I recently made some changes to the layout of the “For My Students”  page. It now has a drop-down menu so that you can select the specific instrument that you are looking for.

I started creating Practice Tracks for guitar and ukulele using bass guitar and drum set. You can find them in the new drop-down menu under “For My Students”. Go to the Practice Tracks page for your instrument, look for the lesson you are working on, and match the chord progression from your book to the corresponding audio file. The drums will give you a two-measure (eight-beat) count-off, and then you start playing. So far I have added all of the lessons from Unit 1 (in both books), but I will keep adding more weekly, so keep checking back once you’re caught up.

I also made some changes to my Guitar Method Book and my Ukulele Method Book. I simplified the strumming rhythms throughout the lessons, but I added a Strumming Rhythms Index in the appendix, so that each student can learn new rhythms at their own pace. These advanced rhythms can be applied to previous lessons that they’ve completed, current lessons that they are working on, or any songs they are learning or writing outside of the method book. (If you previously printed the Strumming Rhythms Index for Ukulele, this is an updated version. You don’t need to print the whole thing all at once, maybe just the first few pages to start off with.)

I recently made some updates to my Ukulele Method Book. I combined the Practice Instructions and Fretboard pages into one document so they are easy to print onto one double-sided page that can be used as a bookmark and reference throughout the book. I added the scales and chords used for each key, and I integrated “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” in the corresponding key as its own lesson into each unit.  I also added three new units and the Strumming Rhythms Index. I also added a new unit to my Guitar Method Book.

Check out the links to free PDFs on the “For My Students” page.

Since I’ve been teaching more private lessons lately, I took some time to work on my method books.

In my Guitar Method Book I made the chord symbols bigger and more detailed, added some minor key progressions, and started to incorporate bar chords. I also included a fretboard and practice instructions.

Guitar Chord Practice Instructions
Guitar Method Book 1 Fretboard
Guitar Method Book 1 Unit 1: Major and Minor Chords
Guitar Method Book 1 Unit 2: Common Chord Progressions
Guitar Method Book 1 Unit 3: 12-Bar Blues
Guitar Method Book 1 Unit 4: Sus2 and Sus4 Chords
Guitar Method Book 1 Unit 5: Major Bar Chords, Root on the E string
Coming soon: Unit 6: Minor Bar Chords, Root on the A string.

I also created some Advanced Guitar Exercises.

Advanced Guitar Exercises Introduction: “Chromatic” Exercises
Advanced Guitar Exercises Unit 1: Major Chords, Scales, and Modes
Advanced Guitar Exercises Unit 2: Minor Chords, Scales, and Modes

I recently started writing a Ukulele Method Book.

Ukulele Practice Instructions
Ukulele Method Book Fretboard
Ukulele Method Book Unit 1: The Key of C Major
Ukulele Method Book Unit 2: The Key of G Major
Ukulele Method Book Unit 3: The Key of F Major
Ukulele Method Book Unit 4: The Key of D Major
Ukulele Method Book Unit 5: The Key of Bb Major

I also transcribed some simple songs that can be played on ukulele or guitar.

Frosty the Snowman (in C Major and G Major)
Jingle Bells (in C Major and G Major)
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (in C Major and G Major)
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (in C Major and G Major)

Finally, I cleaned up my Music Theory Method Book and sectioned it into units like my other books.

Music Theory Method Book Unit 1
Music Theory Method Book Unit 2
Music Theory Method Book Unit 3
Music Theory Method Book Unit 4
Music Theory Method Book Unit 5

Links to free PDFs of all of these materials (along with my Snare Drum and Drum Set method books) can be found on the “For My Students” page.