elfuego68
Verified buyer
10/18/25
Fingerstyle Guitar Essentials
Great course for drop "D" Fingerstyle guitar
Fingerstyle Essentials
Create beautiful & compelling arrangements in the key of D
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About this course
Arranging in the Key of D is the first in a series of Fingerstyle Essentials acoustic guitar lessons from the very accomplished fingerstyle performer, composer, and arranger. Over the course of this series, Muriel will guide you through a series of examinations covering the arranging, composing, technical and creative attributes of fingerstyle guitar.
"This first course is a great first step (and second step!) to making beautiful and compelling arrangements on acoustic guitar. The key of D is one of my favorite keys to compose and arrange in. I'll be presenting several of my "tricks" to help you make beautiful arrangements for any number of songs in the key of D. Some of them will fall under your fingers so easily that you'll likely be able to arrange tunes on the fly."
Students play their way through Arranging in the Key of D Students without having to struggle through tedious theory and boring exercises.
"While all the material in the course could be classified at the intermediate level, you will be able to produce very professional and wonderful sounding results. The course also challenges your creativity. I'll present the first section of a tune, along with recommended approaches and techniques, and then I'll encourage and guide you to create your own version before sharing the complete arrangement."
You will learn how to play and craft acoustic guitar arrangements Muriel reveals her own favorite "guitaristic" qualities of D while sharing very inventive ways to arrange, compose, and create very beautiful harmonies in this popular key for guitar.
"I'm very proud and excited about this new series of Fingerstyle Essentials. Separating the process of arranging into individual keys and showing you what works best in each key will be a groundbreaking way to encourage your creativity on the guitar. Enjoy!"
"This first course is a great first step (and second step!) to making beautiful and compelling arrangements on acoustic guitar. The key of D is one of my favorite keys to compose and arrange in. I'll be presenting several of my "tricks" to help you make beautiful arrangements for any number of songs in the key of D. Some of them will fall under your fingers so easily that you'll likely be able to arrange tunes on the fly."
Students play their way through Arranging in the Key of D Students without having to struggle through tedious theory and boring exercises.
"While all the material in the course could be classified at the intermediate level, you will be able to produce very professional and wonderful sounding results. The course also challenges your creativity. I'll present the first section of a tune, along with recommended approaches and techniques, and then I'll encourage and guide you to create your own version before sharing the complete arrangement."
You will learn how to play and craft acoustic guitar arrangements Muriel reveals her own favorite "guitaristic" qualities of D while sharing very inventive ways to arrange, compose, and create very beautiful harmonies in this popular key for guitar.
"I'm very proud and excited about this new series of Fingerstyle Essentials. Separating the process of arranging into individual keys and showing you what works best in each key will be a groundbreaking way to encourage your creativity on the guitar. Enjoy!"
What you'll learn
- Create melodic variations within chord progressions
- Using chord shapes for harmonic support
- Explore creative chord voicings
- Recognize scale patterns across the fretboard
- Understand bass note selection techniques
Release date: 08/07/2009 • 1h 01m runtime
Sample lessons
Drop D Tuning & Chords
Technical Tips & 6th Intervals
Exercise 8
Santa Lucia Perf
What's included
23 lessons • 15 charts
Introduction
The key of D on the guitar is really my favorite. There are a couple of tricks that I’ll share with you that work great to make beautiful arrangements for a lot of songs. Some of them will fall under your fingers so easily that you may even be able to arrange spontaneously as you go.
You’ll find your time with your guitar more enjoyable when you enjoy the sound that is coming out of your instrument. Remember, a good guitar will hold its value, so try to find one that speaks to you and inspires you. Put on good quality strings, and tune it as precisely as possible.
You’ll find your time with your guitar more enjoyable when you enjoy the sound that is coming out of your instrument. Remember, a good guitar will hold its value, so try to find one that speaks to you and inspires you. Put on good quality strings, and tune it as precisely as possible.
Drop D Tuning & Chords
First, let’s drop the 6th string down a whole step to a low D, an octave from the 4th string. This gives you a beautiful low open string root.
We’ll use several different fingerings for the D chord. The one I most often use is made by barring across three strings on the 2nd fret with the first finger, and the second finger gets the 2nd string 3rd fret. This standard D shape gives you the option to play the 4th string open, or grab the 4th fret F# note with your third finger. You also have the option to play the 5th string open, or grab the 5th fret with your 5th finger.
We’ll use several different fingerings for the D chord. The one I most often use is made by barring across three strings on the 2nd fret with the first finger, and the second finger gets the 2nd string 3rd fret. This standard D shape gives you the option to play the 4th string open, or grab the 4th fret F# note with your third finger. You also have the option to play the 5th string open, or grab the 5th fret with your 5th finger.
Technical Tips & 6th Intervals
If you play every other string nearly anywhere around this shape, you’ll get intervals of 6ths – ah, beautiful harmony! Here is a right hand fingering that makes it easier to consistently hit every other string. Allow your first three fingers to touch each other,then bend and tuck the middle finger slightly up out of the way. This creates a “spacer” allowing the index and ring finger to flawlessly hit every other string. Your thumb plays the bass strings as usual, and your fingers maintain this shape, moving as a unit to hit the first and third, or second and fourth, or third and fifth strings.
Exercise 1
There are a lot of songs I play that start out of this very shape. Here’s the beginning of “Aura Lee” or you may recognize it as another tune. If you remember the melody, see if you can figure out the next part on your own.
Exercise 2
Some tunes like this one can mimic vocal inflections with hammer-on’s. This can be very lovely in the key of D with the 6th intervals.
Exercise 3
For notes other than the open D on the 6th string, finger two frets higher than you normally would. For instance, a G bass note is now on the 5th fret. When I make a G chord in D tuning, I usually just skip the 5th string instead of fingering it.
Exercise 4
Not all tunes stay right in the D position. In Danny Boy, when the melody goes up higher, it may be nice just to play the single notes. You can also fill in with 6ths or 3rds, as you like. This is a fun one to try on your own. Afterward, for comparison and to incorporate more ideas into your own arrangment, there is a full version at the end of this course.
+ 16 more lessons
Reviews
15 results
Wes M.
02/12/22
Beautiful
Great course Muriel....!!!! Rge exercises are easy, clear, and on point, and the 4 songs at the end are awesome songs to learn and can easily go into your repertoire when playing anywhere and will impress your audience...!!
ThomasKen
04/01/21
Beautiful arrangements from an amazing guitarist
This course has been exceedingly helpful. The simple, understanding way that Muriel Anderson presents in which in turn sounds beautiful under her skill. The experience behind her teaching which in turn gives her the ability to teach well and effectively. This course on arranging in the key of D is a must have for any aspiring fingerstyle guitarist. I highly recommend this stunning, challenging, and enjoyable course.
champignon56
Verified buyer
02/26/21
Love it
mccambda
Verified buyer
02/21/21
Fingerstyle Essentials review
I thought this course was excellent. I like the key of D and there was no shortage of exercises and tips. It was intermediate level and achievable for most examples. I have other courses by this instructor and Muriel Anderson certainly is an excellent teacher.
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