Turn simple chord progressions into captivating, emotional passages with tasteful techniques like hammer-ons, pull-offs, and drones.

These expressive details bring life and movement to your playing, channeling the melodic storytelling of Paul Simon, James Taylor, and other folk icons.

Module 1: Exploring Drones

Discover the secret to creating that rich, full sound that makes folk music so timeless. Droning notes will add depth to your progressions, making your guitar resonate like never before.

Module 2: Mastering Hammer-Ons

Learn how to use hammer-ons to add emotion and fluidity to your playing. This simple but powerful technique will bring life to your chord changes and progressions.

Module 3: Mastering Pull-Offs

Add flair to your progressions with pull-offs. This technique creates smooth, flowing sounds that make your music more expressive.

Module 4: Hammer-On/Pull-Off Combo

Combine these two essential techniques to create dynamic, flowing embellishments that elevate your playing.

Module 5: Ornamentation Rhythms

Add rhythmic variations to your ornamentations, making your progressions more interesting and expressive.

Module 6: Melodic Anticipation

Learn how to add subtle sophistication to your progressions with a trick called Melodic Anticipation, making your transitions smoother and your music more cohesive.

Module 7: Diatonic Dyads

Discover how to use diatonic dyads to add melodic harmony, enhancing your progressions with rich, layered sounds.

Module 8: Playing Melodies While Strumming

Learn how to weave melodies into your strumming patterns, creating a full, layered sound that makes your guitar feel like a one-person band.

Module 9: Creating Lead Melodies in Progressions

Discover how to craft lead melodies that flow naturally within your chord progressions, making your playing more dynamic and memorable.

Step beyond standard open chords and uncover more than 50 expressive shapes across the fretboard, built from just four familiar chord foundations.

You’ll craft rich textures and layered harmonies through inversions that make even basic songs sound unique, soulful, and entirely your own.

Module 1: Unlocking the CAGED System for Chord Shapes

Stop feeling stuck playing the same chords over and over. With the CAGED system, you’ll unlock the fretboard, giving you more variety and freedom in your playing.

Module 2: Harmonizing the Major Scale

Bring melody to your music by learning to harmonize the major scale, an essential skill for choosing the best chords for your songs.

Module 3: Sliding Shapes (E)

Learn chord shapes in the key of E that make it easy to replace boring cowboy chords, giving your playing a seamless and polished feel.

Module 4: Sliding Shapes (A & D)

Explore sliding techniques with chord shapes in the keys of A & D, replacing boring cowboy chords, and unlocking smooth transitions and melodic movement on the fretboard, expanding your ability to create movement and emotion in your music.

Module 5: Sliding Shapes (C)

Learn how to slide effortlessly between shapes in the key of C, adding smoothness and emotion to your playing.

Module 6: Inversions Introduction

Discover how chord inversions can transform your progressions, making them sound more dynamic and interesting. Move over, cowboy chords!

Module 7: Inversions (Key of C)

Apply inversion techniques in the key of C, creating fresh and unique sounds in your music.

Module 8: Inversions (Key of G)

Explore inversions in the key of G, giving you even more tonal variety in your progressions.

Module 9: Inversions (Key of A)

Explore inversions in the key of A to bring fresh perspectives and tonal variety to your chord progressions.

Module 10: Inversions (Key of E)

Unlock new tonal options by mastering inversions in the key of E, adding more color and variety to your progressions.

Module 11: Inversions (Key of D)

Explore chord inversions in the key of D, adding depth and sophistication to your arrangements.

Unlock the heartbeat of folk guitar with a guided approach that takes you from total beginner to effortlessly weaving melody and harmony together.

You’ll learn to Travis pick with confidence, creating that timeless, two-guitars-in-one sound that defines the folk tradition.

Module 1: Forward and Backward Rolls

Want your picking to flow effortlessly? Learn simple patterns that blend rhythm and melody seamlessly, laying the groundwork for beautiful fingerpicking.

Module 2: Learning the Classic Travis Picking Pattern (Part 1)

Start mastering the iconic Travis Picking pattern that forms the backbone of many beloved folk songs.

Module 3: Learning the Classic Travis Picking Pattern (Part 2)

Build on what you learned last week by adding complexity and variation to this timeless fingerpicking pattern.

Module 4: Changing Chord Positions

Learn how to move between different chord positions smoothly, giving your progressions variety and sophistication.

Module 5: Travis Picking Variations

Take your Travis picking to the next level with variations that add complexity and richness to your fingerpicking.

Module 6: Adding Melodies (Accented Upstrokes)

Combine melodies with accented upstrokes to add flair and emphasis to your strumming.

Module 7: Adding Melodies (Thumb/Finger Pinch)

Combine thumb and finger pinches with melodies to create intricate, layered picking patterns.

Module 8: Adding Melodies (Hammer-Ons / Pull-Offs)

Combine hammer-ons and pull-offs with Travis Picking melodies to create smooth, flowing phrases that captivate listeners.

Module 9: Adding Melodies (High E Neighbor String)

Learn how to travis pick chords while playing melodies that incorporate notes on the high E string to add sparkle and depth to your arrangements.

Module 10: Adding Extended Melodies

Expand your melodic range by integrating extended melodies into your progressions, creating lush, expressive sounds.

Bring rhythm, tone, and emotion together by adding soft percussion, thumb thumps, and natural groove into your strumming hand.

These feel-driven touches give your playing depth and pulse, adding that warm, lived-in folk sound without ever feeling flashy or over-the-top.


Module 1: Basic Hand Mechanics for Expressive Finger Strumming

Say goodbye to awkward hand movements when trying to strumming with your fingers. You’ll master positioning and coordination, making your figne strumming smoother and your playing more comfortable.

Module 2: Isolating Bass Notes

Focus on creating a strong foundation by isolating bass notes. This skill is essential for fingerpicking patterns that combine rhythm and melody.

Module 3: 16th Note Finger Strumming

Combine rhythm and melody with advanced finger strumming techniques that create a full and rich sound.

Module 4: The Half-Time Groove

Discover how to slow things down with a half-time rhythm that adds contrast and feel, making your playing more impactful.

Module 5: Bass Note Melodies (Fingers)

Combine bass notes and melody lines with your fingers, creating a full, layered sound that feels like an entire band.

Module 6: Palm Muted Finger Strumming

Master palm-muted finger strumming to create a rhythmic, percussive feel in your playing.

Module 7: Adding the Fingernail Snare

Incorporate the fingernail snare technique to add sharp, percussive accents to your strumming.

Module 8: Percussive Thumb Click

Add rhythmic energy to your playing with the thumb click technique, giving your music a distinct percussive groove.

Module 9: Percussive Fingernail Mute

Use your fingernails to create rhythmic mutes, adding sharp, "chucking" percussive accents that make your strumming stand out.

Module 10: Putting It All Together

Tie everything from the Expressive Finger Strumming pillar of the course into one cohesive style.