top of page

Progressions:
Bluegrass Guitar

Section 1

DSC_0270 - large_edited.jpg

Music is a journey of self-discovery.

Meeting ID: 872 4228 9340
Passcode: 693578

Week 1

A big part of being a good bluegrass musician is knowing a lot of songs!

Tuesday, September 3rd, 2024

​

Thursday, September 5th, 2024

Tuesday - Introduction

​

  - Repertoire

  - Section 1 - Fiddle Tunes

     - "Red Haired Boy"

     - "Cherokee Shuffle"

     - "St. Anne's Reel"

 

  - Serving the Song

  - Practicing 

​

  - Reading charts, tabs, notation

  - Counting, groove, timing

  - Gear

  - Listening list

 

Rhythm Guitar Basics -

​

  - Pick Position

  - Strum Zones

  - Pick Grip

  - Alternating bass strum

  - Down-Up Strum

  - Phrasing

  - Song structures

​

-------------------------------------------------

 

​

Thursday -

[IN PERSON] - Jam at Swallow Hill

​

  - Meet at our normal class time at Swallow Hill Music Association: 71 E. Yale Ave. Denver, CO 80210 (maps)

​

​

​

Class Recordings

Tuesday

Passcode: ak$s.W9!

​

​

​

​

Thursday

Online classes posted here
Class recordings posted in Google Drive

​

Week 2

Play what you want to hear next.

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

​

Thursday, September 12, 2024

Tuesday -

Music Theory

​

  - The Musical Alphabet

  - Scales  - G-Scale

                   C-Scale

                   D-Scale

  - Chords, Voicings

  - Diatonic Triad Chart

​

-------------------------------------------------

​

Thursday - [IN PERSON] - Jam at Swallow Hill

​

  - Meet at our normal class time at Swallow Hill Music Association: 71 E. Yale Ave. Denver, CO 80210 (maps)

​

  - You must bring a song to play

  - You must try to play a solo

Class Recordings

Tuesday

Passcode:

​

​

​

Thursday

Week 3

You learn what you need to learn at the gig!

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

​

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Tuesday - Serving the Song: Ensemble Skills

​

  - Organizing your thoughts

  - Learning to listen

  - Stage Presence

  - Serving the song

​

Rhythm Guitar - Bass Lines and Embellishments

​

  - Bass Lines

  - Arpeggio Picking

  - Marking Chords

  - Outlining phrases

  - Shaping the song

​

-------------------------------------------------

​

Thursday - [IN PERSON] - Song Circle at Swallow Hill

​

  - Meet at our normal class time at Swallow Hill Music Association: 71 E. Yale Ave. Denver, CO 80210 (maps)

​

You must play a song by yourself for the class.

Class Recordings

Tuesday
Passcode:

​

​

​

​

Thursday

Passcode:

Week 4

Find a good song and play it!

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

​

Thursday, September 26, 2024

Tuesday - Fiddle Tunes & Practice

​

Fiddle Tunes - The basics

- Picking style

- Phrasing

- Learning the tunes

- the disadvantage of tab & notation

​

Prepare these tunes so we can focus on them closely in Section 4

 

Practice-

- How much should you practice?

- What should you practice?

- The three parts of practice.

       - Repertoire

       - Musicianship

       - Technical Practice

​

- Your musical mind

​

​

-------------------------------------------------

​

​

Thursday - Martin will be at the Southwest Regional Folk Alliance Conference in Austin, TX.

​

[ONLINE!!!] - Q&A Session

​

  - This is a special online session where you can ask anything about bluegrass music, guitar, performance, practice, the music business, teaching, etc. Come with questions!

​

 

Class Recordings

Tuesday

Passcode:

​

​

​

​

Thursday

Repertoire Recordings

Bury Me Beneath the Willow_mixdownArtist Name
00:00 / 04:02
Your Love Is Like A Flower - GArtist Name
00:00 / 03:14
Little Cabin Home on the Hill - AArtist Name
00:00 / 04:00
I Am A PilgrimArtist Name
00:00 / 06:43
John Hardy - GArtist Name
00:00 / 03:28
Way DowntownArtist Name
00:00 / 03:37
Long Journey HomeArtist Name
00:00 / 04:13
New River Train - GArtist Name
00:00 / 04:19
Nine Pound Hammer - GArtist Name
00:00 / 04:37
Blueridge Cabin Home - G_mixdownMartin Gilmore
00:00 / 03:33
Red haired boy - leadMartin Gilmore
00:00 / 01:15
Red Haired Boy - Rhythm - AMartin Gilmore
00:00 / 03:39
Red Haired Boy - Jam - AMartin Gilmore
00:00 / 03:39
Cherokee Shuffle - Lead - AMartin Gilmore
00:00 / 01:17
Cherokee Shuffle - Rhythm - AMartin Gilmore
00:00 / 02:57
Cherokee Shuffle - Jam - AMartin Gilmore
00:00 / 02:56
St. Anne's Reel - DMartin Gilmore
00:00 / 00:48
St. Anne's Reel - RhythmMartin Gilmore
00:00 / 03:59
St. Anne's Reel - JamMartin Gilmore
00:00 / 03:59
bottom of page