In this Rhythm Makeover edition, Muriel Anderson presents her signature fingerstyle guitar techniques and creative approaches. Muriel is the first woman to have won the National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship, has recorded with country legend Chet Atkins, performed with Les Paul, the Chicago Symphony and the Nashville Chamber Orchestra.

Expand your fingerstyle rhythm guitar prowess with Muriel Anderson’s Rhythm Makeover and be sure to check out Adam Levy’s Rhythm Makeover for electric guitar, and Vicki Genfan’s Rhythm Makeover for acoustic guitar.

Thousands of #1 hit records use the same handful of chord progressions. So, what makes those songs so distinctive from one another? Melody, lyrics and production values are all very important of course, but rhythm is what gets the feet tapping, the bodies moving and the lips smiling.

Whether they perform in bands, duos or solo as a singer-songwriter, guitarists play rhythm 95% of the time supporting the vocalist and/or soloist. A pretty big responsibility, and a pretty big challenge making those common chord progressions sound original and interesting.

TrueFire’s Rhythm Makeover series focuses on the art of crafting compelling, original and interesting rhythm guitar parts by equipping players with the harmonic skills, playing techniques, chord vocabulary and creative approaches for breathing fresh life into any chord progression.

Rhythm Makeover courses are presented by educators with vast experience composing, arranging, recording and performing songs for audiences world-wide. Each edition is presented a single educator, but all of the educators examine the same 15 chord progressions.

The 15 chord progressions were specifically selected because they have each powered hundreds of hit records, across a variety of popular styles. All of the educators also work with the very same bass and drum tracks to emphasize just how much influence the guitar part has on the distinctive qualities of a song. The progressions and tracks cover a variety of keys:

I-V-vi-IV progression in the key of C major
I-vi-ii-V progression in the key of G major
Descending IV-iii-ii-I progression in the key of E major
ii-V-I-IV progression in the key of A major
I-Imaj7-I7-IV progression in the key of G major
iii-vi-ii-V progression in the key of C major
I-vi-iii-IV progression in the key of G major
I-IV-V-I in the key of E major
Ascending I-ii-iii-IV progression in the key of A major
vi-V-VI progression in the key of D
i-bVII-bVI-V progression in the key of C minor
I-iii-IV-V progression in the key of G major
vi-ii-V-I-IV-iv-I chord progression in the key of E major
I-II-V-I progression in the key of A major
I-bVII-IV progression in the key of D
Bringing his or her unique perspective and skill set to the table, the educator presents two distinct creative and technical approaches for each of the 15 chord progressions (30 approaches in all).

As you work through the 30 different approaches, you’ll learn new chord voicings, strumming and fingerstyle patterns, harmonic approaches, creative ideas, right and left-hand techniques and much more, all of which can be applied to any progression that you might encounter, in any key.