Showing titles in Instruction & Technique

Ear training is one of the most rewarding skills you can develop, and it’s one that you can work on every day. Which makes total sense: music is an aural experience, after all. Ear training helps you turn the music you hear into music you make on your guitar. This works for your own musical ideas, too: when you dream up a great riff or chord progression, you naturally want to sit down and play it right away. Ear training helps you do just that.

This Banjo by Ear bundle is designed for the beginner banjo player who wants to learn the standard bluegrass tunes while progressing in proficiency. Here you will find song lessons at a beginner level as well as those at an intermediate level that will take the student into alternate tunings and positions up the neck. Included in this bundle is the lesson “Banjo Basics", designed to bring the absolute beginner up to speed on banjo terminology and techniques.

This surprisingly jazzy song was pulled off quite well by The Beatles though the style was not typical of their song list. In this “all-audio” lesson you will learn the jazz chord progression and the lead guitar fill-ins and solo without video, tab, or music. Bill Brown, your teacher, also lays out some basic theory about the moveable chord shapes and how they are getting their names. The song has demonstration and backing tracks to practice and perform with.

The Vietnam War era produced several “anthems of angst”, and this one made the top of the list. This folk-rock hit made it to number four on the charts in 1971 and stayed in the hearts of Americans ever since. In this lesson you will learn the entire guitar part played by Edwards completely “by ear”. Bill Brown will demonstrate, and then explain in detail, every chord and strum without video, tab, or music. The lesson includes both demonstration and backing tracks to practice and perform with.

In this lesson you will learn all of the guitar licks to this upbeat Johnny Winter rock blues smoker. The entire song is demonstrated completely and then taught in short sections totally “by ear”. At the conclusion of the lesson you are given backing tracks without the guitar on it for you to play and perform with.

Learn both the rhythm and lead guitar parts to this Eagles hit without using music or tab. The entire song is played all the way through and then taught in small increments totally “by ear”. Then, once you have learned the guitar parts, you are supplied with three different versions of backing tracks for you and some friends to play along with. This song is rated as a level one for the rhythm guitar but a level two for the lead guitar.

In this lesson you learn the 12-string, six-string, and slide-guitar parts to one of the most recognizable Pink Floyd songs. Each guitar part is taught in two- to four-measure sections completely “by ear” so there is no print, tab, or video to struggle with. There is a full demonstration track and three different performance tracks to listen to and play along with. The 12-string part is a level one while the lead guitar and slide parts are level two.

This Jimmy Durante hit makes a great level-one flat pick solo. You will also learn the chords, as well, and there is a full demonstration of the song before the phrase-by-phrase “by ear” lesson. At the conclusion of the lesson, you are given three different versions of the backing tracks for you, and maybe a friend, to play along with.

In this lesson, Bill Brown will teach you the arrangement of “Over the Rainbow” he still uses to this day. This is an intermediate level fingerstyle solo for those of you who have been playing over two years. The song is fully demonstrated, and then, Bill works you through the entire arrangement in two- to four-measure sections completely “by ear".

This lesson starts with a full demonstration of the song with backing tracks followed by a detailed “by ear” lesson of the song in small phrases. In the lesson, you will learn the rhythm and lead guitar parts. At the end, you are given the backing tracks in different variations to practice and play along with.

In this lesson, the student learns both the rhythm and lead guitar parts to this twang guitar classic without reading music or tab. A full demonstration of the song is given at the beginning followed by a detailed “by ear” lesson taught in two- to four-measure sections. At the end of the lesson, three different versions of the backing track are supplied for live performance!

In this lesson, the student learns the accompaniment as well as the melody to “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen in two keys. A full demonstration of both keys is given followed by a detailed lesson on the arrangement using no print, tab, or video. The entire song is taught “by ear". Backing tracks for both keys are given to practice and perform with.

Learn both the rhythm and lead guitar parts to this classic rock hit by CCR without using any music, tab, or video! The entire lesson is taught “by ear” in two- to four-measure sections, and demonstration and backing tracks are included to practice and perform with.

This beautiful song is easy to learn when you learn it “by ear". The lesson starts with a complete demonstration with backing tracks followed by a detailed lesson using no print, tab, or video. At the end of the lesson, you get the backing tracks again with no guitar on them to use for your own performance. This song uses a capo and fingerpicking patterns and is rated as a level one.

In this lesson, you will learn both the acoustic rhythm and electric lead guitar parts to “Supernatural” by double-platinum artist Sara Evans. Included with this lesson is a full demonstration with drums and bass and three different backing tracks to practice and perform with. The entire lesson is taught “by ear” so there is no music, tab, or print to mess with.

Learn a fingerstyle solo of this Eddie Holman classic without using music or tab! The lesson starts with a full demonstration of the song and then teaches every note and phrase completely “by ear” without using music, tab, or video.

Learn a fingerstyle solo of this Beatle’s hit without using music, tab, or video. The lesson includes a full demonstration of the solo and then a detailed “by ear” lesson teaching every phrase slowly, including fingering and any helpful technique and performance tips.

In this lesson, the student is first given a full demonstration of the guitar parts with backing tracks as a reference. Then they get a detailed “by ear” lesson on both the rhythm and lead guitar parts and guitar and effects settings. This lesson is broken down into two to four measure sections using no music, tab, print, or video. At the end of the lesson are backing tracks in different formats to be used for live performance!

All 14 verses of this blues/rock hit are taught in extreme detail including the use of the wah-wah pedal. The entire song is demonstrated and then taught completely “by ear”. At the conclusion of the lesson, you are given the backing tracks to practice and perform with.

In this lesson, the student learns both the acoustic rhythm and electric lead guitar parts to “Zephyr” by Mary Chapin Carpenter. The lesson begins with full demonstration of the song arrangement followed by a detailed “by ear” lesson on all the guitar parts of the song. At the end of the lesson, there are backing tracks in three different configurations to be used for practice and performance.