Ultimate Guitar Programme

The Thursday webinars are very interactive and are often student led. As long as you’re a member, you will be registered for them indefinitely, so you can log in anywhere in the world to practice and apply the skills you have learned.

Creative Semester

• Week 1: The Melody Maker Within

  Wednesday, March 15, 2017, 12:30 AM

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  Friday, March 17, 2017, 12:30 AM

  You will continue to develop your musical vocabulary by learning more melodies. You will also deepen your understanding of melodic structure and learn what makes melodies unforgettable. This semester will really help to unlock your creative side.

• Week 2: Flying Fingers – The Blues & Improvising

  Wednesday, March 22, 2017, 12:30 AM

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  Friday, March 24, 2017, 12:30 AM

  Improvisation is just the ability to make and play continuous melodies in the moment. Having already developed a vocabulary of melodies as well as established the goal of melody making, the blues scale will serve as the final piece of the improvising puzzle.

• Week 3: Chords, Glorious Chords - Sevenths

  Wednesday, March 29, 2017, 12:30 AM

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  Friday, March 31, 2017, 12:30 AM

  Seventh chords are multi-function chords that are used in every single style of music. You will further explore these chords, and you will learn the most common shapes that will enable you to play in different positions up and down the fretboard.

• Week 4: Writing Your Own Songs

  Wednesday, April 5, 2017, 12:30 AM

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  Friday, April 7, 2017, 12:30 AM

  We will define and discuss the seven essential elements that are necessary for composing. We will apply these elements and make a rough guide that you can follow to help you write songs efficiently and effectively.

Skills Semester

• Week 1: Flying Fingers – Major & Minor

  Wednesday, April 12, 2017, 12:30 AM

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  Friday, April 14, 2017, 12:30 AM

  Scales are a great way to get your fingers flying up and down the neck and learning the notes on the fretboard. Scales frighten many people, but you will learn the tricks on how to master them and understand how they work quickly and efficiently.

• Week 2: Essential Fingerpicking – Folk & Pop

  Wednesday, April 19, 2017, 12:30 AM

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  Friday, April 21, 2017, 12:30 AM

  We will identify some of the more prominent fingerpicking styles, and you will learn different patterns that will enable your fingers to master this technique most efficiently. For the plectrum users, you will also be learning techniques on how to emulate the fingerpicking style.

• Week 3: Chords, Glorious Chords – The Pocket

  Wednesday, April 26, 2017, 12:30 AM

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  Friday, April 28, 2017, 12:30 AM

  You will be learning Root 5 Bar Chords and continuing your study of partial chord shapes. You will then endeavour to improve your rhythm by learning how to “vamp” and playing along to songs with a great “Pocket.”

• Week 4: Playing by Ear

  Wednesday, May 3, 2017, 12:30 AM

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  Friday, May 5, 2017, 12:30 AM

  The goal of every guitar player is to be able to learn and play songs. In this lesson, you will learn how chords are made and how they relate to scales. You will then be able to define key signatures and learn how to determine the key signature of a song. Using this and everything you have learned in the foundation course, you will now be able to learn and play songs by ear.

Technique Semester

• Week 1: Flying Fingers – Pentatonic & Segovia

  Wednesday, May 10, 2017, 12:30 AM

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  Friday, May 12, 2017, 12:30 AM

  The Pentatonic Scales are a great way to learn the neck and get your fingers into new positions. The Segovia Scales will transform the way you move up and down the fretboard. By the end of this lesson, you will start mastering these scales.

• Week 2: Essential Fingerpicking – Classical & Flamenco

  Wednesday, May 17, 2017, 12:30 AM

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  Friday, May 19, 2017, 12:30 AM

  You will continue your fingerpicking journey by exploring the styles of Classical, Spanish, and Flamenco guitar. This exploration will lead you into learning the fundamentals of how to read music for the guitar.

• Week 3: Chords, Glorious Chords – Inversions

  Wednesday, May 24, 2017, 12:30 AM

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  Friday, May 26, 2017, 12:30 AM

  You will define chord inversions and learn the fingerings for them. There are only a few shapes that are used again. Once you learn these shapes, you will learn how to use them to spice up your rhythm.

• Week 4: Cracking the Song Code

  Wednesday, May 31, 2017, 12:30 AM

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  Friday, June 2, 2017, 12:30 AM

  You will expand your knowledge of chord progressions to include the blues progression and chords that are not in keys, but still appear in songs. You will also learn how to adapt and arrange a song to include your own personal flair.