are passionate about the guitar.”
Clive organized the course into five sections. Each section is focused on a set of creative approaches and key techniques that you’ll find useful when composing or performing on the acoustic guitar. You’ll first play through a series of etudes to help you get a grip on them. And then, Clive will perform and breakdown an original tune of his to illustrate how those approaches and techniques can be applied.
”The five original tunes cover a broad range of styles. We’ll play Montreal Rag, a piece in the classic American rag style. Promise of Spring features a cascading melody played over an alternating bass pattern. There’s “In the Deep” which focuses on a steady rolling groove in the bass while projecting a bluesy pentatonic melody over the top. Reed All About It is loosely based on the guitar style of one of my favorite American guitar pickers, the great Jerry Reed. And finally, we’ll play Eliza’s Eyes. This has a contemporary groove that incorporates a lot of different textures and musical lines in order to evoke the sound of a full band through one solo instrument.”
Clive will explain and demonstrate all of the key concepts and approaches along the way. You’ll get standard notation and tabs for all of the performance studies. Plus, you’ll be able to use TrueFire’s learning tools to sync the tab and notation to the video lesson. You can also loop or slow down the videos so that you can work with the lessons at your own pace.
Grab your guitar and let’s dig in with Clive Carroll!
Montreal Rag - SECTION 1: Overview
""This is a piece written in the classic American rag style. Technically it focuses on separation between an alternating thumb technique (left hand of the piano) and the other fingers which will play the melody. There are a couple of riffs that are fun to play, and there's a full variation based on inversions of the chords in the original harmonic progression. I'll also show how you can create a variation of your own.""
Independence Workout - Practice Study 1
"Here's a lesson to help gain independence between an alternating-thumb groove and block chords with the fingers. It might sound simple but the discipline of counting out loud while you play the exercise can help improve thumb/finger independence and ultimately allow your melodies to sing and give your bass parts a good groove!"
Syncopated Picking - Practice Study 2
"This study is similar to "Study 1" but instead of picking the high chord on the beat, this time we're playing on the 'and' of each beat. It's a little more tricky but very worthwhile."
Mix & Match Workout - Practice Study 3
"There's a lot happening in Study 3! The alternating thumb groove stays the same but the chords above are played on and off the beats to create an independent musical line to the bass part. Practice this study until you don't have to think about it anymore! Then you'll be ready to move on to Montréal Rag."
Montreal Rag - Performance Study
" I really hope you enjoy learning this piece. I wrote it in Montréal many years ago for a workshop in England and I'm so glad that it continues to bring so much pleasure to guitar players around the world. Maybe I'll get to hear you play it at some point in the future!?"
Montreal Rag: Main Part - Breakdown
"Here is a thorough breakdown of Montréal Rag's main head. The piece opens up with the alternating thumb technique along with the block chord melody over the top. The three studies will have prepared you for the opening of the piece. These sections of music are interrupted by a couple of single-line riffs that I hope you'll really enjoy learning! You might even find those single note riffs useful when hitting the chord of G in another piece!"
Montreal Rag: Variation - Breakdown
"In the 'Montréal Rag performance' video you'll hear this variation from 0:33sec to 1:00min. Most of the time it utilizes the same techniques as the main head but the chord inversions are further up the neck and the single-note riffs are a tad more challenging. When practicing, keep it slow, focus on groove, make sure the notes in the riffs are played evenly, and keep that thumb rocking over the arpeggio lines later on in the variation! It's tough but it can transform your playing!"
Create Your Own Variation - Demonstration
"This section is packed full of ideas from arpeggio figures, to ideas using intervals of a sixth to shape and shade the melody. There's a triple-string country bend riff I use a lot, a campanelas idea akin to the style of Chet Atkins, and some bass runs. I hope these ideas will help you to create a variation of your own for Montreal Rag, and that these tools may be useful for other arrangements you might be working on."
Promise of Spring - SECTION 2: Overview
"Promise of Spring' features a cascading melody, over an alternating bass pattern played with the thumb. It also focuses on playing chord changes smoothly without disturbing the rhythmic flow. There is also a bridge section within the piece where the chord changes are syncopated and played more quickly."
Broken Arpeggio Groove - Practice Study 1
"Here's a short exercise focusing on chord changes whilst maintaining a solid arpeggio groove with the picking hand. This aspect of playing can easily be overlooked but it is essential to the rhythmic flow. In other words, if the front row of your audience isn't tapping their feet, it's not their fault! Keep the groove solid and they'll be tapping without realizing! "
Single String Melody - Practice Study 2
"In this exercise the bass alternates between strings six and four whilst a predominantly first-string melody sings over the top. The count is the same as the 'Broken Arpeggio Groove' exercise but it feels different when the fingers pluck consecutive melody notes on the same string as apposed to arpeggio notes. By the way, sorry my counting in the video is a little off with the 'and' of beat 4. That's me trying to talk and play at the same time! Once you've mastered this exercise, try playing it and reciting your shopping list out loud at the same time. The ultimate challenge!"
Promise of Spring - Performance Study
"I wrote "Promise of Spring" back in the late '90s after listening to a lot to one of my favorite singer/songwriters, Nick Drake. When I recorded this on my first album, 'Sixth Sense', I used a Gibson Hummingbird and there was a cooler vibe when I tuned the guitar down a whole tone. Try it on your guitar and see if it feels and sounds rich and resonant. The tuning would be: C,G,C,F,A,D. For this learning video though, it's in standard drop D."
Promise of Spring: A Section - Breakdown
"There's a lot of info here! Firstly, this segment talks about counting yourself in before playing a single note. This is a great idea in general as it can help to overcome performance nerves. You are also going to focus on the volume difference between bass groove and the upper voices. There are tips about difficult stretches for the fretting hand, an exercise to overcome barre-chord challenges, and using the back of the thumbnail in the bass for single string groove."
Promise of Spring: A Section Variations - Breakdown
"This is a short demonstration about creating echos, or variations, of the melody in the middle strings or alto area of the guitar. It's fun to do but it's not essential to the piece. Remember that the most important factor is to stay in time."
Promise of Spring: Bridge - Breakdown
"The bridge section of "Promise of Spring" focuses on a contrasting picking-hand pattern to the other sections of the piece. I have broken down the chord shapes in detail for you here and there is a rundown of the Outro. In addition, towards the end of this clip, there is a very useful one-bar exercise that is easy to pick up but tricky to master! It can help so much with voice independence in general. Give it a try!"
In the Deep - SECTION 3: Overview
"This piece focuses on playing a steady rolling groove in the bass while projecting a pentatonic melody over the top. The melody features several question/answer phrases that you can highlight by using contrasting tones, dynamics, and textures. One other technique that this piece will help you with is playing the 2s against 3s polyrhythm. I've created a few exercises to accompany this piece so, if you haven't done it before, I hope to have you up and running soon!"
Shifting Thumb Groove - Practice Study 1
"Everything in this exercise is played with the thumb. It's slightly trickier than creating a groove with an alternating thumb pattern for example. The same fretted notes F# and B first appear at the 4th fret before moving up to the 9th fret. It would be a good idea to perfect this exercise before moving on. Don't forget, the tuning is Low B, A, D, G, B, E."
3's Against 2's - Practice Study 2
"Here is all you need to know about 3's against 2's. If you haven't done them before, take this lesson in small doses before it has a chance to overwhelm you. Try the percussive exercise first, remembering to say the 'nice to see you' phrase out loud. Once perfected, let it sit in your mind for a while. When you can play it without having to think too hard, it will be time to transfer the 3's against 2's over to the picking hand.
I've used the phrase 'nice to see you' in this clip. The infamous phrase 'nice cup of tea' is also good for learning to play 3's against 2's but for this piece, you will realize that it is not quite relevant. This exercise is in standard tuning. Clive"
Challenging Left Hand Moves - Practice Study 3
"Here is a 1-bar exercise about keeping the groove in the bass whilst allowing a simple melody to sing out. The challenges here are the brief bar chord formed halfway through, and the fourth finger stretch on the high A, first string. It is only one bar of music but with slow practice and attention to detail, this technical challenge could be a very beneficial asset to your playing."
In the Deep - Performance Study
""In the Deep" was written after a trip down to the Gulf of Mexico with John Renbourn. It has a hypnotic bass groove with a mostly pentatonic melody over top. Once the bass groove has been established it should simmer in the background so that the listener is always drawn to the upper melodies—and of course that lower bass melodic riff!"
In the Deep: Main Theme - Breakdown
"This section focuses on establishing a rocking groove whilst playing the "In the Deep" melody over top. There are also ideas about tonal contrasts and voice separation volumes."
In the Deep: Octave Theme - Breakdown
"Once you have mastered the notes and technique in this passage, the "icing on the cake" involves creating tonal and dynamic contrasts to draw the listener in. Don't be afraid to play very quietly in the answering 'echo' phrases."
In the Deep: The Bass Riff - Breakdown
"As well as learning the notes for the bass riff section of "In the Deep" it is important here, as explained in the video, to keep an ear open for any intonation issues. When playing the bass riff, fret lightly with the first finger of the fretting hand whilst pressing more firmly with finger four. Your first finger is dealing with a thicker string and a much lower tension than the fourth string. This could feel weird at first but it is an interesting concept that may be applied to help the intonation of any bass lines in your repertoire."
In the Deep: Lead Solo - Breakdown
"Once you have learned the notes, some details to work on are:
1. Quick hammer-ons in the opening phrase
2. Accuracy when sliding the pentatonic notes up the second string
3. The super laid-back feel when sliding back down the second string
4. The pianissimo ponticello echo. (Don't be afraid to play extremely quietly here)"
In the Deep: 3's Against 2's - Breakdown
"Mastering the 3's against 2's exercise is really going to help with this section. I've tried to break it all down as slowly as possible for you.
It is a great idea to practice overplaying the thumb part whilst playing lightly fingers the fingers, and vice-versa. The focus on one part (ie the bass or the melody) acts as a useful distraction to help cement the music in your muscle memory. A great little tip for memorizing pieces in general!"
In the Deep: Ending - Breakdown
"Here is a breakdown of the ending to "In the Deep". It also includes a short demo of harmonics at the 7th and 12th frets along with an explanation on how to sound 7th fret harmonics and an octave higher! Interesting and useful stuff!"
Reed All About It! - SECTION 4: Overview
"I've written a piece loosely based on the guitar style of Jerry Reed. There are some picking hand techniques not dissimilar to his, and the trick is not to play the piece too fast—it needs to be at a speed that sounds “funky". The opening melody works up the neck in chord shapes, whilst maintaining an alternating bass pattern. A new melodic theme is introduced mid-way through the piece that provides a nice contrast to the original theme and is fun to play. As an extra, I've come up with some other grooves to sink your teeth into so that you can familiarize yourself with this style."
Groovin' Slides & Pulloffs - Practice Study 1
"This two-bar phrase incorporates a double slide, a pull-off, and tips on muting the bass strings to create a funky groove. It goes without saying that if you can play this exercise super slowly with groove, only then is it time to increase the metronome mark."
Positional Jumps - Practice Study 2
"This study focuses on maintaining a rock-steady groove whilst shifting chord shapes with the fretting hand. This is definitely worth spending time on! "
Reedy Mini Groove - Practice Study 3
"This is the final study installment to prepare you for "Reed All About It". The melody begins in first position on the second string and ends up on the first string high A, in fifth position. When you have mastered the chord shapes, ensure that the bass is rock solid, the tune sings through, you are not feeling any tension in your hands, arms, legs, or brain—and that you can drink a cup of tea at the same time! "
Funky Country Pickin' - Practice Study 4
"Whilst in the Truefire studios I came up with three more grooves that I thought you might enjoy. I hope these patterns will help you to dig into this funky country picking style a little more. Perhaps you could try writing a melody over top to sing, or even play on the guitar at the same time as the groove."
Reed All About It! - Performance Study
"In 2019 I was asked to write a piece that needed to have a country feel with an element of funk and had to be at a certain technical level. All in all, not the easiest commission! The first person who came to my mind was Jerry Reed! I hope you enjoy the music and that the technical aspects covered are beneficial to your own playing. I think sitting in front of all those cameras at Truefire made me play it at a fair nip on the metronome scale. The tempo here is the absolute max. Slower is good!"
Reed All About It! A Section - Breakdown
"The piece opens with a right-hand picking style akin to Jerry Reed's technique and the exercises leading up to the piece are beneficial with this first section. In the video, there is a slight diversion at about 11m20sec to 12min10sec to show you a couple of extra turnarounds! As well as the rock-solid groove, ensure that all the pull-offs have a clean snap to them."
Reed All About It! Variation - Breakdown
"Here is the A section again with a couple of variations in the first part including a higher 'A' chord voicing, some intervals of sixths, and a double bend on the sharp 9 chord!"
Reed All About It! B Section - Breakdown
"Switching to half time, here is a detailed run-through of the middle section of "Reed All About It".
Take care with the chord shapes on the low strings, by avoiding any out-of-tune string bends with the fretting hand.
This segment also includes some brief advice on the advantages of recording yourself."
Reed All About It! Ending - Breakdown
"The return to section A begins up the neck and gradually works its way into what should be by now familiar territory. Slow right down in that penultimate passage of the piece and remember that the final riff is back in time, even if only for a few seconds. On one of my tours with Tommy Emmanuel we were messing around backstage with the last chord and, as a nod to Tommy, I have immortalized the A9b5 from our jam at the ending of "Reed All About It!". Clive"
Eliza's Eyes - SECTION 5: Overview
"This is a piece in the open tuning of CGCGCD. A percussive groove is created with the picking hand and the piece incorporates a lot of different textures and musical lines which are meant to evoke the sound of a full band through one solo instrument."
Steady Bass & Percussion - Practice Study 1
"Playing a driving "rock bass" groove and sounding the percussive slap on beats two and four is tricky to start with. The slap and the bass note should both sound at the same time! If you have a higher action on your guitar you will need to 'slap' more firmly. Make sure the correct fingering is used for the upper 'piano' part. To start with, it will feel a little like patting your head and rubbing your tummy at the same time but, as with all the technical challenges in this course, once the concept has been internalized it will feel effortless."
Octave Interruption - Practice Study 2
"This study is an extension of the "Steady Bass & Percussion" example. If you can make the octaves sound louder than the bass part and upper arpeggio figures, it will ultimately give the impression to the listener that you are playing all four parts, (bass, percussion, arpeggios, and octaves) at the same time. Extremely slow practice to start with is very highly recommended!"
Swinging the Groove - Practice Study 3
"This is an extra study that I thought you might enjoy trying out. The guitar is in standard tuning in the clip and the study may be useful when playing something in a blues/jazz style. The metronome here is set to 110 bpm."
Brass Stabs - Practice Study 4
"Here is another short, standard tuning, fingerstyle swing groove exercise (I feel a Truefire Fingerstyle Swing project in the making!). I have used the groove in this exercise so much over the years, and alternating between the bass/chord part and 'brass stabs' is a classic arranging technique in the big band style for creating an introduction before the main melody. As in "Eliza's Eyes", special attention should be given to finding the balance between the bass note as well as achieving the percussive sound. The amount of pressure applied varies from player to player, and the string height of your instrument. You will have to experiment here to find out what works best for you."
Eliza's Eyes - Performance Study
"This piece was requested by many players for inclusion on my Truefire course. I wrote it circa 2009—Eliza is the name of my daughter. I hope you enjoy learning it! Clive"
Eliza's Eyes: Intro Section - Breakdown
"Practice Studies 1 and 2 are really going to help with the introduction section of "Eliza's Eyes". The guitar is tuned to C,G,C,G,C,D.
The techniques you learn from this session can be used in a variety of tunings and situations—from accompanying singers to contemporary song, blues, and jazz arrangements."
Eliza's Eyes: Main Theme - Breakdown
"Once the actual notes have been learned, a key point in this lesson is to bring out the opening melody on string 4 (and the final note on string 5). Halfway through the video, when the melody switches to the upper octave on string 1, the inner voice heard on strings 2 and 3 should sound totally independent. This is an advanced concept to pull off but very worthwhile if you are passionate about delivering complex multi-voiced pieces in a solo performance setting."
Eliza's Eyes: Variation - Breakdown
"This segment focuses on a fleshed-out version of the main theme. The opening chord shape here is transposable in this tuning so you might enjoy experimenting further with that. Later on, the music heads back into previous techniques that we've covered. There is a tricky passage where the separate voices work their way up into the "dusty end". It goes without saying that slow practice and attention to the left and right-hand technical detail is of extreme importance."
Eliza's Eyes: Ending - Breakdown
"In this section, it is ALL happening!!! The only parts missing are the choir, full orchestra, and canons! The bass line and percussive groove sound throughout while the middle voice plays an eighth-note melody and the highest voice is singing a three-note figure. As mentioned in the video, this is the peak of the song and delivering it as such takes priority over the cleanliness of each part. It is a case of "go for it" before the music reduces down to the final C chord. The dampening idea before playing the final chord may be a useful technique to have in your toolkit for other situations.”